Re: [asa] Dawkins, religion, and children

PvM wrote:

> For instance with the concept of hell and abuse, he quoted from a
> letter of a woman who had been exposed to both and was still
> struggling with the former. So perhaps the question should be about
> these 'ordinary beliefs and practices'. Are they really that ordinary
> and are they reasonable? And where lie the boundaries between ordinary
> and excessive?
>

Mental abuse can certainly be very cruel, and cause lasting
harm. However, unlike physical abuse, it is rather difficult
to draw a legal line on it. For example, the parent who says
repeatedly to their child "you stupid fool!" 24/7 for 18 years
of the child's life is doing a good job toward fulfilling their
prophesy. Everybody who knows the child and knows what is
happening can easily see this. But there is not a lot that they
can do about it, other than to be sympathetic and treat the
child lovingly.

I can certainly imagine someone using hell in this way too.

Now, if the child comes to school showing signs of physical
abuse, something can be done about it. Otherwise,
it seems it is all inside and up to the child to overcome.

Intellectuals also have their own ways to abuse and intimate
one another. The game goes on throughout our lives. What's
in ones head can be a real mess as a result, but there is little
that can stop this pattern of behavior other than the free market.

by Grace we proceed,
Wayne

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Received on Mon Apr 30 18:42:47 2007