Well, thanks to Science, we now know why so many people are so messed up. It’s because they have Religious Trauma Syndrome (https://valerietarico.com/2013/03/26/religious-trauma-syndrome-is-it-real/).
The term was coined two years ago by Dr. Marlene Winell, and it’s starting to catch on. It has to do with “toxic religion” and “harmful experiences within religion,” which supposedly scar you for life and lead to all sorts of self-destructive behaviors.
But what is “toxic religion”? Winell says it’s religion that’s “controlling” and insists on conformity. But that could apply equally to–well, to going to college, these days. See what happens to you in a college classroom if you buck the party line.
I think we all know what perverted religion would look like, and would agree that it does harm. But Dr. Winell warns of “toxic teachings like eternal damnation and original sin.”
She cannot distinguish between genuine “toxic religion” and mainstream Biblical teaching.
Ah, but there’s a cure–atheism! Or at least conversion to some kind of waffy-daffy “spirituality” that tells you that you’re good, you’re the cat’s pajamas, whatever you believe is true, everybody goes to Heaven, light a scented candle and you’re home free, blah-blah-blah.
I mean, really, doc! Non-religious people don’t have these same problems?
Bottom line: it’s just another secularist stab at building a morality-free society with themselves sitting on top of it.
Maybe this would help her discern:
http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/prosperity-gospel-huckster-gloria-copeland-says-christian-faith-makes-people-immune-flu/
Sheesh!
I would hope we’d all know hokey pseudo-religion when we see it.
Sadly, some people use religion as a way of controlling others, or at least attempting to control them. The Bible’s teachings are important and they help us to lead better lives. Understanding that mankind is suffering the effects of sin helps to explain the problems around us and gives us hope of restoration in the future. No problem there.
I will agree with Dr. Winell that sometimes toxic things are done in the name of religion but that does not invalidate the word of God. There is the Bible, on one hand, and what people say about the Bible on the other hand. I’ve heard some real nonsense coming from people talking about the Bible, but I’ve never seen the Bible itself as nonsense.
Jesus took the religious leaders of his day to task for their hypocrisy and the way they abused the law. I’m certain that some of today’s religious leaders will have a lot to answer for when Christ returns.
My beef with her is that she lumps orthodox Biblical doctrine in with all sorts of hooey that people have made up in the name of Christianity.
Some of the worst atrocities in “mankind’s” history were done in the 20th century by secular atheist governments. They far exceeded anything done in the name of religion. I know some people like to distance atheism from Communisum, but Marx himself said “Communism begins where atheism begins”. In truth everyone has a religion, rather it revolves around a deity or not. A religion is merely a worldview, it’s how we make sense of the world around us and we could not fuction without it. This is true for the theist and the athiest.
Finally!
https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2018/02/07/hell-just-froze-over-ca-judge-rules-in-favor-of-christian-baker-who-refused-to-bake-wedding-cake-for-lesbians/
I read about this yesterday, and wonder how soon it will be before the 9th Circus Court overturns Judge Lampe’s ruling.
We are a very, very long way from being out of the woods.
What the bad guys are demanding is the authority to dictate the content of a work of art or any other kind of speech, to force people to say or write things abhorrent to their consciences. There is nothing that would bar them going to a novelist–me, for instance–and demanding that I write a book that “gives a positive impression of gay characters,” etc. And the threat would be, either I write this, or I don’t write at all.
And that kind of vandalism against human liberty would be a delight to the Left.
God forbid!
You have to hand it to those atheists, they never cease trying to be clever. They know the power of catch-phrases like “toxic religion,” but what is more toxic than atheism?
Tut-tut! Atheists have no psych problems! Only religious people do. And I am the Sultan of Swat.