In a recent post, we closed with comments from a survivor of a cult other than Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). The survivor shared her lament for the “rape” of her soul and all she had lost.

“…rather than having to face the hurt of what was taken….. to pick your passion back up…….seems to me to be one of the most painful parts of being out…….for it is in doing this that you have to face ‘the rape’ of your soul.”

I closed with several questions including – “How do I go forward and restore the passion, the purpose I once had, knowing there are those (others) set to violate and steal/abuse my heart, my years, my very life? Who can you trust? If I deny my passions, I am denying the purpose for the rest of my life.”

As I continue considering the concept, the damage, the dynamics of “soul rape”; I had to ask if that happened to me. If so, how? If so, when? If so, did I see it and religiously excuse it, or see it and just deny it? The term seems harsh, but, after leaving WOFF and seeing the damage done to myself and others, while inside and now outside, I sincerely believe the severity of the term is warranted. Let me explain.

   A simple search for the term “soul rape” brings up several interesting sources. The second reference was a book with the title “Soul Rape” by Shean Smith. Subtitle: Soul Rape: Why People Hate Going to Church, Distrust Clergy, Avoid Religion, Keep Searching for God, and the Revolution They Started [Paperback]. The book can be found at Amazon.com. I have not read it, but it sounds interesting.

The most applicable reference was from a blog site titled “Quivering Daughters”- which exposes the truth about patriarchal religious groups and the abuses found within them. The subtitle for the blog reads: Offering gentle encouragement for women while addressing emotional and spiritual abuse within authoritarian families. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Ps. 147:3)

The resource is a post titled: Soul Rape- found here: http://www.quiveringdaughters.com/2009/08/soul-rape.html  

I will quote from the post as I see it explains our subject and in turn correlates with the abuses found within WOFF. Yes, we recognize WOFF as a matriarchal, pyramidal structure, but, the abuses described here are not gender specific. The rape of the soul is not confined the a certain type of religious structure, but, for now, we will specifically reference the commonalities found in both the group described by the author of Quivering Daughters and those found inside WOFF.

“Physical rape is one of the ultimate damaging, horrific crimes against another living being. It assaults the most intimate, private element of the body, deeply affecting the heart, mind and spirit. With force, it seizes and plunders—it is the abuse of power over the powerless. It violates the sacred, with brutal desecration.”

This is an accurate description of physical rape. One distinction I believe needs to be made from physical rape: soul rape can happen without physical force. Soul rape is a more deceptive seduction that in essence attempts to win over the trust and confidence of its victims so that when they are abused or violated, there may be a sense that permission was given or god forbid- pleasure. (Yes, religious date-rape) Pleasure here is being defined as a benefit or gain of some type of benefit, such as the promise of rewards in the hereafter. When religion is used to seduce, it can tickle the soul and feed the ego and then divert any acknowledgement of harm or wrong doing. As I see it, many times, a victim of soul rape is unaware of their injuries until the rape is over and the abusive relationship has ended.

“Spiritual rape violates the soul.” And that is why the damage can go undetected for a time. Those who come out of a spiritually abusive group can be caught up in the emotion, the present separation crisis of the moment, while ignoring the deeper wounds. Those hidden injuries will surface at some point.

 “God as a weapon – Religious abuse, especially from those closest to us, plunders the most intimate aspects of our existence. When we are told what to think, when those in authority assume the position of Holy Spirit, when God is re-shaped by human hands, when those in leadership control thoughts, behavior, and being in the very name of God, He has been used as an instrument of violence.”

As I read this account, I could tell the writer had experienced the subject matter of soul rape. As in her group, the God espoused at WOFF has been used as a weapon to badger, shame, guilt and control others to do the will of Jane. Thus the rape seemed to be with consent. Was it really? When the leadership assumes the place of God can anything good come out of that scenario?  “…when God is re-shaped by human hands, when those in leadership control thoughts, behavior …” Even with “good intentions”, God was re-shaped by human hands and made as an instrument of destruction inside WOFF. Good intentions hidden under pounds of Scripture references and warm fuzzy phrases functioning as thought-stopping diversions, do not excuse abuse or harm.

The writer of the reference post explains the theme of spiritual abuse within the family as especially repugnant. She likens it to incest. I would not make the comparison except that Jane Whaley requires many to call her Momma Jane or Grandma Jane. She promoted the WOFF members as one “family”. So, yes, the similarities continue as WOFF attempted to replace the natural family with the spiritual family. The soul rape of WOFF members is a slow, incestuous act that robs years of life, peace of the mind and rest in the soul, all under the guise of the “freedom of religion.” So, are we Americans free to rape the souls of others in the name of their religion? Is that a protected right- soul rape?

From the resource post: “We who bear the rape of the soul have wounds so deep, pain so great, because it affects the core of our being which is created in the very image of He who is used against us.     He (God) is abused when we are abused.” Yes, “in the Name of Jesus”, many of the abuses were put upon those at WOFF. Questions used to control, mold and cajole include, “You don’t want to miss the will of God- right?” “You want to make it with God- right?” and one of my favorites- “You would have known that if you had been listening to God.”

The author included in the suggestions for healing from soul rape, to acknowledge truth and speak the truth. To hide the truth of how members were/are soul-raped within a group such as WOFF only allows more folks to become victims. Truth must be told. We must not be fooled by the pleasing demeanors, slick talk, seemingly prosperous appearances of many at WOFF. Look into their eyes, ask the questions- my favorites include ones such as, Are you happy here? How would you know if you were not happy? Is there ever a good reason to leave WOFF? Do you know what really happened to Michael Lowry? Also, Does Jane hear God perfectly all the time? If so, why do you believe that? And if not, then how do you know?

Closing with another excerpt from the resource post:

“Spiritually abusive methods which implement mind control rely upon re-interpreting or eliminating individual thinking and acknowledgment of feelings. Whereas feelings are not always a barometer of truth, they can reflect crucial internal conditions. As you journey towards recovery, you will feel many different feelings, such as anger, grief, (and) loss. The old way, the way which conformed to our religious world, instructed us to deny these feelings, to die to ourselves. Yet how does convincing ourselves to believe a lie—I shouldn’t feel anger, this is just my flesh, I cannot allow this sadness, for I should have the joy of the Lord—have any sort of merit in a quest for healing?” (emphasis added)

The author’s point is well taken. How does continuing to lie, even to yourself, help when you are seeking the truth about the past, the truth about the present and hope for the future. Telling the truth may be painful in the beginning, but, it will lead to healing over time. Where do we stop on this subject? We may continue in another post.

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.

Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

Guest posts reflect the opinions of the writers. Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of John Huddle or any other persons affiliated with this blog.

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 402.