Church vs. Cult

Please review the checklist taken from Janja Lalich, Ph.D & Michael D. Langone, Ph.D and can be found at: http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm

In my experience, the Rock of Montgomery meets every one of these criteria:‪

1. The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. For instance, though odd behaviors are noticed by members of the congregation, they will deny what is seen and believe what is told. Here is a statement made by the pastor's son-in-law via email which aligns perfectly with the above mentioned behavior. "I am not saying anyone is right or wrong- I'm saying it doesn't matter. I have been angry and in disagreement with things so many times I can't count them. But I know Yahweh placed me here, and as long as the pastor of any church is not living blatantly in sin and distorting the truth, I will not move until the Father tells me to."

    2.   Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished. I remember sending a letter of  plea for mercy via email to the pastor after a fifteen minute lesson given on why addicts are addicts, one Wednesday night, that left the ladies, who lived in the recovery house I managed, feeling quite lowly. Though he never responded to that email with an email, the following Sunday he stood in front of the congregation with fury in his eyes, slammed his hand into the pulpit (claiming to have cracked it) and screamed, "I have this PHD, this Doctorate, this Masters, (and on and on)and if anybody here thinks they know more than I do then they should come challenge me to my face!"

3. Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

4. The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth). Everything must go through the pastor, EVERYTHING. This is called "seeking wise counsel" or getting a "spiritual check-up." Those who had not arranged an appointment to meet with him in his office were of "concern." 

5. The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity). The pastor consistently told the congregation of numbers of people who approached him telling him he "looks just like Jesus." 

6. The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society. As once stated, directly from the pastor's mouth, to the congregation, "You can leave this church, you can go to hell, but you can leave this church." And when statements were made about other congregations throughout the city, the pastor may have commented that the church mentioned was good, but the pastor would also point out what he felt that church was lacking. As if to say that no other congregation was as good as this one.

7. The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations). The only authority this pastor is accountable to is the founder of The Rock of Panama City, a church which was founded without accountability to any other authority.

8. The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).

9. The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion. For instance, if there is a depletion of funds for the month, it is not considered that a certain number of members left the congregation, instead, the congregation is blamed for not being lined up in God's will, and then is threatened that the church doors will be closed if the lack continues.

10. Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group. Once a member has left the congregation, those who remain are discouraged in continuing communication with them. My son was informed once by his grandfather, after my son had left the congregation, that his grandfather would no longer sit and eat with him because he was in sin.

11. The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members. New members come in, but never stay.

12. The group is preoccupied with making money. I once taught a Celebrate Recovery class at the church. I was the only Celebrate Recovery in the city who was self supported by the attendees contributions. The contributions were suppose to cover coffee, coffee cups, Celebrate Recovery Chips, additional curriculum, etc. Every Tuesday morning I would turn the monies into the office. However, when coffee, and coffee cups were needed, those who helped with the meeting provided these needs out of their own expense, and though I requested new chips on 2 separate occassions, they were never received.

13. Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities. There were few "group related" activities outside of Sunday/Wednesday Service attendance. However, if women did not attend women's fellowship, they were addressed in disappointment, and vice versa with men's fellowship.

14. Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members. My son was requested to play with a band at a different church one Wednesday night. He made mention of it to the Praise and Worship leader, who told him it should be ok. However, once the pastor was informed that my son had done this, he was corrected by the pastor and was told he was prostituting the gift the Father gave him for The Rock Church of Montgomery.

15. The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

The Devestated Families

My husband, myself, and our 9 month old son began attending The Rock Church of Montgomery, AL in July of 1991. At the time, I was only 16 years old, and in search of  "something more." I had a life-long void that needed to be filled, and I believed that church attendance could assist me with this. My parents had already began attending this congregation approximately a month or so earlier. They seemed elated that we had requested to attend with them one Sunday. After preaching the message for the day, the pastor, Nelson Cash,  called an alter call, which almost seemed directed for us, and both my husband and myself walked to the alter, giving our lives over to the Father in tears. Everyone seemed so happy that we began this journey on that day. The acceptance was more than we had ever received. Hense, the 20 year cycle of destruction began.

I could probably write a book on the number of families we saw destroyed throughout the years of attendance at The Rock of Montgomery. Those of you reading this who have attended or still attend may recall some of the stories written. The names have been changed to protect the anonymity of each person involved.

Chip and Deb left the congregation after Deb confided information she had about her best friend to Nelson, because she feared her best friend was having an affair, and did not want her to fall completely in unrepairable demise. Yet Nelson told the congregation that God showed him this information in a dream, and then announced the sin from the pulpit instead of privately addressing the matter with the one who had sinned.

The Kinser family left the congregation after years of faithful service in the Children's Ministry due to constant conflicts with the leadership family. It was said, after her leaving, that Mrs. Kinser had a jezebel spirit and was misleading her family.

Rodney and Sheba left the congregation after years of faithful service on the Praise and Worship Team, as well as Children's Ministry, due to constant conflicts with the leadership family. The congregation was later told that Sheba had falsely reported another pastor for harrassment which costed him his job. Statements like these were made in order for the congregation to look down on those who left the congregation, and in attempt to prove/or back up the original stories of those who "left in sin."

*Scare tactics were also used at The Rock of Montgomery.*

A man named Mel use to attend The Rock Church with wife and son. Mel was a very heavy set man who believed he was called to preach. However, he was informed by Nelson that if he wanted to preach he would first have to lose weight because God would not call a man who did not first tend to his own temple to share the message of Christ. Needless to say, Mel and his family left the congregation. Approximately five years later, the congregation was informed that Mel died of a massive heart attack, and his lawlessness of leaving the congregation was rehashed, even stating that his wife was remorseful they had left and wished they had stayed. As if, Mel's leaving the congregation had something to do with his death five years later.

A beautiful older couple named Will and Victoria attended the congregation for many years, teaching structure building discipleship classes for most of those years. They believed they were being called elsewhere and made the announcement to Nelson. From the pulpit, Nelson announced their leaving, with them present, stating he did not feel like God was calling them out, but they were welcome to return if they missed the mark. Not too long afterward, rumors of witchery surrounded Victoria's name whenever she was spoken of. Two years after leaving the congregation, Victoria fell sick with pneumonia and died. As you can expect, it was announced from the pulpit how while she attended the congregation she was never sick, but once she left, she died of pneumonia.

Mark and Lynn began attending The Rock Church, and stepped up to lead Praise and Worship faithfully for many years. Again, after many conflicts with the leadership family, they too left the congregation. I am almost certain, but not positive, that Mark could tell us much on the destruction caused to his family which includes his very own mother, who once attended the congregation, and his sons, who still attend the congregation, one of them being married to one of Nelson's daughters.

Nat and Nina left the congregation after many years of faithfully leading Praise and Worship and Children's Ministry, and after many years of being Co-Pastors to Nelson. I am almost certain, but not positive, that they both could tell us much about the ongoing dramas experienced in their personal lives because of the leadership family. Shortly before leaving the congregation, their teenaged daughter assisted in the preschool, and I personally was informed by Nelson's daughter to keep Nat and Nina's daughter away from the pastor's granddaughter, as they believed that Nat and Nina's daughter was sending death threat's to Nelson and his family via email. However, this story will hold no water with those in doubt once I reveal my own personal experience involving Nelson's claim of continual threats of death.

My oldest son use to play lead guitar on the Praise and Worship Team. He did this faithfully for many years. He began dating a young woman who did not attend the congregation, though she was professionally known by Nelson, because she worked at the salon which he regularly had his hair cut at. At the time, I was not in agreement with my son's relationship with this young woman, and expressed this openly to Nelson. He did not hesitate to say that she involved herself in witchery, and that he had been attempting to witness to her for quite some time, though she had not been receptive to his words. Approximately one month later, on a Wednesday evening while at church, I was pulled into his office and informed that this young lady had attempted to poison his drink. He stated he asked for a coke and she was the one who brought it to him. Then, he stated, after sipping it, he noticed he began feeling odd. Also, without mentioning names, he announced this from the pulpit one Sunday morning. When confronted by my son's father with the statement, he stated he never said who it was that poisoned him. Although, he did tell this to me, and it was confirmed that Nelson stated his claim, attaching the name, by his very own son-in-law, when confronted by my son himself. I will tell you, however, after meeting this 4'9", 90 lb young lady, there is no doubt in my mind that these accusations against her are false. She is one of the sweetest young ladies you could meet, and she would not hurt a flea. These statements almost caused the loss of her position at the salon, because the pastor and his wife have been regular, high paying customers for years, and she was just an employee. She eventually had to file a report with the Montgomery Police Department due to the constant harrassment she received from the leadership family, including threats left on voicemail by Nelson's son-in-law, which have been saved in case they are needed in the future. When my son continued to date this young lady, despite what was being said, he was informed he was walking in disobedience, and unless he met with Nelson, he would be sat down from Praise and Worship. My son left the congregation. Myself, his father, his grandfather, and his grandmother were encouraged to believe our son/grandson was walking away in disobedience and that he was in danger of hell fire. How ironic, now, the very same thing is being told to my parents, who still remain in the congregation, about me.

There are so many more names I've yet to make mention of here. It is my hopes that those who have experienced these behaviors from this leadership family begin blogging their personal stories to prevent other families from being as devestated as those I have written about; as devestated as mine has been.

*Please follow all blogs. There is more to come.*