Very true. If you ever have the unfortunate luck to experience religious abuse of any kind, but particularly abuse of power - you will experience the truth of those words. You will experience a truly modern-day version of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

You see, religious bullying and abuse is different than other kinds of heartaches. You will not have any other Christians to share your burdens with. The people I could talk to were mostly unbelievers. The priests and the Levites still walk by. It is still only the despised Samaritans that stop and lend aid.

If you lose your job or have a death in the family, you will be comforted by many Christian brothers and sisters. You will have shoulders to cry on. You will be accepted with open arms.

Not so with religious abuse. You will be glared at. You will be told to shut up. YOU will be labeled a troublemaker. YOU will be labeled the one with the problem - because you can't just forget it. And you can't forget, because there is never any closure - from anyone.

You will be accused of lying, of being overly-sensitive. You will never be validated. Just totally disrespected.

A newspaper a while back quoted someone as saying that often the cruelest aspect of religious abuse is the secondary abuse that takes place by those who live in denial and WILL not look at the truth.

They are correct. They secondary abusers are the ones who slowly rob you of any ability to trust other believers. They are the ones who leave you with an inner isolation (with this burden you can't share with anyone) and an inner numbness that shuts down on the inside, guarded, struggling just to feel anything anymore. Because you've known too much treachery and too much betrayal. And you wonder who, if anyone, is really your friend. And who is just a "plant", someone paid off to convince you to shut up.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 21, 2007 12:55 AM