That's Cult 101. To be an effective cult leader you must get the followers to:
(1) Distrust their judgement, thoughts, opinions because of course, those thoughts are evil or an "abomination to God."
(2) Discount everything they have been taught;
(2) Understand that as the leader, you have been given the keys to the mysteries of God;
(3) Destroy their individuality and sense of self. You can do this by "hot seats," public humiliations, constant disdain, etc.

Ole Anthony was the perfect cult leader. He taught Cult 101 and the Master Level courses too!

[youtube.com]

Dig this. I've posted it before but it's been about a year.

Based on what you all have posted here and what Wendy has written about, it could be said that Ole's first doctinal maxim would be "GOD HATES YOU!" followed closely by the commandment " It is a sin to be yourself."
Something to consider though is that he can NOT escape the fact that he to WILL reap what he has sown. His end will be absolutely horrifying. "They who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind." Judgement day WILL come for him. I seriously doubt if he is going to hear the Lord say to him, "Well done thou good and faithful servant..."
Cult leaders and heretics don't have happy endings to their lives.

Mark

I notice that Ole is out there commenting on the televangelists in the national media once again. See [www.cbsnews.com]

Personally, I think that with all of his deception and misbehavior Ole should have the decency to stay out of the public arena from here on out. That is not to say that there does not need to be accountability in religion, but who is holding Ole accountable?

We are, that's who.

[news.dallasobserver.com]

Thanks for sending that link, Zeusor. What an interesting turn of events for Ole Anthony! 42 million dollars in tax funded bond monies!!!Those other questions were also very revealing:


"How much of members' tithes and offerings and other donations have been spent for Ole Anthony's pain medications for the last 20 years?

"Please provide the credit card statements for all credit cards used by Ole Anthony from 1987 to 2007.

"How much does the foundation pay annually to rent properties from its directors?

"The 2005 tax statement indicates that $40,306 dollars were expended for 'management expenses.' What are these expenses and who received these funds?

"Were the trips, cruises and vacations given to Anthony by ABC News and others ever reported as income?

"The 2005 tax statement indicates approximately $40,000 paid in utilities. Is the foundation using tax-exempt donations to pay utility bills of the homes of its elders and directors?

"When was the last certified audit done of Trinity Foundation?"

Just wanted to bring this back to the top since I mentioned Wendy's book in the "Recovery From Destructive Cults and Groups" section.

Just wanted everyone to know that Wendy and I are starting a support group for former members of cults, high-demand, and/or spiritually abusive groups. The group will meet monthly on the fourth Saturday in Dallas, TX. See [www.dallascult.com] for more information.

There is no charge for the support group.

It's been awhile since I've checked in here. Wendy and I just got back from the EMNR (Evangelical Ministries to New Religions) conference in Kansas City last week, where we gave a workshop on ministering to former cult members. There were a number of seminary students in the audience, so I hope they remember at least some of what we had to say when it comes time for them to deal with someone who has been spiritually abused. Our workshop was well received, and we had a very good time there.

I think this is representative of a new direction we are heading, in terms of our post-Trinity experience. We have pretty much said what we have to say about Ole and Trinity. Our views are out there in the marketplace of ideas for anyone who cares to do the background research on TFI. Now, I think we are more focused on teaching churches and ministers how to best help those who have been hurt by their involvement with high-demand groups to heal and to find their way back to God. The support group we started is part of that activity, and we are starting to get more invitations for speaking engagements. This is an exciting time for us, and I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for us as this process unfolds.