Sunday night, I finished reading the book, “Chasing the Devil” by Sheriff David Reichert, subtitled- “My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer”, (Copyright©2004 by David Reichert, Little, Brown and Company, ISBN 0-316-15632-9 ). In a previous post, I have made comparisons between the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgeway, and Jane Whaley. The post is titled – Does the Green River Run Through Spindale?  Click here to read – https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=5227 . The main comparison in that post was not that Jane Whaley of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) had physically killed people as Ridgeway confessed to doing. My comparison referenced Jane as a “serial relationship killer” and included these questions:

So, does the Green River run through Spindale? Where then does Jane dump her memories of those who did not “walk in God’s ways”, follow her dictates and believe her calling was true? Does she cast those people aside as Ridgeway cast his victims considering them worthless trash? Are the banks of this river littered with the lost years, lost family relationships, hurts, emotions and the anguish of those who have passed through WOFF’s doors? Can she even remember all those who have been vexed by her “religion?” Does she even care that so many have been traumatized by her demands for allegiance resulting in damage to their souls?

That is where I planned to leave the comparison– until I read this book. As I neared the end of the narrative, Sheriff Reichert began to share his thoughts and insight on how a person could become the “machine” that Ridgeway had become — a killing machine, as it were. I will quote the passages which include these insights and then share my thoughts on how they apply to Jane Whaley.

   “…They (experts) believe upbringing plays a role. Many, if not all of these killers were abused one way or another. But they also suspect that these people suffer from mental illness, brain damage, or a combination of the two. And they know for certain that signs of trouble arise in childhood. Almost every serial killer was a bed wetter, a fire starter, and an animal abuser… By the time he was an adolescent, Gary Ridgeway exhibited the hallmarks of a serial killer. But even so, we have to remember he still had freedom of choice. Other people suffer similar problems and worse in childhood but manage to do well in life. And mental illness is never an excuse for murder…” (page 303)

My opinions as to the state of Jane Whaley have been posted here before; I think she is an extreme narcissist. If this is a “mental illness” or not, let the professionals say. At the same time, I think she still has freedom of choice and chooses to murder and destroy the relationships around her- because the resulting dependency of her members feeds the need for control in her. Where did it all start? Maybe Jane knows of a certain traumatic event in her early years that gave birth to her need for control over her environment and the people in her life. Let me rephrase Reichert’s words: Religious fanaticism is NEVER an excuse to destroy or in essence –murder the relationships of those you profess to lead. There is no excuse for the mutilated and dismembered relationships of WOFF members to those outside the group-except that Jane requires it to be so.

“How is it that he (Ridgeway) avoided feelings of guilt and shame? I have to believe that his mind was never wired for genuine emotions in the first place. Then he further shielded himself by rationalizing his deeds and pushing them to the deepest part of his mind. Lie built upon lie. The denial grew deeper and wider. Eventually, using what amounted to self-hypnosis, he mastered the trick of convenient forgetting.” (page 304)

The phrase “Lie built upon lie.” was the phrase that grabbed my attention and compelled me to write this post. Was Jane ever wired for genuine emotions? I don’t know. Has she mastered the art of religious rationalization that allows her to push the dastardly deeds of destruction to the deepest part of her mind? I would say she has at least a doctorate in that field. How else would she be able to sleep if she began to face her victims? Lies which proclaim her innocence and perfection stacked on top of more lies about her sinlessness and her worth as a “minister”- in my opinion, explain her self-hypnosis and “convenient forgetting.”

Reichert continues, “With no emotions, no memory of his grotesque acts, and no genuine relationships, could Gary Ridgeway be considered a member of the human family? I have my doubts. To me, he is a machine who looks like a human being but possesses none of the higher qualities God gave to His creation.” (page 304)

Reichert was not saying Ridgeway could not feign emotions. During the interviews and especially right before Ridgeway was finally led away to prison, he outwardly showed emotions- he cried. But, Reichert knew it was a show to gain pity, not reflective of a man telling the truth about his deeds. How many times have WOFF members as well as visitors been treated to the on cue “weeping” of Jane Whaley as she professed concern for a person’s soul? How fast does it fade when it is rejected for what it truly is – a ploy to gain a foothold in a person’s mind and bring them into her web? For those who have lived under Jane- is she human or is she a machine? Can she spin a story or what?

I will close this post with the following text from our resource book. Take from it what you will and draw whatever conclusions you must.

   “But Ridgeway is not an ordinary machine. By his acts and his attitudes, we know that he abandoned his humanity, he also became truly evil. I believe there is evil in this world as well as good. And I also believe there is a hell. Whether God chooses hell for Ridgeway is something I cannot begin to speculate about. But I have to wonder, if Gary Ridgeway isn’t a candidate for eternal damnation, who would be?” (page 304)

Selah.

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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 416