| Surveys show that religion and spirituality play a central | | | | religious presence and the shame of its counterfeit, |
| role in the lives of most of the population in human | | | | addiction" (p. 243). McKenzie (1991) discusses addiction |
| experience. Gallup (1989) found that 53% of the U.S. | | | | as an unauthentic form of spiritual existence. He says |
| population considers religion to be very important in | | | | that, "addiction is born of the human desire for |
| their life, and another 31% considered it fairly important | | | | transcendence which is often perverted or misplaced |
| (p. 176). The religious and spiritual dimensions of culture | | | | by societies that encourage their members to seek |
| were found to be among the most important factors | | | | ultimate meaning in dimensions that have no regard for |
| that structure human experience, beliefs, values, | | | | the transcendent" (p. 325). Heise (1991, p. 11) explores |
| behavior, and illness (Browning et al., 1990; James, 1961; | | | | the fundamentalist Christian's focus on perfectionism, |
| Krippner and Welch, 1992).Researchers however, | | | | and it's possible contribution to an increase in |
| report that some individuals have problems that | | | | dysfunctional individuals, family systems, and |
| concern their religion. Members of the American | | | | addictions.Until recently, research in this area has |
| Psychological Association reported that at least one in | | | | primarily focused on religious cults. Estimates of the |
| six of their clients presented issues that involve religion | | | | number of cults range from several hundred to several |
| or spirituality (Shafranske and Maloney, 1990). In | | | | thousand, with a total membership up to three million |
| another study, 29% of psychologists agreed that | | | | (Allen and Metoyer, 1988, p. 38; Melton, 1986). According |
| religious issues are important in the treatment of all or | | | | to Margaret Singer, Ph.D., a psychologist specializing in |
| many of their clients (Bergin and Jensen, 1990, p. 3). | | | | cult phenomena, "the word cult describes a power |
| Psychotherapy can sometimes be effective in treating | | | | structure,...what really sets a cult apart is that one |
| religious problems. Robinson (1986) noted, "Some | | | | person has proclaimed himself to have some special |
| patients have troublesome conflicts about religion that | | | | knowledge, and if he can convince others to let him be |
| could probably be resolved through the process of | | | | in charge, he will share that knowledge" (Collins & |
| psychotherapy" (p.22).Religious problems can be as | | | | Frantz, 1994, p. 30). The Jim Jones People's Temple |
| various and complex as mental health problems. One | | | | mass suicide has been documented in the news, and |
| type of psychoreligious problem involves patients who | | | | more recently David Koresh's Branch Davidian |
| intensify their adherence to religious practices and | | | | Christian cult. Cults, both destructive and benign, have |
| orthodoxy (Lukoff, Lu, and Turner 1992, p. 677). | | | | been with us in various guises since time immemorial. |
| Generally when people speak of addictive diseases | | | | Many psychologists and psychiatrists have become |
| they imply a medical problem. In the past few years | | | | knowledgeable about destructive cults in the course of |
| the term addiction has been used to characterize | | | | their work with patients affected by the problem.Within |
| behaviors that go beyond chemicals. Dr. Robert | | | | the past few years, however, traditional Church |
| Lefever (1988) views addiction as a "family disease" | | | | members have faced their compulsive behavior and |
| involving self-denial and caretaking, domination, and | | | | harmful beliefs. Doucette (1992) reports that "many |
| submission (p. ix). Gerald May (1988) states that | | | | people are waking up because they have seen their |
| addiction is a "state of compulsion, obsession, or | | | | religious leaders fall. Some researchers believe that the |
| preoccupation that enslaves a person's will and desire" | | | | magnitude of the tragedy of religious addiction and |
| (p.14). Shaef (1987) defines addiction as "any process | | | | abuse was revealed by the TV evangelist scandals |
| over which we are powerless" (p. 18). She divides | | | | documented in the news media which involved: Jim |
| addictions into two categories: substance addictions | | | | and Tammy Bakker; Jimmy Swaggart; and Oral |
| -alcohol, drugs, nicotine, food) and process addictions | | | | Roberts (Brand 1987, p. 82; Woodward 1987, p. 68; and |
| -money-accumulation, gambling, sex, work, worry, and | | | | Kaufman 1988, p. 37). These personal confessions |
| religion.Research in the area of religious addiction is | | | | have exposed not only how these supposed men of |
| deficient, however there were a few older related | | | | God had betrayed people's trust, but how many of |
| studies found in the literature. Simmonds (1977) reports | | | | those who had been abused, betrayed, and |
| that there is some evidence to indicate that "religious | | | | bankrupted never seemed to question what was |
| people in general tend to exhibit dependency on some | | | | happening and continued to support these |
| external source of gratification" (p. 114). Black and | | | | individuals.Booth (1991) states that "the Bakker, |
| London (1966) found a high positive correlation | | | | Swaggart, and Roberts scandals created a national |
| between the variables of obedience to parents and | | | | intervention that served to interrupt the progress of this |
| country and indices of religious belief such as church | | | | unhealthy phenomenon" (p. 38). What had previously |
| attendance, belief in God and prayer (p. 39). Goldsen, | | | | been viewed as fanaticism or zealotry increasingly |
| et al. (1960) showed that people who were more | | | | began to be called religious addiction and religious |
| religious consistently showed tendencies toward | | | | abuse. Booth (1991) defines religious addiction as "using |
| greater social conformity than did the nonreligious, a | | | | God, a church, or a belief system as an escape from |
| finding consistent with the notion that religious people | | | | reality, or as a weapon against ourselves or others in |
| seek external approval. These results are supported | | | | an attempt to find or elevate a sense of self-worth or |
| by Fisher (1964 p. 784), who reported that a measure | | | | well-being" (p. 38).Other researchers use the terms |
| of social approval and religion were strongly | | | | spiritual and psychological abuse to describe the |
| associated. Religious people show dependence not | | | | characteristics of religious addiction. Enroth (1992) says |
| only on social values, but also on other external agents. | | | | that his book "Churches That Abuse is about people |
| Duke (1964, p. 227) found that church attendance | | | | who have been abused psychologically and spiritually in |
| indicated more responsiveness to the effects of a | | | | churches and other Christian organizations" (p. 29). He |
| placebo. In a study of 50 alcoholics, it was found that | | | | reports that "unlike physical abuse that often results in |
| those who were dependent on alcohol were more | | | | bruised bodies, spiritual and pastoral abuse leaves |
| likely to have had a religious background (Walters, | | | | scars on the psyche and soul...the perversion of power |
| 1957, p. 405).The few research studies aforementioned | | | | that we see in abusive churches disrupts and divides |
| seem to suggest that religious people develop a | | | | families, fosters unhealthy dependence of members on |
| dependency on religious practices for social approval. | | | | the leadership, and creates, ultimately, spiritual confusion |
| Since religious people seem to be describable in terms | | | | in the lives of victims" (p. 29). The scandals involving |
| of relatively high levels of dependence, it seems useful | | | | TV evangelists created a national intervention by |
| to borrow a concept suggested by Peele and | | | | bringing religious addiction and abuse too close to |
| Brodsky (1975)- that of "addiction." According to these | | | | home to be ignored. Those scandals spurred people to |
| writers addiction is "a person's attachment to a | | | | act and call for change.During this period, I had the |
| sensation, an object, or another person... such as to | | | | unique opportunity to conduct a literature review and |
| lessen his appreciation of and ability to deal with other | | | | survey on the relatively newly recognized |
| things in his environment, or in himself, so that he has | | | | phenomenon of religious addiction within Christianity in |
| become increasingly dependent on that experience as | | | | the State of Hawaii for my dissertation while pursuing |
| his only source of gratification" (p. 168).There are a | | | | my doctor of psychology degree (Psy.D) in clinical |
| variety of definitions for the concept of religious | | | | psychology. After studying the symptoms, beliefs, and |
| addiction. Arterburn and Felton (1992) state that "when | | | | stages of religious addiction along with the |
| a person is excessively devoted to something or | | | | characteristics of religiously addictive organizations, I |
| surrenders compulsively and habitually to something, | | | | came to believe that having an intense faith or religious |
| that pathological and physiological dependency on a | | | | ferver is not equal to having a religious addiction. Most |
| substance, relationship, or behavior results in addiction" | | | | people experience healthy religion and a spiritual life in |
| (p. 104). They indicate that, "like any other addiction, the | | | | which obedience to God is balanced with a freedom |
| practice of religion becomes central to every other | | | | to serve others in ways of individual experession.I also |
| aspect of life...all relationships evolve from the religion, | | | | discovered however, that church leaders in Hawaii that |
| and the dependency on the religious practice and its | | | | were self-appointed (not elected/ appointed by their |
| members removes the need for a dependency on | | | | church) significantly identified more with religious |
| God...the religion and those who practice it then | | | | addictive beliefs, symptoms and practices compared |
| become the central power for the addict who no | | | | to their counterparts.For more info see: Hawaii and |
| longer is in touch with God" (p. 117).Spirituality can also | | | | Christian Religious Addiction |
| have pathological aspects to it. Vaughan (1991) reports | | | | Recovery Management Services |
| that "the shadow side to a healthy search for | | | | Slobodzien, Psy.D., CSAC, is a Hawaii licensed |
| wholeness can be called addiction to spirituality" (p. 105). | | | | psychologist and certified substance abuse counselor |
| He indicates that this can be found among people who | | | | who earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He is |
| use spirituality as a solution to problems they are | | | | credentialed by the National Registry of Health Service |
| unwilling to face. Van-Kaam (1987) presents a | | | | Providers in Psychology. He has over 20-years of |
| viewpoint of addiction as a quasi religious or falsified | | | | mental health experience primarily working in the fields |
| religious presence. He reports that "an understanding | | | | of alcohol/ substance abuse and behavioral addictions |
| of the relationship between religious presence and | | | | in hospital, prison, and court settings. He is an adjunct |
| addiction allows potential dangers of receptivity to be | | | | professor of Psychology and also maintains a private |
| identified in order to realize the real value of true | | | | practice as a mental health consultant. |