Join Us

At what point does the spanking of a child become a beating? At what point does a community church become a cult? Those two questions are at the center of "Join Us" wherein disgruntled members of a small church in South Carolina leave the church and wish to file charges against their former pastor. The ex-members apparently stood by while the pastor beat their children while they watched, as the beatings were backed up by verses in the Bible. The pastor even recounts the Old Testament law wherein it was permissible to stone a rebellious child to death if necessary. The pastor and his ultra-faithful wife defend all the charges against them with the wife stressing that what they did may seem "cultish" to outsiders, everything was done with the best intentions. The ex-members go to a cult deprogramming center, said to be the only one in the USA, and are encouraged to ask questions and to think for themselves once again, instead of hanging onto the pastor's every controlling word. In an attempt to entrap the pastor into admitting child abuse one of the ex-members of the church goes to see him and his wife while wearing a hidden camera and microphone. Somehow the wiley pastor never cops to the charges while being recorded. His wife is heard in a recorded phone conversation stating that the pastor has stage one Alzheimer's disease and later states that the ex-members should leave him alone because of his "sick mind." Later, in a separate conversation, we hear the pastor declare that there have been some allegations about him having Alzheimer's and then adds that those who say that are "liars!" The look on the woman's face who heard his own wife state that he has Alzeimer's Disease is priceless.

It's an interesting movie about how easily some minds can be controlled and how some churches could be considered cults but it's definitely not totally convincing, but it does raise some interesting questions.

I agree with Robert Koehler's Variety review, which suggests a proper context for engaging with these characters and this subject matter:

"Skeptical viewers may wonder how such outwardly conventional and otherwise unremarkable people could allow themselves to be dominated by one man -- particularly someone like Melz, who comes off as a stern control freak on camera. Lifton and other experts remind that the very nature of belief, plus the power of a particularly strong leader, makes the mind vulnerable to cult-like obedience. It's this lesson, as well as the vivid recording of actual events, that makes "Join Us" an unusually useful doc."

Also, check out this review from Docuchick:

"Ondi Timoner hit the doc scene like Layne Staley hit the heroin — a long painful road that appeared fast and out of nowhere.

Timoner's seven-year-in-the-making-rock-doc DIG! won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize a few years ago and put her on the "scene" and this time around she's taken her study of Anton Newcombe's brainwashing abilities (on himself and those around him) and harnessed some of those themes in her new documentary film called JOIN US.

JOIN US reveals America is the world's breeding ground for Cults and religious fanatics, and JOIN US is a documentary that follows a group of individuals trying to separate themselves from this troubled reality. Stirring, emotional, and raw — JOIN US peeks inside the controversial and "hush-hush" world of religion and cults."

People need to know about cults and be aware of them.

The docu revolves around a small town cult called Rock mountain Church. Their followers maybe a few but the crimes committed by the leader is not.

It's a great subject for a documentary. The problem is the direction was not even sub par. It is was outright horrendous.

At times the movie felt like a bullet point presentation of the misdeeds of the church. And at other times it felt like the director was trying to sell how great "Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center" is than trying to tell the story of the survivors. In reality the "Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center" is also accused of using the same techniques that some of the cults use.

The docu had many great interviews but they were all cluttered together and failed to tell a comprehensive story.

I hope some better directors make a movie on the same subject just to give justice to the harrowing experience of the victims of this cult.

his e-mail is in response to Michael McGonigle's comments about "JOIN US".

Michael,

While I found your response to be very well thought out and detailed, I think that you miss the mark on your analysis of how the parents could allow their children to undergo unnecessary beatings and other forms of abuse, with the excuse that they were simply following orders from their cult leader. You, in the end, feel that the blame lies squarely on these parents for allowing such acts to occur. You feel that there is no excuse for their failure to take action, or better yet, their inability to disobey an immoral order.

The power of the mind is incredible Michael. Consider the men and women who blow themselves up in order to become martyrs, as well as followers of terrorists who through following orders, commit the most atrocious of acts to their fellow human beings. These people have families and loved ones too, but yet they are willing to give all that up in the name of the faith. This faith, needless to say, has been acquired by merely believing the opinions of a few. The followers of Pastor Melz are in the same way long-time believers of his word, to the point of self-sacrifice. Also, don't forget that people like Pastor Melz often seek out the vulnerable and somewhat "save them" thereby earning their unquestionable trust and faith.

Mind control is real Michael, and so long as another human being is subjected to it, that particular person loses the power to think rationally, and can then not be judged in a rational manner, as you do. However, this isn't to say that there is no hope. Information is power. It is exposure to the outside world that gives a wake-up call to Pastor Melz's followers, who in turn begin to question his practices, and for the first time in a long time, think rationally. For many such people, it takes certain triggers or flags before they can "snap out of it".

In conclusion, while I find that you have certain valid points, I think you miss the mark when you deem it bogus that such events could actually take place.

Your thoughts......

Thanks for your informative and interesting post anyway,

Cheers,

Emily

P.S. I am currently working with Ondi, at Interloper Films.