My life-long best friend who was raised in a southern Baptist home is the oldest of 5 children (her parents did not believe in birth control until after the 5th child). The youngest of those children is now 11 years old. He, over the last few months, has been seriously plagued with hallucinations of demons and dreams about Satan. He has lost a considerable amount of sleep, his grades have slipped, he has pushed his friends away, and his attitude has gotten very sour toward his parents.
Is this the result of an effective and necessary scare tactic to save this child from Hell, or the result of years of feeding this kid lies?
2007-08-23 08:55:30 · 27 answers · asked by Linz ♥ VT 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't want you guys to think I am just assuming that the kid was told scary things about Hell his whole life just because they are southern Baptists. Believe me, he definitely was told the whole fire and brimstone thing his entire life. I witnessed it quite a bit. Some of the kids dealt with it better than others. Let's see.. out of those 5 kids, one is studying to be a pastor, two are atheists, one is agnostic, and the other is this child I've mentioned today, whose beliefs I'm not sure of.
2007-08-23 09:04:41 · update #1
There ARE no necessary scare tactics to save anyone from hell... there is no 'hell'. It IS the result of years of feeding this kid lies. Childhood religious indoctrination (brainwashing) is a crime against humanity. It has created a USA in which 80% of the adult population has been intentionally infected with an insidious mind-virus (meme) of delusion. Anything that is present in 80% of a population is 'normal'... and so, in the USA at least, 'insanity' is normal. The lunatics are running the asylum... and the gang-leaders of the asylum think that it is their god-given duty to help Jesus to destroy this world to make way for the 'new' earth... and they control the most advanced nuclear arsenal on the planet. And they think they are the 'good-guys'.
Your friend's child is just a very, very, tiny part of this problem.
.
2007-08-23 09:08:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It probably goes deeper than the "fire and brimstone" preaching. There are lots of atheist kids who have bad dreams too - but they dream about the "boogy man" instead of the devil.
Kids' fears come out for lots of reasons - and - very often it's because of something else (other than the thing they are afraid of) that is going on in their lives. Any chance that he's being picked on in school, or caused an accident that he hasn't fessed up to, or (though I hope not with all my heart) is being abused/molested?
It's horrible that children are taught to be good people out of fear. Still - I don't think those teachings are what's causing these symptoms.
Namaste!
2007-08-23 17:08:50 · answer #2 · answered by liddabet 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As someone who was once a child, and am the mother of three, I can honestly say this may not be related to either of the possiblities you mentioned.
It could be the result of a scary story told by an older child, it could be that the child watched a program that was inapporiate for him. It could be a food allergy, it could be drugs, the result of being belittled or bullied at school. I certainly hope this is not true, but it could the result of abuse.
Please suggest to the family that he is in need of a medical examination and possibly counseling.
2007-08-23 16:49:07 · answer #3 · answered by †LifeOnLoan† 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like he feels guilty about something (most likely something very benign; he is 11, so perhaps he just started masturbating) and is dealing with it from within this Christian world he has been raised in. It definitely sounds like there is an underlying cause behind this sudden change. His parents should explore the issue and find out why the child feels Satan and demons would be around him.
Kent above makes a very good point about potential abuse.
2007-08-23 16:04:38 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think the parents went overboard when they told him about Satan. On a side note: he sounds just like Tom's sister in The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. Back to the point: when you tell a child about Satan, you shouldn't tell them all the dirty details until they are old enough to understand . I don't believe this is a scare tatic from God, because as you said, your buddy was raised in a Baptist home right? Why would He want to punish those who worship him?
2007-08-23 16:07:34 · answer #5 · answered by Animediva 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Abrahamic religion is and has always been the single most destructive influence in the human experience. Used to justify all manner of horrific behavior. Violence, cruelty, slavery, oppression, child abuse. All performed with a beatific smile and a cheerful "God loves you".
The part of this story that sickens me most is that extreme psychological abuse like this can't even be prosecuted and the child can't be helped by CPS because our society treats religion as untouchable. It's evil and appalling.
2007-08-23 16:48:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is a combination of his age and upbringing. His age: he is starting to hit the puberty hormone roller coaster. His upbringing: he has been filled with scary stories of hell and demons all his life. Now that he is at a very vulnerable time, they are coming back to haunt him, no pun intended.
It is no accident that most presumed cases of "possession" hit right around this age, and always in kids with a fundamentalist upbringing, or repeated exposure to it through other means.
2007-08-23 19:37:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I say neither. What else is going on that child's world? What sort of music does he like to listen to? What sorts of games does he play? At 11 years old there is much more to a kids world than parents and church. Is he having trouble at school? What sort of people does he choose for friends?
A troubled kid can be troubled for several reasons none of which have to do with parents or church.
2007-08-23 16:11:42 · answer #8 · answered by Mandy43110 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It actually sounds like a chemical imbalance or an early indicator of mental illness. If healthy people were this susceptible to bad news we couldn't watch the evening news. It would cause a total societal collapse.
They should take the child to a doctor.
2007-08-23 16:22:38 · answer #9 · answered by Todd 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Woah. Sounds like a result of some type of mental illness. The child was probably already headed in that direction, but I can't imagine filling his head with thoughts of hell and satan helped much. I hope that child gets the help he needs!
2007-08-23 16:00:58 · answer #10 · answered by KS 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋