On November 28, seventh-grader Eli Fritchley of Tennessee died by suicide after classmates bullied him for what he wore and how he dressed, saying that he’d go to hell for “being gay.” Talking to local TV station WKRN, his parents said of Eli, “he didn’t care, or at least we thought he didn’t care, and that’s what’s really difficult for us because we thought he didn’t care.” According to his parents, Eli wasn’t afraid of being himself. “[Eli] was told because he didn’t necessarily have a religion and that he said he was gay that he was going to go to hell. They told him that quite often.“

Reading of the level of intolerance and hatred by Eli’s classmates, other children, and the parents that apparently indoctrinated them to hate, I can’t help but have one particular passage from Richard Dawkins book, “The God Delusion” flash before me:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.“

Richard Dawkins, “The God Delusion”

I think this accurate interpretation of god is spot on because we have created him in our likeness. This god that so many Christians hide behind and weaponize when needed represents the lowest, most primal hatred and fear our species is capable of.

A child is dead because (other) adults decided to first reproduce (their first mistake) and then imbue their vulgar little progeny with the tools to harass and torment a defenceless child (their second mistake) who was brave and insightful enough to be self-aware.

I’d like to think that the classmates (and their ghoulish parents) would feel some semblance of remorse or shame. Still, if my own experience with the ‘religiously burdened’ has taught me, Christians rarely experience guilt and never take responsibility for their own actions.

I’ve written about religious issues in the past. I can predict the wave of negative comments that will likely find their way to me. Those that struggle with presenting a coherent, legitimate argument usually default to the bizarre defence of Christians by demanding that I give those with this religious infliction the ‘wide birth of deference.’ That I should tread softly and allow these Neanderthals to have the right to continue to teach intolerance and hatred to their boorish brood. However, this is something that I cannot do. I couldn’t possibly standby and say or do nothing while children like Eli are being bullied each and every day because some people with some degree of severe cognitive impairment buy into a shared, sick mythology about talking bushes and snakes, and magic boats and men that live nine hundred and ninety-six years.

I fully respect the rights of people to believe that fairytales like Harry Potter are real. Still, when whispers and wands become insults and weapons – used to harm innocent children like Eli, this is where the line must be drawn. What is left in the wake of Christian piety and contempt are two parents with an eternal sadness and the acknowledgment of them admitting to themselves that somehow they failed Eli.

For Canadian readers: Youth Line offers confidential and non-judgemental peer support through telephone, text, and chat services. Get in touch with a peer support volunteer from Sunday to Friday, 4:00PM to 9:30 PM. https://www.youthline.ca/

For American readers: If you are thinking about harming yourself — get immediate support. Connect to a crisis counsellor 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the U.S. It is 100% confidential and 100% free. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/ 

Based on and with the help of reporting by WKRN and The Advocate.