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Welcome New Readers- Selected Series August 2010

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Night version of sign
Sign in Forest City

Welcome New Readers – This is a personal blog focusing mainly on my experiences while at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) which is lead by Jane Whaley. The “About Author” page gives more information about me. I do encourage you to read and comment as you come across material that raises questions or sparks a memory. The list below contains three links to the first post in a series that will help explain WOFF, my experiences and what I have learned since my time ended in July 2008.

FLDS vs. WOFF – the Similarities Part 1 –follow the link here – https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=86

   This information was posted January 18, 2010. It was the first of many to outline the similarities in the practices of Warren Jeffs of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and Jane Whaley of WOFF.  An excerpt from the series:  It is amazing how well fear can work to surpress rational thought, something I unfortunately experienced over and over during my time in the church.” (page 99) (emphasis added by author- Brent Jeffs)

What Thoughts Helped Me Leave WOFF?? Part 1–the link here – https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=1396

    After many years inside of WOFF, what were the thoughts and events that helped me leave. This post is from April 20, 2010. Entering WOFF was a process and so exiting was a process that took several months. Here is an excerpt, “There came a point where I was forbidden to be on church property. What happened that would cause me to leave the group all together?”

The WOFF “Don’t” List – Part 1–the link is here- https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=650

    From the post of February 25, 2010, “Life at WOFF was full of “don’ts”. Some were spoken “don’ts”, others were supposed to be understood by example. If you did not catch on to the “don’t” in certain cases, you could be called out during a service or summoned to the office to answer why you did the “don’t” that you were not aware of doing. Does that make sense?” The series explains several of the “don’ts” and how or why they exist.

    Continue reading Welcome New Readers- Selected Series August 2010 →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Cult Leader News, Uncategorized

More Thoughts on WOFF and Brazil (repost July 2017)

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In light of the most recent Associated Press release-US church goes to Brazil; instills fear, splits families– I believe it is appropriate to repost this review from August of 2010. (click “back” button to return here)

The lead paragraph from this article:

SAO JOAQUIM DE BICAS, BRAZIL (AP) — At the Word of Faith Fellowship churches in the Brazilian cities of Sao Joaquim de Bicas and Franco da Rocha, the signs of broken families are everywhere: parents separated from their children, siblings who no longer speak, grandparents who wonder if they will ever know their grandchildren.

This AP release goes on to chronicle the process of WOFF taking the practice of destroying families from North Carolina to Brazil. The Brazilian churches have become a sad reflection of WOFF NC. Jane Whaley’s ministry of destruction and pain has indeed transferred its dark stain seen and felt in America to Brazil.

Read the post below and note the heartache and angst. The WOFF-effect on families is real. It is indeed an international travesty.

On a personal note, my daughter is expecting or has already delivered her child this month. I am one who wonders if I will ever know my grandson…

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Jane Whaley and her crew from Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) have been making trips to Brazil for many years. The first time I knew about the trips was in 1992. At that time, I heard about previous trips in previous years made by members of the Greenville church traveling with WOFF members to Brazil for seminars. There was always a certain mystique associated with the trips and the privilege of going to help the Brazilian church members. During the early years, those who did not go to Brazil would hear about shopping trips to rock shops and eating at Brazilian restaurants.  The seminars would also include many deliverance sessions and teachings about WOFF ways and WOFF life. Many of the teachings were about “hearing God” as Jane or certain others would speak, with Jane’s approval. For sure, the church members in Brazil would emulate WOFF members and end up copying many of the WOFF ways and in order to live in WOFFness.

   Since my time at WOFF ended in July of 2008, I have heard several accounts of WOFF doings that as a member inside of WOFF, we just did not learn about. Why would that be? A few months ago, someone began to let me know about things happening in Brazil. At first, I was shocked. But, as I considered what I knew has/had happened in America over the whole WOFF saga, it all began to make sense. What I will share here is from a translated email sent to me from Brazil. The names of the church members affected are not the key part of this story. The key thing about the scenario of events is to note the strange and sad similarity to previous events here in North Carolina and/or in other states caught in the WOFF-web.

Continue reading More Thoughts on WOFF and Brazil (repost July 2017) →

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

My Trip to Brazil with WOFF – Part 2

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My Trip to Brazil with WOFF – Part 2

     This series of posts includes my remembrances from a trip with members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) to Brazil in 2005. For sure, I will not remember everything in correct time order and some of the surrounding “observations” may be misplaced or just misstated. However, the main points of this trip I do remember and still do cherish the encounters with the Brazilian people. Each one of them welcomed us and made room for us in every regard.

   We begin this post where we ended the last one,  the arrival on the first day of the time in Brazil. After we stopped at the first house, I believe we again boarded the bus and went around to the main entrance of the church. There the luggage was unloaded and we were grouped by the assigned household list and ferried to our respective homes for unloading and settling in. The streets were dirt and gravel.  We were in a neighborhood on a large hillside. Each home was fenced in and gated. I was told that because of the poverty, everyone needed heavy security for their properties.

    For my time there, I would stay a very nice, large home on what looked to me like about three to five acres. The surrounding fence was brick and the large electric gates were wooden. The owners were a very sweet husband and wife, who were leadership in the local church. The estate had a large home, a pool and a large pool house where another couple lived with their children. There were several fruit trees on the property, some near the front and more towards the back of the property.

    Continue reading My Trip to Brazil with WOFF – Part 2 →

Behavior Control, Uncategorized

My Trip to Brazil with WOFF – Part 1

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Beautiful Rock from Brasil Trip 2005
The Rock

     In December of 2004, I experienced a serious personal health set back. For those who were around me then, they will know what I am speaking about. For this post, the details have no relevance. Later in January of 2005, I was tested and released to accompany other Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) members on a trip to Brazil, in February. This was a trip I had been waiting for since the third quarter of 2004. The trip expenses were already paid before my health set back. I was glad to be able to go.

    During those years, trips to Brazil were considered a really big deal at WOFF. There would sometimes be over 100 folks that would take the trip to visit one or both of the two churches in Brazil that were under Jane Whaley. At one time, there were three churches under her influence, which was “apostolic direction and protection”. I do not know for sure, the full story of why the third church was no longer mentioned. Seems to me that may have been merged in with one of the others? Anyway, Jane Whaley made or still makes regular trips to Brazil, unless things have changed. (We will speak to that a little later..)

    Continue reading My Trip to Brazil with WOFF – Part 1 →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

“Know the Marks of Cults” Part 8

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      We will wrap up our series with two more comparisons from the book:  “Know the Marks of Cults” by Dave Breese, (copyright 1975, SP Publications, ISBN 0-88207-704-x). We have been reviewing the insights from the author and comparing them to my experience at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) led by Jane Whaley. In the seventh post from this book, we reviewed chapter 11 titled “Financial Exploitation”.  I encourage readers to obtain their own copy and read this book.

    Breese writes in Chapter 12 titled “Denunciation of Others”, “When one announces himself as the true Messiah, all others of course are false and must be put down.” (page 110) For certain, I have never heard Jane Whaley say she was the “Messiah”.  She did say she was “no one’s Savior”. However, we must look at her actions that I have witnessed, to verify the view she has of herself and her position. I have seen in writing and heard in person; Jane and Sam Whaley reference themselves as “Apostles”. Recently, the written titles have been “Pastors”… I am not sure what has changed. While I was there at WOFF, we were never told, that I remember.  

    Continue reading “Know the Marks of Cults” Part 8 →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF and Money Issues

“Know the Marks of Cults” Part 7

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   For now, we continue on with yet more comparisons and observations from the book:  “Know the Marks of Cults” by Dave Breese, (copyright 1975, SP Publications, ISBN 0-88207-704-x). We have been reviewing the insights from the author and comparing them to my experience at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) led by Jane Whaley. In the sixth post from this book we reviewed several characteristics of cults as put forth by Breese. The last one in the post was the “Enslaving Organizational Structure” as explained in chapter 10.  We have been comparing some aspects of these “Marks”, to what I have known about WOFF. As a note, I will not write full length posts on the entire list all of “The 12 basic errors of false religion” that are mentioned in the subtitle of this book. Reviewing each one in depth is not for this forum. However, a brief reading would affirm that out of the twelve listed errors, I have seen and experienced all of them during my time at WOFF.  I encourage readers to obtain their own copy and read this book.

   Breese states in Chapter 11 that a cult would/could display “Financial Exploitation” of its members. This was another chapter from which it was hard to only pull a few quotes. The author writes, “It is clear also from the Word of God that the Christian is never put under obligation to do, give, sacrifice or expend himself in any way in order to be more sure that the has the Gift of God which is eternal life.” (page 105 emphasis added) He continues, “The Word of God, however, is clear that service for Christ is a voluntary proposition on the part of the Christian, and nothing that he does will increase his own guarantee of eternal life.” (page 105) For those who are now or have been at WOFF, do these statements take your breath? I read them and found myself reeling with doubt then catching myself, as I saw this was old patterns of WOFF-think kicking in. Is “service for Christ” really voluntary? Do you mean that “pleasing Jane” or “doing the will of God- the WOFF way” does not get you on the inside track to heaven? Is this cause for pause?

    Continue reading “Know the Marks of Cults” Part 7 →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

“Know the Marks of Cults” Part 6

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     We will continue with a few more comparisons and observations from the book:  “Know the Marks of Cults” by Dave Breese, (copyright 1975, SP Publications, ISBN 0-88207-704-x). We have been reviewing the insights from the author and comparing them to my experience at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) led by Jane Whaley. In the fifth post from this book we reviewed the “Doctrinal Ambiguity” as noted by the author and compared some aspects of that, to what I have known about WOFF. As a note, I will not write full length posts on the entire list all of “The 12 basic errors of false religion” that are mentioned in the subtitle of this book. Reviewing each one in depth is not for this forum. However, a brief reading would affirm that out of the twelve listed errors, I have seen and experienced all of them during my time at WOFF.   Again, let me repeat that I will not be able to cover all the good information given by the author. I encourage readers to obtain their own copy and read this book.

    Breese titled chapter 7 “The Claim of Special Discoveries”. From those who have been at WOFF, what shall we say then? Do we have space to list the “Special Discoveries” claimed by WOFF? We go from the WOFF-talk to WOFF-dress to WOFF-lifestyle to WOFF-prayer to WOFFness in general. The whole experience at WOFF was billed as “special”. Does this lead to problems and/or does it reveal the error inherent with WOFF? For sure we must ask does the “special” aura of Jane and WOFF give place to even further deceptions.

   Continue reading “Know the Marks of Cults” Part 6 →