A video from a conference with Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, talking about how forcing a religion on a child is no different from any other coercion, and moreover can create problems for them when they are forced to break out of this pattern that their society expects them to conform to.
I’ve had some discussions about this with my dad, as well as other family members. My dad’s position is that whatever the kid may want, he can decide for himself when he becomes 18 - meanwhile he’ll be raised catholic - his religious version of my house, my rules I expect. True as that may be - one is always free to chose one’s own path, even at that arbitrary cut-off date - this attitude dismisses the effect that almost two decades of conditioning have on a person, plus the difficulties of overcoming the barriers that a religious family will place on your atheist coming out.
Yes, it worked out alright for me, but I can still remember my dad’s horrified face and relatively overblown reaction one day when I told him I wouldn’t be going to church with them anymore. And - the horror - I didn’t even have the good sense to wait until I was 18! I can only imagine what it must be like for people in communities like the U.S. Bible Belt, or radically muslim countries where it’s acceptable to throw acid on a woman’s face because she committed the unforgivable crime of going out on public without covering up her visage.
For more on Dawkins, including great answers to if being an atheist is just as intolerant as being a religious fanatic, you can read a series of questions and answers at The Independent.