Comments on: How Young Can A Preacher Be? http://www.anatheist.net/2009/05/how-young-can-a-preacher-be/ Atheism & Religious Skepticism Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:54:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: James Tracy http://www.anatheist.net/2009/05/how-young-can-a-preacher-be/comment-page-1/#comment-6092 James Tracy Mon, 25 May 2009 17:48:14 +0000 http://www.anatheist.net/?p=2903#comment-6092 I understand what you mean by the target audience but I think that underlying the questions is an even deeper one - a question concerning how old children need to be in order to properly examine religious claims and decide what should be believed and what should not. Even atheist parents have to grapple with this question while raising children in a society that is saturated by religion and religious people. I understand what you mean by the target audience but I think that underlying the questions is an even deeper one – a question concerning how old children need to be in order to properly examine religious claims and decide what should be believed and what should not. Even atheist parents have to grapple with this question while raising children in a society that is saturated by religion and religious people.

]]> By: PaulSJenkins http://www.anatheist.net/2009/05/how-young-can-a-preacher-be/comment-page-1/#comment-6087 PaulSJenkins Mon, 25 May 2009 17:15:16 +0000 http://www.anatheist.net/?p=2903#comment-6087 The questions that end this post seem ill-targeted, given the likely readership of the blog. As an atheist I'm unlikely to take any preaching "seriously" regardless of the age of the preacher. As for knowledge of the divine - I don't believe it exists. Tawdry freak show seems an accurate description of what is portrayed in the linked clips (and elsewhere, see below). I think it's unlikely that any child would get drawn into preaching like this without the active encouragement of a parent or guardian, so any parent who is surprised to discover their child doing this kind of thing should seriously question their own parental role. Terry Durham was one of three child preachers featured in a Channel 4 documentary <a href="http:///www.channel4.com/programmes/baby-bible-bashers/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1" rel="nofollow">"Baby Bible Bashers"</a> aired on UK TV over a year ago, and <a href="http://www.evilburnee.co.uk/2008/03/when-i-was-very-young-i-asked-my-mother.html" rel="nofollow">I blogged about it myself</a>. The questions that end this post seem ill-targeted, given the likely readership of the blog. As an atheist I'm unlikely to take any preaching "seriously" regardless of the age of the preacher. As for knowledge of the divine – I don't believe it exists. Tawdry freak show seems an accurate description of what is portrayed in the linked clips (and elsewhere, see below). I think it's unlikely that any child would get drawn into preaching like this without the active encouragement of a parent or guardian, so any parent who is surprised to discover their child doing this kind of thing should seriously question their own parental role.

Terry Durham was one of three child preachers featured in a Channel 4 documentary "Baby Bible Bashers" aired on UK TV over a year ago, and I blogged about it myself.

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