Spiritual abuse induces toxic shame in the area of one’s spiritual life. Spiritual abuse appears to be a common occurrence and it tends to drive people away from the life-giving relationship one could have with something bigger than one’s self. Spiritual abuse comes in many different forms. It is always induced by someone who has been given real or perceived authority to say and do things in the name of God. In less extreme cases, it might be a shaming word of counsel shared by a Sunday School teacher or a nun. In more extreme forms, spiritual abuse might include sexual or physical abuse which, in turn, is perceived as being done with God’s stamp of approval.
Spiritual abuse induces toxic shame that in turn, cuts one off from the activity of creative relating to something or someone outside of self. When this activity is cut out of life, it is often replaced with some cheap imitation of spirituality. One classic form of this is addiction. It was Gerald May who said that addictions are prayers gone awry. That is, in place of a creative and life-giving relationship with someone or something bigger than you, it gets reduced to the ritualized behaviors of someone trying to fill the emptiness with their drug(s) of choice.
If someone is spiritually abused they will contend with spiritual shame. And in response to spiritual shame, the god of their misunderstanding will promote all sorts of soul sickening beliefs and behaviors. The spiritually shamed will harbor distorted images of God or may have very well given up on the idea of God all together. If you are someone who has been spiritually abused and you find yourself struggling with the idea of having a relationship with the God of your understanding, then The Bridge to Recovery can help. For more information, please give us a call at 877-866-8661 or visit us online at www.thebridgetorecovery.com.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment