Big HOT Button

In each person's life there are certain things that are great, big HOT buttons that when pushed result in RED HOT reactions every time.  Today's post will be a rant about religious nuts.  Anyone wishing not to participate are welcomed to use the back button or head over to Deena's.  She is celebrating the launch of her book.  http://plotmamas.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/wednesday-witticisms-break-out-the-bubbly/

Those of you that have come this far have been warned. 

upsi is an inspiration to me.  She is a daughter of a narcissistic mother and she is learning to live in real life and not her mother's twisted fantasy.  upsi shares research of what other people are doing and the reaction of narcissistic parents.  To check out the original post you can look over on upsi's page. 
http://upsi-upsi.blogspot.com/2011/03/obliged-to-honor.html

The title alone gives you a clue what my HOT button is... Thou shalt honor thy father and mother.   Most of my readers know that I declare openly my belief in Jesus Christ.  I believe in the Ten commandments and I have had scriptures used like a cat-o-nine-tails.  (Small vicious whip used in Biblical times to punish.)  There are religious nuts that will twist scriptures to justify, excuse, and abuse others especially children. I am tired of hypocritical parents pulling the 10 commandments card to keep their children bound to them when they don't deserve it.

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God givieth thee.  I learned in a religion class years ago that in Biblical times and in some countries today, parents have life and death control over their children.  Honoring your parents improved your life expectancy.  Sadly times change slowly for some things.  There were laws protecting animals from human cruelty before their were laws to protect children from their own parents.  Through out generations horror stories surface as to what occurred within "the family."  Today psychologist joke that every family has their dysfunction, pick your dysfunction.  Some families bad behavior is easily apparent.  Others are like Luke 11:39 ... make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.  Often these twisted parents use certain scriptures to keep their power in place and their children bound to them with religious threats.  Some how the later scriptures of Love thy neighbor means someone outside their home.  Have these parents not considered that their children are more important than their neighbors?  Yet how many of these pious parents treat their neighbors far better than their own children.  Did these parents read in the New Testament the words of Christ Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea?  I always find it interesting how some parents excusing themselves are very selective as to which scriptures they use.

For the parents that bleat "I did the best I could" to excuse themselves from improving their relationships, I refer them to the many scriptures on repentance.  You are not too old to repent of poor parenting choices.  I raised my kids before I found out that I have PTSD at a severe level.  PTSD at the level I have lived pretty much guarantees you will mess up as a parent.  I can not go back and change my past or how I raised my children but as I learn I can change.  I can recognize, apologize, and where possible correct the mistakes I have made.  I am NOT a perfect parent.  No parent is a perfect parent.  However, if they are religious enough to use the 10 Commandments; they are religious enough to use repentance.

I think I will save part two for tomorrow's post.  upsi's information gave me plenty to think about.  May take me a few days to process all the different aspects of my reaction to these letters.