Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

ABUSIVE RELIGION

Abusive relationship are very complex most of us have been in some form of abusive relationship in our lives. There is a very fine line between love and guilt, and the abuser has master the manipulation of both to benefit them to obtain whatever they want.

Often times the abuser is repeating something they have been taught thinking their conduct perfectly OK. The person being abuse often allows the abuse because the person has something that makes them feel special and they don't want to lose that feeling. Unfortunately, the person is manipulated by their own needs and wants, and will justify the conduct until it becomes so extreme that something must be done.

Once the pattern is established the abuse person will repeat the pattern going from one abusive relationship into another. But in each relationship they are learning red-flags of abuse, and will soon or later stop the abuse, by not allowing it too start. This problem compounds itself with religion, with professed authority from God. The abuse person has the same red-flags veiled behind a professed mouth piece for God. The abuser has set themselves up as the approver of the person, and the punisher of the person. If the person does not give the abuser there power and control over them, then whatever needs the abused person wants will not be meet.

None of us would condone abuse, but for abuse to stop, the person being abused has to address their own wants and needs, and determine what it is that keeps them in a controlling situation? How has the abuser gotten control over their life? What is it that the abuser has that they cannot do without? Moreover, if you can't do without it, then you are living in fear of losing it, thus, giving the abuser that much more power over you.

1John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

Now we as Christian's can proclaim God's love to others, and even teach it ideally, but so can people being abused in theory, which only serves to deceive them that much more into believing the abuse is OK.

James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. 1:26 If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man's religion is worthless.

But none of us can understand the truth about a proper relationship without first coming out of the bad one we are in. Jehovah God does not mix guilt with love to control us, but He does lovingly tell us to come out of her if we want to find out about His love.

No matter how much we think we know in abusive relationship the truth is we are in one because of our own lack, not God's lack of love, we are promised time and again that there is no lack for those loving God. Many have been abused by false religion throughout the history of mankind, but even in the worst persecution God's people have always had an abundance of love from their heavenly Father. But as long as they stay in the abusive relationship God can not teach them because they will simply turn it about, and believe God is blessing them in their abusive relationship, that is, authorizing and upholding the abuser.

We must first sober up, stop drinking a mixture of love and guilt, and get out of her if we don't want anymore plagues in the name of God's love.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore, "'Come out from among them, and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.{Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34,41}

Daniel,

what you say is so true of the spiritual abuse that is happening in groups who portray themselves as 'the truth.'

Sadly, there usually is also a degree of culpability in the victim, who views the abuse as a trade-off for 'doing God's will,' or as a price to be paid for gaining everlasting life.

Naturally, this makes God complicit in the abuse as well, since His Word compels people to submit to the authority of the abusers who are perpetrating this evil in His Name unchallenged.

Hence, it is only by His grace that this vicious cycle of dependence and abuse can be broken, through a personal revelation of Christ, for the setting free into the glorious freedom of the Children of God, through His death and resurrection on our behalf.

Those who haven't been thus blessed with escape from their own sin, and that of their spiritual masters, will suffer the due recompense for their idolatry and organized rejection of Christ.

epidox

It is complex issue “abusive love” in the name of religion because spiritual children are very vulnerable, where Christ warned that a person stumbling a little one would be better off hang a milestone around their neck cast into the sea. Not many should be teachers if they cannot at least distinguish between the laws of the flesh and the law of love.

If a child was so fortunate to be trained by a spiritual teacher enduring under the law of love as Christ himself did, they would have a point of judgment to measure their faith against as long as they were enduring in their flesh upon earth.

Unfortunately, the opposite is true in organized religion built from laws of the flesh, dependent upon those oppressive laws to make people contribute, and support causes through guilt, which in turn blaspheme God good name, in His own love by giving us the law of love.

But as we've talked, the creation was subjected to futility by God's will in order for it be set free through the freedom of the Son's of God. The process of learning through abusive love brings forth God's own righteousness proving all men/woman are liars needing the administration of Christ Jesus, which brings all things in heaven, and upon earth into the oneness lost by Adam and Eve.

The process of suffering cannot be avoided in the sinful human experience to learn the truth, of God's love, and for this reason YHWH had the wisdom despite our human complaining to allow in His great patience the subjection of futility to work its hand in all humans since Adam and Eve eating the fruitage of their own making.