We accept abuse as OK or deserved. Abuse is not OK and is not deserved. Many people see rejecting their childhood religion as being like rejecting their own grandmother. Our deep emotional ties with our childhood make it very difficult for us to be objective about the way in which religion was used to control and sometimes abuse us. Sick and abusive religion is the judgmental legalism that Jesus came to destroy and replace with himself.
People can become addicted to abusive religion.
Recent studies have shown how addictive religion can develop. See the Resources section for books on religious abuse and addiction. Answering some of these questions may be disturbing to you but may also help you to gain insight into why it is so difficult for you to face the damage that abusive religion has done to you. Discussing and sharing these questions with others like yourself in a small group can be an enlightening and learning time of growth for you. You will discover how others have gone through many of the same problems and hurts regarding religion just as you have.