- Bible Talk
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- As a "disciple", attendance to each "Bible Talk"
which includes rotating on a schedule to bring snacks and
drinks, being
"relatable"
in your sharing time, and agreeing wholeheartedly to
whatever the "Bible Talk
leader" says so as to
look good in front of
"visitors".
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- Birthday Party
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- Required that you celebrate birthday with"disciples"
in the form of a party in which each person usually.
takes turns "uplifting" the person having the birthday. A
method called roasting is very popular at these events:
consisting of berating or mocking a person's
characteristics. After the roasting comes the"uplifting".
This is a subtle example of the punishment/praise model
common in cults employed to keep subjects in a state of
instability.
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- Bible Study
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- One-on-one to four-on-one indoctrination sessions
involving an ICC member/members and an unsuspecting
recruit are "Bible studies". These highly structured
studies include The Word, Discipleship, The Church, Light
and Darkness/Baptism, The Cross, and Counting the Costs .
Bible studies, although said to be informal, are actually
highly structured and geared at narrowing a recruit's
choices down to one glaring conclusion: that he/she must
join the group and be "saved".
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- Date
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- Any time two "disciples" one being male and the other
female, spend time getting to know one another
better--never just the pair,but only when accompanied by
anywhere from one to several couples.Usually., doesn't
involve any sort of mutual attraction.
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- Devotional
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- Devotional "Devotionals" (Campus, Singles, or
Marrieds) usually., take place on a Friday and can either
be held in a room as small as a classroom or as large as
a hotel ballroom. They usually. consist of a"message"
from an "evangelist" or an aspiring one followed by
fellowshipping. Often, at "Campus Devotional" the
"message" will be preempted with "game night" in which
"Bible Talks" compete against one another playing various
popular board games. Devotionals in the ICC are usually.
geared toward bringing people into the group.
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- Hang Out Times
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- Appointments made for the express purpose of getting
to know someone better usually. set up between a new or
prospective member and a "discipler" or a "disciple" and
their newly appointed "discipler".
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- Mid-week Service
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- Required that you attend each "Mid-week Service"
which includes arranging a ride, actively participating
in the service, "confessing" and "praying" within
"discipleship groups," as well as giving your "weekly
contribution" and making pledges both monetarily for
"Special Missions Contribution" and for the purpose of
pleasing leaders with "stats
lists".
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- Prayer Appointment
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- Appointments made for the express purpose of"praying"
together usually. with the intent of promoting
impressionable chanting.
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- Quiet-time Meetings
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- Appointments made for the express purpose of having/
sharing a "quiet-time" together usually. with the intent
of"keeping one another accountable".
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- Retreat
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- Any period of time set aside for which particular
groups of the ICC (Campus, Singles, Marrieds, Men, Women,
etc.) participate in a lengthened "devotional" usually.
taking place in a hotel. "Retreats" usually. last Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday and consist of much
singing,"praying," giving "testimonials". "Visitors" are
usually. pressured during this activity to "study the
Bible". Entertainment can consist of anything from
"spiritual" skits, to meaningless games, to talent
show-like performances by competing groups.
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- Sunday Service
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- Sunday Service Required that you attend each Sunday
Service which includes arranging a ride to the event
(wherever it may be), actively participating in the
event, fellowshipping afterwards, often having lunch with
other "disciples" and "visitors" afterwards.
"Visitors"often asked to attend this event first.
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- Fulfilled/Unfulfilled
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- Fulfilled/Unfulfilled See saved/lost. Those having
purpose and meaning in their lives as in those in the ICC
v. those who have empty and pointless lives as in those
not in the ICC, according to ICC tenets. "Unfulfilled" is
not a word just as "unopen" is not a word,only fabricated
by ICC leadership to further emphasize the negativity of
not meeting their preset ideals.
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- Godly/Ungodly
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- Godly/Ungodly Anything that is approved by the
leaders, the"spiritually mature" as "righteous" v.
anything that is not approved by the ICC.
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- Heaven/Hell
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- Heaven/Hell The place where, "disciples" believe,
"disciples"alone will go after they die physically v. the
place where the ICC believes everyone who is not a
"disciple" in their "church" is going.
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- Love/Hate
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- Love/Hate In the ICC, how you love depends on who is
to be loved.You "love" your "discipler" by trusting
him/her and imitating him/her. Reciprocally, a
"discipler" shows his/her "love" for his/her"disciple" by
not trusting their judgment and verbally abusing
the"disciple" for behavior which the "discipler" deems
inappropriate.Upon joining the ICC, recruits are taught
that they are much loved God which is why He sent His Son
to die for them, however, after joining, recruits are
taught that they must continually work in recognition of
God's "love" so that He will not reject them. You are to
"love" the person, but "hate" the sin they do--which
grows increasingly convoluted when people, upon leaving
or considering deviating from ICC practices, are
personified as sin itself.
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- Pure/Impure
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- Pure/Impure See sinless/sinful, usually. related to
an extreme paranoia of anything which can conceivably
lead to sexual immorality.Rarely is "pure" uttered by a
"disciple" unless as in a desire to have it, yet
"impurity" is commonly used to describe with disgust
anything from R- Rated movies to a non-ICC couple holding
hands.
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- Salvation/Condemnation
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- Salvation/Condemnation The basic bottom line in ICC
doctrine: those who join the ICC have a very high chance
of achieving '"salvation" of getting into Heaven; yet
those who critique, leave, or never join the ICC are
indefinitely doomed to Hell. Note: you are trained upon
that you are "saved," however, recent developments in ICC
doctrines dictate that even a seemingly "fully committed
disciple"can go to Hell for not "being open" (sharing
one's sins), for not"being fruitful" (bringing in new
members), and essentially failing in any aspect of not
living up to ICC standards. In true Christianity,
Christians are taught that salvation is a free gift from
God through Jesus that can never be taken away.
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- Saved/Lost
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- The totalitarian world view that everyone in the ICC
is "saved" or has "salvation" v. everyone outside of the
group being "lost" or"having condemnation". Unbeknownst
to the new recruit, their "saved"status will be
questioned and systematically tested repeatedly
throughout their involvement by leaders. See "Revolution
Through Reconstruction".
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- Sinful/Sinless
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- Sinful/Sinless Anything that gets in the way of a
member's cohesion with the total ICC unit. Common "sins"
as perceived by ICC members include: independence (as in
wanting to go to a non-member's birthday party without
supervision by another "disciple",rebelliousness (as in
having one's own biblical convictions),"pridefulness" (
as in refusal to accept someone's borrowed convictions),
"unopenness," (as in unwillingness to reveal one's
innermost thoughts, fears), and sexual immorality (as in
finding someone physically attractive), idolatry (as in
wanting to hold on to one's wedding ring despite "Special
Missions"), ICC members strive obsessively for
"sinlessness" or "Jesus' standard" which means not just
being merely Christlike, but molding one's very character
and being into the ICC's hyperbolic interpretation of
"Jesus".
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- Spiritual/Unspiritual
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- Spiritual/Unspiritual See sinless/sinfulness. In the
ICC,"spirituality" (righteousness before the group) is
determined by a few key factors: "fruit" (the amount of
people one is able to coerce into joining as well),
knowledge of the Bible in accordance with the ICC
teachings, and a willingness to "surrender", "deny
oneself", or"feel the pain" (submit oneself to the
leadership both financially and emotionally). An
"unspiritual" person is one who is unsuccessful at
obtaining and retaining members for the ICC, one who has
difficulty finding parallels between the Scriptures and
ICC teachings, or one who maintains one's financial and
emotional stability despite "advice" from leaders to do
otherwise.
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- Worldly/Godly
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- Worldly/Godly This distinction is made usually. to
label behavior that is inappropriate according to the ICC
v. that which is approved by the ICC leadership. A newly
"baptized disciple" leaving his/her"ministry" to attend
her uncle's funeral 1,000 miles away is perceived as
"worldly" for being "sentimental". If the same"disciple"
were to remain with his/her "ministry" thereby distancing
him/herself from her family, his/her behavior is
justified by the the ICC's understanding of "godliness".
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- Heart
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- Heart The ICC teaches their newer recruits not to
trust their own hearts, or their gut instinct, when they
are being indoctrinated.Soon, recruits are taught that
their obedience to the ICC authority is proportional to
the goodness of their "heart" or their closeness to God.
The definition of "heart" in the ICC changes to fit the
purpose--at first it is considered uncontrollable, then
it is taught that the "heart " is can be controlled by
obedience to ICC teachings.A willingness to succumb to
ICC teachings is considered having a"soft, good or
sacrificial heart" while any form of deviation from this
authority is considered having a "hard, bad or selfish/
prideful heart".
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- Bad Heart
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- A "hard heart" when it has been hardened even further
than the extent that it is to be construed as a "hard
heart" is a"bad heart". "Bad heart" is a term often used
to refer to those who have left the ICC, or those who are
not "submissive" (compliant and conformed) with the ICC
doctrines and practices. When someone is perceived as
having a "bad heart," usually., it connotes that the
person was irascible even from the beginning of their
recruitment--which is usually. not necessarily so.
Synonym: "bitter".
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- Hard Heart
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- A "hard heart" or "a hardened heart" is the term
commonly used in the ICC to whip their "disciples" into
submission. No matter if you have read contradictory
evidence in the Bible, no matter if your very conscience
is ripping you to shreds -- not agreeing with or
submitting to the ICC teachings or not obeying
your"discipler's advice" is having a "hard heart" or
being far away from God. An ICC member with a "hard
heart" is difficult to sway into a behavior or conviction
he/she deems inappropriate. He/she stands up for what
he/she has strong convictions in and refuses to submit in
blind obedience the leaders. Anything from an undying
curiosity "overanalyzing" to complete emotional shutdown
"being unopen" is indicative of a "hard heart" in the
ICC.
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- Prideful Heart
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- A "prideful heart" in the ICC is usually. when
someone stands by one's own convictions despite warnings
to do otherwise by their leaders. An unwillingness to
devalue one's core values and beliefs and conform to
group-thought is perceived as "having a prideful heart".
Usually. when someone who has a lot of biblical
background, yet refuses to submit to the ICC teachings,
they are seen as being "prideful" or "having a prideful
heart".
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- Sacrificial Heart
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- A "sacrificial heart" is rarely used in the ICC as an
accolade for what someone has given up for the ICC,
moreover as a command for "disciples" to give, usually.
monetarily. "Having a sacrificial heart" is a common
theme in the messages given by the"evangelists" in the
ICC prior to "Special Missions Contributions". To be
sure, there is nothing wrong with having a "sacrificial
heart"(willingness to give up anything and everything to
fulfill a purpose or goal), yet when that "anything and
everything" is defined by others, and the purpose or goal
is unclear -- you are no longer giving with a sacrificial
heart, but in blind obedience.
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- Soft Heart
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- Someone the ICC considers having a "soft heart" is in
reality easily manipulable, or naive. Usually. the term
"soft heart" is used to describe someone who is in the
process of being indoctrinated into the group through the
"Bible studies". Also, but less frequently, a "disciple"
who believes/follows anything the leaders him/her is seen
as having a "soft heart". He/she listens to his/her
leaders and does as they instruct or "advise".
"Disciples" with a "soft heart" forego their conscience
to mold their behavior into a pattern that is acceptable
to the leadership.
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- Unopen Heart
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An "unopen heart" is also seen as far away from God in
the ICC in the sense that the person is unwilling to :
accept the ICC's dogma, give the ICC the benefit of the
doubt, and to "confession" (spill the beans about one's
private thoughts, fears, emotions,mistakes). If you are not
willing to reveal every little personal idiosyncrasy or
character flaw about yourself to your "discipler" and thus,
the ICC leaders, you are seen as "unopen". (Note: the "un-"
in"unopen" implies negativity. Although grammatically
correct, the word"closed" does not have the same negative
impact.)
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