Just had a long discussion on this subject. It’s not just religious “fanatics”, it’s the general idea of the “right” family structure, especially in Christian homes, that specifies a Daddy who’s in charge, a second-in-command Mommy, and the kids who must obey them. The mom does some discipline but “wait til your father gets home” is the ultimate threat. Pleasing the father figure is the path to success, i.e. to earn praise and avoid painful punishments. By extension this is applied to life in general. Good behavior brings success, bad behavior is the path to ruin. That’s a big reason Christians find it easy to blame poverty on poor people - they must have sinned a lot, or they would have succeeded in life.
Just had a long discussion on this subject. It’s not just religious “fanatics”, it’s the general idea of the “right” family structure, especially in Christian homes, that specifies a Daddy who’s in charge, a second-in-command Mommy, and the kids who must obey them. The mom does some discipline but “wait til your father gets home” is the ultimate threat. Pleasing the father figure is the path to success, i.e. to earn praise and avoid painful punishments. By extension this is applied to life in general. Good behavior brings success, bad behavior is the path to ruin. That’s a big reason Christians find it easy to blame poverty on poor people - they must have sinned a lot, or they would have succeeded in life.