[telmo]

I was raised catholic and I now consider it a form of abuse. Someone close to me was raised evangelic and thinking about this makes her want to puke.

The psychological damage from this sort of thing is probably so prevalent that it looks like water to a fish. Not to speak of the sleepless nights at 7 years old worrying about eternal damnation.

This is all abuse and it should be treated as such by any decent and civilised society.

[ehnto]

I was not raised Christian growing up, but I still recall believing someone was always watching me as a kid. It was likely because so many around me were religious, and I had been told so many dead relatives were "up there smiling down on us" when they died. I thought both that someone was looking through my windows and that people "up there" could see me.

Until I got access to pornography (too early) and then I guess the tradeoffs changed, and I eventually got over it. I do distinctly remember wondering what grandma thinks of me at that time. But not for long, logic kicks in to explain anything away when you've got fast internet to exploit.

[TeMPOraL]

> But not for long, logic kicks in to explain anything away when you've got fast internet to exploit.

Not everyone is so lucky; for some, the feelings of guilt and shame never get dissolved through logic, it's just the dopamine loop is strong enough that the person keeps doing things they later despise themselves for.

Guess how that can impact the psyche over a decade or two.

[mythrwy]

Maybe not psychologically healthy for the individual, but likely provides some social benefits.

Anyway, it doesn't appear to work as well lately so we maybe should come up with another approach for social stability.

[telmo]

> Maybe not psychologically healthy for the individual, but likely provides some social benefits.

I never understood this line of reasoning. What good are "social benefits" if the happiness and well being of the human beings that make up that society are sacrificed? Isn't this the basis of totalitarianism? "Everything for the State, nothing against the State".