ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACT
OF THE MESSIANIC COMMUNITY
ON THE WELFARE AND BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN
excerpt from a psychological report submitted as evidence,
stipulated to by the parties and found as fact by the court,
in a child custody case prepared for the court by
Dr. Craig Knapp, a licensed psychologist
(1994)
Given [the mother's] stated intentions to maintain a long term
ongoing relationship with the Messianic Community, it seems appropriate
to comment on the potential influence which the Messianic Community
might conceivably have on the children (regardless of eventual
parental custody arrangements). Given issues which have arisen
during the course of this evaluation, specific "risk"
factors include the potential for abuse, abduction, and potential
influences educationally, in terms of the children's ongoing developmental
needs, nurturance, and potential influence of fostering ongoing
positive relationships between the children and both parents.
In providing this assessment, I wish to qualify my conclusions
by stating that an exhaustive assessment of these risk factors
would require substantially more time and first hand investigation
than was practical given the constraints of this evaluation. However,
in order to arrive at these conclusions I have based my assessment
on a review and reading of a number of articles and documents
published by the Messianic Community, personal visits to the Rutland
Messianic Community residence on three occasions and one visit
to the Basin Farm Messianic Community residence in Bellows Falls,
Vermont (totaling over nine hours), telephone interviews with
two independent researchers (Dr. Susan Palmer, professor of religious
studies at Dawson College, Montreal and Dr. Richard Robbins, professor
of anthropology at Plattsburg State University College - totaling
two hours) who have each independently conducted more extensive
research on the Messianic Community, as well as a review of recent
newspaper articles which appeared in the Rutland Herald, and a
brief selected reading of several articles appearing in a compilation
by the Cult Awareness Network. Based on these sources of investigation,
my preliminary conclusion is that the Messianic Community per
se does not appear to constitute a substantial risk to the welfare
and best interests of the children, although I do have some concerns
in this regard.
What is immediately obvious is that the fundamental teachings,
policies and practices of the Messianic Community are substantially
different from those that are practiced by the majority of individuals
in the community at large. Based on my reading of materials published
by the Messianic Community and discussions with researchers mentioned
above, it is my understanding that the Messianic Church preaches
adherence to religious doctrines of Christ found in the Bible
as well as civil obedience and that in order to adhere to the
standards set forth in the scriptures and to attain eternal life,
communal living with minimal interference from external influence
is practiced. Furthermore, family oriented values, submission
to legitimate authority (parental, civil, church, and divine)
are practiced and that discipline (including physical discipline)
is practiced in order for the parent to exercise external control
while the child learns internal control in order to "hold
them back from what he would do if left to his own rule".
While there are a great number of widely divergent philosophical
beliefs, scientific theories, developmental models and common
practices regarding the use of physical discipline and restraints,
the practices as described in the teachings of the Messianic Community
as outlined in descriptions of disciplinary techniques employed
by Drs. Robbins and Palmer whom I spoke with and the actual disciplinary
techniques that were used with the children do not, in my opinion,
in and of themselves constitute physical abuse. In fact, many
of the disciplinary principles as outlined in the publication
entitled Child Training, Control and Teaching appear to be based
on developmentally sound principles of discipline. In my professional
opinion, it is not the use of physical discipline per se that
constitutes abuse. Rather it is the manner (that is, frame of
mind and behaviors of the disciplinarian), frequency, intensity,
and duration of the use of physical "discipline" as
well as the context in which it is used and relied upon (rather
than positive means of promoting pro-social behavior) that serve
to form the distinction between physical abuse on the one hand
and legitimate parental practices on the other. None of the information
that I have gathered based on direct investigation has indicated
that the disciplinary practices promoted by the teachings of the
Messianic Community have constituted abuse. In fact, the children
that I met and spoke with, (based on casual conversation and notation
of their attitudes, interactional styles and other behaviors)
appeared to be well adjusted youths who were self-confident and
did not display typical characteristics of abused children.
Obviously, nothing in my previous comments rules out the possibility
that there have been specific instances of abuse that have been
perpetrated by members of the Messianic Community. However, based
on my experience as a professional psychologist over the past
20 years, the incidents of abusive behavior by members of the
greater community outside of the Messianic Church is definitely
wide spread and, of course, totally unacceptable. On this issue,
my impression is that members of both the culture at large as
well as the Messianic Community, itself, have committed the same
fundamental error: guilt through association.
Setting aside competing educational values and personal beliefs
about the value of formal "traditional" education and
the value of college education, the educational curriculum of
the Messianic Community has been recognized by the State Department
of Education and based on my limited review of their curriculum
it appears to contain an appropriate breadth and depth of educational
subject matter and goals although based on my review, the educational
goals of the Messianic Community are clearly intertwined with
and promote the religious teachings and practices of the Messianic
Community as well.
Within that context, all of the youth that I met who are members
of the Messianic Community presented as intelligent, articulate,
and well educated children who were able to converse on a variety
of topics although their range of knowledge about life outside
of the Messianic Community is obviously substantially more limited
than a comparable peer group of children might be that have been
raised in the American culture at large. All of the children that
I met and spoke with appeared to be well nurtured and to have
a positive sense of self-image, and their style of interaction
with their parents, other members of the Community, and with me
seemed appropriate, relaxed, and natural.
During the time that I was able to interact directly with members
of the Messianic Community, I did not witness any incidents of
highly oppositional behavior, disrespect or what I would view
as clearly inappropriate or emotional outbursts on the part of
the children, although I also did not have the opportunity to
directly witness any instances of parental discipline exercised
by any of the adult members of the Community. However, I did request
and have the opportunity to view one of the "balloon sticks"
that is used for the purposes of discipline and did ask [the mother]
to administer a "discipline" procedure to me in a manner
consistent with what she felt she had administered to her children
(and she complied with my request).
I have been struck first by the disparity in the lifestyles, teachings,
policies and practices of life as the children have known it outside
of the Messianic Community and what I have read, heard about and
observed first hand about life inside of the Messianic Community.
In point of fact, a vast majority of the emotional, behavioral and
thought disorders that I have regularly dealt with on an ongoing
basis through the past 20 years in my capacity as a licensed practicing
and school psychologist result from inappropriate and in many cases
destructive educational, parental, environmental and cultural practices
that are not only tolerated but in many cases actively endorsed
in our society. Based on the objective and direct information that
I have obtained, my initial impression of the Messianic Community
is that through their teachings and the ongoing, daily exercise
of their ideals, they attempt to promote and foster behaviors in
both the children and adult members of their community that may
actually represent a viable, alternative lifestyle for children
and adults who willingly choose to "trade in" many of
the luxuries, technological advances and diverse cultural opportunities
found in the "outside world" in order to achieve a more
simple, wholesome existence within the confines of a more rigorous
and restrictive communal and religious life as practiced in the
Messianic Community Church.
Craig Knapp, Ph. D., P.C.
Licensed Psychologist
Rutland, Vermont
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