Anyone who was raised in a religious family can relate to the picture on the left. It's one thing for kids to be taught to believe in innocuous fantasies, such as Santa Claus. It is quite another to add to childhood fears and reinforce the idea that ghosts, demons, evil spirits, etc., literally exist.

People tend to forget that the comforting lies of religion come with a dark side. Traditional religion, in attempting to deal with the problem of evil, has created a host of boogeymen over the centuries. In my opinion, teaching children to fear the unseen world is tantamount to child abuse.

I really don't blame my parents, because they believed what they taught me. However, what I want for my children is a world of science where they can laugh at childish tales of the supernatural.

If you have a teenage daughter who becomes pregnant you are supposed to send her into the bishop for council. He will work his Mormon magic to make sure she is properly shamed and shunned by the tribe. Most likely she will be disfellowshiped and required to meet for more council. She will be given tasks to complete. She won't be allowed to participate fully in the religion. She will be counseled to give up the child. She will become the licked cupcake, unworthy of a worthy priesthood holder.

She will also be made aware of all the Satan and hell b***s***. She will be told that her eternal salvation hangs in the balance. God is not pleased.

What about all this is not abusive?

The gospel is not abuse.

I didn't get pregnant until I was 27, but I was definitely a licked cupcake before I ever got dipped into the waters of baptism. And yes, it seems that at least with regards to the singles I was exposed to, I was not worthy of a priesthood holder. It is abusive, it gave me a hangup about what a "good Christian woman" is for many years, and it stayed with me even after I left the church.

The gospel is not supposed to be abusive, you are right. Sadly, a lot of people have injected the "Good News" with the poison of their choice.

Guilting, shaming, ostracising, and stripping someone of self-esteem, is not abusive. We heard it here first from a person called Joyful.

Or is it just not abusive when it's done by a religion?

What other church but the Mormon Church continually excommunicates people (not just a cutting off from the church but in their minds a cutting off of hope for eternal life), announces their "shame" in all the wards of a stake without naming the offense so that others can conjure up whatever offense they wish to place on the person, and then enacts of timeframe (punishment) before they can be accepted fully back into the fold. No exactly under the banner of child abuse but certainly abuse non the less. Court of love indeed?

I don't think they still announce excommunications over the pulpit anymore do they?

Well, that would be an improvement.

Still, the word does get out one way or another and people tend to think the worst

I have both kinds of objects in my house and in my children's rooms as there is no conflict between the two.