Surely raising one's children in a religion is an important part of the freedom to practise religion.

This is not an uncontroversial position. Or rather, it is a position which implicitly postulates a level of parental prerogative which is not uncontroversial.

Proselytizing to people you hold power over is not generally held to be an important part of freedom of religion (except by fundie nutcases). In fact, I would go so far as to say that proselytizing to people you hold power over is generally not considered to fall within the purview of freedom of religion.

So why are your own children different from, say, schoolchildren with whom you have been entrusted? Or adults over whom you have authority, e.g. as their boss, or their doctor, or the warden of their prison?

When parents teach their children stuff like Creationism and actively misinform them about matters of reproductive health, it is generally accepted that society has not only a legitimate interest but an outright obligation to disabuse the children of the harmful nonsense which has been impressed upon them.

So, in short: No, that is not obvious, and reasonable people may disagree.

Personally, I consider parents to be overstepping their bounds when they induct pre-pubescent children into their (or any) religion. I also, however, consider that it's largely unavoidable: Detection and intervention by society would require invasions of privacy to which the original offense stands in no reasonable proportion.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.