"It's the goal of an oppressive institution to..."

"It is the goal of an oppressive institution (religious or otherwise) to keep their participants small and immature. For once a participant desires maturity, he/she no longer wants to be "on the bottle" that they are being fed, but wants to discover truth for themselves. This is a threat to an oppressive institution that thrives on the backs of those who are too afraid to question but believe that the institution itself has all the answers."  

- Aimee Dassele

10 Ways to Spot Spiritual Abuse

Guilt and condemnation, regardless of how cleverly it is concealed, is not from God. 

Even though the image of the article that I link below, shows a church building, spiritual abuse is not just limited to the church, which gathers in a building, every Sunday; it happens within home churches and other ministries as well. 

Disclaimer: By sharing this link, I neither say, nor imply, that all organized gatherings are abusive in nature. They are not, and it would be naïve to think so. But if yours is, this is for you. 

Spiritual Abuse: 10 Ways to Spot It, by Mary DeMuth