Category Archives: Criteria for Cults

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

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

The Church at Rock Hill

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    **** Announcement: Between the time this post was written in the early morning hours of 6/4/10 and 12:29PM on 6/4/10- “http://religiouscults of the south.blogspot.com was taken down. This was NOT at the direction of the author. We will update as soon as it is known why the blog was removed by the host.

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    On a daily basis, I use a service called Google Alerts®. This is a free service which searches for certain terms on the web. News articles or blogs posts are returned according to the time table set-up by the user. One term I search for is “religious cults”. That should be no surprise. Recently, through that search I was made aware of a blog titled- “Religious Cults in the South” found at this link – http://religiouscultsinthesouth.blogspot.com  The author is identified as “The Watcher”.

    There are many “cult survivor” blogs on the web and some make for very good reading. This one caught my eye as it mentioned The Church at Rock Hill. In times past, I have had reason to go to Rock Hill, SC and am familiar with the city. So, I emailed the author to learn more. What was revealed was shocking in many ways.

    The Watcher mentioned that the pastor of The Church at Rock Hill was Johnny Miller. Mr. Miller was introduced to “The Body of Christ” through the Rev. Lacey (Lacy) Hawkins. Rev. Hawkins’ spiritual roots are said to be from William Sowders. All of these names were new to me and I needed to do some research. “The Body of Christ” appears to be a loose knit spiritual grouping of churches in the US and several countries. Here is the link to The Church of Rock Hill’s website.. http://www.thechurchatrockhill.com/AboutUs.htm

     Continue reading The Church at Rock Hill →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

New Identity- Dependent Relationships at WOFF- Part 7

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     Further consideration of the Word of Faith Fellowship ( WOFF) identity that members take on, in order to become and stay a member, reveals certain “dependent” traits. There are three main groups that all play their roles. At the top of the organizational pyramid is Jane Whaley. She is the supreme authority in charge of all. Next, coming down the structure is the “leadership” class. They get their ability to carry out Jane’s orders – from Jane. She keeps in touch with many folks through this leadership level of the structure. “If you are not willing to lay down your life and take hold of someone else, you will never fulfill your call- or be leadership in this church.” The last level of folks is what I call – “regular members”. They are the ones doing the field work. They hear from Jane or leadership what to do and then go do it. The regular members will tell you they are “learning to hear God’s voice” and “ministers in training”. If you ask how do you know? They will honestly have to say it was confirmed through Jane Whaley.

    A first glimpse into the WOFF identity, role and function may show that the regular members depend on Jane for all decisions. Certainly in religious cult mind control groups such as WOFF, the primary dependency consists of regular members’ being dependent on the supreme leader. This should not be a shock. But, also it must be noted that in the pyramid structure, those who are toward the top need those who are toward to bottom to support them! Without folks to lead, leadership and Jane Whaley would be without “subjects” to control. Also, without dependent subjects to tithe and give offerings, Jane Whaley would not be able to pay the church bills and get her “$600 a month” checks. She needs folks who continue to believe in her supremacy in order to keep paying the $20,000 a week needed to meet the church bills. (Sam first mentioned that figure in 2007 or early 2008) So, in reality, members need Jane and Jane needs willing members. It is co-dependency in a way. If folks just stopped believing in Jane as the great “Ya-Ya”**, then her importance in her own world would be in danger. 

** This was a pet name from one little girl for Grandma Jane. There was actually a wooden sign on Jane’s desk which said – “Ya-Ya”.

   Continue reading New Identity- Dependent Relationships at WOFF- Part 7 →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

New Identity – Reflections on My WOFF Identity- Part 5

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     Exploring the idea and subsequent understanding of a Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) Identity has developed into a series. Please, take time to read the series from the beginning. Each post continues from the previous one. In Part 4:  I shared my week and the work/church activities that filled it. Much of the time not spent at work was spent in church, church activities and around church folks. During the times when I worked for a company owned by church members, the entire day would included church members. The exception would be when I worked part-time for the credit union. Given the simple definition of identity shared in another post: the set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group, it should be obvious that one’s identity is formed in some relation to the environment around them. Are soldiers affected by their surroundings? You would expect so. Are people in any restrictive environment affected to some degree by that environment? That seems plausible, right?

     In this post, I  make some observations about my WOFF identity. First, let me admit that while I was in WOFF, I had no idea that I had taken on an “identity” of any sort. Of course, this was not taught at WOFF. You were changing so you would be “walking in your place in God, fulfilling your call, hearing Jesus”.The goal seems from this view point to become totally pliable to the nuances and ever increasing restrictions of WOFF. Being a “good WOFFer” was critical to staying a member.

    Also, it would be relatively safe to say that present members of WOFF have no idea that they are living anything other than exactly how they are supposed to be living. For them, there is no understanding of a “WOFF identity”. Readers, who have contact with WOFF members, must recognize WOFF members are sincerely involved in their beliefs, practices and lifestyle. (for the most part..) In order to continue in the group, outward compliance was essential.  If there are doubts, those doubts must be stuffed. That was one key behavior I credit for surviving so many years inside the group.

    Continue reading New Identity – Reflections on My WOFF Identity- Part 5 →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

New Identity – My Week – Part 4

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     As we move on with the concept of “identity” for members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), it would be helpful for me to share a typical week from my time in that group. Since I worked both for companies outside of the church and for a church-member owned company; two or three scenarios will be needed. These accounts will remain general as this forum is not suited for release of some private information. Even with the restraints, as a reader, you will learn the main points. I must also restate the idea that at WOFF none of this identity analysis or information would be accepted. Most every problem or issue had a “spiritual” cause. All matters were dealt with from that perspective.

    Before moving to WOFF from Greenville, I worked at a credit union in Greenville, SC. I traveled back and forth working part-time. During the first few weeks, I kept this job and also began to work “part-time” for the growing property management company owned by a family in the church. That started by being called into Jane’s office. The owner of the company was there and Jane mentioned he wanted to offer me a job with his company. I was told to go pray about it and get back with him. Jane had given her approval for the owner to ask me about the job. A few days later, I took the job. I had no experience renting apartments.

    The first few weeks, I would be helping folks renovate apartments. But, in a few weeks there would be other work for me to do. After a few weeks,  I began renting apartments and collecting rent for the properties owned in Rutherford County. My job included answering four or five incoming lines which had been forwarded to my cell phone. There were between 50 and 60 calls on some days. This lasted for about two (?) months. I remember telling someone in leadership at the church that I just wanted to crawl up in a corner and cry. There was no let up with the calls at virtually any time of day and night, seven days a week. She said- “It is good for you. It will train you for the ministry.” Looking back, this was a totally insane set-up. However, I kept trying to perform the assigned tasks. During this time, the work at the SC credit union stopped and I took a part-time job with a credit union in a neighboring county in NC. That was October 2002. So, between both positions, I was putting in 50++ hours a week. Getting to bed before midnight was a rare blessing.

     At first, there was excitement as the new position working among “God’s people”. There were several adjustments to working around WOFF members. Members were always “on guard to help you” and “point out where you missed it”. Then of course, that would be passed up the church structure to those who needed to know “how you were doing” and “where you were walking”. It all appeared so spiritual for a while. Looking back, it all served to mold folks and weed out any “sinful behaviors”.

     Continue reading New Identity – My Week – Part 4 →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

New Identity – Definition Part 3

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   As we continue to look at “identity” and how it is affected by involvement in Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), a short functional definition is needed. The word identity has several meanings according to the context used. Therefore, in this series of posts, we can use this definition: the set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/identity) The concept of identity could be referencing a personal identity or the identity of the individual as they appear inside the group. Social psychology explores the effects on individuals inside of a group. Here are some statements from reading about social identity.

—Many people gain a sense of positive self-esteem from their identity group, which furthers a sense of community and belonging.

—Another issue that researchers have attempted to address is the question of why people engage in discrimination, i.e., why they tend to favor those they consider a part of their “in-group” over those considered to be outsiders. (http://www.answers.com/topic/identity-social-science)

    First, from the definition, the set of behavioral characteristics that make members of WOFF recognizable are easy to list. We have mentioned some of them, dress, hairstyles, mannerisms, language, housing choices, lack of facial hair and more. Any one spending any length of time around members of WOFF would easily be able to notice the “sameness” in the members of the group. This is by design from Jane Whaley and the leadership in the group. There is a concerted effort to “drive out the sin” resulting in most every member looking and acting just alike. Can these outside measures actually change the true identity of a person or just hide it for a time?

     Continue reading New Identity – Definition Part 3 →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

WOFF Members Get New Identity – Part 1

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    During one service at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) Sam Whaley was up in front receiving the offering. He began to tell about God dealing with him and about his work before starting WOFF. He said it was all worthless; “well some of it was good”. I suppose he was talking about his many trips to other countries for Rhema Ministries under Kenneth Hagin. Later in the service, Jane spoke up to correct him. She told him that all he had done before getting deliverance and getting truly born again was WICKED! Everything he did before “knowing Jesus” was pure wickedness. Of course, he said “You are right, Jane.”  This event seemed to pass as one of the many times that Jane had rebuked Sam publically. It was “normal” at WOFF. No one except Jane “heard God at such a high level.”

     While reading Janis Hutchinson’s “Out of the Cults and Into the Church” (copyright 1994 Kregel Resources) I found her insights very helpful. In chapter 5, she explains how ex-cultists may seem disoriented as when they come out; they lose “their roots, their story, and their identity”. It should be obvious; you can’t lose something you never had. In order to lose a “cult identity” it had to be created in that person. She explains how a cult member needs the roots and stories to arrive at the new identity.

      I will not attempt to recite all that she gives as reasons for sharing these observations. In short, she explains “roots, spiritual or physical, tell an individual or a group where they came from, why they’re here, how they started, why they do the things they do, and why they are who they are.” (pg 98) Cults or other groups use myths or sacred stories to give its members roots.

   She goes on:  “Stories are three kinds. First myths and history of a culture’s heritage…these confirm and perpetuate the roots…. Secondly, there is the story of individual community itself- how members relate to that culture with their common problems and how they overcome them… Thirdly, there is one’s own individual story within the culture. This generally consists of accumulated childhood experiences containing the negative and positive, the triumphs and tragedies. It also includes a vast array of input from people, places and situations.” (page 98)

    And finishing her explanation:  “Identity, on the other hand, is the assurance individuals, culture, or nations gain as a result of having both roots and story. .. It promotes self-esteem and a positive self-image, collectively or individually. Without it, individuals are strangers to themselves and to others.” (page 98) Her work deals with folks after they leave cults.

     Continue reading WOFF Members Get New Identity – Part 1 →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

What is Common Ground?

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       Alexander Hamilton was speaking before the New York Constitutional Convention in June of 1788. He made three speeches. The one on June 27th contained several arguments for allowing the States to impose their own taxes as well as some other matters. In an explanation for State governments, he makes the following statement: “There are certain social principles in human nature from which we may draw the most solid conclusions with respect to the conduct of individuals and of communities. We love our families more than our neighbors; we love our neighbors more than our countrymen in general. The human affections, like the solar heat, lose their intensity as they depart from the center, and become languid in proportion to the expansion of the circle in which they act.”(page 232, Classic Speeches, copyright 1965 by Philosophical Library)

     The principle that Hamilton mentioned was not doubted or debated. It only follows to reason and from observation that in general, folks love the families more than their neighbors. Does that make sense to you? Have you seen that to be true in most cases, in the community in which you live? Would you say that neighbors would include those you where you go to church?

    When I read the quote, something from my past came to mind. During my time inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), I heard the term “spiritual parents”. On many occasions, members would refer to Jane Whaley and Sam Whaley as their “spiritual parents”. The term would be a term of endearment and generally be followed with glowing praises and expressions of gratitude for the work Jane and Sam had done to either bring the message of deliverance, start the Christian school or withstand all the “persecution” that come to them for their stand for “holy righteous living”. Even while I was on the inside of WOFF listening to this, I had a major yuck feeling inside when others would begin the most abundant adulation and flowery praises for the spiritual parents that Jane and Sam had become to them. Some folks from the Greenville church would follow suit and proclaim the pastors from that church, as their spiritual parents, as well as recognizing Jane and Sam.

Continue reading What is Common Ground? →