Control In Black And White
Chapter 7
Part of the effect of abusive discipleship is to create a world where the motivating factors are so powerful that people will conform to the exploitive expectations of the leaders.
Part of the effect of abusive discipleship is to create a world where the motivating factors are so powerful that people will conform to the exploitive expectations of the leaders.
"Why don't they just leave?" That is one of the questions most commonly asked by people who have never experienced a systematically controlled environment. It is difficult to believe that a healthy, thinking person cannot just pack up and walk out. It is easier to conclude that people who are involved in groups like these are weak willed persons who are easily entrapped. This is similar to the way in which many people still have a difficult time understanding why a battered woman doesn't just leave the man who abuses her. I still hear people say, "If someone hit me, I'd leave."
Of course, if someone came up to you and started beating you, you would do your best to get away. But the web that entangles battered victims is woven in stages, a strand at a time, gradually compelling the victim to remain. In the same way, disciples caught in the web of abusive discipleship groups are hemmed in by powerful motivating forces, both positive and negative. Part of the effect of abusive discipleship is to create a world where these motivations are so powerful that followers will conform to the exploitive expectations of the leaders. ...
Copyright 1996 Mary Alice Chrnalogar
Last revised: Nov. 11/97
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