Thread by @tisaiahcho

Spiritual abusers are often some of the most charming and charismatic people because that aids their ability to be master manipulators. They fabricate a "That can't be true!" aura about themselves and surround themselves with die-hard acolytes with "Leader can do no wrong."

We need to disavow ourselves of imagining spiritual abusers as something monstrous and overly obvious. They are crafty, subtle, and work in the shadows. They are well-liked and well-spoken of because that gives them a water-tight alibi on the surface if things go south for them.

This is important to realize why people do not speak up about the spiritual abuse they've received. Spiritual abusers will respond with DARVO techniques (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) when accusations become public, and their acolytes and enablers will fight

tooth and nail to protect the spiritual abuser's reputation, no matter at what cost or what lines they need to cross. Everything from hatefilled emails to threats to doxxing to even claiming that the victim has been deepfaking the entire thing. And the biggest thing - these

abusers more often than not get away with it and continue in their abuse because the people who have power and influence to hold them accountable won't lift a finger. In fact, these people in power will often defend and protect the abusers unless they are given some unrealistic

standard without the shadow of the doubt to believe that the abuser was actually guilty. And even then, master manipulators will twist the story to either exonerate themselves or to bring down their sentencing to something lighter than it should be.

Lastly, I firmly believe

that church courts are absolutely unable and unfit to adjudicate issues related to spiritual abuse because of so much vested interest within the church court body to "protect the institution." No, independent investigations are required by trained and licensed organizations

that understand spiritual abuse and manipulation tactics. If a denomination is unwilling to have a fully independent investigation when an accusation of spiritual abuse is made, then that denomination is not safe. It is basic accountability to have an independent investigation.

If you're a member of a denomination that does not require independent investigations, pressure your local church representatives to pressure those with influence so that these changes can be made. We've got to move the needle toward what is healthy and right in the Body.