Religion and children

[Tonus]

Another big issue for my kids, was when one of their grandmas died, who was an outspoken atheist. Not only are they devastated at the loss of grandma, but now they are facing the images of her burning in hell. Sadly, at the time, I was still very much a christian, and struggled in what to say to comfort them.

I'm glad that the JWs do not believe in a fiery hell or eternal torment; for them, death is just eternal sleep with no afterlife for those who don't earn god's favor. So I never had to deal with the terrors of something like eternal torture at the hands of Satan and demons. I think that something that grown-ups may not realize is that children can vividly imagine such things and aren't always good at compartmentalizing or finding ways of reaching an accommodation with them. With such a short life and few experiences, anything can make a deep and troubling (and lasting) impression.

On the other hand, the JWs do practice shunning, which can be just as traumatic for adults as it can be for children. Such awful practices are carried out with the belief that it is being done in the best interests of all involved, which ensures that everyone will suffer as much as possible for as long as possible. People are sometimes willing to do truly terrifying things to one another if they believe they're doing it for your own good. That might be the most terrible way in which religion hurts people.