Holy Child Abuse, Batman!

Holy Child Abuse, Batman!


The weather ‘round these parts has been really bad lately. Snow, ice and all forms of frozen poo has fallen from the sky. So I was unable to tune into my favorite fundy radio station and had to listen to the Catholic radio station instead. I didn’t listen long. What I heard so disgusted me, I had to turn it off. That has never happened on the other fundy station.

The program was a call-in show. The host was a shrink who wanted to field questions about family and faith. She was telling her personal story so that she could relate to the potential caller. Her story shocked and appalled me. She said she was the oldest of nine children, and that her family was poor as she grew up. She recalled many times she was the “server” at the dinner table, and was happy if there was anything left for her to eat. She said that she served the other kids first, and if there was any left, she would be able to eat, but often, there was not enough to go around to her. I had to turn off the radio. I thought I was going to be sick.

It is one thing to have too many kids. This is selfish and repulsive in itself. These children did not ask to be born into a family so large the kids must raise each other. The “octo-mom” has been rebuked time and time again for thinking only of herself and not of her children. I think this is a fair assessment. But to have so many children you cannot feed them is outright abuse. Further, to force the children to choose who among them will and will not eat is nothing short of abuse. It is vile, sick and unacceptable.

What really pissed me off was the fact the host of the program was not condemning the actions of her abusive parents, but instead using this story as an example of her experience with sacrifice. She said this was how she was introduced to the concept of fasting and denial of the body. I was even more horrified. To think the parents of this child told her that this was a gift from god, that she would go hungry this evening as a part of some spiritual guideline, is abhorrent. I simply could not stomach it. I had to stop listening.

Perhaps she would have explained to me that it was her choice to go hungry, and that her parents also did not eat. I can’t see how that makes things better. More starving people as the result of these asshats not being able to budget for their family does not improve the situation, nor does it remove the abuse this poor child suffered. Worse, since she thinks this was a good experience, these child abusing asshats have not been brought to justice, and instead think they are pious, righteous and “good Christians”. How infuriating!

People wonder what the harm is in allowing people to believe in imaginary gods. Children are abused, in this story, both physically and emotionally. This is harmful. It must be stopped.