Spiritual abuse involves the misuse of power and authority within religious systems to manipulate and exploit others for selfish gain. It is characterized by authoritarian leadership, aversion to criticism, perfectionism, and rules that discourage independent thinking, discussion with outsiders, and questioning of leadership. Spiritual abusers employ techniques like thought control, confession, and an emphasis on doctrine over people to maintain power and influence over their followers.

1. Spiritual Abuse
Part I: It's characteristics and methods
Presented by Bob Munson, ThD
Administrator, Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center

2. What is “spiritual abuse”? 2 definitions:
“misuse of a position of power, leadership, or
influence to further the selfish interests of
someone other than the individual who needs
help.”
“the manipulation and exploitation of others by
the misuse of spiritual privilege and power.”
The definitions recognize spiritual as greater than
simply supernatural, but includes Tillich's view
of spirit as power combined with meaning.

3. For the most part, this presentation will focus
on spiritual abuse that is tied to the
religious... particularly as related to church,
parachurch, and discipling relationships. In
other words, abusive religious systems.
However, it is good to note that spiritual abuse
of one form or another is common in many
settings and forms.

4. NOTE
1. Most if not all spiritual abusers do not see
themselves as abusers.
2. Most who are spiritually abused do not see
themselves as being abused... at least at first.

5. NOTE
1. Spiritual Abuse has been with us for a long,
long time (see Ezekiel 34, Matthew 23, III
John).
2. Few groups or leaders really start out as
abusive.... it develops gradually over time.
Commonly, the seed of the problem was there
in the beginning, but it took awhile for that
seed to bear its destructive fruit.

6. 5 Hallmarks of Abusive Religious Systems

Authoritarian: Unconditional obedience to the
leadership.

Averse to Criticism: The person who dissents is a
problem to fix-- not the issue brought up.

Image Conscious: Protecting the reputation of the
leaders or church is more important than truth or
justice.

Perfectionistic: Individual worth is determined by
performance. No compassion for weakness/failure.

Unbalanced: Group distinguishes itself by
overemphasizing a minor theological point.

-From The Watchmen Fellowship

7. 4 “Rules” of Spiritual Abuse
List by Dr. Graham Barker or the “School of
Counseling at the Wesley Institute of
Drummoyne”
“Spiritual abuse shares many common features
with other abusive systems. The most
identifiable are the unspoken rules: Don’t
trust, don’t talk, don’t think and don’t
question.”

8. #1. Don't Trust
“The power wielded by abusive leadership is
generated from the double premise that they
alone are God’s
“anointed” and that their biblical interpretations
alone are to be trusted. Any interpretation or
information that does not receive
their endorsement is untrustworthy.”

9. #1. Don't Trust
“The “don’t trust” rule squashes the individual’s
confidence in their own
judgment and their ability to make decisions for
themselves. Any personal experience that
contradicts the leadership’s
teachings is also deemed untrustworthy and an
indicator of spiritual immaturity.”

10. #2. Don't Think
“Leaders of closed systems do not tolerate the
study and consideration of alternative
interpretations of
Scripture. Their viewpoints are considered
unquestionable truth. This closed mindset
often extends to edicts on
personal life; clothing, occupation, ministry
location and even marital choices may be
prescribed.”

11. #2. Don't Think
“Independent thinking,
particularly any close analysis of the group’s
belief system, is considered a sign of
dissention and disloyalty.”

12. #3. Don't Talk
“In abusive systems any discussion of group
issues with nonmembers
is discouraged. The leadership will not
tolerate outside consultation since it could
expose the membership to alternative
solutions and undermine the
leadership’s authority.”

13. #4. Don't Question
“Abusive leadership will not tolerate challenges
to its authority. “Don’t question” is a powerful
rule. The
member who questions the decisions or
standards of the leadership is usually
ostracised, humiliated or excluded from
ministry opportunity.”

14. 8 Methods for Mind Control
“Thought Reform and the Psychology of
Totalism” by Robert J. Lifton describes 8
methods used in organizations that seek to
mind/thought control.
Quotes in this section are excerpts of this book
as listed in:
http://www.rickross.com/reference/brainwashin
g/brainwashing19.html

15. 1. Milieu Control
“Establish domain over not only the individual's
communication with the outside (all that he
sees and hears, reads or writes, experiences,
and expresses), but also - in its penetration
of his inner life - over what we may speak of
as his communication with himself.”

16. 2. Mystical Manipulation
“Higher Purpose” or “Special Revelation” is
used as justification for requiring TOTAL
FAITH. The purpose supercedes all other
purposes.
The mystical imperative suggests that ANY
questioning or reflection not in line with the
beliefs of the group is from the “dark side”
(the enemy, from Satan, etc.).

17. 3. Demand for Purity
“The experiential world is sharply divided into
the pure and the impure, into the absolutely
good and the absolutely evil. The good and
the pure are of course those ideas, feelings,
and actions which are consistent with the
totalist ideology and policy; anything else is
apt to be relegated to the bad and the
impure.”

18. 4. Cult of Confession
“Confession is carried beyond its ordinary religious,
legal, and therapeutic expressions to the point of
becoming a cult in itself. There is the demand that
one confess to crimes one has not committed, to
sinfulness that is artificially induced, in the name of
a cure that is arbitrarily imposed. Such demands are
made possible not only by the ubiquitous human
tendencies toward guilt and shame but also by the
need to give expression to these tendencies. In
totalist hands, confession becomes a means of
exploiting, rather than offering solace for, these
vulnerabilities. “

19. 5. The Sacred Science
“The totalist milieu maintains an aura of
sacredness around its basic dogma, holding
it out as an ultimate moral vision for the
ordering of human existence. This
sacredness is evident in the prohibition
(whether or not explicit) against the
questioning of basic assumptions, and in the
reverence which is demanded for the
originators of the Word, the present bearers
of the Word, and the Word itself.”

20. 6. Loading the Language
“The language of the totalist environment is
characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The
most far-reaching and complex of human problems
are compressed into brief, highly reductive,
definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and
easily expressed. These become the start and finish
of any ideological analysis.”
“For an individual person, the effect of the language of
ideological totalism can be summed up in one word:
constriction.”

21. 7. Doctrine over Person
“The underlying assumption is that the doctrine
- including its mythological elements - is
ultimately more valid, true, and real than is
any aspect of actual human character or
human experience. … Rather than modify the
myth in accordance with experience, the will
to orthodoxy requires instead that men be
modified in order to reaffirm the myth.”

22. 8. The Dispensing of Existence
“The totalist environment draws a sharp line
between those whose right to existence can
be recognized, and those who possess no
such right. … Yet one underlying assumption
makes this arrogance mandatory: the
conviction that there is just one path to true
existence, just one valid mode of being, and
that all others are perforce invalid and false.”

23. Some Characteristics of a Spiritual
Abuser
-Need to control others
-Authoritative style
-Commanding personality
-Inability to tolerate criticism/dissension
-Surrounds with a small, exclusive clique
-Self-proclaimed expert, “anointed”
-Secretive about “private” life

24. Many religious traditions have
components that make them
susceptible to spiritual abuse
-Separatist traditions can drift into an abusive
isolationist structure.
-Hierarchal or apostolic structures can lead to
unthinking obedience.
-Prophetic groups open the door to secret revelation
that quashes critical thinking.
-Holiness movements can drive towards a
perfectionistic mindset.
-Apocalytic groups can reject the value of structures
and relationships in the here and now.

25. Signs to Look Out For
-Are the leaders open and accountable?
-Do they encourage critical thinking?
-Are they willing to consider new ideas and
initiatives?
-Are they open to a diversity of opinion and
interpretation?

26. Correcting Myths About the Abused
(From Stephen Martin)
People do not normally choose to be part of an spiritually
abusive group. The group appears to be a sheep, yet is a
“wolf in sheep's clothing.”
People are not fools, crazy, or “unspiritual” for getting into such
a group. Often they are very moral and are idealistic,
unhappy with other groups they have seen. Abusive groups,
in fact, often seek out “the best and the brightest.”
Just leaving an abusive group is not necessarily enough. The
abused are now wary and mistrusting of others who appear
to be kind and helpful (their old group appeared that way as
well). They need special care in recovery.

27. TThe word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, prophesy
against the shepherds of Israel … 'This is what the Sovereign
LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of
themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? … You
have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up
the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for
the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were
scattered because there was no shepherd … Therefore, you
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD … because my shepherds
did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for
my flock … I am against the shepherds and will hold them
accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock
… I myself will search for my sheep and look after them … I will
bind up the injured and strengthen the weak … I will shepherd the
flock with justice … I will save my flock, and they will no longer be
plundered … You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people,
and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.'" (Excerpts
from Ezekiel 34)

28. References

Enroth, Ronald M. “Churches that Abuse.”
Zondervan.

The Watchmen Fellowship

http://www.rickross.com

Barker, Graham. “The Insidious Harm of Spiritual
Abuse” Alive Magazine

Lifton, Robert J. “Thought Reform and the
Psychology of Totalism.”

Martin, Stephen. “Wolves in Sheep's Clothing”
www.wellspringretreat.org.