I had the pleasure of returning to Dr. Kirk Honda's Psychology in Seattle podcast to discuss my research on spiritual abuse and the measure I developed to assess spiritually abusive experiences and their effects.
We began by addressing a YouTube comment claiming progressive Christianity isn't "real" Christianity. I shared my view that anyone who identifies as Christian and can explain why it makes sense for them should be considered a Christian. Ultimately, there is no pope-like authority in Protestantism to definitively say who is in or out. Kirk and I discussed the prevalence of extremist evangelical beliefs in certain parts of the country. While alarming, I noted that adherence varies and many are skeptical of going "whole hog" on figures like Bill Gothard. The pressure to conform in those communities must be immense compared to more liberal areas. In discussing my spiritual abuse measure, I defined spiritual abuse as “psychological and emotional abuse perpetrated by religious leaders or groups, or abuse with a religious component.” Engaging people on this deep level has potential for tremendous harm or healing. The measure’s subscales assess things like leaders/members protecting abusers to maintain the system; portraying violence as part of God's plan; gender/racial/sexual discrimination; controlling leadership; and more. We explored how even well-intentioned leaders, seeing the good their church or group offers its members, can be resistant to recognizing its potential for harm. I compared this to progressives' reluctance to acknowledge issues facing boys and men today despite data indicating a crisis. In both cases, inconvenient realities threaten the group's narrative. I shared how end times teachings exposed me to spiritual abuse, instilling terror at a young age that my development couldn't handle. Kirk and I lamented how common this experience is, enabled by parents and churches failing to consider what is developmentally appropriate due to their own formation (or, as the case may be, “indoctrination”). We discussed evangelical culture's long history of rejecting science in favor of alternative institutions, resulting in parallel knowledge ecosystems. I aim to bridge this divide by taking both faith and science seriously. For me, Christianity provides generations of "wisdom tools" that, while imperfect, offer resources for living I can refine rather than reject entirely. Finally, we explored the potential of popular media for helping or harming spiritual development. Kirk shared how as a therapist, he uses characters in film/TV to illustrate psychological concepts. I expressed interest in doing something similar around religious deconstruction and spiritual abuse themes. We noted the lack of realistic portrayals of faith in Hollywood, creating a vacuum often filled by more conservative Christian media like The Chosen. Integrating nuanced religious representation could provide alternative paths forward.
1 Comment
8/16/2024 08:34:07 pm
What criteria were used to develop the subscales of the spiritual abuse measure?
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