I was taught that scripture memorization was extremely important and that one of the reasons it was important was so that we could still have the bible with us in the event we ever were persecuted for the faith and denied access to the sacred text. And this belief went deep. Because it in theory had happened to people throughout history and throughout the world. It didn't matter that we lived in America. It didn't matter that our government and culture would never censure Christianity this way and is frankly incapable of actual Christian persecution. Because it happened elsewhere and elsewhen. Because the end times could happen at any moment and then the world would turn on believers.
Christians will preach that in Christ they don't have to be afraid, that God's perfect love casts out fear. But then they do shit like this, handing down a tradition of fear to the next generation. The deep-rooted terror is something they planted, something they tended in their garden of faith. It's built in, a native species right at home inside a religion that wants you to be afraid.
