Is Religion an inherited belief?

The die is cast even before we are born; we adopt Christian, Muslim, Hindu or other faiths, which are thrust upon us. Most religions are part of our cultural identity and an intrinsic part of our parent’s profile. The truth is we are not what we believe, but our belief system is decided mostly by family and culture.
Liberty is given a high priority in today’s world, where multiple choices await us for selecting our wardrobe, food, education, friends, entertainment and ideology. But when it comes to religion we are forced to accept the faith we are born into.
To follow a religion we need to believe in its tenets, it cannot be an inheritance like a house, car or family heirlooms.
Atheism is also a belief system akin to a religion, it is important for parents to unshackle their children from their own conditioned ideology and let them decide whether they want to believe it or not. Religion cannot be treated as a cultural convenience, where we are taught to know what to do – from the time we are born till we die. We need the mind to be free from prejudice and fear to transcend the physical realm and merge with the higher universe. –Vinay-