[telmo]

I was raised catholic and I now consider it a form of abuse. Someone close to me was raised evangelic and thinking about this makes her want to puke.

The psychological damage from this sort of thing is probably so prevalent that it looks like water to a fish. Not to speak of the sleepless nights at 7 years old worrying about eternal damnation.

This is all abuse and it should be treated as such by any decent and civilised society.

[ehnto]

I was not raised Christian growing up, but I still recall believing someone was always watching me as a kid. It was likely because so many around me were religious, and I had been told so many dead relatives were "up there smiling down on us" when they died. I thought both that someone was looking through my windows and that people "up there" could see me.

Until I got access to pornography (too early) and then I guess the tradeoffs changed, and I eventually got over it. I do distinctly remember wondering what grandma thinks of me at that time. But not for long, logic kicks in to explain anything away when you've got fast internet to exploit.

[TeMPOraL]

> But not for long, logic kicks in to explain anything away when you've got fast internet to exploit.

Not everyone is so lucky; for some, the feelings of guilt and shame never get dissolved through logic, it's just the dopamine loop is strong enough that the person keeps doing things they later despise themselves for.

Guess how that can impact the psyche over a decade or two.

[mythrwy]

Maybe not psychologically healthy for the individual, but likely provides some social benefits.

Anyway, it doesn't appear to work as well lately so we maybe should come up with another approach for social stability.

[telmo]

> Maybe not psychologically healthy for the individual, but likely provides some social benefits.

I never understood this line of reasoning. What good are "social benefits" if the happiness and well being of the human beings that make up that society are sacrificed? Isn't this the basis of totalitarianism? "Everything for the State, nothing against the State".

[mythrwy]

Well ya I don't say I condone, I'm very much an individualist (to a fault).

But also, we don't exist in isolation, and there are reasons societies evolve as they do. There has to be some level of social control and belief in being watched over at all times was probably pretty handy for emperors and to some extent those who would be victimized. At least back when it worked wide scale.

[asacrowflies]

Why do we need this myth of things working in the past? It didn't work and was a horror show. This is bordering on the absurd "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" logic that doesn't ever really work outside the heros journey and action movies.

[mythrwy]

There are reasons things evolved as they did. Societies with forms of social cohesion beat those without. Maybe it's different now but then again, maybe it's not.

[asacrowflies]

I guess I wonder which groups modern groups in your eyes have net social cohesion. Seems highly subjective