Scientology and the Church of Christ
Recently, I read Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright. It's a fascinating look at a secretive religion that many people claim is a cult. After reading this well-researched book, I would have to agree. It certain fits the generally agreed-upon definition of a cult. I've said before on this blog that I do NOT think that the COC is a cult, but rather a sect with cult-like tendencies. However, as I was reading this book, I did see some disturbing parallels between Scientology and the COC.
First, they both claim to have specialized knowledge of an ultimate truth that no one else in the world understands. Second, they strongly discourage members from associating with people outside the group. The COC is especially adamant that you have to marry within the church, lest your "unbelieving spouse" be a bad influence on you and lead you away from The Truth. Third, it's really hard to get out of both groups without losing your family or your entire social network. The COC calls this "disfellowshipping"; Scientologists call it "disconnecting."
Fourth, they withhold disturbing or controversial information from potential converts, hoping to get them deeply involved first. In Scientology, this means that you don't learn about Xenu and the Galactic Confederacy until you've reached the level of Operating Thetan III, by which time you've invested so much time and money that the absurdity of this story is easy to brush aside. In the COC, they never told potential converts the whole truth about how strict and controlling the church is. They would wait until after the person converted and then slam it down on them. In one case, a couple converted to the church, and afterward they were told they would have to divorce because the wife had been married previously and didn't have a "scriptural divorce." They didn't stick around long. I even heard one preacher explain from the pulpit that he deliberately withheld telling potential converts about all the onerous rules and regulations the church imposes until after they had been baptized and become members because he didn't want to "overwhelm" them. The truth is, he knew that if they knew exactly what they were getting into, they'd run for the hills as fast as they could. Even back then, when I was deep in the COC, I thought that approach was unethical. Sadly, such deceptive practices are common among cults and cult-like groups.
Finally, one of the most disturbing parallels I saw between the groups was that they both use specialized language to create a sense of group identity and exclude outsiders. This is often called "loading the language." For example, in Scientology, they use the term "auditing" for their confession/interrogation sessions. A "Suppressive Person" or "SP" is someone who is in danger of being "disconnected" for misbehavior. "Source" is L. Ron Hubbard himself. And "going clear" refers to the process of clearing all the "thetans" from one's mind and achieving total freedom.
The COC has similarly weird jargon to distinguish itself from the other (i.e., false) churches, and we were always reprimanded if we didn't use "scripturally correct" terms. For example, the parts of a church building had to be called the "auditorium," "vestibule," and "cry room," not "sanctuary," "narthex," or "nursery," respectively. It wasn't "Sunday school," it was "Bible class." He's not a "pastor" or "minister," he's a "preacher" or "evangelist." Not a "bishop," but an "elder." They don't hold "revivals" but "gospel meetings." Basically, if the Baptists used a particular term, we were forbidden from speaking it.
I find this process of loading the language to be the most insidious practice of such cultish groups because when they control your language, they control your thoughts. If you don't have free reign over your words, they you don't have free reign to explore and express your thoughts, which I guess is the point. They don't want you to start thinking for yourself or questioning the status quo, because then you might discover just how hollow their promises and false their doctrines are.
First, they both claim to have specialized knowledge of an ultimate truth that no one else in the world understands. Second, they strongly discourage members from associating with people outside the group. The COC is especially adamant that you have to marry within the church, lest your "unbelieving spouse" be a bad influence on you and lead you away from The Truth. Third, it's really hard to get out of both groups without losing your family or your entire social network. The COC calls this "disfellowshipping"; Scientologists call it "disconnecting."
Fourth, they withhold disturbing or controversial information from potential converts, hoping to get them deeply involved first. In Scientology, this means that you don't learn about Xenu and the Galactic Confederacy until you've reached the level of Operating Thetan III, by which time you've invested so much time and money that the absurdity of this story is easy to brush aside. In the COC, they never told potential converts the whole truth about how strict and controlling the church is. They would wait until after the person converted and then slam it down on them. In one case, a couple converted to the church, and afterward they were told they would have to divorce because the wife had been married previously and didn't have a "scriptural divorce." They didn't stick around long. I even heard one preacher explain from the pulpit that he deliberately withheld telling potential converts about all the onerous rules and regulations the church imposes until after they had been baptized and become members because he didn't want to "overwhelm" them. The truth is, he knew that if they knew exactly what they were getting into, they'd run for the hills as fast as they could. Even back then, when I was deep in the COC, I thought that approach was unethical. Sadly, such deceptive practices are common among cults and cult-like groups.
Finally, one of the most disturbing parallels I saw between the groups was that they both use specialized language to create a sense of group identity and exclude outsiders. This is often called "loading the language." For example, in Scientology, they use the term "auditing" for their confession/interrogation sessions. A "Suppressive Person" or "SP" is someone who is in danger of being "disconnected" for misbehavior. "Source" is L. Ron Hubbard himself. And "going clear" refers to the process of clearing all the "thetans" from one's mind and achieving total freedom.
The COC has similarly weird jargon to distinguish itself from the other (i.e., false) churches, and we were always reprimanded if we didn't use "scripturally correct" terms. For example, the parts of a church building had to be called the "auditorium," "vestibule," and "cry room," not "sanctuary," "narthex," or "nursery," respectively. It wasn't "Sunday school," it was "Bible class." He's not a "pastor" or "minister," he's a "preacher" or "evangelist." Not a "bishop," but an "elder." They don't hold "revivals" but "gospel meetings." Basically, if the Baptists used a particular term, we were forbidden from speaking it.
I find this process of loading the language to be the most insidious practice of such cultish groups because when they control your language, they control your thoughts. If you don't have free reign over your words, they you don't have free reign to explore and express your thoughts, which I guess is the point. They don't want you to start thinking for yourself or questioning the status quo, because then you might discover just how hollow their promises and false their doctrines are.
Comments
Also your point about hiding the hard stuff until later is familiar. I remember my mother taking me aside after I had told some of my friends whom I had invited to church about a church argument, and my mother said, "Don't air the dirty linen." My father, however, when he went door-to-door he would hand out a tract on divorce and remarriage along with a tract on baptism or the One True Church. He said he had had enough of spending so much time on people and getting them baptized only to find they weren't scripturally married.
You have a great blog. I too am ex-COC. I was in it a total of 6 years, my last as a preacher for the non-Sunday School COC. I made it a year as one of their preachers. When I saw the fruits of their religious teaching, I examined my own heart and left. I was a practitioner of their exclusive teaching and practice. The bad thing is after I left, my wife raised in the NI-COC left me. Her statement was that she could not be married to anyone not a member of the Lord's Church. Since then I have studied their history and my conclusion is that they -the COC-is a cult. This is for many of the reasons you give. My big reason is that they teach that they alone are the Lord's Church on the face of the Earth. That alone gives them cult status, in my opinion.
Truly I appreciate your story,so keep up the good work and sharing.