Being raised in fundamentalist religions affects us all

[Soph0571]

Children, the world over, are being taught that those who do not believe just like them are going to hell. That they should not mix with those from outside their faith. They are not educated in the faith of the other but surely all people need to be in a position where they have the knowledge to be able to make informed choices about any belief structure that might be presented to them. You only need to look at the history of the recent past to see where fundamentalism can actually lead people. To force feed and indoctrinate young people with some of the varying conflicting messages of the Bible or Koran could be construed as wicked, and counterproductive if we wish for a peaceful future.

[lark]

1. That is why secular public education is 100% imperative!

I am one of those raised by devout rw fundamentalists who was raised in the church. I was there from 9-1 Sunday then back again at 7:30 that night. Wed. I went from 7-9 and Thurs. from 6-8. I also maintained an mostly As average at school, so doing school work and going to church were pretty much my life after school. Luckily, my folks couldn't afford a private school and the church we attended way back in the day didn't have it's own school - privatization had not gotten big back then. My life changed when I had a Social Studies teacher in 10th grade who played anti-war Joan Baez for us, taught us critical thinking, and led us in debate about the Viet Nam war. I learned so much from him and started questioning everything I'd thought I knew. Then I had another teacher in the 11th grade who didn't only praise our founders but who told us the down side as well. That summer we went to Texas and I hung out with my hippie cousin and the change was complete. I started marching in anti-war protests, participated in bra burnings, joined with friends to educate ourselves and everyone our age and draft age to find ways to avoid the draft. This was prior to the lottery.

So, anyway, with sufficient corrective input, being raised as a fundamentalist Christian can be overcome. If the person never hears the truth because the family only watches Faux and church is primary, without secular teachers, they probably will stay stuck in the mire and lies and hate.

[Major Nikon]

2. Bad things done in the name of religion always get a pass

You have even DUers who demand all forms of religion must be tolerated. Karl Popper described the paradox of tolerance which describes how a tolerant society will inevitably be destroyed if it tolerates intolerance.

We as a society need to call this kind of shit out and stop allowing religionists to get a pass for their intolerance on the basis of tolerance.

[Backseat Driver]

3. There may develop a strong cognitive dissonance in those raised this way

but no longer wrapped in it and the intolerance so tightly that can result in an abusive practice of community shunning and/or familial estrangement being perpetrated on those portrayed by the fundamentalist believer(s) as rebellious "heathen." Disengaging from those that would practice that form of abuse is this long, slow, and painful process of introspection about the nature of control, shame, and guilt that can leave those demonized by their abusers within their communities or individually with serious ongoing emotional damage.

https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Shunning

[MineralMan]

4. Fortunately, many young people are rejecting this.

All churches are losing young adults at a high rate. That's a good thing.