Religious Abuse

Rooted in her experiences growing up in an evangelical Christian family, Jamie Lee Finch’s You Are Your Own offers an overview of evangelicalism and the painful confusion and anxiety experienced under its demands. Finch explores the mechanisms of trauma and how fundamentalist denominations match the patterns connected with PTSD. She elaborates on the doubt, guilt, fear, and grief that haunt those leaving the evangelical faith and offers an approach to help them recover healthy self-worth and resilience.

Suddenly he pointed the gun at me and said, “Get out!” “What? There could be mountain lions or bears or who knows what else could be out there. Are you crazy?” “I don’t care,” he said. “Get out!” He cocked the pistol and I clearly remember hearing a click. P.B. Castle was born in Arizona but spent much of her childhood in a small village on the ocean in Mexico. There she had a sheltered existence until, at fourteen, she met X, a very cute nineteen year old guy who was seemingly destined to be a success in life. In fact, he was somewhat older than he claimed and intent on ...

I was born to an abusive doctor named Ahaz in Kentucky, homeschooled and not even allowed to have friends. When I was nine, Ahaz discovered The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (Holdeman) in Tennessee, and he forced us to move there. The Holdeman's were religious exempt from education beyond the eighth grade, and I was beat for begging to go to a high school. As a minor, I had to kiss approximately 200 different people on the lips, some of whom were complete strangers, for the sake of something called The Holy Kiss; only it didn't feel holy. Ahaz determined to break my independent, ...

In a breakthrough book first published in 1991, the authors address the dynamics in churches that can ensnare people in legalism, guilt, and begrudging service, keeping them from the grace and joy of God's kingdom.

The Hurt Is Real… The hurts of spiritual trauma and abuse are real. They didn’t start with your church, but they do exist there. Why? Because people sin. And at its basic level, spiritual abuse is just one kind of sin. There is nothing particularly complicated about it—spiritual trauma is the mental and emotional harm that comes from having damaging or abusive interactions with other Christians. Any tight-knit church fellowship, regardless of its denominational affiliation, will naturally supply the preconditions necessary for spiritual hurts to occur. But what if you could heal from ...

We've seen the news stories and heard the rumors. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader. It's easy to throw the term around and diagnose others from afar. But what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church?

Have you ever been controlled, manipulated, or spiritually abused by someone who claimed to know and love God? If so, you’re not alone—and you’re not crazy. Certified coaches and faith-based authors Sebastien & Liz Richard understand what you’re going through. They’ve lived it firsthand—both in church settings and within their own family—and survived to tell the horrid tale. Now they’re ready to share their story and help you break free. Studies show that nearly 30% of U.S. adults have experienced some form of religious abuse, church hurt, or church trauma. And more often ...

Within every community, toxic people can be found hiding in families, couples, companies, and places of worship. The cryptic nature of psychological abuse involves repetitious mind games played by one individual or a group of people. Psychological abuse leaves no bruises. There are no broken bones. There are no holes in the walls. The bruises, brokenness, and holes are held tightly within the target of the abuse.

Can a fake engagement become real for a single-father cowboy and a brokenhearted single mom? After escaping a horrifying relationship, all Nelly wants to concentrate on is raising her boys and rebuilding her career and self-esteem, even if she’s attracted to her new boss, Constanzo. When Constanzo suggests a fake engagement to keep her abusive ex away, she reluctantly agrees for the sake of her sons. But she knows better than to believe love exists for her, especially when their sons start to quarrel—over the same girl! Constanzo Moore can’t believe he offered to be a pretend fiancé....

Small-town romance with faith, humor, and more than a dash of danger! A woman fighting to survive. A cowboy fighting for her. But news about her missing child could tear them apart… Escape to Cowboy Crossing, where people care about each other, romances are sweet and swoony, and six cowboy brothers with hot Irish blood fall in love when they least expect it. After being brutally beaten up by her ex-husband and left helpless and jobless, Courtney Rogers reluctantly agrees to recover at the only safe haven she knows. A ranch where one of the cowboy brothers could steal her heart if it ...

Patience Kelly grows up in a devout Christian family in small-town Indiana, surrounded by love but haunted by a secret she doesn't even know she's keeping. Beneath her ordinary childhood lies a buried trauma—years of abuse by her grandfather, memories so devastating that her mind locks them away to protect her. When she leaves for college, Patience believes she's finally free. But a controlling boyfriend, a devastating assault, and a pastor who blames her instead of believing her send her spiraling into addiction, self-destruction, and a suicide attempt that nearly ends her life. In the ...

Hurting people ask heart-felt questions about God and suffering. The usual answers fail. They don't support the truth God loves everyone all the time. God Can't gives a believable answer to why a good and powerful doesn't prevent evil.

Can a fun-loving cowboy with a precocious daughter and a guarded woman with a mistaken identity find a path to happiness together? It’s far from love at first sight when business consultant Cat Larson steals cowboy Roberto Moore’s car—with his daughter in it—then returns both and explains her reasons. After a few meetings, he’s intrigued by the mysterious thief, but his little family has suffered enough from his ex-wife’s addiction. Still reeling from her suspicious death, he doesn’t want to fall again for a woman he can’t trust. The abuse Cat suffered has taught her not to ...

Embark on a heart-wrenching journey alongside Hope Rodriguez in "Hope Lost," the captivating second book of the Hope series. As she tirelessly seeks solace and fulfillment, Hope's path takes unforeseen twists and turns, challenging her notions of love and redemption. With unwavering determination, Hope sets her sights on Michael Trent, the man who holds the key to her happiness. Yet, amidst her plans, an encounter with a child trapped in the clutches of sex trafficking shatters her world. Seeing it as a divine opportunity to experience motherhood once again, Hope embraces the chance to save...

Jehovah’s Witnesses: The one true faith, or a cult? For Daniel Clark – a family man, devout member of the Watchtower Society and bringer of “Ther Good News” – life had lost all meaning. Disillusioned with church teachings, he decided to leave the faith, but had to find the strength to throw off the teachings programmed into him since birth and rebuild his life. In a harrowing account of growing up as a Witness in a filthy, flea-infested house, visiting his mother in a hellish mental institution and handing out Jehovah’s Witness pamphlets door to door, Daniel shares the story of ...

"I was one of 28 children born to my dad and his three wives. Indoctrinated to believe that the outside world was evil, and that I resided among the righteous, I was destined to marry a man chosen for me by the Prophet. I would then live in harmony with my sister-wives, bear many children, and obey and serve my future husband in this life and throughout eternity. But my innocence didn't last long." Flora goes on from there to tell the dramatic true story of how she ultimately escaped and has been rescuing women and children from the FLDS.

Belief does not end at the altar. Its consequences begin there. Rites of Darkness II: Possession, Faith, and Consequence by Adrian Cave is a powerful continuation of the acclaimed examination of real exorcism cases—this time focusing on what happens after the ritual ends. Drawing from court rulings, medical records, investigative journalism, and religious archives, this volume explores modern and historical cases where exorcism led not to deliverance, but to injury, trauma, criminal prosecution, and death. These are not stories shaped by myth or cinema, but documented events that forced ...

When Misty was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were kept as slaves on a mountain ranch where they were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse, and extreme physical violence. When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community where they were adopted and became baptized members. Misty was devastated to once again find herself in a world of fear, animal cruelty, and sexual abuse.

"It’s a dark story that forced me to think more expansively about what constitutes a cult." —The New York Times' Ernesto Londoño "Although this is Mestyanek Young’s first time narrating, listeners will appreciate hearing this deeply personal story told by the author herself. Share with...

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.