I agree religious freedom, should include freedom from religion. Children have the right to choose their gender now, so why can't they be free to choose their own religion or at least not have one thrust upon them.

Constitutional change does seem to be needed. How could it be brought about? :-\

In my opinion as a Practicing Child and Youth Crisis Counsellor, teaching young children ( aged from 4 thru to teens especially) IS a form of Psychological Child Abuse.
I have counselled numerous children and young people who have been subjected this form of abuse not only on the home front but also at schools as well and the harm done to their minds, let alone their self-esteem, is often well beyond imagination.
Religion and it's dogmas BELONGS solely in the places of Religion and DEFINITELY NOT in places of Education.
IF parents want to be religious then let them be so, BUT, also they MUST be legally TOLD that as parents they MUST allow their children to grow and develop their own minds, understandings, etc, WITHOUT the continuous pressures exerted on them from Religions and Religious Beliefs.

Many of the failings of parents come down to having had poor family background themselves, lack of education and being in a socially restrictive community.
I think the key to most of this is poverty as money buys good health care and education, contraception is used more frequently and women have kids later the better educated and the better their work prospects. They have less children as well.

@Garebare517 I heard a podcast the other day, unfortunately can't remember name of it but the episode is called Watchtower. It detailed a current court case whereby a lawyer for an abuse victim is trying to get 30 odd years of Jehovah's witnesses child abuse reports in a certain state and they have refused and the court imposed a $ million fine followed by $4000 a day fine because they then published a redacted version with the names of the actual abusers blacked out so useless for the guy's case.
Apparently when abuse was reported the emphasis was on counselling the abuser and saving face for the church.
It's sick that a charity is allowed to flout the law by paying court fines using parishioners' money.

Check this out ! Florida is one of the 27 states which allows any child to get married with parental consent !!!

You people don't even have the basics sorted so yes I agree , an overhaul is definitely required.
Home schooling is dodgy as all hell because religious types are brain washing kids without any censure!!

It should be illegal to teach religions to children..if when older they want to participate it's their choice..but to brainwash them young unfortunately is the current AGENDA

Short answer: Yes, it should be considered abuse, but... since we can't force people to pass a 'fitting parent or at least human' test before having children... i think maybe we should work on our cultural ideas about what a family is, because that shit is FUCKED up.

I've seen way too many people spend their whole lives in fear of their family's judgement and repeatedly hurting and chastising themselves just for the sake of appearances, or stuck with their wife or husband that they hate for the rest of their lives. Our family structure is terrible, and our entire nation gives NO shits about it. Pro-birth/Anti-life, fucking idiots.

Yes, nobody should have the power to force something so controversial and intimate on to anyone let alone, a child. I recall a course I took in grad school on the sociology of religion or something along that realm. It was discussed that there was a discussion amongst the APA that the new DSM-V would include “Religious Fanatacism” as a mental illness. It didn’t ultimately happen but, it is encouraging that there was even the discussion. I am a mental health therapist. Some of the most disturbed individuals I have worked with are ill because of the religious practices, beliefs inflicted upon them.

Churches should be similar to bars and clubs, identification required. Religion should also be a part of school curriculum where teachers can only teach the religions that they do not personally hold to be true. Obviously, a non-theist could teach the whole class as non-theism isn't a religion, but rather a lack thereof. The class should also be mandatory for all kids. Honestly, in a land where we are all supposedly equal, why don't we have equal schooling?

You're absolutely right. The constitution is outdated and a new one written. The educational system should also be scrapped as it's designed to teach kids to conform and not to think critically. It is interesting how that coincides with what religion does.

This doesn't work broadly, as I've said before in previous responses, what's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander. This idea of religious indoctrination is an antiquated one for two reasons primarily. The fist of which being that we're talking about western civilization, we live in a social atmosphere in the age of the internet where children are constantly exposed to a wide variety of opinions on social issues such as faith and with access to the internet they are free to opine or read about a nearly infinite spectra of ideas on the concepts of theistic and atheistic , as well as the gnostic and agnostic. The second point of principle of is, since you've limited the questions to The United States, while it is true that most cults are legal in the USA cult behavior often is not. It's a sad fact that a bi-product of religious indoctrination can lead to cult behavior but allot of the baggage that comes from that is illegal activity, such as murder, abduction, statutory rape, drug related crimes, child labor, slavery, polygamy and so on. These behaviors are not always mutually exclusive to cults but these kinds of illegal activities that can restrict the freedom of the religiously indoctrinated apply broadly enough that liberty is maintained through law enforcement and adjudication. The question is both moot and a non sequitur.

I agree with what you wrote GareBear, many of our laws are antiquated and need to be changed or done away with altogether.
Unfortunately, the reality is that it's going to be an uphill battle all the way. The far right fundies not only like the way it is now but want our laws to be even more theocratic in nature.
The hypocrites who drill this fear and guilt into their children's heads should be held accountable.

Child abuse laws also cover mental and emotional abuse in most places, indoctrination of a child is just that. Telling a small child that he is going to burn for ever in hell for not obeying his father and eat his peas is emotional abuse. Telling a kid that t a magic talking snake caused sin and that is why he broke the window and that the only way he can be forgiven is that ask another invisible magic being to forgive him is mental abuse.
It is my opinion that there should be no option but public school for those that can physically or mentally attend school. Such a change would over night cause the low level of funding for it to disappear
School should focus on evidence based teaching that promotes logical and rational thinking while encouraging the kid to think for themselves.

I would love to see religion die and children to be free of being frightened into compliance. I would like to rational thought and behavior to be the norm. If you tole a child that Thor is going to send him to hell, he would laugh at you, but he shivers at the idea of Jesus and the devil competing for his "soul." No people, there is no good in religion. There is not one quality which is unique to religion, that does not exist in philosophy and natural behavior. Religion is a horrific system of abuse, torture, and murder.