Best Intentions - Dynamics of Spiritual Abuse

L

lightgigantic

Banned
Banned
Just a brief over view of something I am reading at the moment

What is spiritual abuse?


In their book, Healing Religious Addiction, the Linns (Dennis, Sheila and Matt Linn) define spiritual abuse quite broadly as denying other's spiritual freedom through claiming that only one's own way to God is valid (The Linns, p. 12). Johnson and Van Vonderen are more specific: 'Spiritual abuse is the mistreatment of a person who is in need of help, support or greater spiritual empowerment, with the result of weakening, undermining or decreasing that person's spiritual empowerment' (Johnson and Van Vonderen, p. 20).

Spiritual abuse is perpetrated when, in the name of spirituality or spiritual authority, the individual's dignity and right to advance through serving God is violated.[4]

To help clarify the concept; some testimonies from various sources:

My bible study leader tells me that I haven't taken on the 'mantle' as spiritual head of my home. I should be praying more, taking authority in the Spirit — then spiritual forces wouldn't be able to attack my family. Then my wife wouldn't be having menstrual problems and my oldest son wouldn't be suffering from asthma. I guess their sickness is my fault. (Johnson and Van Vonderen, p. 21)

Being forced to defend yourself on the basis of quotes from religious books is very exhausting and discouraging. The whole process demonstrates a lack of emotional expression.You become very afraid and guilty for feeling, especially when those around you feel different. (VOICE, 1997, 4.3.2e)[5]

There is a common dynamic in the above examples — the person seeking spiritual guidance, in need of information, dialogue, support, acceptance or counsel, was made to feel that their spirituality was defective. This can impel a person to agree with a particular belief or to feel discouraged from asking legitimate (but potentially awkward) questions. This is the general dynamic.


Spiritual abuse frequently occurs in conjunction with other forms of abuse — or one could say that other forms of abuse, be they physical, psychological, emotional, sexual or financial, when perpetrated within a spiritual community or society, will have a spiritual component. The abuse is being backed up by authority and power derived from a spiritual institution or teaching. Those abused have had their boundaries beaten down, they have been shamed out of their 'no', had their discrimination clouded by someone else's religious agendas. Spiritual abuse does not refer to simple mistakes of judgement, but to concerted misuse of position or power. The dynamics, causes and consequences of spiritual abuse are relevant to all members of a spiritual society since abuse seems to be an unavoidable reality within any society, and spiritual abuse seems to be programmed into the process of spiritual growth, a point that I will discuss later in this article.

About abuse dynamics

Abuse can occur in any authority structure or wherever there is an assumption of authority[8] .

Based on researching problems in other institutions, reactions to our seminars and our experiences , we formulated the following list of dynamics conducive to abuse:

1. Unrealistic evaluation of spiritual acumen


a) Position/external success = spiritual advancement

2. Unrealistic expectations


a) The myth of the infallible leader


b) The myth of the totally surrendered subordinate

3. Misapplication of philosophy


a) Twisting theology or interpreting scripture to suit personal or institutional agendas


b) Sweeping problems under the carpet of spiritual catch-phrases

4. Coercion through shame and fear


a) Shaming people into submission and/or silence


b) Criticising/humiliating anyone with a different opinion or who notices a problem


c) Demonisation, name-calling and fear of ostracism as coercion methods

5. Premature transcendence


a) Elitism and exclusivism as a justification for segregation and prejudice


b) Ignoring physical, psychological, emotional or social needs


c) Encouraging renunciation far beyond a person's realisation
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Virtually all the threads that have the potential for theistic discussion are burdened down with these issues so I thought it would be interesting to address them head on - any thoughts?

(in other words since it seems they get discussed by default anyway we might as well be open about it ;) )
 
Of course, religions are all manmade used to control people. The article reflects that. God delusions can therefore be used for abuse, at length and to any purpose, only to be bounded by the individuals overactive imagination.
 
So the definition of spiritual abuse is from your quote :
" Denying other´s spiritual freedom through claiming that only one´s own way to god is valid "

Well if you really are totally fanatic religious , then of course your OWN way is the only CORRECT way !!!

It is of course very sad that religious people want to brainwash other people into their
own belief ......

But then again , there is really nothing new in this !!!!!!
If you are having a delusional faith in something , then you want other people to share your views - you feel more comforted in that way - and can relax with other people, who share your induced delusion ........

;)
 
And I am not even starting to talk about the christian paedophiles , that sexually abuse their younger followers ........... that is most often in the catholic church .....
 
philosopher´s stone said:
And I am not even starting to talk about the christian paedophiles , that sexually abuse their younger followers ........... that is most often in the catholic church .....
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not sure if you read the context of the bit I put in bold - the article is about something else actually
 
philosopher´s stone said:
So the definition of spiritual abuse is from your quote :
" Denying other´s spiritual freedom through claiming that only one´s own way to god is valid "

Well if you really are totally fanatic religious , then of course your OWN way is the only CORRECT way !!!

It is of course very sad that religious people want to brainwash other people into their
own belief ......

But then again , there is really nothing new in this !!!!!!
If you are having a delusional faith in something , then you want other people to share your views - you feel more comforted in that way - and can relax with other people, who share your induced delusion ........

;)
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Actually its common to experience the same "techniques" of abuse at the hands of atheists out to "convert" the masses
 
lightgigantic said:
Does that entitle them to be abusive too?
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Well , that actually depend of how they act - I mean if they only want to correct delusional thoughts and behaviour by talking with the religious people , then it is OK ....

If they start locking up religious people in locked psyciatric ward like the communists did in old time in the Soviet Union - then it is a wrongful abuse of religious people !!!! I do NOT aprove on that ......

:)
 
philosopher´s stone said:
Well , that actually depend of how they act - I mean if they only want to correct delusional thoughts and behaviour by talking with the religious people , then it is OK ....

If they start locking up religious people in locked psyciatric ward like the communists did in old the Soviet Union - then it is a wrongful abuse of religious people !!!! I do NOT aprove on that ......

:)
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Actually the article refers to a very subtle form of abuse - I am not sure if you have picked up on it yet
 
lightgigantic said:
Actually the article refers to a very subtle form of abuse - I am not sure if you have picked up on it yet
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Thank you for pointing that out - and not attacking me personally !!!
You are improving in your communication ......

There was talk of physical , financial and sexual abuse in your quote though !!!

I do not think the atheists have an infallible leader, totally subordinate people following them , coercion through fear , or interpreting scripture into suiting institutional agendas , nor having unrealistic expectations or premature transcendence !!!!!!!!!!

:)
 
lightgigantic said:
Actually its common to experience the same "techniques" of abuse at the hands of atheists out to "convert" the masses
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and where in the world do you see a group of atheist, preaching on the street corners, etc.
and where can I find a gathering place like a hall or dare I say, an atheist church.

talk sense man or shut up.
 
(Q) said:
Of course, religions are all manmade used to control people. The article reflects that.
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That may be what the article says, but I don't think that it's necessarily true. For one thing, I'm of the opinion that people just like to be around, to be with, people who think and feel as they do ...it's a natural trait of animals the world over. Church helps people do that ...and people like it. And if they like it, who is to say that it's somehow wrong?

If a bunch of fishermen gather to talk about fishing, is that wrong? If a bunch of farmers gather to talk about farming, is that somehow wrong? If a bunch of drug addicts gather to talk and shoot up drugs, other than it being illegal to shoot up drugs, is it wrong for them to wnat to be with like-minded people? No, I don't think so.

If some people want to believe in god, why is that so wrong to y'all? If I want to believe in little green men on Mars, why would you be against it?

And please remember, don't make the mistake of making erroneous connections between religions, churches, etc with criminal activity. The two are completely separate issues!

Baron Max
 
Baron Max said:
That may be what the article says, but I don't think that it's necessarily true. For one thing, I'm of the opinion that people just like to be around, to be with, people who think and feel as they do ...it's a natural trait of animals the world over. Church helps people do that ...and people like it. And if they like it, who is to say that it's somehow wrong?

If a bunch of fishermen gather to talk about fishing, is that wrong? If a bunch of farmers gather to talk about farming, is that somehow wrong? If a bunch of drug addicts gather to talk and shoot up drugs, other than it being illegal to shoot up drugs, is it wrong for them to wnat to be with like-minded people? No, I don't think so.

If some people want to believe in god, why is that so wrong to y'all? If I want to believe in little green men on Mars, why would you be against it?

And please remember, don't make the mistake of making erroneous connections between religions, churches, etc with criminal activity. The two are completely separate issues!

Baron Max
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You are absolutely right , Baron Max !!!!

Only a small percentage of religious people are criminals - and most of them enjoy the company of people thinking like themselves .....

Unfortunately, this post is about spiritual abuse ....
So we have to investigate the darker sides of religion - very sad , but this is the topic of the thread !!!!!!!
 
Light,

Given that there is no factual authority that one can refer to validate a spiritual concept, i.e. spirituality is entirely emotionally derived by each participating individual, then spiritual abuse is nothing more than one person or group claiming their fantasy is superior to that of someone else. That someone might feel upset is of course entirely their own problem and which can be easily solved by choosing an alternative fantasy. Again without any factual reference any spiritual fantasy is as valid as any other.
 
Baron Max said:
If a bunch of fishermen gather to talk about fishing, is that wrong? If a bunch of farmers gather to talk about farming, is that somehow wrong? If a bunch of drug addicts gather to talk and shoot up drugs, other than it being illegal to shoot up drugs, is it wrong for them to wnat to be with like-minded people? No, I don't think so.

If some people want to believe in god, why is that so wrong to y'all? If I want to believe in little green men on Mars, why would you be against it?
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The problem is when those people who take their god delusions as reality get into power and make decisions based on their religious beliefs that affect us all. That is a serious problem.

If it was just people sitting around chatting about their fantasies, I'd have no problem with that, they can fill their boots.

Of course, if you were the mayor of my town and believed in little green men from Mars, I might not vote for you next term. ;)
 
(Q) said:
The problem is when those people who take their god delusions as reality get into power and make decisions based on their religious beliefs that affect us all. That is a serious problem.

If it was just people sitting around chatting about their fantasies, I'd have no problem with that, they can fill their boots.

Of course, if you were the mayor of my town and believed in little green men from Mars, I might not vote for you next term. ;)
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Which is why religion is such a contentious issue. Astrology, for example, is benign, so we just laugh at it... Religion is something that would be laughed at in the same way if it didn't have such political power and strong tendencies towards conflicts and war.
 
KennyJC said:
Which is why religion is such a contentious issue. Astrology, for example, is benign, so we just laugh at it... Religion is something that would be laughed at in the same way if it didn't have such political power and strong tendencies towards conflicts and war.
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Exactly, and many of the people who have god delusions laugh at those who believe in astrology.
 
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