During a recent conversation with a friend about life after my time inside of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), we began to discuss the fear that follows a survivor of a cult. At first, I called it a “fear orientation”, one that permeates every aspect of a survivor’s life. I related to this person that many decisions were made based on a fear of something or someone or something that would happen in the future if you did or did not do a particular thing. Some of the fears were easily seen, but many were not. This discussion was several days ago and the subject has been rolling over and over in my mind since that day. In this post, I will share my continuing thoughts on the subject of fear in the life during and after one’s time in a religious cult.

First off, this subject is not new to this blog. Several previous posts have dealt with the subject. Here is a couple for reference:

Does a “Fear-Based” Message Really Work? – http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=1310

Two Good Questions, Two Good Answers – http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=4769

In an attempt to get an understanding of the scope and depth of the far reaching grip of fear for a WOFF member, allow me to start at the beginning. Many people battle fear. It is not just what you experience inside a religious cult. For sure, many enter into these types of groups already having or experiencing some type of fear. It could be a fear of not making it to “heaven”, or a fear of not being able to be the parent or father you know you should be- for whatever reason. You could have the fear of being alone or fear of the dark or fear of heights or fear of snakes or the fear of having to talk in front of a group of people.

In my opinion, one attraction of WOFF for some is the assumed relief of some fears. At least, now you were in a group of folks where you were accepted. You need not fear rejection- at first. You were being told that this group knew what it would take to make it to heaven. (maybe) You would learn “God’s ways” and feel “loved” – maybe for the first time in your life. During my WOFF days, Jane Whaley required everyone to speak in front of the congregation and in some cases everyone was told to sing. For the most part, everyone did and at least showed an outward obedience to the “word of the Lord.” If that method relieved everyone’s fears of speaking in front of a group, I cannot say. I can say if you refused, you were accused of having sin and not loving God or God’s ways. Did this make you fearful not to obey Jane? You tell me.

I say “assumed relief of some fears” since the methods of “correction” used by Jane and her leadership included instilling fears of a different type to change behaviors. If you were afraid of the dark, or afraid of dogs or afraid of some other thing or situation, you were told that to not obey God’s word (through Jane) about that fear could cause you to miss the call of God, miss heaven, go to hell, or worse- be put out of the church.

At first, as I pondered this subject over the last few days, I wanted to rename Word of Faith Fellowship to Word of Fear Fellowship.  Can you see why? Fear was used to mold, shape, and control the members during my years inside that group. Just because you leave that group or one like it, does not mean you automatically get rid of the “fear orientation”.  Would it be considered a fear filter or even a fear funnel? Thoughts, perceptions and decisions are all filtered and funneled through the fear orientation that many survivors of WOFF possess. Again, it is my experience that some of these fears are obvious and some are not. Whether you can see and recognize them does not automatically weaken them. I receive emails from many survivors of WOFF, as well as other groups, most all recount some type of disturbing fear; some have been conquered, and some have not.

Taking a step back and considering the methods used inside of WOFF, could it be said that Jane Whaley has more faith in the use of fear than in sharing a true picture of the Christian gospel? If we note Jane’s most commonly used fear tactics of screaming, bullying, public rebuke and shunning, all the while warning her members that if they don’t obey the word of the Lord through her they will miss their call, backslide, die early, or worse be out of (her) church- could we say Jane has great faith in the use of fear? In my opinion, that is a true statement. Her gospel is one of fear and not true Christian faith.

Following that line of reasoning, would it be more accurate to name Jane’s church – Word of Faith in Fear Fellowship (WOFFF). Well, that name may be too long. I like Word of Fear Fellowship (WOFF). The meaning is still clear. What do you think? Do any other survivors agree? Jane, have you considered this?

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 415.