Panic... "Oh my!"
This gets my goat. Focus On Family, the Christian advocacy group out of Arcadia, California, and podcast giant for Christianity lead by Dr. James Dobson, knows the score. As many as 94% of Christian teens drop out of church after leaving high school.
Alarming news...! And what to do, eh?
Perhaps it ought to occur to Dr. Dobson and his followers to rethink what they're selling. The brainwashing treatments they've employed aren't working. And why not?
Teens are no less capable of seeing through the thin vial of lies sold by religion than their older and more experienced adult predecessors. They're reading more and asking bigger questions. They're aware of what thinking people have to say about religion and they're studying opinions on the subject through people like Austin Cline and Hemant Mehta; they're finding all sorts of pro-atheist support on the internet, people their own age like Rational Responders who aren't afraid to speak out. Today's younger brains are just as capable of freethinking as anyone. They know it and so they're doing it. Thank goodness! And that means panic to the likes of James Dobson's Focus On Family and to the other Christian advocates like him. They're loosing their flock and they know it. But, what to do?
Rather than quitting, concluding that what they're spreading is bunk - pure, steaming crap on a stick that nobody ever completely believes - they're inclined to circle the wagons and repackage their product for resale... They're challenging youth to re-apply their efforts. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. 'Can't walk on water?' they might ask. 'Try again. Perhaps all you need is more practice,' they might advise.
You'd think that at some point, even the most dedicated (or dullard) snake oil salesman would pack up and go home... But not Dodson. He remains focused on families and he intends to keep driving home his message until their homes are each as bent of mind and distorted of reality as his.
Good gosh...
.
Alarming news...! And what to do, eh?
Perhaps it ought to occur to Dr. Dobson and his followers to rethink what they're selling. The brainwashing treatments they've employed aren't working. And why not?
Teens are no less capable of seeing through the thin vial of lies sold by religion than their older and more experienced adult predecessors. They're reading more and asking bigger questions. They're aware of what thinking people have to say about religion and they're studying opinions on the subject through people like Austin Cline and Hemant Mehta; they're finding all sorts of pro-atheist support on the internet, people their own age like Rational Responders who aren't afraid to speak out. Today's younger brains are just as capable of freethinking as anyone. They know it and so they're doing it. Thank goodness! And that means panic to the likes of James Dobson's Focus On Family and to the other Christian advocates like him. They're loosing their flock and they know it. But, what to do?
Rather than quitting, concluding that what they're spreading is bunk - pure, steaming crap on a stick that nobody ever completely believes - they're inclined to circle the wagons and repackage their product for resale... They're challenging youth to re-apply their efforts. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. 'Can't walk on water?' they might ask. 'Try again. Perhaps all you need is more practice,' they might advise.
You'd think that at some point, even the most dedicated (or dullard) snake oil salesman would pack up and go home... But not Dodson. He remains focused on families and he intends to keep driving home his message until their homes are each as bent of mind and distorted of reality as his.
Good gosh...
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment