Childhood Belief Formation and the Ethics of Pre-Consent Religious Socialization

This article investigates whether institutional religious socialization of pre-critical children constitutes a capture and redirection of innate cognitive dispositions rather than genuine teaching. Using Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) findings from Bloom, Bering, and Barrett, the paper compares childhood religious education systems across four traditions (catechism, madrasa, cheder, gurukul) and examines ethical implications through consent theory and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 14). The analysis acknowledges positive outcomes of religious socialization and parallel mechanisms in secular contexts.