Growing up, my parents raised me as a catholic. I attended a private catholic school, where the catholic faith was taught on a daily basis, and in addition to that my parents had me attend catechism classes, which taught about the bible and other aspects off the catholic faith. With all of the education I have received in Catholicism, I feel that I am highly knowledgeable not just in Catholicism, but in Christianity as well.  Although I choose to be an atheist, going to church every Sunday, attending a catholic school, and knowing all about the catholic faith has not been a waste. It provided me with the knowledge to make my own decision on what I choose to believe in. Having knowledge on religions benefits both you and others in multiple ways. Different religions should be taught to people at a young age in order for people to have knowledge on other cultures and religions, for there to be less judgement and stereotyping in the society that we live in and more acceptance, and for people to be able to make informed decisions.

Today, people in the society that we live in are highly ignorant of every religion except their own. Parents have their children educated in their religion at a young age by sending their children to Sunday school. They do not want their children to have exposure to any other religion except theirs, because they believe theirs, and only their religion, is the right one. This is a primary reason as to why so many people today are ignorant to other religions. Learning about other religions is different from being preached to. Knowledge is a great thing to have, especially when it is knowledge about religions. Most people would benefit from having a basic understandings of the different religions. It is also important for people to know the differences between the different religions. A surveyed on CBS News about religious ignorance in the United States showed that " ... of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths" (Zoll). Catholicism is a type of Christianity, but it differs from simply being a Christian, and being a Christian derives from Judaism, but they are not the same. Many religions are very similar in multiple aspects, but at the same time they differ.  Again, it is important to know these difference, because it lets you have a better understanding of other people. 

Another reason why people should be taught religions at a young age is so that there is less judgement and stereotyping in our society, which will lead to more acceptance. Today's world is constantly filled with judgement, prejudice, and stereotyping. People are always judging others based on their religion, and they also stereotype. Stereotyping religions is a type of bullying, which should not be tolerated. While stereotypes may have been derived from some truth, they have long since been exaggerated and they "depersonalize and dehumanize people and their ideas" (Blumenfeld). An example of one stereotype is that all Muslims are terrorists, which we know not to be true. Judgement is also a big reason to have knowledge on religions. Many people judge others based on their religion and this is because they cannot identify with the other person's beliefs. If everyone was educated about other religions early in life, this would illuminate judgment and stereotyping of others as early as elementary school, which would decrease bullying. 

Having knowledge about the different religions early in life helps people make better, informed decisions. As mentioned previously, I was raised as a Catholic, but I choose to be an atheist. This is a great example of religious knowledge being helpful in making decisions. Many people who are atheist have had a religious background. Most have attended church in the past and in response chose "atheism in reaction to Christianity" (Murray). Still knowing all that churches have taught them, many people also felt that the churches didn't answer the difficult questions in life, such as "creation v evolution, sexuality, reliability of the Bible, [and the] purpose of life ... " (Murray). This shows how having knowledge on religions has helped people in making an important decision regarding their religion. 

Learning about the different religions at a young age has a positive effect not only on society, but also has a positive personal effect. Knowledge of other cultures and religions is an important thing to have in life. It provides for less judgement and stereotyping, which ultimately leads to more acceptance of others. Being taught at a young age about religions also helps people make informed decisions on what they want to believe in, and whether or not they want to choose to believe in anything for that matter. This research question can be arguable though, because there will be parents who do not want to educate their children early in life on other religions besides their own. Many people agree that being knowledgeable on religions will help make our society better by illuminating many negative qualities. Having being taught this at a young age will improve our society for the better and make people far more educated. 

