Dawkins

[BrilloPad]

I have a lot more respect for religious people who've found their preferred denomination by means of making an active and voluntary decision.

Alot of religions insist "adults" renew their faith. Confirmation for Catholics. And don't the Amish let their kids decide at 16 if to join them or not?

[formant]

Alot of religions insist "adults" renew their faith. Confirmation for Catholics. And don't the Amish let their kids decide at 16 if to join them or not?

Lutherans do Confirmation, usually at 14. At that age it's still just something you just do (mostly for the presents), rather than a proper choice. For what it's worth, I was already an outspoken atheist when I had my Confirmation - neither my (really not very religious family) nor my (very liberal) vicar had an issue with that. I didn't officially leave the church until I got my first part-time job and was meant to pay church tax (this was in Germany).

The Amish do get some time to re-evaluate their commitment (Rumspringa), but one could argue that after all those years of complete isolation from other input, not much is going to shatter their faith.

These sort of 'renewals' would be half decent if they weren't just as habitual and/or forced as the rest of religion in childhood.

[rob s]

Freedom of speech != freedom from consequences.



However I agree that religion corrupts:

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." - Friedrich Nietzsche