Forgiving Those Who Have Spiritually Abused Us

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http://spiritualabusesanctuary2.blogspot.com/2012/02/forgiving-those-who-have-spiritually.html

Spiritual Abuse & Betrayal by Her Church: Brittany's Story

Hi there!
My name is "Brittany" and I stumbled across your blog quite by accident but I am glad I did. I have a story to share with you and your readers. I am keeping this post anonymous and have changed my name because I am afraid of being discovered with my story.
For seven years I was an active member of a small non-denominational church in the Northern United States. While I noticed some controlling behavior, it didn't bother me because I came from a broken home and loved the idea of being accepted into a family. Aside from Sunday services, I also went to church meetings and functions throughout the week and I was well liked within the congregation. One summer, I was offered a chance to be a missionary to Haiti with an outside church group. I jumped at the chance and my church family seemed to be behind me as it was a longtime dream. The only real trouble I noticed was that my church leaders seemed to have much more communication with the people I was travelling to Haiti with than I did. I also found that they were warning this group that I was 'immature'. (I am a professional adult with a good, stable life and they had nothing to base their accusations).
I went to Haiti and felt VERY controlled by the group that I was with. I told my home church about what was going on and they urged me to come home, so I did. When I got home, they were eager to pick me up and get me feeling better. Unfortunately, all I wanted to do was be alone and process things. They did not like that. I noticed things started to get really tense with my church. They stopped inviting me to functions and started to hold their gatherings in secret. I was promised to be included on certain activities but then they held them without me. People started blocking me from their phones and once great friends would no longer speak to me. Saddened and confused, I asked the pastor to arrange a meeting with myself and one of my church friends to get to the bottom of this excommunication. He agreed and I was relieved that this was all going to be settled. I arrived at the meeting expecting things to be worked out--but instead I was verbally assaulted and abused. Vile, horrible untruths were spoken about me; the pastor pointed his finger at me and spewed so much unholy anger. We didn't pray, we didn't try to reconcile, it was an all-out attack.
I have a medical illness that the church group knew about. When the stress of the situation started to put me in serious medical danger, they laughed at me and ignored my cries for help. I used my cell phone to make calls to people from the church that I knew. No one offered support for me. In fact, in the coming days no one would even confront the pastor about his behavior for fear that he would exile them as well.
During that meeting, several elders walked in unannounced and continued the ambush. I now believe that it was planned.
Aside from the PFA I obtained, there is nothing the police will do to shut this church down because of the separation of church and state laws in the United States. To this day I am haunted by nightmares and I always fear running into a church member when I am out and about. I know that they have tarnished my name in the town where I grew up and attended that church.
I would do just about anything to shut them down so that no one else has to go through what I went through. Physically, it took me 20 months to recover fully from their neglect of my medical condition. Spiritually, I am forever changed. I no longer support organized religion of any sort and have made it a priority to tell my story so that other people do not become spiritually abused.

Shunning! Spiritual Torture!

Shunning, and "marking" is still widely practiced among cultish sects and groups. It's without doubt one of the most cruel acts of mental and emotional torture ever devised by man. The outcome of shunning has an emotional impact so devastating upon the victim that is almost indescribable in it's effects of demoralizing the individual.

The act of being cut off, and cast away from the only loved one's, friends and families of the "shunned" party is to separate him or her from the only support system and resources the victim has ever known. Even the very financial resources of the shunned party are sometimes put in jeopardy.

The only real time spiritual counsel I can give those suffering from such rejection is to turn to the source of all comfort, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who said he would never leave us or forsake us.

Rejection leaves the shunned person spiritually stunned, and traumatized. Often feelings of guilt set in, followed by depression.

Our True Shepherd would have us know that we need not take these feelings of imposed guilt down into our spirits. We must realize that when we can't change the unfair opinions of others, we must release feelings of guilt and set ourselves free from all forms of bondage's placed on us by others.

With Jesus help, we can be free of the unforgiveness and rejection of others by a deliberate act of will. The enemy of our soul would keep us in torment over this 'guilt tripping' by others. But we must see it for what it is, a snare of the enemy to keep us down, and in bondage.

The old saying "Let go and let God" is a release for our tortured souls. Be aware that Christ never intended for man to set judgment on us, as He is our judge, and kinsman redeemer.

Rejoice in that, when you are persecuted for his name sake, in that he also suffered the rejection of the organized religious system in his time on this earth. The Pharisee's of our time are not much different than they were in Jesus day, with the exception that now they use a fiery mental crucifixion as their instrument of torture.

"Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from an individual or group. It is a sanction against association often associated with religious groups and other tightly-knit organizations and communities. Targets of shunning can include, but are not limited to apostates, whistleblowers, dissidents, people classified as "sinners" or "traitors" and other people who defy or who fail to comply with the standards established by the shunning group(s). Extreme forms of shunning and related practices[citation needed] have rendered the general practice controversial." (read more inside title link).