Christianity

I am glad that someone is broaching this topic. These two ladies are to be commended for taking on a tough topic. The children deserve better than the treatment they are receiving. It is a travesty to allow religion to continue abuses that we no longer tolerate within our society.

Although Dealdoctor has pointed out that the golden rule states "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" this does not seem to apply within family units. For instance, what man wants to be totally submissive to his wife? What parents want to be "paddled" until they submit their will? So, the Golden Rule just doesn't seem to apply to families.

Although many times I was bothered by the teachings of the Fundie church I was going to, one of the items that really still bothers me is the way children are taught to uncompromisingly obey. Now, a certain amount of obedience is a good thing. It can be a life saver. But to squash the will of the child because that is what the Bible says is really sad.

The Bible has virtually no good advice on family relationships and raising children. Aside from love your wife like Christ loved the church, there is almost nothing. And how does God love the church? How does God love his creation - humankind? He smites them, beats them, humiliates them, destroys them and then says "I am a loving God!". What a lie.

God doesn't have decent people doing His will in the Bible. He has Solomon with his 800 concubines. He has David an adulterer and murderer. He has Lot and his daughters who perpetrate incest [along with several other incestuous incidents by His chosen]. He has Abraham who is willing to sacrifice is son on an alter. He has Jephthah who actually does sacrifice his only child, a virgin daughter. Time after time after time God seems to choose people to lead His flock and the people He chooses are not decent. They are terrible people.

God then blames humanity for all its ills. Does God help us find the best way to raise up decent people through our children? NO! He tells us to "Spare the rod and spoil the child." He says "Train your child up in the ways of the Lord and the child will not go wrong". Yet, we know that the ways of the Lord aren't very nice in the Bible.

So we get to churches like the Fundie church and we find that squashing the will of the child and crushing the child so that Satan won't have a chance at the child are promoted. Along with you are born sinful. Even small children are sinners. It is a recipe for disaster. I am still worried about the children of those fundie parents. How does it feel to grow up knowing that you can be spanked for just about anything you do? How does it feel knowing that you deserve to be hit? How do you grow into a loving adult with this kind of mental and physical abuse heaped on you day after day, year after year?

The Bible should be thrown into the garbage heap where it belongs. It has no redeeming family values in it and families are the basis the entire society rests upon. Can I get an Amen!?


Thanks, XPD. Coming from you that is high praise indeed. I was remembering back to when I was maybe 18 or 19 and I remember searching the Bible for the answers to my relationship problems with my ex. You know what? Not once in that book does it say "You will care for your family members with all tenderness and due caring. Husbands and wives will look into one another's eyes to see the light that shines from within their souls. Each child will be taught discipline and good work habits and the meaning of love by following their parents example. Parents will exercise discipline in order to teach the child the value of others and to encourage them to be patient, loving and kind. Children will be taught to be empathetic and to share and show encouragement towards others. Children will learn to put off wants until tomorrow and to take care of needs today. For neither greed nor procrastination is the best way to live a life. Love - the kind of love that cares deeply about others and yet encourages others to learn and be themselves - love, should be at the core of your family."