Apart from overt abuse, the hardest part of growing up religious for many people was feeling they were never quite good enough. This feeling stemmed directly from the parents' idea of what it meant to lead a godly life. Children learned early that they were wicked, incapable of pleasing God, and yet expected to do their very best to live as God wanted them to. These parents were strict disciplinarians who spoke with such authority that their children often confused what their parents said with the voice of God.
— Robert Wuthnow, Growing Up Religious