is the emergence of a significant number of “One-man Wonders.” These are individuals (primarily men, but a few women are in the category) who have attained a status of guru among their followers. Each one, within his/her own circle of supporters, is viewed as, at the very least, the most significant teacher on Earth today. And he or she may be viewed, at most, as a unique end-time apostle or prophet, one who has “restored truths lost since the first century.”
This sort of religious figure has been with us since the first century. But, other than a few notable exceptions such as Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, and Ellen G. White, alleged “prophetess” of the Seventh Day Adventist movement, such gurus have had a very limited impact in the past. It is the 21st century’s explosion of communication capabilities that has allowed modern religious figures to quickly gather a following over wide areas far from their home base. And it is this very long distance factor that allows followers to maintain illusions about their hero that might well be easily shattered if they were in personal contact with him. Most communication between teacher and student in this situation flows only one way, through a barrage of newsletters, recordings, radio and TV programs, financial support solicitations, and more. The student can try to communicate in the opposite direction, but any letters or phone calls from supporters will likely be answered by some low-level functionary in the guru’s ministry.
In the past, such teachers as Billy Graham and Hal Lindsey have had a wide contingent of admirers who really enjoyed their books or broadcasts. However, those admirers usually had a local church to which they belonged, a local pastor whom they consulted for their problems, and a local group of like-minded believers with whom they enjoyed regular face-to-face fellowship. Their interest in Graham or Lindsey or others like them was a “side” interest, just as would be a hobby such as stamp collecting.
But the One-man Wonders of the 21st century are more than a side interest of their followers; each one is the spiritual center around which his followers live their lives. Some such men are relatively benign in their influence, although supporting them may be a major financial drain on their most dedicated followers. They are perhaps even unaware that some of their followers are focused so narrowly on their ministry. It is those who have delusions of grandeur of their own that are the cause of the greatest concern regarding this troubling trend. For such men and women can begin to believe so strongly in their own importance, and be so convinced that they have an intimate pipeline to God, that they begin imposing their own idiosyncratic teachings about every minute part of life on their followers. This can include the mundane—what sex positions are permissible for married couples, how long is too long for men’s hair, how short is too short for women’s hair, etc. It can also include the spiritual—the authority to declare who has the Holy Spirit and who doesn’t, to cut off from fellowship those who do not bow to the teacher’s every command, to give authoritative interpretation on the most obscure and debatable passages of the Bible. Those who are obsessed with one teacher in this way often find themselves associating or affiliating only with others who share their obsession. They frequently withdraw from fellowship with whatever local congregation they have been a part of, in order to gather with those of like mind to listen to CDs or DVDs of their new teacher together—weekly, or even daily.
Those groups that form around such teachers are susceptible to the next troubling trend.
Trend Seven: Spiritual Abuse and Deception in the Name of God
Although the six troubling trends listed above each have certain aspects which may be unbalanced and unbiblical, the most serious troubling trend goes far beyond that. In every generation since the first century AD beginnings of the Christian faith, there have been religious teachers and preachers who have gathered around themselves a following through the use of deceptive and abusive tactics. However, it is only the development of the technology of the late twentieth century that has allowed this phenomenon to reach epidemic proportions. A hundred years ago, the influence of most such individuals would have been limited, by time and finances, to one town or one county. Now they can extend their tentacles around the whole world instantly through television, short wave radio, and the Internet. Men with serious character flaws that would have been painfully obvious up close in the past can now fool their followers into believing that they are spiritual giants. They can conduct international ministries through the electronic media, which keeps them isolated from face-to-face interaction with most of their supporters.
Thus a rapidly growing number of teachers and groups can be found attracting and retaining supporters through deception, coercion, and scripture twisting. Many of these use mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse. Some even use physical abuse. These groups range from small home fellowships to multi-congregational denominations with thousands, tens of thousands, or even more members. Some, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have been around a long time, but are now able to grow more quickly and affect more people than ever before. Some started just last year, last month, or last week, and are able to grow quickly and affect significant numbers of people in a very short time.
Most people are absolutely sure that they could never become attracted to a “cult” or be deceived by a false teacher. They assume that only emotionally disturbed or very naïve and ignorant people could possibly fall for strange beliefs and weird practices at the edges of Christianity. But close examination of some of these very abusive and deceptive groups indicate that just common, average people by the millions are indeed capable of being misled down some very dark paths.
The following chapters offer some guidelines on how to evaluate your involvement, or the involvement of friends and family members, in religious groups. You may be surprised to find that religious deception might be closer to home than you have thought.
Chapter 6
The True Believer Revisited: Characteristics of Potentially Harmful Religious Groups
Personal from the author
Some time in the late 1960s, my husband George and I both read the popular book by Eric Hoffer, The True Believer. Hoffer had done an extensive study on the methods used by mass movements to make and keep converts. His book shared his conclusion that most of them, both secular and religious, use many of the same tactics.
George and I were both amazed at the wealth of insight and wisdom flowing from the pen of this self-taught former longshoreman. He made it clear just what in the psyche of the potential Communist Party Member, or the potential religious cult member, led them to get involved, and stay involved, with groups which most thinking folks would see right away were dangerous or outlandish at worst, and unreasonable and controlling at best. He seemed able to spot much of the foolishness out there in the marketplace of ideas, and label it for what it was. Except, of course, for the one marketplace idea near and dear to our own hearts. Although the religious group we had become involved with as young university students sure seemed to have many of the questionable characteristics that he brought out in the book, we figured that we were the exception that proved the rule.
Time went by. In 1974, I returned to Michigan State University to do some graduate work in the fields of education, social science, and psychology. In my “Social Psychology of Social Movements” class I met Hoffer’s writings once again. They were joined by another classic in the field of Social Psychology, When Prophecy Fails. This book explored the history of groups that had predicted/prophesied “the End” to come in their own time in history, and how the members responded when the prophecy failed. (For details on the conclusions in that book, see the When Prophecy Fails chapter of this Field Guide.) I shared the book’s information with George. Once again we were both amazed how closely the facts in the book lined up with our real-world experiences with the group we belonged to. Indeed, a date had been set by the leader of our group related to the events of the End Times, and that date had come and gone with no fulfillment. And the reactions of most in the group, including us, had been exactly
