#Christian indoctrination

[deservedgrace]

I've been thinking about resurrection eggs today, those plastic eggs with items related to the crucifixion they give to kids around Easter, and thinking about how disturbing the whole thing is

Like, I think the whole concept of essentially celebrating human sacrifice is disturbing enough, but imo it's even more disturbing that we're told about the crucifixion as kids, that we're told about the torture and violence in detail, that we're told his suffering is our fault because we specifically are so evil and horrible and sinful that someone had to be tortured to death to make up for it, that we're told it should have been us up there, that we deserve suffering and violence and abuse and torture simply for existing... and probably other things I'm not thinking of right now, it's all just so sickening

But to do all that while trying to wrap it in a ‧˚₊*̥∗*‧˚₊*̥ uwu cute and innocent little interactive activity for kids uwu ‧˚₊*̥∗*‧˚₊*̥ where they physically have items like a mini spear that represents the one that pierced his side, a crown of thorns to represent the one he was forced to wear, nails to represent the ones that were used to hold him on the cross, leather cords to represent the whip he was beaten with, dice to represent casting lots for his clothes, cloth to represent the linen he was wrapped in after... i don't really have proper words for how disgusting it feels to me now. It's such a "look at what you've done, look at how you did it, look at what you personally contributed to by existing being sinful" while actively trying to make it more appealing to kids in the hopes that they'll internalize it better

Idk. The whole thing is just extremely repulsive to me. It's one thing to talk about the resurrection specifically, but I don't understand how so many people believe graphic depictions of torture and violence are totally fine for kids on its own even without all the other shit that comes with it

[eeriedragone]

The Voice of Reason

[audreyrose7]

I wouldn't be so pissed at Christianity if it wasn't for indoctrination. Religion should be something that you choose and when you're literally a two-year-old sitting in church you can't possibly choose it, you can't possibly understand the gravity of the cult that you have entered. You'll listen to the sermons you'll read your Bible you'll sing the songs you might never question what you're doing or you might only question it 30 years later, either way it's a big deal and you should be able to make it informed choice instead of having your choice taken away when you're a child.

[howlinglore]

Sirius headcanons 🐾

#1; Sirius was heavily religiously indoctrinated.

CW! ⚠️ Mentions of religious indoctrination and/or mental/emotional abuse

Unfortunately, Sirius would be religiously indoctrinated to an INSANE amount, even years after running away to the Potters.

In my head, the Blacks had been heavily religious for centuries. Like, Christian Catholic type of thing. And Walburga would for sure drill all the usual things into Sirius’ and Regulus’ heads — all about sex being only for making kids and nothing else, masturbation being wrong and shameful, premarital intercourse and even worse, children out of wedlock being worst things ever — you get the gist.

And Sirius would probably be able to unlearn most things that he’d been taught at home, but I feel like things that fall into THAT category would always kind of stick with him? Like, there’d definitely be rumors going around all the time about him sleeping with half the school or something when he hasn’t even had his first kiss — both because he’s gotten sort of sentimental about it by then and also because he is horrifyingly ashamed about the thought of it being sinful and wrong unless it’s, like, someone he intends to marry or something.

So, when he and Remus get together, he keeps freaking out about little things that would be usual for a couple to do, y’know? Even hand-holding and cuddling is weird now, because maybe they used to be a little physically affectionate before when they were ‘just friends’, but now that they’re romantically involved, it’s like an alarm goes off in Sirius’ head anytime they touch like: ‘Whore, whore, whore, you’ll go to hell, you guys aren’t married, God will strike you down —‘, blah blah blah.

[meaningtotellyou]

I AM SO SICK OF HAVING CHRISTIANITY SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT WHO GIVES A FUCK

[pubby-mill]

so why would i try

mdni

for those wondering if this is a vent or a horny post, the answer is yes

[shit-people-probably-didnt-say]

We need to study what causes extremely religious people to talk like that

[angelic-shadow]

I see where people are coming from when they say "they won't teach about x subject yet they'll reach religion?" or "they shouldn't be talking about religion in schools" but it still kinda misses the point. The problem isn't that they're teaching about religion in schools at all. the issue is that they only teach about one religion (Christianity) and they talk about it as if it's the only religion or the only good religion, and depending on which school you go to they may force those who aren't Christian to partake in Christian activities. The solution isn't to stop talking about religion in schools. The solution is to talk about all religions, to talk about athiesm and agnosticism, to talk about religious trauma, to talk about the history of religion, to talk about cults, to talk about bigotry that some religious groups (especially jews and muslims) face and to give *all* religious people a choice to practice.

I don't want schools to stop teaching about religion. I want schools to stop telling kids that there's only one religion to follow, I want schools to teach about all religions, all beliefs, and to allow non-christians to have to freedom to practice their own and to not force them to partake in christian practices.

[deservedgrace]

one of the cult scholars i listen to said "most children are not being raised to die" months ago and i still think "being raised to die" sums up growing up in fundamentalist christianity so well.

my friends and i didn't know if we would grow up to be adults. we would have conversations about wanting the chance to be an adult and knew we were """selfish""" for wanting to live if it wasn't in god's plan. we were raised to believe that we would either be killed for being a christian (in the us no less) or that jesus was coming soon (rapture/end times theology). we knew it was "sinful" to want something outside of god's plan but we couldn't help ourselves.

we were members of the lord's army. we were to obey orders and lay down our life if necessary. "this life is just a test" they'd say. "our real life is our eternal life with the lord." none of this is real, it's just a test. if you pass, you get into heaven. if you fail, you're sent to eternal damnation and hellfire. this is an open book test, we've been given all the answers already. if you fail, it's your own fault.

being raised to die means that your future doesn't matter. jesus is coming soon. jesus is what matters. "set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. for you died, and your life is hidden with christ in god."

i've been out for years. i'm in my late 20's. i still don't know how to set my mind on earthly things. i still struggle to believe i have a future.

[quasarkisses]

I truly, deeply and personally resent christianity. I'll say it with my whole chest. I despise the stigma that persists in progressive spaces around speaking out against the Socially Dominant Cult despite the inescapable chokehold it has on my rights and safety

reading the bible in an earnest attempt to overcome this and find compassion for the christians surrounding me only made it worse. I feel bad for them.

I wish more people would ask themselves, "Who told me that?" about their faiths and beliefs. about everything, really.

[nickioeste]

That's exactly how it happened for me. I met some gay people, but I didn't realize that they were Homosexuals™ because they didn't say or do anything to try to convert me to their "perverted lifestyle." They were just a couple of regular, kind, funny, smart guys. And when I found out that they weren't out to get me or convert me as a part of The Gay Agenda®, the thread started to unravel.

I did take a few religion classes that really opened my eyes to the history of Christianity and its influences from other cultures, but those were taught by ordained ministers, so ... 🤷‍♀️

And don't even get me started on meeting people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds and even from other religious groups like (*gasp*) Catholics ... Every single stereotype disproven was another tug on that loose thread.

The sweater was half undone before I even started to walk away.

[audreyrose7]

I love who being an atheist has helped me become, I love thinking critically and seeing Christianity for what it really is, I love the way it helps me see the world, I love the way it helps me see myself, I never would have realized I'm bi if I stayed in Christianity! I never would have realized what a radical feminist I am lol, more than anything I'm glad I left Christianity because it was killing me, the constant guilt thinking I was never good enough, the feeling of always being watched and always feeling like I fell short, the feeling that people I care about would end up going to hell no matter what I did, I'm soooooo incredibly thankful to be free

[shortkingvi]

thinking about midnight mass again and the expendability of humanity by religious zealotism and the social sacrificial nature of blind religious loyalty and how yet, in spite of all that,,,, the beauty of community and love and forgiveness and peace,, god……….

[squarebracket-trickster]

Sorry guys, rant incoming. I considered deleting this but I put too much effort in.

"girlboss" "girl dinner" "girl math" "boy math" "gen z are making fun of us for wearing x" "here's how to dress like gen z:" "girlies" "girl's night" "boy's night" "me and the boys" "90s kid"

"I don't feel like an adult" "I'm 34 and I can tell you, I still don't feel like an adult either." "My parents seemed like real adults when they were my age." "I still feel like a teenager."

Maybe you'd feel more like an adult if you started calling yourself one. Maybe you'd feel more like an adult if you stopped trying to dress like a teenager. Maybe you should move your bed out from the wall and get a wallet. Maybe find a calendar app that works for you.

You are an adult. Even if you live with your parents. Even if you do part-time shift work at minimum wage. Even if you haven't graduated college. Even if you are single. These are adult things to do. Because you are doing them. And you are an adult. Start treating yourself like an adult. Fake it 'till you make it if you have to.

In other, writing-related, news:

That trend on TikTok of 20-40 something women authors (and writers yet to be published) promoting their books like,

"Omg! I can't believe I've sold X number of copies!! I never thought I would!" "Ahhhh imagine publishing your book and all your dreams come true and now you get to meet famous authors and work with big names in the industry!!" "Would you read a book where [proceeds to list a bunch of oversaturated tropes that tell me nothing about the actual plot]?"

It reeks of infantilization. If you didn't believe anyone would want to read your book, why should I? You made it on the NYT bestseller list! Stop acting like a mega-fan who got to meet a celebrity. You are their peer! "Would you read a book--" What if I wouldn't? Why does it matter to you what I think of your book? And for the love of god stop hiding behind tropes you know are already popular. "Here is my book: This is what it is about." Have some goddamn confidence.

It is fine to mention in passing "this idea was really far-fetched so I didn't know if it would appeal" or "I was struggling with self-esteem when I wrote this". It's fine to fan a little bit. It's fine to discuss the tropes in your book. But why are you building your brand as an author off of your inferiority complex? You are using your poor self-esteem as a marketing tactic to seem "humble" and "relatable" but it's coming across as unprofessional and desperate for reassurance. You are an adult. You are competent. The more you act like it the more you will believe it.

And of course, I haven't seen a man promote his book this way...

On another note, do any of the 20-40 something women writers who do "write with me" videos on TikTok actually enjoy writing or are they just doing it for the aesthetic?

They all have gorgeous minimalism writing spaces full of white and pink and a macbook beneath a window. Their makeup is done and they are conventionally pretty to start with. But their entire video is just them talking about how little progress they made, how many pages they deleted, how often they got distracted, how frustrated they are. And like, yeah. We all have those days. But what about the good lines you can't wait to share? The days when the words just flow? The cool stuff you learned while researching? Why don't you ever make videos about that?

Is this some other attempt to seem "relatable" by only talking about the "bad" side of writing? Because again, it's coming across as lacking confidence at best and, at worst, that you don't actually know how to write. And that is not the brand you want as an author.

Again, its always women. Why must women market their self-esteem issues in order to sell their art? Why must we be perpetually awestruck children (girlies, book girls) in over our heads?