Should church be PG-13?
August 17th 2007 21:38
Most Americans define themselves as Christian. Why? And why are the vast majority of people in the Middle East Islamic? Hindu in India? Because of culture and upbringing, of course. When indoctrination occurs early in life it very often sticks. That's what the "Jesus Camps" in the United States and the Madrasas in the Middle East know and share. They also reflect the danger involved. Evangelized children are the most easily radicalized too.
While I would first and foremost acknowledge that everyone has a right to attend religious services as much (or as little) as they would like at whatever venue they might choose, I am concerned about the churching of the young. The evangelical movement, especially in America, is well aware that it makes the most headway when it approaches the most vulnerable. They know the same thing nature's predators know - go after the weak and the young. Churches seek out those who are lonely, lost, confused, depressed, or in mourning. And like predators, they also especially like to target the young.
Common themes in the American evangelical movement are rants against homosexuals, tirades against Islam, and torrid imaginations of the end of the world. The plague theology used to describe the AIDS epidemic in many Christian minds assumes that the disease is the judgment of an angry God on homosexuals. Of course, this is an idiotic idea, but it is shared by millions. And they don't seem to tell us why, if it is a judgment on gay lifestyle, are lesbians pretty much exempt? And why are there so many children who have been victimized? This is the same line of thinking that prevented real measures being taken against the plagues of history. And churches teach the plagues of the past as a good thing. The mythical slaying of all of the firstborn of Egypt, the destruction of entire civilizations, the genocide of the Noah myth....are these really things we should be teaching children?
The most troubling aspect of many modern American churches is the dark world view they preach. If you doubt me, drop in on a show by Pat Robertson or John Hagee, or listen to a Janet Parshall radio broadcast. The anti-Islam, pro-Christian militaristic styles are hard to miss. This is a message of blind hope and faith in the face of what is actually despair. The "world" is corrupt, sinful, and not worth fixing. They preach that the only hope is to follow Jesus into the afterlife. What kind of message for the future is that? This is why most fundamentalist Christians deny that global warming is a possibility. Or if it even is happening, they don't see a future for the planet, so why should it matter? We should be teaching our children to be hopeful of their future, and to make positive contributions to that future. They teach that there is a spiritual war going on between Islam and Christianity, and they teach that military action is an inevitable extension of that warfare.
The American envangelical movement has extended its tentacles into all aspects of American life, gearing especially toward the young. Christian rap and rock are big business now, no matter how non-traditional that might seem. It's funny, you hear the Christian movement all the time whining about how they are "under attack" from secularists, humanists, and free-thinking individuals. Yet you don't hear about atheists picketing church camp, or trying to make secular music sound like "gospel." All free-thinkers want is for religion to be for the religious. Not as a cornerstone of government or a component of public schooling. The fundamentalist Christians want to force their theology into the public square, returning to a thenomic form of government. They preach liberty and freedom. What they truly mean is the liberty to be like them, the freedom to bow before their god too. It's even in the literature and the preaching. "Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess" is a favorite biblical quote they like to use. Newsflash - I don't plan on doing either.
I still remember something rather traumatic from my youth. After some rather strong "hellfire and brimstone" preaching, I had the same dream for two or three nights in a row. I was flying in the clutches of the devil, being held helplessly while he hurled fireballs at the people I loved. I remember waking up scared and sweating. That's not anything children should be put through.
Many churches preach about the "age of accountability" which they claim is the age that children become responsible for their sins, and subject to the punishment of hell should they die. In an even more evil and despicable take, some preach that all humans are born with sin, so a child is doomed from birth. That if they die before being "born again," it's just bad luck. The churches that do preach an age that children must be accountable have a wide range, anywhere from 6 years old to 13 or so.
My position is that if churches don't hold them accountable, perhaps they should be recruiting the younger children either. Children aren't allowed to make many other decisions, they shouldn't be required to make religious commitments and/or be indoctrinated too young either. And if the message of religion was truly so great, it would be able to stand on its own merits. When a child is old enough to make some decisions, let him or her decide if church is right for them. Let them choose out of something besides base fear.
While I would first and foremost acknowledge that everyone has a right to attend religious services as much (or as little) as they would like at whatever venue they might choose, I am concerned about the churching of the young. The evangelical movement, especially in America, is well aware that it makes the most headway when it approaches the most vulnerable. They know the same thing nature's predators know - go after the weak and the young. Churches seek out those who are lonely, lost, confused, depressed, or in mourning. And like predators, they also especially like to target the young.
Common themes in the American evangelical movement are rants against homosexuals, tirades against Islam, and torrid imaginations of the end of the world. The plague theology used to describe the AIDS epidemic in many Christian minds assumes that the disease is the judgment of an angry God on homosexuals. Of course, this is an idiotic idea, but it is shared by millions. And they don't seem to tell us why, if it is a judgment on gay lifestyle, are lesbians pretty much exempt? And why are there so many children who have been victimized? This is the same line of thinking that prevented real measures being taken against the plagues of history. And churches teach the plagues of the past as a good thing. The mythical slaying of all of the firstborn of Egypt, the destruction of entire civilizations, the genocide of the Noah myth....are these really things we should be teaching children?
The most troubling aspect of many modern American churches is the dark world view they preach. If you doubt me, drop in on a show by Pat Robertson or John Hagee, or listen to a Janet Parshall radio broadcast. The anti-Islam, pro-Christian militaristic styles are hard to miss. This is a message of blind hope and faith in the face of what is actually despair. The "world" is corrupt, sinful, and not worth fixing. They preach that the only hope is to follow Jesus into the afterlife. What kind of message for the future is that? This is why most fundamentalist Christians deny that global warming is a possibility. Or if it even is happening, they don't see a future for the planet, so why should it matter? We should be teaching our children to be hopeful of their future, and to make positive contributions to that future. They teach that there is a spiritual war going on between Islam and Christianity, and they teach that military action is an inevitable extension of that warfare.
The American envangelical movement has extended its tentacles into all aspects of American life, gearing especially toward the young. Christian rap and rock are big business now, no matter how non-traditional that might seem. It's funny, you hear the Christian movement all the time whining about how they are "under attack" from secularists, humanists, and free-thinking individuals. Yet you don't hear about atheists picketing church camp, or trying to make secular music sound like "gospel." All free-thinkers want is for religion to be for the religious. Not as a cornerstone of government or a component of public schooling. The fundamentalist Christians want to force their theology into the public square, returning to a thenomic form of government. They preach liberty and freedom. What they truly mean is the liberty to be like them, the freedom to bow before their god too. It's even in the literature and the preaching. "Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess" is a favorite biblical quote they like to use. Newsflash - I don't plan on doing either.
I still remember something rather traumatic from my youth. After some rather strong "hellfire and brimstone" preaching, I had the same dream for two or three nights in a row. I was flying in the clutches of the devil, being held helplessly while he hurled fireballs at the people I loved. I remember waking up scared and sweating. That's not anything children should be put through.
Many churches preach about the "age of accountability" which they claim is the age that children become responsible for their sins, and subject to the punishment of hell should they die. In an even more evil and despicable take, some preach that all humans are born with sin, so a child is doomed from birth. That if they die before being "born again," it's just bad luck. The churches that do preach an age that children must be accountable have a wide range, anywhere from 6 years old to 13 or so.
My position is that if churches don't hold them accountable, perhaps they should be recruiting the younger children either. Children aren't allowed to make many other decisions, they shouldn't be required to make religious commitments and/or be indoctrinated too young either. And if the message of religion was truly so great, it would be able to stand on its own merits. When a child is old enough to make some decisions, let him or her decide if church is right for them. Let them choose out of something besides base fear.
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