I had plans this month to publish several articles about my experiences with spiritual abuse, but have decided not to do so at this time.
After a couple of recent posts which received much attention, I have come to the conclusion that my skin is not thick enough to handle the criticism that comes with the vulnerability of writing about such topics.
I would like to say to those of you who have never experienced any form of spiritual abuse, please be sensitive when someone is vulnerable enough to express their hurts. It is never an easy choice for people to walk away from something that has been such an integral part of their entire lives. And it’s even more difficult to begin to talk about it. To ridicule or criticize or make light of someone who is brave enough to say they’ve experienced spiritual abuse would be equivalent to telling a physical abuse survivor that the slap to the face didn’t really happen or that is wasn’t that bad.
Maybe I’ll eventually find the courage to share my story, but for now, I’ll leave you with a couple of links to articles I’ve found helpful:
Spiritual Abuse: 10 Ways To Spot It by Mary DeMuth
Shame Is A Prison, And I’m Breaking Out by Joy Bennett
The Consequences of Spiritual Abuse by Joy Bennett
Rebekah,
i am so sorry that you received such criticism as a result of your brave expression of vulnerability. The exact same thing happened to me when I began speaking out – nearly crushed me. It’s heartbreaking to watch the church shoot their wounded.
I hope that you will be able to discover both the courage and support to share your story someday and in the meantime enjoy peace.
Thank you, Travis. I hope so too.
Rebekah – I thought your blog about church attendance was courageous, clearly expressed and exactly correct. May our Father continue to bless and guide you as you experience and express Freedom to others. Freedom is a scary thing to those who have never known it but once we get a taste of freedom in Christ, we never want to go back into religious bondage again. Grace does what legalistic religion can never do. It shows us Jesus in all His beauty and motivates us to live our lives celebrating and sharing Him. You are proof of that.
Thank you for the much-needed encouragement, Steve.