Thursday, I had two text messages that came close to each other asking if I was watching NBC. I was not but, turned it on quickly to catch the show “Rock Center” with Brian Williams. It was riveting and in a way shocking to hear the survivors of Scientology recount their observations and then know how much they mirrored my life inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). Oscar winning director and writer, Paul Haggis left Scientology after 34 years. The segment had two parts. First was the interview with Paul Haggis- from which the video clips are shown.  The second part featured a family that talked of their ordeal to leave Scientology – as a family. We will comment on the interview with Paul Haggis first. There are two videos and I will comment on material from both, but maybe not in order.

From the outset, Scientology denies any validity to the claims of Mr. Haggis or the James family. They put out several statements attacking Paul Haggis’ claims as basically baseless and unfounded. He is labeled “The Hollywood Hypocrite”. We all expected that and are not surprised. However, I found Haggis’ observations believable, and at the same time frightening. To experience what I did inside WOFF and then hear that similar things go on in other groups is still bewildering. That is because while in WOFF, even though the ordeal was real, you still thought you were the only group who could have such dynamics affecting its members. In many cases, you thought you were the ONLY person being treated this way.

Smith asks “Did Scientology help you at first?” Haggis’ replies, “Yes, yes it did.” Smith, “What do you think it is about Scientology that gets ahold of people?” Haggis: “… if there was nothing that ever helped you in your life, it would never get ahold of you.”  And I must agree that at first, Jane Whaley and her crew will be real helpful. She can provide the physical needs as well as, at least for a time appear to give sincere guidance to her new members. Smith goes on to ask a very critical question when trying to understand the dynamics of a control group, cult group – whether they are religiously based or not.”How did they get people to be loyal?” Haggis answers in a very reflecting manner, “It’s just this long…slow… walk… towards believing. It’s the idea of being part of a group that is ostracized and hated, it bands you together against the outside world.” While in WOFF, it was very “us against them” mentality. And yes, I remember the feeling of being bonded with others who would dare believe what we believed about Jane, about ourselves and about the Scriptures. Looking back, it was a group dynamic that was very powerful.

Harry Smith asks Haggis, “Is Scientology a cult?” Haggis’ reply is insightful and I will quote it in part…

“Of course it is… you have all these folks inside this fortress who won’t look out… who won’t look at any criticism and who can’t bear the investigation and think everyone is against them… how would you describe that (group)?”

The look that Haggis gives at the end of the answer is one I understand only too well. The look in his eyes is one that says, I just admitted I was in a cult, I am still shocked myself I was duped for so many years. Do you see I am hurting to talk about this? But, talk about it- I must. Be gentle with me.

Later in the video, Harry Smith is seen asking Pulitzer Prize winning author, Lawrence Wright-“Why do you think the church is so controversial?” To which Wright answers, “It has a history of being very vindictive and litigious. And it has a history of infiltrating the government and spying on people. And so it has created an atmosphere of fear that surrounds it.”  Wright has a new book coming out based largely on interviews with over 200 people, mostly ex-members. The book is titled-“Going Clear- Scientology- Hollywood and the Prison of Belief.”

No, in the previous paragraph Wright was not purposely describing WOFF, but didn’t it sound similar? Vindictive, litigious and created an atmosphere of fear that surrounds it… Well, I could not have put it better myself. Spying on people? – that goes for former and present members… don’t you know.

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This first interviews were very informative. However, the second part of the segment on Scientology was harder to watch. It contained material that was so very similar to the results of WOFF, that I had to watch it for a minute and get up and walk away, then come back. This part features Hayden and Lucy James as they told of their struggles to leave Scientology and the resulting divisions among their friends and relatives. Already, doesn’t that sound WOFF-ish? I will quote some of the account, but it is vital to watch the video and see the emotions of their faces.

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Harry Smith asks Lucy James- “What made you decide to devout your life to Scientology?” She answers, “I think seeing that I could help other people.” Mr. James goes on to explain that Scientology answered the type of questions we all have, Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is our relationship with each other? Let me say right here that Scientology and WOFF have no common answers to these questions, as far as I know. My purpose for the comparison is not to compare the beliefs. These two groups are based on two different belief systems. The point of this post is to outline the similar methods to control the members and the similar results on their members-whether they were inside or outside the group. WOFF also made you feel like you were helping folks and finding your purpose of being here. It was their methods to help you “find these answers” that ended up being used to control your life. We move on…

During the interview, Hayden James talks about his coming back to America from a Scientology outpost. He said his cell phone was confiscated and he was forbidden to use the Internet. WOFF!!!! How eerie is that? He goes on to explain how his teenage daughter was separated from he and his wife and sent to live apart for them. Wow- Jane, are you reading this? (Please, watch the videos.) The daughter went on to tell about the practice of Scientology to separate families while INSIDE the group. She did not tell of a WOFF-fourth building, but, the concept was so similar.   The James claimed they were told to get rid of their daughter if they wanted to stay in the group. Now, this is getting a little too close to WOFFness for me. Do you think the Lowrys may have been told the same thing?

Harry Smith says help me understand, you are an American, you can just walk out the door anytime you want to… That is when the daughter says- “Not without everything you have being taken from you!” Hayden James is saying “No, no…its America and you can just walk out the door, that is true. It’s the consequences of your actions that you fear. You fear the retribution.” The James went on to tell of leaving in 2006 and then coming back under threat of excommunication. Once they returned, they were separated and guarded constantly. No, WOFF did not think of it first! Harry Smith rolls his eyes and says, “Do you know how crazy this sounds from my side of the table?”  Mr. Smith, please, come interview WOFF survivors.

Lucy James talks about the guard being with her everywhere she went, when she went to eat, when she went to the restroom. “It is all intimidation.” And of course, Scientology officials deny this just as Jane denies the WOFF intimidation antics.  The James claimed they were followed for several years after they left. Any former WOFF members identify with that one?

As if the similarities were not enough, here is another one. The James said their lives are marked by what they feared the most- disconnection with family members still inside the church. Lucy has two sisters still in the group who will not speak to her. The emotion she shows about the break with her sisters is very real. I can relate. Can anyone else? Lucy says, “This is the leverage that is being used so that people will not speak out about the abuses. This is what people are afraid of and so they will be quiet. ”

Author, Lawrence Wright closes by saying, “There have been a lot of tears in this story, Harry. And it has been very surprising to me to see how many families have been broken up, how many people have been physically abused. I think the church has to account for these things.”

Again, let me be clear, Scientology denies any validity to the claims of Haggis or the James family. Scientology has issued several statements to discredit claims of previous members.

Does anyone else see the similar methods used between Scientology and WOFF? Jane, do you see it? Do you want to be known as a group that has similar methods as Scientology? Jane, do you want to continue to be known for breaking up families? How can this change? How can Jane and her group move from one that spawns fear to one that reflects the words on the sign they put in front of their property? Can WOFF really change to loving all people– even those who leave and want to tell what happened to them while inside WOFF? Will there continue to be the denial from Jane that anything is amiss inside her group? Will intimidation continue to be the tool of choice for the WOFF security team? Will Jane and her leadership ever realize that their daily drama is self-inflicted? So many questions, so few answers- for now.

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 422.