Is it right...

.....to induct children into religion before they are old enough to make an informed decison

Difficult one, something I debate hotly with others.
My mother is a devout catholic, and my father had come from a jewish mother and CofE father but was raised jewish. He later "rejected" faith and was an atheist in many ways. When I was born my mother wanted me baptised Catholic, my father refused and wanted me to brought up with an open mind and to make my own choice when old enough to make an informed decision. It worked well for me, and it's a way i think I'd like to adopt in the future if I was to have children. I loosely follow a Religion but do not feel confined too it, feel it was pushed on me, or bound too it. And I've looked into many different religions along the way too, and there's elements of a few I quite take on board!

Is it any different to raising them as athiests, or as vegetarian/vegan/meat eaters, or to be prejudice etc? Can you (and should you) really raise an entirely neutral human being?

I don't see any harm in it at all....provided that when children are old enough to make up their own minds, they are allowed to do so.

I'm not particularly religious now and still don't know what I believe, but I don't regret my Christian upbringing.

My cousins baby got christened on Sunday, I told my nan I wouldnt be getting my childern christened, they can pick for themselves, it went down like a lead balloon (RC Family). Im a RC, dont practise at all though.

Is it right? Is it right to bring up children believing that storks bring babies and that the moon is made of blue cheese?

What is right for some families is right for them, whether it is not right for other families.

My children were brought up in the faith of which my family and I are a part. It was not pushed down their throats, it was just a way of bringing them up. They both went to "faith" schools but not the sort of schools where religion was thrust down their throats. Just what is known as "Modern Orthodox".

My daughter is 44 years old, my son was 42 years old yesterday. She has followed her birth religion in the Modern Orthodox way, becoming a bit stricter since her second marriage although still far from being fanatical. My son has not in that he does not follow any of our customs, and yet he knows what he is and would never deny his faith.

When do you consider they are old enough to make an informed decision?
What do you think they are going to base that decision on?

rune

I was bought up Christian, Dad especially made a big thing about it. Do I believe in any of it? Nope. But, thats only since I have become an adult.

My son will learn RE at school, and I am sure he will go to church with the school. However, my plan is to ensure that he learns of all beliefs, from as many cultures as possible. But I am also going to teach him of Evolution. That way, he will have as much info as possible to enable him to make an informed choice

I think it is right for each parent to raise their child as they feel best.
I really don`t see why people feel they need to interfere in other`s lives.

We induct children to all manner of things before they are old enough to make informed decisions.

Its called nurturing

My children were around 8 weeks old when they were baptised into my religion, I chose the school they went to , I chose the children they played with (when they were little) I made all the decisions for them when they were children.

Their informed decisions came latter on when they were able to decide for themselves what they believed in , by that time they had had a good moral upbringing and made the right choices for them.