I agree that using fear to control a child’s behavior is abusive, and I think this is true whether the fear is attached specifically to religious images or to other threats of inappropriately dire consequences.

I think that aside from the abusive element, a potential problem could arise through providing an external locus of negative control (God will punish you because you are bad) rather than providing a positive internal locus of control (we feel better when we do the right thing).

I read more on Dahmer and serial killers after our last discussion, and found material that linked extreme religiosity in upbringing with ultimate impulses to commit serial crimes. So, it appears that not only does religion not work in preventing crime through ‘accountability’, excessive emphasis on punishment and shame may drive some to self-hatred, shame, and rage directed toward others. Tragic.