My experience in the catholic church

[abaris]

My religious education in the catholic church started when I was about 4. I was taught by a nun along with a bunch of other preschoolers. One day she gave us coloring books with a picture of the thorn crown. She said that every time we do something wrong, we add one thorn to the crown and it really hurts Jesus, and he bleeds. That was my first experience with guilt and it never left me since.

Try that on for size. When I was about 7, a priest told us kids that if we sin, god would take what we love most. Not to downplay your experience, but I virtually spent sleepless nights worrying about my parents, grandparents and brother. I would have happily exchanged that fundamental fear of being all alone in the world and being guilty of killing my loved ones for sticking thorns in Jesus.

They're fearmongers and child abuse can take on many forms. It doesn't have to be sexual.