ABUSE
This page contains
a link to a page of comfort, a short Christian exhortation regarding no
tolerance to abuse, useful internal and external links regarding the general
subject of abuse and various specific related subjects, some 24 hour hotlines,
some links for parents, some links for youth, and links regarding sex addiction
and internet porn concerns.
| Related Internal Links (pages):
Love page, Spiritual
Abuse page, Women in Ministry page. This last
one is useful because it includes links to articles that both encourage
women and address legalistic, authoritarianistic, religious lies that are
commonly used in cults or other spiritual
abuse situations. We also include
Links
- regarding the international epidemic of atrocities against women
and girls, mostly inspired by various 'fundamentalist' religions, especially
Muslim.
See also: Sin and Righteousness, and Alcoholism
and Addictions
|
Real Christianity does not condone or encourage abuse. Empty religion, however, does!
We were told what to do
(based on 2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Warning: the religiously comfortable will not like the following short exhortation.
As Mark Twain said: "Sacred Cows make the best hamburger"
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them...
What does having "a form of godliness while denying its power, " really mean? This verse in 2 Timothy is not about wonders or miracles, but Christian behavior (see 2 Tim. 2:19 for the beginning of the context, and 3:10-12 for the ending). Outward
form or 'trappings' of Christianity mean so little to God! It is
the miracle of the Cross that produces the changed life! If anyone then
projects a good appearance of godly habits, but inwardly they refuse
the power of the Cross to transform them, if they are a people without
conscience about how they treat their sister and brother in Christ, if
they are narcissistic, does this make them a "new creature" in Christ?
NO! To be a real Christian is to practice love by our deeds and not
just by the words of our mouths (1 John 3:18).
Yet just as the Scripture above says, there would be "terrible
times" ahead, when there will those who hold to godly "trappings" alone
without having the 'fruit' of godly behavior! Can anyone say that our
present-day epidemic of ALL types of abuse in our religious
communities, including even physical and sexual abuse, does not prove
that we are indeed in those "last days" the apostles warned us
of? We were warned it would get like this. We were told what to do!
"If we know the Lord, we will condemn
God's people who walk according to their own wishes; if we do not know
the Lord sufficiently, we will tolerate their walk according to their
own desire. Many times we can tolerate the condition of Christians
because we are not faithful enough to Christ. Our lack of faithfulness
to the Lord is due to the fact that we still do not have revelation to
know the Lord who condemns this as sin. Oh, there are even times when
we must choose between the Lord and His people as to whom we must
serve."
-Watchmen Nee
pp. 93, The Orthodoxy Of The Church
-Teri Lee Earl
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing.
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
For a thorough Biblical investigation and in-depth, hopeful exhortation regarding apathy, please see our on-line book,
Apathy, The Final Deathblow, by Teri Lee Earl
LINKS OUTSIDE-- GENERAL AND EDUCATIONAL FOR THE GENERAL SUBJECT OF ABUSE:
Way To Hope at http://www.way2hope.org/
The site was started in 2001 by Glen Williams, and contains many useful
links. It is Christian yet is sensitive to a nonChristian's perspective
too. The front page states: "Welcome! This site is
dedicated to finding solutions to life's problems, like alcoholism,
drug addiction, sexual abuse, debt, marriage problems or any other
challenges."
"You Have The Power" links page (for child abuse)
Some Facts About Domestic Violence
7 Deadly Signs
by Lifeskills International, started by Paul Hegstrom, a former
physical abuser, whose story is the subject of the made-for-television
movie entitled "Unforgivable" starring John Ritter and Haley-Jane Kozak
Minnesota Center Against Abuse and Violence
THERE ARE MANY OTHER LINKS ON THE WEB. HERE ARE A FEW TO GET YOU STARTED, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
24 Hour Hotlines:
If you need a referral to a domestic violence shelter or program
in your area, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline
at
800/799-SAFE (7233) or 800/787-3224 (TTY).
Childhelp USA/IO Foresters National Child Abuse Hotline--Call if you
need help or would like to talk with someone, or if you want to report
child abuse or need information about making a report.
1-800-422-4453
Covenant House
Nineline--Call if you are thinking about running away, or if you ran
away but would like to talk or send a message to your parents. Covenant
House is a ministry for run-away or 'throw away' children
1-800-999-9999
For a long list of other hotlines for teens/children and problems that may effect this age group, access this Crisis Hotline page at http://www.lastdaysministries.org/youth/numbers.html
YOUTH:
Notice! America's children and their rights have fallen along the
wayside while we adults have continued in our inalienable rights
of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." By
whatever measure you use, the country's performance has been a shameful
one. Sobering statistics (as of 1996) show the U.S. infant
mortality rate to be higher than any other western industralized
nation. The U.S. poverty rate is the highest of 18 industrial nations,
with almost 3 million children reported neglected and abused in one
year. The barometer on children's welfare has been falling fast in a
nation too busy to take note, or too convinced that nothing can be done
for this generation.
For resources, check out 
Last Days Ministries Youth Resources and Links section at http://www.lastdaysministries.org/youth/resources.html
Also, the website created by The Benton Foundation
at http://www.kidscampaigns.org lists active organizations, model
programs, updates and contacts on behalf of our children. Check it out!
(Note: The Ad Council has a history of taking on social problems
which cynics thought could not be improved, and improving them. This
volunteer organization has now declared war on the hopelessness and
apathy that has kept this great country from improving the lives of
children. You don't need to be a professional and you don't need to
feel like your few hours of time a week is useless, and you can be
involved in helping people--parents and kids--who are struggling to
help themselves.)
Outside links For Parents:
Parents are sometimes treated badly by their children, suffering
rude, verbal abuse and even acts of violence from their children upon
themselves or other family members. These children or teens are often
involved in drugs or alcohol or other destructive or illegal behavior
outside the home. Two organizations that offer parent support groups
for this are TOUGH LOVE at http://www.toughlove.org and "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU"
at http://www.becauseiloveyou.org Tough love specifies on their
site that it does not support "throwing kids out" or tolerance of
verbal abuse or violence between family members, including parent to
child. Resources are also found at Teens in Trouble: A Survival Guide for Parents at http://www.lv.psu.edu/jkl1/teens/
Advise and information for parents with kids on the internet can be found at FamilyPC at http://familypc.zdnet.com/ Also, you may want to access CyberAngels.org - the largest online internet safety program since 1995, at http://www.cyberangels.org/
FAQ'S: SEX ADDICTION from Dr. Doug Weiss, Sex Addiction Counselor, at http://www.sexaddict.com
INTERNET SPECIFIC CONCERNS:
Warning from the Commission on Domestic Violence:
HOW AN ABUSER CAN DISCOVER YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITIES
200,000 net porn addicts in US
Compulsive users were found to have more serious social problems.
BBC News
Internet Activist Group to Stop Child Pornography on the Internet
Site to help the citizen protest the existence of child pornography made available by Internet Service Providers (ISP's)
Warning: Examples of pedophile words or pictures available on the Net
contain langauge that is very offensive and violent. Not for the faint
hearted!
How can we protect our children from internet porn? CyberAngels
at http://www.cyberangels.org answers that question with: "There is
nothing illegal about either an adult pornographic site, or the use of
search engines to report on them in this country. Many parents express
concern for their children, and other children using the Internet. We
at Cyberangels suggest that web browsing and access should not be a
solitary activity for children. We recommend that just as you teach
your children safe techniques for crossing the street, you should also
teach them how to be safe on the Internet."
There are many books that may help regarding abuse. These are a few:
Boundaries; When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
by Henry Cloud was an excellent book but now appears to be out of
print. Boundaries With Kids : When to Say Yes, When to Say No to
Help Your Children Gain Control of Their Lives by Henry Cloud, John
Townsend, Lisa Guest an be ordered online @ amazon.com (which is one of
the choices zondervan.com gives for purchasing) for $11.89 + shipping.
Helping Victims of Sexual Abuse (a sensitive, Biblical
guide for counselors, victims and families) by Lynn Heitritter &
Jeanette Vought. This is a very, very comprehensive and thorough book.
If you are a victim with traumatic memories, be careful as it may
'trigger' these memories again. Click HERE for more review of the book and for the nine steps (similar to A.A.'s 12 steps) for sexual abuse victims in the book.
Pain and Pretending by Rich Buhler
A significant work dealing in a balanced and sensitive way of the importance with coming to terms with the past.
