Religion Rated

It's a sorry state of affairs when a book titled 'THE BIBLE FOR TODDLERS' can be purchased from your local Waterstones.

I am not religious, but I don't have anything against people who practice religion...as long as they don't practice it all over me. If you believe in something then keep that to yourself, spreading the word is not fair.

One of the biggest problems with religion is the fact that it can be introduced to a child, a child who will believe anything they are told. A child growing up in a religious environment is more likely to hear the 'history of the world' before they hear the history of their own family. Religion will be placed next to every meal,before every time they close their eyes to sleep. And you know, hear something enough times....

A child believes in Santa,the tooth fairy,the Easter bunny....all of these things are believed even though as an adult we can see the problem in having flying reindeers and overweight diabetic bunnies prancing about.

A child doesn't need much explanation, if their parents tell them something then it pretty much becomes gospel. Now imagine being told that same thing every day for the first 18 years of your life. No matter what other people say you will believe it, no-one wants their parents called liars.

The child then becomes an adult who has been 'infected' with what they were forced to live with,the day they have children they will continue what their parents started.

I think religion shouldn't be introduced until the age of 18. Parents are always quick to say how violent video games will warp the minds of children, but they will then return home to their 5 year old son and read him the story of god as a bedtime story. I have heard many stories as a child, I didn't realise Sweeney Todd was a fictional tale until a few years ago....I'm just trying to make the point that as a kid we are easily lead, our growing minds are easily furnished with truth and lies.

At the age of 18, having had no direct contact up to that point you are mature enough to make up your own mind on the matter.

Now you may think 'there are worse things that religion out there' but sadly religion is the seed of most evil, the victims of 9/11 didn't die because of shoddy workmanship of the towers they were working in.