Church of Wells Cult & Alleged Spankings of Children w/ the Rod

[luv2laugh]

There's a website that's purpose is to expose the Church of Wells Cult and contains many of their secret teachings on the website.  Website is here:  http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/
This document from their website has sickened me. 

Here are some quotes:
Encouraging the Rod

Quote

Children will otherwise become: a shame to the parents (Prov. 29:15), an incessant trouble which steals away all peace and rest from the home (Prov. 29:17)

Encouraging to not give into crying in order to spare the child's soul

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“Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” – Proverbs 19:18 There is a special “time span” in which, if chastisement is exercised, depravity will not accelerate beyond control. This “time span” is a gift from God. This “time span” is a window of hope. If parents do not act in this time, a time “while there is hope” (Prov. 19:18), the child will have NO HOPE (in one sense) If this “time span” is used for chastisement, then the promises of God can be obtained for the child (Proverbs 19:18).

The rod will drive foolishness out of the child's heart vs. verbal correction. Do not give into their cries if you care for their soul.

Quote

Mere verbal correction can be done because of laziness. Mere verbal correction can be done because of carnal and unrighteous pity. Mere verbal correction can be done because of a “hope all things” mentality for the child’s goodness, forgetting that in reality, the child has no goodness at all. Mere verbal correction can be done… but when correction is enforced by “the rod” when necessary, the foolishness of the child will be DRIVEN from the heart! Thus shall the child be restrained from sin! “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” – Proverbs 19:18

The rod gives wisdom and not using it brings a family shame.

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“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” – Proverbs 29:15 The child “left to himself” (Prov. 29:15), is a child left to the violence of his or her depravity! From birth, the “foolishness” of sin is already “bound in the heart of the child” (Prov. 22:15), but the scripture promises that “the rod of correction shall drive it far from him”. The child need not remain in the violence of utter rebellion. No! God is providing means of grace with a promise whereby we might drive it far from him! 

Children will Learn Through Pain via the Rod. Pain is used here 5x.

Quote

Because depravity has already set their little feet on the runway to hell, it is our duty to interrupt that course! Hell and death is their final doom unless, behold, the parent impedes the way. By the pain which comes from the rod the child will learn the evil of sin. By pain, the child will obtain a soft heart to reproof. By pain the child will loath sin which he otherwise would never despise. By pain, the child will be convinced of the inevitable judgment of God against sinners.  By pain, the child will learn the truth that, “the way of transgressors is hard” (Prov. 13:15). “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” – Proverbs 13:24 Parents are employed in an office given by God. Their work is to shun carnal love (which is hatred). Their work is to act in God’s love (which to the world is pitilessness and cruelty).

Parents WIN with the rod and must not give into a child's cry.

Quote

With a renewed mind, parents must not consent with the depravity of their children nor hearken to their crying. Rather, they should consent to God’s word and hearken to the voice of His wisdom (“Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:” – Deut. 13:8). This battle is long and the flesh may appear relentless, but the rod is effective! Never let the promises of God fade from memory! With the rod, dear parents, win the promises!

http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=579

Backstory

• One of the leaders married a Joy Courville whose family had been connected to IBLP. In fact, her brother, Jon Courville and his wife, took the wedding photos of Joy Duggar & Austin. These people are a cult that believes in following the leadership of the 3 young pastors and requests everyone shun their family members that aren't in their cult.
• The three founders, Sean Morris, Jake Gardner, and Ryan Ringnald attended Baylor University together and found submissive helpmeets through conservative family camps, many seemingly run by IBLP. Ryan Ringnald, in particular, comes from a family of multi-millionaire's and resented his parents worldly lifestyle. He is the one that married Joy Courville with connections to IBLP. Jake Gardner married Hannah, whose family attended Joy Courville's dad's church , who is Pastor Don Courville. Obviously, Joy is no longer allowed to have any contact with her family members despite her father's conservative fundamentalist Christianity.
• The cult is based in east Texas and has avoided all media. Nightline went down to interview them and they refused to talk.
• A news story ran on the cult when a newborn baby died and they spent a long time praying over the baby to come back to life instead and authorities showed up much later: http://www.ktre.com/story/18659226/babys-death-draws-attention-to-wells-religious-group

[luv2laugh]

I'm currently exploring this link on the website that is a treasure full of information on alleged child maltreatment and maltreatment of wives.  http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/category/children/

Audio of a person from the website speaking of alleged abuses

Beating an 8 mo. old baby leaving bruises: Here is an audio of them allegedly abusing and beating a 8 mo old baby leaving bruises for not "submitting to his father for going to bed" and being "rebellious and wicked" http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=681

Children are Spanked for long times if Not Silent: http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=680

Audio of a 3 year old being told wicked and evil: http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=672

[Loveday]

Quote

By the pain which comes from the rod the child will learn the evil of sin. By pain, the child will obtain a soft heart to reproof. By pain the child will loath sin which he otherwise would never despise. By pain, the child will be convinced of the inevitable judgment of God against sinners.

Jesus wept.

Does Lori Alexander know about this cult? Sounds just her thing.

 

[luv2laugh]

The audio of the girl discussing that she saw an 8 month old with bruises from spanking for being "rebellious" and "not submitting to bedtime" has physically sickened me. She said her therapist had called CPS but never heard of anything being done.

[Anonymousguest]

I've never heard of this church, but the teachings are consistent with the Pearls, Vodie Baucham, Ted Tripp, Gary Ezzo, etc. Each claims to slightly disagree with the other, but the small nuances don't make a difference in the general teaching (or to the child, I dare say). 

[luv2laugh]

WTF...
Check this video out :

Quote

“Sister Amy, she may be unclean soon if she doesn’t find repentance for submission – I think towards her husband. And brother Mike, I don’t know the details, but he was put out of the camp yesterday.”  Sean Sanders

http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/2016/07/12/video-unsubmissive-wife-unclean-woman-putting-out-of-camp-church-of-wells-may-2016/
 

• They also allegedly lured Catherine Grove, a former nursing student, away from her family to move in with them. Her family has been interviewed by the news. Catherine has escape I believe 2 or 3 times.  She was married to Ronnie Saltsman.  She tried to escape AGAIN while 5 months pregnant in 2016.
  • This video is CREEPY. She can't communicate where she wants to go:
    • http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/2017/07/10/catherine-grove-attempts-escape-2016/
      • Apparently they had the baby and now share a FB account https://www.facebook.com/Romans12345678910111213141516

[Howl]

These people are sick, sick, sick, and they are going to raise some tortured, unhappy and possibly mentally ill children.  

[luv2laugh]

It gives me Waco vibes. I think it could be a potential Branch Davidian-Turpin combination in the making. I hope CPS does thorough investigating of the child discipline because of all the kids that have died from Debi Pearl's teachings. It sounds like it's exactly happening here. Allegedly beating an 8 mo. old and leaving bruises since they won't submit to bedtime? That is outrageous.

[NachosFlandersStyle]

If you're not familiar, you gotta read the Texas Monthly stories on this group. TM always has stellar reporting and this is no exception.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/sinners-in-the-hands/amp/

https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-younger-years-of-the-church-elders/

[Bethella]

We've had a number of threads about them over the years:

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

Call the police!!!!!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ladyamylynn]

Thanks for starting this thread.  This group seriously worries me. Like someone above said, I feel they have the potential to go down the Waco/People's Temple route. 

ETA: Interesting side note, Heidi Keyes, the mother of serial killer Israel Keyes, is a member of the cult.

[Howl]

I wanted to return to this thread just to say, F*ck these people. They are sadists hiding behind the facade of religion.  Sadly, in this country, they are very well protected. 

[mrs]

12 hours ago, ladyamylynn said:

Thanks for starting this thread.  This group seriously worries me. Like someone above said, I feel they have the potential to go down the Waco/People's Temple route. 

ETA: Interesting side note, Heidi Keyes, the mother of serial killer Israel Keyes, is a member of the cult.

The church actually performed his funeral.

[luv2laugh]

I’m worried for the babies and children in this cult that are allegedly suffering long sessions of beatings, leaving bruises.

They call their babies wicked and evil. They are encouraging parents to give their children pain. 

I wonder why CPS never did more????

[PurpleCats]

I did a little creeping, and one of the members has mutual Facebook friend of mine.  I may do a little more investigation to see if I can pinpoint how they know each other (without reaching out directly), because this person is not especially religious.  

[luv2laugh]

Random, but Jim and Bobye Holt are Facebook friends with Jake & Hannah Gardner, who is one of the three young cult leaders. Bobye Holt has commented before when Jake wrote something about the Bible regarding about shunning non-believers. Bobye and a Ueland (sp?) sister commented to debate him on it. I think they know them via Joy Courville's Dad's conservative fundie church that has IBLP connections. I think some of them attend her father's church and obviously, Joy's dad must miss his daughter.

It is interesting to me, that Ryan Ringnald, who married Joy Courville & was a silver-spoon child, chose to go down this crazy route. His family is extremely wealthy and father owns multiple businesses including a real estate investment company.

Ryan Ringnald is FB friends with his parents and they comment on most of his family pictures on how cute the kids are and how they miss him, etc but he refuses to answer.
 

Background on Ryan Ringnald's Parents:
"Scott and Mindy Ringnald with daughter Rachel, son Reece and future son-in -law Chip Miner. Guarddogs Rifle, Gunner, Baby, Sugar and Gidget are also featured. Scott and Mindy are both graduates of TCU.

Scott as founder of Associated group Brokerage, and Benefitport Southwest has traded in his 30 year insurance career for Ringnald Ranch L.P. a cattle, water and grassland operation and Ringco Inc. a real estate investment company. Current projects include restorations of the 1860's "man" house and 1904 J.H. Wright house both in Mansfield Texas.

Mindy runs the show and keeps tennis as a primary activity. Reece is a junior at Paschal H.S., founder of the Young Libertarians club and is a three year tennis letterman. Rachel is earning her masters in special education at TCU, and is working at Starpoint. Chip is owner of Miner Properties."

Picture of his family is in this spoiler:

Spoiler

More info on one of his companies he founded, BenefitPort Southwest, via Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1048504

http://davidsirvin2013.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-ringnald-family.html

[NachosFlandersStyle]

It's not anything compared to the accounts of actual criminal behavior of course, but this document from the website is so disturbing. It's one of the elders' accounts of a visit to his wife's 90-year-old grandfather, who was obviously excited at the opportunity to meet his great-grandchildren and catch up with the granddaughter who has been estranged from him by this cult. Instead, this happened (cut from a very, very long email):

Quote

We were intending to possibly stay the night, not expecting that things would turn the way they did. Indeed, we didn't imagine he would be so hard hearted and set in darkness, not even willing to talk about the Scriptures, though he be 90 years old...  Had he been reasonable on any level we no doubt would have stayed with him...

Fearfully, in his testimony was no mention of the New Birth, repentance, a new heart, nothing of being broken as a sinner and seeing himself as a wretched man, a worm...he did speak about how he prays for the children everyday and he at one point did show us his Bible and said that he reads it every day and he is confident in his salvation, but those things seemed to be what he was trying to get across to us to justify his profession of salvation...

After sharing all of that, my wife asked him if she could share a Scripture.  All of the sudden he became seriously defensive and stumbled to say, "your not trying to turn me", before she had shared anything, showing that he was already hardened against us as "Christians" because that is normal Christian behavior, to want to speak about the Lord, the gospel, Jesus Christ, et al (sic?)

Joy told him goodbye and that she was afraid she would never see him again. She started to tell him how salvation is a miraculous change in the heart and he stopped her again saying he didn't want to hear and he was fine. Joy was weeping. He said he liked her the way she was before she was married and he doesn't want what she has.

http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=510

Also, this email between Joy (the woman from the above story) and a church member who was apparently getting cold feet about he guy the church had arranged her to be married to (I mean, who the lord had willed for her) is something else.

On how she knew she was meant to marry her own husband, Ryan:

Quote

Talked with bro Ryan. He said that the only thing that matters is the will of the Lord, not emotions, desires, passions, and he told me that I need to know its the Lord’s will because it will be so hard because the devil hates him, the Lord is with him and keeps him in the dust...

On the present joys of her union:

Quote

Even in the special intimate times of being together, I just wanted to please him and bless him. I wasn’t looking for pleasure for myself, but for pleasure for my husband, and we both ended up being greatly blessed of the Lord because we were seeking to please one another and magnify the Lord...

When I am dead to self and rejoicing in just being a slave, marriage is the most blessed state upon earth!

http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=542

[luv2laugh]

1 hour ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

It's not anything compared to the accounts of actual criminal behavior of course, but this document from the website is so disturbing. It's one of the elders' accounts of a visit to his wife's 90-year-old grandfather, who was obviously excited at the opportunity to meet his great-grandchildren and catch up with the granddaughter who has been estranged from him by this cult. Instead, this happened (cut from a very, very long email):

http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=510

Also, this email between Joy (the woman from the above story) and a church member who was apparently getting cold feet about he guy the church had arranged her to be married to (I mean, who the lord had willed for her) is something else.

On how she knew she was meant to marry her own husband, Ryan:

On the present joys of her union:

http://exposingthechurchofwells.com/?wpfb_dl=542

Yep, that's Joy Courville and her wealthy husband, Ryan Ringnald. Joy Courville's dad, Don Courville, is a pastor of a fundamentalist conservative Christian church too yet he is shunned by them as he is not part of their cult.  How sad...

Although, I don't think Ryan Ringnald will be receiving a dime of his parent's multi-millions as he has cut his own family off.

[apple1]

The Cherokee County sheriff's department, and the DA, would not even take any action related to the death of baby Faith (who would have been saved had professional medical care been sought).

They are not going to do a darn thing about child beating.

[ladyamylynn]

Sean Morris comes from major money as well. I suspect his family is paying them off to have contact with Sean and Preethi and the baby.

[luv2laugh]

1 hour ago, ladyamylynn said:

Sean Morris comes from major money as well. I suspect his family is paying them off to have contact with Sean and Preethi and the baby.

Interesting... how do you know???

I am wondering if any of these three are being financially backed.

I just noticed this comment on Ryan Ringwald’s mom

“Mindy runs the show and keeps tennis as a primary activity.”

[PurpleCats]

13 hours ago, ladyamylynn said:

Sean Morris comes from major money as well. I suspect his family is paying them off to have contact with Sean and Preethi and the baby.

Ohhh.... sort of makes sense as to how the mutual Facebook friend we have is connected now.  I couldn’t find any other members of the church that I share mutual friends with.  Very intrigued by this group.  It’s surprisingly big(ger than I expected).

 

Does anyone else find their racial diversity interesting? I was sort of surprised to see so many non-blond hair blue eyed members.  Guess that’s what I get for making assumptions. 

[luv2laugh]

@PurpleCats They have set up shop I believe in New Zealand as well. I also read they are heavily recruiting people from Peru. I think they’re focusing on non-US citizens to take advantage of them not knowing they’re a cult.

[luv2laugh]

If you're going around telling non-US citizens (or even US citizens too, for that matter) that you'll take care of their room and board, give them a job opportunity (they own some small businesses), help them with English and child-care, and are real Christians--- who wouldn't consider that? I think they're manipulating people who don't know they are a cult.