Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

I enjoyed this video.

http://marlenewinell.net/Recovering_from_Religion

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

The assault on the Christian faith is unrelenting and getting stronger almost daily. Case in point: Judge in London ruled that giving a child to be raised in a Christian home is child abuse.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

She brings some good points about excess indoctrination and closed cults.

But, she also attacks anyone who teaches that only Jesus is the only way to God, and anyone who believes the Bible is true - such as "evangelical and Pentecostal Christian, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, Christian Science, Seventh-Day Adventist, Scientology, Eastern groups, and any organizations of a cultish nature."

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

I guess that depends how you look at it. Things around here have actually improved a great deal since the days of Diocletian.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

I couldn't follow the video so I can't really speak directly to what ILG offered, but there is a very common human behavioral characteristic that we can see whereby just about any group will become insular and develop a "cult-like" mentality when they feel that they are repressed...

... even "secularists" have this tendency. It's just a human social phenomena.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

She is post-Jesus now.

The video promotes resources exchristian.net, losingmyreligion.com and Atheist Alliance International, so the ultimate agenda seems quite clear to me. As she also says in the video, "It's OK to leave your religion behind." and many have gone "on to live happy, joyful, productive lives, and they really honestly don't believe that they are going to hell..."

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Well yes, but the video and further recommendations they make are not just warnings about being "insular" and developing "a "cult-like" mentality". It goes straight to the heart of Christianity - Jesus, who he is and what authority he has.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Should they? ;)

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

No doubt about it. We "should" all believe we deserve eternal separation from God, and that our one and only hope is in and through the cross of Christ.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Yeah, I know. Just sayin'. :D

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Yes, I agree with this. Groups that are say, raw foodists or extreme environmentalists will have the same outcomes, in my opinion. I think when any groups condemns and threatens for not living their way (the right way), it can become abusive.

Abusive is a very relative term and I think happens on a spectrum. I don't think intervention in all cases is warranted or necessary. What I would like to see is education as it is not clear to most people that religion can be abusive. The interviewer was clearly shocked.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Well, there are evangelical Christians now who don't believe in a literal hell.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Those evangelicals are known as "heretics". :lol

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Could be.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

But "heresy" is a moving target, no? What if a certain heresy gathers steam and eventually becomes 51% popular? What about 25% popular? I remember we used to wear it as a badge of honor (in my UPC days, the 80s) that author researcher Walter Martin officially labeled us a Cult.

BTW, (only since he's prominent at the moment,) Harold Camping believes Hell is simply permanent anihilation of consciouness, not eternal torment.

The WORST part of adopting any "heresy" is to later notice who your bedfellows are!!
:depressed

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Everyone's a heretic to someone! :D

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

I agree.

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

Yep. Isn't there some online forum already..."Everyone'sHeretic" ?
:bolt

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

I oughta be the admin there! :toofunny

Re: Recovery from Harmful Religion
 

For any belief system that is presumably correct to those who believe it,
what is excess indoctrication?

(Sorry, only listened to 5 minutes of clip, maybe answer is obvious had I gone the distance.)