Is this child abuse and /or religious obsession?

i watched it too and was disgusted

it is complete and utter child abuse , like a 6 year old understands the complicated issues that surround abortion, he probably doesn't even know how baby's are made never mind issues like rape, foetal abnormalities etc etc

and to have that poor child stand up in front of people and deni evolution and get laughed at was just cruel to the poor child because he didnt understand why poeple were laughing at him.

he takes his parents word as gold and this is a total abuse of there power.

Both, in the case of the mississippi father it's a clear case of substituting one destructive addiction with another. With regards to children, a parent's job is to nuture, protect and guide them, not to have them repeating things they have no possibility of understanding and keeping them ignorant but obedient. The Brazilian father, seeking redemption for his past crimes, and the young father is clearly only interested in playing at business, using his own son, who is being raised by grandmother because the parents were too young to raise their own kids themselves (but can manage to be business managers)

Someone else said

The problem arises when all religious parents are regarded the same as the ones shown. Just because a child is raised in a religion doesn't mean it is abused in any way, emotionally or physically.

Actually it is abuse, emotional and intellectual, perhaps not as extreme, but still abuse. Up until a certain age, children will absorb without question what trusted adults tell them about how the world works. To teach them colours and abc's as well as the great sky fairy puts it in the same category, no wonder children often have trouble with their parents as they get older and learn to use some degree of reason.

When they find out they've been lied to.

There are no christian, moslem or any other religious belief system children.

There are only children of pick your own fantasy's

parents.

I, too, am a child care worker and was horrified at what I saw.

I didn't see the first half of the programme, but the picture will stay in my memory of that poor child who was was so scared and started to cry and his father showed no compassion or concern at what he was subjecting his son to. And then he spoke of the 'worms' that were waiting for him in hell if he didn't continue his mission or believe. His poor, terrified face will remain etched in my memory.

Then there was the dad who is also marketing and franchising his poor son, with his dreams of a multi-million business.

And as for taking that poor girl into the Brazilian prisons - talk about putting a child at risk! We never did find out what her dad (ex policeman) was in prison for.

(By the way, I am a believing Christian and remain horrified).

When Jesus said 'suffer the little children to come unto me' he meant, allow them to approach, don't prevent them or scare them away. I think these 'carers' have a warped sense of child care and that these poor children are inevitably going to suffer in the long-term. The annals of Christian history has many examples of the spiritual abuse perpetrated upon children, and the adults should stop being so selfish as to exploit these innocents.

So in summary, I think this is child abuse and exploitation.

I didn't see this programme but judging by the comments the cases shown were extreme (which is unacceptable)

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The problem arises when all religious parents are regarded the same as the ones shown. Just because a child is raised in a religion doesn't mean it is abused in any way, emotionally or physically

I did not see the program in question, but I agree that religion can be used to abuse children. I caught part of Wife Swap the other night and one of the couples were extreme religious fundamentalists. After the mom swapped into this family told the pre-teen girl that she could be more than just a wife and mother, the father hauled the girl away and would not allow her to come back.

How sad that this man, who believes he's being all godly, is actually making a fool of himself by turning a sweet little girl with intelligence into dumb breeding stock for more like him. I hope to goodness someone gets her out of there before the damage is too great to reverse.

If your faith is so shallow that it can be shaken by a simple thought put in your head by someone other than your chosen religious leader, then you have no faith. If your religion cannot stand up against hearing the ideas of another religion, then you have no religion.

Most of all - if you have to keep your children prisoner and beat something into their head to get them to accept it, then you are doing something that is against nature itself. And, since most religions believe nature was created by God, you're going against the Almighty head-on. Good luck with that.

In my field ( mental health) I see many things I would deem as psychological abuse but we have yet developed a system that will acknowledge that type of abuse. You see, most agencies will only intervene if there are physical wounds. Emotional ones are left untouched.

Religious obsession is one method of psychological abuse - as you described ----- if it is taken to extreme. But then again, I consider raising a child to be racist, sexist, or prejudiced to be abusive and extremely detrimental to his future - not to mention the general population.

Forcefuly converting a child by beating it, will be make him blindly religious. He won't have the chance to the wonders of the universe, because of eyeblinds put on him, just as they are put on a horse before race. NARROW VISION

If the child is willing it doesn't hurt anything, its hard to force a child to do what they don't want to do. You must also realize that the program was one sided and didn't allow for the other side to be told. Many preachers are called young and want to preach. if they don't want to they shouldn't be forced to. For someone outside of the family to tell someone how to raise their children is wrong. If the truth were to be made known many of the families for child welfare workers are messed up , but who is checking on them.

Did not see it. But I have met a number of children who (with no pressure) were keen to share their faith. In one case I personally know of, despite an atheist father.

Life is not always as clear cut as it looks.

I think you are right no child should be made to conform to any thing. And I think some Religions are a bit hell and fury and this can not be good for children.