Unmasking Spiritual Abuse
Uncover the harmful impact of Spiritual Abuse and learn to recognize its signs for healing and personal growth.
Unmasking Spiritual Abuse: Unveiling the Dark Side of Religious Places
DO YOU KNOW WHAT SPIRITUAL ABUSE IS?
Everyone knows that millions of people suffer some form of abuse every day. However, most are unaware that abuse also occurs in religious settings. Like physical abuse, spiritual abuse brings unwanted psychological effects to its victims.
In abusive relationships, people exert undue control over their victims. In spiritual abuse, victims are forced to accept teachings that contradict God’s commandments. It’s very sad to know that spiritual leaders use their divine authority to take advantage of their victims, and this is just one type of spiritual abuse.
The abuse of power manifests with phony spiritual teachers and phony gurus who tell you how to run your life and what to wear and eat. They abuse. People don’t realize that. Listen to them and ruin their lives.
~ Frederick Lenz
HOW DOES SPIRITUAL ABUSE OCCUR?
Mocking others’ religious beliefs or using leadership to manipulate victims is spiritual abuse. Many people see religion as a control tool and aren’t entirely wrong. In spiritual practices, followers look to their leaders for divine guidance.
We can also say spiritual abuse isn’t limited to a specific organization. Since all religions believe in something divine and supernatural, the leaders of these sects act as the earthly governors of their followers. Some of them may excessively brainwash their supporters and distort God’s attributes.
Typically, spiritual abusers are obsessed with their knowledge and beliefs. They misinterpret and misuse God’s teachings for their matters.
Their victims are usually individuals seeking closer relationships with God. However, these people are led into a relationship guided by mental prisons of abuse and control. Spiritual abusers feed their victims’ minds with harmful falsehoods, deceptive contexts of God, and wrong doctrines. They distort the truth for their selfish gains – money, respect, ego, power. When spiritual abusers hide under religious cloaks to toy with God, they rarely change their ways.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE SUFFERING SPIRITUAL ABUSE
Religion is a curious aspect of spirituality because the follower must accept its doctrines as a guide. Many religious organizations have doctrines that promote gender superiority in relationships. They teach that men have God-given supremacy rights, leading women to submit to male authority.
DIVINE AUTHORITY
While it’s right for wives to respect their partners, just as they should be respected, husbands shouldn’t use God’s authority to deem themselves superior. Relationships and family life should be different from courts, where men are the final judges.
INDOCTRINATION
Typically, the attitude of male supremacy comes from indoctrination, leading to spiritual abuse. Women who suffer the effects of spiritual abuse from their partners don’t have equal rights in their relationships. The feeling of inferiority often shakes their confidence.
QUESTION YOURSELF
This type of spiritual abuse is common in religions like Islam and Christianity, which place high value on the family head. Some questions can help you understand if you are being spiritually abused. Consider the following:
- Are you silenced or abused by your partner when questioning his religious ideology?
- Do your partner’s actions and thoughts on particular spiritual beliefs reduce your confidence or make you feel stupid?
- Does your partner force you to attend religious meetings?
- Does your partner punish or insult you when your lifestyle differs from his or her religious beliefs?
- Does your husband use scriptures or religious teachings to justify abusive behavior toward family members?
- Does he insist that your children be raised in a specific religion?
- Does your husband force you to adopt a religion different from your spiritual beliefs?
TEST TO KNOW IF YOU ARE BEING ABUSED BY YOUR SPIRITUAL & RELIGIOUS LEADER
Spiritually abusive people claim to speak on behalf of God and demand respect from their followers. However, they need to remember that respect is earned and not granted under pressure. While trying to influence others for personal gain, many religious leaders become obsessed with material goods. An internet search can find various spiritual entrepreneurs with fleets of cars and private jets. Their followers see this spiritual leader as a prophet. However, they are false prophets who manipulate people for more money.
Here’s a list of questions that can help you discover if you are suffering spiritual abuse from your religious leader:
- Is your religious leader constantly requesting contributions, gifts, and donations?
- Does the speaker use digital media like TV and the Internet to solicit financial assistance?
- Does your leader subtly threaten someone who fails to obey him with scriptures?
- Does he ask his followers to sacrifice their life’s assets for the religious institution?
TEST TO KNOW IF YOU ARE SUFFERING SPIRITUAL ABUSE FROM YOUR PARENTS
Parents can express love for their children in various ways. However, they often aren’t aware of their excessive influence on a child. This type of control includes shaping children and their religious views.
Often, parents force their children to participate in religious rituals like daily prayers, worship, etc., aiming to make the child a follower of a particular faith. However, this cannot be considered spiritual abuse if parents don’t force their children to obey such practices and only encourage them. Below are some forms of parental spiritual abuse:
- Parents who see religious events as priorities over children’s education and development activities;
- Parents who commit a girl to a future husband just to fulfill religious scriptures;
- Those who circumcise and mutilate male children to follow spiritual laws;
- Parents who prevent a girl from going to school because of an imposed religious mindset.
TEST ON CULT GROUP ABUSE
Regardless of cultural values and good education, anyone can access cult groups. Typically, agents of these groups recruit members from their neighborhoods, schools, and clubs and perform spiritual rites as religious organizations. These cult members can have abusive and immoral behaviors in their fetish environments. We’ll share some useful questions that can help victims recognize they are suffering spiritual abuse in cult groups:
- Is an older student or graduate colleague asking you to take an oath?
- Does a member of your cult group operate in a secret location and send threatening messages?
- Has someone asked you to join a group and keep secrets?
- Are they requesting personal items, blood, hair, nails, or money as a condition to join a group?
Psychologists recommend help for victims and perpetrators of spiritual abuse. It’s essential for people involved in abuses to analyze the effects of oppressive behaviors in their previous experiences.
Join interactive groups that celebrate diversity and individual characteristics. Spirituality and religious beliefs should promote well-being and make people happy; no one needs to feel enslaved by doctrines.
Don’t let someone imprison your mind and subject you to spiritual abuse. We all have a soul and a mind that act as a channel to our creator. To celebrate your spiritual beliefs and all aspects of your identity, have dignity and respect for others’ rights.
Spiritual abuses can happen subtly. A close friend or family member might accuse you of not being religious. However, you should see this as an opportunity to educate them about individuals’ rights and their need to coexist peacefully. Don’t hesitate to seek help if you suffer spiritual abuse.
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About the Author
Cathedral of the Soul intends to undertake the challenge of creating a multidimensional healing space that is dedicated to those who seek to enrich, enlighten, and heal themselves while serving and assisting in the healing of others. Cathedral of the Soul is one of the many spiritual outreaches of Humanity Healing International, a registered 501C3 nonprofit with Church status. https://cathedralofthesoul.org
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