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The premise of this thread is that it is evangelical indoctrination during childhood that produces adults who have no compunction against condemning most of humanity to an eternity of suffering in hell.
This is in contrast to the Catholocism that I was brought up with. I don't remember priests or Sunday school teachers dwelling on hell or its punishments. Therefore I just never thought about it much when I was a child -- I could see how it related to me, in the sense that I needed to behave, but the implications for non-Christians were always skirted over somehow. There is of course the Catholic notion of Purgatory, though I think that is meant to apply more to Christians who have sinned to certain degrees.
People who actually rejoice in the thought of most of humanity being sent to hell, and who pass this on to their children, display the same psychology as racists and all others who set themselves up to be elite superior groups. It's rooted in fear -- personal insecurity, perceived lack of power, a desire to project undesirable emotions onto others who can then be condemned. This black-and-white thinking also removes the responsibility to think for oneself and weigh moral decisions; all you have to do is what the Bible says, and those who don't (or those who don't believe) will go to hell. Unfortunately this psychology appeals to some people, especially when it is reinforced in closely-knit groups. Parents will pass the doctrines on to their children, and so it goes on down the line. In order to break that chain the children face the challenge of beginning to think for themselves, to question, and to face the fearful possibility of having to leave their families and their social groups if those groups subsequently reject them. Not everyone has that kind of courage. It would be interesting in this thread to hear from more people who have had this experience.
Edited by Adminnemooseus, : Change subtitle,
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