On February 4, 1974, 19-year-old Patricia Hearst was kidnapped from her Berkeley, California, apartment by a violent urban guerrilla group called the Symbionese Liberation Army, or the SLA. Efforts were made to swap Hearst for jailed SLA members, but when that failed, the SLA asked that Patricia’s family give $70 worth of food to every needy person in California. Patricia Hearst comes from a very wealthy family. She is the granddaughter of the publishing giant William Randolph Hearst and great-granddaughter of millionaire George Hearst.


After her father immediately gave $6 million worth of food to needy people in the Bay Area, the SLA still refused to release Patricia (since the food was supposedly of a poor quality). Then on April 3, 1974, Patricia Hearst announced on an audiotape that she had joined the SLA and took on the name “Tania.” Can you imagine her father’s shock and heartache when, after two months in captivity and giving out $6 million dollars, she decided to stay with her captors?

She later assisted the SLA in a bank robbery and was captured with other SLA members. During her trial she was interviewed by psychologists who believe she was brainwashed and exhibited classic symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome. Patricia was still found guilty and sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment. Her sentence was later commuted
to seven years and later commuted again by President Jimmy Carter. On February 1, 1979, she was released and later given a full pardon by President Bill Clinton.

While being held, her kidnappers brainwashed her into thinking she was better off with them. Can you imagine how our heavenly Father must feel when we neglect to accept the freedom of eternal life and mansions He is offering us? Especially after sending his only son Jesus as the ransom to die for our sins?

“How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit?” (Hebrews 2:3, 4).

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

This is so ironic because religions like Christianity literally require brainwashing to thrive.

Religious indoctrination is real. It is a traditionally-based process of all cultures. Its power is such that peoples so affected have a ‘belief’ they have chosen their particular ‘faith’ above the many on offer throughout the planet.

All religions work on the principle of exposing each new generation to a single worldview, to the exclusion of all others, in a repetitious and authorative manner. Doubts, as to the veracity of such ‘teachings’, are not encouraged, indeed, are not tolerated.

Once learned, the information so gained is retained for life, allowing it to take on an instinctive mantle in later years. As with all acquired knowledge, such as learning to ride a bicycle or rote remembrance of mathematical time’s tables, once taught, unlearning is not an easy option.

This is not to say that the results of such methodology are not practically overcome-able.

Youthful brains soak up information with little effort, establishing permanent neuronic pathways. Older brains require considerably more effort to alter this situation. There are many Atheists to attest to this. In fact, it is the rule rather than the rarity that most Atheists were raised from infancy under some religious regime or other. Even the most intense religious indoctrination can be overcome.

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cloudgoddess:
This is so ironic because religions like Christianity literally require brainwashing to thrive.


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Exactly, took the words right out of my mouth

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