I feel the need to clarify my last post with a few comments and definitions....
I know some people read my last post and scoffed - or maybe didn't even read it. They may truly believe that CLC wasn't a cult. Ok, that's fine. I've wondered the same thing. If anything, it has some very cult like tendencies. It's hard to think of yourself as having been in a cult. Some people aren't ready for that yet. However, it's hard to look at the characteristics of a cult and say that wasn't what the experience was like at CLC, or SGM in general. You may be able to reconcile it with thinking the hearts of the leaders or congregation were in the right place.... maybe they were. I don't really think they were, but that's a different story for another time.
Let me clarify one thing, most of my experience there was positive at the time and I'm grateful for a lot of it. It was only once I got older and learned more about back stories of why things happened, and heard stories of abuse from people close to me - suddenly, things made sense. My story may be mostly pleasant, but I recognize that was not everyone's experience. Realizing the place I grew up in was not pleasant for everyone, and coming to grips with the harmful teaching there has been difficult for me. It means rethinking everything I was ever taught. Adjusting every belief drilled into my head from a young age. When I think about the way my husband was treated there, it often brings me to tears. And some of these people will never realize the damage they have done to others, and even if they do, they will justify it in the name of God. I don't write as someone who has experienced direct abuse - but as someone who sees the abuse and wants to open a conversation and make a safe place for those who have experienced this trauma.
I'd encourage anyone reading to reach out in compassion to people who may have disappeared over the years, or to people who have admitted they were mistreated. Ask them about it - they might not be willing to share everything. But be willing to hear, be willing to show compassion, and don't try to give excuses. There aren't any. Jesus condemned the pharisees and told his followers not to be like them.
The following are characteristics of a cult written by Dr Robert Lifton. Read and decide for yourself. I think the similarities are clear. For background, Dr Lifton is a psychiatrist who studied genocide, American POWs during the Korean war and the theories surrounding brainwashing along with many other things. My comments are bolded.
First, a checklist of the characteristics of a cult:
http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm
Take a look and see what applies.
Dr. Robert Lifton's 8 Criteria for Thought Reform
1. Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large. (public school is evil, homeschooling is best, no friends outside church allowed, no visiting any non sgm churches, no going to college where there isn't an sgm church....)
2. Mystical Manipulation. There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes. (So called "prophetic" songs, ministry nights)
3. Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here. (Modesty checklist... must i go any further?)
4. Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members' "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders. (Ever been to a caregroup meeting? Or heard the phrase - so and so needs prayer. she's not doing well. if you don't share, you're in sin)
5. Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism. (I was told not to read books that were not found in the CLC bookstore because the pastors couldn't be sure it was safe for me to read)
6. Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking. (What evidences of grace to do you see in so and so's life? I am better than I deserve! I'm just here to serve)
7. Doctrine over person. Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group. (I remember times when people felt like God was speaking to them, but they were written off because they weren't pastor approved)
8. Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also. (If you question the pastors, you are shunned, divisive, and kicked out, oh and to pour salt in the wound we will contact whatever church you switch to and tell them all of your sins and that you are unsubmissive to pastoral authority)
(http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studymindctr/study_mindctr_lifton.htm)
Now is it not a cult?
Jesus came to save, not to condemn.
Friends, be free.
Similar readings if interested:
https://carm.org/signs-practices-of-a-cult
http://andynaselli.com/sociological-characteristics-of-cults
http://leadingsmart.com/leadingsmart/2014/8/mark-driscoll-and-other-narcissistic-pastors
