Category Archives: Criteria for Cults

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

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Who is the Enemy?

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    During my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), there were many “enemies” depending on the season of time. A short list would include ex-members, ex-members who tell their WOFF experiences to others, “unrighteous” judges who rule against Jane Whaley or members in child custody cases, Faith Freedom Fund, anyone who supports the Faith Freedom Fund, Police or Sheriffs who carry out judges orders against WOFF members, Charlotte Observer reporters who tell “whoppers” about Jane or the church, the Daily Courier has had some reporters in the past, in this category. Shall we forget politicians who support abortion? How could I leave out the local DSS or attorneys that help them or ex-members?

     There would always be a type of “devil” to combat either in you, in the world, in the “heavens”, in your non-WOFF neighbor, in your non-WOFF relatives, in your employer (if not working for a church member owned company). Well, then there would be “devils” attacking your children, like the “math devil” or “know it all devil”, “haughty devil” or “sassy mouthed devil”, “telephone devil”, “lazy devil”, “unclean devil”, “back-talking, sassy mouthed devil”, “driving devil”, “intellectual devil”, “perversion devil”, “music devil”.  I think you get the picture. While I was attending WOFF, I heard each one of these phrases; though rarely ever grouped together as I have done. In order to support the “us versus them” attitude, there was always a devil-related crisis of some type to manage at WOFF. The many crises served as the building blocks for the fear-based message as mentioned in a previous post (https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=1310 )

    During the court case against the local DSS, I remember saying the DSS were like Nazis. Another member heard me say it and let it stand. In fact, he acted like he agreed. At that time, they were the “enemy”. Since I left and have read more about mind control and how it works; my assessment of the local DSS is much different. Now, I would say they did not know the strength of the mind control system operating in WOFF. They were trying to change the results, [children] and not the cause molding the children; that would be the parents and church leadership. Because of their outside position, it would have been difficult to change the circumstances for the children unless you somehow change the circumstances and thinking of the parents and other adults. DSS was apparently not prepared for the battle they were trying to wage. Mistakes were made on both sides. Therefore the results were negative for all parties.

     Continue reading Who is the Enemy? →

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Why Go Back?

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    Over the years, members who have left Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC have been allowed to return and rejoin the group. While I was inside the group, it was not a major question for me as to why folks would leave and then come back. However, now that I am out, the idea of someone returning to WOFF is intriguing. Why would former members see or feel the need to return? I find answers as I read more on the subject and reflect on my years at WOFF.

    Janis Hutchinson in her book, “Out of the Cults and Into the Church” (copyright 1994, Kregal Pub.) writes about the struggles that ex-cultists go through upon leaving a cult. Her work has been mainly among the ex-Mormons. In the chapter 3, titled “Conflict of Soul”, she explains in an easy to understand format, how certain “losses” are emotionally traumatic to an ex-cultist. One way to look at the “losses” of former cult members would be to say that these are areas, which cults perform well in meeting certain needs. Ms. Hutchinson develops a list in this chapter that is too long to cover here. A few of the losses were covered in a previous post. ( see here… https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=261  )

   One of the major areas of loss that former cult members experience is the “loss of friends and community ties”. “…Enduring excommunication and losing the regard of others provokes a sense of loss that is impossible to describe. It’s one of the strongest motivations to return to the cult. It’s also why Christian fellowship is crucial.” (page 65 emphasis added) I certainly can attest to this statement. Members of WOFF certainly help each other as no other group I have been a part of in the past. There were several folks that seemed to always be available to help anyone whether day or night. The value of that support is hard to calculate or replace. When you spend hours and hours working beside someone or helping each other in various ways, there is a special friendship that develops. I had that with several folks at WOFF, or thought I did.  

    Continue reading Why Go Back? →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

November Seminar 1994- What is the worst thing that can happen?

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     At the beginning of a November seminar at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF)  in 1994; (could have been 1993) Jane Whaley came  in and started the service with this question- “What would be the worst thing that could happen to you?” She then listed things like illness, divorce, death of a parent or child. After some discussion, she stopped and told the congregation that God had showed her the worst thing. Reading from Matthew 7:22-23. (New International Version)

22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

    Jane went on to say that the worst thing for her would be to come to the end of her life and stand before God and having Him say to her: “I never knew you. Away…”  At that time, it was a very serious thought. Obviously, it has stuck with me all these years. Could this time have been a turning point for Jane? What happened?  How could the thoughts about this passage of scripture be so serious and yet not produce lasting changes in a person’s life? Certain things in life are a mystery.

    Continue reading November Seminar 1994- What is the worst thing that can happen? →

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF and Money Issues

Simple, Financial Disclosure- Why Not?

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    Today, as I was leaving church, I was handed a Quarterly Financial Report! Everyone that left through the front door was offered one, even the lady in front of me, who was a first time visitor! Wow, not only annual financial reports from this church, but QUARTERLY! Is this a great idea or what? I was stunned at the openness about the tithes and offerings received and the telling folks how the money was spent. The name of the church is Grace Community Church located outside of Marion, NC

      Since it has been years since I had seen a church quaterly report, I reviewed it closely. Here is what I found… This report covered January, February and March of 2010. The first section was titled: Exalting Christ. In that section were listed different basic statistics from the ministry to different age groups. Areas of ministry reviewed included Children’s ministry, Youth ministry, and Prayer ministry as well as stats showing numbers who attend and how many are actual members. The average attendance on Sunday mornings during the quarter was 639. The number on the membership roll is 525. There were 5 new members during the first quarter.

      The next section was titled, “Transforming Lives” . This section revealed the direction of different groups. Some bullets listed upcoming events and some listed activities that had taken place. There was a bullet about the students from a local college that attended as well as listing different mission trips and how many folks participated. The last bullet said that Adult Bible Fellowship had grown by 41% during the last year.

     On the back page was a section titled. “Embracing a Community”. Here was listed bullet points explaining some of the outreach projects to the local community, also telling about some of the missionaries who were supported. The Student Ministry had started supporting a child through Compassion International. 312 boxes had been distributed through the food pantry. 29 families were helped through the benevolence ministry. The support given to a family when their house burned was listed. There was bullet point for the number of families active in the prayer chain as well as new baptisms in the period. The church also participated in the “Buckets of Hope” ministry to Haiti. And get this; there was a recap of the offerings and budget needs. There was also listed a balance in the New Building Account! Actual dollars! They are actually planning and saving for a new building! What a great idea!

    Continue reading Simple, Financial Disclosure- Why Not? →

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Misinformation Abounds

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     Today, I was made aware of several bits of misinformation about this blog and the circumstances surrounding its creation and support. First, I take no financial support from any other group for the expenses incurred in writing or promoting this personal blog. The Faith Freedom Fund does not contribute to the expenses incurred for publishing this blog. I actually donated the space they have on this blog to them. The content for their page met their approval, but they do not “approve” or direct beforehand the content of posts on this blog. The material in this blog, except in two posts as noted; (one by Faith Freedom Fund and one by Jerry Cooper)  is solely from my reflections, memories and observations. The line of discussion, content and order of publishing is entirely up to my discretion and choosing.

     No one is forced to read these posts. No one is forced to believe or act on these posts. In several places, I note that the writings from my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) are totally from my recollections and memories. My time spent in the group started in 1992 and ended in 2008. The first ten years, I was a member of a church in South Carolina that was a sister church to WOFF. Our trips from Greenville to WOFF increased over the years. In the beginning we were only coming for seminars.  I was not inside the church during the “Inside Edition” era, my information about that was filtered back through a few other folks. My memories are not perfect in every detail. However, certain dates and events are imprinted in a vivid way. Since we were not allowed to take notes during the sermons after a certain time, the content of sermons may not be in exact time order. (However, I have found some old notes and will be posting on them in the future.)

     Continue reading Misinformation Abounds →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Hope for Those in Cult Mind Control Groups

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     One common concern of many who are outside of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) is the children now in the group. Over the years, the children have grown up, married and begun to have there own children. WOFF is clearly into the second generation growth stage. There is a group of children and youth who have known only the WOFF “cult-ture”. They are marrying and having children. Recently, a person expressed concern and regret for the second generation of WOFFers (WOFF members) – will they ever have a chance to leave?

     In Steven Hassan’s book – Releasing the Bonds.. (copyright 2000) he explains in chapter 2 the answers to “What is Destructive Mind Control?” The chapter is rich with a detailed explanation of his perspective obtained over many years of research and helping people who have affected by mind control. At the end of the chapter, he closes with these thoughts, “Everyone has an authentic self. Although a healthy individual will grow and mature over time, his personality type should never change. Changes in a personality type often indicate unhealthy social pressure that forces a person to act as if he were someone else…. It is also verified the existence of a cult identity which binds and gags the authentic self.” (page 60)

     This explains the results which the person shared in a comment for the previous post..One minister who moved up from Greenville ( he has a military background) even said to another (now former) member that they (the church) did everything they could to break (my son) but they just could not. My son just would not “submit his heart”.   I do not doubt at all the WOFF attempts to suppress or annihilate the authentic self of this young person and replace it with a robotic, cult identity. I witnessed it first hand. The perverted “love” he was shown by WOFF members in his household and in the church nearly destroyed him.  Members who do not assume the cult identity do not fit well in the WOFF “cult-ture”. It truly is a sub-culture in Rutherford county as well as other places abroad. Pressuring folks to change identities by cult mind control methods is one source of the major emotional trauma seen in many who leave WOFF. But, that too can be worked through.

    Hassan goes on and his words bring hope. “When interacting with your loved one, (in a mind control group) it is essential you recognize the differences between pre-cult identity (before recruitment), and the cult identity (during membership), and the person’s authentic self, which stays in them forever. Even people who are BORN into cults have an authentic self which was suppressed at birth. It is the strength of the authentic self that makes it possible to rescue people from cults years, even decades, after becoming involved in the group…. (page 60- emphasis added..)

     Jane Whaley and her cohorts in “identity theft” can never steal away a person’s authentic self. When that “self” begins to yearn for expression, then the hope turns to action. In WOFF, it was described as a person was “under the dealings of God”. In some ways, YES! In many cases, it was the authentic self, struggling to break free from the cult identity and explore and express itself – as GOD DESIRES! A few folks test what is considered normal when they come out of WOFF. After a while, many find inner strength and harmony, then they begin to live a life of the true expression, of who God intended for them to be.

     This answers the questions and assumptions of some folks who think their family members are “happy” in WOFF. In that environment, their relatives are not living their true, authentic self. They are struggling to fit into the WOFF “cult-ture” with a manufactured WOFF identity. If you have family or friends in WOFF, you really may not know them because they have had to suppress their authentic self in order to continue in the group. Has anyone seen their friends or relatives enter into WOFF and go through a personality change? Should I list names! Consider why after reading this post. It is becoming obvious to me that in order to continue in WOFF, I suppressed thoughts, questions and basically lied to myself that those things were not important. Reviewing that is for another day… I encourage all to read Hassan’s book.

   Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. It could very well save their life. 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. ) This is post number 92.

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

What Thoughts Helped Me Leave WOFF – Part 3

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        This is the third post in the series which explains the events and thoughts during the events which proceeded my leaving the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). The previous post outlined a meeting held on church property in which several minsters tried to “help” me see the error of my ways. Jane Whaley’s “adopted” daughter presented several intense arguments that were warnings of my decadent, sinful condition. Once there appeared to be no progress, Jane Whaley was called in to deliver the “strong rebuke”.  She screamed as she pointed her finger in my face- “You are full of wickedness and sin!”. Next, she screamed at the person next to me and told them- “And you let him be so!” Jane left and on cue, this person begins commanding me to give up my sin. This meeting had a profound affect on me. The shocker was the leadership in the meeting considered this a normal course of events. How do I know? Because they all supported each other and raised the bar of attempted behavior modification – together. I was evidently not the first person subject to such measures and I suspect not the last. These meetings were the WOFF modus operandi. Why should I think any different? Are there any former members who also went through such a meeting?

     Regardless, at the end of the meeting, I was fired for not giving up my part-time work. (and not bowing to the group control efforts.)  Incidently, at that time, I was in the middle of a three year contract with a website provider. My part-time work included support of this site. Buying out of the contract, would not have been feasible. In a few days after this meeting, I had found another contract for work and started working and providing for my family. But, in the days and weeks that followed; the attempts to modify my behavior would only intensify. Much of the efforts used are not appropriate to recount in this public forum. In the future, this consideration may change.

     A side note, in the days after the meeting on April 9th, there was a scheduled meeting at the community college where the Holocaust teacher from the church, taught and still teaches. A Holocaust survivor was coming to give their testimony. It was directly related to the class I had taken over the Internet from that community college.  I had completed the class but, after a fellow in leadership and the Holocaust teacher conferred;  I was banned from the meeting. Yes, I was banned from a meeting where the featured speaker was a Holocaust survivor! Think of the deep irony in that scenario! The Holocaust teacher was a direct influence on that decision. Is that crazy or what? The lady who studied the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich- banned one of her students, who passed the class with a high grade, from a class meeting- why? Does this mean she mixed her classroom responsibilities with her perceived role at the church, and chose the administration of church doctrine or practice, over the student’s interests? Are there any readers from the community college- yet?

    Continue reading What Thoughts Helped Me Leave WOFF – Part 3 →