11-12 year old boys being...well, 11 and 12 year old boys, wouldn't let it go. By the end of the week, P1 was being asked about her religious beliefs. Their silence, or begging off the question, was seen as an affirmation. P2 asked his friend how everyone knew and said friend told him that the two kids from his classroom started a HUGE rumor that we were Satanists and "God Haters".

The boys who did the bullying not only admitted to what they had done, but even acknowledged that they got their opinions about The Golden Compass
from Sunday School. Remember, though, that if you dare suggest that
religious indoctrination — even that indoctrination which leads to this...

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11-12 year old boys being...well, 11 and 12 year old boys, wouldn't let it go. By the end of the week, P1 was being asked about her religious beliefs. Their silence, or begging off the question, was seen as an affirmation. P2 asked his friend how everyone knew and said friend told him that the two kids from his classroom started a HUGE rumor that we were Satanists and "God Haters".

The boys who did the bullying not only admitted to what they had done, but even acknowledged that they got their opinions about The Golden Compass
from Sunday School. Remember, though, that if you dare suggest that
religious indoctrination — even that indoctrination which leads to this
sort of bullying, hate, and bigotry — might be a form of child abuse, you are the one who is being intolerant, militant, disrespectful, and fundamentalist.

Christians judging and belittling other people "in the name of God" is commonplace where I live. It's hardly news anymore. And who says Christians are persecuted? I haven't seen such a thing...but this could be where I live.

We moved to a smaller [less urban] town a few months ago - while already living in a "Bible Belt" state.

If you knew how people have tried to recruit us to their church after not even knowing them for 8 minutes....the assumption that we're even looking... it's bizarre. [One man tried recruiting us when we were in his store trying to buy furniture!]

Any excuse that people can use to *hate* or *bully* is fine for them. Jesus is nowhere in that. So they can claim they're...

Christians judging and belittling other people "in the name of God" is commonplace where I live. It's hardly news anymore. And who says Christians are persecuted? I haven't seen such a thing...but this could be where I live.

We moved to a smaller [less urban] town a few months ago - while already living in a "Bible Belt" state.

If you knew how people have tried to recruit us to their church after not even knowing them for 8 minutes....the assumption that we're even looking... it's bizarre. [One man tried recruiting us when we were in his store trying to buy furniture!]

Any excuse that people can use to *hate* or *bully* is fine for them. Jesus is nowhere in that. So they can claim they're Christians til the cows come home but watch this-- "I'm a strawberry!"

Claiming something doesn't mean it's true. Jesus said you can tell a person by their fruit. If the fruit is rotten, better to cut out the root. A bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. Bad fruit is a bully. Bad fruit is hate. Bad fruit is meanness and bullying. Period.

This isn't Christianity. This is ego [or, "the enemy"] masquerading for a "sufficient" reason to torture people.