Breaking the Cycle

This is the best news I've heard in a while. The humanists are taking their campaign to Northern Ireland, where everyone knows that damage that sectarianism can do.

Naturally, religious leaders plead that it's not their fault. No, wait, none cited hear is denying that they are the problem, this is the more typical response:

It is none of their business how people bring up their children. It is the height of arrogance that the BHA would even assume to tell people not to instruct their children in their religion.

Oh, well. I'm sure that all the moderates sick and tired of violence will see the sense in this. The problem has been that for hundreds of years moderates have been forced to choose a side. If they are just given the option of staying out of it, maybe sectarian violence won't return to Ireland.

I mean, even if these kids do choose a religion when they grow up, everyone will know that it's a matter of choice. If that attitude of treating religious opinions like other preferences becomes ingrained enough, it's possible that the groups will be able to live together without feeling that it's a take-over by an alien race. Fingers crossed.

There's so many other places where this approach is needed but I doubt that many are ready for it. Clearly Israelis and Palestinians are not going to stop labelling their children any time soon. Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq have more immediate concerns. In the Balkans, the difference between Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks is only religious (they speak different dialects of the same language) but they've already settled on a multi-state solution, so it's probably too late for them.

Update -- This is not the same as labelling your kids "atheist"
The Freethinker reports that this message went straight over the heads of many people, including the father of the kids in the ad and their vicar:

I think it is hilarious that the happy and liberated children on the atheist poster are in fact Christian.

Someone please sit these two down and explain to them what the message of the poster is!