h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Roj, there is a Justin on the Religion board posting under the name PastorW. You can see his page @ U1734787

I should have read this before my last post!

F2209693?thread=717652&post=7864438#p7864438


az

"So, as a mild amusement, I quietly opened another account here on h2g2 and called it "Steve, the Preacher". "Steve" went round apologising for Justin's behaviour (he was quite rude), and explaining that he was in fact not a person at all, but a network of three PCs running an independent chat program."

I wonder who or what is the Programmer of Sam?
Like you I wonder *why* he believes what he does. What trauma in his short personal history has caused him to turn to this rather savage and intolerant faith. I think that he may be gay or at least be uncertain about his sexuality but is unable to face up to it.

One amusing thing about sam is that he thinks that the sun orbits the earth *because it says so in the bible*.

As to the question of what trauma, I think he gave me the answer himself - child abuse by his family.

Specifically, his family are the kind of people who take a small, impressionable child to large, evangelical Christian gatherings. It was at one such gathering that GSD "realised" he was "saved". Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment that he wasn't an ignorant intolerant bigot before that happened, it's just that it was only at that point that he had an *excuse* for his repellent views, beyond simply "Daddy told me to think this". (Mind you, "I'm a Christian" is as near as makes no odds identical as an argument...)

Some might say that calling indoctrinating a child into Christianity "child abuse" is a bit strong, or perhaps trivialises what they might call "real" child abuse, I say - fine, you're entitled to your opinion, as I am mine. And I think that denying a young child a proper education and brainwashing them to accept fairy stories blindly as the truth is certainly a horrible abuse.

SoRB

"Some might say that calling indoctrinating a child into Christianity "child abuse" is a bit strong, or perhaps trivialises what they might call "real" child abuse, "

Given that Sams bunch of evangelicals think that every one is going to hell unless they are "saved" I would say that you are correct and that this sort of thing is real child abuse. That sort of thing can not be good for a young child.