Spiritual Terrorism?

Question

If you were to threaten someone that you are going to hit them, it is considered a "terroristic threat" (and rightfully so) in my home state. It is against the law.

Yet adults can threaten children with "hell and damnation," scaring them terribly.

Should "hell" perhaps be against the law until age 18? Like voting? Or perhaps it should wait until age 21, like alcohol?

Noam: It is in Minnesota... do a web check.

violence was correctly defined by Ghandi as, "Any attempt to impose your will upon another"

...www.nonviolentalternatives.com/program.html

Answer 1

Anyone using hell and damnation to "convince" anyone to accept a religion is not really converting them to the religion.

The entire concept of hell and damnation should disappear from religious agendas. A person with the "hell" scared out of them is not a converted person. At best it creates a weak follower, destined to repeat the cycle.

But then again, parents can threaten their children with all sorts of negative consquences threats. It's not just limited to religion and spiritual matters.

Answer 2

There was a time, especially in the UK, when the perception was that "every terrorist was catholic" and the IRA were "the only terrorist organisation". At other times, all terrorists were supposedly linked to the Bader-Meinhoff/Red Brigades terror groups in Europe which owed allegiance to no particular religion other than anarchy. But ever since the late 1940's there has been an increasing link between Arabs and terrorism through such organisations as the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and Hezbullah. To start with, these were more strongly associated with a race or nationality than with a religion. This all changed with the advent of Al Qaeda and associated Islamist terror groups which claim no particular nationality and include in their membership a variety on non-Arabs whose only common link is that of their religion. It is obviously still an over-simplification to state that "all terrorists are muslims" but it is also true that the vast majority of terrorist attacks are presently being carried out by muslims and that to a first approximation any terrorist selected at random from around the World is more than likely to be muslim. This perception is not helped by the actions of ordinary muslims who have frequently been seen celebrating terror attacks by dancing in the street and firing guns into the air, by burning US or British flags, by attacking embassies and carrying hate-filled placards demanding the beheading/imprisonment/punishment of a variety of people that they happen to disagree with. Suicide bombing would stop instantly if Islamic religious leaders announced that suicide bombers go straight to hell rather than to heaven and their 72 virgins. Their silence and lack of condemnation of terror attacks can only be interpreted as support for terrorism.

Answer 3

It is against the law! And rightfully so! Now,there's a Righteous Sort. Sounds like a Newa Yorka. Must be that Fine Jewish Leadership,truly like a light unto the world. But hey,isn't that just in your Homeland State? Let's test it: I hereby threaten someone that I am going to hit them and then I'm going outside to find children I can threaten with hell and damnation. Yep - oughta
be a Law,gosh darn it. Boy,you really have a warped perception of reality - and values that belong in an authoritarian state. And a conception of religion that sounds like all you know is,you saw Elmer Gantry on the telly one night.

Answer 4

If you threaten someone that you are going to hit them, that's not terrorism. Let's make this clear - terrorism is the use of violence to achieve political ends. It's nothing to do with quarrels or domestic violence. You can't say that an argument in the street is an act of terrorism. Or Hell and Damnation.

Answer 5

Hell comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "helan", meaning "to cover". Therefore, parents could definitely be telling their children an unkind truth about their present circumstances. Perhaps the parent has found out about something the child has done and, instead of forgiving them, is now planning on stockpiling it in their memory to use against them. In order to do this, they might need to "cover up" for the child to somebody else. If you're a clever child, you'll just be honest about it and spoil the game for the adult who wants to use that little secret against you while they pretend to do you a favour by covering for you.

Answer 6

You must ask yourself the question? "Is it because I am scared of Hell and damnation that makes it fictitious so I shouldn't tell my children" or "should I tell my children because I love them and don't want them to spend eternity there."

Which is more loving?

You be the judge.

Answer 7

Yes, I think your idea has merit but I don't think it's proper for anyone to be threatened with such psychotic spiritual violence at any age.

Answer 8

I could not agree more. Not only does it stunt the intellectual growth of a child, it erroneously teaches them that they are superior to those who believe differently. That is criminal!

Answer 9

I always felt it was a form of abuse. The only reason they get away with it, is because of how many votes they control.

Answer 10

Hell scared or hell scarred? You choose.