[dookahku]

i mostly got tired of being told i going to burn and choke and scream forever and ever, amen, because i like guys and gals. and if i disagreed, the pastor made sure i got punished.

the long term effects wast that this not a healthy thing to tell a young teenager, and it's time for society to move on.

[dillondoyle]

I believe this is a way bigger factor than OP comment says: church failing to keep up with modern society.

1000% that's why I am against many (perhaps most by % in the US?) of the organized religious congregations.

those that identify queer, gender-fluid, whatever are told their literal existence is sin. it's hard to imagine how damaging that is if you're not in this community. It'd be like telling someone who has orange hair they are going to hell for something they have absolutely no control over.

In the worst cases they push parents to try to 'change' their kids, which has been shown to be incredibly dangerous and damaging.

Even if you're in a 'liberal' church that says we love gays like we love all humans, but don't think about getting married and in some cases can't have sex, that still does a huge amount of psychological damage and putting us on the outside of 'normal.'

[Zelphyr]

I too got tired of the yelling and the fire-and-brimstone-you’re-gonna-burn-in-hell if you’re not God-fearing. That word: “fear”. They were using it as a tool to manipulate.

Finally, I realized, “Why does God want me to be scared all the time?” Shouldn’t God be allaying my fears, not being the source of them?