The Naked Journal
Thoughts, musings, and meanings behind NakedPastor Art.
The Naked Journal
Exposing Sexual Harassment and Assault in Spiritual Leadership
This pastor now has a rug under which he can sweep all allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Things like: never publicly alone with a woman, money set aside for settlements, NDAs, liability insurance, appearance of accountability, denial, a blind board, a seamless reputation, and the dismissal of all concerned individuals. I know what happens when spiritual leaders with any or all of these are accused of abuse. Not only do you have to deal with their outrage, but also the ferocious wrath of their support and fans. It's never pretty, but always dangerous and destructive to those who bring it to light. Some insist this is rare. It's not. We're hearing more and more about it, not because it's happening more, but because more women are talking about it and exposing the insidious prevalence of it. And I support them. Related Spiritual Abuse Blog Posts What is Spiritual Abuse? And how to recognize when it is happening to you.What is Religious Trauma and How To Recognize It?5 Steps to Recover from Spiritual Abuse
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Microaggressions and The Church
This cartoon is titled " Sinners Welcome" A hip pastor says on the phone, "Of course you're welcome to come to our church if you're gay. We let in all kinds of sinners here." What Is A Micro Aggression? "Microaggression is a term used for brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups" (Wikipedia). This pastor thinks he's being cool and gracious when in fact he's being wrong and hurtful. What he says is a mircoaggression. Why? Because he's saying LGBTQ+ people are sinners BECAUSE they are LGBTQ+. And this is wrong. He hasn’t educated himself. He lacks compassion. Actually, if he cared he would educate himself. I don't even argue about this because I presume it to be true, live as though it is, and expect others to do the same. I entertain no arguments against this. We will be talking a bit more about microaggressions. Stay tuned.
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Leaving the Church and Wanting Your Life Back
For many of us, it's not that we even want our life back... because we've never really known anything else. We want our life! And for so many people that means feeling like we're starting from scratch and having to learn how to live our own lives for the first time. Cartoon description: A man with parts of his body missing shaped like puzzle pieces stands before a pastor who has those missing pieces in his hand. Leaving the church can feel like stepping into the unknown. It’s confusing and sometimes overwhelming to rebuild a life that feels truly your own. But this journey, though difficult, is about discovering who you are outside of what you’ve always known. It's okay to take your time. You're not alone in this.Have you felt this way?
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The Use Of Shame As A Powerful Weapon In The Church
I draw a lot of cartoons about religious abuse, manipulation and coerion in churches. This is my most recent cartoon about the use of shame in the church. Cartoon description: A pastor says to his congregation: "Shame was always used to make me fall inline. It worked because it's the easiest and most immediate way to control people. But it damaged me like it will damage you. If you ever catch me shaming you, please tell me! Shame is a hard habit to break." Wouldn't that be nice to witness? Shame is a powerful emotion. So, many weaponize it. The interesting thing is that when I talk about shame, people rush to its defense. Why? Because it works. People who use shame would rather you conform than transform. It’s one thing to think, “I didn’t do that and I should have” or “I did that and I shouldn’t have”. It’s another thing to think you are a terrible person who can never measure up to the standards set for you by yourself and others. My advice to people who feel shame: Think of yourself as a winner who stumbled, not as a loser who will never amount to anything. My advice to people who use shame to manipulate others: Be like the pastor in this cartoon.
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The Truth Behind 'Progressive' Church Control
One of the things that really concerns me about many churches is that they give off this air of progressiveness... ... while the same old problems of control, manipulation, spiritual abuse, micro-managing people's lives, and the blatant prohibiting of personal freedom is just as rampant as any other church. But it's all cloaked in an aura of coolness. The most naïve among us fall for it but quickly learn it's not real. Cartoon Description: A young hip pastor says to his congregation, "At this church we encourage you to find and walk your own spiritual path, as long as we choose it for you." We learn it was either just bait or, worse, that the church actually believes it is all about love and grace and freedom but has no idea what these look like. How many here have experienced this?Because I know I have, and I see it all around me.
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Unmasking the Church's Dark Side
Yesterday I did a cartoon about a woman leaving a church. The people inside the church are thinking she's backsliding. She's thinking she's growing. She was leaving the church because it was the only way she could continue on her journey. But people leave the church for other reasons too. Like because they can no longer bear being told to believe nonsense. Or they're fed up with its irrelevance.Or they're disgusted by its greed.Or they're tired of narcissistic pastors. Or they realize the church doesn't actually care for them.Or they can no longer agree with excluding or discriminating against LGBTQ+ people. Behind the Church's Welcome Sign Cartoon Description: It's night. There's a church. Its sign says, "Welcome to Our Awesome Church". Behind the church there are a bunch of people who've been thrown into its dumpster. But one of the biggest reasons people leave is because they've been spiritually abused by the church. Some just leave because they don't want it anymore.Some leave because they have no choice and are forced to.Others are kicked out. What's amazing is that the church can boast about and even have a reputation for being awesome while at the same time we hear reports of serious allegations of abuse. This is a huge problem. A very real one. And I know hundreds if not thousands of people who have experienced it. Have you been abused by the church?
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The Church and Victim Mentality
Description: Sheep going to slaughter. One says to another, "Frankly, I'm sick and tired of your victim mentality!" The Church and a Victim Mentality (Victims are real, including of the Church. This isn’t about that but the victim mentality.) I claim the Church nurtures a victim mentality: Suffering: The cross, suffering servant, and lambs to the slaughter were concepts I embraced. This stuck with me through my ministry. It still echoes. It’s fatalistic. It views affliction as inevitable, desirable, and deserved. The result is you should always turn the other cheek and never stand up for yourself or fight back. In fact, any effort to change your situation is selfish. Humiliation: We were taught that we are broken sinners, weak, and needing to be rescued. We’re trained to believe that we should be so dependent on God that we have no will, no power, and no voice. Many say this is the most perfect way. We’re tools for God to use when God wants. Independence is rebellion. The “poor me” posture is an effective way for the Church to keep us ashamed before God, before the pastor, before the church, and before the world. Helplessness: Because suffering, servitude, and submission carry such currency in the Church, it feels no need to help us to be empowered. Being “more than conquerers” is only for controlling our sinful nature, not for living confidently in every area of our lives. The Church trains us to be helpless and dependent. Nelson Mandela said, “I am the master of my fate and the captain of my destiny.” This is a bold declaration to fully participate in our life rather than surrender it to fate, to circumstances, or to the will of another. You have the power!You have the right to change your life!You can be independent!
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Exploring Religious Microaggressions and Their Effects
I've been talking with friends and doing research about microaggressions. Microaggressions are insults against a certain group of people that come off as a joke or even a compliment. Often they’re not even thought about… the aggressor sometimes doesn’t even know what they’re doing. They’re automatic comments that are often made in passing. Description: A MicroAggressive Christian t-shirt with the words, "God Loves Even You!" Here are some examples of microaggressions “You don’t seem gay, though!” “You’re the whitest black person I know!” “Figures your family is rich, being Jews.” “You’re actually pretty cool for a Christian.” “You look like you’re from China.” “Have you gained weight?” Or this one: "God loves even you!" The accumulation of microaggressions in the daily life of the ones receiving them is exhausting. I get them all the time, usually in reference to my art and my beliefs or lack of them. I AM unique and different, and I'm okay with who I am, even though others think they're superior to me because of how they believe or choose to live their lives. But the microaggressions I suffer are nothing in comparison to the those suffered by others because of things they didn't choose... like the color of their skin or their sexuality or gender or where they're from or their shape, etcetera. Microaggressions are committed by people who consciously or unconsciously think they are superior to the one they are offhandedly insulting. They may not know it, but their language betrays it. Let's not do that to each other. And if we do, let's call each other out on it! Microaggressions deserve macrocorrections! I'm up for it. You? Related Religious Trauma Blog Posts Here is a list of other blog posts I've written on religious trauma and spiritual abuse. What is Religious Trauma and How To Recognize It? The Power of Vulnerability for Healing Religious Trauma What is Spiritual Abuse? And how to recognize when it is happening to you. 5 Steps to Recover from Spiritual Abuse
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The Role of Suffering: How Theology Can Enable Abuse
I made an image that said, “I am better for my sufferings. I am better than my sufferings.” Some responded that we should be careful to not glorify suffering. I agree with that. What comes first: the abuse or the theology? Does an abuser gravitate towards a theology that permits and inflicts suffering? Or does a theology inspire abuse in abusers? I suggest it’s a vicious circle where an abuser and a theology develop a symbiotic relationship that feeds off each other and their victims, creating a cycle of spiritual abuse. In this cartoon, we see a pastor who considers himself God’s hand to execute God’s will upon the people. Mix this with an arsenal of scriptures that elevate suffering to divine will and we’ve got trouble. Scriptures? Yes! Let’s consider one victim group: children. We know that children suffer abuse in the church. But the bible often depicts children as dispensable sacrifices to the greater good. Abraham will sacrifice Isaac to satisfy God. An angel kills Egypt’s first-born sons to provoke the release of God’s people. Lot throws his daughters to rapists to protect his guests. God sacrifices his own son to save the world. Etcetera. Could these biblical ideas create a culture of disregard for the safety of the life of our children in deference to the life of the church and the protection of its leadership? Add the passages commending pain and suffering, discipline and punishment, marginalization and rejection, and death and dying for the greater good, as well as a church willing to employ these ideas, and there’s your culture of abuse and religious trauma. So, when it comes to suffering, we flatly refuse to encourage it, inflict it, glorify it, or use it as a means to manipulate others to fulfill an agenda.
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