The Dangers of Teaching Literal Religion to Literal Children

 

I believed every story the preacher man told me, even the gruesome details he spewed with vengeance in his voice and the spit that left his mouth. I took every warning so seriously, could feel the life leave my body as he warned of touching the Holy Scriptures with dirty hands. For weeks afterwards, I would examine my little hands for even the faintest of dirtiness, worried I’d disrespect God and endure his wrath, even to the point of death.

That is just one of many examples of how literal I was as a child taught to believe things incredibly literally. I can’t explain how much that literalism damaged my mental health till this day or the impact it has had on me understanding people as an adult. I joke that I’m just a literal person, but the truth is I was told to take things so seriously or I could face eternal consequences.

A child’s mind is very impressionable. They are molded by the adults in their life. Their view of the world is crafted by what they are told, what they witness and how much or little of information shared with them. They exhibit the same emotional responses as the adults around them and they will believe anything taught to them by trusted individuals they look up to.

We understand that things like sexual abuse are a risk factor when untrustworthy individuals groom a child for the later crime. But I would add that spiritual abuse is a risk factor that is overlooked by far too many people. Much like sexual abuse, spiritual abuse can wound an individual and leave them with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

As a survivor of both (and all forms of abuse), I can attest to how damaging the spiritual abuse was for me as a child, teen and young adult. I would have “rapture scares,” panic attacks triggered by both “biblical” teachings of the End Times and abandonment issues after losing a parent to death very early on. I would wake in the middle of the night by a loud noise and instantly worry I would be “left behind” even though I was a believer. When I was young, I would get up and search for each of my family members in the house just to make sure I wasn’t left alone. When I became a teen, I battled that terror inwardly and made myself lay awake and fear the possibility but wouldn’t give in. Now removed from the environment that caused such fear, I rarely have those panic attacks. Still, I grieve for how long I had to suffer as a child by a simple teaching.

Today, I’ve grown up to receive confused stares in response to my literalism or even lighthearted jokes by those in my circles. I have a nickname that has become an endearment but also an explanation when I’m particularly literal. For those who do not understand, this helps them understand where my head is in that moment.

To put it simply: I believed the adults in my life with every word they spoke. If they said I was worthless dirt, I pictured myself as a clump of dirt being squashed in their hand. If they said I was a sinner and unworthy of grace, I accepted that and held tightly to the fact that I had been “saved.” They were God’s people, so I trusted them.

Abuse by a trusted individual hurts in a significant way. Spiritual abuse by trusted religious leaders scars their congregants, and children are the most at risk, in my experience. I truly feel there is a hidden danger in teaching children literalism while teaching them their religious beliefs. Some may disagree, and that is fine, but from where I stand, it is a slippery slope that often leads to spiritual abuse. Abusing children is wrong, period. Minimizing spiritual abuse is a mistake. I now add also protecting your children from that form of abuse, along with sexual abuse when attending any house of worship. Both may harm them, both may lead to scars.