There are times when watching a movie that you get caught up in the plot and seemingly forget your own life and struggles. Maybe that is the attraction to so many folks watching movies in this country. Recently, I watched “Gods and Generals” (Warner Home Video and AOL Warner Company presenting a Ted Turner Film, Antietam Filmworks Production, a Ron Maxwell Film, Copyright©2002 Ted Turner Film Properties, LLC) From the back cover- “Based on Jeffrey M. Shaara’s bestseller, Gods and Generals recounts the fierce allegiances and combat of the early Civil War. Ronald F. Maxwell directs the prequel to his Gettysburg, framing the story with three bold men and three fateful battles. The men: Joshua Chamberlin (Jeff Daniels), “Stonewall” Jackson (Stephen Lang), Robert E. Leee (Robert Duvall). The battles: Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville. Through these combatants and conflicts we witness bravery and strife of a nation at war with itself.”
During my viewing of this film, I must admit, at least for a few minutes, forgetting about my life and the present events unfolding. Yes, this film is a representation of what happened and can only in a very small way capture the depth of the struggles, emotions and turmoil of the times. I knew this going in. But, during this film there was a scene that woke me up and captivated me in a very intriguing way. It was during a monologue by Joshua Chamberlin. This scene takes place as Chamberlin leads his brother, Tom to a view point over a river. I will paraphrase the introduction as Chamberlin points out to his brother that each person in the army of thousands is loved by someone, a whole person loved or cherished in a home far away. “Many of them will never return.”
Next, he describes armies as tools of power meant to coerce others. He goes on to recognize that they have seen more suffering than any man should ever see. And if there is going to be an end to it, then it must “be an end that justifies the cause.” Then he swings his arm out over the valley below and says, “Somewhere out there is the Confederate Army. They claim they are fighting for their independence, their freedom. Now, I cannot question their integrity. I believe they are wrong, but, I cannot question it. But, I do question the system that defends its own freedom while it denies it to others, to an entire race of men. I will admit it Tom; war is a scourge, but, so is slavery. It is the systematic coercion of one group of men over another. It has been around since the book of Genesis. It exists in every corner of the world. But, that is no excuse for us to tolerate it here, when we find it right before our very eyes, in our own country. As God is my witness, there is no one I hold in my heart dearer than you. But, if your life or mine is part of the price to end this curse and free the Negro, then let God’s will be done.”
There should be no doubt why I became so interested in this monologue. After being under the influence of Jane Whaley and the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) for sixteen years, I came out in July of 2008. Though some may deny any similarities between the slavery of years ago and life at WOFF, I beg to differ. In many ways, the slavery inside WOFF was/is more deceptive. First, is there any doubt as to the accuracy of the description of slavery in the monologue above? I would hope not.
Next, let me comment on two statements contained in words of Chamberlin. “But, I do question the system that defends its own freedom while it denies it to others, to an entire race of men.” Jane Whaley runs a religious system that defends her freedom, while denying many freedoms to her members. Jane claims that the freedoms she enjoys will not lead her into sin, because “that sin is not in her”. Within the religion that Jane has concocted, her freedoms are limitless and to others she doles them out as she pleases. However, I did not see anyone else in the group enjoying as many freedoms as Jane. That was because Jane made the rules and her rules were not written and were changed to fit the situation. The regular members were definitely relegated to the position of “slave”. Freedom was not theirs to enjoy, but, only to watch from afar and wonder why they are not good enough to own or direct their freedom -their lives. Regular members did not choose the direction of their lives, Jane did/does- all in the name of and justified by the WOFF religion she fabricated.
“It (slavery) is the systematic coercion of one group of men over another.” For those that have come out of WOFF, who would deny this statement describes life inside? The structure of WOFF is pyramidal. Jane is at the top and her family and chosen leadership are next to her in the small inner circle of those who work the means of coercion on those members below them in the pyramid. All of the means of behavior modification are cloaked in religious jargon and hidden under Jane’s private interpretation (twisting) of Scriptures. That in itself is what makes the slavery nature of WOFF-life elusive for some to recognize. After all, how could “Grandma Jane” be the leader of a religious cult? How could such a figure be the religious slave master of hundreds of people from all over the world? The answer to that could be found in the same way hundreds of thousands of people claimed nothing was wrong with the slave system of the South in the 1800’s. Some denied its true nature; some used Scripture to justify the slave system. Many in the North reasoned that it was of no concern since it did not reach into their home or their town. Others excused the system by spouting the “good things” plantation owners did for their slaves. After all, they gave them a place to live and fed them. Do these excuses fit the situation when speaking about WOFF or similar groups? Looking back, the WOFF plantation could be shined up real nice and the slave-members whipped into submission to sing and smile on cue. All of these measures meant to deflect the true nature of life behind the lily white sanctuary doors.
“But, that is no excuse for us to tolerate it here, when we find it right before our very eyes, in our own country.” I know of no excuse for allowing these religious slave plantations to exist – right before our very eyes, in our very own country, in our very own state. Do you?
Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.
Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.
Guest posts reflect the opinions of the writers. Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of John Huddle or any other persons affiliated with this blog.
Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 372.
Hi John,
It’s been a while since we visited your site. We are always glad to see you fighting against the tyranny of the cult you once belonged to.
Many X-members of our cult seem to become detached and forget what they once went through. A common phrase you hear among many X-ers is you got to forgive and get on with your life. Forgiving has been a theme that has been coming up lately in my own personal devotions. I have struggled with the idea of forgiving someone who seeks no forgiveness. You can forgive someone as Jesus did when he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. Yet Jesus spent a large portion of his life preaching to the hypocrites and pointing out that they were the ones that were keeping others from entering the kingdom of God.
Recently I heard from one X member of the ntcc, that said he hoped there would be reconciliation for former members and how that he had forgave them. The guy that wrote this is a friend and a veteran in the military. We have the utmost respect for him and the sacrifice that he makes every day.
The commonly used expression, “Those who ignore history are bound (or doomed) to repeat it” is actually a mis-quotation of the original text written by George Santayana, who, in his Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason, Vol.1, wrote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I think forgiveness is very important but we must never forget. We can forgive the 911 terrorists but if we forget what they did and become lackadaisical they will be back to commit more acts of terrorism. There might be some “good people” involved someway with the Taliban, but many live for the chance to kill and maim our citizens to include women and children. If we as a country forget 911 and Pearl Harbor, and begin to apologize to the world for our response, and let down our defenses, I believe history will be repeated.
Reading your post today, I am motivated and challenged in many ways. We also were slaves and we escaped for our lives and now enjoy freedom. It is so important to remember where our freedom comes from and to never forget that the slavery we once endured still exists in the lives of those we once loved. We can forget what we’ve been through and get on with our lives or we can try to help others find their way to freedom. Recovery can be a life long process, but I’d rather be free and recovering than enslaved to a system that only benefits the slave driver.
Don and Ange