Category Archives: Criteria for Cults

What critieria should one use to determine if a group is a cult?

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Henry Ward Beecher- “… Who Shall Forbid Him?”

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     On October 30, 1859, Henry Ward Beecher preached a message at Plymouth Church titled, “The Nation’s Duty to Slavery”.  I will review this speech and attempt to draw some conclusions in reference to the question- “Is membership in Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) a type of slavery?” My resource text for this speech is from “Classic Speeches” (Copyright 1965, Philosophical Library Inc.) “Henry Ward Beecher was born in 1813…the son of the famous Calvinistic minister, Lyman Beecher. His sisters, Catherine and Harriet, were successful writers, the latter the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” (page 2) He attended seminary and was the pastor for a time of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. “John Hay called him “the greatest preacher the world has seen since Saint Paul preached on Mars Hill.” (page 2)

     Without surprise, there will be those who are upset with even posing the question about membership at WOFF. However, I will attempt to make a case for the question. First, let us recognize some obvious differences between the slavery of years past the WOFF-life. Slavery in this country during the time of Mr. Beecher was not optional for the slaves involved, practically speaking. There were options to end one’s involvement in slavery but, to take them could cost your life. Some took those options and made the flight to freedom. Those who escaped left familiar surroundings and some even left their families behind to take the chance at freedom. The torment of not knowing if you would make it to freedom must have been small compared to the hope of a better life.

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Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Adolph Hitler – “I am also religious, deeply and intrinsically religious.”

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    On November 8, 1943; Adolph Hitler gave a speech which was broadcast over The Greater German Radio. My resource text for this speech is “Classic Speeches” (Copyright 1965, Philosophical Library Inc.) Hitler’s speech would not warrant mentioning except that the text reveals what I consider some large presumptions. Before we discuss those, let’s review some background to the setting. “Adolph Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria.” (page 237)  Many know some of what happened in World War II. The most recognized tragic event accredited to Hitler would be the extermination of six million Jews. However, this resource puts Hitler’s career in a more defined perspective. “Hitler’s historic achievements, as head of the Nazi Party, chancellor of the Third Reich and commander of the German armed forces, can best be measured in the terms of rape of independent nations, the destruction of cities through aerial bombardment, the suppression of German domestic liberties, the seas of bloodshed in battle, the enslavement of the women and children of conquered territories and their removal to German labor camps, the extermination of six million Jews, etc. Measured in such terms his achievements were unparalleled. (page 237) From this list, I can admit that the “suppression of German domestic liberties” caught my eye. This could be one of the parts of the tragedy that gets overlooked in comparison to the horror and death he inflicted on those in other nations. As Hitler came to power, he had to first gain control of the German people by denying “domestic liberties”. What did that include? Read more about the process here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Appointment_as_Chancellor 

   In 1923, Hitler was a part of a failed coup and was imprisoned for his part. Others in the failed move were not so fortunate. During his prison stay, he wrote “Mein Kampf” – My Struggle. This work included his political ideology. Eventually, Hitler would ascend to power ten years later in 1933 as Chancellor of the Germany. The events following his move into power are well documented and make for a fascinating study.

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Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

By The Consent of the Governed

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   During the last few days, this phrase has been uttered within certain political commentaries. It has been in reference to the idea that our governmental leaders are given their power to lead and govern “by the consent of the governed..”. This is a basic premise of our system of government found here in the Declaration of Independence. ( http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/ )

    This phrase has led me down a trail of ideas and thoughts that reflect on my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. This group is led by Jane Whaley. From the beginning, there will be those who would argue that we cannot compare political and social government directly to the organization of a church. And previously, for a time, I would agree. Just why I would agree, I do not know. Does the question focus on the organization of a church or the governing of that group of people or local church?

    On the one hand, there are churches that have an autonomous leader. He or she answers to no one in any capacity and totally rules on every level. This is evidently the structure at WOFF. There are other churches which operate within an organizational structure and their leader is afforded very little “decision” power. They may only provide counseling, preaching, teaching and spiritual guidance; while also performing the weddings, funerals and baptisms as needed. Also, I feel sure in America, we have the full spectrum between each of the examples with some church leaders having limited autonomy that would have elders or a board of directors and others having much decision power even within a denominational setting.

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Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

What Shall We Say? What Shall We Do?

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     There is a need for pause as I come to a bend in the road in my search for answers. What happened to me and others I knew during the 16 years under the influence of the teachings, methods, and practices of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)? What did the leader, Jane Whaley do to affect so many of her members in a negative way? Were there any positive effects? If so, do we dare list them alongside the negative effects and tally both sides? Is that how the effectiveness of a “Christian” ministry is to be determined? Do we weigh the “good” against the “bad” and if the apparently good effects outnumber the bad ones, then WOFF is a success? Would that be a Machiavellian approach? Do the “ends justify the means” at WOFF?

    For many, it seems so. For some, they never doubt the “quality” of WOFF-life because they never encounter the emotionally detrimental effects on those inside or those who have left. This is all part of the plan. I have seen the eyes of the visitors as they are wooed and wowed by the “presentation” during a special meeting. The orchestrated singing, music, crowd movements and message all are systematically generated by Jane Whaley or someone she has closely trained and chosen. The nice cars, the nice clothes, the practiced looks, the canned replies, the robotic responses to the questions from visitors; all are meant to deflect the prying eyes and soften the peering, searching inquisitive looks of those who truly want to know what actually goes on at WOFF.

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

Thought Reform? At WOFF? (9) “The Dispensing of Existence”

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   We are continuing on the subject of thought reform. This post is the ninth in a series which will tell what thought reform is and what behavior is evidence of a thought reform environment. Our reference book is “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism” by Robert Jay Lifton (original copyright 1961, later published again in 1989, ISBN 0-8078-4253-2 [alk. Paper]). This work has been from Chapter 22 titled “Ideological Totalism”. The eighth post explained the “Doctrine Over Person” and how that affected members within WOFF. Next, we will review another characteristic of thought reform- “The Dispensing of Existence”. Did I see this characteristic of thought reform during my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)? WOFF is run by Jane Whaley. As a review, I spent 16 years being involved in WOFF. My experience within the group is a “normal” one as far as I can tell.

   In this post, we will examine the last characteristic of the totalist environment as explained by the author- Robert Jay Lifton. Before we go on, let it be known that by writing this series, I am not claiming to have the depth of understanding that the author possesses on this subject. Also, in no way will I pretend to have written a complete argument of the thesis that I experienced these same thought reform techniques while at WOFF. I found that each time I sat down to write, more remembrances from the past came forth in relation to previously mentioned thought reform techniques. So, in short, the aim of explaining the author’s observations in comparison to my experience is in reality – a work in progress. At this time, I cannot give a methodical explanation how Jane Whaley and her leadership took on these devices that were/are also found in Chinese thought reform. The author’s ideas on the origins of thought reform should be restated here: “…the coming together of immoderate ideology with equally immoderate individual character traits—an extremist meeting ground between people and ideas. (page 419) The first post in this series is worth a reread… https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=3225

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

Thought Reform? At WOFF? (8) “Doctrine Over Person”

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     We again continue on the subject of thought reform. This post is the eighth in a series which will tell what thought reform is and what behavior is evidence of a thought reform environment. Our reference book is “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism” by Robert Jay Lifton (original copyright 1961, later published again in 1989, ISBN 0-8078-4253-2 [alk. Paper]). This work has been from Chapter 22 titled “Ideological Totalism”. The seventh post explained the “Loading the Language” and how that affected members within WOFF. Next, we will review another characteristic of thought reform- “Doctrine Over Person”. Did I see this characteristic of thought reform during my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)? WOFF is run by Jane Whaley. As a review, I spent 16 years being involved in WOFF. My experience within the group is a “normal” one as far as I can tell.

    The author of our reference text did not start out studying cults or their patterns of behaviors. The research for this resource book was from interviews from the 1950s. Lifton interviewed several who had survived Chinese thought reform techniques. After he had published this work, those who had been affected by cults, religious or otherwise, began to seek his counsel. The main focus was the material in Chapter 22 of his book. Those who had come out of a cult or who had relatives in a cult began to identify with the information in discovered Lifton’s research. This series of events is so vital in understanding why I feel this information is so basic to understanding WOFF and groups like them.

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Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Information control, Thought Reform

Thought Reform? At WOFF? (7) “Loading the Language”

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    We are continuing on the subject of thought reform. This post is the seventh in a series which will tell what thought reform is and what behavior is evidence of a thought reform environment. Our reference book is “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism” by Robert Jay Lifton (original copyright 1961, later published again in 1989, ISBN 0-8078-4253-2 [alk. Paper]). This work has been from Chapter 22 titled “Ideological Totalism”. The sixth post explained the “Sacred Science” and how that affected members within WOFF. Next, we will review another characteristic of thought reform- “Loading the Language”. Did I see this characteristic of thought reform during my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)? WOFF is run by Jane Whaley. As a review, I spent 16 years being involved in WOFF. My experience within the group is a “normal” one as far as I can tell.

      Before we get into the source material, we need to make a few distinctions on this subject. First, most every group in any culture will have specific terms related to unique activities or customs within that group. This is true in business, sub-cultures, hobby groups, industrial trades, medical fields and so on. These could be labeled “lingo” or group-activity specific unique terms. I have experienced this in many areas as I feel certain many readers have as well. In business, there are even unique terms in diverse groups within one industry or company. This is a serious part of the learning curve when one moves from one group to another or even one job to another within the same field. For instance, there are differing terms to describe many of the same services or products within the consumer financial services industry. Banks use one set of terms and Credit Unions use another to describe many of the same products or services.

    In and of themselves, these “lingo” terms do not harm but serve to identify and in some cases unify folks around a certain activity or cause. So, where does the harm reside in the totalist environment when terms describing certain activities or beliefs are used? Robert Lifton opens the material with this statement, “The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed.” (page 429) Can former members agree that this was common at WOFF?

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