….My reflections on a high-demand cultic church….
This YouTube interview with Dr. Janja Lalich is the best presentation I’ve heard on the nature of cults and the damage they inflict. I met Janja in 1991 at a cult awareness conference, where she was leading a workshop to help people like me get our heads straight after a cult experience. She was very […]
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Having failed to impress the world with his greatness, the narcissist withdraws into a “pathological narcissistic space”…and draws in unsuspecting followers.
Read MoreThe Geftakys Assembly began in 1970 on the West Coast with a group of young people earnestly following the teaching of George Geftakys. My husband Steve and I were among them. Our family left twenty years later as we began to see the true nature of the group. In my experience, seeing that the Assembly […]
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Because we were deeply affected by the Assembly we need to be involved in a recovery process that will reverse the damage.
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Wellspring Retreat characterized the Geftakys Assembly as a T.A.C.O. — a Totalist Aberrant Christian Organization. [….]
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“The group’s totalist environment emphasizes that the members are part of an elite or special group. Outsiders are considered unworthy or unenlightened. This leads to the thinking that their whole existence centers on being in the group. If you leave, you join nothingness. This is an extension of doctrine over person. Existence comes to depend […]
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Doctrine Over Person “As members rewrite their own personal history or ignore it, they are simultaneously taught to interpret reality through the group concepts and ignore their own experiences and feelings as they occur. Members learn to fit themselves into the group’s way of life and individuals are valued only as they conform to group […]
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George Geftakys taught that the saints had a “heavenly language” that most of the world couldn’t understand. There were words and activities that only someone in the group understood.
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“The teachings of the group are viewed as the ultimate, unquestionable truth. The leader of the group is likewise above criticism as the spokesperson for God on earth, whose Truth should be applied to all humankind. Anyone who disagrees or has alternative ideas is not only irreverent, but also unscientific. Mystical manipulation often lends credence […]
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“Past and present behavior, and undesirable feelings are to be confessed. However, the information gained about you can be used against you to make you feel more guilty, powerless, fearful and ultimately in need of the group and the leader’s goodness. This environment is set up by the unreasonable demand for purity.” There was a […]
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Demand for Purity “Unreasonable rules and unreachable standards are imposed upon the members. The critical, shaming essence of the cult environment is gradually internalized by the members, which builds lots of guilt and shame, further magnifying their dependence on the group. Individuals easily feel inadequate, but are more willing to submit to this because the […]
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Mystical Manipulation “The group attributes supernatural influences where none are present: attributing an accident to a member who left to be due to “God’s punishment”, or manipulating situations so they appear spontaneous. Members believe that their new feelings and behavior have arisen spontaneously because of joining their new group. The effect is enhanced by the […]
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Nancy would spend hours with me on the phone, teaching me the “right way to think”.
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This is the story of my 25 years in the Geftakys Assembly in Omaha. […]
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A Christian cult uses the term “spiritual power” to motivate people to have daily devotions, and manipulate them into wanting to become “power centers of divine authority” over others in the hierarchical system.
Read MoreSaturday I posted my question to Dr. Jones regarding her book, Not of My Making: Bullying, Scapegoating and Misconduct in Churches. Here is Dr. Jones’ reply: Margaret Irons asked me, “What can persons who have formerly been abusive do now to make amends and help their former victims (with whom they are no longer in […]
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Dr. Margaret W. Jones, author of Not of My Making: Bullying, Scapegoating and Misconduct in Churches, will stop by here Monday on her virtual book tour to answer questions. One question I have for her is this: What can persons who have formerly bullied folks and been abusive do now to make amends to their […]
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Reading in Matthew I came across the passage in the sermon on the mount about false teachers. Jesus gives a strong warning – “Watch out for them!” He gives one way – and only one – by which to recognize them: their fruit. Gal 5:22 immediately comes to mind – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, […]
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In 1905 a young woman named Belle was hired by J. P. Morgan to be his private librarian. Almost single-handedly she shaped his huge collection of rare books and art into the world-renowned Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle had a passion for rare books, and constantly consulted with world experts in the field. One of the […]
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A Geftakys Assembly Blog 