Monster Energy

@Natasha Tori Maru Great point!

In my opinion, yes, school is abuse.

You’re narrowing “abuse” too much. Kids don’t choose how they’re raised. Freedom also includes being allowed to question what you’re taught.

It’s like a paradox. Sex can feel good as a way to escape emptiness because it creates a sense of unity, but afterwards it often leaves you feeling even more empty, and you start chasing it again and again in an endless loop. Community in the church is similar, just a bit less brutal.

I agree with most of what you’re saying, but believing in something like God isn’t good even if it feels good. You should never believe in something unless there are solid reasons for it. People need to start seeking the truth, not illusions.

This is very true and not just a biased opinion.

Religion can turn people into psychological robots. It becomes part of their identity, so they don’t even see it as a belief anymore. They think they’re thinking freely, but they’re just operating inside something they never chose. And once you’re in that deep, it’s hard to step out unless something really shakes you.

Yes!

You’re still missing the point. No one’s saying kids shouldn’t be exposed to things. That’s normal. The issue is how it’s done. There’s a difference between showing a child something and telling them this is the truth before they can question it. Intent doesn’t really matter here. You can mean well and still shape how a kid sees reality in a way they don’t understand yet.

I agree with you on this. If we were as unbiased as possible, most people would probably come to the same conclusion. I’ll use less AI-style language going forward.

Kids should be kids. They shouldn’t be bound to something just because their parents love it, especially when it’s about not questioning things or accepting one specific view of life. If a child is taught to just believe without questioning, that’s not a healthy direction for development. Kids need space to think for themselves, ask questions, and form their own understanding of the world. They should be free to explore ideas, not locked into one way of thinking from the start.

There are definitely limitations, but it’s not slavery. It can feel like that sometimes, but if we’re being honest, that’s not accurate.

I get that this is your experience, but it doesn’t apply to all kids. Some grow up in strict environments, but saying children have no agency goes too far. Most kids still have some freedom in how they think and respond, even with rules.

You’re still flattening everything into one category. Kids need structure. That’s not abuse, that’s development.

That’s an overstatement.

You’re not wrong about the power part. But beliefs aren’t permanent like that. People question them, break them, change them. You’re putting ideas into a mind that doesn’t even know it can question yet.

You’re separating beliefs from harm like they’re unrelated, but they’re not. Beliefs shape how a child sees reality, themselves, and other people. That’s not neutral. Even if it looks harmless on the surface, it’s still conditioning. Yes, community is valuable. No one’s denying that.

Not all “lies” are equal. Telling a kid Santa exists is usually temporary, culturally understood, and doesn’t shape their entire view of reality long-term. It’s more like play or imagination that eventually gets corrected. If a belief is presented as absolute truth and not open to questioning, that’s very different from a harmless, temporary story. So yeah, it’s not really a slippery slope.

Yes, a child doesn’t choose to be born. Yes, they’re exposed to things outside their control. That’s literally what being human is. But calling all of that abuse just empties the word of any meaning.

That’s just collapsing everything into one big cynical narrative. If everything is child abuse, then nothing is. You’re blurring all distinctions. There’s a massive difference between imperfect systems and actual harm, and pretending it’s all the same is just intellectual laziness. Yes, society is flawed. Obviously. Competition, pressure, lack of awareness all of that shapes people in ways that can lead to suffering. No disagreement there.

You’re missing the deeper point. This isn’t about whether church is “evil” or comparing it to Santa Claus. It’s about conditioning a child’s consciousness before they have any real ability to question what they’re being told. Yes, kids are impressionable. That’s exactly why this matters. When you tell a child Santa is real, it’s temporary and understood later to be symbolic. It doesn’t shape their entire worldview or their understanding of reality in a lasting way. Religion often does. You’re not just telling a harmless story. You’re introducing ideas about reality, truth, authority, morality, and existence itself, and you’re doing it before the child can critically evaluate any of it. Saying it’s just about love or the golden rule misses the point. You can teach kindness and empathy without attaching it to belief systems that are presented as unquestionable truth.

Sex is incredibly pleasurable; it’s no wonder so many become pedophiles. And to those of you who think being a pedophile and raping children is the worst thing imaginable, you truly have a low level of consciousness. I have never understood how so many are disgusted by this and see it as more immoral than when a cartel cuts someone’s head off alive. You are not enlightened; you have not reached the level of consciousness that I have. I have a lot of empathy for pedophiles, but apparently, that makes me bad according to society. Imagine that sex is like the ring in The Lord of the Rings. The temptation the ring offers is exactly the same temptation that sex does, consent or not. So how the hell can you get angry when such a powerful force exists? You all are genuinely stupid in the head, in my opinion.

Your name doesn’t suit you. And yes, rebirth does exist. But you shouldn’t live your life focused on some future reality that isn’t here yet. You should live in the present instead of getting lost in thoughts about a better life after death.

Yeah, kids are shaped from the start. That’s unavoidable. Giving them a name or basic identity is part of helping them function in the world. But beliefs aren’t the same thing. A name doesn’t tell a child what is true about reality, life, or existence. It doesn’t ask for belief. It’s just practical. There’s a difference between helping a child exist in the world and shaping how they interpret reality before they can think critically. And that’s worth questioning.

That comparison doesn’t really hold up. Giving a child a name or identifying them as a boy or girl is about basic social functioning and communication. It doesn’t require the child to adopt a complex belief system or accept claims about reality.