Dominion Christian Centre: Cult or Extreme Religion?
bd
Ontario "church" called the Dominion Christian Centre. Does anyone
out there know Peter Rigo?
(The only information a subsequent internet search turned up was an
August 31, 2006 story in the Hamilton Spectator about Mirella Brun del
Re whose parents, Lucie and Renato kidnapped her from the suspected
cult out of fear for their daughter's psychological well-being. The
story is repeated on the cult-warning website rickross.com but
there's little else to be found.).
Mirella wouldn't stay away from the church though and doesn't seem
to care about her parents' and brother's possible incarceration.
Her brother Giancarlo, who'd always been Mirella's best friend was
close to tears a couple of times as he spoke of the changes in his
sister. Mirella's mother Lucie said, "The hate she developed towards
the siblings, the family - the arrogance, the hate towards us. Like we
didn't mean anything any more. She was in another world."
Watching Mirella, it was plain to see that she has blocked all emotion
connected to her family. She spoke without a trace of compassion or
understanding, but with utter indifference. It's clear that she can
no longer assimilate her feelings for her family with the feelings that
Rigo and the group have engendered within her. On a gut level she may
have objections to her pastor's methods, rules, analogies or
language, but because it's all done in the name of God, she has
allowed herself to become dependent on the group for this moral
"high" and no longer knows how to function if she does not have
easy access to it.
Rigo, of course, makes them think that their rapturous states of mind
are evidence of God, when it's really a state of mind that one can
reach in far less dangerously dependent ways. The fact that he is using
God is about as despicable as one gets. (The Rigos of the world might
call it satanic if referring to someone else who was using such
methods.)
I'd be interested to learn more about Peter Rigo. (He looks
repellently familiar. Hamilton is not far way.) And what about his
wife, Peggy? Was there a reason why she wasn't also featured? She too
was listed as a pastor of the church. What's her story?
Peter Rigo claims that he doesn't force anyone to stay, but he uses
the Bible to convince young people that it's quite all right to
abandon their families if they aren't sympathetic to the dictates of
the church. (Rigo mentioned Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me.) [I wonder how he explains
the Fifth Commandment, Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days
may be long upon the land.... (Exodus 20:12)]
It is obvious that he has some warped ideas about what it means to be a
"Christian".
When he was demonstrating his disrespect of other churches - pretending
that they compete for membership by saying, "our girls give better blow
jobs than your girls do" (and "we get laid twice as quick at
Christian school as we do at regular school"), some of his young
congregants appeared embarrassed (though they also looked as if they
were trying hard to be cool with his talk).
I don't know about anyone else, but that particular remark - in its
context - made my skin crawl.
His toilet talk teeters on the brink of perversion. From using a
"bowel-movement" metaphor in describing those who attend church
inattentively, to saying that if you don't live according to the
bible you might as well "wipe your ass" with it, to describing his
former life as doing whatever his "dick" told him to do, he
destroys any chance for invoking reverence and awe. (In what sort of
hell is Peter Rigo dwelling and why does he need to take others with
him?)
When he tried to dismiss the notion that his 'church' is actually a
cult, once again he expressed disdain, pointing out that "all I can
gather up...are a handful of young people and a couple of moms and
dads. But I'll keep working on it. We've got to get to the people
with the money if we're going to succeed."
Of course he would claim that he was being facetious, that he was only
"mocking" the idea that his church is a cult. Clever sarcasm is
one thing. Trying to conceal vile aspects of one's personality within
a mockery of what "others" "might say" is something else
indeed. So is hiding one's true motives behind "I'm only
kidding" after a self-serving comment has been uttered. It's a
manipulator's method and a coward's act.
When some of his followers were interviewed, they admitted that the
'cost' of being a member was giving up the 'outside world' and
friends and family (though one member called it a "privilege".
"I'm here seven days a week," said one young man. "I love the
place. I work around here. I eat here. I love it. It's basically
become my life - by my choice." When asked if it was possible to
participate as a part-time member, he half-laughed and said, "well
you can but you would definitely feel like an "outsider".
I hope W-FIVE does a follow-up on this. I'd like to know more about
the Pigos, the church and the restaurant they have on the top floor? Do
they charge for meals? Can anyone eat there? It doesn't appear that
it's there for the homeless. Do they make a profit? The program
showed Rigo's followers in the kitchen. Is that how they spend their
time when they're at the church "seven days a week"? And if
it's a for-profit enterprise, do they get paid or is working there
considered God's work?
I'm afraid that Rigo's motivations have more to do with his own ego
and lifestyle than with helping people to find strength in their
beliefs. Let's hope he fades away and that these young people (and
the adults) keep each other strong when they decide to rejoin the world
- and actually begin to practise their ideals.
bd
W-Five last night, about a Hamilton, Ontario "church" called the
Dominion Christian Centre.
Does anyone out there know anything about the background of pastor
Peter Rigo?
(The rest of this post is basically a repeat of the first.)
(The only information a subsequent internet search turned up was an
August 31, 2006 story in the Hamilton Spectator about Mirella Brun del
Re whose parents, Lucie and Renato kidnapped her from the suspected
cult out of fear for their daughter's psychological well-being. The
story is repeated on the cult-warning website rickross.com but
there's little else to be found.)
Mirella wouldn't stay away from the church though and doesn't seem
very concerned about her parents' and brother's possible
His toilet talk teeters on the brink of perversion. From using a
"bowel-movement" metaphor in describing those who attend church
inattentively, to saying that if you don't live according to the
bible you might as well "wipe your ass" with it, to describing his
former life as doing whatever his "dick" told him to do, he
destroys any chance for invoking reverence and awe. (In what sort of
hell is Peter Rigo dwelling and why does he need to take others with
him?)
When he tried to dismiss the notion that his 'church' is actually a
cult, once again he expressed disdain, pointing out that "all I can
gather up...are a handful of young people and a couple of moms and
dads. But I'll keep working on it. We've got to get to the people
with the money if we're going to succeed."
Of course he would claim that he was being facetious, that he was only
"mocking" the idea that his church is a cult. Clever sarcasm is one
thing. Trying to conceal vile aspects of one's personality within a
mockery of what "others" "might say" is something else indeed.
So is hiding one's true motives behind "I'm only kidding" after
a self-serving comment has been uttered. It's a manipulator's
method and a coward's act.
When some of his followers were interviewed in their top floor
cafeteria, they admitted that the 'cost' of being a member was
giving up the 'outside world' and friends and family (though one
member called it a "privilege").
"I'm here seven days a week," said one young man. "I love the
place. I work around here. I eat here. It's basically become my life
- by my choice." When asked if it was possible to participate as a
part-time member, he half-laughed and said, "well you can but you
would definitely feel like an outsider".
Though the story was interesting, it left some questions unanswered,
such as, is the restaurant run as a co-op? Do they make a profit? Is
that how D.C.C. followers spend their time when they're at the church
"seven days a week"? And if it is a for-profit enterprise, how is
that profit spent?
I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that Rigo's motivations have more
to do with his own ego and lifestyle than with helping people to find
strength in their beliefs. Let's hope he fades away and that these
young people (and the adults) keep each other strong when they decide
to rejoin the world - and begin to actually practise their ideals.
I hope W-FIVE keeps an eye on this story and does a follow-up.