Please help me understand this. Any honest input is appreciated!


My brother, who was a very successful member of the medical community, recently lost everything due to a drug addiction. He is now in a rehab center. His counselor at the rehab center got him involved in her "church". The conselor told my brother, who is at probably the most vulnerable time in his life righ now, that God "speaks to her" and that he can be "healed" only if he goes to her church. My brother is married and has 2 beautiful, severely disabled children. The counselor told my brother that his children are actually forms of Satan. She told him they must be "healed" at a ceremony in her church. His wife drove with her children to a church service at the request of my brother. She stayed for 15 minutes and left. She said there were bean bag chairs all over the floor because of people passing out when they are "healed." My brother claims to have passed out himself at one of these services, due to the healing powers of the clergy. His drug rehab counselor told him she was sent to earth from God to heal people.

His wife told him that she would not tolerate her family being a member of that church. My brother said he would stop going, but then he changed his mind after talking again with the drug counselor. His wife even told him that they could find a church to attend after he was out of rehab, but right now was not the time to make such a huge decision. My brother is convinced that he is doing the right thing.

My first question is, could this be a cult? Second question is, and this may be unrelated to this forum, does the rehab center, which claims no ties with ANY religious group, have a responsibility in this? Doesn't seem right that a counselor can go after people like this at such a vulnerable time.

Your insights are appreciated!
Thanks.

Without knowing anything about the leadership of this church, it's hard to say. Nearly all religions claim that their way is the only way, so you certainly can't go by that. It definately sounds like a fundamentalist church, pentecostal or charismatic in nature. The thing is, some of these churches are ethical and straight up, others aren't and it's all in the leadership. The drug counselor is DEFINATELY out of line, no doubt about that, It does sound as if she is preying on vulnerable people for sure. But whether she is doing it under the auspices of the church or on her own is another story.

I think Carl Stevens and his "Bible Speaks" aka Greater Grace are cultish. Their ladies' Bible study group was basically just listening to him adoringly on his radio broadcast and everyone oohing and aahing over his "words of wisdom". His outfit was sued by a wealthy woman in Massachusetts. After that he left town and changed the name of his group. I received something from a cult investigating organization that documented some problems before he left Massachusetts, but they don't have anything more current than that. Can anyone offer any insight?