quote:
Originally posted by Grant:
I fully believe that the Christian religion is more there for healing and support than it is for "righteousness".
I have to disagree. I've studied the phenominon of abuse and the ramifications of abuse, and I've found that while religion is not to blaim for abuse, the Christian's notion of a "loving God" is very much in line with the notions that other victims have of their abuser.
For example, if I were to tell my child, "love me and do as I say, or I'll pour gasoline on you and burn you alive," you'd call me a psychopath, an abuser (a mental abuser at any rate), and an all around EVIL person. At least, I hope you would, for the sake of my hypothetical child. However, when God does this sort of thing, (only, being an OMNIPOTANT being God can burn you alive FOREVER AND EVER), we call him "loving."
When we apply this pyschology of the victim loving his abuser and assuming the abuser loves him as well, it's called "Stockholm Syndrome."
Since a detailed explanation of the abuser/abused relationship is of only tangental interest, I'll point any interested readers to this url: http://www.losingmyreligion.com/articlesf/abuse.html
