Word of Faith Fellowship

[Stormy]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article134790299.html

In short, the Word of Faith Fellowship is a church that's come under investigation for severe abuse, often manifesting as "blasting", where congregants literally beat the shit out of someone to expel demons. Sexual, spiritual, and emotional abuse also abound. Victims are trained from an early age to lie to authorities. Nearly all the members were encouraged to live in the same town so as to keep the community isolated. Most people interviewed for the article had been brought into the cult as children, and have been cut off from their families for leaving.

In my area, too. Jeezy creezy.

[FeministShrew]

Local to me, too. (About an hour away, but I used to live about 30 minutes from Spindale. I'm pretty sure there was another branch in or near Chesnee, SC that was in the news some years ago for beating the devil out of members' kids.  Unless this is the same group & they moved.

[16strong]

Here's another article about their sexual repression habits: https://apnews.com/5ae81185fd2045a28bbc702a059169e6/NC-church-has-unconventional-rules-for-sex-and-marriage?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

In short, no sex until over a year after marriage, with ministers' approval, missionary only, and no more than 30 mins. Also, no foreplay. Uh, yikes.

[PennySycamore]

10 hours ago, 16strong said:

Here's another article about their sexual repression habits: https://apnews.com/5ae81185fd2045a28bbc702a059169e6/NC-church-has-unconventional-rules-for-sex-and-marriage?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

In short, no sex until over a year after marriage, with ministers' approval, missionary only, and no more than 30 mins. Also, no foreplay. Uh, yikes.

Their sex lives must be so damn boring!

[Anonymousguest]

Is this the same word of faith as Ken Hagin and the Rhema institute?

[Jezzable]

Quote

Is this the same word of faith as Ken Hagin and the Rhema institute?

It was initially, but Ken Hagin severed ties when Whaley went wayward.

[Bad Wolf]

I didn't think anything could surprise me, but this made me sick.

[BobTheWalrus]

On 28/02/2017 at 11:36 PM, PennySycamore said:

Their sex lives must be so damn boring!

And painful!

[Pukingpearl]

On 2/28/2017 at 7:43 AM, 16strong said:

Here's another article about their sexual repression habits: https://apnews.com/5ae81185fd2045a28bbc702a059169e6/NC-church-has-unconventional-rules-for-sex-and-marriage?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

In short, no sex until over a year after marriage, with ministers' approval, missionary only, and no more than 30 mins. Also, no foreplay. Uh, yikes.

Ouch!!! 

[GenerationCedarchip]

I had not been familiar with this group until the news stories came out, but I came across this report. It's long, but chilling reading.  The thought that people within the justice system could be complicit in this religious abuse is just horrifying to me. I can't imagine how trapped some of these victims must have felt.

 

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7f8b11fa9b544f5e9a81efef90c52101/ex-sect-members-tell-ap-prosecutors-obstructed-abuse-cases

[FeministShrew]

I have friends in Spindale who say they (Word of Life Fellowship) keep getting away with abuse because some of their members are in local government (city/county council, law enforcement) and have been able to suppress investigations. They are also known in the community to be extremely litigious  (shades of Westboro Baptist).
A close friend reminded me that she attended a wedding there ( for a client's daughter) a couple of years ago and thought it was batshit crazy. It lasted for hours and involved lots of singing and several long sermons on submissive women and a woman's "duties" in the home. She said there was an uncomfortable amount of talk about sex, too.
My friend was raised atheist in mostly northern states, and is now Bahá’í. Her husband is Swiss and completely nonreligious. I can't begin to describe her shock & horror. I've had fun educating her on fundie ways (hell, even plain ol' white bread Southern Baptists seem crazy to her!), but she didn't believe me until she went to that wedding, lol.

[FeministShrew]

Looks like my friends were correct  about church members in local government.
The latest:
http://www.wyff4.com/article/prosecutors-accused-of-involvement-in-allegedly-abusive-church/9108841

[MamaJunebug]

Apropos of nothing and not diminishing the hideousness of WOFF one bit:

I'd love to see Teri(fying) Maxwell rocking her version of the Jane Whaley Hairdo. 

[GenerationCedarchip]

@FeministShrew - Yes!  The article I linked had quite a bit of info about the social workers, prosecutors and even some police involvement in that church. If the allegations are true, the amount of collusion between the government and the WOF church leader is scary as all get out.

[FundiesInParis]

On 2/28/2017 at 7:43 AM, 16strong said:

Here's another article about their sexual repression habits: https://apnews.com/5ae81185fd2045a28bbc702a059169e6/NC-church-has-unconventional-rules-for-sex-and-marriage?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

In short, no sex until over a year after marriage, with ministers' approval, missionary only, and no more than 30 mins. Also, no foreplay. Uh, yikes.

How in the hell! 

[47of74]

“They kept us as slaves”: AP reveals claims against church

Quote

An Associated Press investigation has found that Word of Faith Fellowship used its two church branches in Latin America’s largest nation to siphon a steady flow of young laborers who came on tourist and student visas to its 35-acre compound in rural Spindale.

Under U.S. law, visitors on tourist visas are prohibited from performing work for which people normally would be compensated. Those on student visas are allowed some work, under circumstances that were not met at Word of Faith Fellowship, the AP found.

On at least one occasion, former members alerted authorities. In 2014, three ex-congregants told an assistant U.S. attorney that the Brazilians were being forced to work for no pay, according to a recording obtained by the AP.