My 7 year old grandson crying himself to sleep because of Christian scare tactics. (souls, Jehovah's Witness)
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The thing about the internet is, none of us know each other, and I fully acknowledge you believe what you've just said about me.
And I also realize there's no way for me to convince you otherwise.
So. What does your daughter say, about this seemingly severe anxiety over information shared by a peer?
(I don't know what your daughter's experience is specifically with children and anxiety and trauma, or whether her experience is in working with children with serious intellectual deficiencies. Which are two different things).
Well, we don't know your's either, do we?
And as I recall from another thread, you believe it is okay to lie to children if something is unpleasant.
Yes, I do. I think certain truths need not be spoken to children.
I'm shocked that anyone would say that wasn't a fair statement, and a fair philosophy in raising the most innocent ones among us.
Sometimes, they don't need the whole, unvarnished, ugly truth.
Agreed. Even if I were a Christian (and one who subscribed to the hell doctrine), I wouldn't make it a point of teaching that to my kids, and I'd try to raise them to know that it's not appropriate for them to tell other kids about at any rate.
I talked to my daughter last night and she relayed some instances to me that just highlights the horrible teachings of the Christian believers. We live in what I call the buckle of the bible belt, and one just can't avoid the magical and terror teachings of Christians.
Yes, terror teachings.
None of my family is religious, in fact, we are all atheists. I wear it on my sleeve, but my children are more diplomatic, as they have to work and interact with the religious. In fact, they are friends with some evangelicals. And that is the case with my 7 year old grandson; two of his best friends are from evangelical families.
Why crying himself to sleep? Because those friends, and it was not because they intended to be confrontational, keep telling him that he will go to hell because he, and his family, doesn't believe in God. He is terrified of what that means!
I am so very angry that the indoctrination of small children cause them to believe in hell, and even if out of innocence, they have caused my grandson to have nightmares and crying himself to sleep. I wish I could swear on here, I am that angry. What makes those religions, and parents, think they need to indoctrinate a child, a CHILD!, and that early age.
Now to be fair, my daughter contacted both of the parents. They were gracious, and both said they would talk to their children not to have religious discussions with my grandson. Good for them, and I appreciate that, and my anger is not at them directly, but at the infrastructure that religions are and that they promulgate this terror thinking.
Parents, if you are a believer, fine. Your frontal cortex is fully developed. But stop, I mean STOP, indoctrinating your children and terrorising by teaching them hell is a real thing. If you want to tell some bible stories, fine, but stop there. Stop in the deep dive. You are harming people you don't even know you are.
And I am still so very angry at this. My bright, innocent, loveable, sport minded, kind to all, grandson in terror of an imaginary place because of adults teaching their children it is real. I am just boiling.
So is your daughter going to take them to church on Sunday? They can have their fears relieved.
So is your daughter going to take them to church on Sunday? They can have their fears relieved.
You are part of the problem, not the solution. That is a horrible suggestion.Where do you think that celestial dictatorship mythology comes from and is perpetuated? Where is do think the terror of burning forever is enforced, preached, expounded on and told as the truth? What a terror religion to teach that stuff!
I'm being objective, even though as you say here, you are not.
So let's take this away from involving Christianity, and have it involve something secular.
Say this same child had watched a news item about a child who had apparently been kidnapped from his home and the child was still missing.
Then, this 7 year old cried himself to sleep several nights in a row from hearing this traumatic information.
With your teaching experience, what would you say? Would you suggest the child was over reacting a little, and his anxious state over this news was troubling and he deserved to have a therapist evaluate him?
Or would you say (like is being said here by the OP) this is a completely normal and expected reaction on the part of a 7 year old, and deserves no further intervention except now the TV has been unplugged so that he never hears any more troubling news stories that have caused this normal anxiety reaction?
I'm serious in wanting to hear your thoughts.
You've mentioned real things that actually happen and certainly need to be explained and none of which are caused by the child .
Going to hell because of something you do or do not do puts the blame and fear on the kid, himself.
My religious upbringing at home was fairy casual but it was in a non-fundamentalist church and Sunday school that I learned that god is always with you, always watching you
That was supposed to be comforting but , wow, did it also make me feel quilty and fearful about the most trivial "bad" things or thoughts !
And no, Clara, that anxiousness did not manifest itself over other things, just punishment and hell because of myself, like that poor kid
(OK,OK, I'll admit to not letting my feet hang off the side of the bed JUST IN CASE)
Agreed. Even if I were a Christian (and one who subscribed to the hell doctrine), I wouldn't make it a point of teaching that to my kids, and I'd try to raise them to know that it's not appropriate for them to tell other kids about at any rate.
But you are supposed to tell them to do that. That’s part of being a xian.
But you are supposed to tell them to do that. That’s part of being a xian.
Well there are more than a couple ways out of that, seems to me. For starters, I'd be a Universalist. These are Christians who believe that everyone eventually goes to heaven, and they do so on moral, logical and even biblical grounds. But even without that, most Christians believe that if a child dies they go to heaven no matter what. And so it can be reasoned that teaching children about hell isn't necessary. But at very least, one could leave details out and report only that hell is "separation from god" or simply "spread the good news" by showing how happy being a Christian has made you. This is what intrigued me when I was a teenager after all.
Of course, it didn't stick, but I probably would've been so repelled by Christianity that I became another angry anti-theist by now, if someone would've preached hellfire and brimstone at me instead.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by normstad
You are part of the problem, not the solution. That is a horrible suggestion.Where do you think that celestial dictatorship mythology comes from and is perpetuated? Where is do think the terror of burning forever is enforced, preached, expounded on and told as the truth? What a terror religion to teach that stuff!
You could go to my church and a 7 year old will never hear a single mention of hell.
They sing songs like, Jesus Loves Me This I Know, 'Cause the Bible Tells Me So, This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna Let it Shine, Jesus Loves the Little Children, etc. They have quiet down pay attention exercises that are an echo - Leader: God is Good? Kids: All the time. Leader: All the time? Kids: God is Good.
I actually think that might be a very good suggestion - if he's CONTINUING to feel anxiety, which it sounds like he is?
Truthfully, normstad, it's time to get him help of some kind.
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