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This transcript is helpful for those who have exited Philadelphia Church of God, Worldwide Church of God, Restored Church of God, Living Church of God, or any authoritarian offshoot or splinter group. It is a transcription of ESN's tape EX-2 and was given by the founder of ESN at a conference on abusive/exploitive groups. Also be sure and read:
Exiting an Exploitive, Deceptive Group.
In October of 1993, after being held captive for seven years in a jail cell in Iran, Terry Anderson told America, and I quote, "For seven years they took my life, but they never got my mind." It was that day that I decided that I was no longer a victim of one of the cruelest crimes toward the human race, but NOW I was a survivor. My husband, two boys, and I spent seven years in a Bible-based fundamentalist apocalyptic cult* known during the 1970's as one of the most destructive cults in America. My introduction to the fear-based Worldwide Church of God was similar to most cult experiences as I was at a point in my life that led me to searching for truth about God. For a year, we, as a family started visiting churches and listening to religious radio programs. One day, I picked up a FREE magazine at a Dr.'s office called the Plain Truth, which led me into the most sophisticated psychological entanglement of pseudo-religious cultism, one could never imagine. Within months, I was hooked into the "brainwashing" techniques that encapsulated the mounds of FREE written materials that the Worldwide Church of God piled at my doorstep. I was awed by how professional the writers appeared and how I was never coaxed to send money for all the high quality booklets I collected and studied. No minister was pounding my door; everything truly seemed so FREE. What I didn't understand through innocent ignorance on my part was what all that FREE material was doing to my heart, my brain and my life. On the surface, the messages seined to answer questions I often pondered, such as life, God and death. The more I read, the more my concerns and questions were answered, so I thought. Everything had to be true, because no one would lie so boldly in the name of God and Jesus Christ and put it in print. The twisted ideas of prophecy, the tribulation, God's one true church and obedience to "God's government" forced conformity or threatened punishment with annihilation in the Lake of Fire dare I turn my back on the truth. This rhetoric hoisted me and thousands of others throughout the past sixty years into a funnel of destruction. I use the term "brainwashing" along with mind control as I feel these abusive cults, like the Worldwide Church of God replace the physical torture with emotional and psychological torture, but the effects and results are the same. Within one year, my family and I lost control on our lives, goals, future, identities, will, self-esteem [self-worth], extended family and friends. Did we have a choice? Yes, our choice consisted of responding to the "calling" of the Worldwide Church of God, or obliterate in the Lake of Fire for disobedience. The intense "programming techniques" guided our every move. We were lured into the church, which consisted of a totalitarian, dictatorial government forcing strong legalism with mandates and laws. As in other cults, once you're in the black and white thinking system, it is near to impossible to free yourself from the fear programming and phobias that act as a psychological whip, dare you deviate from the cult leaders regime. For seven years we wore a smile as we paid up to 35% of our gross income to "God's Apostle" out of fear of annihilation dare we steal from God. Our entire life was wrapped around the "one true church" and fulfilling our responsibilities to it. What the members ate, drank, their sex lives, thinking, and every move was tailored to the specifications for being part of the elect. To be God centered and spiritual minded meant obeying God as he spoke through his leaders1. Sound familiar? The commune was in our brain. Big Brother was in our home. We didn't dare question, we sacrificed--we trusted--the cult leaders' words; we responded to negativity from the UNcalled with pity as we were the only ones in the know about God's great plan. So we thought! The real message under the propaganda was addictive, deceptive, lying, coercive and psychologically paralyzing. The following paragraph from a publication called, The Unpardonable Sin, is representative of the intense training and daily diet I had, and I know many of you have had in your respective cults: Quote: you come, emotionally broken up, throwing yourself on God's mercy, asking His forgiveness, and His redemption! It means wanting to be made righteous, for God's spirit will dwell only in such a mind ...." How's that for a self-esteem booster, or a self worth reminder? This type of repetitive programming,
leaves us powerless and paralyzed within the cult, and when we exit
the fundamentalist programming our thinking attempts to dictate our
lives through repression and depression.
[ESN Note: Read:
Can I commit the unpardonable sin? (Q&A)] Approximately four years into the cult, I started to think. I picked up on lies, duplicities and contradictions. I was seeing some things my family or cult-deep friends didn't see. I was unsettled to observe so much unhappiness--alcoholism, hypocrisy and depression. I could see no spontaneity or individuality with members. We were taught to overlook "the weak of the world" but the things I saw, were too stressing to bypass. I started taking a closer look at my own life; I too was part of that system. My first rebellion consisted of pursuing self-education (one of the bigger sins!). I passed the time in bookstores which led me to buying my first book on recovery, The Emotionally Abused Woman by Beverly Engle. As I began to understand "abuse," I was able to discern that the Worldwide Church of God was nothing more than an abusive fear threatening system with the goal of controlling my life and pocketbook. From that point on, the intensity of my research and education continued to escalate. With the knowledge and information I received, I also was confronted with the exploitation and violation of my human rights. And make no mistake about it, it hurt!! As my self-respect and esteem was in the gutter, I struggled to repair the damages. As I started to feel again, my emotions were split into two sides, one of power and hope, and the other, of despair and weakness. I studied, investigated and researched the history of the Worldwide Church of God and abusive cultic organizations in general. I was soon able to identify the corruptive psychological techniques the vindictive controllers, commonly known as cult leaders, used to recruit me and thousands of others in effort to maintain their tax-exempt financial empires. The suicide rate within the WCG was high, and now I knew why. Exiting an abusive system such as the Worldwide Church of God's may seem impossible to those whom are confronted with the challenge. And if the psychological damage were not enough to contend with, the spiritual derailment complicates matters more so. We who are survivors of abusive, exploitive groups, commonly known as cults, must take back the power the criminals cowardly and deceptively steal from us as they collect their millions under deceit intimidation while in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The only way, we, as a people, can fight this atrocity in our society, is to take back the FREEDOM we rightfully deserve. Our freedom of religion; freedom of information; freedom of education; and freedom to think; is being eroded away by the sleazy, slick, manipulative tactics perpetrated by those heading up organizations of organized crime, while calling it religion. As we move from the "victim" thinking, to the "survivor" thinking we gain strength and control. We, the ones who are survivors, can and must take back the power. Collectively and individually we must turn our experiences into education and awareness to warn those whom may be the next victims. The purpose of the psychological cult programs is to control the member and erode the victim's ability, which in turn paralysis him from reclaiming his own power, or from fighting back. The destitute ex-member finds he is unable to counter those still under the mind control and the financially powerful legal teams. They plan, that we as ex-members will stumble around as if in a drunken stupor while we plow through the years of hopeful recovery. There IS a better way! WE MUST TAKE BACK THE POWER "When human rights are violated, that's when war begins." Knowledge is power! A survivor owes it to himself to educate and research not only his own cult but the entire cult phenomenon. If for no other reason, do it for yourself, we can recover from the damage, if we know what they did and how they did it. The cult leader continues to control the ex-member as long as that ex-member succumbs to the tactics once delivered. I cannot stress that enough! What we see occurring today with cults in our society is a spiritual and psychological holocaust. Our individual horrific experiences will mean something and have a purpose, when we turn the negative victimization into a positive result. We must learn from the past and turn that knowledge into the tools we need to fight against the tactics of abuse, deception, manipulation and coercion emanating from the groups in our midst. As I observed the Simpson vs. the People trial, at times I too was overwhelmed at the manipulations and mind-control tactics that prevailed in our US court rooms, but all along, I felt that whatever the outcome would be, the Brown and Goldman family would survive because they were turning their rightful rage into a positive movement against domestic abusive violence. No matter how one views the verdict, the fact remains that Nicole Brown was a victim of abuse from the hands of a controller. Her tragedy carries a message of warning and will save lives in the future. We too, must allow our rightful rage to be channeled into strength, not weakness, as we take back the power from the "Godfathers of today's society." Recovery means we are survivors, we are no longer victims. We have the freedom to say and do the things our former cult contacts have lost. We were once in the spiritual compound with walls too steep to climb, but now--we--are--here. We are wiser and stronger then we were before our cult experience. That, to me is a hard earned gift. Within the span of seven years, the Worldwide Church of God deceptively coerced $60,000 out of our pocket. They did it though horrific tactics of fear and guilt. We were not stupid people, we had education behind us, we were not sheltered or unaware of crooks out there. The point is, the techniques of coercive persuasion and propaganda have been sharpened and modified throughout the past five decades, that anyone can be caught unaware, especially when they are on a spiritual journey. My first call to CAN2 I spoke with Marty. I recall saying to him, "But you don't understand; they--got--me. " (A little elitism left over, I guess) My previous education and work experience would lead one to think that I would not have succumbed to such gross deception. I'm here to tell all, that no one is immune from this corruptive psychological virus that increasingly permeates our society and infiltrates our schools. STEPS TO RECOVERY Recovery from cult abuse is a humbling and life long process. We build on each step we take. My personal recovery consisted of reaching out to other victims and putting my rightful anger to constructive use. I started The Exit & Support Network™ two years ago. In its sixty years of destruction, the Worldwide Church of God did not have a support network for exiters--now it does. The Exit & Support Network™ has affiliates throughout the U.S., Canada and Australia. [Update: There are no longer affiliates in Canada or Australia.] When a questioning or exiting member finds their way to one of us, they have access to references, referrals, exit counseling, research work, history, investigative assistance and most importantly, connection to hundreds who have been there. Our collective research has taken us to over twelve conferences dealing with cults; abuse; and mind-control issues. We've traveled to the Library of Congress; the Archives to other avenues of education I never would have dreamed possible. The more I reach out to other victims, the stronger I became. The most therapeutic measure for me was becoming an Activist of Awareness against this heinous crime. The recovery process must include the understanding of the vastness of the cult problem in our society. If I had to attribute one key factor that was most significant toward my continued recovery, it would be having learned that the exploitation and victimization by the Worldwide Church of God was not a personal attack on me. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It also helped to know that I was one of millions caught in the tangled webs spun by these groups. I was almost immediately self-deprogrammed just by learning that hundreds of other groups were deceiving their recruits by using the same words and tactics as the Worldwide Church of God used on me. The Worldwide Church of God may have been one of the most destructive groups in society for awhile, but rest assured, they are just one little pea in the pod now! There are three ABC's to recovery that have proven to be helpful to hundreds of Worldwide Church of God exiters that have tapped into the Exit & Support Network™:
I also include my "10 steps for success" program:
In conclusion, I say to everyone here, BEWARE! The religious cults are transforming right under your eyes. The deceptive groups are getting smarter as they get politically correct. They are enhancing their storefronts, sprucing up their identities and changing their tunes as they cunningly attempt to mainstream and infiltrate society with the most dangerous methods ever applied. As the public, for the most part, is asleep at the wheel, cults like the Worldwide Church of God, are attempting to shed their "cult reputation" and will stoop to any level to manipulate the wisest of minds. Over these past couple of years, the Worldwide Church of God has demonstrated how seductive these groups can be as they continue to deceive and slave the people, exploit the constitution, enhance the mind-control tactics, and use persuasive coercion as they continue to build their financial empires and self-serving power governments. Do not be fooled or manipulated by reports of "doctrinal changes," new names, or new leaders. The cosmetic enhancements are targeted to fool you! The Bible-based cults of today may pose as a religion, but that religious deception translates into:
[Note: See: What is a Cult? (Q&A)] Lastly, I leave my ex-cult member peers with a word of encouragement. Your voice counts. Collectively, we must stand together and report the atrocity. We are the ones who must speak out. We can no longer sit back and wait for the other guy to do it. We--are--that--guy. We must not hang on to the skirt tails of the few awareness organizations available and expect them to do all the work. There is a war in our society and it's aimed at our brains. Knowledge and awareness are the powerful weapons we have as a defense from allowing this crime to continue unnoticed. We cannot sit back and allow the continued death and destruction of this cultic holocaust when we ourselves have so much annunciation to educate and warn the public with. In my humble opinion the most therapeutic measure we can do toward healing is to reach out to others by being pro-active in awareness of cults. Terry Anderson was a lucky guy; they never got his mind because he knew how to protect it. You and I both know that there are thousands of others who are not that fortunate. Thank you for listening. By L. A. Stuhlman *The
word "cult" is used in the context of a deceitful, abusive,
mind-manipulating organization.
(See:
Identifying Marks of an Exploitive, Abusive Group.) While WCG may not be labeled a "religious
cult" by the media today, we have given reasons in our
OIU newsletters and in our other
articles
why we do not endorse them, but rather expose them.
Note: Some prefer the word "target" instead of "victim." Tim Field, author of Bully in Sight has this to say: "The word 'victim' allows disingenuous people to tap into and stimulate other people's misconceptions and prejudices of victimhood. 'Target' correctly identifies that it is the choice of the bully to bully, it is not the choice of the target to be targeted." Footnotes by ESN: 1Yet God says He speaks to us today through His Son. (See Heb. 1:2a) 2 Since this tape was made, CAN is no longer a recommended resource. It was bankrupted by Scientology and is staffed by its operatives. Any mention of CAN on this tape is before this took place. More information on CAN is contained in this offsite report. 3 "In the 20th century Fundamentalism was the reaction of Bible believers to the Protestant retreat from the Bible." [i.e., modernism and liberal theology around the turn of the century] (The Soul of St. Louis, James R. Beller, p. 212.) True fundamentalists are not aligned with neo-evangelicals or the ecumenical movement; however, today there are those who have given the name "fundamentalist" a bad name due to their extremism. Extreme Christian fundamentalist sects can have severe impacts on members. (Refer to the book Snapping.) Since this tape, ESN recommends our readers also research the origins of neo-evangelicalism, the New Age Movement, and the modern Charismatic movement, as WCG has involved themselves with such. (See links under Apostasy in the Church and Booklist under "Special Interest" and "The New Age Movement/Occult.") Exiting an Exploitive, Deceptive Group (Transcription of Tape EX-3 by L. A. Stuhlman; originally made for those exiting WCG, but contains very helpful info for those who were involved with any of the high demand offshoots) How to Recover After Exiting a Deceptive, Abusive Group Outsider's Inside Update Newsletters (Looking behind the scenes at the real activities and associations pertaining to the "transformation" of the WCG; shows how doctrine was used as a massive propaganda tool) An Open Letter to Our Acquaintances in The Church of God (Very important letter which enabled many to question deception and to exit WCG and its authoritarian offshoots. One interesting part shows how WCG used thought reform in order to instigate their new changes.) Questioning Herbert W. Armstrong (was he who he said he was?) |
