Okay, I’ve changed my mind. Religion is child abuse.

(via Pharyngula)

See, I always used to feel uncomfortable when people would say that religion was a form of child abuse. That’s a bit harsh, I’d think. Some children are abused for real, and it’s not the same as being brought up in a religion. Which would you pick, real live sexual or physical abuse or church?

Ah, but not all abuse is the same. There’s the kind of abuse where your body is beaten or used for someone else’s pleasure, and then there’s the kind where your mind and reasoning powers are harmed or co-opted for someone else’s idea of reality. (In both kinds, the abusers were frequently abused themselves.) And if your parents, your neighbours, and your community enable this kind of abuse, you may not end up like this kid (or the three others featured in the BBC show ‘Baby Bible Bashers‘). But you might end up like the pile of rubes cheering in the audience.

Seriously, what kind of people applauds this kind of performance? Certainly it’s a curiosity, but think of the harm done to this child. He should be out looking at rocks or digging around outside, wondering about things, not being so damn certain about everything. Think you could actually explain evolution to him? No way. The mental blocks are already up. And for every child like this, there are millions more being indoctrinated into a false magical worldview. The people who ought to be building them up are robbing them of the ability to reason, and I think that’s criminal.