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Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

The Deceptions I Lived Under While at WOFF (1)

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   For a review, I spent a total of 16 years under the direct or indirect teachings of Jane Whaley who is the leader of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. During the process of my exit from that group, I began to see there were numerous deceptions that I lived under while in that group. As I have searched for answers to several questions, more and more of the deceptions have been made clear for me. This post will attempt to list and explain several of those deceptions. I do not assume that I see them all or know all of the deceptions I lived under while in that group. Also, this post is not meant to hurt or harm or impugn others who have been a part of that group in the past or who are a part of that group now. This post is purely reflective of my search and struggle for Truth that brings emotional and spiritual stability and life.

    How will I determine what is a deception and what is in reality a truth? First, if there was a statement or rule or group approved behavior put forth in WOFF and I obeyed that statement or rule, then I agreed with that rule, at least on some level. If there was any discontent or angst against such a rule, I will try to tell it, but if I submitted to that rule and did not question it outwardly, then I will list that rule or axiom as an acknowledged deception. (If indeed it was one.) I will attempt to concentrate on main foundational deceptions that were put forth and lived as “truth” while at WOFF.

    Continue reading The Deceptions I Lived Under While at WOFF (1) →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Why Should Others Not in WOFF Care? Revisited

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     During the month of June, I posted a series under the title Why Should Others Not in WOFF Care?.(the link is here… https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=2038 .)  I took as my reference text a book titled “The Five Thousand Year Leap” by W. Cleon Skousen (copyright C&J Investments, ISBN 0-9815596-6-2) with a forward by Glenn Beck. One reader, who saw the recent sign posted in the community advertising this blog, took the time to email me and express her concern that I would choose this book as a reference text. She sent her supporting text, from which I will quote,

“Around this same time, Beck began promoting the work of an arcane Mormon conspiracy-peddler named W. Cleon Skousen, whom he described as his political lodestar. Suddenly, Beck had something more to offer than irritable mental gestures…. Skousen’s paranoid politics were an outgrowth of his participation in extreme anti-communist groups during the 1950s. He boasted of a close friendship with then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and said he provided him with research on communist plots, claims disputed by FBI historians.”

   This was from a lengthy piece titled “Days of Rage — The Noxious Transformation of the Conservative Movement into a Rabid Fringe” By Max Blumenthal, Nation Books, Posted on August 10, 2010, Printed on August 10, 2010, http://www.alternet.org/story/147784/

   So, in all honesty, I failed to fully research Mr. Skousen’s past and did not research his all of his sources. In fact, I will say that my excitement about the book was more emotional than purely intellectual. Here was one source that listed the “rights” I had seen violated and surrendered during my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). For years, I had submitted to the teachings of Jane Whaley and was not aware of the damages it had done. This one book though not purposed or directed to address my question(s), listed “rights” that I had seen thwarted during my time at WOFF.

   Continue reading Why Should Others Not in WOFF Care? Revisited →

Books, Resources, Uncategorized

Link to Interview with Jeff VanVonderen on Spiritual Abuse

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    A few days ago, I had this link forwarded to me from a blog I subscribe to. The blog is http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com . Their tagline- BREAKING FREE from The Word of Faith Movement,,, and telling the World about it! TELL US YOUR STORY.  This is a group blog sharing their perspective on the Word of Faith Movement founded by Kenneth Hagin. This is the ministry that Jane and Sam Whaley came out of as they started Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. I have not read everything on this other blog. However, when I saw the link to an interview with Jeff VanVonderen, it caught my eye. In this interview, he gives some keys to detect spiritual abuse. I will give a couple of excerpts and allow you to decide for yourself if you want to click the link (above) to the whole article. The post is dated August 13, 2010 on the above mentioned site. You will have to scroll down to find that post. Below these excerpts is a direct link to the article on another site.  In my opinion, it is a good read, very insightful and worth the time.

STEPS: Talk some more about spiritual abuse in the Bible. What did it look like then?

Jeff: It looked essentially the same then as it does now. Spiritual leaders exploited people for their own gain. Authority was misused in order to get things done in the name of God that weren’t really about God at all.

Later on:

STEPS: You have already talked a bit about the role of authority in spiritually abusive relationships. In your book you list “power posturing” as one of the key features of spiritual abuse. What is that about?

Jeff: Spiritual abuse is always a power issue. In order for abuse to happen, by definition, it has to come from a place of higher power to a place of lesser power. People in low-power positions can’t abuse people in highpower positions….

   As with most every reference book I use, this book “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse” can be found at Amazon.com. A little research finds the original interview with Mr. VanVonderen here:  http://www.spiritualabuse.com/?page_id=58  I have yet to explore this second website, but it looks like it may hold some valuable tools. Again, links referenced here are selected at your own risk. I have not viewed all material on all sites listed on this blog.  

   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”.

      (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 182.

Behavior Control, Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Intervention -The Series

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   The program, “InterventionTM” is described on their website as follows:

 “Intervention™ is a powerful and gripping television series in which people confront their darkest demons and seek a route to redemption. The Intervention Television series profiles people whose dependencies on drugs and alcohol or other compulsive behavior has brought them to a point of personal crisis and estranged them from their friends and loved ones.” 

The link is here to learn more… http://www.aetv.com/intervention/index.jsp

   Since leaving Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), a group led by Jane Whaley; I have had an interest in people in crisis; what gets them there, how do they get out of crisis and how are others in their life affected? This show depicts people in crisis and how their friends and relatives struggle to help them accept help. Jeff VanVonderen is listed on the website for this show as one of the Interventionists. The link with his bio is here… http://www.aetv.com/intervention/interventionists/ . One evening, I turned to this program and he was helping a family with a member who had an addiction of some type. It surprised me because I had read his book “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse” years ago.  I do not remember what happened to that book. I read it somewhere around 1991. It is now on my purchase list as well as the newer version which was printed in 2005. When I first found the show, I watched Mr. VanVonderen skillfully and forcefully deal with an individual who had an addiction. This person decided to get help and left for a treatment center immediately. There was an update about the individual, but I can’t remember if they stayed with the program.  

   On occasion, I have watched other episodes as families are torn apart by a member in some sort of chemical addiction. It is not always young folks or always single individuals. Some people affected by addictions are ones with responsibilities for children that go unmet. It is truly sad to see how others can and are affected by these addictions.

   Recently, I tuned in to an episode that was almost over. The scene showed a family reading their letters to the person in their family who had the addiction. These letters told how the addiction had affected them personally. The brother of the person addicted was reading his letter. This is not a quote, but it is close to what was said, — your addiction has kept you from being with me and my family as we share our special family moments. We cannot have you around because of your behavior when you are drinking. (it may have been drugs…) We have missed so many special times when you were to have been a part. Please, accept help so we can begin having the family times as we were meant to have.

   Continue reading Intervention -The Series →

Behavior Control, Uncategorized, WOFF Don'ts

Is There Evidence? (2)

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    After giving an outline of my past experience in different churches, we ended the previous post with these thoughts, “The basis of my observations about (Word of Faith Fellowship) WOFF comes from the 16 years of being exposed to their teachings and practices. I will share the experiences I had and many of the WOFF practices. My personal observations and experiences are offered as evidence to the practices of WOFF, at least during my time in the group. Could my “experiences” and observations be dismissed as fantasy or lies? Sure, they could, but why would someone do that? What would be their purpose?”  

    In years previous to joining the church at Greenville, SC, I had been in three churches that would be considered non-denominational, Protestant, with traditional, evangelical doctrines, at least, as far as I knew. Before moving from Charleston to Greenville in March of 1992, I had no reason or evidence to think that this new church would be totally dissimilar to the non-denominational churches I had been a part of in the past. After all, each of the previous churches had its individual message or emphasis and personality, if you will. But, all had included the message of salvation through believing in Jesus as Savior, baptism and communion. Each of the others had taught about the Virgin birth and Heaven and Hell.

    Prior to attending the first service in Greenville, I had listened to some sermon tapes of the Greenville pastors and liked what I heard. Since someone I knew and loved, trusted the pastors of this new church, I could easily go along and allow myself to trust them also. There was a connection from several years previous working in that relationship. The pastors and the church members soon took us in and showed us support and love like I had not encountered before. I knew very few folks in the Greenville area besides the new church family. The church and its activities would soon become a very big part of my life.  

    Continue reading Is There Evidence? (2) →

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Is There Evidence? (1)

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    In order for folks to be convinced one way or the other, there needs to be evidence. Evidence could point a person to a conclusion on a certain issue in question. There certainly is evidence that I have attended churches of different types over the course of many years. The first memories of church for me are of a Methodist church in Maryland. The memories are shadows and glimpses of events long ago. I remember the nursery, the toys, certain sights and smells. At that time, I was probably four years old.

    The next church I remember was a Methodist church in Radford, Virginia. One scene I remember is of the pastor raising his hand at the end of the service in order to pronounce a blessing on the congregation. I thought that meant I was to lift my hand, also. My mother reached for my hand and put it down real quick. I don’t remember what she said, but I don’t remember doing that again.

    Our family spent years in that church.  There were friendships started there that I still consider as ones to cherish and remember in fondness. During those years, there were spaghetti dinners, summer vacation Bible schools with games, fruit punch, grape drinks, cheap cookies and trips to the local park near the river for cookouts and fun. Fellowship dinners included volleyball and other games. There were celebrations of Christmas with the hanging of the greens, advent wreaths and other Methodist traditions. As I grew older, there were also Cub Scouts activities sponsored by that church.

    When my family moved to Dublin, VA, we joined the Methodist church there. Though these were different folks, many of the same activities were there. Many of the very same Methodist traditions we celebrated at the Dublin church. There were several young people my age and that helped. There were several activities for our age group. A few of these same folks I have reconnected with and communicate with them regularly.

   Continue reading Is There Evidence? (1) →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

How Are You Doing?

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      “Tsunami” The Aftermath, an HBO Films® 2 DVD set was produced in 2007. This is a dramatization taken from accounts of survivors and observers from the aftermath, rescues and clean-up process from the tsunami in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The sheer power and resulting destruction of that tsunami is hard to comprehend even after reading the statistics. “The epicenter of the 9.0 magnitude quake was under the Indian Ocean near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to the USGS, which monitors earthquakes worldwide… Within hours killer waves radiating from the earthquake zone slammed into the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries, snatching people out to sea, drowning others in their homes or on beaches, and demolishing property from Africa to Thailand… Witnesses said the approaching tsunami sounded like three freight trains or the roar of a jet. In some places the tsunami advanced as a torrent of foaming water.” (source link http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html )  The resulting death toll was nothing short of phenomenal. Over 230,000 people died in several countries. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami )

     This movie tells the story of different families affected by the tragedy. The accounts are drawn from the testimonies of survivors and are an attempt to depict the intense physical and emotional struggles after the historic event. In my opinion, the film is well made however the language is not family friendly and the recreated scenes are very graphic. The movie is rated “MA”.

    Two of the main characters are Ian and Susie Carter. Susie goes out diving the day of the tsunami and Ian is left with their little girl- Martha. The father and daughter are unaware of the warning signs of a tsunami as were many other visitors to Thailand. The father and daughter were then separated in the raging waves. Ian and Susie reunite after some time and one subplot is their personal and united struggle to deal with their losses. Ian is asked by a couple of different folks in the movie, either with an inquisitive look or verbal expression, “How are you doing?” Most every time he immediately begins to tell of his struggle in the waves and overwhelming need to find his daughter. The emotions shown by Ian and Susie, as well as the other actors portraying survivors were intense and compelling to say the least. Others in the film were not able to offer much solace. In fact, one reporter who arrives after the tsunami is very direct and heartless in his words to Ian, at first.

    While watching this movie, I could not help but be drawn into the emotion and traumatic feelings of the characters. Could I comprehend the full scope of the unfolding tragedy of those who had been actual survivors? Probably not. Was it an honest effort by the writer and producer to convey these emotions? Yes, I think so. Were there events in my life that were “disasters” which could give me some place of empathy? Yes.

  Continue reading How Are You Doing? →