During today's class, we will be observing the controversial
theory coined by Marlene Winell known as Religious Trauma Syndrome.
Especially, with the recent guilty verdict of Lori Vallow
Daybell, an Idaho mother, who was given a life prison sentence for murdering
her two youngest children and a romantic rival, after believing they were
zombies and that she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse,
which stemmed from reading her husband's self-published doomsday-focused
fiction loosely based on Mormon teachings. (2 Cor 11:4)
With that as our focus, (RTS) often occurs when an
individual struggles with leaving a religion or a set of beliefs that has led
to their indoctrination.
It often involves the trauma of breaking away from a
controlling environment, lifestyle, or religious figure, who uses strict
scriptural interpretation of the Bible or religious text to control, shame,
scare, brainwash, indoctrinate, and intimidate others in a negative way in
order to isolate them and lock them into a practical worldview or thought
process. (Col 2:8)
Usually, religious trauma is fear-based. And, its control mechanism is based on MORAL LAWS rather than FAITH,(Galatians Chapter 3) (John 8:7) where one can be cursed (Deut 28:45) judged (Matt 7:1-5), condemned (John 3:17), punished (John 8:7) and abandoned (Isa 49:15-16) by one's decision on whether to comply or not to comply to its RULES OR REGULATIONS. This issue of rules and regulations can become complicated, however. Especially, if, or, when, a self-righteous leader twists and bends them in order to fit their own personal advantage.(1 John 4:1-6)
With that said, understand, religion, in its purest form,
can be beneficial, when its moral code is based upon the 10 Commandments,
within the Judo-Christian faith or the 42 Negative Confessions within the
Egyptian religious order. Yet, in its
ugliest form, can also be murderous (Rev. 21:8) where one is constantly in the
FIGHT or FLIGHT mode based on its leadership.
We have seen clear evidence of this, with the increasing
number of prosperity pimps (Isa 56:10-12)posting as preachers, bishops, or
apostles, who have used (MALACHI 3:8) in order to deceive as well as FRIGHTEN
the poor unlearned masses to give them money, with the "promise of
financial stability, jobs, houses, cars, and miracles, while collecting large
sums of money on the back end in order to live the lifestyles of the rich &
famous.
This type of deception to a person being fleeced by these
spiritual con men or women could be very traumatic if they have placed all of
their faith in them.( Jer 23-25)
The new con-game, now, comes with combining credit repair
with Christianity as well as pastors claiming to be financial advisors with
get-rich-quick pyramid schemes.
This is why most "intellectuals" agree with German
philosopher Karl Marx, who stated that "Religion is the opium of the
people."
Meaning, religion, from a negative aspect, can be utilized
like a drug in order to keep individuals under control, docile, high, drunk,
dumb, delusional, and in a state of constant need. Especially, if it is put
into the wrong individuals' hands.....(Matt 7:15)
This is why I suggest everyone take a course in comparative
religion. And, by doing this, one will be better equipped to handle religious
predators, who utilize the Bible to prey on the people's innocence, ignorance,
spiritual curiosity, and emptiness in order to imprison and entrap them. (Matt
5:7) Especially, when they desire answers about life, death, the afterlife, and
who they are as a people as well as individuals, in a WORLD constantly working to deny, hide, and
conceal these facts.
Remember, the foundation of your spiritual significance or religious recognition should be based on INDEPENDENCE, not CONTROL, EDUCATION, not INDOCTRINATION, FREEDOM, not OPPRESSION, SALVATION, and not SLAVERY.
Again, let me repeat, religious trauma can occur when guilt,
force, fear, and shame are used to control, manipulate and intimidate others,
which over time can cause disillusionment, psychotic thoughts, and
hallucinations of a spiritual nature, where they begin to hear voices, claiming
GOD spoke to them directly or indirectly, along with beliefs of seeing demons
and devils, and prediction of the END of
the WORLD, (Matt 24:36) when evidence proves otherwise.
These types of thoughts can be a result of intense
indoctrination about HELL, DEMONS, and ARMAGEDDON, from one's own personal
interpretation of so-called religious texts, which, usually, is based on
superstition and not history.
The intense indoctrination, in extreme cases, comes with a mix-match value system about marriage and sex, similar to some Mormon religious sects like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamous movement lead by Warren Jeffs, who was convicted of several sex crimes & two assisted sex crimes involving children.
Along with being INDOCRINATED, one also can be BRAINWASHED
through long sermons, self-published self-help books as well as through
HYPNOSIS, which can cause a person to separate from their families, withdraw
from their spouses, drop out of school, develop a sense of DEPRESSION, ANXIETY,
LEARNED HELPNESSES and, in the worst case scenario, suicidal ideation.
Shockingly, in this generation, this doesn't just occur in "crazy" storefront churches, odd religious sects, or unfamiliar cults, they also happen in the field of psychology at the hands of a narcissistic therapist, during therapy sessions, therapeutic retreats or by self-proclaimed spiritual gurus with the assistance of yoga and meditation, who through isolation and repetitive mantras attempt to warp a person's identity or change their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Especially, those people struggling with sexual addiction, substance abuse, or mental health issues.
An example of this occurred with Keith Raniere's NXIVM cult,
who was sentenced to 120 years in prison for his pyramid business scheme called
DOS or the Vow, which was billed as a women’s empowerment group, but once women
were brought in they were made to have sex with Raniere, branded with a hot
iron and then blackmailed with sexually explicit photographs.
Usually, in these cases of religious trauma, such as NXIVM,
where an overzealous person is in control, there is always GROUP THINK, where
one can completely lose one's self while being smothered in "religious
rhetoric" in their attempts to be accepted. This quest for acceptance,
usually, comes with no independent thought, a sense of timidness, blank stares
of terrorism, prolonged bouts of stress along with a robotic stance or
presence.
We see this happening, not only in religious settings, but
in the military, high school football teams, fraternities & sororities on
college campuses, gangs in the inter-city, Congress, in Washington, and, even,
offices, in corporate America. (bobbeethehater.blogspot.com)