Tag Archives: Leaving a Cult

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized

Remember This…

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As I have been doing my daily deeds, I have been reflecting on the ICSA conference attended last week. There was so much good information shared and many new relationships formed. It was a lot to take in all at once. So, as happens with me and I suspect others, I remembered things said during meetings that at the time did not get my attention or make an “Ah Hah” moment. Today, I remembered a quick comment made by a speaker that has since jarred me. I cannot remember exactly which speaker said this since I believe it was in a session where a panel of counselors and experts were leading the meeting. The comment paraphrased was “Leaders of these groups have to control their members because of their own insecurities.” The manner in which it was said conveyed the speaker’s position that we all should remember this. This is where we start when understanding the motivations of a leader of a controlling group. We must get past the smoke and mirrors of any religious authority or special enlightenment. We must push through the euphemistic phrases used by the leader and even the leadership. The reason for the control of a group leader to keep people INSIDE the group is NOT healthy. The motivation is from the leader’s own insecurities. Okay, that being said, we are talking about destructive controlling groups here of which I firmly believe Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) has become one of those groups.

The statement remembered today brought me back into focus on several levels. When getting caught up in telling the horror stories of members inside and those who have left, lost in the menagerie of descriptions replete with heartache and drama is the starting point. Lost can be the reason for the leader’s profound motivation to keep people within their grasp and control. The starting point is the leader’s dysfunction, NOT the state of those recruited into the group. Time after time, people pose the question often in a sense of superiority – How could anyone get involved in a group like that? Though this question is viable in the discussion, it is not the starting point. The starting point is the dysfunction of the leader and the measures growing out of that dysfunction which trap victims in the web of control. In my opinion, the leaders of these groups are NOT mentally healthy. True some evolve into a black hole of dysfunction, but that still does not excuse the outcome nor should it cause us to begin with the victim when considering the evolution of the group.
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Behavior Control, Books, Resources, Uncategorized

How far will you go to protect “the will of God?”

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In the previous post, I put forth the idea that faithful WOFF members keep the true inside dynamics secret from the outside family members. Secrets are also kept from co-workers and any acquaintances. This should be no surprise even for a group of that size. Today, I want to add two more concepts that will help explain why and how this could happen and how a WOFF member sees this as perfectly normal and “the will of God.”

Several months ago, I wrote on the difference between “brainwashing” and “mind control.” The post was titled- WOFF Members are NOT Brainwashed- Really? – found here . The supporting text for this was found in Steven Hassan’s book, “Combatting Cult Mind Control” (Copyright©1988, 1990- by Steven Hassan, Park Street Press, ISBN-0-89281-311-3). In short, the idea was that in a case of brainwashing, the controllers are thought of as adversarial or “… typically coercive. The person knows at the outset that he is in the hands of the enemy. … Abusive mistreatment, even torture, is usually involved.” (page 55)

“Mind control, also called “thought reform”, is more subtle and sophisticated. Its perpetrators are regarded as friends or peers, so the person is much less defensive. He unwittingly participates by cooperating with his controllers and giving them private information that he does not know will be used against him…. Mind control involves little to no overt physical abuse. Instead, hypnotic processes are combined with group dynamics to create a potent indoctrination effect. The individual is deceived and manipulated – not directly threatened – into making the prescribed choices. On the whole, he responds positively to what is done to him.” (emphasis added- page 56)
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Information control, Uncategorized

Brave Enough to Doubt?

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These last few days have been enlightening. I have been reflecting on the necessity for the experience in a high demand faith group to be seamless. What do I mean? For a faithful member of such a group, the experience must include all answers for all supposed problems; be the problems real or imaginary, new or old. Which high demand faith group fails to present itself as the all encompassing answer to all of life’s ills? My idea is that every one of them presents their ways, their ideas, and their lifestyle as the answer- period. It was that way during my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). Let me explain.

My time under the WOFF influence spanned 16 years. Since we started in Greenville and not in Spindale, it was a growing and gradual absorption into the WOFF vacuum. For some, they don’t get the luxury or time to be gradually sucked in. Some are lured into the intake program much quicker. Some stay and some don’t stay. But, for all, the program is sold as the only true way to walk with God and God’s people. The WOFF-life is sold as the way to know the call of God and fulfill your call and go to the Nations and have any hope to make it into the Kingdom of God. Word has been shared with me that recently Jane Whaley has teaching more on the End Times. If this is true, then I reckon it follows that those in her group will be able to make it through to wherever they need to be- if they will just submit to God and God’s authority through Jane and her message, her wisdom, her direction, her gift.
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Behavior Control, Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Emotional Control, Information control, Thought Reform, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Mind Control Forum Review – “This is what I want to see!”

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Saturday, May 24th a forum was held at the Spindale House and the subjects included information about mind control and testimonies from Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) survivors. The lead up to the meeting was intense for many of those involved. Materials were put together, videos were reviewed, meetings were held and in the end the general consensus was that it was a success. Admittedly, there is no way to recap all of what was said since I do not have a recording. The pictures taken will be added here at a later date. My goal for this post is to just hit what few highlights I remember and to give enough for those who did not attend to get the flavor and direction of the meeting.

There were no decorations, but we placed information and candy in the seats for the guests. We had waters for the taking on a table to the side. There were three tables up front for the panel and the large screen television. The attendees filed in and in that group were two WOFF members, Greg and Rita Burgeson. Several other WOFF members were spotted circling through the parking area, some waving and blowing their horns. We were prepared for more WOFF members, but they only sent two inside.

We began the forum a little late after experiencing technical difficulties with the PowerPoint® we were given from another advocacy group. This was just “warfare”, right? We had a back-up plan and were able to use printouts of the presentation. Mr. Rape began the session in prayer encouraging all that it was possible to be deceived and we would learn how that could happen through the material revealed tonight. He delivered an encouraging prayer as well.

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Behavior Control, Uncategorized

WOFF Members are “… expected to expect…”

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In review of the material which so accurately describes the environment of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), I have been rereading the work by Robert Jay Lifton- “Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism- A Study of “Brainwashing” in China” (Copyright©1961 originally by W.W.Norton and Co., first published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1989- ISBN 0-8078-4253-2) From time to time over the last few years, I have been magnetized in reading the accounts of Lifton though he does not directly describe WOFF, he does not mention Jane Whaley by name. Yet he describes the dynamics inside that place in great detail. He does this by sharing his observations from his studies and “… analysis of the experience of fifteen Chinese citizens and twenty-five Westerners who underwent “brainwashing” by the Communist Chinese government.” (from the back cover)

Today, I was particularly interested in the section of his text in which he describes – “The Demand for Purity”. Without sharing the entire passage and numerous details, I will summarize and get right to the point of this post. He writes that in totalistic environments where thought reform is practiced, the daily world for its participants, or in this case its members, is “sharply divided into the pure and the impure, into the absolutely good and the absolutely evil. The good and the pure are of course those ideas feelings and actions which are consistent with the totalist ideology and policy; anything else is apt to be relegated to the bad and the impure.” (page 423)
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Uncategorized

No one can take your experience from you…

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At some point during my years at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), Jane Whaley said the above statement or something very similar. She was soliciting testimonials from members to add to whatever testimony she needed for some legal battle somewhere… take your pick. Yes, I remember writing one and it had a positive voice to it. How many others who have left that place did the same thing or at one time were positive about their days inside WOFF. There are positive things that happen inside the group. How else or why else would people stay for years on end. The more exact question would be, “What is the true cost of membership?” What are you surrendering in order to be a part of WOFF?

No one can take my experience from me AND I can add more to the story as I learn more.

Any positive testimony I wrote about that place was written before my family relationships were destroyed. Any positive testimony about my time in that group was written before April 9, 2008. Why do I bring that up? We can take a look back at the video from April 12th and see that some WOFF members don’t believe in survivors telling their experiences. Is this because it did not match their own experience, or maybe it did match and the similarities were too much to admit? I am not sure at this point.

In addition, a few readers of this blog who have spent hours reading and I am grateful to be such a help. There are others that express some confusion on how to find an exact post about a certain subject. There is a “word search” feature, but for some, it does not help. The large number of posts does not seem to help in the search for certain subjects.

In light of this situation and for other reasons to be explained in the future, I have set aside the next few months to tackle a more concise writing project. I have begun a draft of a memoir of my time before, during and after being under the influence of Word of Faith Fellowship, Jane Whaley and her leadership team. This draft will contain some material introduced here on this blog. I will update and bring the experiences forward and put them in perspective of known events since beginning this blog in January 2010.

As readers, I am asking for your suggestions and to what part of the life inside the group you would like to see included in the final edition of this memoir. I will take all suggestions into consideration and decide if it should be included. If it can, then it will help others with the same questions. If for some reason, your suggestion is not included, I can write a post about that subject. You are welcome to leave your suggestion in the comments or email direct to “author@religiouscultsinfo.com”

This is your opportunity to have your questions answered. Please, share this post with others who may have their own questions. Repost and share as needed. I need to know what you want to know about WOFF-life. There have been rumors over the years. Some were true and some were not. My experiences cannot not be taken from me and I know more now than when I was inside WOFF. It is time for me to share the truth about those experiences.

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” Aldous Huxley
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Outburst at the Child Abuse Prevention Vigil

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This is the video clip from the gathering on April 12, 2014 in Rutherfordton. About 1:20 into the clip you can hear and barely see to the bottom right of the screen the two sisters of the speaker screaming out. Is it fair to say that this type of display is normal to the sisters? Would it also follow that since the first sister was on the phone just previous to this outburst, that she probably had the approval of their leader? So, if that holds true, then it would be logical to say that this was the Word of Faith Fellowship’s (WOFF) chosen way to make their thoughts on child abuse known to the community? Rutherford County– Are you listening? If my assumptions are correct, then this public display is the preferred method of WOFF to deal with survivors who tell of the abuses inside their group. The standard WOFF response- anything negative about them is a lie. The video goes on to document Jeanna Powell’s remarks as referenced in a previous post. Whew! Below the video, I share more on this tactic.

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