S.A.

There's nothing new about Spiritual Abuse (SA). It's been around since the dawn of creation. It may have been called by another name, but a rose is a rose, is a rose.....

SA puts people at odds with each other, with friends, family and most often with the church believers. It is often the cause of believers questioning there salvation, doubting and even running from their Savior. Thus arises the confrontation of two opposing spiritual sides. One Gods, one mans. One designed to bring and lift the believer into the heavenly realms while the pother brings them into a spiritual despondence. In essence, the SA is in a pseudo-spiritual relationship where the believer thinks he must obey all that the preacher preaches, under the guise of a self-proclaimed authority figure who loves the attention and power it creates. Ah, Ego, a wonderful thing!

Jeremiah speaks of this power and authority (Jer.5: 3-30) which is perceived by the priests and prophets who use it falsely against those individuals whom they see they are helping. But this false power only wounds them spiritually. Jeremiah says that they superficially heal the people. (13-14) They are so self consumed with their authority, they cannot bring true healing and peace to the congregation. How could they, when the people are cringing under their pews and tongue lashed as whores? Oh, the prophet, Apostle and pastors can preach good sermons and declare "God's " word of love, but underlying the preaching is God's wrath if one does not walk right, speak right, look right and act right.

In the SA system, it is looks that dictates your spiritual holiness and closeness with God. Yet does not God say, NOW look we at NO man after the flesh? He does, but do they listen! To listen, one must be able to hear. To hear, one must have ears to hear, and it is the inner ear that hears the Spirit of the Word and brings the message within to share with others. When the inner ear, of the natural, does not function, you cannot hear what is being said. When the Spiritual inner ear is defective, one cannot hear what God is saying. Spiritual Abuser's have defective inner ears, so with the natural, they function out of the fleshly realm hearing that it is with the works of righteousness that one must perform in order to BE holy. But ALL our works are as filthy rags, are they not?

A sentient being shares with his partner that he is now watching television. He was a member of her church, but left several months ago. He has been directed, by God, to attend the large gathering that they have every year. He knows not why. Many brothers and sisters come together to hear the preaching of a word. The wife seems loving and understanding of her husband. Later that evening, they get together, and the head preacher and director comes to the forefront and begins his word to the people. He gets on them about the evils of T.V. and how watching this satanic box will bring about the destruction of your soul, where you will backslide and go to hell for all eternity. All around, the sentient being hears the amen's of the congregation. Most loudly from the wife sitting next to him. The preacher continues by declaring that watching TV is like finding out there is a homosexual living in your home. What would you do if that occurred? You would throw him out of your house, he says. So it is with the TV. It is the same thing this sentient being has heard over and over and over again. But the pain comes not from the preacher, but from the wife of the sentient being, who but a few hours ago understood him, now agrees with the preacher on the similarity of watching TV and homosexuality. Trying to talk to his wife at that time, the wife becomes angry and dismisses the husband, informing him that she wants to hear what God is saying and to leave her alone. HE does and he leaves, understanding now why God had him go to the meeting and knowing that God has just confirmed, for the last time, what he has been telling the sentient being for quite sometime.

In Math 23, Jesus comes against the same type of religious leaders, for laying heavy burdens (perhaps physically, certainly mental and definitely spiritual) while they are unwilling to lift a finger. The congregation bows and kisses the feet and ring of the priest, sometimes even worshipping at their feet, with their hands wrapped around the leg of the pastor. All the time he is looking heavenwards as if he is in the presence of God. The pastor has become the worshippers savior on earth. The more worship given, the more performance based walk is seen, the more spiritual one is. It is a legalistic system that causes one to labor heavily in order to please their God, in accordance with the teachings of the teacher. But God says to "come unto ME All ye that labor and are heavy laden". The Abuser becomes the intermediary for the people and usurps any authority God may have given that office, in order for the people to worship him and not God.

But what is legalism? Legalism, has been defined by one, as a religious perfectionism focusing on a performance based walk and in the avoidance of certain behaviors that are often defined by the leadership.

These actions are condemned by Paul in Gal. 6:12-12, but still the people follow. Why?

If is often due to the fact that we wish to please God and because that desire is in us, we believe that we must do, do, do. Without the doing, we are taught that God is not pleased with us and He turns His back on us until we repent. The preachers, seizing this hunger to please God in us, take the opportunity to grab the pseudo-power, in order to control the people that are not theirs, so as to satisfy their egos. They lift themselves up at the expense (literally) of the believer. But it is a fools gold.

So in order to please this God, the believer feels compelled to perform. The greater the performance, the less the tongue lashing and condemnation received from others in the congregation and the leadership. Perhaps a slight remark about this or that just not being so. A quick look at the length of ones dress, style of shoe or brand name clothing that has not been allowed. But performance is not always directed by condemnation either. A note of praise about how well you danced in the spirit always helps the performance too. Look how loving he is. You can tell because he and the rest of the congregation have helped the pastor move to a new m home. Wonder how many points with the pastor, that got him. I am sure the preacher will put in a good word for that, with God!

Now if you perform, as they say you should, and if the rules and regulations for the performances have been laid down correctly and the membership has had them implanted into their sub-conscience belief, then it will not only make the believer look good, but it won't hurt the pastor in the preachers community either. It allows all to judge the walk you walk, but more importantly, it allows others to see what the preacher has been doing for God. How is he seen among the rest of the leadership when you are or are not toting the line. "Got a great bunch of believers there, pastor so and so. You fellows are growing like weeds. God is sure blessing you folks." Or. "You seem to be losing a lot of your youth to the world brother!" If the Academy Award performance is viewed as a success, he gets the accolades from his peers and you get to not be condemned before God. He gets nominated for the Oscar for best director, while you become a bit player in his act. When he wins, he gets the gold (literally) and you don't even get honorable mention.

When someone who has a charismatic personality, comes along and shows you Scripture that says obey them that have the rule over you, you tend to believe it. When it is shown that the word says wives obey your husbands, and that obedience is better than sacrifice, etc., then who is she to argue Scripture and the authoritative power given, or taken, by man. After all, she is to be silent in the church and is to learn and ask questions of her husband, at home. She is not to teach the man, for he is the head of her. Interesting that it is usually a man that is at the realm of an abusive system. Because this world is presently in a male dominated time, the physically strong have taken the natural and have usurped the spiritual realm.

The ego of the man, in the natural, has culminated in believing that it must be the dominate entity in the spiritual as well. If it is not given, it is taken. It becomes pseudo-authority and pseudo-spiritual. And just as battles, fighting's and wars are declared upon those that are deemed too weak in the natural, so as to gain something, so it is in the spiritual, where abuse is perpetrated upon the so-called weak, gentle, kind and loving people, so as to gain. The gain is acclamation, recognition and worship from those above, to those whose egos have to be stroked. The loss is upon the afflicted whose desire is only to please their God.

A sentient being is taken to the hospital, for the umpteenth time, and treated for her bruises and broken this or that. Why do you stay, she is asked. I love him comes the response. Why does one stay in the SA system? Because they love their God and will suffer whatever comes their way, believing they are pleasing God in their suffering. " And my people love to have it so."

The abused become so belittled and tired of their circumstance, that they lose their sense of blessings from the God they love. After a time they lose their love for God completely. When the theatre is filled to capacity, the director is blessed by the Oscar and the golden cup. When it is empty, the director blames the cast for not taking proper direction and having the act fail. The director, however, is seldom held accountable. After all, look what he had to work with!

To BE continued...God willing.

Namaste

Sirius8
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