We all remeber the FLDS group in Texas and their children being placed in protective custody, foster care, based on the posibility that they were being indoctrinated in practices that amount to sexual child abuse.
Without proving that ALL of the children were being indoctrinated or had been subject to the abuse, ALL of them were removed. It seemed that the authorities had the best intentions and were preventing the spread of teachings that threaten society at large, in some fashion. After all, these children will grow up to train their children in the same practices using the same beliefs. Their numbers would grow.
If authorities can do this, why not protect society at large and forbid teaching religion to anyone under the age of 18? We all know that religion is taught to people before they can read or write. We all know that it is not a consentual situation aschildren have no choice but to depend on their parents. Parental disapproval creates an atmosphere of force when parents insist their children follow these religious teachings.
Doesn't the action by the Texas authorities open the door to this sort of expansion of the term "protection" as it has been applied with these children?
What are your thoughts?
While I personally have
While I personally have issues with indoctrinating children into belief systems before they are of age to decide for themselves, I don't think this case is about that. The authorities were worried about the violation of sexual laws, plain and simple.
The alleged violation of the
The alleged violation of the sexual laws was based on the indoctrination associated with the religious beliefs of the group. The police acted on the possibility that this religious belief was being practiced within the compound.
Actually, they were working
Actually, they were working off of reports/tips that law WAS being violated. It does bring up tricky questions about civic law vs. religious belief. IMO, civic law trumps religious practice every time.
I thought the problem was
I thought the problem was under age marriages, like with 15, 16 year olds? No, I don't think forbidding religion being taught to anyone under the age of 18 would help anything and would in fact make it a whole lot worse. I don't want ANYONE telling how to raise my kids, religious or otherwise.