Required Religion?

In response to Jenny Beers's question, "Do you think kids should be 'forced' to attend church? What age do you think a person can truly begin to understand religion and develop their own thoughts about what they want to believe?"...

     It is obvious that children are usually unable to make good, logical decisions. That is why parents often choose what their child should wear, where they should go to school, what they should eat for lunch, and when they should go to bed. This lacking ability of children really is no fault of their own though, for they simply have not acquired enough wisdom yet to make such decisions. Nevertheless, one very debatable decision parents make is whether their children should attend church with them. Many times parents force children into going to church, which can often prove to be a boring, uninteresting activity for kids. As the child grows up with parents who believe in a certain religion, children are expected to have the same beliefs. If they do not, they are sometimes cast out and rejected by their families. 

     I honestly believe that when they are young, children should be required to go to church with their families, if the family already engages in this practice. The way people learn is by being exposed to so many world views and determining which one they want to follow. For kids, church can teach good lessons like the "Golden Rule," while putting them in a loving community. I know when I was younger, I hated church services, but I loved the feeling of family I got from the members of the church and my friends in Sunday School. There is nothing wrong with a child experiencing such a loving environment. However, that being said, I think the way in which people teach religion in Sunday School needs to be modified. Instead of ruling with an iron fist and telling the children they are required to believe all of the Biblical stories, the Sunday School teachers should instead just say what they believe. They should teach the children about how their own faith helps them in their life, but not make it seem like the child will be an outcast is he or she does not go along with such ideas. But obviously, the way in which people teach religion is something that might not be able to be changed. 

     I believe that as children move out of childhood and into young adulthood (ages 11-14) they start to be able to grasp what is being taught to them. I know at this age I started transitioning from wholeheartedly believing what these adults were teaching me, into questioning and wanting to know why they believed such things. Teenagers are incredibly inquisitive, so it is no wonder that as children become them, they try to get a better understanding of the situation they are in. At this age children start to develop their own beliefs, which in many cases goes strongly against what their church is teaching them. Nonetheless, once children are able to form their own concepts of religion independently, they should be allowed to attend church at their own will, and believe what they wish to. Do you wish you had not been forced to go to church as a child? Has being 'forced' to go to church affected you in any negative or positive ways?