Spiritual abuse occurs when a person in religious authority or a person with a unique spiritual practice mislead and maltreat another person in the name of God or church or in the mystery of any spiritual concept. Spiritual abuse often refers to an abuser using spiritual or religious rank in taking advantage of the victim's spirituality (mentality and passion on spiritual matters) by putting the victim in a state of unquestioning obedience to an abusive authority.

Spiritual abuse is the maltreatment of a person in the name of God, faith, religion, or church, whether habitual or not, includes any of the following:

• Psychological and emotional abuse
• Any act by deeds or words that demean, humiliate or shame the natural worth and dignity of a person as a human being
• Submission to spiritual authority without any right to disagree; intimidation
• Unreasonable control of a person's basic right to make a choice on spiritual matters
• False accusation and repeated criticism by negatively labeling a person as disobedient, rebellious, lacking faith, demonized, apostate, enemy of the church or God
• Prevention from practicing faith
• Isolation or separation from family and friends due to religious affiliation
• Physical abuse that includes physical injury, deprivation of sustenance, and sexual abuse
• Exclusivity; dismissal of an outsider's criticism and labeling an outsider as of the devil
• Withholding information and giving of information only to a selected few
• Conformity to a dangerous or unnatural religious view and practice
• Hostility that includes shunning (relational aggression, parental alienation) and persecution

Help is available. Within the plurality of religious experience, it is clear in this day and age, that no-one should remain in a situation where they are receiving spiritual maltreatment, no matter on whose authority. Even the Roman Catholic Church, traditionally regarded as robustly authoritarian, itself pledges in its own canon law, that there is no authority higher than conscience.

Theologies of sacrifice notwithstanding, any attempt to enforce or coerce an individual to consent to a position against their conscience, however sublime the dignity enjoyed by the aggressor, is a perversion of moral law, and a breach of canon law.

Please go to the links page to find resources for people suffering from (spiritual)  bullying and abuse.