"What about a radical, belligerent anti-Christian, anti-family activist?"
The Buddhists next door are non-activist, non-belligerent, but anti-Christian. They support virtually all liberal causes. The other week when I was there, the daughter (who is still at home) was expressing support of gay marriage. The dad came unglued and actually called gays "little faggots" (with a proper English accent). Funny thing is, they home-schooled their girls (but support more funding for public schools) and were very strict, but not authoritarian. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the children of European parents tend to be better behaved because despite politics, parents there are still recognized as the heads of the family.
I asked them about their opposition to Christians. They truly believe a high percentage of Christians try to seek God, but are unenlightened, preaching but not practicing. The dad explained that so many skip over Christs' message and forget about the charity and compassion He espoused. I agree with him there. I mentioned to him a man who told me he went to India and met a guy at the market whose live chickens had their legs cut off instead of binded. His explanation to the shocked tourist was that the "chicken was a bad man in a former life." His reply was that it's the "human condition."
Your story of the Buddhist parents is interesting. But to understand fully, we need to know what you mean when you write about "very strict but not authoritarian" parenting. How would you differentiate between "very strict" and "authoritarian"?
I have to question your definition of "good kid" with a child expressing such an opinion.
Unfortunately, most people do not distinguish between "good," and "nice." They are far from the same thing.
Furthermore, these anecdotes of orthodox bad children and unorthodox good children seem to proliferate amongst those that can't make the previously mentioned distinction. I tend to think such people are more sensitized to see that which confirms a bias than that which contradicts it.
Personally, I see no substantive moral difference between an belligerent baptist kid, and a calm, relativistic, buddhist kid. They are both willful, but one is less irritating to the parents... hardly a standard I'd call sublime.