Religions actively employ the cycle of abuse.

[idea]

....From reports by people who do these "Missionary Trips", only a reported 25% (roughly) engaged in civil conversation. .... because their presentation is designed to be annoying. ...The purpose for this is that they come back to their congregation or church feeling awful. They've been yelled at, insulted, their faith has been mocked and picked apart and scrutinized. And they're met with open arms. "Oh, poor child, come to us, you're safe now." They're made to feel safe, as though they belong there and only there. Those are the people who love them, who care for them, and the outside world is evil and bad.

Cyclical abusive reinforcement.

Nailed it. The solution - we all need to be especially nice to those knocking door to door. They are trapped, and need our help.

 

[Shakeel]

Great, but the subject of this thread is religious abuse.

So I'm not allowed to reply to the replies?

 

[Shakeel]

and you can treat them like they have a mental illness.

Which is abuse. Ironic.

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

Which is abuse. Ironic.

You do realize that there are helpful and tactful ways to address and treat people with mental illnesses, right? Why does your mind go right to abuse?

So I'm not allowed to reply to the replies?

Waving away religious abuse with "Yeah, but there's abuse and coercion everywhere" isn't really... helpful.

 

[idea]

Which is abuse. Ironic.

What is the best way to treat someone who is delusional? How do you treat men who actually believe they are real prophets - called by God to have multiple wives - who believe they are the only ones with "authority", and look down on all others who are not in their group as being "chosen" or special?

It is an actual mental illness.
Grandiose delusions - Wikipedia


I hope you are not in a similar group... Cults are very real, and more prevalent than many like to admit. Some cults more extreme than others, and it all sounds crazy... until you are in a detective's office identifying kids in porn videos.... until it is someone in your family donating all their $ to some crazy delusional group....

 

[Shakeel]

What is the best way to treat someone who is delusional? How do you treat men who actually believe they are real prophets - called by God to have multiple wives

All three Abrahamic religions give the opportunity to have more than one wives. Christians have largely thrown it away, but there's still polygamy among Christians, too. Equating that with mental illness is incorrect.

Beliefs are not a mental illness. It takes a whole lot more than that to diagnose someone. But I get you'd like to put a label on it and smear with it everyone you don't like.

 

[idea]

Interesting, no Mormons on this site will refute this. An example of "excommunication" - just bury your head in the ground, close your eyes, and pretend....

All three Abrahamic religions give the opportunity to have more than one wives. Christians have largely thrown it away, but there's still polygamy among Christians, too. Equating that with mental illness is incorrect.

Beliefs are not a mental illness. It takes a whole lot more than that to diagnose someone. But I get you'd like to put a label on it and smear with it everyone you don't like.

If Warren Jeffs kidnapped your 13yo daughter and forced her to become his wife, you would be ok with that? Guess where Warren Jeffs got his beliefs from?

I work with someone from Africa who was raised in a polygamous family, but it was with consenting adults, and the wives viewed it as business.

Child brides vs. consensual adult relationships where all the wives know one another are two very different things.

Oh - they killed people who disagreed with them.
Fact 0529 | Defector of the Faith

Church leaders could use their position of authority to force girls to marry them. D&C 132 if Emma doesn’t accept polygamy “she shall be destroyed”. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball had over 50 wives, and they did not provide or take care of them. Women were traded and assigned as wives like cattle. Heber C. Kimball was recorded telling the younger missionaries they can’t claim all the pretty women.

Here is an example account, Joseph Smith "adopted" two sisters, then f***'d them. These are children.

"The Partridge sisters were my ancestors. When their father, Edward Partridge, died, they were taken in by Joseph as their guardian. He worked on Eliza for over a year to convince her to become his spiritual wife, writing notes to her to meet him secretly and asking her to destroy these notes so his wife Emma would not see them. Eliza's sister, Emma Partridge didn't say much about her marriage to Joseph but it is my understanding the Eliza confirms in her journal that she and Joseph did consummate their marriage. It is also my understanding Joseph married both sisters unbeknownst to each other as well as unbeknownst to his own wife, Emma. Not only did he require they keep the information from Emma, but they could not tell each other. I read they were actually married Joseph on the same day but in different houses outside of Joseph's own house, and neither knew the other was marrying Joseph. I can't imagine how this must have felt. J.S. Took advantage of these young girls, used them and when his wife found out and became outraged, they were turned out onto the street. I actually confronted my TBM dad about this issue and told him this was what finally broke my shelf. He told me he could not deny that this happened, and had in fact, read this in the copy of Eliza Partridge's journal. I asked him how he could still believe in a church when clearly it was started by a false prophet. He told me there was no question in his mind J.S. Went astray for a period of time but my dad still chooses to believe. I take that as my TMB dad being too afraid to face the truth as his entire life is and has been based on the beliefs of TSCC and he has too much to lose outside of the religion."

...
Fanny Alger was definitely a mistress no matter how you look at it because Joseph hadn't received the revelation on polygamy and the sealing power hadn't been restored when he was caught secretly screwing the teenage maid in the barn....

etc.

Questions Mormons Needs to Ask Themselves About Polygamy

Mormon Polygamy, Polyandry & Underage Brides

Polygamy | Polyandry | CES Letter

 

[alypius]

I believe religious people frequently employ the cycle of abuse as a method for indoctrination and inculcating unquestioning devotion.

What reasons are there supporting this claim?

 

[McCallister]

This totally reminds me of psychology class. There has been a bunch of different students and professors of psychology that have studied and have written papers about this and there is a ton of data. I believe it’s the study of group dynamics. It was really interesting stuff if I remember.

 

[paarsurrey]

I believe religious people frequently employ the cycle of abuse as a method for indoctrination and inculcating unquestioning devotion. I feel there is a strong parallel between indoctrination and the cycle of abuse. I have confidence that this practice causes emotional, physical, and psychological damage to the victim. I believe the abuse manifests in different forms such as identity loss, guilt syndrome, stygiophobia, death anxiety, sexual repression, compulsivity, self blame, and more. I believe victims often, actively and unknowingly, participate in their own abuse. I also believe these abuses have deleterious long term impacts for the victim and can be correlated to higher levels of depression, anxiety, self deception, denial, somatic concerns, dissociative patterns, etc. Do you agree or disagree that this can be the case? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance for everyone’s insight.

Edit: The generalization is intentional as I perceive it may be a sensitive subject for many religious people. I don’t want to isolate anyone or make any one group feel singled out.

One has used " I believe " several time in one post. Does one also believe in Atheism, please?

Regards