The Write Place

Understanding what manipulators do has drawn me to see the shape of sin in thought and practice. One such practice commonly used by manipulative personalities is known as DARVO. It, like other patterns of sinful behavior of the fallen creature known as man is attested to in scripture.

King Ahab practiced this tactic against Elijah, calling him the “Trouble of Israel.

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

¹⁸ “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

1 Kings 18:16-19

You can see how rich it is when we find later a good summation of his conduct as well.

There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. ²⁶ He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.

1 Kings 21:25-26

Learn the tactics of manipulators and you will see that most of them get elected to public office (only half joking). This is the tactic known as “DARVO.” The acronym is incredible helpful and manipulators find themselves doing it knowingly or not. It simply means “Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender”

The tactic of DARVO happens to Christians under Communist regimes, who blame them for the failures of the country, or call them “foreign agents. The threat goes, if we did not have these Christians then we would have a better country. Human dictatorships are an affront to God and nature, therefore they cannot work. Dictators therefore use DARVO to blame someone else, always Christians among them for the consequences of their delusional actions

Interestingly enough Biden did it recently when commenting on Trump’s trial, saying it’s “Dangerous to say Trump’s trial was rigged” when if it is (and it was) the fault lies with him. At least humor me, in this scenario he is committing DARVO and putting the consequences of his actions on the one exposing them.

Obama did it when he said “Congress needs to do it’s job and vote on my bills” knowing they’re job isn’t to vote on everything he proposes anymore than it’s his job to approve everything they pass. Trump’s choice appears to simply be the ad hominem but the fact remains these two examples are real examples of manipulation and they reflect DARVO. It’s not my fault, it’s really you/the other guy and without him we would have nice things.

May I argue this is what’s happening with the Pride movement, as they put pornography in your schools, and put men dressed as women in front of your children to read it to them? Or call you crazy when you say going to pursue pedophilia even though some in the movement tweet for it? Or when a gay men’s choir sing they’re coming for your children when the movement says you’re crazy for pointing out that’s what’s happening?

Start a culture war, blame the other guy, and call him crazy and the problem. That’s been the formula and it’s the Leftist’s using DARVO.

Contemporary examples aside, take the point as it remains.

It appears to me fitting mention that when the Christians were persecuted in Rome as well, the charge was also DARVO. Christians were always blamed for what they were not doing. We did not burn incense to Caesar, participate in vile festivals or worship to the pagan gods. When crops failed, wars went wrong, or anything in Roman society floundered it was the Christians who were blamed because they did no go along with the crowd.

Everything that was wrong was also their fault. Yet that’s not the case.

Nothing wrong in this world is the fault of fidelity to Christ. It’s always the result of the fall and infidelity, of a lack of Christianity not the presence of it.

 The earth lies defiled
    under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
    violated the statutes,
    broken the everlasting covenant.
⁶ Therefore a curse devours the earth,
    and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
    and few men are left.
⁷ The wine mourns,
    the vine languishes,
    all the merry-hearted sigh.

Isaiah 24:5-7

Everything wrong in Rome, or China, or in the United States will follow the same pattern when you get down to it. Whatever else is blamed, Christians will be seen as the problem and DARVO is the devil’s tool to do. The response to DARVO is to call it out for what it is, let the other sheep know a wolf is a wolf pretending to be a sheep (can you think of a better descriptor?). Learn the tools the devil uses for his feasts as he seeks whom he may devour, and don’t forget the answer to all that is wrong in the world is the Gospel, the same it has always been.