LETTER TO JILL FOLEY
April 2, 1993
Dear Jill:
Thank you for your recent
letter and the article.
I really admire you for your
sincerity and would always admonish you to search for the truth and never take
anyone's word for anything, mine included. Critical thinking is very important
in these days because there is so much deception around.
I want to assure you that I
have no ulterior motives in doing what I am doing. I just want people who want
to know the truth to have that chance.
I spent a total of 10 years
inside the church and another 6 years connected to it mentally so I feel that I
could give you a proper insight as to what it is all about and to answer some
of your questions you were wondering about in your article.
I agree with you that people
can be too eager to believe things that are not true and creating a mysterious
place, just for adventure.
To start at the first of your
story about the "girls in all black:" There are men and women in the
church that are selected to be ushers and usherettes. They are there to seat
people and help them in all different manners. They all dress in uniformity,
usually in dark colors, black, brown and navy blue. They wear name tags with
their names and either "Usher" or "Usherette" on them. This
is so that people who need their services can identify who to go to for help or
direction. My husband still has his name tag because he was an usher for many
years in the church. The waving the hands part was probably in regard to the
"Cadillac led processions" you mentioned in your letter and to be
honest with you, this is a practice of the church.
Mr. Goodwin, the church
leader, has a group of selected people or those who choose to do it, who wait for him after each service, no matter how late, and
walk him out to his car in unison, touching his car, be it Cadillac or Lincoln,
until he drives out into the street. Then they stand and wave. You can go over
and watch after any service and see this for yourself. Unless
he is out of town.
As far as being a
"Satanic Church", it is not that if you look at it in the light of
the "devil worshipers" that we hear of that put people on an altar
and sacrifice them to the devil, etc ...
However, it is my opinion and
the opinion of any normal Bible believing Christian, that anyone who causes
people to take their eyes off the living Savior, Jesus Christ, and turn their
eyes to a human man like Mr. Goodwin and put him up like a God of some kind, I
would call this a kind of "devil worship". The Bible says: "Even
Satan himself is transformed as an angel of light".
Satan doesn't just stand up
and say, "I'm Satan!" He is very subtle. He lies just as he did to
Eve in the beginning. Satan uses scriptures and the Bible very frequently. That
is why it is so important to ask questions and if someone has nothing to hide,
they will answer any question that you ask.
You were right in your
assumption of why everyone turned to see you when you walked in. You were an
outsider and were very conspicuous by your dress and hair. All the women after
a certain age or when they get married must wear their hair up off their
shoulders. The women cannot wear slacks or jeans. The skirts must be below the
knee. The sleeves below the elbow. The men cannot wear
sleeves above the elbow either, or shorts etc.. The
women must wear their hair long and the men short. You can wear no jewelry
except a ring or two, a watch, necklace or broach. Never
earrings. The only makeup allowed is a little foundation or powder. Nothing else.
I agree that the atmosphere
is very warm and caring. That is when you are a newcomer. It is called
"love bombing" in brain washing techniques. They will tolerate a new
comer in about anything until they get you hooked by mind control then you find
out what it is really all about. Sometimes by this time, especially to someone
who is real innocent and vulnerable, it is too late. They are afraid to leave for
many different reasons. You must remember that I, a grown woman, above average
I.Q. and had heard the things that I had and knew what had happened to my own
sister, came back after being gone for six years!!!!!
Realistically, there is
nothing wrong with singing a song, like the choruses or four lined repetitious
songs that you spoke of. But if you study the material I gave you about brain
washing or mind control, you will see that cults use repetition also. On the
surface the place seems to be seething with joy but I had no joy when I was
there. To be honest, I must say that there were times that I did feel joy but
that was rare. I've talked to many people in there and there is a lot of
pretending. He actively teaches people how to act when there are visitors or a
visitor. I've sat next to new people and we were taught to give them a songbook
and explain things without saying too much. His saying was, "be friendly
but not familiar". This was true even among the members of the group. We
couldn't talk about much even to each other or it was considered gossip.
Some of the other things that
you mentioned were the way they pray in unison and crying out loud. This is
practiced in many if not all Pentecostal type churches. The Bible admonishes us
to do every thing decently and in order. I don't know
if they moved out to the front and danced while you were there but I do know
that Mr. Goodwin is in control of this. He has signs that he uses to let them
know when they are to move out and it is usually to certain ones that he has
selected. He also controls the band and ushers and everything. Everyone answers
to him and no one does anything without his approval. It is like a little
dictatorship. There are really no other words to describe it.
As far as the dividing of males
and females, as far as I know, this is not mandatory. I have had some people
tell me that he has required this of them but as for my husband and myself and
a few others, we always sat together unless one of us was on some kind of duty.
One of the purposes is so that the women can move out to the front together and
the men for the same reason. I do know that we, as women were taught that we
were not to look a man, other than our husbands, in the eye or we would be
flirting with them. We were not to make a habit of shaking hands with members
of the opposite sex.
You were also right in your
view of the materialism part. You were definitely regarded as to the amount of
money that you give to the church. We were taught that people could tell your
standing with God by what you have materially and how much of it you give to
the church. You were made to feel inferior if you were not successful. This is
called "intimidation". This is also referred to in the material on
brain washing. They use fear tactics also, such as, "if you do not pay
your tithes and offerings then you will be judged by God". Or, "if
you leave this church, you are full of demons and will fall under the judgment
of God". In my case, my life was actually threatened! It was made to sound
as if God was going to kill me, but here I am, I'm still alive and well and
it's been two years!'
The church hours are long and
frequent and very repetitive and when there is a church convention, you are
driven to the absolute point of exhaustion! This is also part of the brain
washing techniques. Most people are kept so busy they really don't have time to
think or ask questions.
Please take the time to
reflect on the material on brain washing that I sent to you and put it together
with what I have told you in this answer to your article "Behind Closed
Doors". Maybe you could write another article with a view point of someone
who spent ten plus years behind those closed doors. I give you my full
permission to use any information given in this letter.
I admire your active desire
to know the truth for yourself and your openness in hearing the other side of
it. Jesus said, "you shall know the truth and the
truth shall set you free".
May God richly bless you in
all that you do and please keep in touch.
Yours sincerely and in
Christian love,
Wanda Mason