Is it possible for a person’s faith or religion to be so deeply linked with the unconscious and conscious emotional and psychological matrix of their reality that they are unable to realize it is oppressive and toxic? Much like a devoted spouse in an abusive relationship?
In our society, the real damage caused by toxic religion is assumed to be done by extreme fringe groups readily identified as “cults” and we have all heard of the mind controlling indoctrination and abuses of such organizations.
But with a little research one finds that mind control, mental, emotional and physical oppression is actually the norm for many large, mainstream religious groups in our own community and across the nation.
Yet very few of the members of these organizations will ever comprehend they belong to an oppressive, abusive form of Christianity. Why?
Identifying Toxic Religion
One of the primary reasons these religions are destructive is the fact that they use subtle forms of manipulation to imprint their belief system upon the unsuspecting members, over time removing their ability for critical reasoning. All of the major authoritarian religions have enormous psychological control because they are based on fear, which is the most primitive and powerful human emotion, and they emphasize shame and guilt.
It can be a comfortable environment as long as a member does not raise questions because of this; children learn very early to repress independent thinking and to not trust their own feelings. Instead, for truth believers rely on external authority — religious leaders. With the consequences of disbelief so severe, leaders are able to demand acceptance of archaic and contrary claims at the expense of personal observation or personal sentiments.
The culture rewards individuals who contribute in religious ways and obedience is the highest value, while personal development is truncated. By adapting to the conditions imposed by their religion, members lose identification with self. Each time you adapt it requires the sacrifice of personal instinctual and experiential truths. The daily repetition of forced adaptations leads to the progressive relinquishing of all your personal authority and the development of extreme cognitive dissonance.
“My form of Christianity was very strongly entrenched and anchored deeply in my heart. It is hard to describe how fully my religion informed, infused, and influenced my entire worldview. My first steps out were profoundly frightening.” – Mary
To understand this fully, one must appreciate the totality of a religious worldview that defines and controls reality the way exclusive religions do. An authoritarian religion has a closed system of logic and a strong social structure that support a skillfully organized and restricted worldview. Everything about the world — past, present, and future — is explained, the meaning of life is laid out and morality is already decided.
Controlling religions limit information about the world and alternative views; eventually members learn to police their own information; constantly reinforcing their closed system of logic making it easy to conclude that, their religious worldview is the only one possible. Anything outside of their world is considered dangerous and evil at worst and terribly misguided at best.
Its important to realize that everything we have considered so far makes up the basic (meme complex) element of culture or system of behavior passed on to generation after generation of children.
Added to toxic teachings are practices in the church and within the homes of religious families that are extremely damaging. Too many secrets are covered up, kept behind closed doors.
The sanctioned patriarchal power structure from the 1st millennium BC (the Iron Age) in both abusive forms of Christianity and Islam for instance, are used to promote violent and oppressive practices towards children and women.
Women are subjugated, forced to be subservient and submissive, many times severely punished if they step outside of the biblically assigned roles and at best these women suffer from inferiority and devastatingly low self-esteem.
Parents are given undue authority to treat their children with harsh and violent parenting methods. Children often become victims of unimaginable atrocities for they are simply viewed as possessions and even sexual misdeeds upon children have been amazingly difficult to confront.
Remarkably, many followers of Christianity and Islam clearly see the barbarism in the other’s religion and readily condemn it – while hypocritically neither “considers the rafter in their own eye.” (Matt 7:5)
With abusive and oppressive behaviors endemic in our society, I pray that many readers are moved at this point in the article to asks themselves: “What can I do to help prevent the spread of authoritarian forms of Christianity?”
Conceivably the answer is found in the examples of others. I find it fascinating that the Reformation was a 16th-century movement for the reform of Christian religious abuse. I am also overwhelmed with inspiration by the example Jesus set when he threw the materialistic charlatans out of the temple and boldly denounced the pharisee’s and sadducee’s, for their power hungry greed and for teaching the commandments of men and I can’t help but think – what would Jesus do if He were here on earth today?
Well, we are here, today as his earthly representatives.
Perhaps it is time to ask him in prayer.
Is it time to educate our communities, protect our families and safeguard the Christian Faith from the further spread of abusive forms of Christianity?
If so, why not let it begin here –in our great city of Spokane.
