Hey Reddit! What are your most terrifying childhood memories?

My mom was/is a religious fanatic. When I was very young, she'd stand in my doorway at night and say a prayer. I would have to kneel next to my bed, fold my hands in prayer, close my eyes, and repeat her prayer word for word every night or I'd get in trouble.

During this nightly ritual, she would also tell me about the rapture. She'd tell me that if I didn't accept Jesus into my heart, and that if I accepted the mark of the beast, that I'd be left on earth during the tribulation period. When this happens, if I were grown and had kids of my own, demons would torture them in front of me and do things like rip their finger nails out one by one while they'd look at me screaming in agony and ask me why I didn't accept Jesus or tell them to accept Jesus, etc.

She also told me the devil walks the earth, that watching certain things or reading certain things would "open a door" and allow demons into our house. And so on and so on.

Imagine being told this stuff when you're like 6 years old. I was so terrified of absolutely everything when I was a kid! I'm in my mid-30s now, and I'm still terrified of the dark. . .

/r/AskReddit Thread