Identifying Religious Systems of Abuse

Responding to systemic abuse begins with facing the truth. Jesus lived as part of a dominated group of people under a pervasive system of government. All the religious systems were corrupt. They dehumanized people, isolated & excluded people, & crushed people with heavy burdens. An “us versus them” distinction was firmly enforced. God is not silent regarding systemic abuse. He sent Jesus, who lived in the midst of these corrupt systems, and I believe that in Jesus God speaks about systemic abuse.Jesus sat apart from those who stood together in His day. In the same manner as Jesus, all Christians should be dissidents in the corrupt systems of this world, including in our own beloved institutions.

Quote by -Diane Langberg

WHAT IS RELIGION

Religion is defined in part, by the Old Websters dictionary as a belief in the being and perfections of God. If you know God then you probably would agree that religion as its defined here is accurate and a good thing, however religion as defined by a system of man made laws and regulations is the type of religion that corrupts. In the Bible, in James 1:27, the kind of religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is when we look after the orphans and widows in their distress and keep ourselves from being defiled by the world. Jesus sat with those that were broken by sin, to help them defeat, heal and overcome its harmful effects. He also taught and demonstrated who God really was and what He looked like in His attitudes and character. Jesus was a perfect demonstration of what His Father (God) was like, in the flesh. The man made systemic religious systems were already in high gear during Jesus's day, and they continue their devious work today. We see a lot of abuse in these religious systems that gets justified in the name of God, in order to make it appear that God overlooks abuse in order to promote His work. I often wonder how angry this must make God, to know His name is being unjustly used to justify the harm and abuse of the vulnerable whom He would defend, protect, sit with and heal.

SYSTEMS WITHIN CHRISTIANITY

If you look at the definition of Christianity, it is the beliefs in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Yet, some of the same corrupt religious systems have erected themselves within churches, Christian groups and institutions that profess Christianity. While you see a form of spirituality and even some truth within these systems, sadly the reflections and demonstration of Jesus's character, mind and heart are not present within these systems. Christ's name is often used in vain, and many have grown desensitized to the spread of evil through these corrupt systems because of their Christian labels. Diane Langberg wrote a book called, "Redeeming Power, Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church" where she highlights how power has a God-given role in human relationships and institutions and how it can lead to abuse when used in unhealthy ways. Positions of power, in these systemic religious groups have become hubs where sin and evil can marinate and hide in order to find the rite of passage to bring destruction and harm to the lives of many. They abuse their power by oppressing and re-wounding the wounded, instead of doing what Jesus did, who taught, healed, delivered and sat with and brought healing. Jesus walked in the highest levels of authority and power and chose to become the greatest servant of all. Power and authority used in healthy ways will always be tempered with humility and a heart of servanthood, under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Many leaders upholding these systems use Jesus’s teachings to promote themselves; their own images, agendas, and define any success they have through external means that can be outwardly measured.(like one’s ability to speak persuasively and influence others with their content, draw a crowd, gain a following, financial gain, numbers of converts etc.) Growing in Christlike character and looking like Jesus in our attitudes, actions, and behaviors is not readily seen within these systems. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul distinguishes that there is a difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Man's wisdom can come through excellence of speech that can declare itself as the testimony of God.

Developing an awareness of the fruit and discerning the religious undertones behind what people are actually saying underneath their use of persuasive speech can be incredibly empowering and keep you from getting drawn into the seduction behind the "Christian" veneer of these religious systems. There could be more said about the ways of this type of seduction but I want to highlight more of that in a separate article. Paul said his preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of God's Spirit and power, so that people wouldn’t place their faith in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Leaders in these systemic systems will often set themselves and their own ideals as the example to follow. They may carry an array of wisdom but it doesn't automatically mean it is rooted in the wisdom of God. People can learn the Christian language, with all its cliches and develop a unique skill and ability to sound spiritual and even act spiritual through behavior modification, yet inwardly they can be like ravenous wolves, who have no regard for the well being of others. There is an outward image of respectability that is erected and adhered to at all costs. The goal for people who hold the positions of power in these systems is to mold their followers into becoming loyal followers who compromise their own individuality in order to have their entire identity fashioned after their people group so that individuals learn to depend upon them and their controlled social circles for how to function and live, making it difficult to live apart or outside of their group. The outward respectability is to make it look like there is unity among themselves, but it's more like conformity, where modified behavior is adjusted in order to fit and be in accordance with their own social circles and standards. Maintaining and upholding this outward image (idol)becomes the priority and more important than connecting with Jesus in order to be changed internally to grow and reflect the image and likeness of Jesus’s character.

THE RELIGIOUS PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES

The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’s day were considered the religious leaders of his day, and I think a lot of the religion we see today within Christian circles is a regurgitation of the same attitudes and mindsets of these religious bigots who claimed to know God but exhibited tremendous arrogance in how they related with Jesus. If they would have understood the wisdom of God they wouldn't have been a part of His crucifixion.(1 Cor. 2) They hated and persecuted Jesus for not always following their perfect protocols and doing things how they believed things should be done. Being able to follow their rules and standards in what they deemed as worship to god was a correlation to how righteous they measured themselves and others. When Jesus healed people on the Sabbath He was considered by them as being in violation of their self righteous standards. He was notorious for not allowing them to control Him, and this frustrated them. They revered outward respectability more than Jesus, and coming to know Him. They were driven by performance and doing things that made them look and appear more righteous than Jesus and others. They did things in order to draw attention to themselves, by praying on the street corners, so people would see and think, "Wow, those Pharisees, they really know how to pray."

Jesus warned his followers about the leaven of the Pharisees, (He wasn’t referring to bread) and how those that emphasized outward actions over internal attitudes led to a false spirituality. The righteousness God desires begins in the heart. Thoughts and attitudes are as much a part of His righteousness as deeds and actions are. In fact, deeds and actions are often out-workings of the thoughts and attitudes that are marinating and present in the heart. We naturally have deceitful hearts unless we have allowed the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to help us govern and subdue the work of death and sin that is naturally present in all of our hearts. It is easy to reflect on the evil we see outside or around us, but to come to grips and develop an awareness of the natural bent our own hearts have toward evil is easier to justify and overlook. The Pharisee leaders in Jesus’s day believed they were the righteous ones, had arrived and saw no need for change . Anyone who challenged these leaders ideals and wouldn’t follow them was treated as someone who was rebellious and needed to be disciplined. They were staunch legalists and authoritarian in their demeanor and attitude toward Jesus and others. In Matthew 20, Jesus said, "They lorded over others." They controlled people in order to get people to adopt their ideals an be fashioned into an image and likeness of their own making. They elevated themselves as the standard everyone needed to follow. Instead of humbling themselves, and referring others to follow Jesus’s example, they considered themselves the superior and self righteous ones that every one should follow. Jesus reserved some of his harshest rebukes for these religious bigots. He taught His disciples and followers to be just the opposite of this, which was simply, "the greater the power you hold, the more humble a servant you must become." Power that is not tempered with humility and the governing power of the Holy Spirit always has the potential for growing unhealthy and harmful.

RELIGIOUS GASLIGHTING

There is an incredible amount of gaslighting that accompanies a “religious mindset” similar to the Pharisees. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which seeds of doubt are sown, that makes someone question their own memory and sanity. When someone gaslights you they are trying to change reality from your perception/experience to making it appear to be something closer akin to their own perceptions, that they can manage and control, in order to manage and control you. This type of "religious gaslighting" is spiritual abuse. Leaders who hold ultimate power over others, will often add their own self made rules for their followers to follow and classify these rules as being given to them by God, when God has not commanded that we need to follow their man made rules. (Refer back to my "Entanglements with Rumspringa" article for more clarity on type of rules I am referring to here) These leaders often make claims that they are being a mouth piece for God, and when we disobey their man made rules we are deemed as someone being disobedient to God and to them. Religious and spiritual abuse is very damaging because it makes it appear that God justifies evil and is in favor of it.

PERSONAL EXAMPLE OF "RELIGIOUS GASLIGHTING"

Several years ago, I attended my grandfather's funeral who was Amish. The majority of the people attending his funeral were also Amish, with quite a few that were not. One of the preachers used his time of preaching at the funeral as an opportunity to focus on those that left the Amish. He was condemning the beliefs of those that left, that differed with his own. Then he used scripture to try and prove that He was right and everyone that differed from His belief and how he interpreted scripture, was deceived. This is a form of religious gaslighting. As I sat through this, I remember looking around the room, and vividly noticed how people hung their heads in shame, while he was speaking. As I observed this preachers loud tone, how it carried angrily across the room, I could feel the oppression increase in that room, and I remember having so many emotions during that moment. There was a righteous anger that welled up in me for those that lived under this kind of spiritual abuse and oppression, constantly. I felt angry for the power his words carried, and the shame he was projecting onto others who dared differ with his point of view, and how the seeds of condemnation would continue to damage, intimidate and bring fear not only upon those that left but also on those who sat under his teachings week after week. Instead of focusing on commemorating and speaking about the life of my grandfather or preaching the gospel that Jesus preached with the anointing of God's Spirit that would heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free from bondage, his words added more heavy yokes of bondage.

While I could clearly articulate what was taking place, as I observed and looked on, many that sat in that room may not have been able to define or articulate the spiritual abuse and harm that was taking place. It was clear that the preacher felt justified and right in what he was preaching. He deemed his own interpretation of scripture as the right way, and in light of being right, it was no big feat for him to justify his actions for shaming and condemning others who differed with his view point. This practice is widespread in religious circles. He was speaking as though he was speaking on God's behalf, and because he was right, if you disobeyed him, you were disobeying God. He was superior and those who differed were inferior, disobedient and wrong. This is the danger behind speaking as an oracle of God, when you have a position of power and authority. Anyone can weaponize scripture and use it out of context to make it say what they want in order to support a personal narrative. People with religious power and influence can be skilled in communicating what they deem to be " correct theology" or "biblical truth," and in the same vein excuse their own wrong behavior because they believe they hold correct theology. However, a proposed correct study of God and His Word doesn't always translate into people truly knowing the person of Jesus. When you know His person and spend time with Him, in His presence, only then can you begin learning to grow in becoming a reflection of His love and person to others. It is astonishing how much abusive and evil behavior is justified in the name of being theologically correct. Jesus never did this, instead He graciously taught and sat with those that would listen and learn from Him. In the same way, that this preacher was projecting that everyone who wasn't following his right theology or ideals was deceived, he appeared to be blind to the deception at work in his own heart that was clearly visible in his tone, fruit, words and behavior. The irony of all this was thought provoking to me. The level of wrong behavior we justify and excuse in the name of being right, in ourselves, the greater the work of deception at work in our own hearts and the more desensitized we become to the works of evil. And in that same vein, the more we justify sin in ourselves, the more we will excuse it when we see it in others too.

Spiritual abuse is so damaging, because it makes it appear as though God justifies evil, hateful, and bullying behavior, and that He must be like that Himself. Yet, Jesus, as a perfect reflection of God, is not found supporting or demonstrating any of this.

THE COMING OUT PROCESS

There is such hostility exercised toward those who would dare not to follow all their rules and do things differently. There is so much fear projected in an attempt to motivate and control people. Fear of indifference, rejection, harsh treatment, abuse, etc. are some of the fears I dealt with. These are the types of atmospheres where all kinds of abuse is allowed to thrive. I deeply hate false religious systems who appear wholesome and godly on the outside but inwardly they have become breeding grounds for evil and abuse to thrive. These systems quench and suppress individuals' abilities to be authentic, genuine, and real with themselves and others. As a child in adolescence, I remember encountering what felt like barricades around peoples hearts who were in close proximity to me. There was a sense of permanence and futility surrounding these barricades that constantly frustrated me while living inside the religious system I grew up in. It brought intense feelings of fear and powerlessness, and I often wished, even as a child, that I could live in a different atmosphere. What I didn’t realize as a child was that I couldn't change the atmosphere of a corrupt system, I had to come out of it entirely. Once I physically left, I had learn how to allow the inner transformation of the Holy Spirit to detox myself from it all, because the indoctrination of it all wanted to keep on living through me and wanted to continue to be a part of my identity that wasn't part of my original identity and purpose that Christ desired for me.

When I hear leaders instructing those inside of these religious systems, who come to a level of knowledge about the truth of Jesus and the salvation He brings, to stay in the system in order to share the truth of what they learned with others, I have concerns with that. I have seen many remain in a corrupt system with the idea of reaching others inside, who end up compromising themselves and their own freedom, in some capacity, for the "sake of ministering to others." While this sounds good, Jesus never became part of the religious systems even though he lived among those that were in it. He was never corrupted by the religious systems of this world. I embraced it as truth as a child because I didn't know any better, but once I learned the truth I began to see the need to come out. Jesus taught those inside the system that listened to Him, but He also spoke in parables for those who He knew wouldn't hear and understand His teachings and most likely would weaponize and use them in an attempt to destroy. There is a coming out of first, in order for a coming into the truth, that takes time. There is a lot of unlearning and relearning that takes place in the coming out process.

There are beliefs, behavior modifications, personalities, thoughts, and ideas that formed in me, through the things I identified with while growing up in a religious system, that shaped a false identity, in me. The things I was taught to believe as being the truth while inside the system was not the truth according to Jesus's gospel truth. It takes time to process all these things and to figure out who we really are without the influence of the religious system we grew up in. People who grew up in a cult or in any type of corrupt religious system need to be encouraged to come out completely, in order to walk in complete freedom. Over the years in my own journey of coming out, I developed a growing intolerance to the mindsets that are promoted in these religious systems and the evil, these systems hide and condone, regardless of where I find them. I believe God hates the evil and falsehoods in these systems and He calls us to hate what He hates. I especially hate how they harm people and relationships.

I recall a time during the beginning of my own coming out journey, when the Lord rebuked me for looking like a Pharisee, and told me I looked just like my enemies. This was a humbling, sobering and life changing moment for me, as I heeded and listened to His rebuke and began to recognize and repent for the ways I was still stuck in these "religious mindsets." I didn’t want to stay in the prison of hardness and sin that these mindsets foster, but wanted to grow more into the character and likeness of Jesus, with the compassion and gentle way He dealt with those harmed by sin and these systems. We should oppose these abusive systems and the ways they seek to seduce and influence us. In the above quote by Diane Langberg she mentions being a dissident to the corrupt systems of the world and that word simply means, "to oppose official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state." The Old Websters defines a dissenter as one who separates from established religion, and doesn’t agree with these systems.

I know and understand the deep frustration, heartbreak, and tremendous losses that come from walking through religious and spiritual abuse. It can feel very crushing and debilitating. It has helped me to truly come to know Jesus, and understand that with everything I endured, He has gone before me, and bore Himself. His capacity to empathize and provide comfort is unlike anything I have received from anyone or anything else. I have had many moments of being in prayer and lament from the suffering and heartbreak where He would give me an impression of grieving alongside of me, with me. There is really no one like Him, and His presence and love is an ongoing gift and treasure to me. No matter what I am going through, when I spend time in His presence, the things I walked through or am going through pale in comparison to the goodness, love, life, healing and freedom I have found in Him. In Him, my heart is satisfied, fulfilled and lacks nothing.

Maybe you're still on your own journey where you may still be coming out from underneath a great deal of religious and spiritual abuse, and the indoctrination of it all. I would like to encourage you to continue on the path of coming out and learn to be gracious and kind with yourself, as you process and work through the losses and the process it takes to come into your own individual identity in Christ, without all that stuff that was projected and heaped upon you, while in a religious system. Learn to know the person of Jesus, and how to identify His presence and connect with Him. Grieving and growing your understanding of the harm that religious and spiritual abuse causes are all vital and important parts of the coming out and healing process. I would love if you would share your own thoughts and experiences with me, in the comments or PM me. Selah.