How to Spot Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual abuse can be very subtle and difficult to spot because it has a lot to do with intentions and depends a lot on the personal beliefs of many involved. There are some common signs of spiritual abuse that have been identified in different organizations and spiritual groups. Some of these signs are experiences related from survivors.

Common Signs of Spiritual Abuse

There are some common types of behavior that has been observed in settings where spiritual abuse has occurred. Common signs include:

• Spiritual leaders manipulating donors into giving more money that went to their personal gain (DeMuth, 2011)
• There may be multiple and excessive absolute truth claims that are often about insignificant issues and often reflect the personal views or opinions of the spiritual leader (Nicloy, 2006)
• The spiritual leader may place a large amount of emphasis on their authority and obedience to their authority. They may stress their importance in the communication to the Higher Power or salvation. This may be accompanied by a hierarchal structure of followers where each participant is required to prove their dedication and submit to those placed above them (Nelson, 2015)
• Spiritual leaders will have a warped view of respect and feel that they are owed respect without having earned it from their following (DeMuth, 2011)
• Leaders will seek to suppress criticism, open questions or discussion, or dissent amongst the group on any issue. Any questioning is seen as challenging the authority of the leader and therefore twisted into the questioner having no faith in the eyes of the rest of the group (Henke, 2015).
• Those who do not follow the rules placed by the leader are often labeled, shamed, shunned, demoted from positions without the group, or even cast out of the group (Gibson, 1997). This creates a strong culture of fear and shame within the group.
• Many abusive spiritual leaders talk a great deal about the end of times and other eschatological time lines (Nicloy, 2006)
• Abusive spiritual leaders will often use exclusive language that makes it clear that their doctrine is the only "true" way and that all other preaching is naive, misguided, or just plain wrong. This can also help create a feeling of inclusion within the group and that can help solidify allegiance(DeMuth, 2011).
• The leader will often surround themselves by those who have complete allegiance and non-questioning attitude for the leader (DeMuth, 2011). This can help to keep the fear and shame of expulsion from the group strong and helps the leader to strengthen the bonds among their strongest supporters as well as hear reports of any dissent their followers may have picked up.

Be Aware of the Signs of Spiritual Abuse

This is by far not an exhaustive list of things that can occur when spiritual abuse is at play but many of the things listed above are commonly observed. If you, or anyone you know have experienced or is actively experiencing spiritual abuse, it is important the correct steps are taken to remove the abused individual from the situation and help them with any needed recovery. Spiritual abuse can be devastating to the faith of those who have experienced it and it is important to connect with the right supports for recovery.