(June 27, 2014 at 1:53 am)CindysRain Wrote: For anyone who thinks that raising children in church, and according to the bible, doesn't harm them. Think again.
After walking away from the baptist faith, well religion in general, I've had a couple open talks with my kids about this. I was sad and surprised by some of the things they have shared with me.
My daughter is 25. It was only a couple years ago that she admitted to me, for the first time, that when she was little, she was constantly worried that she wasn't really "saved", and would go to hell.
She felt that every time she did something really bad, (in her mind), that jesus would be mad at her, and then she worried that maybe she wasn't going to heaven, so nearly every night, she went through the salvation process of admitting sin, and asking jesus into her heart. My son admitted to often feeling the same way.
This went on for years, unknown to me. All because of her fear of hell.
Mind you, I was a stay at home mom, and very close to my kids. We talked about anything and everything. Naturally, I asked her why she never told me, and she said it was because she felt bad....she didn't want me to know that she often didn't "feel" saved. She thought that was a sin too.
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.
They also felt pressure to witness to anyone they cared about, because they worried that those people would burn in hell. What a horrific responsibility to put on any child ever.
We do so much to protect them from any type of brutality while they are growing up, yet don't even consider what they are being exposed to at church.
Welcome to the world of rational thinking.
Don't think emotional bullying doesn't exist outside religion. Try proposing an alternative scientific theory to the prevailing consensus, history is repeat with examples of how innovators in the sciences have been treated badly, I don't just mean the justifiable challenges from peers, I mean pernicious, spiteful behaviour born of self-righteousness and social arrogance.
That, unfortunately, is humanity for you.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
