- Jul 3, 2014
- 5,268
- 1,707
Even though it is no less than Reba has been saying forever, I guess it got my attention when I realized that Jeff may have been reading my posts here.
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I've never been one to shy away from controversy, and I live to help people overcome religious abuse and the pain caused by an angry God concept. That said, there are many out there who, in the name of doing this, become angry abusers of anyone who has yet to "see the light". We forget that even the victimizers themselves are victims, and that others we perceive as victimizers are sincere, healthy individuals doing their best to serve God and others. I have no problem with critiquing harmful ideas, but when we must verbally assault and insult those who believe what we probably believed a year or two ago, well, we've become the very abusers we pretend to loathe.
One of the keys in Jesus' whole "turn the other cheek" philosophy is that in His Kingdom of peace, victims gain victory by not becoming victimizers and the abused overcome by refusing to become abusers. It's natural to, after having been abused, controlled or manipulated, feel anger towards the systems that allowed it, but if you become angry and abusive towards those in that system in the name of reformation the system still wins.
Please, my friend, share your brilliant, well thought out, and much needed critiques of religious empire and abuse in a gracious and loving spirit. Otherwise we lose before we even start the race.
*******
I've never been one to shy away from controversy, and I live to help people overcome religious abuse and the pain caused by an angry God concept. That said, there are many out there who, in the name of doing this, become angry abusers of anyone who has yet to "see the light". We forget that even the victimizers themselves are victims, and that others we perceive as victimizers are sincere, healthy individuals doing their best to serve God and others. I have no problem with critiquing harmful ideas, but when we must verbally assault and insult those who believe what we probably believed a year or two ago, well, we've become the very abusers we pretend to loathe.
One of the keys in Jesus' whole "turn the other cheek" philosophy is that in His Kingdom of peace, victims gain victory by not becoming victimizers and the abused overcome by refusing to become abusers. It's natural to, after having been abused, controlled or manipulated, feel anger towards the systems that allowed it, but if you become angry and abusive towards those in that system in the name of reformation the system still wins.
Please, my friend, share your brilliant, well thought out, and much needed critiques of religious empire and abuse in a gracious and loving spirit. Otherwise we lose before we even start the race.
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