Abuse of religion

Hi Gulliver,
Thank you for sharing your story. I know that was difficult for you, no matter the circumstance. Recovering from abuse is never easy. I'm very sorry.

Why do we suffer? The Buddhist would say that "life is suffering". :) They have a point. But there is also beauty and love and Love to be found in this life. That is just the hard part: finding it. The Hindus say "Mother plays hide-and-seek with Her children". I think that is true too. We get small glimpses of God and insight into why we're really here, don't we?

I'd like to recommend a book, if I may: The Shack. It is a Christian book, and I think it deals with the issues of suffering, trauma, and glimpsing God very well. It is a very healing book, but it does briefly describe some Very Bad Things. Please do read it. I think it would be a boon for you. It was for me.

Peace,
C

Peace,

That people abuse religion is proverbial; no more surprising than people abusing any other social services ostensibly dedicated to alleviating social ails: People have/do/will abuse the power they have; Members of religious and non-religious groups abuse.
It has been/is/will been a constant nuisance. While maintaining our covenant with God/practicing our religion may mitigate our own poor behavior, we have never been/are not promised by anyone that it will go away if we pray, chant, etc. The evils of the world: It is still within the jurisdiction of God's powerful will - awesome and inscrutable.
Does God (SWT) want suffering?*
If God is in control of everything, as it is understood in Islam, we must say yes. And it's a simple but difficult-to-accept understanding that might need to be digested before spiritually evolving to a fuller answer that allows us to say with a clear conscience that suffering is not what God has placed at the center of our deeper experience of God, but bliss.
Rumi said something like "In truth, one could say God is the God of (insert offensive smells here) and be right. But while true, it isn't a full realization of God's awesomeness... And so, the limited realization becomes merely offensive."

Now, regarding human abusers within the religion:
They are certainly not supposed to.
They are apparently not encouraged to.
It is not considered a central accomplishment of the religion to see abuse and emotional suffering grow as a result of any efforts to increase it's divinely inspired influence.

But if one may be asking whether specifically Islam sanctifies or promotes sexual or psychological abuse, I'll say no. Are there abusers in my neighborhood who are also Muslim? Sure. Are there abuse-able strains within religion? Always; and so many of the prophets from Isaiah to Christ to Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Them) consistently reminded us that religion seemed destined to be abused in many ways, and for us to maintain our steady vigil.

One of the main reasons I became Muslim was seeing the love of children here in Fes, Morocco; an inspired and genuine kindness to them, a fresh air playfulness and freedom of them to circulate...   which I can honestly say I rarely, if ever, saw in New Orleans (where I spent half my life) - if I even saw a kid in the FQ under drinking age at all doing anything but tap-dancing for money...
In Fes, it was a relief to see that a religiously informed system of rewarding the righteous and punishing (scaring?) the troublemakers actually working positively. And I thought, if they can get the first chapters of life right (childhood) then this is the team I'll get involved with.

Peace to us all

* I can't stress something enough: With my limited understanding, I only speak for myself, and would never purport to be an authority of any kind, let alone religious.