The existence of the counterfeit is proof that the real exists.
The most dangerous forms of manipulation don’t look like manipulation at all. They wear the language of virtue—humility, sacrifice, obedience. But instead of shaping the soul, they slowly unravel it. This is spiritual manipulation. And it strikes deeper than any other because it doesn’t just hijack your thoughts or feelings—it hijacks your sense of what is right.
What Spiritual Manipulation Is
Spiritual manipulation is the dangerous use of spiritual categories—things like guilt, shame, humility, obedience, or the redemptive value of suffering—to subvert the action of the Spirit. It clouds the conscience. It distorts desire. And ultimately, it deadens the soul in the service of a false good.
It’s different from ordinary psychological manipulation. Playing hard to get, for instance—masking your own desire to increase someone else’s—is a fairly harmless form of psychological maneuvering. It takes place on the worldly plane. You …