So teaching religion is "brainwashing" kids but not "child abuse".

Perhaps you'd care to tell us what you think the difference is so that we'll know what you're talking about. I don't recall trying to make that distinction, as you're obviously implying.

We're still waiting for your admission that it is up to the parents---and nobody else --to determine what sort of religious education--if any--a child receives.

I've never said anything different. Parents bring up their kids in whatever way they like and I'm not going to argue with that right, but there is a conversation to be had if there is room for opinion on whether some aspects of that upbringing may be damaging. You wouldn't expect most people to shut up about female genital mutilation, for example, seen by some as an appropriate part of bringing up kids. That's physical abuse. There is more than a suspicion that force-feeding dogma about an almost certainly non-existent God might just be a form of mental abuse if executed in a particular, authoritarian manner (one trademark of big religion, unfortunately). Religious indoctrination has a severe effect on the world. Boston may yet appear to be a recent example. It might just be everyone's business occasionally. So you don't get the right to keep us quiet about it. But no-one I know has ever suggested banning parents from bringing up kids in religious faiths, me especially, but that doesn't mean I can't try to provoke them into thinking about it.

As Joe and others have pointed out, there are lots of religious people who are willing to let others live their lives without imposing any religious requirements on them.

This does not apply to anyone who forces children to go to church, to sing hymns, to bow their heads in prayer or to make them go to faith schools. You don't get to make millions of children your convenient exception to your cosy live-and-let-live doctrine. I'm not saying don't let them live their lives, etc., but I am saying I have an opinion and well we do believe in free speech still, don't we.

You, on the other hand, seem champing at the bit to stop all religious instruction---including of that of children of religious people.

Never said it, never will.

The trouble is, Ron, you skim over a lot of posts from a lot of people, can't really remember the details but are far too lazy to go back and look, get a vague picture in your head of someone you think you disagree with and end up saying ridiculously inaccurate things. Yep, you're right down there with wacko, pete and Goofus all right.