should parents choose the religion of a child? or should the child choose?

Definitely not, but while the child was still young it's should be the parent's responsibility to build the child's foundation in Christ. As the verse goes " Train up a child in the way he should for when he is old he will not depart from it. But when the child is in the right age already I think it's not righteous for parents to decide for their children because though we know that parents wants the best for their children but we can't deny the fact that sometimes what parents think is best for their children is not always really the best. Parents are like their children also fail sometimes. And the fact that the child wanted other religion, their must be something in that religion that the child wanted that he didn't see in his parent's religion (their must be something lacking and the child found fulfillment in the religion that he/she wanted to choose). In Ephesians 6:1 " Children obey in the your parents in the Lord for this is right". In this case if you think choosing your own religion you are just obeying the Lord and not your parents their will be no problem with that. As what the verse tells us we can disobey the our parents if what they want us to do is not righteous for the LORD.

I think your arguments are valid but really, do you think that a child younger than say 10 really decide consciously what religion they want and believe in. Children don't really understand the concept of other religions until a certain age and don't hold the same values as when they are older and are opened to other religions. I think it's sensible for the parents to choose a child's religion as long as they eventually allow him/her to choose whether to stay with it or change. Parents should also encourage their children to take an interest in other religions from a young age, it's not fair to shorten their vision and restrict to being aware if just their own religion.

A pleasant day to you. Religion - an aspect of life, as you say that guides people in doing moral and ethical acts for the glory of the Supreme Being - GOD. There are many religion nowadays that are different from one another, in fact, religion is not very important in serving God. It's the church that you attend to and the things they teach, the God they serve, doctrines, and the Bible they read with backup as to why it is the truth. Parents at first should guide the children in going to a church as it will definitely help the child developing his skills, spirituality and philosophies. As the children grow older, if the child wants to leave the church, then let him be as it is his own life. But encourage the child to keep on going for the Lord. As the great book of the bible says "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The church from where you attend ought to establish a great training program for children to become better as they grow and to stay put in serving God. Good day to you.

First of all.WELCOME TO MYLOT.I wish you a great performance here. We accept or made to accept the religion of our parents.Later on when they get mature,most of them get converted to another religion that, they claim or think,will give solace to them.My contention is that you may attain peace and solace in your own religion provided you practice it properly.All religions lead us to the same destination.So I don't think there is any need to get converted. I am a Hindu from India.Here Christian missionaries and Muslims are always on the look out for the illiterate Hindus to whom they may easily seduce to accept Christianity or Islam.They do so for purely political reasons and their vested interests.Several pockets in our country have turned into a Christian or Muslim majority areas.The demography has undergone a threatening change there. I am not against Islam or Christianity.I am against conversions. Another thing that I have noticed is that converts turn anti national overnight.I have witnessed it myself.So my opinion is that children should remain in the religion that their parents follow unless and until they truly find another religion more suitable for them.

I think it's important for children to be taught religion. That way they have a relationship with God. When they are older I believe they will be better able to decide what religion they want to follow. If they have no experience at all with religion I feel they are less apt to care if they have one or not. At least show them what it's all about, then they can decide. You don't have to brainwash them to believe that your religion is the only, or the best, one. They should be taught that there are many religions to choose from. The one you belong to is where you have the most experience. As they grow they may develop a natural curiosity about other religions. They can learn and decide. And they have a base to work from - their [already established] relationship with God. All religions have that in common. On the other hand, if a child never experiences religion he may decide he doesn't need it. A child who is 16-20 and has never been to church or had a feeling of love for God instilled in him is not apt to start going then. Not when there are so many other things going on in their life. If they have not made a place in their life for God by then, they may not bother. If you feel that having religion is a necessity of life would you deprive your child of any of the other necessities of life - food, clothing, shelter, love? Then why would you deprive him of religion? If you have no knowledge of something how can you decide if you want it or not? How can you make an informed, intelligent decision? Would you buy a house without first finding out about house ownership? About all the things involved in buying a house? Just my opinion.

I have always believed that children should choose once they become adult and can understand the issues involved. They should also have the right to choose no religion if they so wish.

From that perspective,the argument would be at what age should a child have moral and spiritual guidance brought into their life that Religion can bring to them? Should they instead then live without it until they are of an age to decide for themselves,whatever age that might be? Parents from a Religous background get married according to the rules of their Faith with the intention of having children and passing the teachings on to the next generation. With Most Faiths I'm aware of,That process begins when the Marriage is being planned and the couple decide to Marry and have their Children within their religous community..It's a cycle that repeats.The child is welcomed into the faith at birth or shortly after and is raised in it.. The Religion of the Parents and the child could then be a factor in selecting the school that the child may be eligible to attend.(Here,that's by age 5...)Should Religion funded schools then be done away with,or should Children all attend non-denominational public schools when they're old enough for schooling but too young to choose their Faith? Is the publicly acceptable age to start school old enough for the choice of religous instruction? It's a choice that may be made later whether to stay with the faith they were born in and/or brought up in,or with other spiritual teaching and experience they've learned,to convert to another.As the saying goes,If the system isn't broken,don't fix it...

Welcome to My Lot. I think that the child should choose his or her own religion. I am not a religious person but I respect religious people. My oldest son went religious between five and eight years old due to his schooling. After that he hasn't been at all religious. He is studying Religious Education, Maths and Government and Politics at A Level.

The way it works: the parents choose THEIR religion, and so have no other choice to give their child. "Honor thy father & mother" isn't so much 'a commandment from G*d' as it is 'a law of nature'---your parents, their parents before them etc. have managed to survive following a certain way, naturally you would survive best following that way.

I think parents are the greatest guide any person could ever have. Parents won't desire any hard for their kid. So as young ones, whatever belief the parent's introduces to the child is what they think would be the best for the kid. But when the right time comes and the child is in the right age, he/she will be aware of different religions that exist. He/she will start to learn and even start to compare the good sides of each religion. With that, the child may pursue the traditional religion if he/she thinks being there would mold him/her into a better person, and some also decides to change even if it is different to the family religion. It's a fact.. I know a lot of people with such case, living under the same roof, but different beliefs. What's keeping them together? Whichever religion you stay in- whether Christianity,Islam,Hinduism, Budism or etc..all of them teaches love,respect,care,humanity,gratitude,patience,sharing and all.. So if we became a bad or person doesn't depend on our religion, but instead on how we practice what we learn from it. :)

I am just gonna say how it was in my house. My mother took my to church (Episcopalian) every Sunday when I was a child until I hit late high school. Now that I am on my own and have also learned a little about other religions I just take all of them in stride. I think that parents wants what is best for their children and when they raise them under one religion it is basically to try and help guide them in terms of what is right and what is wrong. Along the way the child has to figure out what they believe is true. Some children never question what they learned in religious practices and some do all the time. In the end when you have moved away from the house, or well before that time,you probably have your own thoughts that may differ from you family and will be able to act on those at that time. Until you leave home though it could be hard to fully voice your opinion about religion with your parents.

Everybody has the right and freedom to choose religion. And children are not an exception. Even if parents force their child to choose a certain religion, or adapt their own religion, time will come that the child would surely choose the religion he/she desired. Not only that, it will also develop a gap between parents and the child. In some cases, the poor child may experience trauma.So it is better, if we let a person to choose his/her own religion.

When children are old enough to understand the aspects and characteristics of religion they should have the be able to choose they're own beliefs. Forcing a child to believe in something they don't believe in will lead to resentment and an unhealthy relationship between the child and the parents. Children should be introduced to all religions so they can gain a better understanding of each one, this way they will be able to make a confident decision on what they believe in.

Should there be a saying of " all men are created equal”.So I think the better way is to give children the right to choose their belif.Belief is truly something that you rely on when you chose it.

The parents should take the child to church. If the child is told he does not need to go to church or the temple, then the child will become a secularist. And often when the parents say the child can now choose for himself, the child will want to go with his friends. Now if one parent is one religion and the other another, then the child has two choices but then the child is confused. Besides I think the children should know about God from an early age. When he or she gets more mature, he and she can look through the Bible and take catechism and will know if that religion is right or wrong. A child who does not learn about God early will grow up to not believ e in God, or think that secularism is more important. Parents should make going to church fun. AFter all are they not going to learn about God?

they should let the child choose,or choose not as the case may be,when it's old enough to make a intelligent choice.most real young kids wouldn't truly understand what they're reading entirely anyway.

The bible says, "Bring up a child in the way that he should go, and he will not depart from it when he is old." It seems to me that a child who is not taught when he is young will most likely chose either no religion at all or a cult. Since we want what is best for our children, we who old teach them while they are young. Should he decide to leave his parent's religion after he is of age, he will still have the basic rules of right and wrong and proper behavior imprinted on his brain.

When they are young I chose and educate them according to tradition and belief...but as young adults they are free to make their own choice...tradition is something we keep but when it comes to religion? then is a personal choice.

Children are not really equipped for making such a huge choice. In general, children are raised in the same religion as their parents, though some parents send their children to private or parochial schools operated by faith groups that are different from their own religion. As kids get older, they should have the opportunity to learn about other religions, but they really can't make a determination on what they want to practice or not until they become adults.

Religion must never be forced on a child. The problem with it is when we're still a child, we cannot really decide for ourselves. But I do believe that religion should be your own choice and not of others, even if it is your parents. There are some religion that waits until the child grows up and can already decide for himself while there are some that are like your Nationality - if you're parents' religion is this then this has to be yours as well and you will be baptized under that religion before you can even talk or crawl. But it is really a good that there really isn't any law that prohibits one to change his religion right? Or are there countries this kind of law exists? In my case, my brother and I didn't really didn't have a problem with my parents when we chose to join different religion. They are in fact very supportive because they have really seen great improvement to my brother's attitude. But like you have said, it is really hard to adapt this new teachings/morality because it is like changing your own self. They say that it is easier to flatten a mountain than to change someone's character so once a child is already grown up, it would be really hard for him to change in a short period of time. It would really take time, and may even take years or decade. But your willingness and faith will help you overcome the negative side of you and would learn to live and adhere to those new values and morality you have learned.