A prominent US academic has likened religious education to child abuse on ABC program Q&A.

Dr Paul Ehrlich, a biologist who specialises in population studies, made the comments on last night's program after host Tony Jones asked him if he had sang the US national anthem when he was at school.

"We did, but we didn't have child abuse required in those days, we didn't have any religious instructions in the schools," Dr Ehrlich said.

"Did you just say religious instruction is child abuse?" Jones replied.

To which Dr Ehrlich said: "That's what Richard Dawkins and lots of other people have said, that you teach people details about non-existent supernatural monsters and then behave in reaction to what you think they are telling you.

"That's child abuse. You don't raise your kids that way. I don't want to be outrageous."

Mr Jones' posed the question about national anthems in schools in response to a recent decision by a Melbourne school to allow its Muslim students to walk out of a school assembly and not sing 'Advance Australia Fair'.

"We are a very social animal, we've got to learn to live in groups of millions and billions, which means ... you've got to give some space for other people, or you will be in a constant war and so it's something that we ought to be discussing all the time," Dr Ehrlich said.

"Other people are going to have different views and you've got to respect them as long as they are not trying to tread on you in some way."