It's awful, although most religions do abuse children in one way or another. Telling them they'll burn in hell forever if they skip masses of masturbate is also abusing.
Wow, between you and stox I am beginning to wonder how many different "religions" are around these days. Which ones are you referring to so I can add them to the list?
Religion inherently targets and poisons the minds of the weak. Some weak adults get tricked into believing this fantasy, But ultimately they want to get into and infect the minds of children because they are the easiest targets. Then they want to periodically starve them, Mutilate their genitals, tell them that disobedience will lead to eternal torture and, in the case of this story, Lock a 3 year old in a room with mutilated livestock for a night and then keep her prisoner until adulthood. I mean really, How can anyone read these sorts of stories and have anything other than utter contempt for this filthy invention of "religion"?