| Spiritual Abuse ... |
Were you raised attending weekly religious services? Maybe your family
never stepped foot in a church or temple. Perhaps you formed
your belief system as an adult.
Raised with or without a formal religious belief it is likely religion has impacted your life at some level.
People commonly turn to Christianity and other religions in order to find:
- Assurance of life after death
- Significance in life
- Acceptance and belonging
- Answers to life's problems
- Emotional and / or physical healing
- Communion with and service to God
- Material provision
Christian and other religious institutions, throughout the ages, can and have inflicted great
harm on the faithful and left many feeling rejected, judged, inferior or devalued.
Paradoxically, the
place of refuge and healing becomes a source of pain and
suffering.
These wounds often run deep and have significant negative influence
because they are connected to God. The pastor, priest and other church leaders are God's
representatives and are thus highly influential authority figures.
Even in the best of churches some pain and disappointment is normal but unhealthy
churches are curiously marked by a number of common damaging traits such as:
- Acceptance conditional on adequate performance or appearance
- "Cookie Cutter" mentality regarding which gifts and ministries are esteemed
- Authoritarian / Autocratic leadership (The bible says you must listen/obey me.)
- Control maintained through gossip, slander, and fear
- Inability of leader(s) to humbly receive feedback and correction
- Leadership disregard or inability to care for people's feelings
- Focus on ministry at the expense of healthy ministry to family and self-care
- Under/over emphasis on God's grace and mercy in either teaching or practice
- Imbalance either way on the "rational" (hyper-rationalism) or "emotional"
(hyper-emotionalism)
- Overemphasis on the significance of human agency in ministries such as evangelism
- Distorted sense of ownership and territorialism regarding ministries
- Ascetic view of life/ministry which rejects healthy self-care and pursuit of
self-interests or individuality as sinful.
If you have experienced any of these you've likely suffered loss in your
relationship with God and continue to experience on-going disallusionment and hurt.
Speaking with a professional counselor who specializes in spiritual abuse
will help you unveil and resolve past hurts and restore lost faith. Call 614.888.9200
for more information and to schedule an appointment.
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