Category Archives: Peoples Temple vs WOFF

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Peoples Temple vs WOFF, Uncategorized

Questions and Possible Answers About WOFF-life

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      For those who are new to this blog or have read just a few posts, you may know by now that I am a survivor of 16 years under the influence of the teachings and doings of Jane Whaley. She was/is the leader of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. Over the years, there developed doctrine, teachings and practices that would extend Jane Whaley’s control into many, if not all areas of her member’s lives. At WOFF, the 1990’s and earlier in this decade were filled with court battles over different issues. Some cases would be child custody suits. One case was brought by an ex-member stating Jane had brought physical harm while praying over them. Inside Edition sent in a young man to film meetings and take notes on the conduct, practices and prayer at WOFF. Life at WOFF never seemed to lack drama. Why was that? How did folks get entangled with such a group and yet stay even in the midst of all the drama and controversy?

    In the previous post, I wrote this statement-  “People already in church and familiar with the concept (“…self-sacrifice, devotion and discipline) and even very religious about their religion seem to flow better at WOFF. That must have been me for many years… Right?”  I suggested that I was this person, familiar with self-sacrifice, devotion and discipline. Membership for the faithful at WOFF certainly did require “self-sacrifice, devotion and discipline”. There was self-sacrifice of time working for the church doing various tasks. A sacrifice of money- as Jane would check the records to see if you were tithing and there was always a fund raising project to support or multiple offerings being taken in a service, especially when there were no visitors. Devotion- faithful WOFF members lived out a devotion to Jane and the group that ran deep and cost them dearly. Discipline—the faithful regular WOFF members denied/deny themselves many activities and pleasures.

      Continue reading Questions and Possible Answers About WOFF-life →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Peoples Temple vs WOFF, Uncategorized

“Sheep Stealers”? Jim Jones and Jane Whaley?

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    During the last few weeks, I have been considering some further questions about Peoples Temple and Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF).  Did Jim Jones, leader of Peoples Temple, participate in the recruitment of church members from other congregations? How do we know? (This is commonly referred to as “sheep stealing”.)  Did/does Jane Whaley, leader of WOFF participate in recruitment of church members from other congregations? How do we know? If both leaders did recruit other church members, were the techniques similar or different?    

    From the “Raven” by Tim Reiterman with John Jacobs (copyright ©1982 Tim Reiterman, Introduction copyright 2008 by Tim Reiterman, ISBN 978-1-58542-678-2); the authors tell of several attempts of Jim Jones to recruit members from other churches. Let’s look at a few examples.

    “Jones’s expansion attempts were those of an impatient and aggressive man. While on a quest for new organizational techniques in the late 1950s, he had read extensively about Father Divine, spiritual father of the gigantic Peace Mission movement. In typically direct fashion, Jim Jones drove to Philadelphia to meet the black cult leader in person.” (page 59) Father Divine has been mentioned previously on this blog. Here is another link to read about the sharecropper turned “self-proclaimed “Dean of the Universe,”..(page 58)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_Father_Divine

   Continue reading “Sheep Stealers”? Jim Jones and Jane Whaley? →

Criteria for Cults, Peoples Temple vs WOFF, Uncategorized

WOFF Family Has Mother Jane as the Head

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    One of the first things a new Word of Fellowship (WOFF) member learns is how important it is to cut-off contact and ties with those who “don’t walk in God’s ways” or “do not have the fear of God (god)”. This includes not only co-workers or friends outside the church, but family and relatives that are not in WOFF. These relatives could be neutral on Jane Whaley or be against Jane Whaley, it does not matter. If they are not walking in the Truth that Jane preaches/teaches then they are not worthy of your fellowship or company. This includes family during the holidays or birthdays or any other special family gathering times. Why? Of course, Jane Whaley does not allow her members to celebrate holidays. This is not new information to anyone who is familiar at all with WOFF. 

    As mentioned previously, I went along with the no holiday practices of WOFF. I did not go visit my family for years on any holiday. Now, I see the practice accomplished more than just keeping “WOFFers from sinning”. (Did it really accomplish that?) Keeping WOFF members from contact with family may have been spiritualized as necessary to “protect the gift of God in you” or keep you from the “common ground” that still exists in you and them. See the post about common ground here… http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=2356 .  The post “What is Common Ground?” serves as an introduction to this post. I explain the term “spiritual parents” in that post. The concept was a growing one at WOFF. It sounded so spiritual to follow others and set-aside your natural parents that may not be “in the things of God” and “flowing with the revelation” that God had given Jane.  But, really it served to cut you off and substitute Jane Whaley and other WOFF leaders as your family. Many faithful adult members would go further than using the term “spiritual parents” for Jane and Sam. Some would call Jane – Mother Jane and Sam- Father Sam. Many children had begun calling Jane – Grandma Jane by the time I left.  Is WOFF the first group where this practice is found?  Where else can this phenomenon be found?

    Continue reading WOFF Family Has Mother Jane as the Head →

Behavior Control, Books, Resources, Peoples Temple vs WOFF, Uncategorized

More From The “Raven” (2)

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         In two previous posts, we have reviewed some excerpts from the work by Tim Reiterman- “Raven”. Reiterman co-authored with John Jacobs (copyright ©1982 Tim Reiterman, Introduction copyright 2008 by Tim Reiterman, ISBN 978-1-58542-678-2); the authors tell “The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People”. “Tim Reiterman is a prizewinning journalist who extensively covered Jonestown for the San Francisco Examiner. He was wounded in the jungle airstrip attack that killed a U.S. Congressman, plus three reporters, and a Peoples Temple defector.” (from the back cover)  The link to the most recent post is here… http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=3281 . There are more similarities in the story of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple when comparing them to Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF).

    In following our theme of questions, we must ask a few more on the subject of this post. Why are there similarities in the practices that Jim Jones used and those of Jane Whaley and her leadership at WOFF? We will list more similarities in this post. Do the similarities speak of the same goals or just the same methods used in governing and/or controlling the members of each group? The two leaders had very few similarities in their message; but in their methods, we find likenesses- why? What was the goal of Jim Jones and was that goal the same or similar to Jane Whaley’s goal(s)? Regardless of the differences in the messages of the two leaders, what were the outcomes of the control methods used in each case? What was the key ingredient that allowed Peoples Temple members to sacrifice their own life for Jim Jones- some willingly, some not…? Is that same ingredient found in the lives of WOFF members today? Hopefully, we will find some answers to these questions. If the answers cannot be found here, we will keep searching and asking more questions. I believe the key to understanding WOFF and groups like WOFF is in learning about the practices that are used on the members and also between the members.

   Continue reading More From The “Raven” (2) →

Behavior Control, Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Peoples Temple vs WOFF

What Are The Questions? (2)

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    In the last post, we stated questions that have been asked about Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). Some questions were about Jane Whaley, the leader. Some were about daily life at WOFF. “Why” was/is a common question and well as “how”? We shared some questions that new members have to face. Those answers would be very interesting as each new member would face them first in the church and then in their private lives. The main point being that their private life morphs/merges into their life at church. For sure, new members learn that there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed – to Jane. When a new member joins WOFF, at whatever degree or stage that is or becomes, he or she will face the realization at some point that privacy is a dwindling commodity. All facets of life merge into the realm of the church’s/Jane’s purview.

     Life at WOFF becomes all consuming- why? Why did/does membership at WOFF require ALL of a member? What other churches which claim to be “Protestant, non-denominational church…( as defined by classical Christianity) with traditional, evangelical doctrines” require so much of their members? I am not saying there are no others; I just want to know who they are… We shared about this type of group in a post from August 1, 2010- “Know the Marks of Cults” Part 6 found here: http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=2896 .

    Continue reading What Are The Questions? (2) →

Books, Resources, Peoples Temple vs WOFF

More From “The Raven”

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   Earlier this year, I reviewed the beginning of the “Raven” by Tim Reiterman with John Jacobs (copyright ©1982 Tim Reiterman, Introduction copyright 2008 by Tim Reiterman, ISBN 978-1-58542-678-2); the authors tell “The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People”. “Tim Reiterman is a prizewinning journalist who extensively covered Jonestown for the San Francisco Examiner. He was wounded in the jungle airstrip attack that killed a U.S. Congressman, plus three reporters, and a Peoples Temple defector.” (from the back cover)  The link to the previous post is here… http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=2778 .  Recently, I started reading this book again and found a few points that caught my attention.

     The title of the book comes from Jim Jones’ own description of his hair color- “raven hair, as he would say later”- (page 15) Reiterman goes into great detail in telling the early years of the life of Jim Jones. This was very interesting as he outlined several episodes from Jim Jones’ childhood and younger years that seemed troubling. Jim learned to manipulate others at an early age to do his chores such as cleaning up after his many pets. “Like Tom Sawyer, he convinced them that feeding and cleaning were just another form of play. If the kids tired of this “fun”, he scolded them impatiently.” (page 16)

   Also, because of his unstable family life, he looked for family in church. “While most other children in Lynn worshipped with their parents, Jim began a solitary quest for a church that would embrace him…” (page 17) He visited several churches in town until he found the Gospel Tabernacle. “Gospel Tabernacle had started out as a storefront service for a few faithful, but the congregation had mushroomed. Now worshippers by the hundreds gathered in a solid-looking church made of glazed tan building blocks. …The Pentecostal church was considered radical; its members were called Holy Rollers for their gymnastic, almost orgiastic, services complete with boisterous healings and people babbling in tongues.”(page 17)   Continue reading More From “The Raven” →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Peoples Temple vs WOFF, Uncategorized

“Raven” by Tim Reiterman – Voice of a Survivor

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    “Raven” by Tim Reiterman with John Jacobs (copyright ©1982 Tim Reiterman, Introduction copyright 2008 by Tim Reiterman, ISBN 978-1-58542-678-2); the authors tell “The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People”. “Tim Reiterman is a prizewinning journalist who extensively covered Jonestown for the San Francisco Examiner. He was wounded in the jungle airstrip attack that killed a U.S. Congressman, plus three reporters, and a Peoples Temple defector.” (from the back cover) This book is over 600 pages. I have just beginning book, however in just reading the Preface and Prologue, I felt compelled to share some insights.

    Honestly, I have had this book for several months. The sheer size of the work has kept me from opening the cover and beginning to read.  After finishing Seductive Poison by Deborah Layton (copyright 1998 – Anchor Books, ISBN 0-385-48984-6, 308 pages) and previous to that “In My Father’s House” by Minn Yee (copyright 1981,Holt, Rinehart and Winston, ISBN 0-425-05387-3, 361 pages), each one about involvement in Peoples Temple and with Jim Jones; it finally was time to tackle this extensive work. One reason I hesitate to open such a large book is that once I begin, reading can consume any time I may have away from work. It is vital to plan the reading.

    Continue reading “Raven” by Tim Reiterman – Voice of a Survivor →