An Open Letter to Connection
We Don't Appreciate Being Called a Cult, published Sept. 2010
by Pastors Gabriel of Urantia and Niánn Emerson Chase
August 11, 2010
CONNECTION — Letter to the Editor
The title or definition of “Global Community Communications Alliance” (GCCA) must be a mouthful for some people to say, and some would prefer to use the word “cult” when referring to us. We wonder if those few who use that word to identify those in GCCA realize the danger they are causing our children. Remember Waco? Usually a cult is the other church down the street, and with apostates it’s always their former religious affiliation. This has been the case throughout history.
We have high standards of ethics and morality in our church/community/EcoVillage. Those standards include taking responsibility for one’s own wrongdoing, celibacy before marriage-level commitment, and no abuse of any substance. But some ex-community members who chose to not live up to these standards like to use the word “cult” to identify those in GCCA who do choose to live by certain ethics and values.
Those of Global Community Communications Alliance are also activists for social, environmental, and spiritual change, so we ruffle a lot of feathers. Unfortunately, many of those whose feathers we ruffle choose to misrepresent us any way they can, and demonization is the weapon used. Some people are just plain jealous of the accomplishments that our organization and community have achieved.
We have started a variety of public service ministries, one of which is a Personality Integration Rehabilitation Program in which many of its participants would possibly be on welfare and other forms of public assistance if they were not in this program. With us in GCCA they are healing and maturing through their service to humanity in ethical and sustainable agriculture, ecologically-responsible construction, and other areas of creative expressions of higher consciousness, such as in computer graphics, art, drama, writing, and music.
We certainly do not have a one-man-leadership cult; we have a Board of 10 Elders and 22 ordained ministers. Our hierarchical structure is no different than most other churches and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. According to the First Amendment rights under the Constitution, like any other religious or secular group, we have the right to our own beliefs, and we add—as long as the group does not promote hatred and physical harm to another group of people. So we would hope that before persons refer to those in Global Community Communications Alliance as “cultists,” they understand that before God they are responsible for any one of us who can be hurt in any way by this erroneous and thoughtless definition of our church, community, and EcoVillage. Our children call us Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, just like your children.
Most of the attacks against us are against Gabriel, the main visionary of Global Community Communications Alliance. We can hardly believe sometimes the distorted, hateful gossip and often downright ridiculous rumors that people would even consider to be anything near the truth, based upon the beautiful people who represent GCCA to the general public. How can these community members be of such quality if their leaders (especially Gabriel) are all of the negative things that we are accused of?
Newspapers like to call alternative groups a cult because it sells newspapers. Tabloid television shows like to call alternative groups a cult because it increases their ratings. Both types of media receive awards—from equally unscrupulous, status-quo journalistic organizations—for their yellow journalism and sensationalism while they destroy the characters of true environmental, social, and spiritual change agents.
We would suggest that people who are really looking for the truth about us personally—Gabriel and Niánn—and our service to humankind begin by looking at the following three sites:
The Eldership would be happy to meet with anyone who has any sincere questions about our community and church.
Respectfully,
Gabriel of Urantia and Niánn Emerson Chase
Founders and Pastors, Global Community Communications Alliance
Excerpted from Connection news magazine, September 2010