Comment 5 by rocket888 :

I was forced to attend Hebrew School as a child, for 4 years, after regular school. My parents never attended temple, and made me go only so they wouldn't be the only family in the neighborhood that didn't indoctrinate their son. My sister, however, didn't have to endure this.

The lesson I learned was the force of punishment - I got to sit in a home made jail when I was bad, and bad included not learning what was taught in Hebrew school. To this day, I still resent the forced indoctrination. It taught me to be wary of anyone in authority especially ones with the power to punish.

This is likely why I rebelled against the government who tried to force me to kill people in far off lands.

Looking back, it was probably the government schools that had the most indoctrination. So, I take it up one level and rail against any group that uses force over others. Compared to any religious groups (today) the biggest threat to peace and prosperity is the US government. It is completely out of control. Being scared of Hell, or scared of the God of the Hebrew Bible, is small compared to being scared of a government that now ignores the bill of rights and kills American citizens it doesn't like, without due process of law. If you get on Obama's list, you're toast.

Careful. You might wind up on that list. ;-}

But seriously, I empathize with your concerns. It simply doesn't matter in whose hands the power is or in whose name it is exercised, violent force and threat of violent force are not reasonable tools for establishing equality of justice and opportunity.

Jack Parsons put it more eloquently than I can:

"He who believes that the absolute rightness of his belief is an authority to suppress the rights and opinions of his fellows, cannot be a liberal. Liberalism cannot exist where it violates its own principles. It cannot exist when the emergency-monger and Utopia salesman can obtain a suspension of rights, temporary or permanent. Liberty cannot be suppressed in order to defend liberalism."