| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Fredric L. Rice" |
| Date: |
10 Dec 2003 08:08:53 PM |
| Object: |
Dangerous WOFF cult sues for right to abuse children |
:===Begin Quote===
[Word of Faith Fellowship] Word of Faith Fellowship sues DSS, claims
harassment
Item 5343 • Posted: Tue, Dec. 09 2003 • Weblogged by
ReligionNewsBlog.com
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/5343-.html
Herald-Journal (USA), Dec. 6, 2003
By Baker Maultsby, Staff Writer
The Word of Faith Fellowship church filed a federal lawsuit Friday alleging
that
members' civil rights have been violated by the Rutherford County, N.C.,
Department of Social Services and individuals working for the agency.
The suit comes nearly two months after a judge allowed DSS to remove the
four
minor children of former WOFF member Shana Muse from the home of church
minister
Kent Covington and his wife, Brooke.
If the DSS victory appeared to have put WOFF on the defensive, the federal
lawsuit makes clear the Spindale, N.C.-based church intends to stand its
ground.
The suit alleges that since 1995 DSS has "engaged in unconstitutional,
systematic and repeated harassment" of WOFF and its members.
"The purpose of the lawsuit is to seek to enforce (the constitutional right
of)
the church and a number of parents and children to freely exercise their
religious beliefs," said John Gresham, a Charlotte, N.C.-based attorney
representing the church.
"It also provides information to show that this church -- a
nondenominational,
charismatic, evangelical Christian church -- is within the types of
churches
that practice their religion throughout this country."
Gresham noted that a number of WOFF members hold jobs, from banking to
education, in the Rutherford County community.
Former members and DSS have said the church practice of "blasting," or loud
prayer, is abusive, especially to children.
The suit calls blasting "biblically-based and non-violent."
Gresham said the church has become the subject of ridicule in the community
and
has suffered harassment from officials because it is "perceived as being
sufficiently different."
He pointed to church members' rejection of some aspects of modern culture
and
added that WOFF is "one of few fully integrated churches in Rutherford
County."
Numerous former members have said the church and its leader, Jane Whaley,
seek
to control many members by telling them where they can work, limiting their
exposure to television and newspapers, placing them in group homes and
making
them listen to "blasting."
In the DSS case involving Muse's children, North Carolina District Court
Judge
Randy Pool found credence in those claims. In his findings, he concluded
that
WOFF leaders "attempt to exercise complete control over the mind, body and
spirit of its members, both adults and children."
Gresham said the federal lawsuit does not attempt to overturn Pool's
ruling. It
has been appealed separately. But the suit would have DSS essentially leave
WOFF
alone in the future.
Along with Gresham, New York attorney Eric Lieberman is representing WOFF.
Lieberman has represented the Church of Scientology over the years. Gresham
said
that to his knowledge the Scientologists have not helped to fund WOFF's
suit.
:===End Quote===
John Gresham's claim is incorrect, to say the least. The Word of Faith
Fellowship is an abusive church, whose teachings and practices fall so far
outside those of normal, Biblical Christianity, that this church should be
considered a cult of Christianity:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/w18.html
Lieberman's involvement is interesting. Birds of a feather do fly
together.
Keep in mind that unethical behavior, including (but not limited to) the
abuse
of the legal system is a Scientology sacrament. It is encouraged and
condoned
by cult founder L. Ron Hubbard, and practiced by all Scientologists.
The late cult defender Jeffrey K. Hadden included Lieberman in his plotting
against anti-cult and countercult organizations. See his "Confidential"
memo on
neutralizing anti-cult organizations:
:===Begin Quote===
MEMORANDUM
December 20, 1989
To: Social scientists concerned about forensic and related issues
dealing with New Religious Movements.
From: Jeffrey K. Hadden (on behalf of Eileen Barker and David
Bromley)
Re: Developments since our informal meeting in Salt Lake City on
October 27, 1989
INTRODUCTION
Eileen Barker, David Bromley and I met in New York on
December 10-12 to consider further the issues we discussed at
our October meeting in Salt Lake City.
While in New York we met with the following individuals:
Perry London (Dean of the Graduate School of Applied and
Professional Psychology at Rutgers University); Mark [sic--Marc]
Galanter
(Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse at the NYU School of Medicine); Eric
Lieberman (attorney who has been involved in a number of NRM
cases); Dean Kelley (National Council of Churches) and John
Biermans, David Hager, and Hugh Spurgen (Unification Church).
[...]
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/h14a01.html
:===End Quote===
Relevant links provided in the webbed edition:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/5343-.html
Word of Faith Fellowship news tracker / news archive:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/category-cat=322.html
Anton,
Apologetics Index
--
Research resources on religions, cults, sects, doctrines, and related
issues:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com (News and news archives)
http://www.apologeticsindex.org (Other research resources)
---
Yes, George W. Bush is an unelected baby killing fascist dictator.
Those who are _against_ freedom call another's fight to be free
"terrorism."
.
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