One of the greatest forms of abuse is to ignore. It is worse than hate. Rejection and neglect are forms of being ignored, because there is no attention, acceptance or recognition from other's; interaction and communication cease entirely and the victim is left alone in isolation. In my experience, it is the worst of all social acts committed upon another.
How much can the human soul endure these? Who can long endure being the "Scape Goat" that carries the sins of other's into the wilderness?
To cut someone off intentionally is a form of social murder. Yet, we do it all too often to those we meet and those we say we love and care about. How many of us come from a family that loves unconditionally? A family that really cares esteems, guides and accepts us for who we are right? But, do they really know WHO we are? Even if they try hard to provide for our basic human physical needs, do they know how to provide for our emotional and spiritual needs? (Now, I'm specifically referring to our Temperament needs.)
The primary failure in human interactions is based to a large extent on understanding and encouraging a person's Temperament needs, strengths, weaknesses. We as a society and civilization are leaning toward and embracing individual conformity and have not, and do not love unconditionally. That's because there are "conditions" upon which the individual must be accepted. And, it is not happening in the correct way.
We as American's have sacrificed our children to the god of conformity by the unconformed majority! You may ask, what do I mean by that statement? Simply put, I mean each person is a unique and wonderful creation of God. But, our individual uniqueness must be conformed to what God's desires and Will are, not to the material hedonistic secular ideas most embrace today. We do not have the choice nor the right to dictate terms to our children or each other apart from what God has already said.
We exist because He chooses to allow us to exist. It is our responsibility as individuals to conform to and teach our children or other's if we have no children that God's way is right and true. That conformity to His way is the only way to live to good purpose. Other than that, we are free to decide the many ways to bless ourselves, love one another or to ignore one another. But, God is the giver of right being and right action, not us. We as human beings apart from God are only naturally capable of causing harm to ourselves or other's. I can't and you can't be or do good. Only God is good and does it as it pleases and glorifies Himself.
Now, I am not saying that religion has succeeded in teaching God's way, nor has it entirely failed either. It is true that much harm has come from extremist religious and secular beliefs and actions misunderstood throughout human history. It is also true that much good has been done. We must not judge harshly any religious people as a whole just because some have misused it rightly. We need not judge the "Forest based on only a few of its trees."
Today, in our generation, we have as a Church forgotten or been misled into all sorts of non-Christian beliefs and actions. We Christians for the most part now have settled for the comfortable ways of doing our faith, rather than doing the "Way" of the Cross of Jesus. As far as I can tell from my teaching as a counselor of the Lord, we are at present "Luke Warm" (Read the book of Revelations in rear of the Bible) at best. We do not like to suffer for or suffer like Christ Jesus. And, we do not teach the bearing of His Cross as the fundamental nature of life as a true disciple. Nor, do we allow or permit our children or follow to endure suffering like and for Christ. We want our churches and families and friends to all do things according to the ways we have been taught individually.
But, where is The Holy Spirit in all this? Where is Jesus Christ? And, what do those have to do with God and ourselves? I say the Trinity has everything to do with these experiences. And, so does the Holy Scriptures we call the Holy Bible. You are saved for eternity by Faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God because of what He did, not anything you can do. Your efforts are determined by The Holy Spirit. And, if you believe and have these, God The Father is pleased with you and you are at peace with Him. As human's we all sin, as Christians we are at one with God because He chose to save, forgive, love and bless us no matter what good or evil is happening in our individual lives or worldwide. He is in charge and owns everything!
I have a little wind up toy stuffed lamb doll that plays an old tune from my childhood. It goes like this, "Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so." How simple is that? Even a child can grasp the truth! So, what is your excuse?