Perfect obedience. Narratives of spiritual abuse told by Koinonia John the Baptist disaffiliates

Abstrakt

Cultural changes have strongly affected human value system over the last dec­ades. Consequently, an individual’s sense of security has also been disrupted, which can be observed when analyzing numerous cases of mental health crisis. Self-centeredness, pressure to perform, and the chronic lack of time combined with one’s relentless efforts to improve their financial status due to consumer culture requirements are common in this day and age. Extreme burnout caused by the aforementioned factors may lead to inner emptiness and loss of control. Those who suffer, tend to look for a practical solu­tion themselves or quite the opposite, they respond to someone else’s invitation. In oth­er words, they search for comprehensive guidance that will help them to restore their lives outside their current environment. Religious groups, especially the ones focused on supernatural phenomena, spiritual awakening and transformation, provide the seekers with a wide range of opportunities to recover and start from scratch. However, previous studies indicate that the benevolence shown by group leaders and existing members is not unconditional. What they expect in return is perfect obedience. This research focuses on the problem of spiritual abuse experienced in a religious setting as exemplified by Koinonia John the Baptist disaffiliates from Poland. Narrative interviewing together with netnography have been employed to collect relevant data.