Sexual Abuse, Moral Transgression and Male Exit Narratives

Harvey, Sarah and Newcombe, Suzanne (2024). Sexual Abuse, Moral Transgression and Male Exit Narratives. Religion (In press).

Abstract

This article focuses on the experiences of men within two religious groups with evidence of sexual violence against women. Drawing on primary source material from enquires to Inform, the two movements are anonymised as those around leader X (a fitness instructor) and leader Z (an alternative healer). Both created patriarchal and misogynistic cultures in which women were inferior to men, including on the spiritual path. Whilst male followers did not directly experience sexual abuse in these groups, some of them experienced other forms of abuse including physical, psychological, spiritual, and financial abuse. We argue that the gendered nature of the religious teachings in the two movements led to gendered experiences of abuse. Men were harmed by the sexual abuse of their female co-religionists but also by control of their sexual relationships. Some also experienced physical abuse, financial indebtedness and spiritual harms/fears. We introduce the idea of moral injury as a transgression of deeply held moral beliefs to explain the different reactions of individuals to experiences of abuse. We argue that men and women had different patterns of religious exit in these groups, but we also focus on differences between the groups. Male leavers of X’s group acknowledged the mistreatment of women as a central reason for their leaving and some expressed shame and regret in their role in supporting X. Male leavers of Z’s group on the other hand prioritised the harm done to themselves in their exit narratives. It is important to consider not only how abuse and religious exit is gendered but also how men’s experiences differ between groups with ostensibly similar, heteronormative teachings.

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