This video came out about a year ago, but it still is a good example what religion can do to people. Not all people. There are people who believe and are not overtly passionate about it. They believe and that’s it. The average religious person most likely grew into the religion, Catholic or Muslim or take your pick. When you are born into a religion or way of life, you are more likely to base everything you know about morality and God on that. If you grow up in a home or culture that does not encourage free thought, then you see no problem with judging others who either have no faith or question theirs. It contradicts your way of life an may be convinced that is the only proper way to live.
The mother in the audio was downright hysterical. She not only wanted her son disfellowshipped, she wanted to degrade him by yelling at, slapping and mimicking him. Disfellowshipping, simply put, is when you shun someone. After going through a process to make sure they are truly unrepentant, a disfellowshipped person must remove themselves from the religion. JW.org says that the disfellowshipped person is not separated from their friends and family, but I have met people who have been disfellowshipped for marrying outside the faith and for being promiscuous, and they say that this simply is not true. They saw that it was happened more often than not that their most their family and friends broke contact. There are people who go the rest of their lives without seeing or even talking to their loved ones.
So when you look at it in that perspective, you can see why the mother might have went ballistic. To her, her son was knowingly ending his life. Not only that, but by questioning it, he was insulting her faith. Believe me when I say that I am not judging this mother. Although I do not believe in god almost as adamantly as she does, I do have empathy for her.
I was faced with that dilemma after this year’s election. What I saw as the president-elect rose in his campaign made me more and more disgusted. After the election, I realized that there were people around me who had voted for him. A couple even expressed concern or worry over their vote or even tried to justify it. I decided that I would make an effort to keep those people out of my life if they chose to talk about it.
One could relate it to shunning. In my mind, it is the right thing to do because I am keeping mean and hateful people (or at least people who condone the mean and hateful) away from my children. The only difference is that her anger and sorrow comes from religion and mine doesn’t. I applaud the young man for standing up for what he believes and my heart goes out to the mother that she may open hers.
If you want to read the article, here's the link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/12/listen-mom-abuses-teen-for-coming-out-as-atheist/ \
