Wholesome Upbringing or Child Abuse?

Who's in the House??... J.C.!!

This is one of the funniest and saddest video clips I've seen in a while now. It starts off innocently enough... with awkward dancing white kids straight out of a Dave Chappelle skit, mullets that will make your eyes bulge, and dopey fourth-rate "Holy Techno."

Then the scary old lady shows up.

People wonder why I'm not the "spirit-filled" little lamb of the church I used to be. While the complete answer would probably exceed this post's word count limit, I can say this clip gives a small glimpse at the essence of what I've spent the latter half of my life gradually distancing myself from.

Watch the clip first, then I'll explain.

All done? Good.

The "Harry-Potter-is-the-Devil" routine has become passe... it's SO 2004, especially with new boogeymen like The Da Vinci Code stealing all the news coverage. But don't be decieved; the sentiment expressed here is still alive and well, whether it makes media coverage or not. And it's a damn tragedy. I have to say it troubles me to think of all the children out there being raised in an environment where imagination is condemned, and their natural sense of wonder is exploited by centuries-old terror tactics designed to instill ignorance, obedience, abstinence and submission above all things. See no evil, hear no evil, and on it goes... and when something comes along that challenges your lifelong assumptions about the world, just close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears and go "la la la la la" until it all goes away.

That's no way to treat a child.

Friends of mine who follow a mainstream monotheistic religion should understand I recognize a difference between an average, "normal" belief in goodwill, comapassion, moderation and all those things universally associated with "good" -- and the controlling, aggressive sort of indoctrination that is at the core of hardline fundamentalism. If you weren't raised in the latter community environment it can be difficult to separate criticism of one from the other. Most parents love their children, and want to raise them to live a full and happy life, so it's expected that they should pass on the values they hold most dear. But there is a darker underbelly to this sentiment within our culture. And its consquences are devastating.

We live in an age where fundamentalism - the Spirit of Holy War - is all over the news but very seldom touches most of our daily lives up close in person. So it becomes very easy to watch the uncoordinated-dancing-mullet-kids and laugh at the goofy green-shirt guy ("Who's in the house??... J.C.!!") without giving it any further thought. As for me... I can laugh right along with everyone else. But when the scary old woman shows up, and preaches her fire and brimstone to a captive audience of hushed and wide-eyed children, I'm reminded of my own past. My smile fades a little, and all I can do is shake my head.

 

I don't think "Child Abuse" But I'm wondering why someone like this could take away your "spirit filled life" That's just sad.
I've heard lots of people preach on different things I just choose not to agree with. Nothing can seperate me from the love of Christ.

 

I was in lots of church services as a kid where they preached against various things in popular culture. Back then it was Heavy Metal that was the main target. Kiss, Ozzy, AC/DC, Wasp etc were the targets. I really do not think that stuff is a big deal. If kid were in there I would tell him that I did not think that Harry Potter was a big deal. "Warlocks" in the Old Testament were a little different than the cutesy kids stuff of today. When preachers do no know the bible that well it is easy to knock on stuff like that. It is easier to find something in "the world" to harp on than it is to actually study for a sermon. I remember one preacher advocating that you take your TV outside and shoot it. Another played "Another one bites the dust" backwards and you could sort of hear "start to smoke marijuana"....

I am surprised that a church that is so hardcore would allow a woman to preach. Most churches like that do not believe women should be preachers. That chick looked like she hated the world and wanted to make everyone else as miserable as she is.

 

I don't think she was a preacher. Just a speaker to those kids.
But Thelt your right on the stuff we were preached at about. And some of it was correct. If I had a child that age, I would just enforce that Harry Potter is pretend.

 

i thought this was another one of those poll questions.


some people just need something to be mad at. i don't mean to be inflamitory, but the symbol of christianity is a guy on a cross, afterall. you know there's gonna be adherents that feel like the world is against them in some way or another. if it wasn't harry potter, it'd be something else.

 

I skipped reading all the posts beyond "watch the clip" because I CAN'T GET THE DAMN THING TO PLAY!!! :banginghe :banginghe :banginghe Frustrating as hell! I haven't had problems playing videos from this site before . . .

 

Um... try again? I double checked the link with Internet Explorer and Firefox, and it worked just fine.

 

The problem is with my computer, I'm sure. I can't get it to work on msn or ie. It comes up, but once the video is loaded it starts & freezes over & over. I can't make it past the 10 second point, & it takes me several minutes to get that far. I've cleaned my disk, & that didn't help.

I'll keep trying though. Your beginning has me intrigued.

 

My stuff still ain't working right, but I managed to get through the whole thing, slowly, at last.

Your comments are absolutely dead on. It IS scary, & tragic. It's akin to the psychological/verbal abuse that hits on things other than spiritual topics, grinding a child's sense of worth into the dust & distorting reality in a way that takes years to overcome--if it is ever overcome at all. What's the essential difference between telling a child, "You're stupid & will never amount to anything," or "you're a royal pain & I'm wasting my life taking care of you;" & saying "The big evil devil is coming after you, & don't you dare play make-believe or he'll get you." No basic difference that I can see.

That phrase--"Spirit of Holy War"--is perfectly apt. It applies to all sorts of indoctrination, no matter what the particular doctrine is.

I've seen this kind of thing up close & in person far more than I'd like to recall. It always makes me cringe, & makes me want to cry. It brings out that protective instinct, & I have no place to direct it. The best I can do is live a different, better way & hope to have a positive impact, however small, on people I encounter in my life. Doesn't feel like enough, though.