RELIGIOUS GUILT
Sin and guilt are the themes of many major religions. Many of us have been taught to feel guilty when we fail to adhere to the tenants of our faith or to expected forms of worship. Furthermore, some faiths, for example, Christianity and Judaism, espouse the notions of original sin and man’s inherent guilt. According to Christian beliefs, all people are born evil, and are therefore guilty, unless they are redeemed through the faith.
Religious guilt is frequently present with survivor guilt. For example, it is not uncommon for soldiers to experience guilt about violating the religious code of "thou shalt not kill" by being warriors. Some domestic violence survivors, such as battered women and physically or sexually abused children, are coerced into committing cruel or sadistic acts towards other; into lying, stealing, or committing certain sexual acts (including prostitution); or into killing animals or people, as in cult abuse. People who are victimized in these ways can suffer from severe religious guilt, which is often at the core of their content survivor guilt.
In some cases, persons who have lost a loved one to suicide or homicide attribute the death of this loved one to their having violated a tenant of their faith. For example, Randy still suffers from survivor guilt over the suicide of his daughter some fifteen years ago. However his survivor guilt is compounded by his religious guilt for having an adulterous affair during his marriage. On some level, he feels that the death of his son is divine "payback" for violation of his marriage vows. Another example is Esther, whose teenage son was killed by a mugger. When Esther is honest with herself, she feels the mugging was a form of punishment for leaving the religion of her childhood and converting to another faith.
Another type of religious guilt is almost the exact opposite of the religious guilt described above. This guilt involves rejecting your previous religious and spiritual beliefs and traditions. Hence family members of children who have died as the result of illness, murder or suicide may have stopped believing in their God because their prayers for their child were not answered. People trapped in natural disasters, such as fires or floods, and persons trapped in man-made disasters, such as violent or abusive homes, may abandon their religious beliefs when the God of their understanding does not provide them the help and rescue that they need.
However, there can be guilt in abandoning or rejecting one’s former religious or spiritual beliefs, especially if family members or significant others are critical of this change. Hence persons of a particular faith who come to reject the tenants of their faith as the result of a severe trauma or stress may feel guilty about not being able to truly believe what they used to believe or not being able or willing to attend services as they used to.