Should we "Indoctrinate our Children" into our Religions?

At the Religion Clause blog, a commenter said it was immoral to indoctrinate our children into our religions. That we should be sure they have freedom to choose their faith.

Now why would a child choose my faith if I taught it as suggested:

"Citronella, I'm a Christian --I believe in Jesus --but it's OK with me if
you decide to be Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist --even though I think
Jesus is the only way to eternal life and the path to our Creator God. I
love you enough to encourage you to consider the truth-claims of other religions
so that you can be deceived by wolves in sheep's clothing and go to Hell --or
experience eternal death without God."

What good parent would do this to his child? Not me. At the same time, we Christians KNOW that belief is a choice, and I cannot force my child to believe --but I CAN LIVE AND TEACH my faith and choose a good Biblical church that will make Christian faith and Community the best lifestyle and most credible ideology among all competitors.If I live as though my faith is fake, I can do damage to my children. If I can't love and forgive and be compassionate, then my children will see my faith as shallow -and question its authenticity.

Just because people are evangelicals/fundamentalists or whatever, doesn't guarantee they will always "be Christian" as they should be. (Obviously) But the light is there, the way is clear --it's up to us whether or not we follow.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

About people who say religious indoctrination is child abuse

For now, my blogging time is being spent on Politics in Mudville.blogspot --and this is my reply to liberal democrat who said religious indoctrination, as in Jesus Camp, is "child abuse." I haven't seen the movie but here is what I think about his statement that indoctrination (teaching children what to believe because YOU believe it, as their parents) is child abuse.

YOU, LD, are dangerous to religious liberty and parental civil rights when you make such a loose cannon statement and liken religious "indoctrination" to child abuse. I don't think I'd want you in the classroom or on a judge's bench in the family courts --or employed at the CSB.You would favor a religious education (if any) that puts the religions on a smorgasbord table of choices and say, "Now, Junior, you can hear about the various religions --and I, LD, will tell you none of them are worth a hill of beans --but you are free to choose and think as you wish --but you will have my everlasting disrespect (implied at least) if you choose to believe in the history and claims of Christianity --or any other faith for that matter--other than skeptical agnosticism or certain atheism--which of course have truth on their side."

Of course, that, TOO, is indoctrination.

If Christianity IS true, then to indoctrinate your kids in atheism is REALLY child abuse but I defend your right to raise your children as you see fit --barring physical and real emotional abuse. You give them no ultimate eternal rationale to be moral, to be comforted about death, to hope in prayer when frightened or insecure or ill, to feel that there is a loving creator who knows them by name--or to be unselfish. The atheist view says its a dog-eat-dog world and you gotta get all you can for you while you are here --and it doesn't ultimately or eternally matter how you do it. You are really not a "live and let live" kind of guy, apparently. Or maybe you'd like to retract your statement about child abuse.

Indoctrination is often used in a negative context as you use it, but it really just means to teach doctrines of one's religion.