First, let me say Thank You to all the concerned readers and friends who have expressed their support during the last few weeks. Some are familiar with the level of personal drama that I have been walking through and all that was involved. It is a fact; things are not always in the condition that Jane Whaley and those inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) would have you believe they are; inside or outside that group. The spin factory works overtime within the WOFF camp and it takes a keen eye to understand what is really being said and done. “Truth” does not always resonate from their mouth or from their actions.
There is so much I want to share about the latest drama going on around this nation; I have a hard time knowing where to start. Not very much of it is positive, but, all of it is interesting and much of it gives insight into the past and present state of things at WOFF. The drama unfolding in Cleveland Ohio concerning the captivity and now freedom for the women held by Ariel Castro is mind boggling. The control, abuse and torture he forced on his victims will have people talking for a long time. He apparently used physical force, constraints and lots of fear to control those women for YEARS. Castro used actual chains on his victims.
“The women were initially kept chained in the basement of Castro’s dumpy home, but later permitted to live upstairs on the second floor.” Read more here.
At first, when I heard the basics of the story unfolding, I stayed away from it because of the horrors which were becoming obvious and the reminder of my past and the present state of others I love. Then, as I heard more and have been saddened at the details now coming to light.
On the one hand, Castro’s relatives in Puerto Rico say he has a demon. See article here. On the other hand, how could a man plan, plot and torture and lie with such efficiency for a DECADE and excuse it be excused as a “demon” – when it is obvious he had his wits about him to carry out such intricate levels of the crimes he is accused of. I don’t consider myself an expert on the story. But, I know somewhere; someone will ask the question- why could those women not leave sooner than they did? How could one man control three of them for so long?
Just recently, I had a person ask me about the young people being held at WOFF, “Why can’t they just leave?” It was then that I knew this person was expressing a question that many others have had. I fielded this question in the Marion Post Office and had to make my answer brief. My answer had two parts. First, I mentioned that many had no transportation, some had no jobs outside the group, no cell phone or no privacy to talk on their own cell phone and that leaving was a big step. Second, leaving for many comes at a heavy price. They leave the only family they know and crossing over into a world where they have been taught that all non-WOFFers are evil. Worse, ex-WOFFers are actually demonic and will hurt you and abuse you… I briefly tried to explain the Wall of Fear that Jane uses to keep folks inside and how crossing that wall was equal to buying a ticket to hell in many members’ minds. I told this man that there is no physical wall around the group, but, there is a wall of fear that is real and it keeps many from leaving and seeking the freedom they desire.
Certainly Ariel Castro used extreme fear to keep captive the members of his “bondage cult.” He blamed the women for their own captivity. More from the first article quoted above:
“In a handwritten letter uncovered in his house by investigators, Castro blamed the victims for their terrifying situation. “They are here against their will because they made a mistake of getting in a car with a total stranger,” the note read.” Again, found here.
Castro did not tell the women what he had planned or they would not have gone with him. Likewise, Jane Whaley does not fully disclose what has happened to present members or will happen to her potential members before they make the choice to join her group. Thus what appears to be membership in a “church”, ends up being a long captivity for many with abuses and emotional tortures all in the “Name of Jesus.” Some may argue that this is a far stretch to equate Castro’s crimes with Jane Whaley’s. I may agree, if we would then recognize her trap as worse than his. Her trap is cloaked under the guise of religion and supposedly for the betterment of her members. That begs the question that must be asked of every member- “If you knew three years ago or even five years ago what you know now about life inside of WOFF- would you have continued to allow Jane to court you and entice you into joining her group?” I am fully aware that not everyone will answer the same as all are on a different timeline to the revelation that life inside of WOFF is captivity or at a minimum- non-Christian.
There is not a religious freedom or even what U.S. citizens consider God-given natural freedom inside of WOFF. An individual’s freedoms are left at the front door of the sanctuary and somehow lost after the first few meetings and certainly by the time you move into a WOFF household, your freedoms are GONE. As irony would have it, what WOFF members claim in defense of their religious freedom is evident to many as chains of their slavery to Jane and her house of horrors known as WOFF. Castro’s victims could see their chains; in stark contrast, WOFF members cannot see the fear-chains that hold them and even worse are told by Jane that the chains don’t exist. She may say you are free to go, we will help you pack. And yet when certain ones attempt to leave, they are stopped and kept so they can “do the will of God.” Does that sound like freedom or chains? As their bondage continues, ten years or more of their life flows past and is thus forever lost.
Even with that, let us remember:
“It is never too late to wake up and leave and reclaim your life!” Steve Hassan
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. Jane told me. 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 440.