Religion's Cell by Cynthia McClaskey is a masterful exploration of the ways in which organized religion has, through the centuries, systematically denied woman her proper role in the church and the world. Beginning with a firsthand account of her own subjugation within a fundamentalist sect, McClaskey moves forward with detailed and extensively referenced explanations of the God-intended role of woman. Along the way, she provides explanations of how man, in seeking to retain power and authority in both religion and the world, has relegated woman to a subservient position in both areas, in violation of God's intended plan. McClaskey's evidence is compelling and her logic flawless as she argues against the God-as-stern-judge mentality that permeates most modern religious sects and emphasizes the true nature of God as a loving father -a father who wants only the best for both genders of His crowning creation. She points out that Christ surrounded himself with women and that women played major roles in the early years of Christianity, providing copious scriptural support for her position. In Religion's Cell, McClaskey has issued a clarion call for true gender equality, both inside and outside organized religion. This is a book women will want to read and men should be required to read.

Religion's Cell

Doctrines of the Church that lead to Bondage and AbuseBy Cynthia McClaskey

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Cynthia McClaskey
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5846-3

Contents

Chapter One....................................5Chapter Two....................................8Chapter Three..................................34Chapter Four...................................44Chapter Five...................................53Chapter Six....................................56Chapter Seven..................................60Chapter Eight..................................68Chapter Nine...................................72Chapter Ten....................................82Chapter Eleven.................................101Chapter Twelve.................................112Chapter Thirteen...............................117Chapter Fourteen...............................134Chapter Fifteen................................146Chapter Sixteen................................149Chapter Seventeen..............................153Chapter Eighteen...............................160Chapter Nineteen...............................168Chapter Twenty.................................180Chapter Twenty-One.............................193Chapter Twenty-Two.............................198Chapter Twenty-Three...........................206Chapter Twenty-Four............................212Chapter Twenty-Five............................228Bibliography...................................233

Chapter One

The Absence of Truth Can Set You Free

The title of this chapter might be a little confusing. A person might think, What in the world does that mean? How can that possibly be true? How can absence of truth set you free? The following is an explanation of exactly what this means.

If a person looked back through history, he or she would find many truths that really were not true at all. For instance, there was a time when it was "true" that the world was flat. There was a time when it was "true" that the sun revolved around the earth. There was a time when it was "true" that a man could not walk on the moon. Because of certain truths, the potential of many is hindered.

Mankind has a tendency to act in accordance with what it perceives to be the truth, not in accordance with what the truth is in fact. So what needs to be absent is the truth that is standing in the way of a person's potential to do great things. Bringing to light the error in the perceived truth sheds light on the real truth. However, because perception is fact in the minds of many, revealing the truth can bring a person under the verbal attack of the masses, especially if they are truths that debunk religious dogmas, doctrines and behaviors or expose abuse. It is this author's opinion that most religious people will give their lives for the religious beliefs that they hold, whether the beliefs they are fighting for are founded on truth or not. History is a testament to the fact that religious beliefs can cause people to lay their lives on the line for what they believe is truth. The Martyrs are a striking example of this. Thousands of people gave their lives because they believed what they were doing was right and that the doctrines they believed were true. It is very difficult to get the religious crowd in any sect of society to actually open their minds to the possibility that they might be deceived in their thinking. Perceived truths can stand in the way of a person's religious, emotional and physical freedom. Perceived truth can get in the way of understanding real truth, and this prevents people from seeing what is plainly before them.

People interpret their beliefs in light of what they have been told, rather than in light of the facts. This is how perceived truths are born. The circle of influence surrounding a person causes him or her to see a truth but interpret it in light of someone else's opinion instead of the facts. This was a huge problem for me when passages of scripture or historical information were found that went against what was being preached by the leaders of this sect. In the end, comparing what was being preached with the scriptures and history revealed the truth. In most cases, it was discovered that the church leaders were lying to their congregants time and time again and would often mix opinion with truth. It is not the opinion of this author that every church leader is doing this deliberately. I believe it is due to a lack of understanding and true study of church history in conjunction with scripture. Another revelation was that these same lies, tactics and attitudes existed in other religious denominations, and they also existed in the church system from the beginning.

When the search for truth began, I never imagined that this search would lead to a place of greater understanding, a place of greater patience, and a place of complete and total reliance on God. The search for the truth upon which to rebuild my foundations truly broke me in every possible way. This journey has been trying and emotional for me. It has meant letting go of all the old ways of thinking and adapting to the new knowledge and understanding that God has shown me. It has brought me to a place of unwavering faith that God will let the ideas and concepts mentioned herein be exactly what they need to be for the reader to help them grow. However, standing in the way of finding the truth when this search began was the perceived truth. Therefore, the shackles of bondage to this "religious system" of lies led to a chokehold of fear for me. This fear was an UN-HEALTHY fear of God, the man of God, the world, and the un-saved.

It wasn't until this journey for the truth began that God not only revealed the lies that I had believed, but he also revealed other lies that I had no idea were lies at all! This world of newfound knowledge led to a desire to share this information with others so that they could also discover some truths and find freedom from the bondage of the religious system.

Chapter Two

Tactics of the Church

One of the biggest stumbling blocks when it came to understanding scripture was the fact that I would always interpret it in light of what was preached from the pulpit. More than fifteen years under the preaching in this cult, mixed with men's opinions, began to affect the thought processes and behaviors of each individual within my family. Attending fellowships and conventions with like-minded individuals who believed all the same dogmas and doctrines, reading books and listening to tapes and CDs of preaching and teaching from like-minded preachers, led to the inability to see the real truth, and the Holy Spirit within me was quenched by all these men's opinions. Is it any wonder that a person can read the scriptures and not see the truth before them because of the constant indoctrination with information of like-minded individuals? Everything heard is given to provoke a person to lean toward their way of thinking instead of thinking for themselves. How can anyone hear the voice of the Spirit of God when they are being told what they should believe?

Where I found myself the last five years in the Independent Fundamental Baptist Cult was a place of bondage, where questioning what was taught was not allowed. Disagreeing with the doctrines being taught wasn't allowed. Voicing any concerns about the behaviors seen wasn't allowed. The preachers, evangelists and teachers in this male-dominated church system had become the final authority on all...