Children do not have a choice.
Yes they do, they may be forced to go through the motions at a young age, but what you think and believe is your own.
This is because children are open to many different interpretations of things and as they grow up they form opinions of their own.
I suspect the children who sometimes take the religious route do so because of the peer group they mix with.
What they really really believe, may not be what people assume it is.
Because most children go to school ( that teaches a broad spectrum ) they get a balance of things taught plus with a child's natural challenging of parential views, I'm surprised people think children just meekly wander into religion because their parents did.
One only has to see Floo's posts sometimes, and you realise sometimes religious parents can actually put children off.
Children might be powerless to express it at a young age, but as they get older they do.
The best protection for children is a broad education.
That way, they make their own choices.
It's when you take away a broad education that their choices lessen.
It's a matter of perception as to whether that is a good or bad thing and many religious schools try to protect their youngsters from things like drugs and unwanted pregnancy by not giving them such a broad education about such matters.
The argument is that as their experiences are limited, so their need to be educated about the more negative elements of our society, lessens.
Think the Amish or chabad Jews.
Because the child doesn't mix within a society that gets involved in drugs etc, it is already protected.
Well, so the argument goes.
