Donate
Introduction:
“O, God, [they] have invaded Your inheritance; They have defiled Your holy temple; They have laid Jerusalem in ruins” (Ps. 79:1, NASB)
Though this Psalm acutely describes the Jewish people’s lament of the desecration of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it is also an appropriate response to one's experience of an invasion of the sacred sanctuary of his or her soul. Man’s conscience is meant to be a place where he is alone with God. However, in recent years, the Church has become more increasingly aware of a growing problem of abuse — the abuse of conscience — in which a spiritual or moral authority invades that sacred sanctuary, gains control over it and replaces the voice of God with that of his own.The effects of such abuse are devastating on the individual who not only loses their freedom and ability to make judgements, but ultimately loses their sense of self and identity, their trust in others, and their experience of God. This article explores the nature of this abuse and its constitutive parts, and concludes with recommendations toward pathways of healing and an exhortation to the mission of accompanying victims and survivors.