Angry, but Free Minds

Newbie Joined: Jan 10, 2008 Posts: 18 Location: 29681

I was watching Richard_Dawkins on Fora.tv (recorded Oct 23 2006), and noticed one question that even he was surprised to hear. He was asked if ex-Christians often get angry at parents and authority figures when they confront their religious delusions.

I spent 5 or 6 years confronting religion until only within the last 6 months to become somewhat comfortably aware of the lies I lived by (meaning, in a sense, to forgive myself and others.).

Has Dawkins written about this issue in any of his books so far?

I would like to know if this has any relation to the "storm-and-stress" adolescent phase that I recall psychologists attribute to Western child development, but not always occurring in non-Western societies. Also, does it have any relation to Xanity being a "totalitarian" religion (to borrow from Christopher Hitchens)?

PS - this is a great clip on fora.tv. it has apparently an entire class or more of people from Liberty University in attendance who ask many questions during the question time.

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:26 am

I never experienced such a period, partly because my parents were never really that religous.

My grandparents - both sides - were and never hesitated to tell me about the apparent Good News. I was never angry at them. In fact, I figured they were doing what was a logical outgrowth of thinking that one had found the secret to happiness and prosperity - they were sharing it.

The only reason I think that one would get angry with someone over indoctrination or religious upbringing is if one was questioning the motivations of the parents. If one believes - as I think is often the case - that the parents who indoctrinate are thoroughly convinced that they are teaching correct information and, therefore, not acting malicilously, then I doubt it would be easy to be angry. If anything, one might feel sorry. But how could one feel angry at parents who are simply mistaken in their position?

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:22 pm

Having been the target of this I don't allow myself to be angry about others ideas.

Graduate Thinker Joined: Mar 26, 2008 Posts: 550

I can't say that I have, but I get slightly annoyed whenever someone makes references to Xianity such as the typical faith crap you hear from xians.

Just Arrived Joined: Jun 30, 2008 Posts: 6

For me, I can't say that I did. And my parents did indocrinate me. Though it was kind of.....a mixed thing. On one hand I attented a Catholic private school, one of my classes all throughout was basically learning Catholic dogma, and I attented church at least twice a week.

On the other hand, not much of that was ever a big issue at home. I learned later that I suffered through 9 years of Catholic school mainly because my grandma was one of those opinonated, overriding Catholics that decided her grandkids were going to Catholic school.

Anywho, I never expirienced anger at them. That may have been because it was never really from them indoctrinating me, and also because I had other, much stronger, reasons to resent them.

I get much angrier when I hear about others deconversion stories. I remember I read an absolutely heart breaking, jaw grinding account of a woman who was indoctrinated so deeply that it took her years of painful study(each stage of deconversion causing her sever emotional distress) to finally deconvert.

I guess another reason I don't feel anger towards my parent is because I started doubting very early on. I remember, I posed the "stone so heavy he couldn't lift it" question to my religion teacher. When she responded not with an answer by an angry shrugging off of my question....that's when I started doubting. Even at 6 or 7 when first told about it, I can honestly say I thought communion was complete horseshit. "So this is Jesus now? Really Jesus? And I eat him?"

So yeah, not so much anger for me. More anger for the people who built their whole life around a belief system thier parents taught them as undeniably true. Only to have the rug pulled out from under them by thier own critical thinking.


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