combined actions not only stopped the abuse of
the children, but also played a determining role
in the peaceful implosion of the BCW and in the
successful criminal prosecution of its leader.
Their strategy, it appears, which consisted
mainly of appealing directly to the parents as
capable individuals responsible for the safety
and development of their children rather than
address them as mere followers who had no say
in the development of their children, had been
well thought through.
Despite the importance of leaders in groups such
as the BCW, at that particular period of the
church’s trajectory, the DPJE elected to ignore
the leader in its investigation of allegations of
physical abuse, first of one, then of many more
children. Although this approach may appear
paradoxical at first glance, given the all-
encompassing role a plenipotentiary leader
usually plays in such closed groups, such a
strategy might consist of the only route social-
control agencies, such as child-protection
agencies, should engage in to assure the safety
of the children involved. Documents show that,
after the reception of an anonymous allegation
of abusive behavior against a BCW child, Pastor
X was quickly cognizant of the investigation
under way by the DPJE. According to law,
DPJE agents must communicate at a certain
point in their investigation with those who hold
parental responsibility for the child allegedly
abused or neglected. They are also required by
law to evaluate the child’s situation and family
context in a relatively short period.
Once the DPJE became aware that several BCW
children were alledgelly abused, its decision to
direct the intervention toward the parents rather
than to defer to the leader undermined the usual
channels of communication leaders of such
groups expect. Controlling the channels of
communication within the group and between
the group and the outside world are paramount
to the exercise of a leader’s power over his
followers (Casoni, 1997, 2001 Dawson, 2002,
2010 Lifton, 1989 Weber, 1906). For instance,
by forbiding communication with outside
sources or with family, leaders gain greater
control over followers and solidify their hold
over them (Dawson, 2010 Lifton, 1989 Roy,
1998).
Representation of Children
The leader’s interpretation of doctrine was also
instrumental in the progressive change in the
group’s parenting style. In a subtle way, the
leader brought about a fundamental change in
the followers’ representation of their children
who were no longer seen as innocent, but rather
as impure and under the hold of evil forces
(Pacheco, 2005). This control exerted a strong
impact on the manner with which children were
treated in the group. However, these changes
could not have taken place if, simultaneously,
the leader had not succeed in severing, to some
extent, the links members had to persons and
institutions outside of the BCW and, notably,
amongst these former links, their attachment to
the rule of law.
Rule of Law vs. Rule of God
Former attachments are usually presented to
members by their leader as being detrimental to
their spriritual development, as if these
attachments were huge loads bearing down on
them and holding them back (Kent, 2001
Lifton, 1989 Roy, 1998). The same type of
reasoning is used vis-à-vis the rule of law and
the laws of the land, which are portrayed as
corrupt in nature and unworthy of God (Casoni
&Brunet, 2005 Kent, 2001 Lifton, 1989
Michel, 1999). Pastor X presented links to
family and friends, and trust in civil institutions,
whether police, child-protection services, or the
justicial system, as enslavements that
endangered members. In so doing, he created an
impression of moral crisis that he used to
strengthen his hold over his followers and to
convince them to accept following him into
greater isolation from the outside world
(Bromley, 2002 Casoni, 2000 Casoni &
Brunet, 2005 Dawson, 2002, 2010 Wright,
2002).
Changes in Worldview
Through this process, the group progressively
moved from an initial position characterized by
a philosophy of separation, in which showing
their distinctivness through outward signs of
belonging to the BCW no longer felt sufficient
to mark their superiority from devalued
nonmembers, to a position closer to that of a
94 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 6, 2015

philosophy of purity. Notably, by encouraging in
church members a fear of contamination by
impure others, Pastor X was able to bring his
followers one step further in their move away
from society (Casoni, 2000 Chouvier &
Morhain, 2008 Kernberg, 2003a, 2003b). The
progression of the BCW from a group adopting
a philosophy of separation to one governed by a
philosophy of purity appears fully coherent with
Pastor X’s particular view of fundamentalist
doctrine. His radical approach to doctrine is
what had set him apart from his fellow
fundamentalist peers quite soon after his
consecration as a minister. However, it is also, in
part, what endeared him to his followers, who
trusted his every word. The nature of the bond
between them consisted of shared ideals
(Bertrand, 1999 Casoni &Brunet, 2005
Dawson, 2010 Weber, 1909). The strength of
their bond was all the more solid since his
disciples’ devotion acted as a reflection of his
wish to be recognized as exceptional
(Drummond, 1983). Up to that point in the
trajectory of the BCW, the bond between the
leader and the members of the church was such
that Pastor X was able to bring his followers to
adopt a new worldview, henceforth focused on
the attainment of purity.
Because purity became the main focus of the
doctrine Pastor X preached to his followers, he
was deemed the sole judge of purity.
Consequently, it naturally fell on his shoulders
to determine which attitudes, behaviors, foods,
clothes, rites, and so on would be judged pure,
and which of these should be rejected as impure.
Purity, according to the pastor’s literal
interpretation of the Bible, was a quality
associated with closeness to God, and impurity
was linked to the presence of Satan. All aspects
of daily life henceforth were interpreted in terms
of purity, and the leader’s importance, as sole
judge of what was to be deemed pure or impure,
grew tremendously. Since there were no
alternate or subordinate authorities in the group,
as is usual in such groups, members sought the
leader’s opinion on all matters, revering him as
an incarnation of the law (Casoni, 2000
Dawson, 2010 Michel, 1999). The more such a
group grows isolated, the more its leader
becomes the law unto himself.
Many changes to the group’s doctrine were
made during this period of transitioning toward a
philosophy of purity. Focusing on the
differences between members of the BCW and
nonmembers, the leader used his new quest for
an ideal of purity as a way to establish a stronger
hold over them, as Dawson (2010) described of
charismatic authority in leaders. By being
sensitive to the emotional tone of the group and
by showing empathy in key moments, Pastor X
was able to stenghten his authority over the
group in these times of change (Dawson, 2002,
2010).
Crises can be provoked and exploited by
charismatic leaders to establish their authority
over their followers, and such seems to have
been the case for Pastor X as he intensified his
demands on his followers. A greater
radicalization of the use of corporal punishment
ensued since children could not meet the new
standards set for them (Casoni, 2000 Dawson,
2010). At this point in the BCW trajectory,
Pastor X requested ever more acts of loyalty and
devotion from his followers as he insisted that
they submit to his will concerning where to
work, what to eat, how to look and behave.
From being a warm and charismatic leader, he
became a domineering and tyrannical figure who
insisted on total submission. Such changes in
character have often been noted in charismatic
leaders, and in those who adopt a plenipotentiary
organization of power (Casoni, 1997, 2000
Chouvier &Morhain, 2008 Dawson, 2010).
Process of Idealization
As the fear of contamination from impurity
attributed to the outside world became
established within the group, impurity was
associated progressively with perversity as the
group evolved toward greater social isolation.
The leader’s project of establishing an autarkic
community bacame justified as a way to protect
members from the evil that, without their
realizing it, their view of the world was
unfailingly creating. At this point in their
trajectory, high standards of purity were
expected of all members, including children, in
whose case purity was measured in terms of
attitude and behavior, regardless of their
developmental capacity to meet these standards.
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