How is your centre abusing your basic human rights?

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Title: How is your centre abusing your basic human rights?

Revival_Centres_Discussion_Forums > Reviving from Revival > Freedom Forum Go to subcategory：

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worriedmum

Rank：Regular Poster

Score：3440

Posts：142

From：Australia

Register：17/08/2007 9:04 PM

Date Posted：08/10/2007 9:23 PMCopy HTML

This series of questions aims to find out if you are fellowshipping in a church which uses mind control. You may not realise it, but many church leaders use overt means of controlling and manipulating congregations to do things which are unacceptable and more importantly, unbiblical.

Please answer the following questions with a YES or NO.

Note down how many questions you have answered with a YES, and read on at the end of the questionnaire...

Is your doctrine legislated rather than guided (you should be free to search things out for yourself)?
Are you unsure of the background of your leader/s?
Do you solely rely on information given to you by your group?
Is there pressure to avoid all other information about your group?
Is there pressure on you to agree with all that the group says?
Are leaders or other members hostile to your questions?
Do they often react emotionally and defensively to criticism?
Are you fearful of your leaders?
Are you allowed to look at the financial records of the group?
Is there any obvious financial exploitation?
Are members ever "disciplined" by threats, bribes, or other unpleasant pressures to conform?
Are issues of obedience and submission overemphasised?
Are you dependent on your leaders or on the approval of others for what you do?
Do you stay on in the hope that things will one-day change?
Do you tend to ignore the fact that other members are leaving?
Are you afraid of leaving?
Do people constantly leave amidst controversy, strife and bitterness?
Do you ignore your friends'/family's comments about your situation?
Do you now justify things, which you once considered to be wrong?
Do you feel threatened by others' opinions?
Do you use "God wants me here" as an excuse to avoid facing the issue of leaving?
When your group uses the Bible, does it use it only with reference to another person's teachings?
Are members dependent on a "revelation" in order to become fully-fledged members (those without the "revelation" being rejected)?
Does your group derive its teachings from personal experience and then try to find Scripture to authenticate the experience?
Where scriptural authentication cannot be found, is "special revelation knowledge" appealed to?
If you have answered YES to 5 - 10 questions, you should be very wary of the church you belong to.

If you have answered YES to 11 - 20 questions, you should be very concerned with some or all of the practices and teachings of the church you belong to. There is probably a high level of legalism being exerted upon the people involved with this church.

If you have answered YES to more than 20 questions, you should seriously consider leaving the church you belong to. This may prove to be a difficult thing to do for many reasons.
http://www.truthwatch.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=26

If you attribute all your problems in life to God, and everything what you achieve in life to prayers, then you deprive yourself of a merit and deny yourself a chance of finding true causes of your problems and improving your present life and lives of the people around you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discover true Bible http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/inconsistencies.html

worriedmum Share to: #1

Rank：Regular Poster

Score：3440

Posts：142

From：Australia

Register：17/08/2007 9:04 PM

Re：How is your centre abusing your basic human rights?

Date Posted：08/10/2007 9:23 PMCopy HTML

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following link http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."

I would like to add "...and in your Revival Centre"fficeffice" />

Article 16.

(1)   Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

Members are not allowed to marry to non-members...Abused women are often ordered back to their husbands, divorce is forbidden; the partner filing for divorce is promptly removed from the group...

(2)   Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

People are pressured into marriages. "If you marry now you can stay in the group & gain forgiveness. If not I'm afraid you will have to leave & I won't be able to guarantee your forgiveness"... those having sex outside of marriage are forced to marry or are expelled from the group...

(3)   The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Pastors have been known to intervene in custody battles & go against custody orders ie. encouraging the member to deny access visits to the non-member parent... The group comes before family...

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

1. Need to internalise the group's doctrine as "Truth"

"Our centre is the one true church.."."Us vs Them" mentality, the outside world is considered a dangerous place & the people in it agents of the devil... There are no "grey areas" everything is either good or bad, there are no in betweens, no excuses...

2. Adopt "loaded" language (characterized by "thought-terminating clich?")

Non-members often need a translator to understand what RCI members are saying...Certain phrases are meant to elicit certain responses...

3. Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged

Any "impure" thoughts are said to be the devil creeping in...If this is occurring the individual is encouraged to pray (in tongues) on it, talk to the Pastors & devote more time to the group...

4. Thought-stopping techniques

It is common to hear current members justify the leadership's actions & aggressively defend them...Members are encouraged to "speak in tongues" often & for long periods, especially when they are having doubts...

5. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate

Critical questions are greeted with hostility or the questioner is patronised & told not to worry about it. If it continues the faith of the questioner is brought into question & they are told to go read their Bible because that is where they will find the answers to all their questions...Too much questioning leads to a "smear campaign" by the Pastors & eventual expulsion from the group...

6. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful

Alternative belief systems are ridiculed regularly at meetings...Anti-Catholic sentiment prevails..

Article 19.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Members are expected to dress conservatively...no short skirts, no tight jeans, no tattoos, men are not allowed to wear earrings... No expression of doubt or negative feelings/thoughts about the group is tolerated...It is considered divisionary...Members must present a united front... Withholding information is considered the same as lying to God... Members have to check with pastors before they buy a book on religious theory or go to see a movie...Members are discouraged from watching TV or listening to rock music...Members are advised what books to buy & are provided with tapes of previous "talks" & "appropriate" music...Contact with ex-members forbidden, members kept busy...Recently a ban on internet access has been instituted due to the amount of anti-RCI/Revival Fellowship material available... Members are encouraged to "speak in tongues" often & for long periods, especially when they are having doubts...

Article 20.

(1)   Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Contact with ex-members is forbidden... A common phrase used by members is: "if you are not with us you are against us"...

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Leaving the group is said to be turning your back on God, therefore everything will be "sevenfold bad for you"...Those leaving are said to have been weak & seduced by the "world"...It is expected these people will become drug addicts, insane, chronically ill or die...The Pastors are always ready with a story to prove their point...It is also said that once leaving you will be empty & unspiritual, you will never find fullfillment...

Article 24.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

There are 5 meetings a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & 2 on Sunday), there are activities organised for Saturdays & a compulsory youth group for single people under 30's...Thursday is set aside for a coffee morning & door knocking, which everyone is expected to attend at least once a month...Failure to attend at least 3 meetings a week plus the activities on Saturday results in a visit from the "middle management" ie. houseleaders or newer Pastors who reports back to the leadership...

Article 25.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

those having sex outside of marriage are forced to marry or are expelled from the group...

Article 27.

(1)   Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

members are not allowed to go into pubs (not even to get a meal)...Members are made to fear the "world" because it is supposedly dangerous & full of temptation...Anyone not in support of the RCI is considered to be an agent of the devil, a huge number of "sins" & leaving the group can lead to loss of salvation...Members fear not having the pastors' approval, all their actions are governed by this fear...Members are well aware that if they leave the group they will lose their entire social network...

If you attribute all your problems in life to God, and everything what you achieve in life to prayers, then you deprive yourself of a merit and deny yourself a chance of finding true causes of your problems and improving your present life and lives of the people around you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discover true Bible http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/inconsistencies.html

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Title: How is your centre abusing your basic human rights?
Revival_Centres_Discussion_Forums > Reviving from Revival > Freedom Forum	Go to subcategory：

worriedmum
Rank：Regular Poster Score：3440 Posts：142 From：Australia Register：17/08/2007 9:04 PM	Date Posted：08/10/2007 9:23 PMCopy HTML This series of questions aims to find out if you are fellowshipping in a church which uses mind control. You may not realise it, but many church leaders use overt means of controlling and manipulating congregations to do things which are unacceptable and more importantly, unbiblical. Please answer the following questions with a YES or NO. Note down how many questions you have answered with a YES, and read on at the end of the questionnaire... Is your doctrine legislated rather than guided (you should be free to search things out for yourself)? Are you unsure of the background of your leader/s? Do you solely rely on information given to you by your group? Is there pressure to avoid all other information about your group? Is there pressure on you to agree with all that the group says? Are leaders or other members hostile to your questions? Do they often react emotionally and defensively to criticism? Are you fearful of your leaders? Are you allowed to look at the financial records of the group? Is there any obvious financial exploitation? Are members ever "disciplined" by threats, bribes, or other unpleasant pressures to conform? Are issues of obedience and submission overemphasised? Are you dependent on your leaders or on the approval of others for what you do? Do you stay on in the hope that things will one-day change? Do you tend to ignore the fact that other members are leaving? Are you afraid of leaving? Do people constantly leave amidst controversy, strife and bitterness? Do you ignore your friends'/family's comments about your situation? Do you now justify things, which you once considered to be wrong? Do you feel threatened by others' opinions? Do you use "God wants me here" as an excuse to avoid facing the issue of leaving? When your group uses the Bible, does it use it only with reference to another person's teachings? Are members dependent on a "revelation" in order to become fully-fledged members (those without the "revelation" being rejected)? Does your group derive its teachings from personal experience and then try to find Scripture to authenticate the experience? Where scriptural authentication cannot be found, is "special revelation knowledge" appealed to? If you have answered YES to 5 - 10 questions, you should be very wary of the church you belong to. If you have answered YES to 11 - 20 questions, you should be very concerned with some or all of the practices and teachings of the church you belong to. There is probably a high level of legalism being exerted upon the people involved with this church. If you have answered YES to more than 20 questions, you should seriously consider leaving the church you belong to. This may prove to be a difficult thing to do for many reasons. http://www.truthwatch.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=26 If you attribute all your problems in life to God, and everything what you achieve in life to prayers, then you deprive yourself of a merit and deny yourself a chance of finding true causes of your problems and improving your present life and lives of the people around you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discover true Bible http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/inconsistencies.html
worriedmum	Share to: #1
Rank：Regular Poster Score：3440 Posts：142 From：Australia Register：17/08/2007 9:04 PM	Re：How is your centre abusing your basic human rights? Date Posted：08/10/2007 9:23 PMCopy HTML On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following link http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." I would like to add "...and in your Revival Centre"fficeffice" /> Article 16. (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Members are not allowed to marry to non-members...Abused women are often ordered back to their husbands, divorce is forbidden; the partner filing for divorce is promptly removed from the group... (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. People are pressured into marriages. "If you marry now you can stay in the group & gain forgiveness. If not I'm afraid you will have to leave & I won't be able to guarantee your forgiveness"... those having sex outside of marriage are forced to marry or are expelled from the group... (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Pastors have been known to intervene in custody battles & go against custody orders ie. encouraging the member to deny access visits to the non-member parent... The group comes before family... Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. 1. Need to internalise the group's doctrine as "Truth" "Our centre is the one true church.."."Us vs Them" mentality, the outside world is considered a dangerous place & the people in it agents of the devil... There are no "grey areas" everything is either good or bad, there are no in betweens, no excuses... 2. Adopt "loaded" language (characterized by "thought-terminating clich?") Non-members often need a translator to understand what RCI members are saying...Certain phrases are meant to elicit certain responses... 3. Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged Any "impure" thoughts are said to be the devil creeping in...If this is occurring the individual is encouraged to pray (in tongues) on it, talk to the Pastors & devote more time to the group... 4. Thought-stopping techniques It is common to hear current members justify the leadership's actions & aggressively defend them...Members are encouraged to "speak in tongues" often & for long periods, especially when they are having doubts... 5. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate Critical questions are greeted with hostility or the questioner is patronised & told not to worry about it. If it continues the faith of the questioner is brought into question & they are told to go read their Bible because that is where they will find the answers to all their questions...Too much questioning leads to a "smear campaign" by the Pastors & eventual expulsion from the group... 6. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful Alternative belief systems are ridiculed regularly at meetings...Anti-Catholic sentiment prevails.. Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Members are expected to dress conservatively...no short skirts, no tight jeans, no tattoos, men are not allowed to wear earrings... No expression of doubt or negative feelings/thoughts about the group is tolerated...It is considered divisionary...Members must present a united front... Withholding information is considered the same as lying to God... Members have to check with pastors before they buy a book on religious theory or go to see a movie...Members are discouraged from watching TV or listening to rock music...Members are advised what books to buy & are provided with tapes of previous "talks" & "appropriate" music...Contact with ex-members forbidden, members kept busy...Recently a ban on internet access has been instituted due to the amount of anti-RCI/Revival Fellowship material available... Members are encouraged to "speak in tongues" often & for long periods, especially when they are having doubts... Article 20. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Contact with ex-members is forbidden... A common phrase used by members is: "if you are not with us you are against us"... (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association. Leaving the group is said to be turning your back on God, therefore everything will be "sevenfold bad for you"...Those leaving are said to have been weak & seduced by the "world"...It is expected these people will become drug addicts, insane, chronically ill or die...The Pastors are always ready with a story to prove their point...It is also said that once leaving you will be empty & unspiritual, you will never find fullfillment... Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. There are 5 meetings a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & 2 on Sunday), there are activities organised for Saturdays & a compulsory youth group for single people under 30's...Thursday is set aside for a coffee morning & door knocking, which everyone is expected to attend at least once a month...Failure to attend at least 3 meetings a week plus the activities on Saturday results in a visit from the "middle management" ie. houseleaders or newer Pastors who reports back to the leadership... Article 25. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. those having sex outside of marriage are forced to marry or are expelled from the group... Article 27. (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. members are not allowed to go into pubs (not even to get a meal)...Members are made to fear the "world" because it is supposedly dangerous & full of temptation...Anyone not in support of the RCI is considered to be an agent of the devil, a huge number of "sins" & leaving the group can lead to loss of salvation...Members fear not having the pastors' approval, all their actions are governed by this fear...Members are well aware that if they leave the group they will lose their entire social network... If you attribute all your problems in life to God, and everything what you achieve in life to prayers, then you deprive yourself of a merit and deny yourself a chance of finding true causes of your problems and improving your present life and lives of the people around you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discover true Bible http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/inconsistencies.html

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following link http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

I would like to add "...and in your Revival Centre"fficeffice" />

Article 16.

Article 18.

Article 19.

Article 20.

Article 24.

Article 25.

Article 27.