Problems? Email Us!
ABUSE

This page contains a link to a page of comfort, a short Christian exhortation regarding no tolerance to abuse, useful internal and external links regarding the general subject of abuse and various specific related subjects, some 24 hour hotlines,  some links for parents, some links for youth, and links regarding sex addiction and internet porn concerns.


FOR THE DOWNCAST AND DOWNTRODDEN:
Words of Comfort (for abuse victims)
(based on 2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
Depression Helps Page (new)

Related Internal Links (pages):

Love page, Spiritual Abuse page, Women in Ministry page. This last one is useful because it includes links to articles that both encourage women and address legalistic, authoritarianistic, religious lies that are commonly used in cults  or other spiritual abuse situations. We also include Links - regarding the  international epidemic of atrocities against women and girls, mostly inspired by various 'fundamentalist' religions, especially Muslim.

See also: Sin and Righteousness, and Alcoholism and Addictions

 
 

Real Christianity does not condone or encourage abuse. Empty religion, however, does!

We were told what to do
(based on 2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Warning: the religiously comfortable will not like the following short exhortation.
As Mark Twain said: "Sacred Cows make the best hamburger"

2 Timothy 3:1-5  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them...

What does having "a form of godliness while denying its power, " really mean?  This verse in 2 Timothy is not about wonders or miracles, but Christian behavior (see 2 Tim. 2:19 for the beginning of the context, and 3:10-12 for the ending).  Outward form or 'trappings' of Christianity mean so little to God!  It is the miracle of the Cross that produces the changed life! If anyone then projects a good appearance of godly habits, but inwardly they refuse the power of the Cross to transform them, if they are a people without conscience about how they treat their sister and brother in Christ, if they are narcissistic, does this make them a "new creature" in Christ? NO! To be a real Christian is to practice love by our deeds and not just by the words of our mouths (1 John 3:18). 

Yet just as the Scripture above says, there would be "terrible times" ahead, when there will those who hold to godly "trappings" alone without having the 'fruit' of godly behavior! Can anyone say that our present-day epidemic of ALL types of abuse in our religious communities, including even physical and sexual abuse, does not prove that we are indeed in those "last days" the apostles warned us of?  We were warned it would get like this. We were told what to do!

"If we know the Lord, we will condemn God's people who walk according to their own wishes; if we do not know the Lord sufficiently, we will tolerate their walk according to their own desire. Many times we can tolerate the condition of Christians because we are not faithful enough to Christ. Our lack of faithfulness to the Lord is due to the fact that we still do not have revelation to know the Lord who condemns this as sin. Oh, there are even times when we must choose between the Lord and His people as to whom we must serve."

-Watchmen Nee
pp. 93, The Orthodoxy Of The Church


-Teri Lee Earl


The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing.
                                                                                     - Edmund Burke  (1729-1797)

For a thorough Biblical investigation and in-depth, hopeful exhortation regarding apathy, please see our on-line book,
Apathy, The Final Deathblow, by Teri Lee Earl


LINKS OUTSIDE-- GENERAL AND EDUCATIONAL FOR THE GENERAL SUBJECT OF ABUSE:

Way To Hope at http://www.way2hope.org/
The site was started in 2001 by Glen Williams, and contains many useful links. It is Christian yet is sensitive to a nonChristian's perspective too. The front page states:  "Welcome!  This site is dedicated to finding solutions to life's problems, like alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual abuse, debt, marriage problems or any other challenges."

"You Have The Power" links page (for child abuse)

Some Facts About Domestic Violence

7 Deadly Signs by Lifeskills International, started by Paul Hegstrom, a former physical abuser, whose story is the subject of the made-for-television movie entitled "Unforgivable" starring John Ritter and Haley-Jane Kozak

Minnesota Center Against Abuse and Violence



THERE ARE MANY OTHER LINKS ON THE WEB. HERE ARE A FEW TO GET YOU STARTED, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
 
David Baldwin's Trauma Information Pages

Youth Fire Jacobs Trust
An outreach and a resource site specializing in the occult and sexual
abuse


 The Survivor's Handbook
by The Domestic Violence Project, Inc./ SAFE House
in Michigan
Stop The Violence and Break The Silence

"I wanted to be able to help women (or men) who are currently in an abusive relationship. 
There are resources for you to get help and get out of this relationship!" 

Center For The Prevention Of Sexual And Domestic Violence
An educational resource on abuse and religion
Cybergirl SafetyNet NATIONAL & STATE RESOURCES links Geri’s story of eating disorders
One woman's story of how trauma and abuse led her into eating disorders 

See also:
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center

RedFlag/Green Flag
Provides prevention and treatment materials for sexual abuse and domestic violence for all ages

Self Defense Tips, Tricks and Advice for Women
Intersex Society of North America
To end shame, secrecy, and unwanted genital surgeries for people born with atypical sex anatomy.
Growing Beyond Emotional Abuse
Resources for Healing       the Scars of Emotional Abuse
Christian Counselors Directory. Your place to find  a Christian Counselor near where you live. Suicidal? Need Help? David Wilkerson's site for teens especially-- Contains a number of links.

24 Hour Hotlines:

If you need a referral to a domestic violence shelter or program in  your area, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at            800/799-SAFE (7233) or 800/787-3224 (TTY).

Childhelp USA/IO Foresters National Child Abuse Hotline--Call if you need help or would like to talk with someone, or if you want to report child abuse or need information about making a report.
                                                 1-800-422-4453

Covenant House  Nineline--Call if you are thinking about running away, or if you ran away but would like to talk or send a message to your parents. Covenant House is a ministry for run-away or 'throw away' children
                                                 1-800-999-9999

For a long list of other hotlines for teens/children and problems that may effect this age group, access this Crisis Hotline page at  http://www.lastdaysministries.org/youth/numbers.html

YOUTH:

Notice! America's children and their rights have fallen along the wayside while we adults have continued in our inalienable rights of  "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."  By whatever measure you use, the country's performance has been a shameful one.  Sobering statistics (as of 1996) show the U.S. infant mortality rate to be higher than any other western industralized nation. The U.S. poverty rate is the highest of 18 industrial nations, with almost 3 million children reported neglected and abused in one year. The barometer on children's welfare has been falling fast in a nation too busy to take note, or too convinced that nothing can be done for this generation.

For resources, check out Last Days Ministries Youth Resources and Links section at http://www.lastdaysministries.org/youth/resources.html

Also, the website created by The Benton Foundation  at http://www.kidscampaigns.org  lists active organizations, model programs, updates and contacts on behalf of our children. Check it out! (Note:  The Ad Council has a history of taking on social problems which cynics thought could not be improved, and improving them. This volunteer organization has now declared war on the hopelessness and apathy that has kept this great country from improving the lives of children. You don't need to be a professional and you don't need to feel like your few hours of time a week is useless, and you can be involved in helping people--parents and kids--who are struggling to help themselves.)


Outside links For Parents:

Parents are sometimes treated badly by their children, suffering rude, verbal abuse and even acts of violence from their children upon themselves or other family members. These children or teens are often involved in drugs or alcohol or other destructive or illegal behavior outside the home. Two organizations that offer parent support groups for this are TOUGH LOVE at http://www.toughlove.org  and  "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU" at http://www.becauseiloveyou.org  Tough love specifies on their site that it does not support "throwing kids out" or tolerance of verbal abuse or violence between family members, including parent to child. Resources are also found at Teens in Trouble: A Survival Guide for Parents at http://www.lv.psu.edu/jkl1/teens/ 
Advise and information for parents with kids on the internet can be found at FamilyPC at http://familypc.zdnet.com/  Also, you may want to access CyberAngels.org - the largest online internet safety program since 1995, at http://www.cyberangels.org/

FAQ'S: SEX ADDICTION from Dr. Doug Weiss, Sex Addiction Counselor, at http://www.sexaddict.com

INTERNET SPECIFIC CONCERNS:

Warning from the Commission on Domestic Violence:
HOW AN ABUSER CAN DISCOVER YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITIES

200,000 net porn addicts in US
Compulsive users were found to have more serious social problems.
BBC News

Internet Activist Group to Stop Child Pornography on the Internet
Site to help the citizen protest the existence of child pornography made available by Internet Service Providers (ISP's)
Warning: Examples of pedophile words or pictures available on the Net contain langauge that is very offensive and violent. Not for the faint hearted!

How can we protect our children from internet porn? CyberAngels at http://www.cyberangels.org answers that question with: "There is nothing illegal about either an adult pornographic site, or the use of search engines to report on them in this country. Many parents express concern for their children, and other children using the Internet. We at Cyberangels suggest that web browsing and access should not be a solitary activity for children. We recommend that just as you teach your children safe techniques for crossing the street, you should also teach them how to be safe on the Internet." 
 

There are many books that may help regarding abuse. These are a few:

Boundaries; When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud was an excellent book but now appears to be out of print.  Boundaries With Kids : When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Help Your Children Gain Control of Their Lives by Henry Cloud, John Townsend, Lisa Guest an be ordered online @ amazon.com (which is one of the choices zondervan.com gives for purchasing) for $11.89 + shipping.

Helping Victims of Sexual Abuse (a sensitive, Biblical guide for counselors, victims and families) by Lynn Heitritter & Jeanette Vought. This is a very, very comprehensive and thorough book. If you are a victim with traumatic memories, be careful as it may 'trigger' these memories again. Click HERE for more review of the book and for the nine steps (similar to A.A.'s 12 steps) for sexual abuse victims in the book.

Pain and Pretending by Rich Buhler
A significant work dealing in a balanced and sensitive way of the importance with coming to terms with the past.