The Christians at GotQuestions? (self-described as “Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational” aka Christians who have also invented their own nonsense) have a video on gaslighting. What is gaslighting? | GotQuestions.org – YouTube Now, gaslighting is when an abuser tries to convince their victim that they are wrong in someway.   The gotquestions folks have it like this (the quotes are from the autogenerated transcript on youtube):

“Gaslighting has three main components: First) Convincing the victim that the abuse  she suffers is her fault, Second) Convincing the victim that she did not experience what she  thinks she did, and Third) Separating the victim from people who support her. The tone of the victimizer can alternate between being concerned and kind and angry and abusive. The victim slowly learns to mistrut her own judgement, perception and even sanity  until she relies on the abuser to define reality for her.”

Not a bad set of examples.

The problem for the Christians is that their religion does *all* of these things to its followers.  

“Not all gaslighters are aware of what they are  doing. Some have so deceived themselves they actually believe the lies they’re telling. Others  are so afraid of the truth that they do anything they can to hide it”

Hmmm. 

“gaslighting is sin and comes from a place  of selfishness and a desire to control.In fact, gaslighting was utilized in the  first temptation mentioned in the Bible. Satan first prompts Eve to question what she  heard God say about the tree of knowledge, and then he asserts that her account  is wrong. That is gaslighting,”

Actually, it’s not.  The snake doesn’t say her account is wrong.  The snake, either allowed in intentionally by this god or this god was unable to keep it out, points out what this god said exactly.  Let’s look at what was written for this scene:

“¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.””

and then we have, Eve, who didn’t hear the above since she wasn’t in existence and this god thought aarvarks and zebras would make suitable mates for Adam.  The snake chats her up and says “3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; ⁵ for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.”

Eve actually gets the story wrong.  She doesn’t mention the whole dying the day you eat the fruit part.  The snake points out that this god’s claim is false, and it is since, nope, they don’t die and the fruit worked just as it said.  There is also a couple of problems: the first version of the genesis story has this god saying *everything* in the garden is for Adam and Eve; no mention of the magic trees at all; and if being naked is a sin *and* there is objective morality, then being naked is always a sin and this god has no problem with sin, until he wants to throw a tantrum. Eve became wise and decided to give the fruit to Adam too. This god appears to be terrified of wisdom.

Who does the gaslighting here?  God.
 
“Gaslighting is also common in cults and abusive  “churches,” as well as politics. It can be seen in abusers who convince children they deserve  or desire their abuse. In preachers who tell  questioning parishioners that their request  for clarification on spiritual matters is  

sinful mistrust of God and disrespect of the  pastor. Or in parishioners who criticize and  then vaguely praise their pastor in an attempt  to control him. In the political arena,  when a leader or even a country flatly denies  doing or saying what they publicly did or said, others may find it extremely  difficult to counter the lie,  especially if the media provides cover, or  to address the issue in a meaningful way.”

Gaslighting is indeed common in cults and religions, and as we see above, right from the beginning it needs gaslighting to keep control over others, by misinformation and by fear. 

Chistianity is built on the idea that everyone deserves death and worse.  Christianity is built on not asking questions but obedience.  Christianity is built on assuming someone else is your only path to being “saved”. Christianity is built on being told to believe in things that aren’t in evidence.

The bit about leaders denying things is pretty rich from conservative Christians that we can pretty much know supported known liars.   

“For by the grace given me  I say to every one of you:  Do not think of yourself more highly than  you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God  has distributed to each of you” (Romans 12:3).

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor  one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).

If you realize—or you’re told—that you are  manipulative and controlling, please seek counseling. It’s likely there is a deep-seated  wound that only Jesus can heal. And He is willing!”

“For the Abused – God made us to be interdependent  on others in the church, but He did not make us to abandon all reason and rely solely on another’s  judgment. God wants us to live in the truth.“Guide me in your truth and teach  me, for you are God my Savior,  and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:5).”

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is  true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,  whatever is admirable—if anything  is excellent or praiseworthy—think  about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

“For the Spirit God gave us does  not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and  self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

“If you suspect you are being gaslighted, please  seek counseling. Do not isolate yourself from godly friends. And, if need be, keep a journal  so you can remind yourself of the facts.  If the gaslighter is a partner in a  dating relationship, seriously consider  ending that relationship. If you  feel gaslighted in the church and  discouraged from finding answers to your  spiritual questions, visit GotQuestions.org!”

Amazing how the recommendations above are *exactly* what a gaslighter would say.  Others are to be listened to, for the only “counselors” would be pastors for these people. Only be around those who agree with me.  Only accept manipulation.  Believe only me. 

No wonder they don’t allow comments.