Childhood Religious Indoctrination is Psychological Abuse

May my opponent please note that I have indeed not specified which religion I was referring to. I am in fact referring to the indoctrination practices common to all denominations within all the world's major religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Shinto, Chinese Folk Religions). My opponent has expanded upon his claimed links between the forms of psychological abuse he selected and childhood religious indoctrination. I will now address these claims in the order he has made them. "setting unrealistic expectations with threat of loss, harm, or danger if they are not met," A Christian parent would undoubtedly consider hell just as real a threat to a child's well-being as a sex offender or an electrical socket and thus warning their children of such a danger and how to avoid it constitutes responsible parenting within their culture. My opponent also provides no evidence to support that being taught the concept of hell would inspire fear to the extent that it would be psychologically damaging and thus constituting psychological abuse. "This article (http://203.10.46.30/ren2/gr09.doc) describes how educating children in a religious framework often sets aside immediate, realizable goals by a preoccupation with faith and hope for long-term goals. The author states that this creates "unrealistic expectations for personal change." This article is mainly concerned with the definition of "Faith Development" as it relates to the other sectors of education within the educational framework of Catholic Schools. Though it cites criticisms of the way in which faith development is both defined and practiced, it's overall tone is not in anyway condemning or dismissive of religious education. Might I suggest my opponent properly comprehend his/her sources before providing them, as this source does not support my opponent's argument. "Another article (http://www.childrenshealthcare.org......) illustrates the point that fundamentalists have unrealistic expectations of their children because of their strict belief in the Bible, holding among other things that they are "men" and "women" by early adolescence." This article concerns a variety of religious views about corporal punishment. It has nothing to do with religious indoctrination as defined in the opening statement of this round in that corporal punishment is not a universal tenant held by all Christians. As the article makes clear, some Churches oppose corporal punishment. Furthermore, it is not universal Christian doctrine to place children in the firing line. Specific conflicts are not named nor are sources given that prove they employ child soldiers let alone as religious martyrs. "antisocial or developmentally inappropriate behavior." My opponent provides no evidence that links the teaching of religious articles in childhood with discrimination against people of other faiths in either childhood or adulthood and he/she makes an unsubstantiated link between this and religious unrest in France Though religious intolerance is a reality in most societies, it is not considered a form of psychological damage, nor does it have any links with psychological abuse in childhood. "unreasonable limitation of freedom of movement or social interactions." Wahhabi Islam is not a mainstream sect of Islam and its indoctrination practices do not reflect those of Islam as a whole. Would my opponent please refer back to the opening paragraph and to the corporal punishment rebuttal. Christians do not hold that the earth is flat or that fire is a miracle and my opponent provides no evidence that religiously educated children are unable to function outside of their Christian subculture or that this education is damaging to social interactions in adulthood. A piece of anecdotal evidence to the contrary: I work with several Christians who display perfectly normal social skills. "Ambivalent demands ..." My opponent makes claims to "bizarre expectations" without explaining what these expectations are nor does he/she explain what a "religious framework" would be in relation to a parent having such expectations. My opponent's hypothetical situation is contradictory. The church is a place almost exclusively devoted to the practice of the Christian faith. One assumes a person going to church is doing so with the express purpose to practice their faith and a reluctance to do so also indicates a reluctance to practice their faith. --- Neglect --- The withholding of conventional medical treatment is not part of universal Christian doctrine or indoctrination practices. "At best, a religious organization is a sub-culture of it's larger society - i.e. Catholics are not a "culture" anymore than Democrats are a "culture." A subculture is still a culture irrespective of it being a part of a larger entity. The resolution is that religions are (sub)cultures and as a result, socialization applies. As a result, indoctrination is a for