I never heard of the self-styled guru, John de Ruiter, until now, corboy. Control and deception seem to be the trade secrets of these people.
Here are a few quotes from an article about him that seem very apropos to the Walk/TLWF:
"He was their guru and teacher, to some even a saviour, a humble messiah they called simply 'John.' They left their lives and families to be with him, devoted themselves completely to him and his teachings.
He arranged their marriages and relationships, their jobs and homes, gave them counsel and made their decisions, their lives winding ever more tightly around him while he drew from them their time and their labour, their money and their love.
They were Johnites or Oasis, sometimes The College, or just 'the group'....
The University of Alberta sociologist Dr. Kent, who has now been watching the group for two decades, says a sense that the outside world is against de Ruiter could even be used to de Ruiter's advantage, and he could see de Ruiter expanding international operations or embarking on a big new project as a way to bring people back together. Dr. Kent says an increase in talk about the apocalypse, which some former followers have reported to him, could be a way to draw the community closer and shut out any questions and doubts, which many followers will be happy to do. It is far harder to leave than to stay.
'The more you invest in something the harder it is to walk away from it. It is very hard to leave,' Dr. Kent says. 'The consequences for the people who have devoted themselves to him and thought he was beyond human can be devastating.'"
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www.theglobeandmail.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2017 10:06PM by Reepicheep.