Raising a child with religion enriches life

I praise Nica Lalli for her Forum piece discussing the importance of raising open-minded children ("Am I raising 'atheist children'?," March 17).

Lalli wrote that in today's society, parents are raising their children to believe in whatever religion the parents were raised to believe. This insinuates that it might be more difficult for a child to choose his or her own beliefs. But even though Lalli claims she is neutral in this process, she still is influencing her children to be atheists. A lack of spiritual connection to religion will leave children more likely to choose no religion at all.

Religious beliefs that a child learns from his or her parents can enrich that child's life. Those beliefs can give a child cultural ties to his or her relatives and bring families together. Raising a child in a religious tradition also can help that child form a strong ...