From: Ernest Hua <hua@xenon.chromatic.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 12:47:38 +0800
To: mpd@netcom.com (Mike Duvos)
Subject: Re: Filtering out Queers is OK
In-Reply-To: <199607190748.AAA08518@netcom2.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <199607192315.QAA24402@server1.chromatic.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> The problem with giving parents the absolute right to control
> their childrens' input of memes until the children are too old
> and stupid to learn anything new, is that it creates generational
> propagation of obsolete ideologies.  All the Dole children think
> exactly like Bob.  All the Hitler children think exactly like
> Adolf.  Same for the Mengele children, the Nixon children, the
> Stalin children, the Netanyahu children, etc...

The same can be said of the children of the more politically
correct.  My opinion is that religion is a waste of time and
resources, and therefore, those who force their children to
be religious is doing precisely the same harm you allude to.

That is strictly MY opinion.  If there are enough of me
around, should we be allowed to force the government to take
children away from their religious parents?  More mildly, can
the government "protect" a child from religious ideas?

What gives the society more rights to regulate how the child
shall be brought up, except the narrow interest of protecting
the physical safety of the child?  It is not even clear that
the government may force a child to accept secular ideas that
may violate the child's religious background, even if the
government has a compelling secular interest in doing so.

Yes, we would like fewer Hitler's in the future.  But should
we NOT let the people decide how the raise their children
because there is some risk of a few of them turning into
future Hitlers?

Ern