41: On Paranoia, Misdirected Worship & Image Management

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Series Title: Diagnosing Spiritual Abuse [Part III of III]

Nathan and Valerie break down 3 more indicators of a system (church or family) that is struggling on some level with spiritual abuse. The scholarship used in this episode comes from non-Latter-Day Saint researchers looking at religious systems in general and pointing out specific features of the churches that tend to perpetuate the most unrighteous dominion.

The 3 points that they cover in this episode are as follows:

1. A culture of paranoia:  Where doctrine and practice focuses on how others do not understand and will not understand until they become part of the group. This also includes a culture referring to "the world" as dangerous and something to be feared.  
2. Misplaced loyalty:  A hyper-focus on loyalty to the institution and its leaders instead of the true focus being on Jesus Christ and his atonement.
3. Secretiveness: A culture that is very concerned with managing its image and therefore has many layers of security to protect it from "the world". These secrets are often justified by leadership who holds a condescending view of the laity, feeling that they wouldn't understand.

Val and Nathan do not view systems struggling with spiritual abuse as intentionally malicious, but rather they see these struggles typical of systems that operate under some level of fear. As we each better understand what spiritual abuse looks like, we can shine a light on these struggles and encourage our system to overcome these tendencies. Please share this episode!

Articles/Book referenced: 

• ⁠14 Signs of Spiritual Abuse, by Mark DeJesus⁠
• ⁠The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Spiritual Authority Within the Church, by David Johnson and Jeff Van Vonderen

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