Florida preacher's Koran burning "church" is pretty creepy! Read the Dove Church cult like rulebook

[Better Believe It]

Koran Burner: Creepier Than You Think
Florida church’s “rulebook” worthy of pastor’s bonfire
September 8, 2010


The Florida pastor who is planning to burn a pile of Korans this weekend runs a church that has established a variety of cult-like rules for individuals studying to become ministers, according to the group’s “rulebook.”

The Dove World Outreach Center (DWOC), headed by Islam-hating Rev. Terry Jones, has been widely denounced for its September 11 bonfire plans. The tiny Gainesville church is headed by Jones and his wife Sylvia, a co-pastor.

The DWOC’s “Academy Rulebook,” a copy of which you’ll find here, was created in November 2007 by Sylvia Jones. The document, which details the standards to which a prospective DWOC minister must adhere, addresses topics such as behavior, study, and communication. It is also filled with the kind of creepy directions that are often associated with cults.

For instance, students are directed to cut off most contact with family members. “Family occasions like wedding, funerals or Birthdays are no exception to this rule,” the rulebook notes. “No phone calls. Exceptions can be made under certain circumstances but only after receiving permission.”



http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/koran-burner-creepier-you-think

Here's the link to the full copy of the six page DWOC Academy Rulebook:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/dove-church-rulebook?page=0

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The man is truly a raving lunatic, and his motive in all of this is purely and solely $$$$$$$$$$$

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9102340

[brewens]

3. If money is the motive then I guess it's ok then. Putting out troops

at risk has never been an issue as long as the right people were going to profit from it.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Yep. Ask Cheney/Halliburton

[activa8tr]

13. Don't worry, we knew you were being sarcastic, but ... those really are

the values of the Republican politicians running for office and the folks at KBR and other Cheney controlled corporations that profit from war.

[Warpy]

2. The guy is a nutbar and his church is a typical cult

The good news is that he has fewer than 100 followers and people who have already left have spoken out.

I understand he and his wife are being investigated in a money laundering scheme.

You do know he was kicked out of Germany for abusing his followers, right? Some of them are still in therapy to recover from what he did to them.

[Enrique]

4. if I were him I'd keep a low profile

say ok, you win, let's forget about this whole Koran thing, now please stop looking into my shit.

[Blue Owl]

5. That's quite the Douchestache on that SOB

blech.

[Brickbat]

7. Douchestache.

LMAO.

[DrDan]

6. no romantic relationships with the opposite sex . . . . but same-sex

relationships are not barred.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. mmmmm.not true. "Pastor" Jones is a big fan of the Westboro Baptist Insane Asylum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_World_Outreach_Center

Anti-gay activities

In March 2010, Dove World posted a video which decried the possibility of an openly-gay mayor (in this case, current mayor Craig Lowe, who is the first openly gay mayor of Gainesville). It also posted a sign saying "No Homo Mayor"; after Americans United requested the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the sign as an undue participation of a non-political tax-exempt organization in the political process,<19> the church then changed the sign to simply read "No Homo".<20>

Endorsement of Westboro Baptist Church

On April 18, 2010, members of the DWOC participated in a joint protest against homosexuality with the Westboro Baptist Church, a group known for disrupting the funerals of U.S. soldiers.<21> The protest took place in front of Trinity United Methodist Church and the University of Florida Hillel. On April 21, Dove World member Fran Ingram published a blog post proclaiming the church's endorsements of the Westboro Baptist Church's protests against homosexuality and homosexuals.<22>

[DrDan]

11. just pointing out that same-sex relationships are not banned in his handbook while opposite-sex

relationships are.

I am quite confident that he feels that it goes without saying that they are barred.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Exactly. no need to even MENTION THAT!!!!!!!!!!1

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Pretty sure students are allowed to call their family for more money (for The Church).

[activa8tr]

15. When God COMMANDS the pastor that that's what they need to do.

I heard God just yesterday COMMANDING my parents to give me more money, right?....

I think God wants all you DU folks to send me a few dollars each, too!

[BolivarianHero]

14. This guy barely speaks English...

Is his last name really Jones? The document reminds me of the manual for an old videocard I had that was fabricated by a small Taiwanese company.

"Congratulation! You are now owing 3D HELIOS VOODOO2. King of 3D game accelerator!"

All typos and errors are sic.

The card nonetheless kicked ass.

[atreides1]

16. Interesting Background on the non-Pastor

From wikipedia:

The Dove World Outreach Center (DWOC) was founded in 1985 by Donald O. Northrup and Richard H. Wright who served as co-pastors. Northrup, who was affiliated with the now defunct Maranatha Campus Ministries (MCM), remained with the DWOC from its inception until he died in 1996. His wife, Dolores, continued to participate in various ministries of the DWOC as Woman's Pastor until 2004; she became estranged from the congregation in 2009 because she was unhappy with the program and thought it was wrong.

Northrup and the church's current pastor, Terry Jones, first became involved with each other as leaders in the Maranatha Campus Ministries. Jones founded and led the Christliche Gemeinde Köln, a church in Cologne, Germany, from 1981 to 2008 initially as a branch of the Maranatha Campus Ministries. Jones was released from the leadership of the Christliche Gemeinde Köln in 2008 due to untenable theological statements and craving for recognition. A church leader said “He (Jones) didn't project the biblical values and Christianity, but always made himself the center of everything." German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that church members said Jones ran the Cologne church like a sect leader and used psychological pressure on members, “subordinating all activities to his will.” In 2002, Jones, who has an honorary degree from the unaccredited California Graduate School of Theology, was fined by Cologne courts for using the title “doctor” and paid a $3800 fine.

Following Jones' departure, the CGK closed, then reopened under new, independent, leadership.

The DWOC also maintains a Gainesville boarding school, called the Dove World Outreach Academy. According to the Gainesville Sun, students of the academy are prohibited from outside and family contact including attendance at family weddings and funerals, and work without compensation selling, packing, and shipping furniture for TS and Company, a business owned by Sylvia Jones.



The Theology school he attended

The California Graduate School of Theology is an unaccredited American institution of higher learning in La Habra, California. It was founded in 1968 as an interdenominational graduate school and has been attended by over 5,000 students. The institution notes that it has been without federal accreditation since its inception.

Now the obvious question is why isn't the media concentrating on this man's background, and his Jim Jones like cult? That's right it's the media.:p

[LibertyLover]

17. That makes my head hurt -

And yes, according to the Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame, it's a cult.

http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html

[Electric Monk]

18. 9. Clothe and sanity

It's a cult.