Religious Child Abuse – Breaking Their Will by Janet Heimlich
How does religion provide opportunity for child abuse? I was one of those helpless children. Spankings, indoctrination, fear, dictatorships, and authoritarianism prove prevalent in fundamentalist Christian denominations. All cloaked beneath the guise of love.
Unwitting parents subject their children to the leadership of these “churches,” without realizing the decades-long repercussions. Author Janet Heimlich spotlights this topic from her journalistic investigation.
Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment by Janet Heimlich
My video review:
Official Book Description
“High-profile cases such as the child sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church and “faith healing” deaths in certain fundamentalist Christian congregations have made the public aware that religion can sometimes mask deviant and harmful behavior. But the extent of the problem is far greater than most people realize. In this revealing, disturbing, and thoroughly researched book, award-winning journalist Janet Heimlich exposes a dark side of faith that most Americans do not know exists or have ignored for a long time—religious child maltreatment.
After speaking with dozens of victims, perpetrators, and experts, and reviewing a myriad of court cases and studies, Heimlich explains how religious child maltreatment happens. She then takes an in-depth look at the many forms of child maltreatment found in religious contexts, including biblically-prescribed corporal punishment and beliefs about the necessity of “breaking the wills” of children; scaring kids into faith and other types of emotional maltreatment such as spurning, isolating, and exploiting; pedophilic abuse by religious authorities and the failure of religious organizations to support the victims and punish the perpetrators; and religiously-motivated medical neglect in cases of serious health problems.
In concluding chapters, Heimlich proposes changes in improved legislation and societal attitudes to protect children from harm and emphasizes the importance of respecting children’s rights.
While fully acknowledging that religion can be a source of great comfort, strength, and inspiration to many young people, Heimlich makes a compelling case that, regardless of one’s religious or secular orientation, maltreatment of children under the cloak of religion can never be justified and should not be tolerated.”
I give this book a 4 of 5 stars.
Who should read this book?
- Those who have escaped their childhood religion and struggle with the consequences.
- Religious leaders
- Religious parents
- Psychologists specializing in abuse
- Friends and relatives of abused children
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Readers: Have you ever read a book that tore at your heartstrings? Did the visceral aspects of the book inspire you to take action? If so, what did you do?
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