Freedom of Choice?

Earlier today I viewed a YouTube clip from The Atheist Experience TV show. A Muslim man named Bilal called in with some questions and concerns. He began by saying that he knew he was Muslim simply because he was raised in a Muslim family. He realized that had he been raised in a Christian family, he would be Christian. I won't go into all the details of the conversation, it can be heard on the above YouTube link. But he had very real concerns about leaving the Islam faith, including the fear of death threats from the Muslim community.

I was moved by this man's dilemma. His experience is beyond my ability to fully understand. Unlike him, I was not raised in a religious home. When it came to questions of religious and/or spiritual belief, my parents left me to figure it out for myself, to search for my own answers. To read, to explore, to investigate and to educate myself to the point where I could come to my own informed conclusion.

What a gift.

So many children in the world are not permitted this luxury. And why should it be a luxury; it should be a basic human right. Many people will argue that it is a human right, the freedom of religious choice. Technically, yes. But what is the reality? If children are raised from birth to be part of a particular religious faith, and they are told that this religion is the "truth" while their minds are vulnerable and impressionable, then how is that really a choice? Children believe what their parents tell them. This is why so many children (myself included) grow up believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy. But there comes a time when we put aside childish fantasies, when we stop believing in magical beings and imaginary friends and get on with the business of living in the real world.

It's something to think about. People have religious beliefs mainly because that is what they were raised to believe. Yes, some people convert to other belief systems or reject the idea of a god of any sort entirely. Conversely, I'm sure there are people that have been raised without any specific belief in a higher power that later in life become religious. But for the most part, belief is a product of environment. It's pure chance. In my case, I just happened to be born into a family that is not religious and has a fair number of atheists on the family tree. The dice rolled in my favour in that regard. Plus, I am also blessed to be born in a part of the world where I needn't fear punishment of any sort for my beliefs, or lack thereof. And for that, I am truly grateful.