Does Christianity basically boil down to brainwashing and indoctrination?

Christianity could only be seen as such if it was a cult and tactics are used to actually brainwash or indoctrinate.

There are so many branches of Christianity that you should be more specific when talking about such gatherings. What Church specifically does this?

A lot of people bash the Catholic Church but unlike other branches, they do not belief that the Bible is literal or even the literal 'word of God', allowing space for interpretation and errors in accuracy. That's healthy if you ask me. Blinding believing every word of the Bible is dangerous.

Yes, like any religion.

Probably a good rule of thumb is - if they're doing it to people under 18, it's brainwashing.

I mean, if what you're selling is so great, surely someone can wait until they're 18 to join the party.

Absolutely. But that goes for all religions, political ideologies, views about various centers of authority - scientific, legal, intellectual, cultural.

Religion, though, is somewhat distinctive because it involves the supernatural, so in that sense is the least objectively defensible, perhaps the greatest imposition upon a young mind.

Bump for this fascinating topic.

--Michael D. Clarke

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Looks like you've been dealing with one of the many off-shoots that are indeed cults. Best to stay clear of that lot.

I wouldn't call that Christianity though.

All I know, is that I've been going to Church for 50 Years, the Catholic Church to be exact and I don't recall during the decades of doing so where the Catholic Church is trying to get these so called "indoctrinated kids" to change their sex at will like it's changing a pair of underwear for Heaven's sake and creating one Gender after another like we're seeing?? Granted, the Catholic Church is certainly not perfect by any stretch mind you