Spiritual Abuse From Toxic Christianity.

[Deleted member 12723]

I appreciate your comments but the original post was about Spiritual Abuse and Toxic Christianity and it did not have anything to do with your beliefs at all.

I believe there are decent believers out there in the world like yourself.

But this post had nothing to do with you but was for the purpose of raising awareness of the Spiritual Abuse and Toxic Christianity. It has impacted the lives of so many.

I have heard that there are some good churches out there in the world. I have tried to return to a church but I found that I was too branded by my experiences to go back.

I believe that that there are a lot of people who do not go to church that are true believers and I recognize them by their words and ways.

I am sorry you had a problem with the experiences of so many.

 

[Laura 2]

Thank you to @a3a2 for bringing your good experience to the thread.

It's wonderful to know that there are truly Christian churches out there. But in all my years I've not found one.

(I know that there are genuinely compassionate people out there who actively practice Christ's love and teachings - though, curiously, they often claim to be atheists...) You said it all well @gizmo

 

[Trekker]

I went to a Fundamentalist Born Again Baptist church in Florida in the 1970's. I became so disgusted with it I left and never went to church again. Thirty years later I googled it and found out the pastor and church founder was arrested for child abuse. DR. Bob Gray of the Trinity Baptist Church, Jacksonville Florida.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Trekker, I am so sad about your experience and the fact that he was arrested for child abuse is not surprising. There are so many dysfunctional churches, that people driven out of them are often shamed and rejected by the whole group.

I shared my story with you guys because so many people who are needy and broken are secondary wounded and left alone to heal and try to make sense out of what happened.

You are lucky that you were not fooled like I was and so many others.

I was not expecting the response that this post got so it was worth it to bring it up and out in the open. I appreciate the responses and wish I could address each one personally but I do not know how to tag people nor do I know how to quote them. I am technolegly challenged.

And anyone can see how the Catholic church is responding to the sexual abuse of children and the great need to cover it up and not deal with the perpetrators. I could go on and on, getting off of my soap box now.

 

[Laura 2]

@gizmo - No, no! Don't get off your soapbox....we all need to rant against abuse wherever it is, and keep on ranting. Especially about the sheer volume of abuse (of all sorts) within churches - how obscenely hypocritical it is. Those who can manipulate and abuse adults can also easily do the same to the youngsters in the congregation, with even worse effects.

Thank you for this thread.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Laura, thank you so much. We do need to vent and rant about it to expose it and educate and raise awarenesses and help to heal and recover together. We each went through it alone and no longer are we alone. We have each other and you are very welcome.

 

[BloomInWinter]

I too have lost my faith in any man-made religion following far too many bad experiences.

I saw a quote the other day which went something like "faith is taking on another's beliefs as your own; spirituality is searching for your own." I consider myself atheist now, yet spiritual.

Another quote also sums up my feelings on this topic. “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.”
―Seneca

It explains much in American politics which subjugates women, children, minorities, and those in poverty.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Bloom thank you so much for what you shared. Your quotes are so wise and true. I agree with what you have gone through to find yourself where you are now. Thanks for sharing I so appreciate it as it helped me out so much.

 

[zaniara]

You can have faith without being religious too. Even without believing in God. Even when you're an atheist. Without faith there is only despair and hopelessness. Since if you have faith in nothing(love, that peace in Gaza/Syria/the world/between groups is possible or that good thing can happen etc. etc.), you have no hope, you will act in ways so bad things start happening: despair can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. - Just saying...

Also I don't see why faith and spirituality needs to exclude on another. They can co-exist. Faith without 'spirit' in it seem like 'just words' and not healthy to me.

Am so sick and tired of the religious people saying religion is the only good thing and spirituality being bad- which they say since they are at war with 'new age' (thanks heaven- no pun intended- that not all religious people are so ignorant!) But I'm equally sick and tired of all non-religious people judging all religion and worst case scenario everyone who is religious.

I'm sick and tired of judgments, 'war' between groups and all haters. Right now, in my country, it is okay to discuss group sex, cheat on the taxes and school tests and lie without blinking and talking shit behind people's backs. (The social brainwashing in media goes on day in and day out and make people believe all kinds of shit: you have to be thin, you have to be successful, you have to do this/have this/be this to be happy. Etc. Etc.) But if you dare to admit you're religious you make people upset and they start telling you how sick that is and how no sane person can believe in God etc, etc.. ??? - I think it's really strange and it scares me.

No doubt a lot of people twist religion into something that's NOT about love(which is what God is according to the bible). I have been hurt by some of those people. But right now I'm finding a lot of good stuff in a church, and it gives me strength and make it possible for me to survive the madness in my head. But I'm putting my spirituality and faith before religion, since I think God is bigger than anything made by man. Also no-one is 'closer to God' than anyone else. So no one can tell me 'this is the way it is' and I blindly believe that person. As long as I'm accepted in my church and free to disagree(when and if I do) I will stay. If I can't see the love anywhere there anymore I will go. Wherever love is I will be. Right now I get hate, judgments and condemnation from atheists hating religion so much it scares me just as much as the religious freaks out there.

I think some of those quotes were only true to some extent. Not all religious people are bad nor unwise nor stupid people.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I made this thread for people abused by legalists who call themselves Christians and are highly toxic. It is not about the people who are happy with their churches.

I wanted to raise awareness of the great damage done by these so called Christians, and while zaniara you expressed your thoughts and opinions it is not addressing the real issue of this thread.

I know for a fact that Spiritual Abuse does devastating damage and I support anyone who is now an atheist because of harmful experiences to them.

So you see this thread does not apply to you at all in any way and I am so sad that you took it so personally.

I do not call myself a Christian although I have faith in the Creator and have seen too many miracles that I truly appreciate.

You did not have to go there if it was too triggering for you.

I think that people driven away from church and religion and even a faith are broken and wounded and needy and have a right to form their own beliefs.

The purpose of this thread was directed at only those who were Spiritually Abused. I am very sad you did not read the entire thread because the peoples pain is so huge.

As a victim of extreme Spiritual Abuse I think the better way is to show mercy, kindness and compassion.

Even Jesus said he wants us to learn about mercy and not sacrifice. He also said the day was coming when we would not need a teacher and the Holy Spirit would teach us in out spirits. He also said that he would rather we be hot or cold than lukewarm.

We need to really read carefully before we post.

You took the whole thread out of context. You took it personal.

I admit you were expressing yourself but I suggest that you start your own thread about your faith and not hijack this one.

 

[xena21]

God was the only reason I got through my sexual abuse. Jesus CHrist was the ONLY reason I survived. I had planned on killing myself at age 12, but I was afraid I'd go to Hell. I love God. I had grown up in a very strict Christian religious household, but I KNEW in my heart what was right about JESUS. It wasn't about religion in general. Even as a kid, I knew it was about Jesus. I felt Him protecting me even as I was abused from the time I was born until I was a teenager. I also had OCD severely but I felt somehow protected, like in a bubble.

It was amazing to me. It was no religion at all. It was one amazing God/Jesus that was saving me from life on Earth. I hated my life, yet He was there to pull me up. I made it thru high school then the Marines, then the Secret Service. I was amazed, because I never really went along with organized religion. It was just Him. I followed Him. Every day I just followed what I thought He wanted, and though I was terrified I continued.

Now I still know it's about Him and I don't follow any specific religion. I was turned off by organized religion as a child when my aunt would use the belt on us and say it was for love or, God approved of it. I was turned off when I was afraid of God because of things the CHurch preached. I was turned off by the zealots that wouldn't allow pants on women or anyone to dance because it was satanic. TV was off limits and music was limited to certain songs that only the church approved of.

I knew in my heart Jesus was beyond that.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Zena, my faith is like yours. He has always been a presence in my life since I was young. I always had some kind of faith apart from church. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story.

I really appreciate what you so eloquently said.

I believe in the right to form our own beliefs and I empathize with any atheist driven away and yet are spiritual.

Your story is amazing. Bless your sweet nature for sharing this.