Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 3, Nos. 2 &3, 2004, Page 171
Gwen Shamblin, who gained thousands of followers with a ―Christian‖ diet plan that she
turned into a religion, one that requires strict obedience from all members, including
children, said in the wake of the death: ―I‘m not going to hide behind the fact that our good
Lord says do not spare the rod.‖
The Smith‘s, from jail, show no remorse. They feel it‘s ―just apart of discipline,‖ and were
―very defensive‖ about their religion,‖ investigators say. Shamblin denies that The Remnant
Church advocates repeated spankings. But a couple formerly members of the church say
Shamblin stressed that spankings must be severe. ―You had to make them count ...They
had to feel the pain and [know] that they were being disobedient.‖ In a NewsChannel 5
tape, Shamblin says: ―If they‘re not scared of spanking, you haven‘t spanked them. If you
haven‘t really spanked them, you don‘t love them. You love yourself.‖
Told about one member‘s full-night ―showdown‖ spanking of his two-and-a-half-year old,
which went on and on, Shamblin replied: ―Are you asking, does that go on very often? Are
you kidding? No, it does not ...It is so rare, and it is only strong-willed children.‖
Some former followers describe a policy of isolating a problem child in his bare room for
days at a time with only a bible in hand. Shamblin, on tape, says of the process: ―You‘ve
got a child that‘s going from bizarre down to in-control. So praise God. We are spoiling
these kids. We are ruining their lives by even letting them think about themselves at all.‖
Critics say Remnant Fellowship leaders believe mental illnesses are ―more sort of
fabrications of a poor spiritual life where you are not in obedience to God.‖ The group‘s
videos equate depression and anti-depressants with sin, and members are urged to shun
medical assistance for psychiatric conditions. The group‘s website chastises those who suffer
from depression and says: ―What‘s the worst thing that happens? You die! So what? You go
to heaven.‖
One former member said she felt fine for a while after giving up her psychiatric medication,
especially because she felt a spiritual ‗high‘ as a result of her church membership, but when
she began to take her medication again, the Fellowship urged her husband to take it away
from her.
Shamblin — who does not deny the suggestion that she is a prophet in the Old Testament
sense — is accused of encouraging followers to cut off contact with their non-Remnant
families so she can control them totally. (NewsChannel 5, WFTV Nashville, 2/5/04 Melissa
N. Warren, Williamson County Review Appeal, Internet, 5/20/04)
Research and Education
Conference on Cults’ Impact on Mental Health
The European Federation of Centers for Research and Information on Religious Cults,
Sects, and Alternative Religions (FECRIS) conference in March, held in Marseilles,
considered ―The Impact of Cults on Health in Society.‖ [FECRIS is an association of
non-governmental educational organizations founded in response to the growth of
cults in Europe.]
Speakers from 12 countries — including the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain,
Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Finland — made presentations on medical ethics,
psychology, education (―Towards developing abilities for critical thinking‖), health and
sectarianism in society, the efficacy of alternative medication and treatments, and the
elements of control in psychotherapy.
Attorney Ingo Heinemann, manager of the German association AGPFeV [sic], spoke
about the need for consumer protection against non-medical practitioners. Dr. Max
Friedrich, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Medicine, in Vienna and a
Gwen Shamblin, who gained thousands of followers with a ―Christian‖ diet plan that she
turned into a religion, one that requires strict obedience from all members, including
children, said in the wake of the death: ―I‘m not going to hide behind the fact that our good
Lord says do not spare the rod.‖
The Smith‘s, from jail, show no remorse. They feel it‘s ―just apart of discipline,‖ and were
―very defensive‖ about their religion,‖ investigators say. Shamblin denies that The Remnant
Church advocates repeated spankings. But a couple formerly members of the church say
Shamblin stressed that spankings must be severe. ―You had to make them count ...They
had to feel the pain and [know] that they were being disobedient.‖ In a NewsChannel 5
tape, Shamblin says: ―If they‘re not scared of spanking, you haven‘t spanked them. If you
haven‘t really spanked them, you don‘t love them. You love yourself.‖
Told about one member‘s full-night ―showdown‖ spanking of his two-and-a-half-year old,
which went on and on, Shamblin replied: ―Are you asking, does that go on very often? Are
you kidding? No, it does not ...It is so rare, and it is only strong-willed children.‖
Some former followers describe a policy of isolating a problem child in his bare room for
days at a time with only a bible in hand. Shamblin, on tape, says of the process: ―You‘ve
got a child that‘s going from bizarre down to in-control. So praise God. We are spoiling
these kids. We are ruining their lives by even letting them think about themselves at all.‖
Critics say Remnant Fellowship leaders believe mental illnesses are ―more sort of
fabrications of a poor spiritual life where you are not in obedience to God.‖ The group‘s
videos equate depression and anti-depressants with sin, and members are urged to shun
medical assistance for psychiatric conditions. The group‘s website chastises those who suffer
from depression and says: ―What‘s the worst thing that happens? You die! So what? You go
to heaven.‖
One former member said she felt fine for a while after giving up her psychiatric medication,
especially because she felt a spiritual ‗high‘ as a result of her church membership, but when
she began to take her medication again, the Fellowship urged her husband to take it away
from her.
Shamblin — who does not deny the suggestion that she is a prophet in the Old Testament
sense — is accused of encouraging followers to cut off contact with their non-Remnant
families so she can control them totally. (NewsChannel 5, WFTV Nashville, 2/5/04 Melissa
N. Warren, Williamson County Review Appeal, Internet, 5/20/04)
Research and Education
Conference on Cults’ Impact on Mental Health
The European Federation of Centers for Research and Information on Religious Cults,
Sects, and Alternative Religions (FECRIS) conference in March, held in Marseilles,
considered ―The Impact of Cults on Health in Society.‖ [FECRIS is an association of
non-governmental educational organizations founded in response to the growth of
cults in Europe.]
Speakers from 12 countries — including the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain,
Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Finland — made presentations on medical ethics,
psychology, education (―Towards developing abilities for critical thinking‖), health and
sectarianism in society, the efficacy of alternative medication and treatments, and the
elements of control in psychotherapy.
Attorney Ingo Heinemann, manager of the German association AGPFeV [sic], spoke
about the need for consumer protection against non-medical practitioners. Dr. Max
Friedrich, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Medicine, in Vienna and a
