ISSN: 2710-4028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54208/0008 123
issues faced by survivors of religious or spiritual abuse,
many psychologists and therapists are likely acquainted
with family dynamics, domestic abuse, and coercive
control in contexts that are not specifically religious
or spiritual. Consequently, considering the scarcity of
therapists well-versed in religious or spiritual trauma,
I propose that the therapeutic strategies used in
domestic abuse cases not linked to religion could also
be effectively applied to situations where spirituality or
religious dogma serves as the primary catalyst for the
abuses experienced by their clients.
A fundamental metaphor associated with mystical
marriage illustrates the relationship between Christian
believers and God as that of a parent and children:
“Our Father which art in heaven.”77
1
The bond among
a community of believers is often viewed as familial:
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named.”78 These metaphors
explain why many Christian cults and other religious
organizations (including the Children of God/The
Family) incorporate the word “family” in their names.
Given David Berg’s perversion of biblical bridal
theology and Karen Zerby’s extension of his diabolical
doctrines, most of the abuses experienced by those
who were part of the Children of God were forms of
domestic abuse. In the final chapter of my memoir, I
write: “I found it helpful to understand my experiences
in the Family as a spiritual variation of long-term
domestic abuse causing battered wife syndrome,
a subcategory of PTSD. After all, I had been a bride
of Christ according to the Family’s version of bridal
theology.”79
The correlation between religious or spiritual beliefs
and domestic abuse is not limited to extreme groups
like The Family it also extends to many Christian
denominations, churches, sects, and organizations,
even those with conventional interpretations of bridal
theology. Another example of a notorious doomsday
cult leader with an extreme interpretation of bridal
theology that broke up families is William Costellia
Kamm, who also had an international following.
“Kamm was married and had four children but
77 Mt 6:9 (KJV).
78 Eph 3:14 (KJV).
79 Bulwar, Misguided.
unknown to his wife, this self-proclaimed Messiah
was planning on creating a royal harem, filled with 12
queens and 72 princesses—84 mystical spouses to bear
his children to repopulate the earth.”80
1
The authors of a 2023 study that “aim[ed] to comprehend
the underlying dynamics influencing domestic violence
stated, “[R]eligion and spiritual beliefs have been
found to play a significant role in domestic violence
dynamics. Certain religious interpretations and
teachings can contribute to the acceptance of violence,
particularly against women, as a form of submission
or obedience.”81 This insight was certainly applicable
in the Children of God, whose founder manipulated
the “bride of Christ” imagery to justify extensive abuse
against women and children. Viewing religious trauma
from the perspective of domestic abuse provides an
understanding of the intimate, coercive aspects of
religious or spiritual abuse and why leaving abusive
religious groups can be as challenging as exiting an
abusive marriage or family. I conclude that recognizing
religious trauma related to Christian dogma as a
form of domestic abuse, regardless of denomination,
church, sect, or organization, is a helpful concept
for survivors recovering from such abuse, therapists
assisting them, and academics studying the subject.
Non-Christian religions likely also generate deviant
practices and perversions that harm their followers, as
occurred with members of the Children of God/The
Family. Although the scriptural foundations may differ,
the negative consequences are often very similar, if not
identical.
80 Tara Brown “What life was really like inside the doomsday cult
run by the paedophile known as ‘Little Pebble’”, 60 Minutes Australia. 2023,
https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/what-life-was-really-like-inside-the-
doomsday-cult-run-by-the-paedophile-known-as-little-pebble/54ff2eee-
c0b3-4ca1-8c70-6fcc04ff0a2c
81 Cintya Lanchimba, Juan Pablo Díaz-Sanchez, and Franklin
Velasco, “Exploring factors influencing domestic violence: A comprehensive
study on intrafamily dynamics.” Frontiers In Psychiatry vol. 14, September
6, 2023, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/
fpsyt.2023.1243558/full.
issues faced by survivors of religious or spiritual abuse,
many psychologists and therapists are likely acquainted
with family dynamics, domestic abuse, and coercive
control in contexts that are not specifically religious
or spiritual. Consequently, considering the scarcity of
therapists well-versed in religious or spiritual trauma,
I propose that the therapeutic strategies used in
domestic abuse cases not linked to religion could also
be effectively applied to situations where spirituality or
religious dogma serves as the primary catalyst for the
abuses experienced by their clients.
A fundamental metaphor associated with mystical
marriage illustrates the relationship between Christian
believers and God as that of a parent and children:
“Our Father which art in heaven.”77
1
The bond among
a community of believers is often viewed as familial:
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named.”78 These metaphors
explain why many Christian cults and other religious
organizations (including the Children of God/The
Family) incorporate the word “family” in their names.
Given David Berg’s perversion of biblical bridal
theology and Karen Zerby’s extension of his diabolical
doctrines, most of the abuses experienced by those
who were part of the Children of God were forms of
domestic abuse. In the final chapter of my memoir, I
write: “I found it helpful to understand my experiences
in the Family as a spiritual variation of long-term
domestic abuse causing battered wife syndrome,
a subcategory of PTSD. After all, I had been a bride
of Christ according to the Family’s version of bridal
theology.”79
The correlation between religious or spiritual beliefs
and domestic abuse is not limited to extreme groups
like The Family it also extends to many Christian
denominations, churches, sects, and organizations,
even those with conventional interpretations of bridal
theology. Another example of a notorious doomsday
cult leader with an extreme interpretation of bridal
theology that broke up families is William Costellia
Kamm, who also had an international following.
“Kamm was married and had four children but
77 Mt 6:9 (KJV).
78 Eph 3:14 (KJV).
79 Bulwar, Misguided.
unknown to his wife, this self-proclaimed Messiah
was planning on creating a royal harem, filled with 12
queens and 72 princesses—84 mystical spouses to bear
his children to repopulate the earth.”80
1
The authors of a 2023 study that “aim[ed] to comprehend
the underlying dynamics influencing domestic violence
stated, “[R]eligion and spiritual beliefs have been
found to play a significant role in domestic violence
dynamics. Certain religious interpretations and
teachings can contribute to the acceptance of violence,
particularly against women, as a form of submission
or obedience.”81 This insight was certainly applicable
in the Children of God, whose founder manipulated
the “bride of Christ” imagery to justify extensive abuse
against women and children. Viewing religious trauma
from the perspective of domestic abuse provides an
understanding of the intimate, coercive aspects of
religious or spiritual abuse and why leaving abusive
religious groups can be as challenging as exiting an
abusive marriage or family. I conclude that recognizing
religious trauma related to Christian dogma as a
form of domestic abuse, regardless of denomination,
church, sect, or organization, is a helpful concept
for survivors recovering from such abuse, therapists
assisting them, and academics studying the subject.
Non-Christian religions likely also generate deviant
practices and perversions that harm their followers, as
occurred with members of the Children of God/The
Family. Although the scriptural foundations may differ,
the negative consequences are often very similar, if not
identical.
80 Tara Brown “What life was really like inside the doomsday cult
run by the paedophile known as ‘Little Pebble’”, 60 Minutes Australia. 2023,
https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/what-life-was-really-like-inside-the-
doomsday-cult-run-by-the-paedophile-known-as-little-pebble/54ff2eee-
c0b3-4ca1-8c70-6fcc04ff0a2c
81 Cintya Lanchimba, Juan Pablo Díaz-Sanchez, and Franklin
Velasco, “Exploring factors influencing domestic violence: A comprehensive
study on intrafamily dynamics.” Frontiers In Psychiatry vol. 14, September
6, 2023, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/
fpsyt.2023.1243558/full.
