Editing Self-flagellation

{{Short description|Whipping oneself as part of a religious ritual}}
{{about|the religious practice|other kinds of intentional self-injury|Self-harm|the social behavior sometimes referred to as "self-flagellation"|Self-deprecation}}
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[[File:Grief of yore and gore-Muharram procession in Hyderabad. 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.22|Muslims mourning [[Battle of Karbala|the martyrdom]] of [[Husayn ibn Ali]] in [[Hyderabad]], India]]
'''Self-flagellation''' is the disciplinary and devotional practice of [[Flagellation|flogging]] oneself with whips or other instruments that inflict pain.<ref>Abbott, Geoffrey. "Flagellation." Encyclopædia Britannica. Last modified December 6, 2016. Accessed March 5, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flagellation .</ref> In [[Christianity]], self-flagellation is practiced in the context of the doctrine of the [[mortification of the flesh]] and is seen as a [[spiritual discipline]].<ref name="Rubin1994" /><ref>Lasky, Jack. “Flagellation.” In Salem Press Encyclopedia. Salem Press, 2017.</ref> It is often used as a form of [[penance]] and is intended to allow the flagellant to share in the sufferings of Jesus, bringing their focus to God.<ref name="Fudgé2016">{{cite book |last1=Fudgé |first1=Thomas A. |title=Medieval Religion and its Anxieties: History and Mystery in the Other Middle Ages |date=20 October 2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-56610-2 |page=243 |language=English |quote=As justification for the mortification of the flesh, Peter HDamian argued that only those who participated in the sufferings of Christ could be partakers of the promise that the faithful, one day, would inherit the kingdom of God and thereby join Christ in glory.}}</ref><ref name="Jeremiah2014">{{cite book |last1=Jeremiah |first1=Ken |title=Christian Mummification: An Interpretative History of the Preservation of Saints, Martyrs and Others |date=10 January 2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-8979-4 |page=92 |language=English}}</ref><ref>Abbott, "Flagellation.”</ref>

The main religions that practice self-flagellation include some branches of [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]]. The ritual has also been practiced among members of several Egyptian and Greco-Roman cults.

==Christianity==
{{Main|Mortification of the flesh}}
[[File:Striding_flagellant.jpg|thumb|''Magdarame'' (penitents) during [[Holy Week]] in the Philippines]] 
Historically, Christians have engaged in various forms of [[mortification of the flesh]], ranging from self-denial, wearing [[hairshirt]]s and chains, fasting, and self-flagellation (often using a type of whip called a [[Discipline (instrument of penance)|discipline]]).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Grayling |first1=A. C. |title=Religion and its mortifying history of self inflicted pain |url=https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/religion-and-its-mortifying-history-of-self-inflicted-pain-dkd8z2wlxlb |work=The Times |date=29 August 2008 }}</ref> Some Christians use excerpts from the Bible to justify this ritual. For example, some interpreters claim that [[Paul the Apostle]]'s statement, "I chastise my body" (1 Corinthians 9:27), refers to self-inflicted bodily scourging.<ref>Tierney, John. “Flagellation.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Last modified September 1, 1909. Accessed March 5, 2020. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06092a.htm .</ref> Prominent Christians who have practiced self-flagellation include [[Martin Luther]], the Protestant [[Reformation|Reformer]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Wall|first=James T.|title=The Boundless Frontier: America from Christopher Columbus to Abraham Lincoln|publisher=[[University Press of America]]|page=103|language=English|quote=Though he did not go to the ends that had Luther— including even self-flagellation {{better source needed|date=June 2022}} — the methods of ritualistic observance, self-denial, and good works did not satisfy.}}</ref> and [[Congregationalist]] writer [[Sarah Osborn]], who practiced self-flagellation in order "to remind her of her continued sin, depravity, and vileness in the eyes of God".<ref name="Rubin1994">{{cite book|last=Rubin|first=Julius H.|url=https://archive.org/details/religiousmelanch00rubi/page/115|title=Religious Melancholy and Protestant Experience in America|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1994|isbn=9780195083019|page=[https://archive.org/details/religiousmelanch00rubi/page/115 115]|language=English|quote=In the many letters to her correspondents, Fish, Anthony, Hopkins, and Noyes, Osborn examined the state of her soul, sought spiritual guidance in the midst of her perplexities, and created a written forum for her continued self-examination. She cultivated an intense and abiding spirit of evangelical humiliation--self-flagellation and self-torture to remind her of her continued sin, depravity, and vileness in the eyes of God.|url-access=registration}}</ref> It became "quite common" for members of the [[Tractarian]] movement within the [[Anglican Communion]] to practice self-flagellation using a discipline.<ref name="Yates1999">{{cite book|last=Yates|first=Nigel|title=Anglican Ritualism in Victorian Britain, 1830-1910|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|isbn=9780198269892|page=60|language=English|quote=Self-flagellation with a small scourge, known as a discipline, became quite common in Tractarian circles and was practised by Gladstone among others.}}</ref>

In the 11th century, [[Peter Damian]], a [[Benedictine|Benedictine monk]] in the Roman Catholic tradition, taught that spirituality should manifest itself in physical discipline; he admonished those who sought to follow Christ to practice self-flagellation for the duration of the time it takes one to recite forty [[Psalms]], increasing the number of flagellations on holy days of the [[liturgical year|Christian calendar]].<ref name="Fudgé2016"/> For Damian, only those who shared in the sufferings of Christ could be saved.<ref name="Fudgé2016"/> Throughout Christian history, the mortification of the flesh, wherein one denies oneself physical pleasures, has been commonly followed by members of the clergy, especially in Christian monasteries and convents. Self-flagellation was imposed as a form of punishment as a means of penance for disobedient clergy and laity.<ref name="Fudgé2016"/>

In the 13th century, a group of Roman Catholics, known as the [[Flagellant]]s, took this practice to extremes. During the [[Black Death]], it was thought of as a way to combat the plague by cleansing one's sins. The Flagellants were condemned by the [[Catholic Church]] as a cult in 1349 by [[Pope Clement VI]].<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Brink of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, War, Plague and Death in the Later Middle Ages |first=John |last=Aberth |edition=2nd |publisher=Routledge |year=2010  }}</ref>{{rp|144}}

Self-flagellation rituals were also practiced in 16th-century [[Japan]]. Japanese of the time who were converted to Christianity by [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] missionaries were reported to have had sympathy for the [[Passion of Jesus|Passion of the Christ]], and they readily practiced self-flagellation to show their devotion. The earliest records of self-flagellation practiced by Japanese converts appeared in the year 1555 in the regions of [[Bungo Province|Bungo]] and [[Hirado, Nagasaki|Hirado]] in [[Kyushu]].<ref name=jstor43446513>{{cite journal |last1=Shin |first1=Junhyoung Michael |title=The Passion and Flagellation in Sixteenth-Century Japan |journal=Renaissance and Reformation |date=2013 |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=5–43 |doi=10.33137/rr.v36i2.20166 |jstor=43446513 |doi-access=free }}</ref> These Japanese Christians wore crowns of thorns and bore crosses on their backs during the procession, which led to the place they had designated as the Mount of the Cross.<ref name=jstor43446513/>

Christians give various reasons for choosing to self-flagellate. One of the main reasons is to emulate the suffering of Christ during his Passion. As Jesus was whipped before his crucifixion, many see whipping themselves as a way to be closer to Jesus and as a reminder of that whipping.<ref name=BBC8375174>{{cite news |title=Why do some Catholics self-flagellate? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8375174.stm |work=BBC News |date=24 November 2009 }}</ref> Many early Christians believed that in order to be closer to God, one would need to literally suffer through the pain of Christ.<ref name=Griffiths2017>{{cite news |last1=Griffiths |first1=Mark D. |title=Religious Self-Harm |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201705/religious-self-harm |work=Psychology Today |date=4 May 2017 }}</ref> Some of them interpret Paul the Apostle as alluding to inflicting bodily harm in order to feel closer to God in his letters to the [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] and to the [[Epistle to the Colossians|Colossians]].<ref name="Beam, Christopher 2010">Beam, Christopher. “How Would Pope John Paul II Have Gone about Self-Flagellating?” Slate Magazine, Slate, 27 Jan. 2010, slate.com/news-and-politics/2010/01/how-would-pope-john-paul-ii-have-gone-about-self-flagellating.html.</ref>

Self-flagellation was also seen as a form of purification, purifying the soul as repentance for any worldly indulgences. Self-flagellation is also used as a punishment on earth in order to avoid punishment in the next life.<ref name="Beam, Christopher 2010"/> Self-flagellation was also seen as a way to control the body in order to focus only on God. By whipping oneself, one would find distraction from the pleasures of the world and be able to fully focus on worshiping God.<ref name=BBC8375174/> Self-flagellation is also done to thank God for responding to a prayer or to drive [[unclean spirit|evil spirits]] from the body (cf. ''[[Exorcism in Christianity]]'').<ref name=Griffiths2017/> The popularity of self-flagellation has abated, with some pious Christians choosing to practice the mortification of the flesh with acts like [[Fasting in religion#Christianity|fasting]] or abstaining from a pleasure (cf. ''[[Lenten sacrifice]]'').<ref name=BBC8375174/>

There is a debate within the Christian tradition about whether or not self-flagellation is of spiritual benefit, with various religious leaders and Christians condemning the practice and others, such as [[Pope John Paul II]], having practiced self-flagellation.<ref name=BBC8375174/><ref name=themonastery>{{cite web |title=Antiquated Religious Rituals Live On in 21st Century |date=9 May 2019 |work=Universal Life Church Ministries |url=https://www.themonastery.org/blog/antiquated-religious-rituals-live-on-in-21st-century |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119045244/https://www.themonastery.org/blog/antiquated-religious-rituals-live-on-in-21st-century |archive-date=19 January 2021 }}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=March 2021}} People who self-flagellate believe that they need to spiritually share in the suffering of Jesus, and continue this practice, both publicly and privately.<ref name=themonastery/> The practice of self-flagellation has been used amongst members of [[Opus Dei]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Alfano |first=Sean |title=Behind The Shroud Of Opus Dei |website=CBS News |date=2006-04-30 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/behind-the-shroud-of-opus-dei/ }}</ref>

== Judaism ==
Some Jewish men practice a symbolic form of self-flagellation on the day before [[Yom Kippur]] as an enactment; it is strictly prohibited in Judaism to cause self-harm. Biblical passages such as "it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls" (Leviticus 23:27) were used to justify these actions. It was a common practice in the Middle Ages for men to whip themselves on the back 39 times.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Gilad |first1= Elon. |title= 10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Yom Kippur. |newspaper= Haaretz |date= September 10, 2013 |access-date= April 2, 2020 |url= https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-kippur-1.5332142 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201002045028/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-kippur-1.5332142 |archive-date= October 2, 2020}}</ref> However, since biblical times Judaism has largely considered Yom Kippur as a day of spiritual atonement achieved through fasting, introspection, and other interpretations of the commandment "afflict your souls" that do not involve bodily self-harm.<ref>{{cite web |last1= Sonsino |first1= Rifat |title= You Shall Afflict Yourselves |date= August 2005 |access-date= 27 December 2020 |url= https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=435 |publisher= [[Society of Biblical Literature]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210727152459/https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=435 |archive-date= July 27, 2021}}</ref>

==Islam==
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2025}}
[[File:Zanjerzani in Kermanshah 01.jpg|thumb|[[Tatbir|Zanjerzani]] in Iran]]
The practice of self flagellation among certain sects of [[Islam]] is called ''matam'' (in Iran and South Asia) and ''latm'' (in the Arab world). ''Matam'' is performed by some members of [[Shia Islam]] (particularly the [[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shia]] community) to honor Imam Husain—a martyr in the [[Battle of Karbala]] (in what is now Iraq) and grandson of the prophet [[Muhammad]]. The flagellants are called ''matamdar''.

Devotees perform this act by beating their chest, hitting themselves with blades, chains, or other sharp objects. A trancelike state can be achieved when pain is inflicted rhythmically.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Schneider |first=Andreas |date=2009 |title=The Rhythm of the Whip |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25677369 |journal=Social Psychology Quarterly |volume=72 |issue=4 |pages=285–289 |issn=0190-2725}}</ref> These rituals are typically accompanied by poetry and percussive elements; the rhythm structures the altered state.<ref name=":0" /> The practice is somatopsychic, as opposed to [[psychosomatic]]—it begins in the body, then migrates to the mind.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Ruffle |first=Karen G. |date=2015 |title=Wounds of Devotion: Reconceiving Mātam in Shiʿi Islam |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/683065 |journal=History of Religions |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=172–195 |doi=10.1086/683065 |issn=0018-2710}}</ref>

This ritual of ''matam'' is meant to reaffirm one's faith and relationships by creating a deep bond among the participants through their shared religious devotion. Despite the violent nature of this ritual, the love and vulnerability associated with it makes it an affirmational ritual performance.<ref name=":1" />

Self-flagellation is just as controversial in Islam as it is in Christianity. In 2008, a prominent court case involving a resident of the UK town of [[Eccles, Greater Manchester|Eccles]], who was accused of encouraging his children to self-flagellate, provoked widespread condemnation of the practice. Shias responded by affirming that children should not be encouraged to self-harm, but defending the importance of the ritual when performed by consenting adults.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kazmi |first1=Nadeem |title=Why self-flagellation matters for Shia Muslims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/28/religion.islam |work=The Guardian |date=28 August 2008 }}</ref> However, some Shia leaders fear that the practice gives their religion a bad reputation, and recommend donating blood instead.<ref>{{cite news |title=What is Ashura? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-16047713 |work=BBC News |date=6 December 2011 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Autosadism]]
* [[Human sacrifice]]
* [[Religious abuse]]
* [[Self-mutilation]]
* [[Self-defeating personality disorder]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Corporal punishments]]
[[Category:Religious practices]]