 | Ritual Abuse |
Wed, 5 Feb 1997
Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 357
We don't often deal with a subject like ritual abuse, and we don't
often have 'testimonies' on this list. But here's something on a
controversial topic which won't go away... Rowland. (Reproduced with
permission)
---------------------------------
Many people, including survivors, ask themselves. "Where was God in
the midst of their trauma?" How could God who is supposed to be
"loving," allow such pain and suffering as Ritual Abuse? This
question, as you know, is not "exclusive" to ritual abuse survivors.
It comes up in the case of any traumatic event, any crisis that
individuals must face, any tragedy. We have forgotten that God does
not want us to suffer. Some choose to see suffering as an EXAMPLE of
God's abandonment of His people. The truth is, that each one of us,
has GOD with us. Unfortunately, we've misplaced Him somewhere along the
way.
God gave us a promise of Hope. We might look at the "traumas" of the
world as if they were the storm or the flood that Noah faced. Some
people, as in Noah's day, will choose to ignore the fact that the
flood is eminent. (We remember what happened to them!)
Noah, KNEW God was with him, he had faith. We must help those who
suffer by planting the tiny mustard seed of faith. Then the seed may
be nurtured in order to grow. Nurturing faith in the brokenhearted is
our commission as God's servants. We cannot reap, neither can we sow,
unless we plant the seed. It is this faith, this belief in Hope for a
better day . .. a rainbow in the cloud, that we approach the subject
of ritual abuse and healing.
Where was God? Where was the rainbow of hope? I contend, that Hope was
NOT lost but rather, it was held gently in God's hand, to be
discovered in the midst of the clouds . . .perhaps later for some than
others, but eventually it would be there on the horizon!
It is the Light of God, the center of the soul of His Child which the
cult tried to destroy. In ritual abuse survivors, that center was
shattered. The soul of the child would be fractured through pain,
trauma, abuse beyond words . . . but it wouldn't disappear. That
fractured Light of God, the soul and Spirit of His child IS the
rainbow!
Our task and God's hand in healing ritual abuse is to help His
children find that light of hope again. It requires taking all the
shattered pieces of light and putting them together. It's about riding
out the storm, surviving the flood, and the patience to keep looking
for that dove bearing the sign that we ARE approaching dry land! It is
a journey, just like the journey Noah took. It is a journey of faith,
hope and love, a journey of starting over in trusting God.
Those who practice evil are intent on turning everything that is about
God and FOR God into something ugly and dirty. It is about the
destruction of life, the destruction of God's Light, and the worship
of darkness. It is a twisted, warped defamation of God and everything
He stands for. In satanic rituals, just as in the crucifixion of our
Lord, Satan and his followers assault and defile the closest thing to
God . . . His child.
My journey of Spiritual healing from Ritual abuse was about finding
the shattered pieces of light and picking them up. Each one had to be
gently carried and placed BACK in its original location. The
"reflection" that was seen is equivalent to what one might see if they
were in a House of Mirrors. If you can visualize yourself, as standing
in the center of a House of Mirrors . .. looking all around you and
seeing your reflection. Some reflections are warped, some appear
grotesque, and some are very very small. But they are ALL you! They
are ALL your reflection. Reaching out to touch that reflection is what
Spiritual Healing is about. But, reaching out to touch the mirrors,
can be scary. The survivor of abuse doesn't know if that reflection,
that gross representation she sees is REALLY she, or a warped
reflection created by something evil. She believes, because the cult
taught her to believe this, that SHE is evil. Again, the twisted work
of Satan. They were trying to take something beautiful that God
created, and turn it into something ugly and bad.
The cult that abused me used clergy to defile God. This is a common
practice in satanic cults. It is a way to draw their victims farther
away from God's church and those who could help them. Some cult members
or Satanists, were active church members and leaders on Sundays. Yet
on Saturday nights, they were leading another "church" group. The
colors of the robes were different and so was the God they worshipped.
It is sad to say, that many of the most knowledgeable theologians in
our world are Satanists. You cannot twist and defile the Word of God
unless you KNOW the Word of God.
In Satanic rituals, some cult members "pretend" to be clergy to
confuse the child and cause her to FEAR both God's servants AND His
house. Rituals often took place in or near churches. The instruments of
the Holy Sacrament, as well as the cross, were used during rituals.
Anything that was related to God or Christ, especially the Highest and
most Holy of church holidays was defiled in some way.
In spite of the attempted destruction of God's children, there is
light in the midst of the darkness. There can be healing. The role of
God's servants is to heal as Christ healed. We are to recognize the
fear and shame in others that needs His healing hand. We must be
prepared to help the child of God gently and ever so carefully, reach
out and touch that mirror. His children need to understand that WHAT
they see in that reflection IS God! The pain of abuse causes them to
see a warped, scratched, broken reflection of their Creator. God's
purpose, and ours as His servants, is to help the "walking wounded" in
our world, touch their reflection of the Christ child in the center of
their own House of Mirrors.
The cult tried to convince me that "touching the mirror" or finding my
TRUE self, was tantamount to death. The cult trained me well, if I
worked hard enough to FIND that child in the center, they taught me how
to kill myself. Thus, FEAR of mending the shattered mirrors or seeking
"wholeness" was well established in my mind. I was carefully taught to
believe that IF I touched that reflection or the light of God . . . I
must die.
For many survivors, the risk becomes too much to bear and often, out
of fear and no direction from God's servants, the abuse victim remains
the victim as opposed to a survivor. She remains wounded, perhaps
using drugs, alcohol or some other addiction to ease the pain. Or
perhaps the seed of suicidal programming the cult planted chokes the
life out of her.
Leaders of our churches have an ominous job. It is not however,
impossible because we KNOW that with God . . . ANYTHING is possible!
Christ's healing of the lepers, his casting out of demons, his
compassion for those in pain, are ALL examples of how we must work
with ritual abuse survivors and anyone else who is suffering from the
LACK of God's wholeness. What did ALL of these people have in common?
They had a NEED! Our job as healers, is to see with the eyes of the
GREAT healer, Jesus. When He is our center, we have the strength and
guidance through the Holy Spirit to be partners in His healing.
Those who came to Christ or were brought to him were "seeking" help.
They wanted to be healed. Often today we spend time, for our OWN
glorification and credit in trying to heal those who have chosen NOT
to see the flood. We offer and offer and offer and still nothing
happens! We must be able to distinguish between those who WANT to get
on the boat and those who don't! We must also be honest about whom we
give credit to when healing takes place. We are God's servants.We can
only act through Him. We can't force healing, but as a disciple of
Christ, I know I must at the very least, offer it.
Christ did not say to those He healed, "YOU HAVE to be healed" He
asked, "Do you want to be healed?" It was a choice. It is my opinion,
when a church leader stands in front of his people and screams words
of "hell and damnation" there is LITTLE resemblance to Christ in that!
When you give a survivor of ritual abuse a "choice" to attend your
church, a "choice" to run out when the offering of the sacrament
brings horrendous flashes of memories of a black mass and the eating of
real flesh and blood . . . that "choice" is a gift that is offered
through Christ. Those who worship Satan offered NO choice for the child
of God. In offering the "choice" you will have given her a gift that
may change her life. You offer your hand, not to PULL her into
something she is terrified of, but to lend support. You offer her a
different kind of comfort than she's ever known, one she can trust will
not reach out and suffocate her or demand something she can't offer.
Choice, is a key to healing in abuse. When we try to force God's
children by screaming at them we need to ask WHO we are actually
trying to heal them for, ourselves . . . or God? We can no longer
afford to heal for our personal glory. We MUST begin to heal God's
children for HIS GLORY!
Many survivors kept God's light alive inside of them. In fact, I think
most survivors did this, especially if they were of a very young age.
Survivors of ritual abuse, or other traumatic types of abuse can't
handle the overwhelming pain and trauma. They shatter like a mirror
into separate reflections. Therapists call this multiple personality
disorder. I call it the shattering of God's reflection. As clergy, and
as members of God's Holy church, we must reach out to help ALL of those
who have been shattered in some way. We can help them find that light
in the center of the clouds with God's guiding hand. We must begin to
help them see that even in the storm, there is a rainbow of hope. It
will take more than just words. It will take compassion, patience,
love, faith, gentleness. It takes the fruit of the Spirit.
Healing our children is not about words. It's about "action." If we
say, "Ritual abuse or ANY kind of abuse is awful" and then we don't
acknowledge or do something about exposing it because it's too
controversial in the media, then I ask, How is that different from
saying to the man without a coat or food. "Have a good day, be well,
stay warm" and then turning around and walking away?
Faith is about ACTION, not just SAYING you have faith. Healing is
about DOING . . . touching with God's hand ever so gently to heal
those who suffer. It is about SHOWING them the way of Christ's healing
. . . not beating it into them with hell and damnation speeches that
impress people or keep them awake on a sleepy Sunday morning.
It is time to become educated and DO something to stop abuse and
suffering. It is time that we find that rainbow of Hope and heal those
who are shattered. We must heal God's children by helping them touch
the reflection of His child in their center. A good question to ask
ourselves at this point might be, "What do those who need healing see
in OUR reflections?" Do they see a distortion of God? Or do they see a
reflection of His healing light? Do they see the light of Hope?
May God teach All of us how to heal as Christ healed. May He lead us
to those who seek His light. And to all survivors of the flood I say,
"May the tears of your sorrow, blend with the Light of God to create
rainbows of Hope . . . for tomorrow."
Dedicated to God and to all the children who died and are with Him
now.
C.L. Burger (13 July 1995)
--
Shalom! Rowland Croucher
Director, John Mark Ministries - resources for pastors/leaders.
(Bookroom, library, and worldwide F.W.Boreham Trading Post)
Home Page: http://www.pastornet.net.au/jmm
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