Child Abuse

“Just as we all stand up against child marriage, because marriage is an institution meant for adults, and just as we do not let children participate in certain civic duties, such as voting, until they reach a certain age, the time has come to debate the participation of children in religious institutions. While some might see it as a matter better left to parents, the negative influence of religion and its subsequent contribution to child abuse from religious beliefs and practices requires us to ask whether organized religion is an institution that needs limits set on how early it should have access to children.”

More here.

There’s so much that’s profoundly wrong with this… I’ve said before that I have some trouble with the contention that religious indoctrination is a perverse form of mental “child abuse” but I’d suggest this is a pretty compelling argument in favour of that proposition.

It’s really quite heartbreaking to see inquiring young minds deliberately stunted and warped in this manner simply in order to make them conform to a superstitious, fact-free creed by people who are, without dispute, quite fantastically ignorant — “Billy Jack” and “Rusty” in this instance…

h/t: Zorpheous