That provides additional clarification, and I generally agree with what you say here. Children obviously have rights, and are individuals, as you note, but their rights are subject to restrictions because of their minor status and their "less developed" intellectual and physical abilities. Going from this, do you think a parent should have the ability to bring their child with them to church or to a religious gathering? Or to place their children in religious (i.e., Catholic and Jewish) or Sunday schools?
I think this topic question presupposes that the child is old enough to want to say no through some form of reasoned mind. I don't believe anyone here is arguing that someone at Pre-K age has the agency to stand up to their parents in a reasoned way (although I would argue for more protections under the law for their sake as not being property). However, at any of those ages, that does not mean they don't possess the rights granted by the Constitution.
I would ask why the US is the only country in the world that hasn't ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It's clear that based on the countries that have ratified that it's just a statement of beliefs. There's something very wrong with the religious right in this country. My issue with religion in this country is that it tends to give far too much power to parents, despite the fact that children are owed a certain level of autonomy. Parents do not own their children. They are not property.
