Narcissists present you with a False Self. Religious-Narcs often present themselves as a type of the Apostle Peter or Paul and an Old Testament leader like Moses at the same time! They insist that God commissioned them with this honor and duty and they will twist scripture and use intense gaslighting to not only fool you, but themselves. This is straight-up delusion and begs the question: what caused them to slip into this state of delusion?
One theory I have is that they did not have a love for the truth, especially the truth of their actions and abuses that harmed others. You can discern these delusional religious-narcs fairly easily by their steadfast refusal to take ownership and repent of sins/actions others bring to their attention.
They are not being setup by Satan, no… they are setup by God Himself (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)– this is the worse position they can be in!
Knowing how this delusion of FALSE SELF happens to these narcs can assist us as we determine how to interact with them.
Check out the video from Dr Carter about the Narc’s False SELF.