Christian Home, Physical Abuse, and Atheism
When a child grows up in a home that claims Christian identity but practices violence, several predictable psychological and meaning‑making dynamics can unfold. Research doesn’t say “abuse causes atheism,” but it does show patterns in how trauma disrupts trust, worldview, and spiritual frameworks. Below are the most commonly cited mechanisms. 1. Betrayal Trauma and Cognitive Dissonance Children rely on caregivers to model what “Christian love” looks like. When the same adults who preach love, forgiveness, or divine goodness also inflict harm, the contradiction can feel irreconcilable. Abuse is “outside of a person’s control” and often leaves victims feeling betrayed, angry, and confused . If the parent is the child’s primary representation of God, the betrayal can generalize: If the messenger is unsafe, maybe the message is too. This can lead to rejecting the entire religious framework as incoherent or morally invalid. 2. Loss of Religious Comfort Research shows that...