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Preventing religious abuse
- Thread starter Wasp
- Start date
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- religious abuse
We encouraged our children to think for themselves about religion, we definitely did not force our unbelief on them. They are Christians but very moderate in their views.
No male should be circumcised as a child unless it is a medical necessity. No female should ever be put through FGM.
I don't hate religious people, I dislike extremists.
exchemist
Veteran Member
Pass laws forbidding hate speech.
Hate speech can be defined in such a way that it does not preclude criticism of a religion or opposition to it, both of which need to be permitted in the interests of free speech and fair comment about social issues. You can quite easily criticise something without seeking to stir up hatred.
Good luck, not that I'm in disagreement but I can see a look of resistance you are going to run into.
I think you'd need to show pretty solid evidence of harm, not just opinions.
I mean I can hate the LGBTs believe they are going to hell and express it as an opinion. Not in itself illegal. However in most cases where harm can be shown it is already illegal.
In my experience abuse is caused by two or three mistakes. The first mistake is to insist that everyone agrees, and this causes people to pretend that they agree and leads to secretive lives. The second mistake is to defend family pride, because this also leads to secretive lives. The third mistake is related to the first and second. It is to entrust another person with your mind or to encourage others (such as children) to entrust an authority with their mind. The mind must remain dangerous, and you must risk people running amok. By doing this you sap the power base of abusers, because they have no tools.
That won't completely prevent abuses, but it is going to help greatly. You have to be willing to take risks.
Laws can help, but they cannot fix this. There is a limit to what laws can do, as with anything else. You can't slap a law onto every damn thing in the world.
By active participation by all in those societies or communities according to their rules, by enacting rules to make it work better, and by passing common sense laws that crimes can't be hidden or allowed by churches. The Republicans did it with polygamy in the United States. Laws aren't always correct, but they should be respected as a society doesn't want to crumble.
wandering peacefully
Which way to the woods?
Keep it to yourself. It should always be just between ndividuals and their gods.
If no one knows, no one cares. End of abuse for all.
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
Laws should be passed making religious abuse illegal. This should include both the physical and emotional abuse perpetrated but more extreme theists, especially that aimed at children and the vulnerable. My sadistic 'born again' paternal grandmother tortured me from the age of two with the idea of hell-fire awaiting naughty little girls like me. It used to give me horrible nightmares.
Problem is there is a lake of fire. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun as Billy Graham might say.
There is also a God of stunning covenant love and perfect love casts out fear for those in him.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
A problem is a law suggested here assumes there is no eternal judgement it would not be a just law.
All that is garbage with no evidence to support it.
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
Most of the universe we see is more like a lake of fire than not. Notably burning stars.
Better question - is there evidence to support there is no judgement?
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Once you die you stay dead, there is no evidence to contradict that.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Having and/or lack of laws against religious abuse isn't the big problem. It's having awareness of being abuse and willing to tell others is a bigger problem. There can laws against religious abuse, but if nobody is aware of the abuse or willing to come out then those people will continue to be abused.
A very good question which I will attempt to answer. First the definition of what is religion, what is its role in society needs to be clear. What’s its purpose and what benefits is it supposed to bestow on society? Once we have these parameters then we can build in mechanisms to avoid going outside these goals.
Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Baha’i Faith gives a definition of the foundation of religion. These are the parameters of what religion should be used for He says.
The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.
Then He goes on to define what it is not and what it should never be used for and that only if it is used for love and unity can it endure.
Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure.
Then Baha’u’llah’ continues to define the principle which should govern not only society but religion itself.
It is incumbent upon them who are in authority to exercise moderation in all things. Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence.
So moderation is the guiding principle of ensuring religion and society does not become abusive and love and unity are the goals of religion. Education should seek to teach and promote moderation so that fanaticism and extremism are avoided as we see their harmful effects in the world today.
I think it is critical to have an open communication with your child from the earliest age possible. That they may feel comfortable in telling you anything. Public education has a role in teaching children about their body and where no one is allowed to 'touch'. Its unfortunate but this is the world we live in. How often are kids treated unjustly by a teacher and don't tell parents because the parent assumes the child did something? Or they tell about uncle so and so, or father or doctor and the reply is 'oh uncle so and so would never do that. Believe your kids!
Scott C.
Just one guy
Are you sayng it should be illegal for churches/religions to teach the public, and for parents to teach their children, that there is an afterlife and in the afterlife we receive consequences, negative or positive, for how we lived while on earth?
I think it should be illegal for people to threaten children and the vulnerable with the tortures of hell if they don't convert, as there is no more evidence to support the existence of a god or afterlife than there is to support the existence of Voldemort in the Harry Potter stories. My evil grandmother made my life miserable as a young child, the only time I have ever danced in my life was on her grave!
Scott C.
Just one guy
I think it should be illegal for people to threaten children and the vulnerable with the tortures of hell if they don't convert, as there is no more evidence to support the existence of a god or afterlife than there is to support the existence of Voldemort in the Harry Potter stories. My evil grandmother made my life miserable as a young child, the only time I have ever danced in my life was on her grave!
I am really sorry your grandmother made your life miserable. There are good ways and bad ways to teach tender children about God, the difference between right and wrong, and consequences for choices. Apparently your grandmother did a poor job of it. I don't know if she was a fanatic, crazy and mean or a good person who did her best. Regardless you processed it as abuse. But, because of your exeprience do you believe that it should be illegal to teach that there is an afterlife and consequences for how we live on earth?