As of the above date, NCCG is (or was) a small
polygamy cult with a compound (communal residence) near
Arvika, Sweden.
The cult was first created in England in 1984. It been active
on the
internet since late 1996, and presently uses it as a
recruiting,
fundraising, and brainwashing tool. During the past few years,
many of
the people who are being affected by this cult have an
internet-only
relationship with the cult's members and leaders. Some of the
women who
become involved this way may be invited to live at the
compound as one
of the male cult leader's wives. Other than that, the
internet-only
members' visits to the compound tend to be brief, lasting a
few months
at most.
NCCG had an early Mormon background, but its religious
beliefs continue to change over time. It will generally
comprise
aspects of Mormonism, Judaism, Christianity, "Messianic"
Christianity,
as well as members' own created beliefs. NCCG members believe
that they
receive
visions and revelations directly
from God (Yahweh).
NCCG's primary leader has always
been Christopher C.
Warren, who is 55 years old at the time of this writing
(2009).
NCCG moved from
England to Norway for a number of years, and then moved to
Sweden in 1997. NCCG's membership and size has been unstable
and it split up several times. It also
changes names periodically.
(As of 2009) the cult appears to have two
people
living at the compound
who function as leaders, and a few others live with them. The
relationship between the two leaders is
not clear to me. Christopher C. Warren is one of them, and the
other may have been a woman named
Sharon H. (internet aliases Rayna, Avah, ... ).
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MANIPULATION OF FACTS AND EVENTS
I've observed Christopher C. Warren to be
a
skilled, creative
manipulator of facts and situations. One example of this is
his
handling of so-called "prophecies". Former members have
reported, and I
have observed, that he will come up with some
"prophecy" which is predictable based upon his knowledge of
the situation. He will base the "prophecy" upon knowledge
gained either
from the cult members
themselves, or, from news about world current events. Then,
when the
event he predicted comes true, he proceeds as though he is a
prophet of
God. If a prophecy like this does not come true, he makes
excuses to
get his group members to not change their loyalty. This is to
effect
undue influence
and, ultimately, control over NCCG members.
DANGEROUS, FAKED, ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS USING INTERNET MESSAGING
On two occasions, I observed a female NCCG-related cultist
contact
victims on the internet using email and internet chat software
to pretend that she was somebody else. It appears to have
been Sharon
H. doing this. In these two instances, the cultist
had invented fictitious personas and used them to engage in what
was
intended as long-time, online relationships. Internet chat and
email were the
primary means of communication, with occasional telephone
contact.
The cultist would pretend to be in need
of some sort of rescue or counseling. At first she would pretend
that her relationship with the victim was helping her. Then, she
would pretend that the victims' attempts at counseling
her were failing. The intent was to induce stress in the victims
and,
ultimately, cause mental illness and instability. Then, when the
victims appeared to be psychologically vulnerable, she would
inject the cult's ideas and
precepts into the conversation to try to gain undue influence.
A great many of the incidents I'm aware of focused
on the cultist posing as a female "satanist" who was involved
with a
"satanic coven". The cultist would either pretend to be an
aggressive
"satanist" or a satanist who desires to leave the coven, but
needs
help. (Other fictitious stories could easily be used this way).
READING MATERIAL WITH HYPNOTIC EFFECTS
Christopher C. Warren has written a large amount of material
related to
his cult since its inception, and continues to do so (2009). A
portion of
these writings was reviewed by a cult
expert who advised that that it is capable of inducing a
hypnotic,
suggestible state in
the reader. The cult expert explained that it's not uncommon for
cult
leaders to write
material that affects people this way.
In past years, this writing used to be self-published in
pamphlet form,
but today
(2009) it is generally put on the internet, mostly on the cult's
main web site
(www.nccg.org).
INTERNET MESSAGE BOARDS AND CHAT USAGE (2009)
NCCG used yahoo message boards (now
discontinued) and
related chatrooms for group-at-once communication. Some of the
chatroom names
have, in the past, been "Deliverance From Demons" and "NCCG
Cyber
Community". The cult leadership dispenses with "deliverance"
sessions
using these chatrooms, as well as other group-at-once,
cult-related
chat activities.
PARANOIA ABOUT SATANISTS
For several years leading up to 2006 (and potentially from
that time
forward), one or more NCCG cultists pretended to be
"satanists" on
the internet. This is done with the effect of brainwashing
victims into
believing the cult's precepts.
As of 2006, the cult was spreading
falsehoods
among its members that a group
of enemies who
worship Satan (called "satanists") were attacking them. These
attacks
were indicated to be both supernatural,
telepathic-resembling attacks as well as physical stalking of
their
members in the USA and Sweden.
On two weekends in particular (March 12
- 16, 2006, and May 5 - 7), the cult claimed that many
"satanist"
attackers had surrounded their compound in a group attack, and
those
attackers had been killed by God and rendered into "ash piles"
throughout the surrounding area. In reality, there were no
deaths or
disappearances noted by the authorities in the Arvika area
during or
after those periods.
At that time, the cult had named several individuals whom it
accuses of
being
"satanist" enemies. Some of the accused individuals live in
the Arvika
area (one of them is a local convenience store owner). The
accused
people do not appear to have any direct association with NCCG
and are
probably not aware that the cult refers to them as
"satanists". The
cult has also stated that the local police and government has
been
infiltrated by "satanists."
EFFORT TO MAINTAIN LOW PROFILE IN LOCAL SWEDISH TOWN
NCCG makes an effort to maintain a low profile
within
the local
community (Arvika Kommun). In the past years it has not been
seen to
recruit in its hometown or
otherwise make its presence known other than as a quirky
family or a
home schooling operation. It does not advertise its polygamic
nature to
anyone except NCCG members or known sympathizers of polygamy.
The young
children currently living at the compound were noted to not
have legal
fathers listed in the public record. However, it is known
among NCCG
members that the father is Christopher C. Warren. I have read
that omission
of the father's name from birth certificates in polygamic
cults is
not uncommon. It enables the cult to not bring attention to
itself
through the nature of the public records, as well as allows
the father
to dodge child support responsibilities should the mother
leave the
cult.
INTERNET MEMBERS VS. MEMBERS WHO LIVE AT THE COMPOUND
Many people who act as members of NCCG do not live on the
cult's
property, but instead, they learn about and participate in the
cult's
internet activities. The cult can have a large impact on the
personal lives and families of these internet-only members.
As of 2009, Members involved this way tended to adopt rigid
habits and beliefs
regarding male dominance in the family, polygamy,
clothing/headwear,
and quasi-jewish (Messianic) habits. They are also known to send the cult money.
Some internet-recruited
members visited the compound for temporary visits
usually lasting 3 months or
fewer. HOWEVER, some moved there with the intention to stay
permanently.
As of 2009, those who were invited to move to
Sweden to live as permanent members at the compound were
frequently single women who were being arranged to become one
of
Christopher C. Warren's wives. In one case, an employment visa
was
being arranged for a young woman to move from a non-EU
country. In
another, a legal marriage was apparently performed to allow a
woman
to stay in Sweden. In another, a college-aged young man moved
from an EU country.
If someone seems to have plans to move to the cult compound,
they should be taken especially seriously if:
- There are no visa
issues (EU or Swedish residents, specifically) -- men or
women
- The person is a single women -- anywhere
in
the world, especially between 18 - 24 years of age.
A relatively small number of people live at the compound as of
this
writing. To the best of my understanding, it's generally
limited to
Christopher Warren's wives and his children with them, plus a
few
others.
The cult has, for many years, claimed to have members in India
who are
part of a charity/orphanage. This India involvement is
apparently a
sham, and former members reported to me that during their time
with him, they
believe that Christopher C. Warren was keeping the donated
"orphanage"
money for himself.
SIGNS OF NCCG CULT INVOLVEMENT
I'm aware of several individuals who became
involved with NCCG in a way that was dangerous to their
mental health, and they showed few
outward signs to
family members or friends. The individual can be having
psychotic episodes
and making major,
life-changing decisions while being coached to hide the
situation.
The cult has been seen to encourage its members
to psychologically abandon their biological family and
non-cult friends. One cult activity involved a cult member
disowning their parents in an online chat session / ritual,
and
proceeding to view themselves as
adopted children of a husband and wife pair within NCCG. The
usual
husband and wife pair noted as adoptive "parents" have been
Christopher
Warren and one of his wives (Sharon H.?).
F
rom what I have seen (as of 2009), NCCG does
not generally encourage its internet-located
members to recruit family members, with the important
exception of men attempting to recruit their wives and
children. From what I've seen, they are unlikely to try to
recruit parents or
boyfriends/girlfriends.
NCCG recruits may or may not explain NCCG's religious
beliefs to family
members or friends. Efforts by a
newly-recruited internet member to convert family and friends
may be brief, as the cult itself was more likely to encourage
distancing from family and friends (not recruiting them).
Some signs of NCCG involvement could be (but are
not necessarily limited to):
- Actively
rejecting
Christmas and other typical holidays, insisting
instead upon celebrating holidays that will appear more
in-line with
Judaism.
- Time spent
using the internet in private may change/increase. Extra
time is likely due to extended
conversations with individuals or group chats. Internet
use may be rigid at certain days and times (due to
attending internet cult sessions at pre-scheduled times) .
- May demonstrate a "Saturday Sabbath"
observance
pattern in which the
recruit will refuse to do work, trading, or travel on
Saturdays.
- Disregard or
disrespect for parents may increase (attitude: You're not
really my
parents").
- Attitudes of
recruits of both sexes may change to be more in-line with
male
chauvinism/polygamy. For example, a husband may begin to
claim to his
wife that the Bible gives him the right to a polygamic
family.
- Women may begin to wear headscarves.
- May visit the
compound for a religious holiday or other extended stay.
DANGERS OF NCCG CULT INVOLVEMENT
Being involved with the NCCG cult can result in the victim:
- becoming mentally ill, literally
diagnosable as such by a mental health
professional. I'm aware of 2 cases like this, and
there is
evidence of more.
- neglecting to get medical help for a
medical condition that puts
the victim's life in danger. I'm aware of two cases like
this.
- being stalked on the internet through IM
clients and email.
In regards to mental
health,
NCCG
was seen to make use of the following dangerous mental
distortions (as
seen in 2006):
- an induced
simulation of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD).
- I've read that
this practice is extremely dangerous, and people who have
this done to
them can have lifelong mental problems as a result.
- an altered
state of consciousness called "The Garden".
- "The Garden" appears to be a highly suggestive or
hypnotic state where vivid
visualization and suggestion is used. Several people can
be in the same
"Garden", using communication over the internet as the
base for a
cooperative kind of suggestive state. "The Garden" was
being used (2009) for a number
of
purposes within NCCG, only one of which is encountering
supposed deities such as
"Yahweh".
- Some of the members believe that they
receive
visions
and revelations directly from "Yahweh" (God).
- These visions and
revelations include information about many different
topics, such as
the activities of enemy
"satanists", predictions about the future, and insights
into what is
supposed to be the truth about present events or
individuals.
If you are reading
this web site due to concern about the well-being of an
NCCG-involved
person, I suggest:
Note
your involved person's status as it matches up against the
observed
NCCG recruitment demographic:
- A unmarried woman aged 18 - 25 of any
citizenship or region has historically been the cult's
most focused-upon demographic for recruitment to move to
the cult's compound. The
plans for such a move may be hidden from family members
and friends, and if the move is announced to the
family, the real reasons behind it may be
withheld. It may be represented as a "teaching"
employment opportunity
at a small school.
- Men who live in a region that would
allow them
to live and work in Sweden legally without special
arrangements (such
as legal residents of EU countries) may be at risk of
making this sort
of permanent move.
- A married man with a relatively normal
marriage whose wife and family are not participating in
NCCG seems to
typically be targeted as an internet-only member who may
visit the
compound for various cult-declared holy periods, but
then would be
expected to return home. If the man is
employed, he might be (/is probably) sending money to
NCCG.
- A married man whose wife is
psychologically
either vulnerable or dependent on him has a likelihood
of
eventually making a serious effort to recruit the wife.
If you
suspect,
based on the demographic and descriptions on this web site,
that someone is being negatively impacted by NCCG:
- I observed a case of an unmarried woman
in the 18 -
25 age bracket being recruited to be one of the cult
leaders wives. In a case like this, I do not
recommend approaching the person with
questions as your first step. Instead, use
other means to determine if she's in the process of
moving to the
cult's compound in Sweden. If plans to move are
underway, alerting the
individual (or the cult itself) of your concern could
result in those
plans being accelerated or other actions being taken to
obstruct your ability to help (this was observed in one
case).
- Familiarize yourself about what cults
are, how they work, and why they work. You
might try the following internet links to get you
started: http://www.rickross.com/help.html
, http://www.factnet.org/rancho1.htm
, http://www.factnet.org/Recommended_Books.htm .
- Be aware that NCCG members have in some
cases experienced
delusions, psychotic episodes, and suicidal thoughts as
a result of
their cult involvement. When these things have happened,
it has not
always been apparent to family
members and friends due to the person hiding the
experiences.
In some cases it has been in the person's interest to
get mental health
professionals involved.
- Arranging an "intervention" with a
professional exit counselor could be helpful.