I believe this sums up spiritual abuse pretty succinctly.
Spiritual abuse is when spiritual leaders abuse their power and spiritual ideas to create a toxic culture of shame and control to fulfill their own desires. It is both of these: abuse of power AND the self-serving use of spiritual ideas.
Both of these are fueled by theology or dogma.
Spiritual abuse is not always obvious from the outside. Sometimes it is embedded in systems, language, and policies that appear normal but function as control.
How many here know they've been victims of this? Or how many here are just realizing it? I've drawn a lot of cartoons on spiritual abuse over the years. These cartoons function almost like a spiritual abuse test helping us recognise patterns we might otherwise miss.
Why I keep Speaking and Drawing Cartoons About Spiritual Abuse
This was the first spiritual abuse cartoon I ever drew. It's 13 years old. I remember how much rage I stirred up to be so blatant about pointing out the accepted prevalence of spiritual abuse. But I also remember the gratitude from so many people who felt seen.
So I kept drawing and talking about it. If you've been a victim of spiritual abuse it's important to remember that it is not your fault. Fault lies with no one except the abuser and the system of enablers. There is never an excuse for spiritual abuse.
This cartoon is thirteen years old! I remember how much rage I stirred up to be so blatant about pointing out the accepted prevalence of spiritual abuse. But I also remember the gratitude from so many people who felt seen.
Since then, we've heard more and more about abuse in churches. Unfortunately, including physical and sexual abuse. Lots of stories of sexual harassment.
Resources on Spiritual Abuse
Here are a list of other blog posts I've written on Spiritual Abuse.
- What is Spiritual Abuse? And how to recognize when it is happening to you.
- 10 Reasons Why The Church Is The Perfect Culture For Abuse
- 5 Steps to Recover from Spiritual Abuse
- 10 Questions You Can Ask A Church To See If It's Spiritually Abusive
