Born Catholic. Baptized Catholic. Raised Catholic…
Why is it that children are forced to accept a religion?
Why is it that children are forced to accept a religion before they are even old enough to understand the concept fully? As a now-atheist, I do not judge those people who are religious and who sustain personal reasons for following the religion of their choosing. However, I disapprove of those people who worship blindly – who do not have a “relationship” with their god at all, but only claim that they do because they were raised that way.
Furthermore, I especially have an issue with those parents who then pass their religion onto their children. What is so wrong with waiting until a child is old enough to think for himself or herself, laying out a map of their parents’ beliefs and letting the child choose whether or not they want to believe? Instead, children grow up thinking that “I must behave and do good deeds to please God.” Humans must learn to establish morals and generosity without inventing fabled creators. I have a family member whose mother is a die-hard Catholic. She is an atheist, but can not tell her mother this for fear of literally being disowned by her own mother for what she truly thinks is right. Religion is not a genetic thing, and therefore it should not be made so.
My major concern with religious people is some of their needs to convert absolutely everyone possible.
Since I am a self-established atheist, I do not need anyone to tell me that I am “going to hell”. It is needless to argue about such things with someone who simply doesn’t believe – like claiming the tooth fairy is going to doom me to fiery oblivion.
Scientific advancements are delayed by the number of brilliant people condemning themselves to useless worship, and time is spent in churches that could otherwise be spent by improving society. Not to mention the many insane interpretations of certain religions that inspire terrorism and war in some. Religion seems pointless, silly, time-consuming, and altogether harmful to society through the eyes of this atheist. As human beings, we should know right from wrong without God telling us so. We should know not to lie, cheat, steal, envy, be selfish or cruel because of our own judgment, not because God will send us to “hell” if we do any of the above. It is like threatening to take a child’s warm blanket at night because they misbehave… those kinds of things should not be threatened through the eyes of this atheist.
