Have you ever felt like someone’s version of faith was being used more like a weapon than a source of comfort? This isn’t imagination.
For millions of Americans, Christianity is a source of profound meaning, community, and hope. But like any powerful belief system, its principles can be twisted. This isn’t about attacking faith itself. It’s about pulling back the curtain on the manipulative tactics people and groups use to gain power, control others, and push their own agendas.
A 2023 sociological study by ResearchGate found that about one-third (27–33%) of U.S. adults have likely experienced religious trauma in their lifetime—and that might be a conservative estimate. At the same time, a 2024 report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that three in ten Americans (30%) qualify as either “Adherents” or “Sympathizers” of Christian nationalism. This ideology fuses Christian and American identities.
The misuse of faith isn’t a fringe issue; it’s a widespread phenomenon that has caused documented trauma for tens of millions of Americans and fuels a powerful political movement.
Fusing faith with national identity
This is the big one, and you’ve probably heard the term: Christian nationalism. The core idea is that America is—and must remain—a “Christian nation”. This tactic merges religious identity with national identity, creating the dangerous notion that to be a “true” American, you must be a Christian. It’s an ideology that wants to weave a particular version of Christianity into the fabric of our government and laws.
This isn’t a new concept. The idea surged during the Cold War when phrases like “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance, partly to create distance from “godless communism”.
Today, the numbers show this ideology has a serious foothold. While different researchers measure it differently, the scale of its influence is clear. There’s a small, hardcore base, but a much larger group of “sympathizers” who are open to the message. This larger group can be activated by rhetoric that frames political fights as a defense of “Christian America,” even if they don’t want a full-blown theocracy.
Politicizing the pulpit for partisan gain
This tactic turns a house of worship into a political rally. It uses the moral authority of the pulpit to endorse specific political candidates, parties, or partisan ideologies. Interestingly, most religious leaders are against it. Nearly 90% of evangelical leaders say pastors should not endorse politicians from the pulpit.
But the Pew tells a different story. A 2016 Pew study found that 64% of churchgoers had heard their clergy speak out on political issues like religious liberty or abortion. And while direct endorsements are less common, 14% of attendees said they’d heard clergy speak in favor of or against a specific candidate.
This creates a huge disconnect. Most people in the pews don’t want it.
Creating an ‘us-vs-them’ siege mentality
This tactic frames Christians as a persecuted group under constant attack from a hostile, secular world. This creates a powerful sense of grievance that can justify just about anything as an act of “self-defense.” You see this language in political documents, like one from the White House that claims there’s an “anti-Christian weaponization of government” and a surge in hostility against churches.
This “us-vs-them” mindset is a core part of Christian nationalism, which thrives on “perceived victimhood and conspiratorial thinking”. It’s also strongly linked with hostility toward outsiders. Recent PRRI data shows that 68% of Christian nationalism “Adherents” believe immigrants are “invading our country”.
Constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel says this sense of victimhood often comes from a shrinking minority that is “raging against the dying of this privilege”. It’s a powerful way to turn a loss of cultural dominance into a story of righteous persecution.
Demanding unquestioning loyalty to a leader
This is when a leader is elevated to a point where challenging them is akin to challenging God. It’s a classic cult-of-personality dynamic, and it’s a huge red flag in any religious environment. This is a central feature of abusive churches, where the leader is often described as “dogmatic, self-confident, arrogant” and claims to have a special pipeline to God.
In these systems, the leader is accountable to no one. Any oversight board is just for show, filled with loyalists who would never dare to disagree. Anyone who asks questions or challenges the leader is punished, publicly shamed, or kicked out of the group.
This tactic preys on our natural desire for certainty. An authoritarian leader offers simple answers in a confusing world. By equating their own voice with God’s, they effectively short-circuit their followers’ critical thinking, making them easy to control.
Using scripture as a weapon
This is one of the most common and subtle tactics: “proof-texting.”Proof-texting is pulling a Bible verse out of its original context to “prove” a point it was never intended to make. It’s like grabbing a single sentence from a novel and using it to define the entire book. It’s a way to make the Bible say whatever you want it to say.
You’ve definitely heard it done:
- Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you.” This is often used as a promise of personal wealth and success. But the original context was a promise to the entire nation of Israel during their exile in Babylon, not a blank check for an individual’s financial goals.
- Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This is frequently used to shut down moral discernment. The actual passage is a warning against hypocritical judgment, not all judgment.
As one seminary professor famously put it: “A text without a context is a pretext for a prooftext”. This tactic is the foundation for almost every other form of spiritual manipulation, because it lends the authority of God to a human agenda.
Promising wealth in exchange for ‘faith’
You know this as the “Prosperity Gospel.” It’s the teaching that God wants you to be rich, and that if you “plant a seed” by donating money to the church, God will reward you with a massive financial return. It turns faith into a cosmic slot machine.
And this belief is on the rise. A 2023 Lifeway Research study found that 76% of Protestant churchgoers now believe God wants them to prosper financially, up from 69% in 2017. More alarmingly, 45% think they have to do something for God to get material blessings, a considerable jump from 26% in 2017.
Mainstream theologians have called this a “false gospel” that is “anti-Christian”. It preys on people’s economic anxiety and reframes greed as godliness.
Weaponizing ‘religious freedom’ to discriminate
This is a clever legal and rhetorical move. It takes “religious freedom”—a constitutional right designed to protect minorities—and turns it into a sword to justify discrimination against others, like LGBTQ+ people or women seeking healthcare.
Andrew Seidel, a constitutional attorney with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, puts it this way: “Now religious freedom is an excuse to violate or impact other people’s rights, and historically that is something we had never seen in this country”.
This tactic works by reframing the narrative. Instead of openly arguing for the right to discriminate, the argument is shifted to a defense of one’s own “conscience” or “religious liberty.” This allows the person discriminating to paint themselves as the victim whose rights are being trampled, rather than the aggressor seeking to limit others’ rights.
Enforcing a purity culture to control bodies and induce shame
Purity culture is a set of teachings, popular in some evangelical circles, that promotes sexual abstinence until heterosexual marriage. But it’s about much more than that. It’s a system that uses shame, fear, and the policing of bodies—especially women’s bodies—to enforce a rigid set of social controls. It teaches that a person’s worth is tied to their virginity and places the burden on women to “avert the male gaze” and be the gatekeepers of male sexuality.
The mental health consequences are devastating. Research and anecdotal reports link it to religious trauma, body shame, sexual dysfunction, and crippling anxiety.
As licensed mental health counselor Hannah Mayderry, who grew up in the movement, says, “There is no sex education. It doesn’t exist, there’s just slut shaming”. Ultimately, critics argue that purity culture isn’t really about sexual ethics; it’s a robust system of patriarchal control that uses shame as its primary weapon.
Silencing dissent and punishing questions
In a healthy community, questions are welcome. In a weaponized one, they’re seen as a threat.
This tactic creates an environment where questioning the leader or the doctrine is forbidden. Dissent is reframed as rebellion, a lack of faith, or even demonic influence. This is what some experts call the “‘cannot talk’ rule”—where disagreeing openly makes you the problem, potentially leading to being shunned or kicked out.
When confronted, abusive leaders are masters at flipping the script. They’ll launch “retaliatory accusations,” painting their victims as “overly sensitive,” “slanderers,” or having their own “sin patterns” to distract from the actual issue.
Dr. Michael Kruger, president of Reformed Theological Seminary, has heard from countless victims that the church’s own investigation process often “proved more traumatizing than the abuse itself” because they are “disbelieved, maligned, attacked, or pressured to remain silent”. This tactic is a self-preservation mechanism designed to protect the institution at all costs.
Misappropriating forgiveness to protect abusers
“You just need to forgive.” This powerful Christian concept is often twisted into a tool to silence victims, protect abusers, and avoid accountability.
Victims are pressured to “forgive and forget” immediately, which often means skipping justice and enabling more harm. They’re sometimes told that, like Christ, they have a duty to suffer silently. This fundamentally misunderstands what forgiveness is.
Author and abuse survivor Elizabeth Esther puts it perfectly: “Forgiveness means I carry no more resentment. It doesn’t mean I tolerate more abuse”. Forgiveness is an internal process for the victim’s own healing. It does not require reconciliation, and it certainly doesn’t mean letting an abuser off the hook for the consequences of their actions.
Using spiritual authority to manipulate and control
This is the umbrella term for so much of the harm: spiritual abuse. It’s when a leader in a position of spiritual authority uses that power to harm, exploit, or control someone. Dr. Michael Kruger defines it as a leader wielding their authority in a “domineering, heavy-handed, harsh, and authoritarian” way.
The impact is staggering. As mentioned, studies suggest up to a third of American adults have experienced religious trauma, with as many as one in five currently suffering from its symptoms.
Spiritual abuse is uniquely damaging because it attacks a person’s core identity and their connection to God. The abuser co-opts the voice of God, making the victim feel that God himself has betrayed them. This can trigger a profound crisis of faith, intertwining deep psychological wounds with spiritual ones.
Offering spiritual platitudes to avoid real problems
This tactic is known as “spiritual bypassing.” It’s the act of using spiritual-sounding phrases to sidestep difficult emotions and avoid dealing with real-world problems. It’s a defense mechanism against discomfort, shutting down genuine connection and healing.
You’ve heard the phrases:
- “Everything happens for a reason.”
- “Just pray about it.” (When used to avoid taking action).
- “They’re in a better place.” (When used to rush someone’s grief).
- “Good vibes only!”
While often used with good intentions, this becomes a weapon when it’s used to silence people’s valid pain. It dismisses their feelings by telling them to stop being “negative” and can be a form of gaslighting. It prioritizes a fake, shallow peace over the messy, necessary work of true emotional healing and justice.
Claiming divine authority for a personal agenda
This is the ultimate trump card in religious manipulation: “God told me.” This is when a leader claims to have a special, direct line to God that gives them unique revelations. This is used to justify their personal agenda and place their decisions beyond any accountability or questioning.
Their words are suddenly elevated to the same level as scripture. To question their new “vision” for the church or their political crusade is to question God himself.
This can be taken to extremes, such as in “spiritual warfare” ideologies, where leaders claim demons control institutions like academia or the government. This framing justifies an aggressive, militarized approach to culture, because they aren’t just fighting political opponents—they’re fighting literal demons. It’s a powerful tool for demanding absolute obedience for any agenda, no matter how self-serving or harmful.
Key Takeaway
- Recognize the Pattern. The weaponization of faith isn’t really about theology; it’s about power and control. These tactics rely on creating fear, shame, and an “us-vs-them” mentality to short-circuit critical thinking.
- Trust Your Gut. If a religious leader or community consistently makes you feel controlled, fearful, or ashamed, that is a major red flag. Healthy spirituality is about liberation and healing, not domination.
- Seek Healthy Community. Recognizing these tactics is the first step. The next step is to seek out faith communities built on transparency, accountability, and genuine love rather than control.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
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