What are the ways that forcing religion on children is psychologically, even psy

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  1. gmwilliams profile image84
    gmwilliamsposted 8 years ago

    What are the ways that forcing religion on children is psychologically, even psychically damaging

    and abusive? Children have the right to choose the religion they'd like to be or choose not to belong to a religion.  Children can be taught moral and ethical principles bereft of religious indoctrination.  All religion does is to induce guilt, self-doubt and inferiority in children, destroying their precious self-confidence, judgement, intellectual curiosity, and joie de vivre.

    https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/8261937_f260.jpg

  2. Austinstar profile image84
    Austinstarposted 8 years ago

    As a child, I can remember sitting in class scared out of my mind that the "Rapture" and "Armageddon" were about to happen Any Day Now!
    I also was made to feel dirty, unclean, filthy, wretched, and a sinner. I was told on a daily basis that unless I prayed to Jesus every day and begged for forgiveness for every "impure" thought, that I would go to a burning pit of hell.
    I didn't even know what an "impure" thought actually was. And when I asked, I was immediately told that every living being on the planet has "impure" thoughts - just for being born!
    Everybody was a sinner, unclean, wretched, filthy and basically everyone was going straight to hell if they survived the rapture or Armageddon.
    God hated humans. They sinned against him by eating from a fruit tree thousands of years ago and this crazy god just couldn't forgive humans for doing so - EVER! Everybody was cursed!
    As a child, I could never be good enough, pretty enough, or saved enough. Saved from what? A murderous, vengeful, jealous, unforgiving god? We're supposed to worship this THING just for giving us life, for creating us, then punishing us forever? What a stupid concept to expect a child to understand.

    1. gmwilliams profile image84
      gmwilliamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Not a stupid concept but an EGREGRIOUSLY EVIL one.  Many people HATE religion because it was FORCED upon them as children.  Religion should NEVER EVER be FORCED upon children.  Children have beautiful free natures which is tainted by religion.

    2. Austinstar profile image84
      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Children are curious sponges and this should definitely be handled with care!

  3. Kiss andTales profile image61
    Kiss andTalesposted 8 years ago

    Many people are raised up in what the household set as its beginning. but just as a bird leaves the nest he must fend for himself
    learn the truth if who the Father really is, What ever you learned at home was passed down , does not mean that is the absolute truth either , but when you can stand alone and make decisions of your own then you are responsible for your beliefs.

  4. Amanda108 profile image87
    Amanda108posted 8 years ago

    Why do you often state your opinions as facts, using the Questions section to do so? I've asked this before and have not received an answer.

    You've made a HUGE generalization here, and a very offensive one at that. I could just as easily start a sentence with, "All atheism does is...", "All black people...", "All internet writers are just..." Surely you see how problematic that would be? It's what you're doing here.

    I was raised in a Lutheran church and did not suffer any of the accusations you carelessly throw about here. I don't appreciate having someone tell me what my life was like. I'm sure actual survivors of religiously-motivated abuse don't appreciate having their situations equated to everyday child-rearing that happens to involve religion.

    Now, to address the points you seem to want to discuss:

    First you have to define what "forcing" religion on someone means. Eventually a child will grow and no matter what their life has been like up to that point, it's typical for a young adult to start questioning the world around them and their own minds. And contrary to unfortunate popular belief, children are individually thinking beings. Unless extreme brainwashing techniques were employed, the child was not "forced" to believe anything.

    The child was raised with the parents beliefs. Religion certainly isn't the only aspect of life in which this occurs. The child will grow up surrounded by their parents bad habits, good habits, political stances, any prejudices they may have, general world views, and so on. Once you mature, however, you're responsible for thinking for yourself. You can easily learn about the world around you and come to your own opinion, including choosing a different religion or no religion.

    But as stated, of course children are raised in the same religion as their parents - it's just logical. Again: the above examples. They may be "forced" to go to church, for example, but they would also be forced to go to the grocery store, to their grandparents' house, to school. A young child legally can't stay home alone.

    Most parents will indeed teach their children the beliefs they themselves have. It's part of parenting, to raise your child up the best you can and in the manner you feel is right. Then the child leaves the nest and uses or loses those lessons by living his or her own life. But if teaching is forcing then obviously school needs to be outlawed...

 
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