7 VOLUME 9 |ISSUE 1 |2018
The more elite a church is, the more likely that abuse can
occur. When church leaders believe they and their church have
exclusive knowledge of true Christianity in its doctrine and
structure, or claim that others within Christianity are not as
faithful, this attitude of elitism can be a breeding ground for
other extreme forms of behavior. Especially telling is how guilty
church leaders try to make an individual who is contemplating
leaving feel. Leaders in healthy environments will recognize
that some people need to move on in their spiritual journeys
and will not try to manipulate them to stay. The more toxic the
environment, the more manipulative and controlling church
leaders may be, not leaving much room for those who do not
wholeheartedly endorse the ideologies of the church.
In mainstream denominational churches, the effects of a
domineering leader can often, although not always, be
mitigated by the routines and rituals of the denomination.
In many denominations, for instance, a pastor is appointed
to a church for a set period of time, making it less likely that
any particular church will become his or her own “kingdom.”
Although mainstream churches don’t usually have the
control over individuals that fringe churches or cults have,
individuals unfortunately can experience harm even in these
denominational churches because of the actions or attitudes of
a particular pastor or other leader, and the hold that leader may
have on their lives.
Counselors and clergy need to recognize and understand
the underlying dynamics of spiritual abuse so that they can
help people who seek out their help after having had such
experiences. When these factors are not acknowledged, persons
leaving a spiritually abusive situation may feel totally invalidated
or, worse yet, further abused by the person from whom they are
seeking support. In these cases, the counselor or clergy might
not even be out to abuse them, but their lack of understanding
can cause further harm. Thus, it is important to recognize the full
scope of abuse that can occur in Bible-based environments so
that more individuals can get the help they need, come to grips
with what happened to them, and, if they so desire, continue on
their spiritual journey. n
About the Author
Maureen Griffo, MA, MEd, a former member
of The Church of Bible Understanding and also
several fringe churches, is Chair/Coordinator
of reFOCUS, and also was one of four
collaborators who established the Leo J. Ryan
Education Foundation. Ms. Griffo moderated
an online chat/support group for former
members for many years. Currently she is spearheading the ICSA
New York City Educational Initiative. She has begun a support
group on spiritual abuse (Wounded Pilgrims), which meets the
first Friday of each month (starting in November 2017) at St.
Andrews Roman Catholic Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. She has
a Master’s in Sociology with a focus on cultic practices, and also
a Master’s in Education with a focus on special education. She
works with children with severe emotional and developmental
disabilities in New York City. n
Note
[1] The General Social Survey (GSS) is a sociological
survey created and regularly collected since 1972
by the research institute NORC (National Opinion
Research Center) at the University of Chicago.
GSS results are freely made available to interested
parties over the internet and are widely used in
sociological research.
Biblioigraphy
Burke, J. (2006). Antisocial personality disorder in
cult leaders and induction of dependent personality
disorder in cult members. Cultic Studies Review, 5(3),
390–410.
Goldberg, L. (2012). Influence of a charismatic
antisocial cult leader: Psychotherapy with an ex-cultist
prosecuted for criminal behavior. International Journal
of Cultic Studies, 3, 15–24.
Johnson, D., &VanVonderen, J. (1991). The subtle power
of spiritual abuse. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.
Meerloo, J. (1956). The rape of the mind: The psychology
of thought control, menticide, and brainwashing.
Cleveland, OH/New York, NY: World Publishing
Company.
Shaw, D. (2014). The relational system of the
traumatizing narcissist. International Journal of Cultic
Studies, 5, 4–11.
Sherlock, M. (2015). The church &hypnotic
manipulation—Sunday morning hypnosis. Retrieved
from https://michaelsherlockauthor.wordpress.
com/2015/02/26/the-church-hypnotic-manipulation-
sunday-morning-hypnosis/
Spiritual Abuse Resources (SAR). (n.d.). Definitional
issues (para. 1). A program of the International Cultic
Studies Association (ICSA). Retrieved from http://
www.spiritualabuseresources.com/spiritual-abuse-
definition
Spiritual Abuse Resources (SAR). (n.d.). Spiritual Safe
Haven Network. A program of the International Cultic
Studies Association (ICSA). Retrieved from http://www.
spiritualabuseresources.com/sshn
Stetzer, E. (2015, June 12). The rapid rise of
nondenominational Christianity: My most recent piece
at CNN. [The Exchange blog post]. Retrieved from
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/
june/rapid-rise-of-non-denominational-christianity-
my-most-recen.html
Wingert, P. (2010, April 7). Priests commit no more
abuse than other males. Newsweek. Retrieved from
http://www.newsweek.com/priests-commit-no-more-
abuse-other-males-70625
The more elite a church is, the more likely that abuse can
occur. When church leaders believe they and their church have
exclusive knowledge of true Christianity in its doctrine and
structure, or claim that others within Christianity are not as
faithful, this attitude of elitism can be a breeding ground for
other extreme forms of behavior. Especially telling is how guilty
church leaders try to make an individual who is contemplating
leaving feel. Leaders in healthy environments will recognize
that some people need to move on in their spiritual journeys
and will not try to manipulate them to stay. The more toxic the
environment, the more manipulative and controlling church
leaders may be, not leaving much room for those who do not
wholeheartedly endorse the ideologies of the church.
In mainstream denominational churches, the effects of a
domineering leader can often, although not always, be
mitigated by the routines and rituals of the denomination.
In many denominations, for instance, a pastor is appointed
to a church for a set period of time, making it less likely that
any particular church will become his or her own “kingdom.”
Although mainstream churches don’t usually have the
control over individuals that fringe churches or cults have,
individuals unfortunately can experience harm even in these
denominational churches because of the actions or attitudes of
a particular pastor or other leader, and the hold that leader may
have on their lives.
Counselors and clergy need to recognize and understand
the underlying dynamics of spiritual abuse so that they can
help people who seek out their help after having had such
experiences. When these factors are not acknowledged, persons
leaving a spiritually abusive situation may feel totally invalidated
or, worse yet, further abused by the person from whom they are
seeking support. In these cases, the counselor or clergy might
not even be out to abuse them, but their lack of understanding
can cause further harm. Thus, it is important to recognize the full
scope of abuse that can occur in Bible-based environments so
that more individuals can get the help they need, come to grips
with what happened to them, and, if they so desire, continue on
their spiritual journey. n
About the Author
Maureen Griffo, MA, MEd, a former member
of The Church of Bible Understanding and also
several fringe churches, is Chair/Coordinator
of reFOCUS, and also was one of four
collaborators who established the Leo J. Ryan
Education Foundation. Ms. Griffo moderated
an online chat/support group for former
members for many years. Currently she is spearheading the ICSA
New York City Educational Initiative. She has begun a support
group on spiritual abuse (Wounded Pilgrims), which meets the
first Friday of each month (starting in November 2017) at St.
Andrews Roman Catholic Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. She has
a Master’s in Sociology with a focus on cultic practices, and also
a Master’s in Education with a focus on special education. She
works with children with severe emotional and developmental
disabilities in New York City. n
Note
[1] The General Social Survey (GSS) is a sociological
survey created and regularly collected since 1972
by the research institute NORC (National Opinion
Research Center) at the University of Chicago.
GSS results are freely made available to interested
parties over the internet and are widely used in
sociological research.
Biblioigraphy
Burke, J. (2006). Antisocial personality disorder in
cult leaders and induction of dependent personality
disorder in cult members. Cultic Studies Review, 5(3),
390–410.
Goldberg, L. (2012). Influence of a charismatic
antisocial cult leader: Psychotherapy with an ex-cultist
prosecuted for criminal behavior. International Journal
of Cultic Studies, 3, 15–24.
Johnson, D., &VanVonderen, J. (1991). The subtle power
of spiritual abuse. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.
Meerloo, J. (1956). The rape of the mind: The psychology
of thought control, menticide, and brainwashing.
Cleveland, OH/New York, NY: World Publishing
Company.
Shaw, D. (2014). The relational system of the
traumatizing narcissist. International Journal of Cultic
Studies, 5, 4–11.
Sherlock, M. (2015). The church &hypnotic
manipulation—Sunday morning hypnosis. Retrieved
from https://michaelsherlockauthor.wordpress.
com/2015/02/26/the-church-hypnotic-manipulation-
sunday-morning-hypnosis/
Spiritual Abuse Resources (SAR). (n.d.). Definitional
issues (para. 1). A program of the International Cultic
Studies Association (ICSA). Retrieved from http://
www.spiritualabuseresources.com/spiritual-abuse-
definition
Spiritual Abuse Resources (SAR). (n.d.). Spiritual Safe
Haven Network. A program of the International Cultic
Studies Association (ICSA). Retrieved from http://www.
spiritualabuseresources.com/sshn
Stetzer, E. (2015, June 12). The rapid rise of
nondenominational Christianity: My most recent piece
at CNN. [The Exchange blog post]. Retrieved from
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/
june/rapid-rise-of-non-denominational-christianity-
my-most-recen.html
Wingert, P. (2010, April 7). Priests commit no more
abuse than other males. Newsweek. Retrieved from
http://www.newsweek.com/priests-commit-no-more-
abuse-other-males-70625
