What do destructive cults actually do to members? Depends on which group. And it could vary from one “level” in the group to another. For instance, a person who only attends a fellowship once in a while and does not invest much in the group, well … that person might think the group, represented by a few nice members, is just dandy. They read the Bible and pray and sing and eat cookies. So what’s the problem?
The problem is that oftentimes the ideology promoted by a sect or a cult gets taken very seriously by some members, enough to dedicate their entire lives to the group and become leaders in it. And some leaders let power go to their heads! Abuse is the sad result. Who is responsible? That is often complicated.
First, a thin slice of my story
In 1970 I was a college freshman recruited into an off-campus Bible group that promised me “the accuracy of God’s Word.” The group was The Way International™. I was eighteen years old and jumped right in. A motherless child by that time, I was looking for “truth” and became enmeshed in the group until I was thirty-five years old, married, and a mother myself. After several crisis, including coming to the realization that “the accuracy of the Word” was really the leader’s interpretation, not the indisputable Word of God, I left in 1987. That’s a really short version of my story.
It is my opinion that The Way International is a destructive cult, at least during the time I was involved from 1970 – 1987, because of truth-claims it failed to prove, ideology that demanded my unquestioning loyalty, and the abuse of some leaders I encountered, including Victor Paul Wierwille, the founder (1916 – 1985).
More reasons for categorizing The Way as a destructive cult can be found in my post, The Camouflage of Cults.
Since the death of Wierwille, The Way’s founder and first president, and the dismissal of Craig Martindale, the second president, some say that The Way International is not a destructive cult anymore. Others say it’s more like a denomination. Maybe. I can only speak from my experience. But regardless of the time period that a person was involved with The Way, most reasonable people would agree that its fundamentalist teachings produce psychological trouble.
Here are a few more problematic issues: An “Us versus Them” mentality. A rejection of critical and thoughtful questioning of doctrines and behavior. Valuing Bible teachings over empathy for other human beings. Promoting the idea, “You have no friends when it comes to the Word.” Instilling fear of being in this world because it is the domain of Satan. Dismissal of other religions as being “of the devil” or at least not viable avenues to spirituality.
Wierwille and Martindale also indoctrinated followers with the belief that if any of us left the group, God would no longer protect us from evil. The widespread use of intimidation went unchecked. Sorrow ensued.
Twenty-eight years later
This year marks the 28th year since I cut ties with The Way International. I’ve had a long time to examine what happened to me during my cult years, my part in the experience, what responsibilities leaders failed to take. I’ve written a memoir and hope to have it published soon.
My daughter learned
This year also marks my daughter’s 40th birthday. She came away from the group angry at losing her friends and oblivious to the deeper reasons her parents had for breaking away. She was too young to understand. Now she is not too young to understand. And she does understand … more than most her age.
While I had some good experiences during my cult years—like bonding with a few very good people, learning skills like public speaking, and gaining practice in being detail-minded—I could surely have learned those things NOT in a cult.
To help my daughter understand the cult’s damaging influence on me, like thinking the Bible contained the only truth in the entire world, over the years I shared what I was learning with her. That was the least I could do as her parent. I love her. She needed healing, just like I did. I read about cults, fundamentalism, different religions, and psychology books. I listened to other people’s stories from other groups, as well as from The Way.
My daughter is ever grateful for that information over the years. It has helped her avoid confusion many of her former Way peers have experienced after leaving the group, since many of them still cling to those old teachings and still call Wierwille their “father in The Word.” Their denial of his control over their parents, like me, is palpable. They get it from their parents, who were MY peers.
See you next time!
P.S. In August 2019, I edited this post, leaving out a link to another young woman’s Way story because it is no longer available online.
Rob Ruff
I particularly noted in your blog a pair of telltale signs that one has succumbed to the suffocation of a religious cult: “An ‘Us versus Them’ mentality…Valuing Bible teachings over empathy for other human beings.”
Charlene
Rob,
Yes, these are two awful features bound to hurt others, and certainly do not promote the love that groups like this profess to manifest.
I think the loss of empathy is probably the most frightening side effect of addiction to a belief system.
Gary Williams
Presumably cults also routinely value some Bible passages over other Bible passages. Not to mention some versions of “the” Bible over other versions.
Charlene L. Edge
True, true. Cherry picking is a favorite “sport.”