Twenty-one beliefs of a toxic faith
Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton use the term “Toxic Faith” to describe “…a destructive and dangerous involvement in a religion that allows the religion, not a relationship with God, to control a person’s life.” They describe this type of faith as abusive, manipulative, defective, and addictive. In their book Toxic Faith - Experiencing Healing from Painful Spiritual Abuse they identify twenty-one toxic beliefs. Click the links below for a more balanced scriptural perspective.
Toxic Belief #1: God’s love and favor depend on my behavior.
Toxic Belief #2: When tragedy strikes, true believers should have a real peace about it.
Toxic Belief #3: If I have real faith, God will heal me or someone I am praying for.
Toxic Belief #4: All ministers are men and women of God and can be trusted.
Toxic Belief #5: Material blessings are a sign of spiritual strength.
Toxic Belief #6: The more money I give to God, the more money he will give to me.
Toxic Belief #7: I can work my way to heaven.
Toxic Belief #8: Problems in my life result from some particular sin.
Toxic Belief #9: I must not stop meeting others’ needs.
Toxic Belief #10: I must always submit to authority.
Toxic Belief #11: God uses only spiritual giants.
Toxic Belief #12: Having true faith means waiting for God to help me and doing nothing until he does.
Toxic Belief #13: If it’s not in the Bible, it isn’t relevant.
Toxic Belief #14: God will find me a perfect mate.
Toxic Belief #15: Everything that happens to me is good.
Toxic Belief #16: A strong faith will protect me from problems and pain.
Toxic Belief #17: God hates sinners, is angry with me, and wants to punish me.
Toxic Belief #18: Christ was merely a great teacher.
Toxic Belief #19: God is too big to care about me.
Toxic Belief #20: More than anything else, God wants me to be happy.
Toxic Belief #21: I can become God.