@happy_skeptic I simply can't engage because I will not set down my very basic principals of free speech and freedom of religion, but I don't think religion is mental abuse. I think that's far too extreme a stance. :)

Comments

[Yan]

Hmm. I don't know any Extreme Right Christians, so I can't say from experience. I mean in general those people scare me anyway.

For me, and people around me, religion tends to be very benign, kind and simple. So I don't see any harm in it.

Most of my family is religious. They are probably better people than me, but well. I know I am right.

[Happy_skeptic]

Don't ban religion by any means (since they could just as easily ban humanism), but there should be a law banning the teaching of religion until an age of consent, when children can decide for themselves what they want to believe. Children are like sponges, programmed to believe anything that adults (including parents) teach them. It's cruel to teach a child that it's going to hell if it doesn't follow all the rules of one extremist religious sect.

I see it firsthand with my one-year-old nephew. He can barely form words yet and they're already cramming these ideas in his head— that God loves him but will punish him to burn forever if he doesn't believe in Jesus. I want to call child protective services every time I'm over at my sister's house!

[Happy_skeptic]

True, that may be an extreme stance, saying that religion is mental abuse. But wouldn't you call a system of thought that actively discourages its members (especially young children who aren't capable of yet of making decisions for themselves) from critical thinking?

As a former fundie and gay man who was raised in the Baptist church to believe that gays are broken and degenerate (and therefore that I was an abomination), I've a tough time seeing religion as being anything but abusive. There's a lot more than that, but no child should be exposed to that kind of toxic teaching.