Is Yahweh a cult?

The Tuesday, November 5 stand-off and confrontation between the police and members of the Qahal Yahweh group in Paradise, St James, has brought to the fore the question of whether the Yahweh denomination is a cult. Some commentators even went as far as to say it really is. But what is a cult and why is Yahweh so branded?

An online definition of a cult says it is “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object”. There were similar such definitions, and myriads of articles say it is a sect usually centred on an “all-powerful”, “overzealous”, “arrogant”, “dogmatic”, “radical” leader whose followers are subjected to his whims and fancies.

Followers dare not defy him and are under his total control. They all reject the mores and values of mainstream society and had a die-hard attitude towards the leader and his philosophies. These are some of the descriptions of what happens in cults and sects. There are also allegations of kidnappings, sexual misconduct, child marriages, teenage pregnancies, polygamy, etc.

When the police stormed the compound, women and men were seen resisting the authorities who had gone there to remove three children who were suspected of facing neglect. The group is now being investigated and is accused of several misdeeds.

However, the leader, Omar Thompson, and his brother Javaughn have denied all of the allegations and are upset over the entire affair. “The allegations that are coming to us here is because we are not Christians, we are not fornicators, we are not liars, we don’t go to church, and we don’t serve Jesus Christ,” Omar is quoted as saying in the November 7 Gleaner.

Yet, The Gleaner also reported that the “brothers and teacher Vera Woolery were brought before the St James Family Court to answer charges of neglect after a mother who lived at the compound broke ranks with the group”.

Thompson’s estranged wife speaks

In the Friday, November 8 Gleaner, the estranged wife of Thompson said the group condoned child marriages, and that she was “still trying to overcome the emotional torture of years of indoctrination by the religious group, which has since banished her for rebelling against the instructions of Yahweh”. She had refused to leave her job and two older children alone.

“The estranged wife is convinced that her husband was radicalised by the founder, Neville Woolery, who died three years ago. Omar Thompson succeeded him as religious leader and also wedded his widow, Vera,” The Gleaner also reported on Friday, November 8.

The headline for the first of many stories published by The Gleaner reads: ‘Sex cult? - Cops, soldiers storm MoBay church compound amid claims of child abuse’. Part of the story said the compound has “been styled as a cultic stronghold of abuse, sexual assault, and wife-swapping”.

“Yesterday’s was the second raid on the facility located at Lot 144 in Norwood, St James, since last Thursday and brings to six the number of minors, including a pregnant 16-year-old, extracted from the communal setting dotted with tents, huts, and unfinished buildings.

“Approximately 70 followers reside under the same roof, having reportedly abandoned their homes,” the story continued.

The allegations and storming of the property at Paradise are reminiscent of those by authorities in the USA over the years. The most notorious story was that of the Jim Jones Cult that was transferred to Guyana by Jones. After a tense stand-off, Jones and several others committed murder/suicide by drinking a cyanide-laced beverage.

Apart from Omar’s wife, there have been several people who have given their stories of horror that took place on the property. One elderly man said he was striped naked and had his entire body shaved, because he refused to hand over certain things to the group.