Tag Archives: Cult Criteria

Behavior Control, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Word of Fear Fellowship? (WOFF)

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During a recent conversation with a friend about life after my time inside of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), we began to discuss the fear that follows a survivor of a cult. At first, I called it a “fear orientation”, one that permeates every aspect of a survivor’s life. I related to this person that many decisions were made based on a fear of something or someone or something that would happen in the future if you did or did not do a particular thing. Some of the fears were easily seen, but many were not. This discussion was several days ago and the subject has been rolling over and over in my mind since that day. In this post, I will share my continuing thoughts on the subject of fear in the life during and after one’s time in a religious cult.

First off, this subject is not new to this blog. Several previous posts have dealt with the subject. Here is a couple for reference:

Does a “Fear-Based” Message Really Work? – https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=1310

Two Good Questions, Two Good Answers – https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=4769

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

Do You Have the WOFF-Virus? (Video- Warning: Graphic Images)

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During my research on the Moonies, I came across a survivor of that group who explained her understanding of how people think inside a cult. Her name is Diane Benscoter. The adventure she describes started in 1974 and she joined a peace walk- not knowing that the majority of the others in the group were Moonies. Within a week inside that group, she had come to believe that the second coming of Christ had occurred and that person was Sun Myong Moon. In her thinking, she had been specially chosen by God to be a disciple of Moon who claimed to be the Christ.

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Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Information control, Uncategorized

Why Do Members Stay? (video)

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Over the last few years since leaving Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), several folks at different times have asked this question or one similar. Why do people stay inside WOFF? For many, the idea behind the question is: John, if things are as bad as you say, why don’t folks just leave? For those being more inquisitive, they are asking me: John, if it was that bad, why did you stay for so long? These are very fair questions. In this post, I will share an answer from a cult expert and add my reflections to help complete the answer for my situation.

During my research, I came across a video put out by Steven Hassan. This video is an informal conversation filmed in a hotel room about 2 years ago. The participants were Steven Hassan a leading cult expert, Attorney Paul Grosswald, ex-Scientologist, and Karen Pressley also a former high ranking ex-Scientologist. Much of the content does center on Karen’s experiences and her successes since leaving the group. During the discourse, there are several notable quotes which include answers to why folks stay in controlling groups, as well as other points of interests for those trying to understand the cult experience.

Before we begin, let me explain that I have no experience with Scientology or the Moonies. The purpose of this video is only as an aide to help answer the question: Why do members stay? The video is over fifty (50) minutes long and there is no way I can review the full content here. For this post, we will just hit on some major keys for understanding given by the participants. Some of the terms describing the rules or actions within Scientology were foreign to me and can only be explained by context.

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

Is “Surfing” Allowed Inside of WOFF?

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What triggers memories for you? Do you remember things best from sights or sounds? When you come across a particular aroma, does that aroma trigger memories? Tonight, for me it was a particular sound. The sound was the plethora of often indistinguishable noises that come out of an AM radio at night time. Let me explain the path of memories this “noise” took me on this evening.

Many years ago as a child, I was given a small handheld AM radio. Maybe there was an FM band, but, I doubt it. This would have been in the mid 1960’s. As far as I remember, my grandfather gave me this electronic treasure. It was probably a Christmas present purchased from Sears and Roebuck. The radio was battery powered and one that could be easily held while drifting off to sleep. That is what I remember doing for some years as a young boy. Music, sports and news filled the airwaves then. Talk radio as we know it today was non-existent. I would slowly push the tuner to catch the next strong station from states far away… It was a fascinating hobby for me at that age.

Tonight, as I drove home from work, I continued this habit begun many years ago. I turned the car radio to the AM band and began to surf the stronger stations that my car antenna would receive. To my dismay, I could not find a particular sporting event which I knew would be broadcast from somewhere… it just happened not anywhere I could hear. But, that did not stop me, as I still found it a challenge to listen to a radio show and try to figure out what state the radio station was broadcasting from. Now, for those fellow radio surfers, you know some of the larger AM stations. There is 1510 WLAC out of Nashville, 660 WFAN out of New York, 1120 KMOX out of St. Louis, 720 WGN which transmits out of Chicago and WSB 750 out of Atlanta. When it comes to talk show or interview show, not every time to I agree with the point of view being put forth; but, it is still fun to listen.

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

Bullying in the Name of Jesus…

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This evening after work, I watched an episode of “Without a Trace”. The story line was about a young boy who was harassed, physically pushed, mocked and jeered by his classmates because he appeared weak and not cool. The episode was originally aired in 2004 on CBS and was titled- “Wannabe”. Here is a plot summary:

The FBI investigates the disappearance of Eric Miller, a middle school student who disappeared during a bathroom break. He was only away for about ten minutes, so either he or his suspected kidnappers may have known what would happen. The investigators learn that Eric had low self-esteem and saw himself as part of the loser crowd at school. When his friend tells Agent Johnson about a bullying incident and they also locate a surveillance video from a local arcade showing an older boy pushing him, they realize they may have something other than a kidnapping.

A second plot summary reads as follows:

The “Without a Trace” team is called to a school after the sudden and unexplained disappearance of a pupil during a bathroom break in class. What at first seems like a sinister kidnapping soon leads the team into high school culture and on a trail of bullying and violence.(emphasis added)

 (source link- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0749727/plotsummary )

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Uncategorized

The Next Reality Check?

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We never are sure exactly when the next “reality check” will occur in our lives. For certain, some of the more subtle ones, I believe we all miss. Why would I say that? Well, for years, I ignored, rationalized, overlooked and just plain denied certain reality checks in my life. For many, you know I am referring to life inside the Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. I spent sixteen years under the influence of the doctrines, practices and teachings of Jane Whaley. Yes, the first ten years, I physically lived in Greenville, SC as a member of another church. But, who could deny the slow, methodical, ever-growing influence that Jane had over life in Greenville. The results speak for themselves. In 2002, the Greenville church merged into WOFF.

Looking back, there were situations that should have served as reality checks- which I religiously rationalized and/or ignored. For me, that was part of the slow process that culminated with the move to Spindale, NC. Not everyone will have the same experiences or even view these situations as reality checks for their life. Let me list a few of mine. First, there was the whole “You have to go to Spindale to be in the Move of God” mantra. I had fallen for that one in years past in other churches and the results had been abysmal, also. But, I wanted to be with the “people of God”, doing the “will of God” and thus, I went to Spindale. Was “God” not able to reach His people in Greenville? Well, as the years passed and God’s will became evident only through Jane Whaley; where did/does she live? Can you see that I did not allow my reality to be checked, or compared to reasonable common sense; it was only fashioned and molded to fit another’s purpose.

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Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

The Wave – 1981 (Video)

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Recently, a very good friend sent me a copy of the movie “The Wave”. This movie was made in 1981 and is a dramatic presentation of a sequence of events which took place in Palo Alto, CA in 1967. In a high school class in April of that year, a history teacher led his class in an experiment after their lesson on Hitler’s Germany, the Holocaust, and the tragedy surrounding those years. The class experiment was prompted after a student asked the teacher – How could the German people sit back while the Nazis slaughtered people all around them and claim to not know anything about it? How could they do that, how could they say that? (paraphrased)

As I watched the beginning of this obviously dated film, I was instantly drawn in by the questions and thus followed closely for the answer. Why? This line of questioning is only slightly different from the questions I receive from people asking- How could anyone get caught up in a cult? How could intelligent people be swept up in a religious cult or any other cult, for that matter? John, how did you get into Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). Why does this matter and how does this movie answer these questions? We shall see if it does. Also, in the last few weeks, I have met several new folks that have no knowledge of WOFF, Jane Whaley or that religious cults even exist in America. Eventually, questions come as to my back ground and how I ended up where I am today. I continually search for more accurate and helpful ways to explain the cult phenomena in America as I have experienced it.

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