Stop Threatening Kids With Hell

in #religion6 years ago

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I was sitting on the balcony of my house, looking at all what's going on around the street. Just then, I was drawn to a local dog (ekuke). It was trying to scratch the back if it's head but it was impossible for it to do that. It tried scratching it by rolling on the floor, I'm sure it didn't work either. Within minutes, another dog of the same breed came along and used its teeth to scratch the spot of the itch on the other dog. Oh my, I was touched by this act of kindness exhibited by the animals. These dogs are not aware about a threat of punishment if they fail to render an helping hand to each other but they helped each other because they care about their well-being.

Another was when I was at the yard in the evening and I saw a lad about 6 years old running. I discovered he was running away because he doesn't want to share his candy with a friend. His mother yelled at him in anger and said " if you don't share your candy with him, you're a devil's son and you will burn in hell fire with him" Oh! I was flabbergasted, though I was angry yet I couldn't say anything. This young boy didn't share his candy but fear and guilt was written all over him. The fear of burning in the fire forever with Satan. The mother thought she had impacted morality into him not knowing she was creating fear of the unknown in him. Is it right to threaten kids with image of hell? I recollect telling an evangelist that he can't preach to me about morality until we've agreed on what we see to be moral. Frightening kids with hell in order to instill moral is wickedness and abuse.

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The idea behind the word hell is found in the major world religions even in ancient religions like the Egyptian religion. Where such concepts are used to ensure obedience to the dictates if the religion. I grew up in a Christian home and I could remember back in church, we were taught that bad people will burn in hell while good ones will go to heaven. The guilt of breaking God's commandments, the fear and the mental image of hell tortured me and haunted me for years. My parents never knew I was passing through all these, in their mind they thought they were teaching us morals. I don't blame them because they were victims of this doctrines too

The young ones are just growing up and I don't think it's okay to frighten or threaten them with hell and a promise of heaven. It will be idiocy on my part if I should subject my kids to this kind of trauma. Teach the young one the importance of goodness and kindness. Teach them to be nice and good to people because it is right to do so. Hypatia of Alexandria said "To teach superstition as truth is horrifying, the mind of a child accepts them and only through great pain or perhaps tragedy will they be freed of it."

I'm promising my kids now that I will never teach them to fear anything, not the fear of a deity, not the fear of a fiery furnace nor the fear of me. They are to decide and make their choice when they are old enough. I'm going to raise them to be good for goodness sake and place humans first before ideas. I will teach the that their actions towards others is what makes them good or bad. I will let them know their human nature is not sinful but beautiful, strong and intelligent. I won't ever teach then fables and myths in order to scare them. The young minds know nothing like hatred, intolerance, racism, sexism,indoctrination, bigotry, prejudice, misogyny. They do not yet understand things like Love, tolerance, joy, compassion, acceptance, human decency, integrity, beauty and truth nor disturbing emotions like fear, greed and Jealousy. For the first and most important formative years of their lives they will only know what you teach them. So choose well.

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