Where does child abuse really begin?

Outside of weird situations like the Bob Gray case, I really wonder if there's something embedded within fundamentalism, and even literalistic religions, that promote child abuse?

This article really has me pondering the subject:

The Christian Right Cultivates Teenage Childbirth.

The article explores the wink-wink/nudge-nudge approach some fundamentalists have taken toward teen pregnancy. On one level, they're against sex before marriage. But on a different plain, they seem to prefer young people getting married at an early age.

If you doubt this, consider this well made video circulating on YouTube about the 'Muslim Invasion'.



This 'invasion' is actually Islamic people having many children. Just by birthing lots of children, raising them as Muslims, creates a bond between their heritage, even if, in later years, they might start having doubts. The Mormons wound up controlling Utah because of their views concerning multiple wives and birthing many children.

Well, with this kind of fear, and, as the article pointed out, the hypocritical way they glossed over the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter, you seem to have an older generation trying to entrap a younger generation into having children they are just not capable of raising.

What happens when you do that?

Resentment on behalf of the parent(s) toward the child for 'robbing' them of their early adult years.

Those years that could have been spent educating themselves, seeing the world, acquiring life experiences (necessary for actually imparting real values to children, btw), but now they have to stop everything because they were forbidden, or embarrassed, to think openly, and rationally, about birth control.

This sadness is eventually taken out on their children.

If they didn't have a profitable young adulthood, why should their children?

The resentment can take many forms, from physical abuse, to sexual abuse, to emotional abuse, eventually sabotaging the possibility of their children growing up to be happy, functional adults.

Of course, literal believers explain this away by suggesting, "Man isn't put here to 'be happy'! We're put here to obey God!"

Hmmm, what about 'the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' as spelled out in our Declaration of Independence?

"That's not inspired by God! It was written by that Deist, Thomas Jefferson! Besides, it's not Constitutional. It's only a Declaration!"

Interesting how when you mention 'the right to happiness', fundamentalists will suddenly backtrack on all the 'Christian founder' nonsense and finally declare what our founding fathers actually were.

It also demonstrates their true respect for our country's foundation.

One moment the Declaration of Independence is practically inspired, until it hits them where it counts. Then, it becomes 'just a declaration, not even constitutional'.

All nationalistic niceties aside:

This refusal to take responsibility for YOUR RIGHT to happiness will eventually lead to abusive behavior.

Resentment is a toxin.

Believe it.