Do you think religion harms children? If I had to make an educated guess, if religion didn't exist, the same people who think homosexuality is wrong and oppose abortion would still be around. Religion doesn't create people who are for a certain behavior imo, so why would it create people who oppose certain behaviors?
Super big questions, PS....
"Do you think religion harms children?"
- Blind faith, yes harmful.
- Distrust of Science, yes harmful.
- Shame of the human body, yes harmful.
- Discouraging critical thinking skills, yes harmful
- Calvinist Predestination / Caste system, yes harmful
- Encouraging War as the appropriate means to settle territorial conflict, yes harmful
I could go on, and on, and on.... It really comes down to the parents. IF the parents are able to mitigate these risks then, no, religion does not harm children.
"if religion didn't exist, the same people who think homosexuality is wrong and oppose abortion would still be around."
Really, why? Because of procreation? Gay sex would be like, what? a form of birth control... IDK, I'm just thinking outside the box.
"Religion doesn't create people who are for a certain behavior imo, so why would it create people who oppose certain behaviors?"
Well. I can't say for sure, I wasn't there when the Law was given to Moses. But, if you believe the story, certain families had certain jobs to do. But one thing that all the families were told to do was, Gen 1:28. Be fruitful and multiply. So, if you can put yourself in that scene. Approx. 1500BCE, in the desert, you had just witnessed the plagues, the parting of the red sea... it was an awesome devastating time to be alive.
Now, doesn't it make sense in that scene that G-d would know best **how** to be fruitful and multiply? And therefore if G-d, the one responsible for all those plagues and miracles tells you... in no uncertain terms ... "Hey you boys... 'Tab A' goes into 'Slot B', no exceptions"... that the people would listen and take heed?
Remember Gen 1:28, arguably the very first commandment given, be fruitful, multiply. Than means.... PowerStone, no birth control. Birth control is a violation of Gen 1:28. So, it's not really just anti-homosexuality. it's..... drum roll.... Pro-creation. I repeat, not anti-homosexual, it is Pro-Creation.
Does that help?
( disclaimer all of this is offered through the lens of Left Wing Modern Orthodox Judaism )