Look, Casey's testimony is still online, even though he is no longer with the group. Grace's too. She's been out for even longer than him, I believe. Sue's and Roland's too. All of the recent ex-members' testimonies are still there.
Excerpted from Casey's testimony, which is posted the Jesus Christians' web page:
[
www.jesus-teachings.com]
I consider myself very lucky to have found people who are so genuinely committed to following God. I feel like my life has meaning now; that what I am doing will count for something even after I die. It is not the group that gives me this feeling, but rather, it is my commitment to trying to work in love with others and obey Jesus that does it.David McKay was in the past clever enough to have used Casey as his positive example, his poster boy, his doppelganger. First, this was probably the first time in Casey's life that-at least, in his memory-he has been used as a positive role model. This must have felt very good to Casey, and he doubtless is anxious to receive Mr. McKay's approval again and again. He knows that in order to get Mr. McKay's approval again, he must continue to comply with Mr. McKay's coercions, which are disguised as "loving suggestions" or some such.
Mr. McKay's pointing to Casey (these days Joe and Alf) as the example of a "good disciple" has had a powerful effect on the rest of the Jesus Christians. It tells them that if Casey can do this, certainly they can-and they'd better-perform better than Casey, because no one wants to look worse than Casey does, now that McKay has tossed him overboard.
As human beings we (or at least, most of us) need to be in relationship to other people. We need others as friends, confidants, lovers, etc. to offer us affirmation, solace, correction, fellowship, etc.
In normal, healthy relationships, however, we also need time and space for ourselves occasionally so we can obtain rest and spend time in reflection. We will on occasion voluntarily give up our personal agenda on occasion to meet an emergency, whether it concerns our family, out community, or our nation. But once the emergency has passed we go back to our normal lives again.
In abusive group like the Jesus Christians this personal agenda is seldom if ever granted; the member is almost always, if not always, giving up his own right to privacy and the pursuit of his own goals in order to pursue the goals of the group and to submit to the agenda of his authority.
Finally, the process of group building, when it becomes abusive, creates a system that is mutually addictive to both founder(s) and followers. The followers need the founder/leader/Divine Authority to make them feel that they are realzing the proffered goal; the founder/leader/Divine Authority needs his followers (some call them the leader's "narcissistic supply") to make him feel successful, powerful, and truly enlightened.
This leads me to ask a series of questions:
Is it possible to work in love and obey Jesus and NOT be a member of their group?
Can one follow Jesus as an individual?
If Casey's fulfillment is derived from his relationship with Jesus and inner life as an individual, then why does it bother him so when outsiders to the group criticize his group or the leaders of it? Why lash out against them so vociferously?
Why does he equate criticism of the Jesus Christians and/or Mr. and Mrs. McKay with supporting the work of the Devil?
In practice, it looks a lot like he IS deriving his sense of self-worth as an individual from his involvement with his group.
Casey offers a voluntary testimonial to how wonderful the Jesus Christians are--for the first time in his life he feels special and has been given meaning and purpose. This is no doubt true, which is precisely what makes his statements so sad.