definition for: #SpiritualAbuse

Dr. Lisa Oakley has defined spiritual abuse this way: "Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. It is characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context. Spiritual abuse can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it. This abuse may include: manipulation and exploitation, enforced accountability, censorship of decision-making, the requirement of secrecy and silence, coercion to conform, control through the use of sacred texts or teaching, the requirement of obedience to the abuser, the suggestion that the abuser has a 'divine' position, isolation as a means of punishment, and superiority and elitism." I would suggest that SpiritualAbuse goes beyond emotional and psychological abuse, because it attacks a person's spirit, as well as their soul.