Theological Abuse

With or without a religious upbringing, many are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, which serves as an explanation of the “Fall,” or in more universal terms, the fallibility and imperfections of humanness and how individuals accept and manage the internal guilt of these faults. In this account of Genesis in the Bible, the burden of constant sin can be explained as driving the tireless work of man and the exhaustive emotional and physical pain of woman. Any given person will tell of daily sufferings, and Adam and Eve, the declared parents of humanity, are held responsible for eternal struggles. Their lost access to the Garden of Eden due to their disobedience is similarly reflected to contemporary afflictions. Life itself has now been

Theological abuse is established on the principle of punishment for any action deemed good or bad. The tension is further increased with the inconsistency of consequences as mercy can sometimes be given. When it is not administered, however, then the individual will feel it is well deserved despite being ignorant to what actually warranted the punishment. Religion becomes involved when the individual interprets these repercussions as the will of God, and continues to live purposefully within the rules and constructs of the defined faith. This strips the person from expressing any freedom in questioning and exploring other beliefs or traditions. Religion ties further into this idea of theological abuse as it reaches out to the individual’s personal relationship with it. It offers a sort of consistency in that, despite its failure to give the immediate truth behind difficulties, it is able to provide a security blanket of sorts as the promise of reward for suffering hardship must be fulfilled. This relationship becomes even more intimate as it delves into the realm of narcissism. In some form of what most would consider to be a vice, self evaluation can be life saving when placed beneath the watchful eye of God. The roles of guilt and self responsibility are apparent in a person’s daily life and routine. An aura of dread and doom with experiences can be said to develop when functioning under surveillance, which becomes a huge burden to carry constantly. There lies a conflict between expectations and personal interest that is to be expected from a human, and Auslander, in his total realization and acceptance of his relentless mental state, develops a morbid and satirical sense of humor in order to deal with the anguish of theological abuse. He understands that it has become a part of him, and though it may be possible to alleviate, it is not wise to do so as this might elicit another