http://educate-yourself.org/cn/fundamentalistbrainwashing06jun05.shtml

Pretty interesting article here. Lot of people may not agree with it, but it raises a lot of points as to what is really happening in churches all over the world.

If religion can is seen as brainwashing, mind controlling ect. Then so is communities, cultures, ect. Religion can not at all be mind controlling or brainwashing, or anything as such. One must first make their OWN choice to believe or not believe. They have willingly chose to live as such. Even if a child is raised in this form of enviroment of religious beliefs, that child will one day be old enough to make their own choices, own decisions, own beliefs. So again, it's not even possible for someone to be brainwashed into believing, for it is a choice they have to make in the first place, a decision.

Because as this link starts to talk about making other's feel guilty. One will only feel guilty if they first believe. What is there to feel guilty about when it's just a fairly tell?

With religion the brainwashing starts so young people have a hard time releasing the fear and guilt that the religion laid on them for all their life.

They feel fear at denouncing god because they have been taught that to do so will bring hell fire and damnation on them.

These people stay conflicted for a long time in life over this brainwashing and indoctrination that they suffer at the hands of their parents and church.

It takes a lot of unlearning to undo the damage done.

Indeed it does. It has taken quite a while to go from believer in it all to not. You really can't understand the difference until you're no longer a part of it. It's like a switch flips, and suddenly you see the world, people and God as well in a whole other light.

When you're in it though, you really can't see anything outside of what you were taught. This goes for politics and religion both.

Mind control is very pervasive in the modern world, and easy to fall victim to if you aren't paying attention.

You don't understand how it works. It's one of those things where you're beaten down and beaten down with it till you are effectively forced to submit. If they really believe, it's usually not of their own volition so much as it being pushed onto them so that their minds are changed to where they think as they have been told. Such like with the kids, and being indoctrinated into it when they are young.

When you are five years old and adult authority figures are telling you this is truth and that you are a sinner and that Jesus died for your sins...horribly, that is a huge GUILT TRIP.

They do not tell you that it is a 'fairy tale." Then you see these gruesome pictures of a man nailed on a cross.

That's horrifying to a young innocent child. Would you let your children watch such violence on television?

Been there and still working through it today.

As for the government, no it is not the same. The government is not a figment of someone's imagination that is given power through fear. The government is a real entity that is controlled by people so people can change it and alter it to what it should be if they are willing to do so in a motivated and legal manner.

Not to mention going against what their parents believe, and the condemnation they'll get from them for doing so. When I left Catholicism 4 years ago now, and my views on government and such changed, I became very cast out by my dad's side of the family, because I thought different than they did. I eventually separated myself from communication with them entirely due to that among other reasons. I can only imagine what they'd think if they knew I rejected religion entirely now. The judgment would likely be even worse yet.

It can be very lonely when you go against what the herd as it were believes in, hence why many who may think different don't always speak out.

It's basically a big cult really.

What I meant by that is the conditioning and all that is used within it, and how that has impacted how people tend to see it. Better?

And I know Christians who urge people to go see the movie "The Passion." Why would I want to see that kind of fictional violence? Why do they want everyone to go see it?

Because they think if you see that movie you will feel so guilty you will fall on your knees and repent.

Hog wash.

I have found that with the family it is best to keep it low key. It really causes quite a ruckus when you go all out.

I just state that my faith is not what theirs is and my relationship with god is not what theirs is and no, I don't want to talk about it.

How do they tend to take what you think out of curiosity?

You mean if I share my real belief at this point?

Whenever I have tried it causes a major family prayer and discussion and the decision that I need more 'saving" which causes me to be more aggravating. etc...

So again I just leave it at what I stated in the last post and go no further. There is one or two of the relatives who are not so religious but they only go so far. Their fear of denouncing god is still too ingrained in them.

yea, well obama lies about as much as the church, so there is not much difference, and it is power through fear

Well that too, but more I guess I wondered how they would react when you said what you said in the previous post.

Fixed that for you lol.

i liked it better the other way...

lol any particular reason?

Still not possible. The child as long as he/she is a child may be turned Christian through a "guilt trip". But those children grow up and make their own decisions. We have a choice, a voice, and a decision to do as we wish and or believe in as we wish. So no, still can't be "brainwashed" into believing as again, that child will grow up and choose if they wish to continue believing or it's a pack of lies.

It's a choice, a choice of what YOU wish to put faith into being possible and or true.

For instance, a child may be told the boogyman is real. The child may believe this/pressured into it, but this child grows up and see's it is not true of the boogyman and CHOOSES not to believe in him anymore, same with Santa, and so on.