God, Power, and Gaslighting: When Christian Nationalism Become Spiritual Abuse

This post takes a brief pause from my current series on religious indoctrination to name what many are and have been feeling this month: grief, confusion, fear, and even body-level distress in response to what’s being said in the name of faith.

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“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” Psalm 146:9

Religious trauma isn’t always personal. Sometimes it’s systemic.

While recent events in Congress have drawn national attention, what happened this past week is part of a much longer pattern. When Christian language is used to justify harm, especially toward immigrants, the poor, or marginalized communities, we’re not just witnessing politics. We’re witnessing systemic spiritual abuse.

This isn’t just about political disagreement. It’s about the use of religion to justify harm, and silence dissent.

What Is Christian Nationalism?

Christian nationalism is a political ideology that seeks to merge Christian identity with national identity. In its more extreme forms, it claims that America is divinely chosen, that its laws should reflect specific conservative interpretations of Christianity, and that dissent is both unpatriotic and ungodly.

It often sounds like:

• “God chose this nation.”

• “We’re under attack by the ungodly.”

• “Real Americans believe in biblical values.”

• “This is a spiritual battle, not just political.”

But the problem isn’t belief in God. The problem is the weaponization of faith to control others.

When Faith Becomes a Weapon

As a therapist who works with people healing from spiritual abuse and religious trauma, I hear echoes of these messages all the time:

• “You’re just bitter.”

• “This is God’s will.”

• “You need to repent.”

• “If you really loved Jesus, you’d submit.”

• “It’s not about your feelings.”

Sound familiar?

This same rhetoric is now shaping national policy. And that’s not just harmful; it’s abusive. It echoes the same dynamics found in high-control religious systems: fear, shame, gaslighting, and the silencing of the most vulnerable.

What is spiritual abuse, anyway?

Jesus Was Not a Nationalist

The spiritual harm in these recent events doesn’t come from people believing in God; it comes from leaders misusing God to excuse greed, cruelty, and control.

In the gospels, Jesus sides with the poor and marginalized, not the powerful. He rebukes religious leaders for their hypocrisy. He breaks laws to heal the sick. He welcomes immigrants, women, the disabled, the overlooked. He does not cut their healthcare.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law...You tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but you yourselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Matthew 23:4

If your experience of faith has been used to keep you silent, scared, or submissive, know that you’re not alone.

What We’re Witnessing Is Systemic Spiritual Abuse

You don’t have to agree with every political issue to see what’s happening here.

This is what it looks like when high-control religion and political power collude. It’s not new; it echoes through history in moments like the Salem Witch Trials, the Crusades, the Doctrine of Discovery, and more recently, the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Now, we’re watching similar tactics being used to shape laws about immigration, poverty, gender, and healthcare. When lawmakers claim their harmful policies are “biblically grounded,” it’s more than a political position; it’s an abuse of spiritual trust.

And like all forms of spiritual abuse, it’s disorienting. You may find yourself wondering:

• Is it okay to feel angry about this?

• What if I still believe in God but don’t agree with this version of faith?

• How do I speak up when I’ve been taught to stay quiet?

These are valid questions. And they deserve safe spaces for exploration.

So What Do We Do?

If your body feels tight reading this, or your breath shortens, or you feel that deep internal conflict that says, “I don’t know what’s right anymore”, know that you’re not broken. You’ve been conditioned by a system that rewards obedience and punishes critical thought.

Healing begins with naming what’s happening. And this is spiritual abuse at a systemic level.

We need more therapists, clergy, survivors, and community leaders willing to say:

This isn’t what Jesus is about.

This isn’t okay.

This is abuse— spiritual, emotional, and systemic.

And we don’t have to stay silent.