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Author Topic: Cultish Religious Groups on College Campuses Including GCx Formed Groups  (Read 5302 times)
Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2023, 09:37:03 pm »



My child has been at WCCC for quite some time and we were aware that all she does is with the church and her participation at Drake is only in classes.  She was very involved on various boards and such at Drake until all of her time started getting taken up by church group activities, Bible studies and reunions. ...

We had been so pleased that she was so involved in her church although we were concerned about her lack of involvement in college sponsored groups and activities, decision to stay in Des Moines after graduating, deciding not to do the study abroad she had dreamed about...

-worried parent



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« Reply #21 on: March 12, 2023, 04:03:06 pm »


I wish I would have invited a deeper discussion with xray342 when he initially posted this (below). It is crucial to be aware and examine the patterns of their cult control. Their method of indoctrination is quite similar to GCx in the video above. Several former members of ICOC have posted here to speak of the startling similarities. Just because you claim to teach the Bible at a college campus group doesn’t make you or your group safe.

Ask and you shall receive... as soon as I dug out my password from an old backup! Smiley

Yes, the methods of indoctrination and control of the groups that emerged out of the Shepherding Movement of the 1960's are eerily similar, even more than half a century after their genesis. And there's not much we can do besides warn people who encounter them and start asking questions to avoid them. Even campus ministries and churches around colleges in my area (Cincinnati) seem to be indifferent about it.

Let me give everyone here some encouragement and ideas from what has been going on in the ICOC/ICC side of things...

First, there has been a lot of activist activity from former ICOC/ICC members in the past year or so, including both videos and podcasts. The most well-known podcast to have emerged is The Reclamation: https://thereclamationpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1895127 It has stories from former ICOC members for many decades. Not only are the stories of abuse consistent, I imagine they will resonate with many former GCM members as well. Remember: even a small series of videos from just one former GCM member describing their experience may have a huge impact!

Second, there have been lawsuits filed against the ICOC/ICC for mandatory reporters (leaders) not reporting sexual abuse of minors. Former members have known that things like this have occurred over the decades, but these lawsuits codify them into actual lawsuits. More lawsuits appear to be on the way. RICO was invoked as well, meaning that the finances can be opened in order to find illegal uses of funds. They even set up a web site to help keep track of them: http://icoc-icclawsuits.com/ We imagine this will come in handy to help keep track of everything as the number of lawsuits grows and they progress through both the state and federal systems. I'm not aware of any specific similar issues in GCM, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. I know some of the folks working with the legal team and can introduce you to them.
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« Reply #22 on: March 12, 2023, 07:38:12 pm »


Wow, what a great surprise, Xray342!! That is too cool you saw my recent response to such an old post of yours. Thanks so much for writing back. How encouraging to hear all that has resulted from activist activity on behalf of past and future members of ICOC/ICC abusive practices! God does command us to publicly rebuke and stand against church leaders and groups who have been repeatedly warned and are unrepentant.


If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Matthew 18:15-17


Thanks so much for hooking us up with The Reclamation Podcast! I plan on checking that out very soon. I hope to write here about it after I listen.

I was thinking very recently along those lines also, X-ray, -of former GCx members describing briefly their experiences on video, and what a very helpful impact that might be! Could be some confirmation there?? Perhaps a young person that was recruited into GCx through one or more of their college groups could be quite valuable for those about to enter the college scene. Any ideas or leads from you regarding such an endeavor would be welcome. Were you suggesting the possibility of doing that via The Reclamation Podcast?
 
Anyone somewhat interested in that reading here maybe pray about that, and then Private Message me.

Others likely know better about sexual abuse of minors inside the “GCx” Churches. I remember reading here one case which I believe was attempted to be “silenced” by “GCx” Leaders. It did not sound at all to be properly handled. One counselor did state that they would be surprised if there were not significant abuse of a sexual nature also going on because that is what usually occurs in “cultish Christian Churches.” As we now publicly know it is higher than average among Amish cultures.

There was no genuine accountability regarding the use of members monetary giving for quite some time; and with their frequent twisting of the truth on so many matters, it would be hard for many of us to trust what they “report” on this area. Others are much more aware of this area in GCx.




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« Reply #23 on: March 14, 2023, 08:11:43 am »



I was thinking very recently along those lines also, X-ray, -of former GCx members describing briefly their experiences on video, and what a very helpful impact that might be! Could be some confirmation there?? Perhaps a young person that was recruited into GCx through one or more of their college groups could be quite valuable for those about to enter the college scene. Any ideas or leads from you regarding such an endeavor would be welcome. Were you suggesting the possibility of doing that via The Reclamation Podcast?

I know of several people (and we see more in general Facebook groups) who have seen testimonies of former members and that either kept them from joining, was a component of them making a decision to leave, or helped confirm that they made the right decision after they had left. So there's no reason why it shouldn't work the same way with GCM.

The Reclamation was a limited series and has stopped being produced. Although I believe the producer (Aldo) would have liked to have interviewed former members of other Shepherding Movement groups to help draw parallels in practices between them.
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« Reply #24 on: March 14, 2023, 09:01:55 pm »

Maybe we could look at that possibility of a Facebook presence with videos. Would take considerable dedication to maintain it. Our current administrator here has generously devoted a lot to keep this site running. Worth considering some platform where we could have real people videos. Something where the word would spread quickly might be quite helpful.

One advantage to becoming aware of the abuses in ICOC/ICC seems to be that the name of their group hasn’t changed every 3 to 5 years like GCx, so it’s easier to remember or research.

I thought Aldo Martin’s Reclamation Podcast was professionally done. He has a good voice and personality for such a thing. I have no idea the amount of dedication and work it takes to produce such a show so, if it were possible I would have liked to hear more facts and instances to bring home the point. The few I listened to had points that definitely identified with GCx like Spirituality vs. Personality. There would be a lot of nodding heads among former GCx-ers to that sadly disappointing mindset that ability (or personality) to attract recruits was equated with spirituality or fruitfulness. Those of us who were young in the Lord didn’t know just how mistaken that concept actually was. Those of us who were a little more introverted felt a terrible strain.

If I remember correctly, the Boston Movement (which eventually became ICC) was also listed and outlined among Abusive Churches along with GCI [GCx alias] in Churches That Abuse by Ron Enroth. Did you ever happen upon that book and see your church there?

You mentioned another similarity of ICC to GCx is that their founder is no longer with the organization, but many of the abusive practices still are. How did Kip McKean come to leave ICC? Why do you think such harmful practices still remain after he left? Does ICC claim those abuses are no longer present?


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« Reply #25 on: March 16, 2023, 01:22:09 pm »

The setup doesn't need to be complicated. A Facebook group (or groups) linking to videos on YouTube is working well for us.

Maybe someone can volunteer and provide some background on GCM, McCotter, and their morphing names throughout the years. It would help provide structure. (Personally, I'm curious about how GCM developed doctrinally. I believe the starting point was the teachings of the Plymouth Brethren, correct?)

I think I read Churches That Abuse sometime after I had left the ICOC... My mind would have completely blocked it out if I read it when I was still in, of course.

You mentioned another similarity of ICC to GCx is that their founder is no longer with the organization, but many of the abusive practices still are. How did Kip McKean come to leave ICC? Why do you think such harmful practices still remain after he left? Does ICC claim those abuses are no longer present?

So... Kip McKean set up a rule that the children of a leader, if they're old enough, must be members of the ICOC as well. If they "fell away", then that leader would be removed from leadership. Kip's oldest child went off to college in 2000 and she left the ICOC shortly thereafter. The men Kip was discipling (since Kip was at the top of the pyramid, no one was practically discipling him), under great pressure from Kip from above and the weight of running their parts of the church under them, decided to remove him from leadership, first with a sabbatical, then later removing him from leadership completely in 2002. Kip then publicly apologized for his harsh leadership. However, through some politics and favors, he ended up taking control of the ICOC congregation in Portland, Oregon in late 2003. From there, he started to repeat history and build a new movement and discipling hierarchy loyal to him. This became the International Christian Churches (ICC).

Ultimately the only difference between the contemporary ICOC and Kip's ICC is that the ICC is organized and run as a strict discipling hierarchy with Kip McKean at the top. The ICOC still requires new members to accept their discipling system to become saved and remain saved, but it's more loose and it's not practiced as strictly as it is in the ICC. There is also a loose hierarchy that's hard to nail down, but it's ultimately an oligarchy of leaders at the top calling the shots. Nevertheless, the ICOC is still authoritarian and continues to wreck peoples' lives - and the lawsuits are starting to expose that not much has changed over the past half century or so.
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« Reply #26 on: March 16, 2023, 08:27:27 pm »

Not much changing over the past half century or so in ICOC/ICC is much the same with GC/GCI/GCM/GCC/GCAC/CCN/Reliant Mission as we sadly have found.

Get back with you on the rest.

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« Reply #27 on: March 20, 2023, 05:04:33 pm »


Here’s an excerpted section from “Churches That Abuse” about The Boston Movement (led by Kip McKean) that could also be said about GCx (founded by Jim McCotter). The similarity of the fear of failing God was weighted heavily upon the people in GCx, with a sort of hopelessness of ever measuring up. This terrible overriding pressure stole most any confidence and joy of acceptability before God. It created an atmosphere of quiet desperation to constantly do more to try to be pleasing to God until too many of us were near a nervous breakdown.


Authoritarian, manipulative fringe groups, on the other hand, encourage clones and promote cookie-cutter life-styles. Flavil Yeakley, in his book The Discipling Dilemma, suggests that such groups value conformity, not diversity.” They tend to make people over after the image of a group leader, the group norm, or what the group regards as the ideal personality .... They are made to feel guilty for being what they are and inferior for not being what the group wants them to be."

Yeakley discovered in his research that the Boston Church of Christ (also known as the Boston Movement) was producing in its members the very same pattern of unhealthy personality change that is observed in studies of well-known manipulative sects. The data ... prove that there is a group dynamic operating in that congregation that influences members to change their personalities to conform to the group norm .... The Holy Spirit changes people when they become Christians, but not by making us identical in psychological type. The growth that comes from the Holy Spirit produces a body with many different members that perform many different functions in many different ways.

Another effective control mechanism employed by abusive churches is fear; fear of not measuring up, fear of losing out with God if one leaves the group, and fear of spiritual failure. As one observer colorfully described it, "An incredible environment of fear is created where the hens huddle together within the walls to protect themselves from ravenous wolves, while allowing weasels to guard their chicken coop."

-Ronald Enroth, Churches That Abuse



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« Reply #28 on: March 29, 2023, 08:02:17 pm »




An ungodly system will excuse, minimize or distort what is in fact crippling, deforming, shattering and life-destroying to humans. No matter the words used to describe it, toleration of sin, or deviation from the truth means a system is in fact
NOT the work of God
.”

-Diane Langberg, Christian Psychologist
 on Abuse & Trauma
 Twitter, Yesterday



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« Reply #29 on: March 31, 2023, 08:01:52 pm »


The following was originally reported under the Heading Hellos and Testimonies about 2 years ago, but should also be placed here. It is important to point out that Collegiate Church Network is connected closely with Reliant Mission which is also made up of GCM [GCx alias] staff. If this coconut shell game of mixing church organization names is getting confusing, it’s partly intended to be so that their trail of bad reports cannot be easily traced or found.




I am former staff at a Collegiate Church Network church. When I was new to the movement it was undergoing rebranding from GCM to Collegiate Church Network. At the time I had no context for what this meant. Later on I would find this website and bring it to the leaders of my group, confused. It was all explained away, and I was told that Collegiate and GCM are very different despite their shared history. But they're cut from the same cloth, and still led by some of the same dangerous people - people who were "discipled" by even more dangerous people.

I'm writing this in case anyone from Collegiate Church Network finds themselves here. After getting to be behind the curtain as a staffer, many of the concerns and suspicions I had as a student were confirmed. Many (not all) of the same issues that applied to GCx churches still apply to Collegiate. If you sense something, listen to yourself. And though I believe some people do have good experiences in some Collegiate churches...my advice would be to get out.

-giraffe1



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« Reply #30 on: April 02, 2023, 07:07:48 pm »



I too, became involved with a GCM church when I was a freshman in college. Something didn't feel quite right to me after a few months, but I could never put my finger on it. My parents were concerned because I wasn't myself when I came home for Christmas. …

By spring term, I was a mess. I would get headaches when I tried to study, I was highly anxious, and where previously I loved God, I was now scared of Him and of doing anything "outside of His will."

When I came home that summer of my freshman year (I lived in another state), I was distraught, depressed, and didn't know which end was up. Like your daughter I was strongly encouraged to go to the summer training program. If I had gone, there is no way my parents would have been able to help me leave the group. Because they had me home for a few months that summer, I was able to figure out something was seriously wrong and I decided not to go back to college in that state.

I cannot emphasize how different my life would have been had I been able to leave earlier. My parents were able to get me into counseling that summer, but it has taken me many years to process my experience and it has been a long, painful road.

Like others have said, the church may try to encourage your daughter not to listen to you, and that she needs to make a choice between church and family. That happened to me. … It is sad, but when I was involved in the church, I wouldn't listen to anything my parents tried to tell me.

-Kellie



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« Reply #31 on: April 13, 2023, 06:53:01 pm »



My experience of GCM took place from around 2001-2005. ... Many of the issues in the 1991 apology still very much existed when I was there as late as 2005. ...

I posted about it [my experience] on this forum under the title "H2O Orlando" in General Discussion. But, I will at least post here that the GCM church I was in was not very sensitive (sometimes extremely insensitive) to a student's academic responsibilities or future goals not related to vocational-ministry. ...

...when I was in GCM I felt so disconnected from historic Christianity and from other Christian thought and people. I felt so "overwhelmed" if you will, with GCM rhetoric, thought, approach, that my worldview was so shaped by them. I felt like they were the only church out there and had around 100 million members or something. Again this was just a feeling I had when I was knee-deep in the GCM world. ... I hope that GCM Warning does its part in helping either GCM change its way or keep people from joining churches that have not changed their destructive ways.

-GC Big Names


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« Reply #32 on: May 13, 2023, 05:58:29 am »



It is because the GCx and Walnut Creek understanding is flawed and is not as a whole representative of Christianity. ...
-Barry


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« Reply #33 on: May 21, 2023, 08:01:02 pm »



I will say that in Des Moines [“GCx” Churches] they still try to control whom people date and when they can date them, they still ask for life time commitments to their church alone, they still counsel people to never move from Des Moines and leave their church, they still look down on other churches who "just don't get it", they still preach controlling messages from the pulpit...
-DevastatedTC,   2016


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« Reply #34 on: June 02, 2023, 09:58:34 pm »



I started attending [GCx Church] candlewood's college group spring semester 2009. I was first impressed with the friendliness of everyone. I was raised in a group that consisted of believers from different churches and double checking scriptures to make sure nothing was be manipulated. I admit that it sounded legit at first.

The first thing that I was corrected for was not isolating myself with candlewood peeps. I had been meeting other Christians that weren't apart of the Rock on campus and enjoying the fellowship. It was suggested that I get to know candlewood people, look for the lost, and let the found find the lost. ...

The second thing was not being able to attend all the events. I was taking science classes, working part time, getting to know Candlewood, and enjoying my family in town. I had a hard load of classes with other things that needed my attention as well. I had a hard time balancing my schedule, I often had to skip events. The leaders corrected me so many times for not showing up. I felt that they measured if my relationship with God was on good terms if I attended church and all events throughout the week. I was often tired and needed to balance my schedule opposite the leaders standards. I was also thankful that I was taught to ask God about things in my life. I would ask God if I should go to certain events or other things in my life. God placed convictions that protected me from some of the activities and kept me from being apart of the rock women when they vandalized the rock men's dorms. It was a blessing where I questioned the leadership and learned to be less dependent on what the leaders wanted us to do. If you scheduled a group hangout that wasn't in the leaders plan you received correction for overstepping your boundaries.

-Hope


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« Reply #35 on: August 14, 2023, 06:39:03 pm »



I post here to warn parents about the dangers of this [GCx] group. On the surface, everything seems great. I mean what Christian parent doesn't want their Christian student to connect with other Christians when they go off to college and be on fire for God. On the other hand, the next thing you know, you have lost your child to some self-proclaimed elders who know what's best for them because they are a "spiritual authority" (again, never mind how they got that authority, no one ever bothers to take that authority chain back to it's roots ... all GC has got is Jim McCotter, 1970!). It's all great for the student till he/she realizes that something is rotten in the State of Denmark and they have to leave. The next thing you know, your child has lost all his/her Christian friends and learns the sad and hard lessons of conditional friendships.

-Linda,   2013


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« Reply #36 on: August 15, 2023, 08:00:34 pm »



I currently attend a GCM church. (My particular church started as a campus ministry and grew to a community church.) I'm still attending college and have been in the church for just about two years.. When I first started I was simply a member, but now I've gotten into some leadership... I went home this weekend and my father revealed to me that he thinks I'm in a cult. ... I talked to my boyfriend about it (he used to be a member of my church...) and he said that it was in fact labelled a cult at one time...

I was asked to quit my job in order to better devote myself to God while in college... I didn't agree and had some words with the leader about it. He told me I wasn't trusting God enough to bless me financially and I told him that He did.. by giving me a job. I let my campus minister know about the conversation and he also had some words with the new guy and he backed down and apologized...

I started researching it and eventually made it to this site. ... I guess the point of this post is that I'm partially in complete disagreement with what I've read... and partially I'm afraid that I disagree with what is being said because I'm too deep into it... I'm just a little freaked out that I may be blinded...

-StillAGCMer,   2012


I am sending this post from a mobile device from the FW [GCx FaithWalkers] conference. My daughter is a college freshman. She was raised in our Evangelical, Bible-beleiving home and attended a wonderful Bible-believing, non-denominational Christian school. This fall she began attending a GC* [GCx] house church plant. I regret that I did not do my homework and it was only here at FW that I realized that "the movement" is a TACO [Totally Aberrant Church Organization].

-ConcernedFather,   2009


The way these [GCx] churches hurt kids and families is something to get worked up about. Most of us have spent a lot of time (usually before we left and even after) trying to be "loving" and "forgiving" but what we were really doing is keeping silent... What's going on in some of these [GCx] churches shouldn't be protected...

A lot of us have said over and over: The people usually have good motives. They think they're doing the right thing (which is actually pretty frightening that they think that). It's not all bad all the time. But the things that are bad are pretty serious and deserve some anger--especially when it's your daughter!

As you probably heard, they're not afraid to divide parents and children in the name of their cause. ...

-Rebekah,   2010



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« Reply #37 on: August 16, 2023, 08:23:10 pm »



I'm also from the [GCx] Summitview Rock, 2008-2012. ... I was never fully committed to the GC college ministry I was a part of (the Rock): I split my time between them and the non-GC Navs ministry I had joined first. ... After I left Summitview, I discovered the skeletons in the GCx closet (the Statement of Error and the testimony of a leader in the Navigators that GCx churches had--at least at one point--a reputation for producing shell-shocked individuals) and this site. ... I left in early 2012 and later found my reasons for leaving were practically spelled out in the 1991 Statement of Church Error.  Some were no longer present, but many of the core problems persisted. ... That church and the Rock especially do not seem to want to learn from their past, nor remember it.  I can't think of one concrete discussion of the church's or the movement's history while I was there, not even in the membership class...

Dating was definitely suppressed and young leaders regularly over-reached their authority. ... I realized that not only was the whole fiasco with this girl not all my fault as I'd been told, but that it was actually mostly the church's fault, part of a pattern they'd admitted to but continued repeating for the past 20+ years. ... I was in both the Navigators and the Rock (a GC college ministry)...then spent a little time with Campus Crusade in my last year.  I got to be in two environments where Christian men and women related as friends and--occasionally--romantic interests, and then the GC where they did nothing of the sort ...

Thoughtless obedience to other people seems to masquerade for obedience to God in these [GCx] churches, but it isn't.

-2xA Ron



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« Reply #38 on: August 18, 2023, 10:26:05 pm »


These posts from a parent of a Drake University student who was pulled into Drake Campus Fellowship founded by GCx (and is still run by GCx founded churches) are heartbreaking.


I would have bet anything that my child and I could not be pulled a part so easily (by a Church group, even more astonishing!)  We've been through so much since his birth.  There were so many medical and social issues while he grew up and although it wasn't the most "fun" childhood, he sure knew he was loved, taken care of and lovingly given whatever we could give to help him grow independent and find the happiness he so deserves. I was totally prepared for the distance that comes when a child goes to college but this seems much colder than what has happened with my older child and very different* than what I'd hear about other kids going away to college.

I'm starting to feel that given the choice between the Church and his family, he'd walk away from us.  I so want to be wrong. ...

Even questioning him about the reasons he wants to be part of this specific group, ends with a slightly bigger separation between us. ... I've heard through my son's own words (not verbatim, though) that any discouragement to join DCF [“GCx” Drake Campus Fellowship] is satan's way!

... These GC "special social rules" come right during the most important part of ones life when social and academic success is at the most reachable point in ones life.  Devotion to your religion can still be a big part of your life!  why is it being treated as an either/or.  Being held back from experiencing the amazing world that g-d created, is an awful, manipulative, self-serving control trick being used by these leaders/elders.

-stellan,   2012



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« Reply #39 on: August 30, 2023, 10:20:28 pm »


The following is from a January 2021 article by cult expert Steve Hassan titled “Authoritarian Bible Cults Actively Recruiting at College and Online: Interview With Former BCC Member Chris Lee.” (BBC is Boston Church of Christ later named International Church of Christ which has striking similarities to “GCx” in its persuasive recruiting & growth tactics. Here are some excerpts from the article regarding the danger of Bible-based cults on college campuses  (red emphasis is mine):



University administrators are looking for advice and information on warning students and possibly even banning the groups from campus. …

…it is indisputable that making objective information about cult tactics easily available to all students and staff within a university is crucial. This can be done through printed or online information, orientation programs, and periodic talks by invited experts. Former cult members who can speak directly to the experience of being recruited can be most effective in helping people understand how even someone who is otherwise intelligent and successful can be lured into a cult by the use of these destructive tactics. …

Right from the beginning, Chris felt rushed and pressured at the pace at which he was brought into the church activities…  After Chris had become an assistant Bible Talk leader and Bible Talk co-leader, he made some suggestions that he thought would improve the practices of BCC but was shut down by the leaders (Chris’s grades began to suffer as he gave more and more of his schedule to various meetings of the Boston Church of Christ, such that his parents became highly concerned…  Chris calculated that the average non-leadership member averaged at least 12 hours a week in mandatory activities, excluding travel time. As a leader, it was easy to spend 30-40 hours a week or more.) …

Chris recalls how any disagreement or questioning of the beliefs and practices at BCC was made into a personal problem, such as “you don’t have enough faith” or “you are not spiritual enough” or “who are YOU to question how we do things” rather than leading to an honest and open discussion. …

Cults operate under the principle of “ad hominem” argumentation, a tactic by which disagreement is directed against the person asking the questions rather than directly discussing the problem.



Very Helpful Graphic Chart:
Influence Continuum by Steve Hassan, Cult Mind Control (2018)
https://freedomofmind.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Influence-Continuum-2022-colors-final-1536x1329.jpg




« Last Edit: August 31, 2023, 09:36:12 am by Janet Easson Martin » Logged

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