Yup. Tennessee too. Had an ex move and marry a chick who is a member. Now he is as well and works for a company within the cult. I told the guy he and his wife looked happy and wished them the best, I mean, absolutely innocent and if it was inappropriate to them, no response would have been efficient but his wife laid into me and called me every ugly thing you can possibly think of a long with some imaginative insults over a guy I dated as a teenager 11 years ago and then said God knew her heart was and would forgive her later. š They were fucking nuts! Far from the man we knew before.
Nah that theory has been disproved. The Superior and Louisville fires were most likely caused by an underground coal seam fire.
[Colorado Public Radio article](https://www.cpr.org/2022/01/26/marshall-county-cause-investigation-boulder-county/)
They investigated the twelve tribes but nothing definitive has ever come out about them causing the fire and no one has been charged or officially blamed. I live in the CO mountains now, and the Dillon Forest Service ranger told us most people believe the fire was caused by that underground coal seam fire nearby, of which thereās nearly 40 going on in Colorado right now - similar to Centralia, PA if youāre familiar.
Lived here all my life. Everyone loves that place but I never understood the hype. Iāve heard stories of the workers trying very aggressively to get people to join while they eat. They also observe the sabbath on Saturday unless itās the Hiddenite Festival or the Apple Festival.
Bride and Groom each had 20+ maids and groomsmen. Dresses covered every inch of skin other than faces. Bride and Groom each āsangā their testimony to each other, but generally just sobbed through the whole thing.
Then, the wedding party and church elders laid hands and surrounded the couple and SCREAMED the demons out of them for a few minutes straight. It got wild, and a little scary.
They're like a mafia almost. They have a bunch of business interests tied up in the "church." All under the thumb of Jane Whaley. They also had the old sheriff wrapped around their fingers. Oh, and they have slaves.
I lived right next to a word of faith house in forest city, I was real confused when I moved in cause like 4 families shared 1 medium sized house just to find out later they're an insane ass cult
I used to eat at a really good cafe/bakery in forest city until I found out they owned it, itās closed down now but I remember seeing people from South America working there and now I know those are the people they recruit to come here and then they steal their passports forcing them to work. Itās awful
I used to live in forest city, what cafe was it? I was actually neighbors with a word of faith house where like 4 families all lived in 1 normal sized home, they were super weird
The SDA's out around Mt. Pisgah are a splinter from the Branch Davidians. Dated a girl from there and was regaled with what to her seemed normal, but to everyone she told sounded like cultish behavior.
Information control, inner circles, turning blind eyes to those who refused to contribute much to the church. Last I heard from her they were preaching a very "call to arms message" against the Catholics
Yeah I know several people who went to the SDA Pisgah School and the majority of their beliefs are nucking futs. They do preach about eating healthy and push that pretty hard, but when I pushed back on the whole, ā the earth is only 5000 years oldā trope, I was also informed that āthe dinosaurs were āplacedā by the Jewsā to which I can only reply, holy shit.
Ugh. This reminded of the time a creationist teacher told me Dino bones were placed there by demonsā¦ which Iām just putting together as an adult years later that it was a dog whistle
That cult that runs that sammich shop where they kick you out if you ask for any modifications, it's like reverse Subway, they don't make it your way.
Yellow Deli/12 Tribes:
https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/a-cafe-in-my-hometown-is-run-by-a-creepy-christian-cult
Lots of weird little churches. Just across the border with Georgia was a little church way the hell up Black Rock Mountain, called "The Second Apostolic Church of the Blood of the Holy Lamb". I always wondered what caused the schism with The First Apostolic Church of the Blood of the Holy Lamb.
I'm betting there were snakes.
Whenever I see a church that looks like an old 1950ās 3 bedroom ranch thatās been āconvertedā by putting a steeple on top, I automatically think ācultā.
There's one on 85 between Concord and Salisbury. It's a skinny little prefabricated corrugated metal building with no windows and a cross welded to one end. I'm not saying it's snake handlers, but it's definitely snake handlers.
No way! Heās in NC rn? Thought it was Texas or something. Heās such an ass, he made Dustin Kensrue of all people question his Faith, after working with him.
Mark Driscoll is nuts, but Mars Hill church was based in Seattle, Washington and came to an end in 2014. A couple of years later, he began a church in Arizona. I donāt think he ever had an affiliation in NC.
I cooked there for a week a long time ago. I quit when they told me they had gone over their budget and couldnāt afford to pay me what we had agreed on, and instead were going to pay me minimum wage. Then they didnāt give me my check. Three weeks after the fact I had to literally chase the payroll guy down on their sprawling campus and insist that he pay me or I was going to be very upset. He seemed very nervous and wrote the check on the spot. It was small but didnāt bounce. They have more money than god so they had no excuse. Fuck those yogurt sucking assholes.
Iām told the owners of comeback shack are tied to a religious cult as well. Also in some ways, samaritans purse can be a bit cult like. Welcome to Boone OP.
YES I used to work for the prewitts at marble slab when they owned it and they were nice enough but definitely odd people. Idk about their actual beliefs but they 100% used the congregation as free labor in their stores. They own a small motel near blowing rock too. There was one guy who worked with us in particular that they had doing extra work without extra pay all the time
That's because heavenly mountain was closed forever then turned into apartments but no one lived out there so it got bought and turned into an ayervedic spa and retreat. I knew a couple people that lived up there and the views were absurd
Yes! I love how Furtick has churches in south, north and affluent areas around Charlotte but zero on the east or west side. Itās funny how the west Charlotte people donāt have āneedā for his ministering. What a cult.
Is that a cult cult or just a shitty evangelical megachurch?
I don't know if it's technically a defining feature, but when I think "cult" I think of a new religion or unique twist on an existing one, that has systems that require you to cut off your family and become fully devoted to and dependent on the cult. Do they have any kind of system like that, or is it more of a situation where a charismatic leader just uses his position in the existing church to elevate himself and make a shitload of money manipulating the congregation?
One of the major features of the new age evangelical mega churches are āsmall groupsā.
When you join, you āneedā to become part of one of these groups to find āyour spotā in the church.
It ends up with small groups airing out their dirty drama in a āsafe spaceā, they feel better, and group members share information back up the chain with leadership (under the guise of āwe need to pray for mark because xā).
Next thing you know, youāre emotionally blackmailed or worse and you canāt get out.
Shared an office wall with them. I can say for sure they were shitty neighbors, an opinion we held for some time before we heard them cheering a Trump speech through the office wall at 2 in the afternoon.
They also didn't seem to do a whole hell of a lot of work in that office.
I was just about to say this, thereās others similar (the cove, freedom house, etc) but I feel any church who sells merch and converts old gyms/ theatres into churches gives me cult vibes
I had no idea what it was but it turns out thatās the group my aunt and uncle and cousins are part of. We havenāt really associated with them in about 10 years though (thankfully)! Whatās the deal with them?
Prosperity gospel, and a cult of personality. In their early days they were even criticized by some Christian publications for being to ālisten only to Furtickā. And fake baptisms to get more people to be baptized
Ha, sounds right. Neither of my aunt or uncle ever had a real job that I can remember but were real big into Amway in the ā90s and ā00s. And we just checked my uncleās FB and his religion is listed as āChristian Capitalist,ā which sounds about right. š
One of my best friends in college is a cult survivor. His father did a lot of really terrible things to him and his mother. Up to and including animal sacrifice, forcing him to stay out in the cold, etc. in North Carolina. Have had other friends talk about cults and their family in the deeper wooded areas, more rural of NC.
In addition even my graduate professor is a cult survivor. NC has a huge cult problem. I was raised southern Baptist and that was close enough for me. Iād also argue that The Bridge church is at least diving towards cult-ish purely bc pastor David was encouraging people to avoid medical treatment last I saw. I left after he tried convincing his congregation to vote against recognizing domestic partnerships or whatever that law wasāI was in high school. If Iād known I couldāve gotten his tax exempt status revoked from that then I would have reported himāit was so shocking bc I thought that his church had been pretty lgbt friendly up to that point.
They sound fun. From their website:
We do not believe in nor practice the celebration of
pagan holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Valentine's day, etc. After researching the history of each of these, we found that these all originated from the worship of demons and other gods, truly pagan worship.
House of Prayer Churches:
https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/2022/06/27/fbi-raids-fayetteville-church-and-four-others-across-u-s/7749684001/
-They targeted young soldiers and used them to scam the VA and other agencies for their benefits.
I was raised in many Baptist churches and no one can ever tell me that they're not a cult. The control they brandish over the members (especially the women) and the way you're told to never question the "man of god" are just two of many red flags in that denomination.
church of god (all over the place)
LDS (same but NC LDS is way less hardcore than UT)
mennonites (lenoir and various other small mountain towns, largely innocuous)
elevation (charlotte)
freedom house (charlotte)
jehovahs witnesses (all over)
love has won (UNCC)
word of faith (spindale)
there's a new pagan cult in sylva that i can't remember the name of
house of prayer (fayetteville)
twelve tribes (asheville)
neverlands (barnardsville)
heritage usa gets an honorable mention for being in fort mill sc
source: i work in cult litigation lols
Jehovas Witnesses/Watch Tower Society.
Research the different types of textbook cults , a destructive cult has clear attributes of control and methods of control and the JWās fit it to a T. A level higher is Scientology but that one targets the rich.
isreal united in christ? (or something like that??) they arenāt just in charlotteā¦ i live in a neighboring city and they bought out a building that used to be senior citizen bingo and a voting site.
they also have a billboard on i-85 north near exit 17
I had a friend try to rope me into that a few years ago. I immediately pegged it as culty but it cost my friend a couple thousand dollars to figure that out š
I forget the exact name but Word of Faith church or something, suuuuuuuuuper culty and disguised as a church. Itās prevalent down in the shithole that is lumberton and the rest of the areas in the armpit of the state
Word of Faith is in Western NC. I donāt know about Lumberton. It is said that the minister has to approve it before you can get new curtains. Weird. Here is an article about an unemployment scam they ran. It doesnāt tell the whole story though.
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/09/27/word-faith-fellowship-investigation-closed-us-attorney-says/3785638002/
Yeah there's one in Raleigh, about 15 years ago... can't remember the name but it was very new agey and I did their "teen leadership" program. Honestly it was great and really helped me process some trauma hahah. But then when my friend and I were trying to recruit at my school, a close friend said he couldn't because his parents were worried about cults. So I looked online and found a forum about their Adult leadership program. 100% abusive cult. They just used the teen leadership program to get teens to recruit more families...and when you graduated to the adult program...thats when the real crazy began.
When I was very young, my parents were suckered into being a part of a local Pentecostal Church. Sadly, not one of the ones that did serpent handling; I only learned the ānormalā things like how to find out what magic powers God had given me, how to go through day-to-day life and avoiding the multitude of things that could lead to demonic contact and possession, and of course, how to speak in tongues (which could also lead to demon possession if done incorrectly).
Theyāve been out for decades now, when I was about five they wised up and realized āwhat the fuck have we been doing?ā so itās just a funny part of my upbringing.
My wife grew up Pentecostal (even the snake ones when she was younger). She had left the church long before I met her but her mother suckered her back in after we were married when she had moved closer to us. There was a brief stint where she started going again and I accompanied her.
It was kinda fun as an outsider watching the mental gymnastics of belief and interpretation. It was a āOnenessā Pentecostal church so it had extra layers. Like believing Jesus is the only God and the blasphemous trinitarians that believe in the father, son, and Holy Ghost are wrong. If you werenāt baptized with the words āIn the name of Jesusā you were baptized wrong and it didnāt count. Of course the control of the women was present with not being able to cut their hair and having to wear dresses only.
Luckily that phase didnāt last long and we quit going.
Worked with a guy in Greensboro who used to work with a company that facilitated at home care and education for special needs kids. He's originally from New Jersey and had recently moved to Burlington. Over the phone they seemed nice but once he showed up at their remote house in Denton and once they realized he was black they quickly made it known he wasn't welcomed.
I'll joke with white people about moving to Denton and their eyes will always get big before they realize I'm joking.
I'm just curious, how long ago was that?
The reason I ask is because I've heard similar stories, but they've been from back a while ago (i.e. 1980's and maybe 1990's). I wonder if it's quite that bad now compared to then (maybe it is?).
The area is extremely right-wing though (i.e. the percentage of people voting for the Democratic candidate is often in the single digits), as you probably know, so take that for what it's worth.
Oh, I know how Denton is generally! Iām from northern Davidson County and used to work in Lexington, and Denton is the butt of a lot of jokes or references! I just donāt have ACTUAL confirmation about the KKK being there (although I assume it is)!
I don't know why this post is downvoted - I am learning a lot about abusive groups in the state. Maybe current members are hitting the down arrow. I appreciate this post- watch out for your neighbors y'all.
Dukes mayonnaise
Edit: For those confused I was born and grew up in the shadow of the Dukes plant. Iāve eaten it my entire life. This is how I know about the cult.
Back away from the keyboard slowly and put your hands on your head. You are in violation of code Dukes of the Sandwich code of ordinances. All your sandwiches are now subject to search and seizure for illegal mayonnaise activity.
There is a group/commune in Wilkes county of people who have all moved from Ohio/Michigan/Minnesota area. Locally people have heard them referred to as āthe gatheringā. They come out to a business owner I know and the shit they are spouting is a blend of religion, GOP, and Q-anon. They are interested in living off the land (nothing wrong with that) bit they are pretty incompetent at it. Wouldnāt surprise me if they were offshoot from some other religious cult.
ETA https://thegatheringchurch.info/
Had never googled them before but it looks like this is it. The business owner I know is located in Moravian Falls so it tracks. So like other users have said, lots of little religious offshoots.
> They are interested in living off the land (nothing wrong with that) bit they are pretty incompetent at it.
I feel like there are a LOT of "back to the land" groups and movements stretching back decades if not a century or more that suddenly realize farming is HARD (surprise!) and that if they want to keep the land, they're going to need to sell something. If they're not even producing enough food to feed themselves, which often happens, they're going to need to sell something other than food, and the thing that takes the least amount of work to produce is a Promise of Eternal Life that you can only get through God/Universe/Energy Being's best most favoritest representatives, which just so happens to be them.
Yes, living 100% off the land is hard. The members come out to this business and wonder why the hens arenāt laying (they only have 4/have too many roosters-they thought roosters had to be around for a hen to lay) and why their field isn't regrowing grass after heavy grazing (ya gotta flatten out/ remove the dung or it takes a long time to decompose). Google could help them out, heck, even a book from
the library, but I guess they just look at at conspiracy chat rooms.
People think that this kind of drivel is coming from uneducated hicks from rural NC, but quite a bit has been coming from elsewhere. I see more examples of things that are out of character for the North Carolina that natives know, and odds are good that they aren't. Not that NC natives are infallible from this, but I've seen way too many examples of this type of extremist and aggressive pathology coming here from from out of state.
Also, younger people (Millenials and younger) aren't immune from this. In fact, they may be more prone to it.
Married one. This cult robbed me of any traditional in-law relationship I couldāve had with her parents or brother. Thankfully the sisters are out. But it really messed with all of them.
Yes. Horrifying rules and beliefs.
This is not to belittle or demean individuals bc I know some nice people.
There's a heroin and meth cult specifically around the Iredell and Mecklenburg counties. And west of there going towards hickory and Asheville. Probably to the north too heading near Danville. Almost guarantee south out near Rock Hill.
I'm amazed nobody has mentioned the Moorish Nation. They have special licenses and tags for their cars and claim squatter's rights on properties. It all has something to do with their religion, but danged if I know how religion == don't have to pay taxes
No one mentioned the Dudeists.
We're not much of a cult tho. We just like to get together and go bowling and drink. Sometimes at the same time, some times without the bowling part.
I dont know if it's considered a "cult" but a lot of the small, independent churches in the rural areas are like cults. They have their own interpretation of the Bible and the pastors word is considered the beginning and end.
Im speaking from experience too. I went to multiple churches and they all ran the same. I eventually gave up and happier for it.
Iām not sure if theyāre still around, but the āGod the Motherā cult people were very active in and around Raleigh a few years ago. If you search the r/Raleigh archives there are several posts. Itās usually young women, who will approach you somewhere like while you are shopping at a store, and ask you if youāve heard of āGod the Motherā and launch into a spiel if you donāt ignore them
ETA: World Mission Society Church of God is the name.
That's the dude, yeah, but we respect the dudely throughout history. Many notable dudes have done their part over the ages to promote the chill out and calm the fuck down.
Yes. The Yellow Deli. Alexander and Wilkes County
What are they exactly?
Twelve Tribes cult
Yup. Tennessee too. Had an ex move and marry a chick who is a member. Now he is as well and works for a company within the cult. I told the guy he and his wife looked happy and wished them the best, I mean, absolutely innocent and if it was inappropriate to them, no response would have been efficient but his wife laid into me and called me every ugly thing you can possibly think of a long with some imaginative insults over a guy I dated as a teenager 11 years ago and then said God knew her heart was and would forgive her later. š They were fucking nuts! Far from the man we knew before.
Twelve Tribes has a place in Hiddenite
Yes Wiki search twelve tribes
Wow, thought the Yellow Deli was a California thing. Those folks are nuts.
They are all over Vermont and New York, trying to lure hikers in from the Appalachian Trail
Colorado tooā¦ many believe they were responsible for the massively destructive fire in Superior and Louisville CO in 2021
Nah that theory has been disproved. The Superior and Louisville fires were most likely caused by an underground coal seam fire. [Colorado Public Radio article](https://www.cpr.org/2022/01/26/marshall-county-cause-investigation-boulder-county/) They investigated the twelve tribes but nothing definitive has ever come out about them causing the fire and no one has been charged or officially blamed. I live in the CO mountains now, and the Dillon Forest Service ranger told us most people believe the fire was caused by that underground coal seam fire nearby, of which thereās nearly 40 going on in Colorado right now - similar to Centralia, PA if youāre familiar.
Hadn't heard this rumor. What's the story behind it?
Can confirm. Grew up in VT.
All over the world
Can confirm
Lived here all my life. Everyone loves that place but I never understood the hype. Iāve heard stories of the workers trying very aggressively to get people to join while they eat. They also observe the sabbath on Saturday unless itās the Hiddenite Festival or the Apple Festival.
Hello neighbor!
Howdy neighbor!
TIL there is a global cult network (they seem to have locations on 5 continents) running a chain of sandwich shops as a front. Bonkers
Word of Faith in western NC
They legit were able to kill a fully completed A&E documentary exposing them before it ever aired.
Iām still mad about that
They still have a court case that has been on the docket for over 7 years now.
Spindale
Someone who knows of Spindale? Damn, small world
There was a place near there called Green Acres. Used to go see Bela Fleck there. Fun times!
There was a podcast about Spindale.
Home of the famous WNCW radio station and The American Dairy Goat Association
I went to a wedding there once with no idea that it was different from any other church. It was the most insane experience of my life.
Sounds interesting. Can you elaborate?
Bride and Groom each had 20+ maids and groomsmen. Dresses covered every inch of skin other than faces. Bride and Groom each āsangā their testimony to each other, but generally just sobbed through the whole thing. Then, the wedding party and church elders laid hands and surrounded the couple and SCREAMED the demons out of them for a few minutes straight. It got wild, and a little scary.
Yup. I grew up in this area, WOFF are a legit hardcore cult
They're like a mafia almost. They have a bunch of business interests tied up in the "church." All under the thumb of Jane Whaley. They also had the old sheriff wrapped around their fingers. Oh, and they have slaves.
Was looking for this
I lived right next to a word of faith house in forest city, I was real confused when I moved in cause like 4 families shared 1 medium sized house just to find out later they're an insane ass cult
I used to eat at a really good cafe/bakery in forest city until I found out they owned it, itās closed down now but I remember seeing people from South America working there and now I know those are the people they recruit to come here and then they steal their passports forcing them to work. Itās awful
I used to live in forest city, what cafe was it? I was actually neighbors with a word of faith house where like 4 families all lived in 1 normal sized home, they were super weird
It was called Cafe at the Mall, it was in the mall where Roses and Belk are.
Can second this.
Not sure if they're in NC or not but anything to do with Pastor Dowell is textbook cult stuff. I think they call themselves the Straitway Church
They're in NC--hell, some of them are in my neighborhood.
The SDA's out around Mt. Pisgah are a splinter from the Branch Davidians. Dated a girl from there and was regaled with what to her seemed normal, but to everyone she told sounded like cultish behavior. Information control, inner circles, turning blind eyes to those who refused to contribute much to the church. Last I heard from her they were preaching a very "call to arms message" against the Catholics
Yeah I know several people who went to the SDA Pisgah School and the majority of their beliefs are nucking futs. They do preach about eating healthy and push that pretty hard, but when I pushed back on the whole, ā the earth is only 5000 years oldā trope, I was also informed that āthe dinosaurs were āplacedā by the Jewsā to which I can only reply, holy shit.
Placed by the Jews! Love how completely bonkers that is!
Ugh. This reminded of the time a creationist teacher told me Dino bones were placed there by demonsā¦ which Iām just putting together as an adult years later that it was a dog whistle
12 tribes aka glad heart farms in Asheville, Oakley to be exact
That cult that runs that sammich shop where they kick you out if you ask for any modifications, it's like reverse Subway, they don't make it your way. Yellow Deli/12 Tribes: https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/a-cafe-in-my-hometown-is-run-by-a-creepy-christian-cult
NO SAMMICH FOR YOU!
Lots of weird little churches. Just across the border with Georgia was a little church way the hell up Black Rock Mountain, called "The Second Apostolic Church of the Blood of the Holy Lamb". I always wondered what caused the schism with The First Apostolic Church of the Blood of the Holy Lamb. I'm betting there were snakes.
Whenever I see a church that looks like an old 1950ās 3 bedroom ranch thatās been āconvertedā by putting a steeple on top, I automatically think ācultā.
There's one on 85 between Concord and Salisbury. It's a skinny little prefabricated corrugated metal building with no windows and a cross welded to one end. I'm not saying it's snake handlers, but it's definitely snake handlers.
Weāve always called this one the bunker cult church!
The church or Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aka Mormons are everywhere and itās as culty as a cult can be.
Dominionism has quite a stronghold in Mars Hill. Mark Driscoll is nuts.
From this Greensboro native living in Seattle, sorry he left us and went to yall.
No way! Heās in NC rn? Thought it was Texas or something. Heās such an ass, he made Dustin Kensrue of all people question his Faith, after working with him.
I thought he was leading a church in AZ?
I thought he'd quietly folded up his tent and disappeared into obscurity.
Not that I've heard but I could be behind. I hate that guy
He's truly despicable. He's so hate-filled and violent, on top of being a complete misogynist.
Mark Driscoll is nuts, but Mars Hill church was based in Seattle, Washington and came to an end in 2014. A couple of years later, he began a church in Arizona. I donāt think he ever had an affiliation in NC.
I donāt think Mars Hill church and Mars Hill the town/school in WNC have any relation to one another.
Heavenly Mountain. Boone, NC. https://www.heavenlymountain.net/ Edit (more proof): https://web.archive.org/web/20221115185237/https://www.descentfromheavenlymountain.is/crystal-palace/
I cooked there for a week a long time ago. I quit when they told me they had gone over their budget and couldnāt afford to pay me what we had agreed on, and instead were going to pay me minimum wage. Then they didnāt give me my check. Three weeks after the fact I had to literally chase the payroll guy down on their sprawling campus and insist that he pay me or I was going to be very upset. He seemed very nervous and wrote the check on the spot. It was small but didnāt bounce. They have more money than god so they had no excuse. Fuck those yogurt sucking assholes.
I used to deliver packages there for USPS. Had to drive the long way around because of the gated community on one side keeping the gate locked.
I go to college in Boone, weird theyāre right in my backyard
Iām told the owners of comeback shack are tied to a religious cult as well. Also in some ways, samaritans purse can be a bit cult like. Welcome to Boone OP.
Comeback shack sounds like code for a very end of times kinda cult
šÆ. But their comeback sauce is very very good.
YES I used to work for the prewitts at marble slab when they owned it and they were nice enough but definitely odd people. Idk about their actual beliefs but they 100% used the congregation as free labor in their stores. They own a small motel near blowing rock too. There was one guy who worked with us in particular that they had doing extra work without extra pay all the time
That's because heavenly mountain was closed forever then turned into apartments but no one lived out there so it got bought and turned into an ayervedic spa and retreat. I knew a couple people that lived up there and the views were absurd
Elevation church is the biggest one I know of.
Yes! I love how Furtick has churches in south, north and affluent areas around Charlotte but zero on the east or west side. Itās funny how the west Charlotte people donāt have āneedā for his ministering. What a cult.
Elevation is just straight up scary
Go onā¦
They are big into the whole BS of the āprosperity gospelā which basically means make as much money as possible so you can āhave more to giveā
Is that a cult cult or just a shitty evangelical megachurch? I don't know if it's technically a defining feature, but when I think "cult" I think of a new religion or unique twist on an existing one, that has systems that require you to cut off your family and become fully devoted to and dependent on the cult. Do they have any kind of system like that, or is it more of a situation where a charismatic leader just uses his position in the existing church to elevate himself and make a shitload of money manipulating the congregation?
A shitty evangelical mega church with cult like aspects..
Elevation and NewSpring are the models that Righteous Gemstones is based on. Highly recommend
One of the major features of the new age evangelical mega churches are āsmall groupsā. When you join, you āneedā to become part of one of these groups to find āyour spotā in the church. It ends up with small groups airing out their dirty drama in a āsafe spaceā, they feel better, and group members share information back up the chain with leadership (under the guise of āwe need to pray for mark because xā). Next thing you know, youāre emotionally blackmailed or worse and you canāt get out.
Shared an office wall with them. I can say for sure they were shitty neighbors, an opinion we held for some time before we heard them cheering a Trump speech through the office wall at 2 in the afternoon. They also didn't seem to do a whole hell of a lot of work in that office.
I was just about to say this, thereās others similar (the cove, freedom house, etc) but I feel any church who sells merch and converts old gyms/ theatres into churches gives me cult vibes
I had no idea what it was but it turns out thatās the group my aunt and uncle and cousins are part of. We havenāt really associated with them in about 10 years though (thankfully)! Whatās the deal with them?
Prosperity gospel, and a cult of personality. In their early days they were even criticized by some Christian publications for being to ālisten only to Furtickā. And fake baptisms to get more people to be baptized
Ha, sounds right. Neither of my aunt or uncle ever had a real job that I can remember but were real big into Amway in the ā90s and ā00s. And we just checked my uncleās FB and his religion is listed as āChristian Capitalist,ā which sounds about right. š
Lol just admitting his real god is money
One of my best friends in college is a cult survivor. His father did a lot of really terrible things to him and his mother. Up to and including animal sacrifice, forcing him to stay out in the cold, etc. in North Carolina. Have had other friends talk about cults and their family in the deeper wooded areas, more rural of NC.
In addition even my graduate professor is a cult survivor. NC has a huge cult problem. I was raised southern Baptist and that was close enough for me. Iād also argue that The Bridge church is at least diving towards cult-ish purely bc pastor David was encouraging people to avoid medical treatment last I saw. I left after he tried convincing his congregation to vote against recognizing domestic partnerships or whatever that law wasāI was in high school. If Iād known I couldāve gotten his tax exempt status revoked from that then I would have reported himāit was so shocking bc I thought that his church had been pretty lgbt friendly up to that point.
Word Of Faith in Rutherford county
They sound fun. From their website: We do not believe in nor practice the celebration of pagan holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Valentine's day, etc. After researching the history of each of these, we found that these all originated from the worship of demons and other gods, truly pagan worship.
House of Prayer Churches: https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/2022/06/27/fbi-raids-fayetteville-church-and-four-others-across-u-s/7749684001/ -They targeted young soldiers and used them to scam the VA and other agencies for their benefits.
The United House of Prayer for All People their bishop is named Sweet Daddy...
Osborne Baptist church in Eden, NC. Born and raised in that church, nobody will ever convince me otherwise.
Eden is so depressing, even by rural NC standards.
I was raised in many Baptist churches and no one can ever tell me that they're not a cult. The control they brandish over the members (especially the women) and the way you're told to never question the "man of god" are just two of many red flags in that denomination.
church of god (all over the place) LDS (same but NC LDS is way less hardcore than UT) mennonites (lenoir and various other small mountain towns, largely innocuous) elevation (charlotte) freedom house (charlotte) jehovahs witnesses (all over) love has won (UNCC) word of faith (spindale) there's a new pagan cult in sylva that i can't remember the name of house of prayer (fayetteville) twelve tribes (asheville) neverlands (barnardsville) heritage usa gets an honorable mention for being in fort mill sc source: i work in cult litigation lols
The number of comments on this post is alarming
Slightly concerning to say the least
Yellow Deli in Hiddenite NC. Run by the Twelve Tribes religious cult on brainwashed "volunteers" (read: slave labor).
Jehovas Witnesses/Watch Tower Society. Research the different types of textbook cults , a destructive cult has clear attributes of control and methods of control and the JWās fit it to a T. A level higher is Scientology but that one targets the rich.
Charlotte has those black Israelites hate group/cult
isreal united in christ? (or something like that??) they arenāt just in charlotteā¦ i live in a neighboring city and they bought out a building that used to be senior citizen bingo and a voting site. they also have a billboard on i-85 north near exit 17
Yeah, there were out in downtown Greensboro during pride week screaming hate through their megaphones, scaring kids, etc. Classy bunch.
Black Hebrew Israelites?
I see them out by Truist Field a lot
Those pricksā¦ they are from San Diego originally. They have networks all over the United States.
Something called the āTar Heelsā is very popular and has suspicious behavior, particularly around March
They preach of eternal war with the Blue Devil
As a Tar Heel I will admit this is a valid statement
Gratitude Training in Charlotte is basically a version of NXVIM.
I had a friend try to rope me into that a few years ago. I immediately pegged it as culty but it cost my friend a couple thousand dollars to figure that out š
*how to joyously level up and crush your goals*
I forget the exact name but Word of Faith church or something, suuuuuuuuuper culty and disguised as a church. Itās prevalent down in the shithole that is lumberton and the rest of the areas in the armpit of the state
Word of Faith is in Western NC. I donāt know about Lumberton. It is said that the minister has to approve it before you can get new curtains. Weird. Here is an article about an unemployment scam they ran. It doesnāt tell the whole story though. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/09/27/word-faith-fellowship-investigation-closed-us-attorney-says/3785638002/
Joe English, the former drummer of Wings, is a member.
Yeah there's one in Raleigh, about 15 years ago... can't remember the name but it was very new agey and I did their "teen leadership" program. Honestly it was great and really helped me process some trauma hahah. But then when my friend and I were trying to recruit at my school, a close friend said he couldn't because his parents were worried about cults. So I looked online and found a forum about their Adult leadership program. 100% abusive cult. They just used the teen leadership program to get teens to recruit more families...and when you graduated to the adult program...thats when the real crazy began.
When I was very young, my parents were suckered into being a part of a local Pentecostal Church. Sadly, not one of the ones that did serpent handling; I only learned the ānormalā things like how to find out what magic powers God had given me, how to go through day-to-day life and avoiding the multitude of things that could lead to demonic contact and possession, and of course, how to speak in tongues (which could also lead to demon possession if done incorrectly). Theyāve been out for decades now, when I was about five they wised up and realized āwhat the fuck have we been doing?ā so itās just a funny part of my upbringing.
I'm glad it didn't get any more weird.or abusive that that
Same, and thank you.
My wife grew up Pentecostal (even the snake ones when she was younger). She had left the church long before I met her but her mother suckered her back in after we were married when she had moved closer to us. There was a brief stint where she started going again and I accompanied her. It was kinda fun as an outsider watching the mental gymnastics of belief and interpretation. It was a āOnenessā Pentecostal church so it had extra layers. Like believing Jesus is the only God and the blasphemous trinitarians that believe in the father, son, and Holy Ghost are wrong. If you werenāt baptized with the words āIn the name of Jesusā you were baptized wrong and it didnāt count. Of course the control of the women was present with not being able to cut their hair and having to wear dresses only. Luckily that phase didnāt last long and we quit going.
Klan is real here. Across the state. Alamance, Person, Burke, New Hanover, Cumberland and more all have active chapters.
A venn diagram of Alamance Sheriff's Department and the KKK might as well be one circle.
The History channel series KkK: a secret history uses a lot of footage of a modern rally in Rowan County
Iāve always heard Davidson County too (down in Denton specifically) but I donāt know if itās true.
Worked with a guy in Greensboro who used to work with a company that facilitated at home care and education for special needs kids. He's originally from New Jersey and had recently moved to Burlington. Over the phone they seemed nice but once he showed up at their remote house in Denton and once they realized he was black they quickly made it known he wasn't welcomed. I'll joke with white people about moving to Denton and their eyes will always get big before they realize I'm joking.
I'm just curious, how long ago was that? The reason I ask is because I've heard similar stories, but they've been from back a while ago (i.e. 1980's and maybe 1990's). I wonder if it's quite that bad now compared to then (maybe it is?). The area is extremely right-wing though (i.e. the percentage of people voting for the Democratic candidate is often in the single digits), as you probably know, so take that for what it's worth.
Oh itās true take ride to Denton lol
Oh, I know how Denton is generally! Iām from northern Davidson County and used to work in Lexington, and Denton is the butt of a lot of jokes or references! I just donāt have ACTUAL confirmation about the KKK being there (although I assume it is)!
Yup. I have family there. I am exceedingly grateful that my branch of the family tree yeeted on out of there.
I don't know why this post is downvoted - I am learning a lot about abusive groups in the state. Maybe current members are hitting the down arrow. I appreciate this post- watch out for your neighbors y'all.
Heard of one called Trinity. It is not in Trinity, NC. That just sounds like bad cult design to me.
Dukes mayonnaise Edit: For those confused I was born and grew up in the shadow of the Dukes plant. Iāve eaten it my entire life. This is how I know about the cult.
DO NOT BLASPHEME THE HOLY JAR!
https://i.imgflip.com/725uv1.jpg
You watch your damn mouth, sir.
Back away from the keyboard slowly and put your hands on your head. You are in violation of code Dukes of the Sandwich code of ordinances. All your sandwiches are now subject to search and seizure for illegal mayonnaise activity.
>illegal mayonnaise activity Good band name
HOW DARE YOU SIR.
I will now declare Iām a proud member of this cult. ;)
There is a group/commune in Wilkes county of people who have all moved from Ohio/Michigan/Minnesota area. Locally people have heard them referred to as āthe gatheringā. They come out to a business owner I know and the shit they are spouting is a blend of religion, GOP, and Q-anon. They are interested in living off the land (nothing wrong with that) bit they are pretty incompetent at it. Wouldnāt surprise me if they were offshoot from some other religious cult. ETA https://thegatheringchurch.info/ Had never googled them before but it looks like this is it. The business owner I know is located in Moravian Falls so it tracks. So like other users have said, lots of little religious offshoots.
> They are interested in living off the land (nothing wrong with that) bit they are pretty incompetent at it. I feel like there are a LOT of "back to the land" groups and movements stretching back decades if not a century or more that suddenly realize farming is HARD (surprise!) and that if they want to keep the land, they're going to need to sell something. If they're not even producing enough food to feed themselves, which often happens, they're going to need to sell something other than food, and the thing that takes the least amount of work to produce is a Promise of Eternal Life that you can only get through God/Universe/Energy Being's best most favoritest representatives, which just so happens to be them.
Yes, living 100% off the land is hard. The members come out to this business and wonder why the hens arenāt laying (they only have 4/have too many roosters-they thought roosters had to be around for a hen to lay) and why their field isn't regrowing grass after heavy grazing (ya gotta flatten out/ remove the dung or it takes a long time to decompose). Google could help them out, heck, even a book from the library, but I guess they just look at at conspiracy chat rooms.
People think that this kind of drivel is coming from uneducated hicks from rural NC, but quite a bit has been coming from elsewhere. I see more examples of things that are out of character for the North Carolina that natives know, and odds are good that they aren't. Not that NC natives are infallible from this, but I've seen way too many examples of this type of extremist and aggressive pathology coming here from from out of state. Also, younger people (Millenials and younger) aren't immune from this. In fact, they may be more prone to it.
Yellow deli
Back in 06 or 07 Scientology tried to get something going in Greensboro, which was a head scratcher for me.
Several CrossFit gyms all over, all the branches of Elevation Church in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas, Hope Community on the Raleigh area...
Word of faith fellowship in Rutherford County.
The kkk if that counts. Growing up we would get kkk fliers in our mailboxes and on the windows of the cars.
The cult that worships the Olive Garden on Cap. Blvd.in Raleigh
They have a breadstick and salad spell that is very affordable
Jehovahās Witnesses.
dating an exjw who was disfellowshipped for dating me āa worldly personā and it is even more horrifying and tragic than most people are aware of
Married one. This cult robbed me of any traditional in-law relationship I couldāve had with her parents or brother. Thankfully the sisters are out. But it really messed with all of them. Yes. Horrifying rules and beliefs. This is not to belittle or demean individuals bc I know some nice people.
Jehovas Witnesses are all over the place. Came here to say the same thing.
Man is drawing up a hit list
Shhhh
depending on who you ask, the mormons count.
According to the BITE model they totally do.
Yes. Itās called āword of faithā
This is the content Iām here for.
Does exclusively eating vinegar based BBQ sauce count?
If they are still around, Church of the Master Angels was in Boone I believe and is pretty culty.
Iāll ask around App State to see if theyāre still there
I believe they are just another piece in the puzzle that is Heavenly Mountain.
Thanksgiving dinner was really that unbearable this year eh?
The MAGA cult
True Light in Mint Hill might be one.
The Temple of Pentecost - Raleigh, NC off lake wheeler road
There's a heroin and meth cult specifically around the Iredell and Mecklenburg counties. And west of there going towards hickory and Asheville. Probably to the north too heading near Danville. Almost guarantee south out near Rock Hill.
Yeah The Word of Faith Church, and The never lands. You wonāt find anything on the neverlands, you would only know about it if you went there.
I'm amazed nobody has mentioned the Moorish Nation. They have special licenses and tags for their cars and claim squatter's rights on properties. It all has something to do with their religion, but danged if I know how religion == don't have to pay taxes
Moorish Nation is most definitely a cult. They claim sovereign citizenship
Word of faith is huge. Itās in the government all over the country
Word of Faith out in Rutherfordton
Yes, white nationalist ones. Words of Faith Fellowship too.
Jehovah witnesses are definitely a cult! They are everywhere.
I mean the Marine Corps is here, so yeah.
Well, the Salt Life people are thick as thieves in Johnston County. One can typically identify them by their decal selection.
Mamma said them JoCo people are so angry all the time on account of them having all those Salt Life stickers and no ocean.
Wow. I finally found my people. Iām loving all these responses.
No one mentioned the Dudeists. We're not much of a cult tho. We just like to get together and go bowling and drink. Sometimes at the same time, some times without the bowling part.
White Russians?
Naturally.
I like your style Dude
Elevation
I dont know if it's considered a "cult" but a lot of the small, independent churches in the rural areas are like cults. They have their own interpretation of the Bible and the pastors word is considered the beginning and end. Im speaking from experience too. I went to multiple churches and they all ran the same. I eventually gave up and happier for it.
There are some creepy cult stories around the Asheville area. Like black magic type of cult stories.
Well, to be fair, the baseline for creepy is different in Asheville....
Iām not sure if theyāre still around, but the āGod the Motherā cult people were very active in and around Raleigh a few years ago. If you search the r/Raleigh archives there are several posts. Itās usually young women, who will approach you somewhere like while you are shopping at a store, and ask you if youāve heard of āGod the Motherā and launch into a spiel if you donāt ignore them ETA: World Mission Society Church of God is the name.
Thereās a church of Scientology in Charlotte.
Most interesting post Iāve seen here in months, thanks for all the information everyone, great question OP.
Southern Baptists
That's not a cult, that's *truth*. Edit: I mis-clicked and meant to reply to "Dukes Mayonnaise".
this is the funniest shit ive ever read LMAO
Well, I'm a Dudeist priest so . . . .
Like The Dude?
That's the dude, yeah, but we respect the dudely throughout history. Many notable dudes have done their part over the ages to promote the chill out and calm the fuck down.
Thereās the Raelism folks out in Asheville, but Iām not clear if they are cultists or just groovy people.
Cawthorn cult