Category Archives: Criteria for Cults

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

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 →

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? →

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

“Carolina Blues” at WOFF? (2)

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    At the end of the previous post titled “Carolina Blues” at WOFF? (1), the author of the book titled “American Exorcism” by Michael Cuneo (copyright 2001, published by DOUBLEDAY, ISBN 0-386-50176-5) was beginning to share his encounter with Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. This encounter is in Chapter 12. In Chapter 11, Cuneo writes about his encounter with Hegewisch Baptist Church. This is important to note, since at the end of Chapter 12, Cuneo makes a comparison of the two churches- Hegewich Baptist and WOFF. We also mention in the first post the question regarding the title- “Carolina Blues”; we are looking for a reason for the title to this chapter.

   The author page found here.. http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=6157 states that Michael W. Cuneo serves as a teacher of sociology and anthropology at Fordham University. He wrote “The Smoke of Satan” and has had his research quoted in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. The book listed as a reference for this post; “American Exorcism” is the only work that I have read by Cuneo, so far.

   Cuneo noted that his sources had told him the Whaleys “run a closed shop”. (page 186) So, who would agree with that? How long has that been true? The author continues with his interview of Pete Evans, the detective who went undercover and filmed the deliverance sessions for the Inside Edition story in 1995. Evans said “he personally submitted to deliverance eleven times.” Evans went on, “Anywhere from six to twelve people would form a circle around you and scream the devils out of you at the top of their lungs. ..They wanted you to vomit the devils out in plastic buckets they put in front of you… The screaming was so intense that some people suffered hearing damage or damage to their vocal cords. When you join up, you’re asked to sign a waiver releasing the church from liability for injury.”  (page 187)

    Continue reading “Carolina Blues” at WOFF? (2) →

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

“Carolina Blues” at WOFF? (1)

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    In previous posts, I have mentioned that my use of Google Alerts®. This is a free service that searches the Internet daily for key words and returns them in an email set to your preferences. I use terms such as Word of Faith Fellowship, Jane Whaley, mind control, religious cults and spiritual abuse. This is a great way to keep up on certain specific content without trolling the web yourself. Who has the time?

    Recently, one of my searches brought back a blog post containing a reference to the conference in Washington, DC held in July 2010 by the Christians United For Israel (CUFI). The headline was CUFI Linked with Controversial “Demon-Blasting” Church . I have not read all of the content on the host blog. I do recommend following the link and reading this entire post. The blog title is “Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion”. It is written by Richard Bartholomew. He is quoting an article from “Charisma” magazine, as well as other sources.

    This post I considered such a good find. There are two topics from that post which I will take up. One is the conference in Washington, DC where Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) displayed their Holocaust Museum. Yes, there are pictures at Flicker® which I will link to in a future post. There are some pictures of Congressman Heath Shuler posing with the WOFF group. Was I surprised? All of that is for another post. You can get a head start and read the post from Bartholomew.

    Today, the subject has to do with the reference toward the end of the article to Jane Whaley being quoted in a book by Michael Cuneo titled “American Exorcism” (copyright 2001, published by DOUBLEDAY, ISBN 0-386-50176-5) This can be purchased at amazon.com. My copy was purchased used for $1.69 plus shipping. What a BARGAIN! The reference in the blog post for a quote from Jane Whaley was for page 235. In my edition, that was incorrect. Chapter 12 of this book if titled “Carolina Blues” and this is the section about WOFF and Jane Whaley.

    Continue reading “Carolina Blues” at WOFF? (1) →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Over 5,000 Days and Counting

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    As mentioned, this past week has confirmed the strong curiosity in the surrounding community about Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and Jane Whaley. One former member asked me a few weeks ago- How do you put out so much stuff? My immediate answer was that I type fast. Well, I type faster than I used to. But, a more complete answer would mention that WOFF has affected my life for over 5,000 days. We were definitely affected by WOFF while in the Greenville church. That was from 1992 until 2002. Add those days to the six years of being inside and then the two years since.  I am gone from there, but my life is still being affected by their ways and beliefs. Some of that is due to what is still affecting me personally. Some is due to certain ongoing personal situations that are not resolved. So far, there are less than 200 posts on this blog. The actual number of days that WOFF has affected my life is closer to 6,000; but who is counting? True, many of those days I was under the impression that the effects were positive. It was not until 2005, during a period of a few months and later starting in late 2007 and early 2008 that I began to see the negative nature of certain effects of WOFF in my life. But, shall I post one for one? I am a long ways behind the count even if I have any hope of catching up…

   Along those lines, it is a good place to restate that the effects of WOFF on its members vary from person to person. Some of this is due to length of time in the group, how many “changes” were made to make the person’s life WOFF-compliant and if other family members went into WOFF along with the person in question. Some folks go in and come out- without having other family members directly involved or becoming a part of the group. That person may have a better chance of escaping some of the emotional stress associated with leaving and having family members stay in the group. Yes, these are all only my observations. I have no hard statistical data to back these statements. But, I do know folks who appeared to have a less traumatic exit. In order to verify this statement, I would have to speak directly to those individuals.

       Continue reading Over 5,000 Days and Counting →

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

Movies and Thoughts on “Thought Reform”

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     In 1990, I went to a movie theater in West Ashley near Charleston, SC. The movie was “China Cry”, produced by TBN Films. This movie is the story of Nora Lam, her life and escape from China. I attended with two younger folks and remember much of that evening. That would be the last film I would view in a movie theater until 2004 when several Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) members were allowed to attend “The Passion”, directed by Mel Gibson. We viewed it in the theater in Forest City, NC.  That was a night I will not soon forget. Jane Whaley did not attend. Here is link to a previous post where I mention attending “The Passion”.. https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=216

    Recently, I watched “China Cry” again. By mentioning this movie here, I am not endorsing a particular ministry or TV preacher(s). For the time period, the movie was done with quality and I would recommend others to watch it. What struck me this time was the very detailed depiction of the thought reform used by the Communist Party under Chairman Mao Zedong. Both Neng Yee Sung, who later changed her name to Nora Lam, and her husband were forced into detailed confessions of their past, their relationship and other areas of their lives individually and together. It was said that the officials were trying to get confessions about past transgressions and Nora’s Christian education. One scene shows Nora’s husband secretly admitting the temptation to “give them what they want”; he was ready to confess but, he was not sure to what. Later, the officials would use simultaneous lies against both husband and wife in an attempt break their bond and their love for each other. “Reform” would come to resisters through “labor training.”

    This visual depiction correlates well with the accounts found in Robert Jay Lifton’s work in “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism” (original copyright 1961, later published again in 1989. ISBN 0-8078-4253-2 [alk. Paper]). The subtitle of the book is “A Study of Brainwashing in China”. Lifton studied the thought reform used on Westerners by the Communist party in the 1950’s. I have not finished the book, but what I have read has been fascinating. I quote from the PREFACE of the recent edition, “I see it (this book) as less a specific record of Maoist China more an exploration of what might be the most dangerous direction of the twentieth-century mind- the quest for absolute or “totalistic” belief systems. … Indeed this quest has produced nothing short of a worldwide epidemic of political and religious fundamentalism- of movements characterized by literalized embrace of sacred texts as containing absolute truth for all persons, and a mandate for militant, often violent measures taken against designated enemies of that truth of mere unbelievers.” (page vii emphasis added) Was the author ahead of his time on this observation! Lifton’s observations can apply to so many groups around the world, today.

   Continue reading Movies and Thoughts on “Thought Reform” →