Part of the Christian Kyriarchy Project
Christian ableism
various | sanism | anti-psychology and anti-psychiatry
Last updated 9/1/2024
1. In both biblical and contemporary settings, disability is often connected to sin.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Out of the Darkness: Examining the Rhetoric of Blindness in the Gospel of John by Drs. Jennifer L. Koosed and Darla Schumm | Disability Studies Quarterly (2005)
Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Disability: Implications on the Rights of Persons with Disability in Kenya by Pauline A. Otieno | Disability Studies Quarterly (November 2009)
2. There's an emphasis on "healing" disabled people, whether or not they want to be healed.
Uncritical examples
BreakPoint: Disabilities, Identity, and Healing by John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera | Break Point (May 2019, disparages one of the articles below)
Archived on Wayback Machine
Commentary
Stop trying to "heal" me by Damon Rose | BBC (April 2019)
Archbishop Justin Welby: I don't pray for my daughter's disability by Beth Rose | BBC (July 2018)
Please Don't Pray with Me (In Airports) | The Matter With Megan (May 2013)
Fearfully, Wonderfully and Still Disabled AF: Faith and Self Love | Crutches And Spice (March 2018)
3. The above has led to faith-based healing attempts, which can end horribly for the people they're supposedly helping.
Uncritical examples
Should Faith Healing be Legally Protected? | Christianity Today (May 2011, compiles opinions from Christians, including those who claim legal abortion and gay rights are threats to religious freedom)
Archived on WaybackMachine
Commentary
Some Thoughts about Faith Healing by Stephen Barrett | Quackwatch (December 2009)
Faith Healing by Harriet Hall | Science-Based Medicine (January 2010)
Forget about those kids, real, true Christians are the real victims here | slacktivist (June 2014)
4. Demon-possession or demonic influence is sometimes used as an ”explanation” for certain disabilities.
Uncritical examples
ALTERS - JUST A NEW NAME FOR MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER (MPD) OR SCHIZOPHRENIA | Demon Buster
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive. While we're at it, schizophrenia is not the same thing as having alters.
The Myth Of Mental Illness | Dove Christian Counseling (earliest archive is from October 2007, updates indicate the page was published sometime before 1996)
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
HIDDEN ANGER HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE | Demon Buster
Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today and Ghost Archive
Commentary
[video] Tourette's And Possession | Snapple And Cats! (June 2017)
5. In the early days of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), churches fought to be exempt. This isn't the only time American Christians have fought against legal rights for disabled people.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Resisting Ableism in the American Church by Shannon Dingle | Sojourners (November 2018)
6. Unsurprisingly, churches may be lacking when it comes to accessibility and may treat it as unnecessary or burdensome.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Let's End Disability Discrimination in Church by Dr. John Jay Frank and Mark Stephenson | Banner (September 2013)
7. Certain Christians teach that wives are obligated to have sex with their husbands. This can lead to ableism because some disabilities can make sex difficult and/or decrease libido.
Uncritical examples
Commentary
How Pregnancy and Childbirth Changed My Asexuality (or, actually, A Post About Vaginismus) | Tell me why the world is weird (March 2021)
8. The fact that some disabilities can make pregnancy and/or childbirth unsafe is often ignored when pro-life Christians talk about abortion. Some make exceptions for cases where carrying a baby to term would kill the pregnant person, but they don't address how their lobbying makes things more difficult for people seeking a life-saving abortion.
Uncritical examples
None yet
Commentary
Pence would ban abortions when pregnancies aren't viable. His GOP rivals won't say if they agree by Jill Colven | AP News (July 2023)
I'm concerned that there's still an argument to be made for ”pro-life” policies where women die | Tell me why The world is weird (January 2024)
University of Scranton President Wants to Eliminate Abortion Coverage for Life-Threatening Pregnancies by Rachel Ford | OnlySky (February 2015)
Preserved on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive
9. Disabilities are often used as metaphors for character flaws. For example, when I did a search for ”blind in church”, many of the results used ”blind” in a derogatory way, when ”ignorant” or similar words would have sufficed.
Uncritical and archived examples
”blind in church” searched on OceanHero.today (includes a racist result near the bottom)
Archived on Wayback Machine and Archive.today
”anorexic in church” searched on Oceanhero.today (performed December 2022)
Archived on Wayback Machine and Archive.today
”bulimic in church” searched on Oceanhero.today (performed December 2022)
Archived on Wayback Machine and Archive.today
Commentary
Out of the Darkness: Examining the Rhetoric of Blindness in the Gospel of John by Drs. Jennifer L. Koosed and Darla Schumm | Disability Studies Quarterly (2005)
More about disability and ableism in the church
Christians and Ableism (Superiority to disabled people) | Bibilamor4 (April 2019)
Confronting Ableism Within Christianity | Jenn & Greg's Quaking Life (September 2014)
Adapting a Church Building and Program for People who are Blind or have Low Vision | Disability Ministries of the United Methodist Church
No Eye Contact Equals a Defiant Heart? by Suzanne Titkemeyer | No Longer Quivering (October 2020)
5 Steps to Help Autistic Adults Feel Welcome in Your Church by Tonya Nash | Autism Faith Network (July 2020)
Honest Lent: "Seek First God's Kingdom" Doesn't Work If You Have Autism | Tell me why the world is weird (March 2017)
Evangelicals vs. Persons With Disabilities: The real dangers of fighting against imaginary monsters | slacktivist (December 2012)
God Loves Autistic People the Way We Are. Churches Can Too by Chloe Specht | Sojourners (May 2022)
What To AVOID When You have Deaf Members In Your Church | Deaf Church Where (February 2022)
Globophobia part 2: God Didn't Help | Tell me why the world is weird (January 2018)
'My Body Is Not a Prayer Request' imagines a disability-centered church by Kathryn Post | Religion News Service (May 2022)
Religious Right Opposition to Healthcare Reform Is Deadly by Roy Speckhardt | HuffPost (October 2012)
Further information
The anti-abortion hypocrisy of proposed pro-Down syndrome legislationby Ronnie Polaneczky | The Philadelphia Inquirer (April 2018, discusses eugenics and how Republicans use unborn disabled people as rhetorical devices but destroy safety nets for already-born disabled people)
Right-Wing Groups Gear Up To Oppose Disability Rights Treaty, Again by Miranda Blue | Right Wing Watch (November 2013)
The Complexities of ”Curing” Disabilities | Emily Ladau (August 2013)
We're not here for your inspiration by Stella Young | Ramp Up (July 2012)
Why Utah's discrimination against disabled people matters for everyone/Utah Legislature Votes to Uphold Subminimum Wage for Disabled Workers by Elly Belle | Available on Prism and Truthout (February 2024, briefly mentions how Mormonism influences Utah's politics)
All My Life, People Have Told Me I'm "An Inspiration." Here's Why It's So Harmful. by Imani Barbarin | Bustle (April 2019)
The Inspiration Porn Resolution | Medium (January 2016)
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