Child abuse doesn't have to reach the highest level of depravity or neglect to be child abuse, as a crime doesn't have to be murder, rape, or assault to be a crime. That's a logical fallacy to think it's either severe or it's not abuse, or to think if it's not physical it's not abuse. Watch Nurse Ratchet in the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", an example of extreme abuse because of the power she wields.

"The Children died the days grew old, a piece of bread would buy a bag of gold. I wished we'd all been ready." Yeah, I remember that movie. Scared the hell out of me. Good thing I got reason on my side now.

OMG! I remember that movie series! My church showed me that too, I was like twelve. That shit gave me nightmares of being left behind. Its definitely not something to teach a child. That kind of nonsense stays with you for a long time and is hard to overcome.

The intro is so over the top, and that's why I love it!

Very well done broadcast, extraordinarily professional. Thank you for taking the time and effort to produce this series. As a subscriber, I look forward to hearing more in the future. Thank you.

Great podcast man, this is the first time I've listened to a full episode of your show. Great discussions between you and your listeners.

I love you work that you do, Seth.

I was told as a child also about going to hell and all that, I also grew up in a very abusive home. My dad was violently abusive towards me and my mom, he shoved her head into the side of a house trailer and dented the siding with her head , he hit us and his own mother. He used to grab me by the arm and whoop the shit out of me if I didn't call him on the phone when I was staying with my mom. I remember he used to whoop me if I was scared about something, like when I was scared to pick up a fish we had caught, he tore my ass up. That's traumatizing to a 4 year old. The trust that I had with him is broken , because in my mind I'm thinking why is he hitting me , I'm scared of this fish and I'm not sure what to do with it and he's hitting me instead of helping me understand that the fish wasn't gonna hurt me. I remember he beat the shit out of his mom with one of those carnival glass bowls , really thick glass. All I could think of at 4 years old was why did he do that ? Was he mad at me ? 23 years later and me and him have somewhat of a relationship , I say I love him but it's just to shut him up. I'll never forgive him for what he did , because I still see he hasn't changed much. He says he found jesus but I see right through it as just a facade. Ill never love him or forgive him, because he's a monster.

The whole idea of "The Rapture" is relatively new in the history in Christendom. In the 1840's during the Second Great Awakening, Rev. John Darby was a Calvinist minister who lived in England who taught this concept called Pre-Millennial Dispensationalism. He was the first to pioneer the concept of a rapture before Christ's return in papers written between 1848 and 1851. Until then there was no concept of a rapture. It was an "amillennial" return of Jesus, and even that was no longer taught by most denominations by the time he lived.

Thank you again Thinking Athiest. Always a delight and a pleasure to listen and rejoyce in intelligence and common sense!

I remember living in constant fear of the 2nd Coming because maybe I wasn't really saved. I had a mental breakdown at 14 because of fear of Hell. I stopped believing in Hell about 8 months ago at age 63. The great improvement in my mental health has been revolutionary. I am so glad & thankful. I feel teaching children there's a Hell is indeed child abuse.

Love your empathy and your warm consideration for people, its truly admirable.

Thanks alot Mr.Thinking (Seth) and everyone you work with for another quality podcast. May your popularity increase on a BIBLICAL scale. :)

I love your show! And I also love how long these discussions run. Keep up the great work!! :)

Can't wait to hear it. Your podcasts are the best!

A great show. I love that you bring us the voices of the atheists we don't often hear from; atheists from other countries and atheists who are people of color. We're a big community, and that should be reflected in our public face.

I love your show. Keep up the great work. I can listen to it all day. 😎

I really enjoyed this podcast and i enjoy your other work as well. Also you have an awesome voice. Keep this whole thing going. Thank you.

YES it is child abuse. You wouldn't believe how traumatized I am because of ideas that were shoved into my young, vulnerable brain as a baby and all throughout my youth. Taking advantage of the fact that a kid can't think for him or herself. It's mind-rape.

Chaotic Shelly, you are awesome!