“Satan’s Best Friend” is a novel written by Darlene Eichler, my mom. I finished reading this book a few weeks ago. Since finishing the book, I have pondered the content of this post over and over. Finally, I am settled as to how to explain this novel. Let’s get the intros out of the way: “Satan’s Best Friend” (Copyright©2011 by Darlene Eichler, published by Bookstand Publishing, ISBN 978-1-58909-914-2) from the back cover-
“The majority of cult leaders are not born that way; although in most cases the tendencies toward narcissism and a burning need to control others is fed by underlying causes such as abuse, be it sexual, physical, or psychological. In “Satan’s Best Friend” the main character is Patricia Sue Benton, a poor little waif who is abused physically and sexually by those very adults who should be guiding her in becoming a normal, happy child. Instead she becomes a bitter victim, scarred for life, promising herself as an adult no one will ever control her. Patricia goes a step further and organizes her own church/cult. Along comes Margaret (Maggie) Hines, jilted and pregnant with no where to turn. Patricia, now called Preacher Pat, comes to the rescue giving her a home, instant friends and a new identity (or so she thought). As Preacher Pat’s control begins to tighten, the conflict of values, family traditions, and personal choices create a story of intrigue filled with broken promises, unethical medical practices and abuse in the form of mind control.”
This book can be found at www.cokesbury.com by searching the author’s last name. There the book is sold for a 20% discount. Let me also say that my Mom has written several other books not related to this subject or story line. She has written “The Rose” series under the pen name Nan Turner. “The Rose” series can be found at www.amazon.com by searching “Rose’s Song”.
Though it is not my purpose to retell the story line of Satan’s Best Friend, I do wish to comment on two passages from the text. In describing Preacher Pat’s congregation:
“The members of her congregation always seemed to have issues or “devils” as she called them, which kept them from hearing the voice of God…. For example if one of the school children made a bad grade on an English test, the “English Devil” would be the cause…” (page 205)
For those that may wonder if my Mom ever met Jane Whaley at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), the answer is yes. June 1, 2008 was the graduation of my daughter from Word of Faith Christian School. After the graduation service, in the hallway of the fellowship building, Jane stopped to talk to my Mom. Somewhere in the conversation, Jane mentioned teaching her grandson’s class and the “Math Devil” that takes them over and how she had to help them. My Mom was visibly amused and later asked me about the reference. I can comfortably say that the idea for the book came later, but, it is hard to forget some of the things Jane says. For any survivor of WOFF, references to the many “devils” in the members were so common place that we did not give it a second thought. In some cases, it was very amusing some of the names that Jane would manufacture for the next devil she saw in us.
This is the next passage that I will comment on here. Maggie is reflecting on her time in Preacher Pat’s church:
“… It was the purest form of slavery… I felt compelled to do her (Pat) will and, even sadder, I wanted to please her. I would stay in that state of mind for eight more years. If you would ask me to separate those years I could not for they all ran together, each very little different than the one before.” (page264)
After I read this passage, I wept on the inside. For sure, many of my years inside WOFF ran together as a long blur. It was working, church, working, church, church and more church with short intervals of sleep and speckles of “family time” sprinkled in here and there. Friday night fellowships DID NOT count as family time! Many events others would consider as healthy rituals or events were not celebrated in WOFF. This added to the blur that was one month running into another as the years passed quickly. Oh, yes, there were the annual seminars that came in November and in the spring and summer months. But, honestly, only a few of those had their own unique content or events. I remember several but, after 16 years of meetings some of the sermon content blurs as we were not allowed to take notes during several years of my stay there. This blur and loss of time distinction results as members become uniquely oriented to WOFF and Jane’s demands. The total immersion into WOFF-life strains relationships with family and friends not in WOFF. Many relationships become dormant, even to the appearance of being non-existent.
This fact of dormant and broken family relationships for WOFF members is one thing that led to my Mom’s questions that eventually led to the research that evolved into “Satan’s Best Friend”. When I came out of WOFF, my Mom did not know her son or the life I had led for many years inside WOFF. The strained relationship went all the way back to the years in the Greenville church. Quite naturally, she had questions and I was willing to talk. Over the next several months, we talked for hours as questions would come, I would answer and she would ask more questions. Some answers shocked her and some we laughed over. For sure, some of the things that happened inside WOFF were hilarious. As the months passed, my Mom became a constant source of encouragement and support during my exit from WOFF and the adjustments that were made and struggles that came after leaving that group.
After retelling many of the experiences of WOFF, I began to read about survivors of other groups who had similar stories of hurt, emotional torment, mind control and broken relationships. The research took on a different direction. My Mom and I both became amazed at the stores of others survivors and it became a shared hunger to learn more and begin to answer the deeper questions of “how” and “why” and “who” became involved in religious cults. I shared my thoughts with her about how I became involved in WOFF and we learned together that I was not alone. WOFF was not unique and for sure Jane Whaley was not a special case. She has exhibited many of the same characteristics of other controlling, self-centered, narcissistic religious cult leaders. There were times that our research made me laugh and other times I cried. Somewhere along the way, my Mom decided to write a book reflecting her research and the answers she discovered. She also included her unique perspective of being a parent of a child in a religious cult. That part of her “research” I cannot change no matter how much I pray or cry or weep or express my regrets. For all that has transpired since June of 2008, we both know we need to move forward and keep seeking and keep learning.
Let me be clear, since I was involved in much of the research for this book, I see many parts that I can directly trace back to a known group or group leader. We studied so many groups and both read so many books about cults that it is hard to not recognize the twists and turns of the characters in “Satan’s Best Friend”. I firmly believe that though this book is a novel, it will serve to help others catch a glimpse into the emotional highs and lows of lives affected by any religious cult. For me, I see this book as the result of my Mom trying to learn from the many lost years of not knowing her son and the life he led inside a destructive religious cult. This book is not only a show of support for me and others touched by cults; it is her open admission that anyone can be affected by mind control and its heart-breaking, life altering, destructive results. It is clear that religious cults destroy lives. The characters in this book are fictional. But, we should all remember that WOFF and groups like them are filled with real people, real emotions, real heartaches and real struggles. God help us all.
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, the information about WOFF is from my 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 327.