I will not change my mind on this subject, but in light of recent events in Quebec, it is clear that we should perhaps be more concerned about the impact of religion on society. In particular, I believe we should address the potential effects of the religious education of children, which, in some cases, can hinder their development of rational and critical thinking, or even limit their freedom of conscience altogether.
The fact is that there is an obvious tension between freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, especially when looking at the effects of religious education on young minds. Although I respect the right of believing parents to transmit their values and their vision of the world, I wonder about the impact of this transmission on the ability of children to construct their own vision of reality.
Because even in its most moderate form, religion can encourage a world view marked by a form of thinking which, although it can be reassuring for some people, can sometimes lead to a disconnection from reality.
This is particularly the case with creationists, to cite just one example.
Furthermore, the values held by major religions on issues such as women’s, gay and transgender rights are ambiguous at best, and downright problematic at worst. It is indeed difficult to deny that, on these subjects, most traditional religious doctrines are at odds with the values of equality and respect for diversity which underpin our modern societies.
In doing so, although some religious parents may find in these teachings a source of morality, this religious education risks on the contrary locking children into an outdated and sometimes intolerant worldview. By transmitting beliefs that condemn or limit the rights of certain individuals, traditional religions can, even unintentionally, cultivate prejudices among young people that will be difficult to deconstruct later.
Rational understanding of the world
Religious influence on children also poses a challenge in their relationship to science and rational understanding of the world. While some families manage to reconcile faith and science, others teach beliefs that openly contradict scientific advances.
This is particularly the case with creationists, to whom I alluded above, who, by calling into question well-established facts such as evolution, offer children an incomplete or biased vision of reality. This opposition between faith and science can ultimately harm the development of their critical thinking and isolate them from a world where facts and objective knowledge are increasingly essential to confront global challenges (global warming, for example).
In the same vein, I find it problematic that religious ideas so deeply mark the imagination of children by instilling in them, for example, notions like paradise and hell, which offer a strict and simplistic conception of good and evil.
These concepts can induce fears or certainties in them which, far from promoting healthy moral development, risk generating existential anxieties and limiting their intellectual autonomy. In other words, I do not believe that religious education is synonymous with moral education.
Morality is not the prerogative of religious doctrines, but should on the contrary be built on the basis of a critical and open mind, in line with the universal values of respect and tolerance.
As long as it does not harm others
However, despite my criticisms, I do not advocate any ban or restriction of freedom of religion. I firmly believe that it is up to each person to choose their belief and value system, as long as it does not harm others. What I am proposing, however, is increased awareness of these issues.
As a society, we have a duty to promote education that promotes critical thinking and encourages individuals to question the beliefs, religious or otherwise, that are instilled in them.
In short, I believe that what we should do is “denormalize” religions by reducing them to what they are: belief systems like any other, which can be questioned and reinterpreted.
And to achieve this, I firmly believe in education, not in a hardening which would risk encouraging withdrawal into identity. In short, my position is not to directly oppose secularism and religion, but to defend a space where everyone can, through education and public debate, think freely.
And above all, it seems essential to me to guarantee children a real freedom of conscience, which is not stifled by dogmas or fears inherited from their parents or unscrupulous institutions to offer them intellectual and moral development healthy.
