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:
- 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."
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.
