http://www.apologeticsindex.org Apologetics Research Resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:44:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/974-chapter-2-is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel http://www.apologeticsindex.org/974-chapter-2-is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:28:23 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=974
Christians who want to be helpful to those who have come out of abusive experiences must be sensitive, nonjudgmental, and accepting-even if they find it difficult to understand how something so bizarre could happen to another Christian.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/974-chapter-2-is-there-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/945-searching-for-freedom-from-spiritual-abuse http://www.apologeticsindex.org/945-searching-for-freedom-from-spiritual-abuse#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:16:24 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=945
These are some of the questions addresses in Chapter One of his book, Recovering From Churches That Abuse.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/945-searching-for-freedom-from-spiritual-abuse/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/950-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-preface-acknowledgments http://www.apologeticsindex.org/950-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-preface-acknowledgments#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:50:09 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=950 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/950-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-preface-acknowledgments/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/952-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-contents http://www.apologeticsindex.org/952-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-contents#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:40:16 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=952 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/952-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-contents/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/954-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-notice-disclaimer http://www.apologeticsindex.org/954-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-notice-disclaimer#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:30:27 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=954 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/954-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-notice-disclaimer/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/958-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-online-book http://www.apologeticsindex.org/958-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-online-book#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:20:33 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=958 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/958-recovering-from-churches-that-abuse-online-book/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/903-the-perils-of-positive-thinking http://www.apologeticsindex.org/903-the-perils-of-positive-thinking#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:40:10 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=903
Have you ever been asked to think of your layoff, cancer, or foreclosure as an “opportunity”?

Here's a book that explodes the myths of 'positive thinking.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/903-the-perils-of-positive-thinking/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/906-how-positive-thinking-has-undermined-america http://www.apologeticsindex.org/906-how-positive-thinking-has-undermined-america#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:13:09 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=906
"The promotion of positive thinking has become a minor industry in its own right, producing an endless flow of books, DVDs, and other products; providing employment for tens of thousands of "life coaches," "executive coaches," and motivational speakers, as well as for the growing cadre of professional psychologists who seek to train them.

America has historically offered space for all sorts of sects, cults, faith healers, and purveyors of snake oil, and those that are profitable, like positive thinking, tend to flourish."

Read the introduction to Barbara Ehrenreich's new book: Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/906-how-positive-thinking-has-undermined-america/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/873-cartwheels-in-a-sari-a-memoir-of-growing-up-cult http://www.apologeticsindex.org/873-cartwheels-in-a-sari-a-memoir-of-growing-up-cult#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:32:07 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=873 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/873-cartwheels-in-a-sari-a-memoir-of-growing-up-cult/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/862-parallel-gospels http://www.apologeticsindex.org/862-parallel-gospels#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:29:22 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=862
He also departs from the tradition of breaking up the text into numbered pericopes or episodes, and instead presents it in an unbroken readable format similar to regular Bibles, with page headings.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/862-parallel-gospels/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/857-chapter-11-abusive-churches-will-always-exist http://www.apologeticsindex.org/857-chapter-11-abusive-churches-will-always-exist#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:21:33 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=857
All of us have been exposed to the temptation of power, whether as parent, spouse, teacher, or worker. It has been said that human nature is always ready to abuse its power the moment it can do so with impunity. It should not be surprising, then, that the will to power sometimes invades the religious realm, and specifically the church.

One of the pressing needs of the Christian church is to assist in the development of discernment skills among believers so that the likelihood of following an aberrant teacher or a false doctrine is diminished.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/857-chapter-11-abusive-churches-will-always-exist/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/809-chapter-10-abusive-churches-present-a-warning http://www.apologeticsindex.org/809-chapter-10-abusive-churches-present-a-warning#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:02:44 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=809
]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/809-chapter-10-abusive-churches-present-a-warning/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/773-chapter-9-abusive-churches-make-leaving-painful http://www.apologeticsindex.org/773-chapter-9-abusive-churches-make-leaving-painful#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:18:23 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=773
Many have described the aftermath of abusive-church involvement as comparable to that of rape victims, or the delayed stress syndrome experienced by war veterans. It is recovery from what might be called spiritual rape. You feel like something has been lost and you will never be the same again." ]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/773-chapter-9-abusive-churches-make-leaving-painful/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/752-chapter-8-abusive-churches-discourage-questions http://www.apologeticsindex.org/752-chapter-8-abusive-churches-discourage-questions#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:27:59 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=752
A common theme that I encountered during interviews with ex-members of these groups was that the discipline was often carried out in public-and involved ridicule and humiliation." ]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/752-chapter-8-abusive-churches-discourage-questions/feed 0 http://www.apologeticsindex.org/742-chapter-7-abusive-churches-foster-rigidity http://www.apologeticsindex.org/742-chapter-7-abusive-churches-foster-rigidity#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:56:35 +0000 apologeticsindex.org http://www.apologeticsindex.org/?p=742
If life-style rigidity is a characteristic of most abusive churches, the role of subjective experience is equally crucial in understanding how such groups drift toward religious marginality.]]> http://www.apologeticsindex.org/742-chapter-7-abusive-churches-foster-rigidity/feed 0