Spiritual abuse, one could say, is a religious experience. By it’s very existence religions, churches, spiritual leaders are all in a position of power over the individual who is searching for spiritual meaning to life. It is a fact, power and abuse go hand in hand. That is the similarity between spiritual abuse and other forms of abuse, the difference is while trust is often shattered in other forms of abuse trust in hope, peace, joy and GOD is shattered in spiritual abuse.
Abuse, no matter what kind, damages. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse take their toll on the victim. Lives are forever changed, perception of the world is altered and our lives become something other than what they were or might have been. Spiritual abuse shatters all that and more. It rocks the very core of who we are as beloved children of God and takes with it our ability to hold on to our faith.
When on a spiritual journey it is natural for us to seek out like-minded people. We want to connect and form fellowships. We want a place to express our beliefs with others around us who believe as we do. So we search for that perfect place, the right church or temple of the belief system that resonates with our very being. We turn the leaders and teachers of that faith and long to be spiritually fed by their apparent wisdom. Often times in the process we place those Priests, Ministers and Rabbi’s on pedestals. The problem is, we are never prepared for the moment they fall from the glory we have given them. Somewhere along the way we have forgotten, they are human.
Abuses within religion are not new. However, it has really only been in the last several decades that individuals are speaking out. The most well known are those cases in which one time alter boys stepped forward to say they had been abused by the Priests they served under. This is Spiritual AND Sexual abuse. The outrage still makes blood boil when we think of children being abused in the sanctity of holy ground.
Yet Spiritual abuse goes beyond these walls of injustice. It is something we see on daily basis as individuals turn to Spiritual leaders to guide them on their paths to the God of their choice. As the claims sound that a particular path is the only path or the right path, minds are closed to experience any other form of worship. When even a small piece of this system collapses individuals are left to question every aspect of their world and the Universe.
This power in the Church started centuries ago when political leaders eliminated certain beliefs, set doctrines and placed parameters around what and who could be worshiped. Those days are long forgotten and yet the power of the church over it’s followers continues.
Whether it is the Minster or Priest who over steps boundaries and becomes intimate with a parishioner, or a mind controlling Guru who found to be a fraud, the effect is a stinging blow to the one who was only looking for guidance to their God. The churches, temples and Spiritual Centers as well as their leaders are being looked to for the meaning to life itself, to abuse that position leaves the victims with virtually no place to turn.
Abuse disrupts a persons core belief about themselves, spiritual abuse takes it all a step farther, it disrupts one’s belief in God.
