Battered sheep are only battered by human pastors, man-made religions, human governments, and other human beings. If you have ever experienced spiritual abuse, then you can know assuredly that Jesus Christ is not responsible. Jesus Christ does not batter or abuse as do human governments or religions or human beings...

Almighty God, by the very fact that He is God, has to be total perfection, one hundred percent of the time. God is never wrong. God is always love. God is always right and correct even when we as human beings don't understand. Unlike human beings, the motives of God are always pure. There is never an ulterior motive with God, as there often are with human beings. In spite of what human beings think, if a human being has a bad attitude toward God, it is probably something that human beings did and not something God did. Or it is something that people think God did, but which He did not. God is often blamed for events in life, for which He had nothing to do. No matter the outcome of how we think life should be, we have to defer to the wisdom of God that He is God and we are not. And if people have a bad attitude toward God for something, then it can only be surmised that, it is not God, but human beings whose thinking is not right. Granted, there are many things in life which defy human understanding and can cause human beings to stumble over believing in God, such as death and destruction in wars, accidents and the suffering of innocent human beings. The natural and obvious question we all ask is "Why Lord? Why do you allow these things to happen and not intervene?" I have asked that question many times in life myself.

Because of spiritual abuse, which always comes from Satan and human sources and never from God, many human beings have walked away from God, because they blame God. This is faulty reasoning. Some people have gone so far as to commit suicide as a result of their experiences in a particular church group or cult group. Others have become agnostics and still others have become atheists.

Anyone who is currently experiencing spiritual abuse, can only be doing so because of carnal-minded men, even if they have titles such as pastor, senior pastor, bishop, apostle, or some other flattering title. Sometimes spiritual abuse may be limited to a single individual in a church setting, but in other cases, entire organizations are spiritually abusive because of very false doctrines, beliefs, and practices that place people in bondage, fear, and intimidation.

Jesus Christ is NEVER the cause of spiritual abuse. All doubters in God and Christ are simply self deceived human beings. The main reason many people have tolerated spiritual abuse, is because of false fear. Jesus often said "fear not" and it is men who cause people to fear their false authority.

God is not and never has been the source of spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse comes from the mind of man and his religious beliefs. It is men who often think they are "infallible" when they are not. It is man who thinks God appointed spiritual rulers and overlords over common people. A great deal of spiritual abuse comes from pastors, clergy, and leaders of others, because these "overlords" think they are appointed by God to control others and have power over them. Men love power, control, authority over people, and all the free money they can get. Many pastors have abused church members.

Jesus said this about Himself in John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I Am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The real source of spiritual abuse is both Satan and also human beings who abuse their fellow man, which is all too common in the world of churches and religion.

-- Submitted by Sis Edwards, North Carolina