Japan has introduced child-abuse guidelines recognizing that threatening children with religious punishment, including frightening them with the concept of hell, can constitute psychological abuse.

[u/sonicagain]

The guidelines were developed in December 2022 by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare following growing concerns about children raised in religious environments where fear, threats, and coercion were used to control their behavior.

The issue gained national attention after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, which triggered intense scrutiny of the Unification Church and the financial and psychological pressures allegedly experienced by some members’ families.

Under the guidelines, threatening children with divine punishment or telling them they will go to hell unless they obey religious instructions may qualify as psychological abuse when such behavior causes fear or emotional harm.

Other concerning practices include preventing children from maintaining normal social relationships, forcing them to participate in religious activities, or interfering with their education and medical care.

Importantly, Japan has not banned teaching children about religion, heaven, hell, or religious beliefs.

The distinction concerns the use of religious teachings to intimidate, threaten, or psychologically control children rather than ordinary religious education.

Research in developmental psychology shows that prolonged exposure to fear and emotional threats during childhood can contribute to anxiety, stress, and difficulties with emotional regulation.

Japan’s approach reflects a broader effort to protect children’s welfare while respecting freedom of religion.

The guidelines are not a newly announced blanket law criminalizing discussions of hell. They provide guidance for identifying potentially abusive behavior and protecting children in harmful situations.

Source: Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Reuters; The Japan Times.

[u/AvilettaLuxe]

I would absolutely love watching the fallout of introducing, nay, suggesting the same idea in US :3

[u/Acceptable-Ad8780 → u/AvilettaLuxe]

As someone from the U.S., I would love this. If people want to be religious, fine. But don't force it on kids.

But yeah, Bible thumpers would see this as an attack on Christianity and lose their minds and start saying "this is how Sharia Law starts!!!!". They lost their shit when Starbucks didn't have Christmas cups soon enough for their liking and it was a war on Christmas and Christianity in 2015 apparently.

edit and now it makes sense why I start seeing things for Chrismas before Halloween.

[u/PhatCatTax → u/Acceptable-Ad8780]

Wars on Christmas only happen on election years. Apparently the same goes for invasions of immigrants, the eating of pets, and the nefarious activities of college.

Weird how that happens. Must be a pure coincidence and not because they're fabrications.

[u/No_Raisin21 → u/Acceptable-Ad8780]

It’s amazing how bible thumpers don’t always see why it’s problematic for some children to have the mental image of any loved ones they lost burning in hell because they weren’t part of the right religion. Fortunately I grew up Mormon, so they didn’t teach me about being tortured in Hell because Mormon God isn’t that much of a dick. Also fortunate because Mormonism is wacky enough that I pretty quickly caught on that it was all just a bunch of bullshit.

[u/Upset-Bison-3182 → u/No_Raisin21]

I thought genral doctrine was to assume everyone has gone to heaven? They deviate from that in the US?

[u/FlashPxint → u/AvilettaLuxe]

I support democracy so I’m against this

[u/No_Cake6353]

This is good news. No child should be indoctrinated into religion. It is abuse.

[u/zephyrwa → u/No_Cake6353]

Agreed, religion is poison and only harms now.

[u/CuriouslyCuriousCat1 → u/No_Cake6353]

This is not to protect children but to make it difficult for foreigners living in Japan.

[u/CthulhuLiesSleeping]

Excellent. We need that here.

[u/SmartaHari]

Good.

[u/H3llzyea]

Bring this to the U.S. please, first off because it’s just right. Second watch the “free speech” “law and order” guardians of pedophiles lose their minds.

[u/Frogspoison]

Yea, because it abso-$#@!ing-lutely is.

[u/Careless-Fudge-3032]

I agree with this. I was tormented growing up with religion

[u/tetrachlorex]

I've been saying this sentiment for years.

[u/ThePenultimatePam]

I don't really understand how you can make it illegal to use fear of hell as a threat but still allow the idea of hell to be taught. Hell is, inherently, a threat. If you teach someone that Hell exists, you are threatening them.

I think this is a decent step, but I'm not sure that it would be remotely enforceable outside of really blatant cases that likely already met other existing definitions of child abuse. You can't effectively outlaw the use of Hell as a threat/tool of coersiob unless you outlaw the teaching of Hell altogether, rightly understanding that it is a terror tactic that should never be deployed against anyone of any age.

[u/WeWereHappy → u/ThePenultimatePam]

I am absolutely not knowledgeable of this subject, but from what I heard, it's about cases where parents use the justification of religious beliefs for their abuses.

[u/Agitated_Effects]

Good for them! We should also do something like this everywhere

[u/bbq_R0ADK1LL]

The Bible doesn't really have any description of Hell. If your idea of the afterlife is based on a bunch of medieval paintings, you probably shouldn't be teaching anybody about religion.

I'm behind this.

[u/Beef_Curtain_Clitler]

https://giphy.com/gifs/sgGBPGml4qhYgEd2if

[u/WorldlyBuy1591]

Based

[u/NatalieRath]

If you guys seen the unification church tactics, you will know why this is so fucking important.

[u/Karamatsunomaii]

Don’t teach them about prison ether or history. Keep them safe in a bubble so they believe they are superior and see what kind of people they grow up to be.. maybe a bit like the people who raped Nanking and to this day deny any wrong doing in ww2 torture. Most of the elderly still thing they were innocent and have no idear why they were nuked. Not saying religion is the way but this over protection and toxic positivity is messing up kids

[u/WC_Flyer]

It’s a slippery slope when government starts to legislate theology. Who determines the difference between teaching about a doctrine and the same doctrine being considered “harmful”? (Serious question)

I’m not saying I disagree with the concept and spirit of the law (I don’t). But I could also see this going really sideways, depending on who is in charge. Government entities legislating theology has typically not ended well, historically speaking.

[u/KRNorth]

Fucking based

[u/CuriouslyCuriousCat1]

Except this is not to protect children, but almost certainly make it more difficult for foreigners living in Japan. Specifically Muslims and the Kurdish population there.

[u/zephyrwa → u/CuriouslyCuriousCat1]

What a “shame”