"CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM: A PARENTING STYLE
Religious organizations generally address our common need for spiritual
sustenance, and
for community. They uphold the concept of 'family' in an era when
economic rationalism
is tearing families apart. Historically, religions have spawned and
championed countless
humanitarian causes, such as the anti-slavery and (American) civil
rights movements,
Ghandist non-violence and the Islamic zakat (alms tax for the needy),
to mention but a
few. In modern times religious institutions have often been at the
forefront of human
rights and social justice movements. For instance, church authorities
have stood up
against repressive regimes in Latin America, and in Australia they are
an essential part of
the fight to protect the rights of asylum seekers.
This chapter, however, is not about religion per se. It is about the
use of religious
extremism, radicalism or fundamentalism as a rationalisation for
repressive or punitive
child-rearing styles. In contrast to mainstream religion, religious
extremism has
historically been associated with increased social and international
violence. I simply
wish to pose the question 'Might this have anything to do with the
way religious
extremist communities relate to children?'"



http://nospank.net/grille-ch14.pdf