Church Trauma Syndrome

Church trauma syndrome is related to regligious trauma syndrome (RTS).  Once a member  of a church leaves the church he or she may struggle to break away from the doctrines and teachings that controlled his or her life in the past.  A war is fought in the minds of ex church members as they begin to sift through what is real and what is not real.

What we Need to Remember

As we struggle with our thoughts and emotions we would do well to remember that God created us in His image.  Each of us have our own brain. Our body is still the temple where Gods spirit dwells. Because of Gods indwelling spirit we are capable of discerning scripture correctly without the need of  a pastor or a priest to interpret the scriptures for us.

Can we Benefit from Insights of Others?

We can benefit from the expertise of others, however this does not mean that we must surrender our thinking to all human beings. As we search for knowledge we must learn to use the Bible with other scientific and archeaological findings. We should approach the Bible as a surgeon uses his skills when performing delicate operations. We must do this methodically and with care.

When Experts are Dangerous

I read a story about a lady who battled to fall pregnant. She approached her pastor for advice thinking that God is punishing her. Instead of consoling the lady  the pastor merely agreed that her fertility problems are definitely as a result of Gods anger. You see as a teenager this same lady fell preganant and had an abortion. The pastor was reacting to her admission of having an abortion in a manner fitting of a religious zealot.

Love in our Design

If we look at nature and how we are designed there is no denying that an intelligent being created all life. As we breath out, plants absorb our carbon dioxide and plants in turn give us oxygen. Gods design is in support of life not to destroy it.

Church trauma syndrome occurs when the law of love is distorted by church leaders. They suggest that Gods love is conditional and authoritive. These church leaders insist that Gods love demands we behave in a certain way and if we dont we must face punishment. Fear of God and Gods retribution leads to trauma and continual feelings of guilt and shame. This is not healthy for anyone.