I hope I'm not repeating other posts (I know I should read them all first, but...)
Please consider keeping your child out of church, or being extremely selective about what church you allow her to attend. They do, in fact, brainwash Christians. They repeat the same things over and over again until the thoughts are trapped in your brain. My younger sister has been attending church since she was born. Look at the nonsense she writes on Facebook these days (and this is after she married a Christian guy who believes that women are inferior to men, so now my sister also believes that.) Below is a pathetic Facebook conversation started by my sister, Cassie. She believes herself to be a bad person (and a good person, oddly enough), a sinner, etc. She is actually a VERY good and nice person who has never been addicted to anything and has rarely done anything that would be considered "sinful" by Christians. Yet, she still considers herself to be sinful and bad. And how could she not, when the church has drilled that idea into her brain so many times?!
(BTW, "Larry" is our father and "Angela" is our other sister, whom Cassie adored while growing up.)
Cassie: I am so grateful that I have a Savior who pulled me out of my sinful desires and addictions and has set me on a solid rock. I pray that everyone can know not only His saving power and mercy, but understand the necessity for His justice as well. God is so great.
Larry: Sinful desires...addictions? Oh yes, you are a real wicked person. UTTER NONSENSE! If your beliefs are making you feel like you are a bad person, please reconsider those beliefs. They may not be the solid rock you think they are.
Cassie: I don't feel like a bad person. I am a bad person. I "feel" and am saved from my bad personness. The only one who's opinion matters to me whether I am a "good person" or a "bad person" is God and since I've been TRULY saved, He sees me as spotless. He sees me as a "good person" if you like.
Risa: Oh it IS good to see our sin (well that part's not so great:) and know we are seen by God as good and ARE good through Christ Jesus:)!!! Yes!
Cassie: ‎:) I know right! I am much happier knowing I am a sinner than when I thought I was a good person. It's lovely.
Larry: Well okay then...as long as you're happy, I'm happy.
My sister is totally brainwashed, despite the fact that her two older sisters, her father, and her brother are all non-Christians and she knows we are intelligent people. But there's no getting around the brainwashing if you attend church. I allowed my step-daughter to attend church ONE TIME with my mom and her little cousins. TO THIS DAY (several years later and after many talks about the issue) she still believes that abortion should only be legal in cases of rape (as if it's just sooooo easy to prove that someone raped you, right?). I've told her plainly about my own situation with my ex, the psycho/killer, and how I was pregnant with his child, and how, had I NOT had an abortion, I would be raising a murderer's child right now, and he would have a reason to come around when he gets out of prison in a couple of years. But she's already been brainwashed. The church handed out fetus dolls the day she went. They gave little fetus dolls to all the children and preached about abortion being a sin, etc.
Please don't let your child go to church. We need people in this world who think for themselves. The Christian religion (and some other traditional religions) are what is destroying our Earth. They don't give a damn about the planet, the animals, the plant life... all they care about is getting into heaven after they die and avoiding hell. They are totally self-centered and they seem incapable of seeing the larger picture.
Also, it's been proven that the younger you are when you attend church, the more likely it is that you will remain a Christian for your entire life. (
Article)
Here's one more sorry-ass Facebook conversation from my sister with the sorriest parts in red:
Cassie: Are you a "good person"?
Bob: define good?
Brandon: I tend to think im a good person
Cassie: I was watching that MSNBC thing where they catch guys who meet underage girls online and then go to their houses and try to have sex with them. There was one guy who, as they were arresting him, said, "No not me, I'm a good person!". I find it interesting how we define "good person".
I used to think I was a good person until I realized that I lie, cheat, steal, and hate just as much as the next "good person" without the redemptive power of Christ. Now I know, I am absolutely NOT a good person and am so thankful that God does not give me exactly what I deserve.
Brandon: Well he gives us wht we need when we need it, not when we want it. Like partners in marraige for example.
Bob: Hey Cassie, There are a lot of mixed up people out there who hurt children and do not understand the wrong in what they do. If you look up cognitive distortions, they truely think they are good people, it is all the other people out there. My second comment is you are one of the nicest people I know, and have an incredible family who is equally sweet and nice. Just because you are human and occasionally fall prey to some qualities you find less attractive doesn't mean you are not a good person; You recognize them and make every effort to seek forgiveness and improve yourself. If you didn't, you would not be mentioning them on FB. In my opinion, you are a VERY GOOD person, not perfect, but a very good person!! Funny, your conversation is close to our Homily at Mass this past Sunday. Great thought provoking conversation!!
Angela: We base everything we say on WORDS. Words which have definitions, and then there are definitions of those words that made up the original word. And then there are definitions of THOSE words. Good means so many things, rather than ask myself if I am a word based on lots of other words, I just like to say what I know...
I am a female human being.
Cassie: Haha.... um... thanks Ang? I feel like that whole comment was a buncha words
Bob, while I appreciate how nice you think I am...
... I would have to disagree that I am a "good person". Sure, if you compare me to real murders or rapists I seem pretty sweet... but I am holding myself to a higher standard. People are corrupt and it's really not that great of a compliment to give myself if I say I'm better than another corrupt human being. The Bible and Jesus is my standard.
If I am not living up to the goodness of God, I am not a good person. I will never be a good person and I am ok with that. In fact, I am glad I can see it that way now. It makes being a Christian... possible.
Brandon: we shouldnt base what a good person is based upon the looks of the person. take food for example. some of the worst looking food is some of the best tasting food EVER!!!! makes sense i think. i say words talk but actions walk.
Angela: But again, what is good? I looked it up, and there were so many definitions including one that said good meant "upper-class."
Honesty - now that's a word I can get behind. If you stick with that word all your life, I think you'll be pleased.
Brandon: im sticking with what the bible says. but i do seem to have to use the dictionary more and more as the days go by. i dont think its that im getting old or forgetful. but my job brings out all these big words ive never heard of. so it seems to be my best friend.
Angela: Ok how does the Bible define good?
@ Cassie... it is always good to strive to be the best you can be, and to be humble... Ironic, because I am sitting here thinking if you are not a good person, then I am really not a good person!! I think your measurement of good is higher than mine, which is probably why you are such a good person in my eyes. Again, a very interesting conversation...
Cassie: Ang I know you know the answer to that... but I would point you anyways mostly to the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7 ish.
Try to live up to the standard of good in the Bible and see if you (meaning me as well) are good. Not only can we not murder, but we cannot hate. Not only can we not rape children, we must not think of having sex with anyone but our spouse. No "white lies", we must NEVER lie... on and on.
So, in the sentence above, Cassie judges my sister, Angie (a very sweet and good person who helped raise Cassie) and basically tells her that she isn't good. This is how your own child could turn on you. If your allow your daughter to attend church and practice the Christian faith, she will eventually decide that YOU are a sinner and she'll almost certainly put a wall between you (like my sister Cassie did with the non-Christian people in her family.) They are taught that they should not be "yoked with unbelievers" and they are told that pagan religions are Satanic.
Maybe you could let her go to a Unitarian church instead. She'll be exposed to many different faiths there and wouldn't be brainwashed to believe she is a bad person who can only be saved through a belief in Jesus Christ.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9.
Being a good person and performing charitable acts makes no difference to Christians. You can hurt all the people you want, as long as you believe in Jesus. It's outrageous to me.
If I were you, I would teach your daughter the truth about Christianity, how Christians have tortured and killed so many people. How they keep reproducing despite the fact that humans have overtaken the planet and are destroying it. How a murderer can go to heaven, while a pagan who is a good person will supposedly go to hell, according to the Christian belief. How the Bible promotes and condones child abuse, wife abuse, selling your children into slavery, stoning people to death for minor sins like working on the Sabbath. How there are two Adam and Eve creation stories, but the churches almost always tell the version that promotes the inferiority of women instead of the version that claims that men and women were created together from the clay. How nearly all of those stories were stolen from earlier civilizations such as the Sumerians, yet they claim them as their own stories handed down from God. Just read the story of Moses and the Pharoah and talk about how utterly ridiculous the entire story is, from beginning to end, and how Christians are so brainwashed that they believe it to be fact. I could obviously go on and on about this topic, but I'm sure you've heard enough.
Let us know what happens.