This is not representative of all/most Christian dads.
On the contrary, my father has been a Bible professor for 30 years, and I've never met a better example of a loving father, to all 5 of his kids.
selfhoster11 · 7h ago
That method of raising children sounds so inhumane to me as a Christian. It's like something straight out of the Joe vs Elan School comic[0], though less extreme to some extent. The idea of essentially breaking down one's identity to induce obedience is disgusting to me.
I remember when I first read about Elan. Conversion therapy camps and similar were popular in the 2000s, and a friend was abducted and spent a year in one because his father felt he needed to learn to respect his family and the church. It permanently derailed his life and ended his relationship with his family, and thankfully not by suicide.
He came back hostile and afraid, never being able to let go of the belief that anything he did, anywhere he went, however he tried to protect himself, that there was nothing he could do to stop himself from being kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured at someone else's whim without any recourse. Twenty years on, he's got a loving wife and family of his own, but he's never quite recovered.
cowboylowrez · 3h ago
super interesting page, I wish I had high speed internet, it looks like an interesting story!
On the contrary, my father has been a Bible professor for 30 years, and I've never met a better example of a loving father, to all 5 of his kids.
[0]: https://elan.school/
He came back hostile and afraid, never being able to let go of the belief that anything he did, anywhere he went, however he tried to protect himself, that there was nothing he could do to stop himself from being kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured at someone else's whim without any recourse. Twenty years on, he's got a loving wife and family of his own, but he's never quite recovered.