I was raised in a catholic country (Portugal) and attended a catholic school and I hated it! I don't understand how people can be raised and basicly forced to have a certain religion if they aren't even old enough to know what religion or spirituality is.

I think everyone should have the right to choose their own religion whenever they feel like it! I think religion (at least *some* religions) and spirituality contribute a lot to our well-being and help us open your minds and deal with life better, but why do people on this planet constantly force others to share the same religion as them? I mean, I know it's part of the country's own "culture", but is it really necessary? I wouldn't mind living in a society where every person has a different religion and is equally treated and respected!

I think Children are very easy to influence. I myself wasn't, thank God!!! Can you imagine, if I had been influenced easily by my parents and the community in general, I'd probably be a strict narrow-minded catholic asshole instead of the liberal open-minded person that I am! I will never force my kids to have a certain religion or follow a certain spiritual path, I think that's gross and totally unfair, I can't believe there's millions (or probably billions) of people that do that. What a weird planet!

Anyways, what do you think about this? ;-) I would appreciate having your point of view on this.

Thank you!

Peace,
Antiloop

Yeah it really sucks how religion is forced down our souls from the moment we're born in some cases! And the things done to us in the name of religion (circumcision for one, forced sex with priests is another)are crimes against children. And yet it continues.

Freedom of religion. Yeah as an adult you can FREELY choose your religion, but as a child you have no choice (oh, but wait... didn't you choose your parents?). So you see there's another way of looking at it that implies that you choose the circumstances of your life before you're born, so that you can have these experiences and learn from them.

So now you are a more enlightened person for having learned how religion is abused and used as a form of mind control by society. Most people never reach that point of awareness because they're so wrapped up in the illusion that their organized religion has created.

As a cultural meme, religion is used to communicate important information that has survival value to its members. It helps keep people together and gives them a pretext for helping each other in times of need. It comes down from our clan/tribal roots, but religion really fucked up when it became institutionalized. Too much power in the hands of a few.

And now religion is being used as a pretext for rallying people for a new World War. As has been done before. These people never learn their lessons, and thus repeat them over and over, lifetime after lifetime.

-The Old Hippy