Spiritual abuse – subtle and dangerous – more widespread than you thought…

Spiritual abuse can occur on various levels. The abuse violates one's basic rights and often begins subtly. Because spirituality is often taboo, it's difficult to talk about it and share one's experiences and questions with others. This is important, however.

Spiritual abuse encompasses many forms of abuse.

It all begins with one's own desire for answers. It all begins with a promising community. It all begins with a wise teacher. And that's normal and right, because everyone needs guidance on their path. But caution is not only necessary at the beginning. Because the answers given to one by communities, congregations, spiritual teachers, masters of all stripes, pastors, or even psychotherapists—all of them—can and should be critically examined. (see Discernment of Spirits)Because when these restrict, make one unfree, gradually lead to inner dependence, no longer allow other ideas and opinions and dismiss them as misguided, one is already in the midst of abuse.

For example, people are told that they should renounce their own will because doing so would be selfish. God's will must be done. That may be true, but who knows what God wants? Often this proclaimed "will of God" is merely the will of the master, the guru, the religious community. Then the threat continues: If one does not follow this "will of God," a guilty conscience may be aroused, and faith may be used to break resistance or forbid questions and doubts. Perhaps "underdevelopment," distance from God, or even the torments of hell are predicted. God is disappointed, they say, or has turned away. Perhaps even the devil is at work.
If you were "just right" in this group or with this master at the beginning, if you felt wanted and courted, you become increasingly dependent and because of the criticism you lose self-confidence in your own judgment, in your own strengths, you feel "wrong", the "sinfulness" becomes more and more.

But: You don't have to be in a church or a religious community to be close to God or to enter paradise. And none of the gurus, churches, or religions of the world have a monopoly on the path to God. On the contrary, God's Spirit often blows where God wills it, not where people or institutions want it or consider it expedient.

The sexual abuse of Catholic priests, which, thank God, is now on everyone’s lips, is one of the extreme forms of spiritual abuse.

The spiritual abuse of power by the position, the institution, or the guru is often linked to other forms of abuse (sexual, financial, emotional, etc.).
This abuse of power can be exercised by individuals or institutionalized; it can remain subtle or be so massive that one's own will is broken and parts of the soul are destroyed.
The sexual abuse of Catholic priests (worldwide!), which, "thank God," is now on everyone's lips, is an extreme form of spiritual abuse. God's representative on earth, the mediator between humanity and God, is how he is, or has often been, viewed. When he abuses people, trust is destroyed not only in leadership positions, but often also in the institution as a whole and in God. And people's disappointment with the Catholic Church is justifiably great. But the abuse doesn't just affect the Catholic Church; it occurs in all areas. The difference is when other institutions or organizations have a more open attitude and punish abuse more quickly, as is often the case in the Protestant Church, for example.

There are many reasons why sexual abuse has persisted for so long, especially in almost closed systems dominated exclusively by homogenous groups (often men in the patriarchy). As mentioned, this applies not only to the Catholic Church, but also to Buddhist orders, social welfare organizations, and, unfortunately, most often to one's own family(!).
One reason is probably the position of the Catholic priest, another is that all Sexuality is forbidden for priests, regardless of whether it's with women, men, or children. And while abuse does not lead to exclusion from "Holy Communion" (since this sin can be repeatedly confessed and forgiven), divorce or openly confessed homosexuality does lead to exclusion from the sacraments, because the person is acknowledging this "sin." This means that sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is not just a personal problem, but a structural one; there's a lot of discussion about this at the moment, and far too little change is being made.
It is important to understand the victims – to protect them and to help them heal their spiritual wounds.

The discernment of spirits is a helpful tool for one's own path out of the Christian tradition

For all those on the path and searching, we strongly recommend examining the "powerful" or teachers on their own path, as well as the content they are taught ("Test everything; hold fast that which is good" 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Even if it feels good at first, one should always keep a critical mind with them. Helpful for this is the  “Discernment of Spirits”.

Many believe that if you oppose a religious community or guru with a "NO," or if you ask questions or express doubts, it's "wrong." This isn't true. Everyone is allowed to say no, everyone is allowed to have doubts (according to Luther, doubts are part of faith), everyone is allowed to leave! If you break away from a group, a church, an institution, a master, it doesn't mean you're "far from God."
Sometimes you have to let go of a concept of God in order to find yourself again, to continue on your path, and then to rediscover God. Doubt, saying no, the further development of one's learned faith—all of this is part of life's journey.

Another form of spiritual abuse is inflicting on oneself

In doing so, one misuses the divine secret and thinks one can control it. One thinks, "Now I've found God (or whatever I call him/her/it) – and now everything will always be easy. I no longer have to deal with my problems and patterns; God will sort it out." Or one thinks, "I've had a truly profound insight; now I know what's right for me and the entire world."
I can only say from my own experience: Nonsense. There is no such thing as a 'spiritual bypass'. After the "Tabor experience," the "peak experience," or the experience of being touched by God, everyday life always comes back, which must be managed well, with all its problems. Everyday life can and should sometimes be allowed to change; indeed, one's entire life can change, but it never simply follows strict rules. And above all, my insights apply only to me. I can tell others about them, but everyone has to find their own path.

Another form of spiritual abuse is to ignore everything “unscientific”

Any experience of God, any form of love, the light felt within oneself belongs to the human being and his experiences and should not be ignored because it is unscientific, for example.
I believe that faith is part of life, and how and what you believe should, in my opinion, touch your heart, emanate from the heart, and treat yourself and others with respect. I don't know what this faith looks like for you specifically. But simply ignoring everything that is supposedly unprovable - ethical values, love, care, divine touch, healing, meaning, life after death, or the like - has been proven to make you sick. And if love, care, understanding, or death (in your environment) befalls you, you are, at best, untrained for things that go beyond the material. People can only deal responsibly with things that they first look at.

However your path may unfold, treat yourself with love on your journey through life.