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Presentations given by national and international experts in child protection and abuse. Read more

Presentations given by national and international experts in child protection and abuse. Read more

An examination of the hypothesis that Conservative Protestants are more likely to physically abuse children than Mainline Protestants, Catholics, or the religiously unaffiliated. Read more

Graphic first hand descriptions by a Rabbi detailing long standing, open, and systematic sexual abuse of minors by high powered individuals in the Jewish community. Read more

This organization helps families understand and accept their LCBTQI children and others in the community. Read more

This video exposes problems of child sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Read more

Susan Cottrell offers a Christian-based workbook to help LGBTQ individuals heal from wounds left by families and church communities. Read more

The late Rev. Keith Wright examines the many abuses that the Christian Church inflicts on its congregants, clergy, and children. Read more

Michele Ulrickson's memoir about spending time in a fundamentalist Baptist reform school. Read more

Memoir from popular blogger Amber Cantorna, detailing her coming-out experience as a young, gay woman in an evangelical Christian community. Read more

This book explains how indoctrination occurs in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more

Susan Cottrell, founder of Freed Hearts, navigates how parents can accept their child's sexual identity and maintain their Christian faith. Read more

Abuse survivor and therapist Dr. Jaime Romo pulls from his experience in creating this detailed workbook on how to heal from sexual abuse. Read more

Elizabeth Esther's memoir brings to light her struggles with the lingering effects of spiritual abuse. Read more

Noted mental health counselor and cult expert Steven Hassan provides the knowledge and awareness needed to help people avoid or escape from dangerous people and situations such as cults and undue influence in the digital age. Read more

Lucia Greenhouse's memoir describes her experiences growing up in the Christian Science Church. Read more

This collection of writings looks at the impact that beliefs about spirit possession and witchcraft affect children. Read more

Janet Heimlich fully examines the phenomenon known as Religious Child Maltreatment, child abuse or neglect that is enabled by, or justified with, religious belief, scripture, or doctrine. Read more

This memoir by Jenna Miscavage Hill, the niece of the president of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavage, describes what it was like for her to grow up in, and ultimately escape from, the controversial religious organization. Read more

Noted pediatrician Paul Offit gives readers a never-before-seen look into the minds of those who choose to martyr themselves for their children in the name of religion by actively refusing to seek medical treatment for preventable or curable diseases. Read more

Julia Scheeres uses the accounts of survivors of the the People's Temple cult to chronicle the abuses they suffered at the hands of religious leader Jim Jones. Read more

Child marriage is as damaging in the U.S. as it is across the globe. Minors—even highly mature 17-year-olds—have limited legal rights and therefore can easily be forced into marriage or forced to stay in an unwanted marriage. The data compiled in this study shows how child marriage it as much a human-rights abuse in the U.S. as anywhere else. Read more

Child marriage, or marriage before age 18, has devastating implications for underage girls. Yet between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 minors were legally married in the U.S. This report, published in 2021, details the dangerous implications of child marriage, legislative failures at state and federal levels, and concludes with a simple solution: commonsense legislation to end any loophole that allows a minor to be married. Read more

In this inspirational memoir, Rob Scheer, the founder of the nonprofit organization Comfort Cases, tells his story of entering foster care at age 12 and his harrowing journey of survival, resilience, and determination. In the book, he shares his life experiences that led him and his husband to adopt their four children and sparked a determination to rebuild a broken system. A portion of the proceeds of this book are donated to Comfort Cases, which inspires communities to bring dignity and hope to children in foster care. Read more

Rooted in her experiences growing up in an Evangelical Christian family, Jamie Lee Finch’s “You Are Your Own” offers an overview of Evangelicalism and the painful confusion and anxiety experienced under its demands. Finch explores the mechanisms of trauma and how fundamentalist denominations match the patterns connected with PTSD. She elaborates on the doubt, guilt, fear, and grief that haunt those leaving the Evangelical faith and offers an approach to help them recover healthy self-worth and resilience. A socio-historical autobiographical analysis of Evangelical Christianity's religious trauma, “You Are Your Own” emerges from Finch's reconnaissance on her own life—her journals, her stories, her trauma—and offers advocacy for everyone harmed by fundamentalist faith. Jamie Lee Finch is a sexuality and embodiment coach, intuitive healer, self-conversation facilitator, sex witch, and poet. You can learn about Jamie’s work at JamieLeeFinch.com Read more

As an educator and spiritual caregiver to the bereaved, Terri Daniel, DMin, offers supportive companionship and spiritual healing tools for the grief journey. In this capacity, she has encountered certain theological mindsets that can disrupt psychological well-being, and in some cases lead to complicated mourning, depression, and even illness. This paper explores these “toxic theologies” and their relationship to complicated mourning while offering alternative perspectives and cosmologies that may be helpful in supporting grievers who face spiritual challenges. Read more

In this paper, Terri Daniel, DMin, references the book "Breaking Their Will" by CFFP founder, Janet Heimlich. The paper was part of Daniel's doctoral coursework at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Read more

In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girls, resulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and trapped them in a cycle of shame. When the youth pastor of her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a 12-year-old girl, Klein began to question purity-based sexual ethics. She contacted young women she knew, asking if they were coping with the same shame-induced issues she was. These intimate conversations developed into a 12-year quest that took her across the country and into the lives of women raised in similar religious communities. It was a journey that facilitated her own healing and led her to churches that are seeking a new way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality. Read more

This doctoral dissertation offers quantitative evidence about the BITE model (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion) as a potential tool to help evaluate cases involving exploitive or undue influence. BITE offers a clearly defined model based on observable behaviors that expert witnesses can use to evaluate the presence of mind control or thought reform across a variety of settings and groups. Read more

A substantial minority of Americans have religious beliefs against one or more medical treatments. Some groups promote exclusive reliance on prayer and ritual for healing nearly all diseases. Jehovah’s Witnesses oppose blood transfusions. Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren have religious or conscientious exemptions from immunizations. Such exemptions have led to personal medical risk, decreases in herd immunity, and outbreaks of preventable disease. Though First Amendment protections for religious freedom do not include a right to neglect a child, many states have enacted laws allowing religious objectors to withhold preventive, screening, and, in some states, therapeutic medical care from children. Religious exemptions from child health and safety laws should be repealed so that children have equal rights to medical care. Read more

Leaving the Saints is an unforgettable memoir about one woman’s spiritual quest and journey toward faith. As “Mormon royalty” within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Martha Beck was raised in a home frequented by the Church’s high elders—known as the apostles—and her existence was framed by their strict code of conduct. Wearing her sacred garments, she married in a secret temple ceremony—but only after two Mormon leaders ascertained that her “past contained no flirtation with serious sins, such as committing murder or drinking coffee.” She went to church faithfully with the other brothers and sisters of her ward. When her son was born with Down syndrome, she and her husband left their graduate programs at Harvard to return to Provo, Utah, where they knew the supportive Mormon community would embrace them. Read more

A study examining the theological aspects of sexual abuse experienced within the family. Read more

THE CASE OF THE POPE delivers a devastating indictment of the way the Vatican has run a secret legal system that shields paedophile priests from criminal trial around the world. Is the Pope morally or legally responsible for the negligence that has allowed so many terrible crimes to go unpunished? Should he and his seat of power, the Holy See, continue to enjoy an immunity that places them above the law? Read more

This brilliantly reported, unforgettable true story reveals how one of the most monstrous sexual criminals in the history of the Mormon church preyed on his victims even as he was protected by the church elders who knew of his behavior. Read more

Pretend You Don't See The Elephant is a personal memoir about the author's life growing up in the 1950s. Throughout the narrative, the elephant represents the silence surrounding familial dysfunctional behavior. Christian Science provided the background of denial in a home where physical, emotional, and verbal abuse ran rampant. Read more

In 2006, New York magazine and ABC’s Nightline both featured stories dealing with rabbis who had abused children entrusted to them. Then, at the start of 2007, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published a five-part series on sexual abuse by rabbis who led congregations, taught religious studies, and ran youth groups. The series soon was picked up by Jewish newspapers nationwide. Despite this spate of media coverage, there has been a dearth of scholarly material investigating sexual abuse within the Jewish clergy. Tempest in the Temple brings together fifteen practicing rabbis, educators, pastoral counselors, sociologists, mental health professionals, and legal advocates for abuse victims, each of whom offer insights into different facets of the problem. Read more

Anne Owens takes a daring look at the forbidden topic of abuse under the guise of religion. With the care of a scientist and the caring of a humanitarian, she relates true stories of hidden suffering and battles for freedom. Her account is heart-wrenching and inspiring, a must-read for anyone who knows a hurt child or has been one. -Marcia Cebulska, playwright, author of Dear John, Florida Read more

Theological ideas and biblical injunctions have frequently been employed to legitimate the physical abuse of children. Some theological ideas are inherently abusive because they create fear in a child's mind, causing a child to feel alone, odd, and of little worth. Donald Capps exposes the abuses that theology and the Bible have inflicted on vast numbers of children. In particular, he is concerned with the "hidden" abuses of children by well-intentioned adults and the role that religion plays in the legitimation of these abuses. Read more

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. These words provided generations of American Christians with the justification for physically disciplining their children, in ways that range from spankings to brutal beatings. This learned and deeply disturbing work of history examines both the religious roots of corporal punishment in America and its consequences -- in the minds of children, in adults, and in our national tendencies toward authoritarian and apocalyptic thinking. Drawing on sources as old as Cotton Mather and as current as today's headlines, Spare the Child is one of those rare works of scholarship that have the power to change our lives. Read more

The Christian patriarchy movement promises parents a legacy of godly children ~ if they adhere to specific Biblical principles. But what happens when families who abandon "the world" for "the Biblical home" leave hearts behind, too? For many wives and daughters, the Christian home is not always a safe place. Scripture is used to manipulate. God is used as a weapon. And through spiritual and emotional abuse, women who become "the least of these" within Biblical patriarchy experience deep wounds that only God can heal. But if living "God's way" caused this pain, why should they trust Him to heal it? Read more

Sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by Catholic clergy burst onto the American scene in 1984. Revelations about such abuse since then have confirmed that this tragedy is not limited to the U.S. Catholic Church, nor is it a new phenomenon that grew out of so-called secularizing trends of the late twentieth century. By reviewing a collection of documents from official and unofficial sources from 60 CE to the present, this book demonstrates that sexual abuse of minors is a deep-seated problem that spans the Church's history. Read more

In this groundbreaking memoir and exposé, Christa Brown tells the story of clergy sex abuse and cover-ups in the largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. As she shares her journey from trusting church girl to tenacious advocate for children's safety, Brown shines a light on the patterns of preacher-predators and the collusion of evangelical leaders. This Little Light speaks of the unspeakable, and in doing so, testifies to the transformative power of truth-telling. Read more

Relying on religious traditions that are as old as their faith itself, many devout Christians turn to prayer rather than medicine when their children fall victim to illness or injury. Faith healers claim that their practices are effective in restoring health - more effective, they say, than modern medicine. But, over the past century, hundreds of children have died after being denied the basic medical treatments furnished by physicians because of their parents' intense religious beliefs. The tragic deaths of these youngsters have received intense scrutiny from both the news media and public authorities seeking to protect the health and welfare of children. Read more

Investigates the deaths of the nearly three hundred children who were victims of the mass cyanide poisoning at Jonestown, analyzing the social and political factors that enabled Jones to exercise the power of life and death over the children Read more

In her memoir, Amber Scorah describes how she came to be disillusioned with the Jehovah’s Witnesses when she reached her 30s, prompting her to leave the group. Read more

Dr. Jaime Romo discusses his journey through clergy sexual abuse and discusses what we can all learn from survivors of clergy abuse. Dr. Romo discusses his reactions and perspectives about the current crisis facing our religious institutions today and what survivors can do to continue to heal. Read more

Martha Peight stood in the first row of the courtroom, shaking yet resolute, as she held the printout of her victim-impact statement. In the benches behind her sat members of area Mennonite churches, wearing the traditional plain clothing of a separatist culture she had left behind — the bearded men in work clothes or dark suits, the women in long dresses and head coverings. Read more

Affirmation supports LGBTQ/SSA Mormons and their families, friends and Church leaders in seeking to live healthy and productive lives consistent with their faith or heritage. Read more

On a daily basis, author and LGBTQ advocate Amber Cantorna receives emails asking the same question: How does one reconcile their sexuality with their faith? Depression, despair, and thoughts of suicide often haunt LGBTQ Christians as they feel unable to imagine the possibility of living a happy, fulfilling life as an LGBTQ person of faith. Read more

Promo video for the book BREAKING THEIR WILL: SHEDDING LIGHT ON RELIGIOUS CHILD MALTREATMENT by Janet Heimlich Read more

Communities throughout the United States were convulsed in the 1980s and early 1990s by accusations, often without a shred of serious evidence, that respectable men and women in their midst many of them trusted preschool teachers secretly gathered in far reaching conspiracies to rape and terrorize children. In this powerful book, Debbie Nathan and Mike Snedeker examine the forces fueling this blind panic. Read more

When Anne A Johnson Davis was just three years old, her mother and stepfather began to physically, sexually and mentally torture her in the name of Satan. Until she ran away from home at 17, her parents and other cult members subjected her to satanic ritual abuse (SRA), a criminally inhumane and bizarre form of devil worship. Read more

"Growing Up in Mama's Club" is a compelling, coming-of-age story about a boy who is a victim of sixteen years of emotional, religious abuse. His day-to-day life and his attempts to conform to a belief system at odds with his intellectual skills are at times both heart-rending and humorous. But his ultimate triumph over religious indoctrination should be inspirational for people of all ages, especially for anyone growing up in an abusive environment. Read more

The bestselling, devastating account of three sisters torn apart, abused and exploited at the hands of a community that robbed them of their childhood. It reveals three lives, separate but entwined, that have experienced unspeakable horror, unrelenting loyalty and unforgettable courage. Read more

For over twenty-five years, charismatic Pentecostal evangelist Brother Tony Leyva used Christianity, the Bible, and his status as an "anointed prophet of God" to gain access to, seduce, and sexually assault the young sons of his enthralled followers in twenty-three states. How could such heinous acts continue undetected for over two decades? Read more

Leaving the Fold is a self-help book that examines the effects of authoritarian religion (fundamentalist Christianity in particular) on individuals who leave the faith. The concrete steps for healing are useful for anyone in recovery from toxic religion. Read more

The Spanking Room is the true story of a young boy's upbringing, and how the unorthodox doctrines of the Watchtower Society encourage violence against its most helpless members--the children. Read more

Clergy sex abuse, polygamy, children dying from faith healing, companies that refuse to do business with same-sex couples, and residential neighborhoods forced to host homeless shelters - what do all of these have in common? They are all examples of religious believers harming others and demanding religious liberty regardless of the harm. This book unmasks those responsible, explains how this new set of rights is not derived from the First Amendment, and argues for a return to common-sense religious liberty. In straightforward, readable prose, God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty sets the record straight about the United States' move toward extreme religious liberty. Read more

Abraham on Trial questions the foundations of faith that have made a virtue out of the willingness to sacrifice a child. Through his desire to obey God at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing his son, Abraham became the definitive model of faith for the major world religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this bold look at the legacy of this biblical and qur'anic story, Carol Delaney explores how the sacrifice rather than the protection of children became the focus of faith, to the point where the abuse and betrayal of children has today become widespread and sometimes institutionalized. Read more

Worship and Sin: Religion-Related Crime in the United States raises provocative questions about the role of religion in crime and criminal behavior. Arguing that religion-related crime should be classified as a distinct subset of crime worthy of continued investigation by scholars, this book brings together for the first time the disparate scholarly research related to various types of religion-related crime, presents numerous examples, and considers the practical and legal issues facing practitioners of various disciplines. Recommended: chapter on crimes against children chapter (p. 49) Read more

The dramatic true story of how the author ultimately escaped and has been fighting against frustrating obstacles with hard fought successes in rescuing women and children from the FLDS. Read more

Since founding ECPAT, an international organization working to end child prostitution and pornography, in 1991, the author has sadly come to recognize that church leaders and representatives are not exempt from involvement in the sexual abuse of children. Although working in a secular and apolitical organization, the author's Christian belief and experience have informed this study of a deeply disturbing phenomenon. He seeks through unsensational language to expose the truth of the church's involvement and by so doing start the search for solutions. Read more

The relentless crescendo of revelations of sexual abuse in the nation's Catholic churches has rocked the nation. Just how widespread is child sexual abuse by the Catholic clergy? And why hasn't the Catholic church done more to stop it? Read more

What sets this book apart from the many others on the topic is the emphasis on how a church congregation can begin to work to heal the wounds of sexual abuse and prevent further abuses from happening. Church members often must, at the same time, offer love, understanding, and healing to survivors while confronting (and still loving) the perpetrator. Includes a forward by Marie M. Fortune. Read more

An investigative reporter offers a portrait of Andrea Yates and her drowning of her five young children, incorporating the information from more than two hundred interviews to reveal the inner workings of the case. Read more

Janet Heimlich, author of Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, was the guest speaker at Atheists United. Her book is the first to take an in-depth look at child abuse and neglect caused by religious belief. Bethany Brittain joined Ms. Heimlich on stage to share her personal story about being abused as a child in the name of religion. (1:20:00) Read more

How to discipline one’s child, like decisions to treat “by faith alone,” run deep in religious and cultural belief systems. State regulation of child rearing not only impacts parents’ liberty but a community’s ability to maintain identity and transmit norms. Often, state solicitude for parental autonomy dictates children’s fate. This Chapter explores the limits of parental autonomy, showing that constitutional cases grant autonomy when no harm would result. Read more

High-profile cases such as the child sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church and “faith healing” child death cases in some fundamentalist congregations have drawn attention to a serious yet misunderstood problem: religious child maltreatment or RCM. (1:04:00) Read more

Are you a survivor of religious child abuse or neglect? Which children are at risk today? These are questions our speaker answered during this enlightening Sunday Gathering. (26:00) Read more

Janet Heimlich is the founder of the Child-Friendly Faith Project and author of Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, both of which examine child abuse and neglect that is enabled by religious belief in the United States. Janet is also a reporter who has worked for NPR and written for a variety of publications. (Full disclosure, I’m on the advisory board for the Child-Friendly Faith Project.) I spoke with her about the way children suffer at the hands of religion, whether teaching kids about Hell constitutes abuse, and what atheists can do to help. Read more