Posted October 31, 2015
As an example of religious indoctrination, my other half grew up in a very Christian household. Both of her parents were devout - every aspect of life was governed by god. My other half broke free from all this weight when she met me (I have no patience at all for parents who don't give their own children a chance to work out personal beliefs for themselves). I didn't see it as a personal crusade to 'snap her out of it' after we got together, that would've been as bad as her parents, but she was heading in that direction anyway and we shared views and she eventually broke away. She was an adult at the time; such was the weight of all that guilt and uncertainty that it took her that long to find the courage to make up her own mind and express what she honestly felt.
Then, when she became pregnant with our daughter, she wanted to tell her dad face to face rather than over the phone that she was pregnant. Her mother by this time had succumbed to cancer (nice one, god, thanks for that). So we drove down to his place and she nervously told him the situation. Now, the first thing is she was nervous about it. Nervous of telling her own father that she was expecting his first natural grandchild (my other half has a brother who is married and just as religious as their dad. He's adopted four kids because his balls don't work. A harsh way of putting it, perhaps, but he is one of the biggest shitheads I've ever met - a point I like making him completely aware of as frequently as possible).
So she tells her dad, and his first reaction is to say, 'Oh dear, oh no.' No thought, just natural impulse. Because we're not married and god won't approve. 'Oh dear, oh no' to his OWN daughter, who, unlike him, was very happy about the situation and wanted to share that happiness with him. I wrote the old arsehole off as a result of that, and he's another person I let know as frequently as opportunity allows that he's a blinkered, self-centred prick. Needless to say my other half was upset and cried. Her loving father's response was to condescend and tell her not to be silly. Complete shithead.
To me religion is incredibly destructive, it encourages monstrous ignorance and even denies children the love and nurturing they need. My other half's parents put her in that horribly uncomfortable place willfully.
To me this is complete inhuman madness.
Then, when she became pregnant with our daughter, she wanted to tell her dad face to face rather than over the phone that she was pregnant. Her mother by this time had succumbed to cancer (nice one, god, thanks for that). So we drove down to his place and she nervously told him the situation. Now, the first thing is she was nervous about it. Nervous of telling her own father that she was expecting his first natural grandchild (my other half has a brother who is married and just as religious as their dad. He's adopted four kids because his balls don't work. A harsh way of putting it, perhaps, but he is one of the biggest shitheads I've ever met - a point I like making him completely aware of as frequently as possible).
So she tells her dad, and his first reaction is to say, 'Oh dear, oh no.' No thought, just natural impulse. Because we're not married and god won't approve. 'Oh dear, oh no' to his OWN daughter, who, unlike him, was very happy about the situation and wanted to share that happiness with him. I wrote the old arsehole off as a result of that, and he's another person I let know as frequently as opportunity allows that he's a blinkered, self-centred prick. Needless to say my other half was upset and cried. Her loving father's response was to condescend and tell her not to be silly. Complete shithead.
To me religion is incredibly destructive, it encourages monstrous ignorance and even denies children the love and nurturing they need. My other half's parents put her in that horribly uncomfortable place willfully.
To me this is complete inhuman madness.
