Is this institutionalized child abuse by religion?

I see many theists teaching many strange things to their children. Like the notion that fantasy, miracles and magic are all real.

Theists showed at the I D trials that it is ok to try to lie and distort the truth to have Christian creationism taught in school. The Dino Museum is in this same class of lying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rH6cXIID-Q

Some of theists teachings reach even further in terms of abuse.

African witches and Jesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlRG9...eature=related

Jesus Camp 1of 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBv8tv62yGM

Promoting death to Gays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMw2Z...eature=related

Because of such abuses, I as a religionist and all other non literal people of spirituality are all clumped in with the above abusive groups. Insulting even you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HKHa...x=0&playnext=1

What are your thoughts in terms of the children’s mental health?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzC9i...yer_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKxOaGLTPTM

As a theist, do you want to be associated with what you have seen your fellow theists doing?

Is what I have shown child abuse or not?
As a theist, should you be doing something to aid the victims?
As a non-theist, should you be doing something to aid the victims?
Are we not all our brothers keeper and should we not all be acting in the defense of our children and grand children?

Regards
DL

No. It's human stupidity. The irony is... it's well-intended.

These two guys summed it up -

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. (Albert Einstein)

Never attribute to malice, that which can be reasonably explained by stupidity. (Spider Robinson)

Well... there's "should", and then there's "can." Unfortunately there's no way to ban religion. It will only die if it's replaced by reason.

I think most active non-theists would agree there is little we can do, except to continue to get the message out, and de-convert as many victims of religion as possible.

I'm doing what I can, as are you I imagine.

In a slightly more perfect world, child protection agencies would be authorised to remove children from such sad situations. But then... where do you draw the line?

Thanks for this.

Yes. It is hard to know where to draw the line.
Right now, all we can do, as you say, is to try to de-convert and hope the butterfly effect does it's job and perhaps saves one or two.

In the meantime, like you, I try to raise a little hell and try to get theists to think. if they did, this crap would disappear.

Good to have you on the same page.

Regards
DL

People need religion, and it's essential to human existence. Society would fall apart without it. I say this as an avowed atheist who knows it's all bull.

Need it why?
To produce poor morals?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94f2h...layer_embedded

Regards
DL

OP, do you worship Satan?

I would reply to your non-sequitur, but I have a read on you that you are as dogmatically anti-religion as the people you despise are passionate about their beliefs. In a sense, atheism is your religion, and the other religions are your enemies, just like other religions are the enemy of a devout Christian or Moslem. Like them, you are not searching for any truths; rather you feel absolutely sure you know the score, and are working to advance your belief at the expense of other faiths.

I myself am a disinterested observer of religion, with little to no emotional stake in the matter, so I won't be much help to you.

No. Seems that he does not have all the ridiculous need that God has.
And will not send people to hell for ignoring him.

But as compared to God, his morals are better.

He would know how immoral and insane it is to think that genocide against man is good.
Literalists Christians should agree but of course will not.
Their morals are just as insane as their God.

Regards
DL

I am not an atheist. I call myself a Gnostic Christian with some naturalist thrown in.

As to your last, rather self centered and pathetic view and comment.

It is my view that all literalists and fundamentals hurt all of us who are Religionists.
They all hurt their parent religions and everyone else who has a belief. They make us all into laughing stocks and should rethink their position. There is a Godhead but not the God of talking animals, genocidal floods and retribution. Belief in fantasy is evil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HKHa...x=0&playnext=1

They also do much harm to their own.

African witches and Jesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlRG9...eature=related

Jesus Camp 1of 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBv8tv62yGM

Promoting death to Gays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMw2Z...eature=related


For evil to grow my friends, all good people need do is nothing.
Fight them when you can.

Oops I forgot, you are disinterested and would allow evil to grow.

Regards
DL

How come you spend so much time murmuring and complaining GIA?

God hates murmuring and complaining and he should...it disrupts spiritual focus and produces nothing but a person that belly aches and no good result.

The following is the American Heritage Dictionary definition of murmuring:


mur·mur n. 1. A low, indistinct, continuous sound: spoke in a murmur; the murmur of the waves. 2. An indistinct, whispered, or confidential complaint; a mutter. 3. Medicine. An abnormal sound, usually emanating from the heart, that sometimes indicates a diseased condition. --mur·mur v. mur·mured, mur·mur·ing, mur·murs. --intr. 1. To make a low, continuous, indistinct sound or succession of sounds. 2. To complain in low mumbling tones; grumble. --tr. To say in a low indistinct voice; utter indistinctly: murmured his approval. [Middle English murmure, from Old French, from Latin murmur, a humming, roaring.] --mur“mur·er n. --mur“mur·ing·ly adv. --mur“mur·ous adj. --mur“mur·ous·ly adv.

I disagree. I think the OP's examples are examples of human stupidity and child abuse. Good intentions do not negate the fact that this is abuse. (This is true in more generality (though perhaps rarely-- some violent criminals don't see anything wrong with what they are doing--this doesn't make their actions less reprehensible)).

Unfortunately, our society values "religious freedom" over basic human rights in these instances.

atheist missionaries ftw

1) Religions don't rape children, people rape children.

2) You posted the same three links twice within a 10-post thread.

3) You know the score, and you've come to set everyone else straight. Yawn. You're cut from the same cloth as any religious fundamentalist.

I would think if you're going to post less you would at least try to post on topic. This has nothing to do with this thread.

Someone should tell Sweden before its to late.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

Regards
DL

Just for your mental files. I agree with you.

Regards
DL

And you're not discussing people in your OP?

Eleanor most likely is rolling in her grave at your use of her quote without reference to context.

She said in a 1932 speech entitled “What Religion Means to Me”:

“To me religion has nothing to do with any specific creed or dogma. It means that belief and that faith in the heart of (people) that make (them) try to live life according to the highest standard which (he or she) can visualize. . . . In all cases, the thing that counts is the striving of the human soul to achieve spiritually the best that it is capable of and to care unselfishly not only for personal good but for the good of all. . . . The important thing is neither your nationality nor the religion you profess, but how your faith translated into your life.”

Good points. It's a tough question for sure.

Do we confiscate children because of the examples in the OP? It seems like an obvious yes. But if so, why not do the job properly and prevent the teaching of any religion to any child?

"Religious freedom" which creates such extremes as those in the OP would seem to be an unfortunate by-product of "majority rule", with the majority being people who would balk at wholesale interference when it comes to children and their "upbringing." Any two people with reproductive organs intact are free to have offspring and screw them up in any number of ways.

Maybe one day secularism will be less passive, though. Maybe in the future religion will be as marginalised as incest and peadophilia.

We can only hope.