Children's Rights

We all abhor violence against defenceless children and the sexual abuse of minors. The younger they are, the more outraged we become - but consider the following two child abuse scenarios where hundreds of millions behave like Lord Nelson putting his telescope to his blind eye. Firstly (and this is not what this article is about) many people seem to think that carving up the genitals of helpless young girls and boys without waiting for their permission is alright. Well it's not alright – it is repulsive and barbaric child abuse.

Secondly, what is also abhorrent is that the vast majority of the adult population on this planet think that child indoctrination is alright. Of course every child deserves a good education but part of that education needs to be learning to use critical thinking to work things out for themselves. When it comes to religious belief systems, critical thinking is prohibited, indoctrination takes over and the child's brain is filled with medieval dogma.

Worldwide, children get baptised as members of their parent's church, long before they have an opportunity to make their own mind up. No Christian ever gives their son the opportunity to become a Muslim. No Hindu ever asks their daughter if they would like to be an Anglican. No Catholic ever suggests their children become a Jehova's Witness, a Budhist or an Agnostic. Children are never given the information or opportunity to choose a religion. Instead they become labelled with the same religion as their parents.

The message is so simple. “Please Don't Label Me”. I hope this billboard campaign catches on and I wonder how anyone can disagree with it. No-one is born into a religion. All babies are born totally free of any beliefs.  Parents 'bring their children up' in their own faith system. They won't call it indoctrination but it is. Within a few weeks of birth they commit their children to their own church. Later they send them to Sunday School to become one of Jesus' little sun-beams and arrange for them to be 'confirmed' whilst they are too young to argue and before they are mature enough to be aware that choices are available to them.

I was once a political party member but I did not send any of my children to party meetings at the age of five;  I'm interested in science but I did not sign them up as members of the Astronomical Society at the age of ten days; and I'm a football lover but I did not insist on my kids becoming goalkeepers or centre-forwards. My children chose their own activities, which was how it should be.

So what makes it alright to sign children up to their parent's religion from birth? Religions worked out eons ago how to brainwash children and prevent critical thinking, before they develop the ability to work things out for themselves. As someone once said: 'we should be careful what information we enter into the human brain, because once it is in there, it is very hard to ever get it out'.

Yes, child indoctrination is another form of child abuse.