Before I begin with the content of this post, let me acknowledge there will be some who disagree with my position to present this information in this forum. Some survivors of WOFF choose to “forgive and forget” and attempt to put everything that happened to them as far away from them as possible. That is a choice each is free to make, but, I don’t recommend it. Privacy prevents me from sharing the emails I receive on a regular basis from survivors of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and other groups. Many of these emails contain regrets for waiting so long to process the events that happened to them in years of being involved in a controlling group. Trying to ignore the injuries, the injustices, the hurts, the confusion and the emotional trauma will not prove helpful in the long run. The emails I receive with these aches and hurts are from survivors who were in WOFF and relatives of those who are now or have been in WOFF. It is with that understanding that I proceed to share the ongoing story of a survivor of 21 years of involvement in WOFF.

In a previous post titled, “Another Exit Drama Unfolds …” found here: http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=4782 . In that post, we did not name the survivor for various reasons. As of a few days ago, by his choice, his name was put into public record and therefore we will mention it here. Michael Lowry was born in 1990 in Rutherford County while his family was a part of WOFF. The family was from Michigan and have lived in the area every since his birth. He grew up in WOFF as his only social environment. In the previous post, we recounted his experiences in the “fourth building”. Those experiences had been traumatic to say the least and were a major part of his decision to leave his family and the only group of “friends” he had ever known. Today, we will give you excerpts from an incident report he filed with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s department outlining some of the events in the fourth building.

  Remember, this report is listed as “Further Investigation” needed. The people listed in this report are innocent until proven guilty.  No event or claim in this report has been proven in a court of law and no person in this report has been convicted of any crime(s). This is an incident report that is in public records that anyone can obtain a copy of from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s department.

The date the report was taken is listed as February 20, 2012. The OCA number is 2012-000720. Several of the terms in this report I am not familiar with but, I will provide them as needed. The incident was reported to have taken place on or about August 1, 2011.  The location is listed as 209 Old Flynn Rd, Spindale, NC at a church. Under the M.O. section, the activity is listed as “by holding the victim down and hitting him”. The block for “Forcible” is checked. Weapons are listed as “Personal- hands, feet, teeth, etc.” the number of victims is listed as one and he is named- Michael Lowry.

The narrative contains these statements: (all caps in the original report)

   Victim stated he used to be a member of the Word of Faith Fellowship in Spindale. Mr. Lowry stated that last August a group of men held him down and hit him about the face and chest area. Mr. Lowry stated that (he) told them to let go but they would not. The reason they done this was because he was homosexual. When this incident was taking place, the group would tell him he had demons in him and he was going to hell. Mr. Lowry also stated he was told his family would have nothing else to do with him. The group stopped and he was let go. Mr. Lowry stated that it was months later he left the church. The names of the church members who were involved in this are Adam Sudano, Kerrick Hudson, (redacted name- a minor), Warren McKnight, Mark Morris and Chris Hall. Mr. Lowry did not stated (state) which subjects hit him. No other information at this time.”

I redacted the name of the minor but, it is in the original report. That is the bulk of the report. There are crime codes listed and explained as “0890 All Other Simple Assault” and “2490 All Other”. I could not find the exact definition for the numerical codes. One could probably find out from the sheriff’s office.

There is so much background to give as this report is just a skeletal outline. Hopefully, more details will emerge with proper investigation. Michael has confided much more detail to me and others. He told of more overt body contact when he conveyed the incidents to me. With the proper environment, he will retell and enhance this scenario with more detail as to the abuse he suffered. Every time I have talked to him, the details coincide and are all linked together nicely. In my opinion, these events took place. As with all trauma and emotional upheaval, you can remember some parts at times and other parts at another time, with additional details. You may agree that events such as this can be as a sea of nightmarish pictures, smells, sounds and feelings. Not all of the details emerge at once as there is a tendency to concentrate on certain aspects at certain times according to your mindset and emotional state. I believe further interviews of Michael Lowry are essential to obtain more detailed information.

Before we review certain parts of the narrative, let me share some thoughts.  I am learning that being held down and beaten has become a method of choice for certain “sins” inside WOFF. This practice has emerged even with the young children, I am told. Two different survivors, independent of each other, report that children under ten are being allowed the physically correct their classmates by hitting, punching, shoving and kicking. The fears and pressures to conform must be extremely traumatic for the children who are the focus of this activity. I have also been informed that Jane’s grandson has been allowed to lead sessions containing these measures — used on children and adults. From the descriptions, it sounds like a feeding frenzy wrought with hyper –spiritual justification for the physical abuse and blasting loud prayer. How can this take place? Let me quote from one source to explain at least part of the answer.

Again, quoting from Steven Hassan’s book, “Releasing the Bonds”- Empowering People to Think for Themselves (Copyright© by Steven Hassan 2000, Freedom of Mind Press, ISBN-0-9670688-0-0), he has a section titled: Cognitive Dissonance Theory and the Evolution of the BITE Model. He begins by explaining the theories of Leon Festinger.

“In 1950, psychologist, Leon Festinger summarized the basic principle of his cognitive dissonance theory: “If you change a person’s behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the dissonance.” ¹³ As Festinger described, “dissonance” is the psychological tension that arises when a person’s behavior conflicts with his beliefs… People prefer that their behavior, thoughts, and emotions be mutually consistent, and can tolerate only a certain amount of discrepancy between these three components of their identities. Psychological research has shown that if any of the three components changes, the other two will shift to reduce the cognitive dissonance.” (page 40)

He then lists certain situations where this theory is seen at work. One of them fits the activities listed in the narrative above. “When people who think of themselves as reasonably humane are in a situation where they hurt innocent people, they reduce the resulting dissonance by marginalizing or “putting down” their victims.” (page 41) Let me explain how this applies here.

It is reasonable to think that the men participating in this events listed above thought of themselves as “reasonably humane” and in fact- faithful WOFF believers- “Christians”- if I may be so bold. Would you agree that physical aggression and abuse of someone is NOT a NORMAL Christian activity? After all, weren’t Christians the ones persecuted for their beliefs and physically abused (martyred) in times past and now, in other countries- certainly NOT in North Carolina- right?  Notice in the narrative, Michael repeats what his attackers were saying about him.

“…The reason they done this was because he was homosexual. When this incident was taking place, the group would tell him he had demons in him and he was going to hell. Mr. Lowry also stated he was told his family would have nothing else to do with him…”

I believe this was their way to quiet their own cognitive dissonance and justify why they were physically attacking another member of their own church! They were not saying what a non-partisan observer would say, “Why is that man being beaten? What did he do to deserve physical abuse? Why are the attackers forcing themselves on him and taking away his right to physical safety? Why are his civil rights being violated? Is this a hate crime?” These would be the natural questions for a non-member to ask if they were viewing this event- do you agree? Do you have other questions I missed?

We will close with two observations. Mark Morris is a NC attorney and has been mentioned here on this blog in previous posts. If he was present or had knowledge of these events or ones similar, it would be interesting get his justification for such treatment. How does he “reduce the resulting dissonance” if there is any for him? If there is no trouble for him in being a part of events such as these, that would be very concerning, do you agree? As an attorney, he has sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Does this sound like Michael Lowry received – “the due process of law” while inside WOFF? Will he have it now? Did Mark or any other person present try to stop the beatings and verbal abuse? If so, how long did that take?

Second, gender identification issues are common with second generation cult members (those born into the group) according a cult expert I spoke with recently. Several other young men have admitted, in their WOFF days, to confessing to “sins” without even knowing what the sin actually consisted of. Is it possible that young men and boys inside of WOFF who are accused of being homosexual confess to being so just to get out from under the inordinate pressure to confess?  And they actually may not even know what being a homosexual means? I think it is very possible. We will continue to follow this investigation and report on meaningful developments. Your comments are welcome.

Remember, this report is listed as “Further Investigation” needed. The people listed in this report are innocent until proven guilty.  No event or claim in this report has been proven in a court of law and no person in this report has been convicted of any crime(s). This is an incident report that is in public records that anyone can obtain a copy of from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s department.

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.

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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 388.