I think so, but society in general thinks otherwise. My religious upbringing did a lot of damage, and I think that religion is harmful, as it teaches to accept authority blindly, teaches "magical thinking" and make a lot of false promises. Also, they tend to do a one size fits all and everyone should fit happily into the same box, which kind of goes against human nature in general. It really curbs creativity, curiiousity and inquiring minds.

It takes the whole village to properly raise a child. A child only exposed to it's parents views is set up to fail. The age at which you can participate in a religion should be similar to the age of consent.

A little psychiatric counseling probably wouldn't hurt the parents who take part in the process of indoctrination, but I doubt they'll do it voluntarily and good luck finding a judge to order it.

YES! Scaring a child with Satan and telling him that god will punish him for not following his rules, prepares a child for a life of magical thinking and traumatizes the child. The parenting by fear is psychologically unhealthy and abusive. Children of more radical religionists are even killed by their parents. Parents who are not as disturbed just scare them and maybe beat them. That's OK because the lesser psychosis is accepted by society.

I wish parents would give their children a choice. I think for it to be considered child abuse would depend on the circumstance. There was a documentary I can't remember on the top of my head where these kids went to like a bible camp and all started crying because the preacher was telling them that she know they sinned and they need to confess and apologize to god and such and they looked so traumatized. Now that is child abuse, forcing them into it, adding guilt, or disowning the children if they decide they don't believe when they're older. I definitely think the Duggar family's dynamic is child abuse and much more. There are parents who think they are doing the right thing bringing their kids to church, and I guess as long as they are open to their kids not wanting to believe someday and were cool with it that would be good or they don't guilt their kids and such. Idk, a lot of it I would consider abuse though.

I think "child abuse" is a bit strong. My mother was raised Catholic, my father's mother Baptist. As children, we went to both. By the time we were teenagers, we stopped going to both. My siblings and I were allowed to choose. I think I may be the only agnostic. My siblings are believers but only one attempts regular services.

Religion is an emotional and mental abuse to youth because it teachers them to lie, judge, be racist, & hateful of others and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Let's not even get started on the sex abuse that these priests have done and scarred them for like. It brainwashes their young minds into believing the fallacies and not to question anything. Most of these teaching are brought down from generation to generation. Its an epidemic.

"Is continuously exposing a child to religion child abuse?"

It depends on what that exposure happens to be.

"As a society we do not discourage children being exposed to religion believing we are providing them with moral guidance and spirituality."

Seriously? I'd say there's a huge amount of very obviously immoral claims in most Abrahamic religions.

"From the time of circumcision and baptism through Sunday school and catechism we smile benignly as children repeat creation myths, stories about Noah's ark and giant fish swallowing prophets who live in the belly of a whale."

You might, I don't.

"Are we sparking their imaginations or suppressing their ability to think critically?"

Suppressing their ability to doubt.

"In a free society how can this practice be discouraged?"

By pointing out that there are no good reasons to believe supernatural claims (because there are none).

"Should parents and other adults who take part in this process be under psychiatric care?

No. They aren't mad they are simply indoctrinated themselves.

I believe it is. I forget which Pope said it but "Give me the child until it is seven and I will have it for life" is a truism. ALL religious belief stems from indoctrination from birth.

We need to teach little kids that biblical stories are just like fairy tales; that Jesus/god is like Santa Claus. And yes the overly religious can be very abusive to children in a way that's damaging for life. It's a raping of the mind; irrational thought and alternative facts are malignant and must be excised. For instance, my fanatical mother and teachers from Catholic school instilled this nonsense for years when I could've been learning about scientific facts, how to judge the information I'd been given, and to come up w/solid confusion. Thank the lard college was still college back in the 90s and early 2000 because it awakened a whole new world in me; a real world in which everything in nature can be explained. It was such a revelation for me, and I think that many kids will just have to learn to think critically on their own, the same way I did. BTW, there's so many creative ways to enhance the imagination that don't involve god. Like art and music classes, more physical activity in school to get the juices flowing, and simply talking to kids like they're real people.

When my eldest asked if he could go to church with Grandma, I said of course you can son. After a couple of months, he stopped going, saying it's a social club where old ladies pretend to believe lies. I tried to let him make up his own mind but should I worry that I have influenced him?

I often wonder sometimes if I am harming my child by not indoctrinating her into one the local 'cults'. In this area it is the first thing out of everyone's mouth "which church do you go to?" She is only 12 and gets fellow students stuffing their religious literature in her school locker. Am I causing her to go through more crap then necessary at such a young age. Some of the people around here can be rather in your face and tend to gang up since they are in the majority.
I know with my entire being I could not feed her the religious stuff with a clear conscious because I will not lie to my daughter. But should we pretend to be one of them instead of being honest but low key?
This is the thing I hate about people being unable to except differences. I don't care what others believe as long as it is not hurting someone else and it is not shoved in others faces and expected to be the only way to believe.
That is my main dislike about religions.... the intolerance.

It all depends on how its done and what is taught, if you really think about it, that can apply to nearly anything and everything.

i was 14 when i took alook at my religion and said hmm this is fucked my family always took me to church i was scared half to death id burn in hell and say the wrong thing do the wrong thing or think the wrong way its a brain washing thing and its crazy idea i think that kids shouldn't be allowed at a religious meeting such as church or temples until age of consent which is like 16

Only if it ends up physically or psychologically traumatizing the child.

Not to their parents, or religious teachers. But certainly, some of the extremes children are put through, in the name of whatever god, would be considered abuse if it was exposed . Most of this stuff goes on in private, and may not surface at all until the screwed up, brainwashed adult is out on their own.

I think children are smart enough on their own to recognize bullshit when they see it without the adults claiming that it's all the god's honest truth.

maybe, question is too vague/abstract to answer concisely.

Indoctrination is in my mind nothing more than brainwashing, and brainwashing is consider wrong by the society as a "whole". Why do we give this free pass to deluded parents?

I see some of the indoctrination as intellectual abuse that damages thinking and it can also warp emotions.

I think exposure is healthy, but not without context. I was raised by an Agnostic mother and a Mormon grandmother. I got to see religion but not be forced into belief. I think it was a good thing because it helped me form my own opinions.

Yes, and submitting yourself to the religion is self-inflicted continual abuse.

Depends on the severity of the indoctrination. Going to sunday school is not. Anything further needs to be questioned.

Yes!