What is the Big Secret About the Emmaus Walk? Need Advice!

[znr]

Is that your site?

go to sleepwalkinginthelight dot wordpress dot com and find her Walk to Emmaus.

I wish I had found the referenced blog BEFORE I wasted 3 days of my precious life on WTE. Several in my small group were church employees and had no choice but to stay and 'participate', which was clear. I left - only regret is that I did not leave the first morning. About half seemed to buy into the mindset of WTE - they assume the secretive responses to inquiries. The other half of us - well, we are trying to forget wasted time and misery of a brainwashing type approach to being in a group.

1) Sleep deprivation is used to kick emotions up to a feverish pitch.
2) Atmosphere of control - not one moment of free time.
3) No time for a shower - but they want you out of your comfort level.
4) My gut told me "don't go". I suggest if you are investating whether or not to go and your gut is talking to you ........ your gut never lies, which I have always known. But when someone else pays your way it changes your instinct to follow your gut.

Good luck everyone.

 

[Phil G]

go to sleepwalkinginthelight dot wordpress dot com and find her Walk to Emmaus.

I wish I had found the referenced blog BEFORE I wasted 3 days of my precious life on WTE. Several in my small group were church employees and had no choice but to stay and 'participate', which was clear. I left - only regret is that I did not leave the first morning. About half seemed to buy into the mindset of WTE - they assume the secretive responses to inquiries. The other half of us - well, we are trying to forget wasted time and misery of a brainwashing type approach to being in a group.

1) Sleep deprivation is used to kick emotions up to a feverish pitch.
2) Atmosphere of control - not one moment of free time.
3) No time for a shower - but they want you out of your comfort level.
4) My gut told me "don't go". I suggest if you are investating whether or not to go and your gut is talking to you ........ your gut never lies, which I have always known. But when someone else pays your way it changes your instinct to follow your gut.

Good luck everyone.

I came across the blog you reference while doing research into Emmaus and found it helpful, even though the person writing still didn't give any details on the "secrets".

There are aspects of the weekend which are intended to give you an experience which is then assumed to be from God. But God doesn't necessarily work through manipulated experiences. That is a brainwashing type of behaviour used by cults. It should not be happening in a Christian organised event.

At the end of the weekend, the pilgrims join a "community" which only heightens the effects of this "experience" by excluding those who have not gone to WTE.

And people wonder what is so cultish about Emmaus?

 

[Catherineanne]

Years ago on retreat the term 'Emmaus walk' was used of something very benign indeed in comparison with what is described here. It was simply walking with one other person for an hour, comparing our experiences of the retreat we were on.

I have been on several retreats over the years. None of them have involved compulsion of any kind. There are very many warning signs in what is described here, overall designed to disempower the participants and reduce them to the status of dependency; they depend on the leaders to tell them when to sleep, when to get up, what to do and when, and they cannot leave. In effect they are infantalised; a power imbalance is created and reinforced over the retreat; the only purpose of this is to achieve unthinking compliance. There is no spiritual benefit in that. Christians are called to obey God, but we are not called to stop thinking when we do it.

I would not go on anything like this, and I would not recommend that others do. If Methodists are involved in it, then I think they are not well advised. We are certainly to approach God with child like faith. This does not mean we are allowed to infantalise one another on purpose in order to establish control over them.

Anyone who wants to know what happens at Mass in my church is welcome to ask, and I will tell them. That does not in any way detract from their own experience of Mass, should they happen to attend. Withholding is a form of abuse. So is secrecy. So is emotional manipulation. So is control. So is preventing people from leaving. I am afraid this really does not look good.

http://www.gbgm-umc.org/mountaintop/bylaws.html

I am not sure if this is the organisation or not, but these articles are troubling. See how many times the Lord Jesus is mentioned (once). See how often God is mentioned (not at all). And then decide. They mention a Corporate Charter, but I have not found a link to that on the site.

http://www.gbgm-umc.org/mountaintop/apply.html

Anyone with depression, bereavement or illness is not advised to attend. And the purpose is to build individual Christian character and leadership. Hmmm, build leaders by treating adults like children. How does that work?

Now, where is that bargepole of mine ... ?

 

[oceansmile]

The programs ran until 11:30 pm each night Lights out 12:30 am Breakfast at 8:00 am first program at 8:45 am.

Sleep deprivation is a major tool of cults. No junior high aged child needs to be staying up until 12:30 at night.

 

[StarBright]

You couldn't pay me to go to one of these things. I think the "secrecy" excuse is ludicrous and insulting to peoples' intelligence. They say things like "you don't spoil the surprise for kids on Christmas morning, do you? Or a surprise birthday party?" Well, guess what? I'M AN ADULT, NOT A CHILD, and God is not a "surprise" that you HIDE from people. The myriad of rules to follow is absurd and borderline abusive. I've read quite a few testimonials from people who attended, and it is downright disturbing. God is the one who draws people to him, it's not accomplished through secrecy, sleep deprivation, forced participation, exclusion, cliques, bizarre ceremonies, emotional manipulation, rigid schedules, and isolation. I think these events give people the SENSE of becoming closer to God because they're being virtually trapped in a closed-in, high-emotion, intensely charged environment where it's expected of them to think and feel and do certain things.

 

[gideon123]

I did the Walk To Emmaus many years ago.
It was EXCELLENT !!!
I highly recommend it.
As I look back on many different experience within the church ... this was one of the BEST

The so-called "secrecy" is nothing more than a small attempt to not ruin some of the surprises in the event. They creators of Emmaus believe that if you don't know ahead of time - some of the things will be more meaningful. I AGREE with them.

Everything in Emmaus is fully Biblical. There is nothing that is demeaning, or tied to the beliefs of a particular denomination.

I continue to be amazed by the insecurity that I see in many members of the church - as evidenced by some of the feedback on this thread. < Staff Edit >

all the best,
Gideon123

 

[znr]

But you are so wrong here about the dangers -- because I know someone, who I met in a chatroom 5 years ago, who tearfully confessed to me that they knew someone who had apparently been asked NOT to paint her nails during prayer time. She was asked to stop painting. Instead of respecting the group, she continued painting her nails. This escalated into a small crisis when another member apparently fell ill from the fumes. The ill member could not phone for help because all cell phones were locked up in a small black box, and buried. A few weeks later it was on the internet.

I did the Walk To Emmaus many years ago.
It was EXCELLENT !!!
I highly recommend it.
As I look back on many different experience within the church ... this was one of the BEST

The so-called "secrecy" is nothing more than a small attempt to not ruin some of the surprises in the event. They creators of Emmaus believe that if you don't know ahead of time - some of the things will be more meaningful. I AGREE with them.

Everything in Emmaus is fully Biblical. There is nothing that is demeaning, or tied to the beliefs of a particular denomination.

I continue to be amazed by the insecurity that I see in many members of the church - as evidenced by some of the feedback on this thread. < Staff Edit >
all the best,
Gideon123

 

[Phil G]

I did the Walk To Emmaus many years ago.
It was EXCELLENT !!!
I highly recommend it.
As I look back on many different experience within the church ... this was one of the BEST

The so-called "secrecy" is nothing more than a small attempt to not ruin some of the surprises in the event. They creators of Emmaus believe that if you don't know ahead of time - some of the things will be more meaningful. I AGREE with them.

Everything in Emmaus is fully Biblical. There is nothing that is demeaning, or tied to the beliefs of a particular denomination.

I continue to be amazed by the insecurity that I see in many members of the church - as evidenced by some of the feedback on this thread. < Staff Edit >
all the best,
Gideon123

According to the Upper Room's own publication "What is Emmaus?" people who keep the secrets are hurting the program and setting participants apart in the church, so how can you say that Emmaus think it is more meaningful? Which is it? Harmful or meaningful?

I have no insecurity about my faith. I do as scripture says and test everything. Emmaus is not fully Biblical. Talk #9 is about sin being the obstacle to God's grace. There are no obstacles to God's grace. Otherwise it ceases to be grace.

Talk #7 says all denominations recognise baptism and communion as sacraments. That is false. Some denominations deny they are sacraments and refer to them as ordinances which are not the same thing. In this way it IS denomination dependant.

< Staff Edit >

 

[gideon123]

< Staff Edit >

I went to Emmaus, fully enjoyed it, and I'd say it was one of the best Christian experiences of my life. ALL the people in my church who went to Emmaus got really positive things out of it. I don't recall one negative feedback from anyone who actually WENT to the event. That was our experience ... based on being there. I'm sure you could have the same experience ... if you ever decided to go.

There are no "secrets" about Emmaus. There are some experiences which I think people want to preserve as "surprises" if you will ... but they are all very positive.

< Staff Edit >

 

[Phil G]

< Staff Edit >

Emmaus has acknowledged officially in writing that the secrecy is a problem. They also blame the problem on people such as yourself for keeping the secrets. It would seem it is Emmaus pilgrims who behave as if revealing the secrets is "life threatening".

If they are telling you that it is more meaningful to keep the secrets, then they are simply lying. That is a poor witness and should be a warning in itself to stay away!

Emmaus is un-Biblical in its methods. Shutting people off from the outside world and hitting them with an intensive program while not allowing theological debate or allowing them to even know the time of day or when they can break or for how long IS NOT Biblical. It is downright insulting.

If Emmaus is supposed to be about God's Agape love, where is that unconditional love when someone raises difficulties they have with the WTE? Instead of the usual fobbing off by pilgrims, it should be acknowledged as valid and discussed.

 

[StarBright]

Absolutely right, Phil. Concerns, questions, and doubts are all met with condescension and patronizing. Questions are deflected, mocked, and flat-out ignored. That is not the behavior of a group that genuinely wants trust and transparency with fellow believers.

If someone asks "What happens during this event?" it shouldn't be a three-ring circus of avoidance and deflection trying to get the answer. If the response is "Well, we prefer to keep some things secret", I'd say "I prefer to know what's going to happen. Will you tell me or not, yes or no?" I've not EVER... not ONCE... heard a straight answer. I've never heard "yes" and I've never heard "no", though I've heard a billion variations of "no", all which refuse to simply come out and be open.

The secrecy is beyond cultish, and makes me shake my head in disbelief.

 

[Phil G]

Absolutely right, Phil. Concerns, questions, and doubts are all met with condescension and patronizing. Questions are deflected, mocked, and flat-out ignored. That is not the behavior of a group that genuinely wants trust and transparency with fellow believers.

I agree. It does not edify the church. It disrespects genuine difficulties. And the behaviour of the pilgrims so enthused by it is frankly appalling. These are the fruits I judge Emmaus on and they are not pretty!

 

[StarBright]

It truly takes some Sherlock Holmes-type digging to find ANY straight information on this event, but it is out there if you keep digging. Oh, you'll find plenty of gushing testimonials (but oddly, they never tell you exactly what happened over the weekend).

Anyway, here's part of one guy's refreshingly honest story about his experience:

"There was a LOT of singing. I DO NOT SING. We made posters. We sang some more. We played with playdough. We sang some more. We made up skits. We sang some more. We made up songs. To be honest, I spent most of the weekend with my arms crossed in front of my chest trying to keep some semblance of a smile on my face."

Playdough? REALLY?

Also, here's an interesting article on WTE and similar events which highlights the main problem is that they try to suppress peoples' thinking in favor of them feeling or experiencing. Another hallmark of cults. If they can get you to stop using your brain, and just go with your emotions, they've got you.
Please Contemplate This:

Also found a great discussion board on WTE. I'd suggest reading all the way through it, some of the more "meaty" posts are further in:
Walk to Emmaus - Page 2 - BaptistBoard.com

A few more things were brought to light, like the fact that they discourage anyone going through a painful life experience (bereavement, divorce) from going so they can achieve a more "joyful" atmosphere at the event. How is that remotely Christian? Answer: it's not!

There's also the elephant in the room that I haven't heard mentioned yet here. The money. There are HUGE amounts of money being made from these events. Millions of people attend each year, that translates to billions of dollars being funneled to The Upper Room (UMC).

I would highly encourage everyone to read the blog posted above as well. A lot of WTE fans will accuse naysayers of just not having been on a WTE, but here are some quotes from people who HAVE gone! All complete strangers to each other, from different areas, different churches, yet they have eerily similar negative experiences.

"On my last work weekend we were even coached on how to be deceptive and not tell the &#8216;secrets&#8217; if asked by a pilgrim. Basically we were to dance around the truth."

"I had the same feeling about the &#8220;heaven&#8221; experience. I was scared to go inside. I thought it looked like a satanic sacrifice with chanting. So, when I went in and saw that it was ok, I still was very uneasy and apprehensive. It seemed surreal. I was so ready to go HOME. I kept thinking: I know that heaven is a place where I shall see my Father FACE 2 FACE! This isn&#8217;t the same. I just felt that everyone must comply as robots and no one can have a thought negative of the situation. It was all very frustrating."

"Okay, there was an experience during the weekend (I won&#8217;t give details) that was orchestrated to give us a &#8220;vision of heaven.&#8221; I just need to be clear in my saying that this was a complete misrepresentation of Heaven. My first thought in entering this experience was that I was entering a cult sacrifice (and I began to wonder if no one told me about it because I was the sacrifice), and the second was, &#8220;If this is what Heaven is going to be like, then I don&#8217;t want to go there.&#8221; It made me so angry, because in my limited understanding of Heaven, we will get to fellowship with other believers and see the face of God. That did not happen. There were also some experiences that were emotionally charged in a way that made me uncomfortable. I don&#8217;t need someone to play on my emotions to get me to give things over to God. His whispering in my heart is enough. So many times I just wanted to scream, &#8220;If all of you would get out of the way, maybe I could actually experience God.&#8221; "

"I still hold great concern that at least 6 pilgrims at my walk (about 18%) confessed to me or the community that they cried themselves to sleep on the first night."

"I also get frustrated when some Emmaus community members take the credit for the times when the walk is great for someone, but seem to blame the participant when it does not work. Emmaus folks talk of how the weekend transformed people, how it gave them a &#8220;mountaintop&#8221; experience, and how powerful Emmaus is. But, often, when someone does not like the walk, it is chalked up to the &#8220;person not being ready&#8221;, or they &#8220;did not get it&#8221;. "

"Emmaus members have separate website pages they can access, have crosses that no one else is supposed to get, and are invited to events and ceremonies that are not open to the public. Emmaus uses a curriculum based, in good part, on surprise and secrecy. With all of that being said, I see why people see it as a secret society. When Candlelight can be attended by anyone, when the weekend schedule is posted on the Upper Room website, when I can give anyone an Emmaus cross even if they did not go on a weekend, or when anyone can sign up for the prayer vigil &#8211; that is when the secret society talk might end. "

Lastly, here are some interesting excerpts from the Illionis "Prairieland" WTE instructions for sponsors. Very telling stuff.

One of the worst mistakes made by those of us who have attended the Emmaus Walk is to be too secretive about what happens on a Walk. The Upper Room Handbook on Emmaus states &#8220;There is nothing secret about Emmaus.&#8221; When your prospective pilgrim asks you a specific question, you should always give an honest and truthful answer. Chances are they aren&#8217;t going to think to ask you about Candlelight or Dying Moments, but if they do, you should not try to deceive them. It would be better to tell them more than necessary than to be too secretive.

I've also heard about participants being flooded with "love letters" at the end of the weekend (which seems to be focused on little BUT love/feelings/emotions, everyone loves you, we love you, God loves you). But when I read that the WTE people will FABRICATE letters if the sponsor can't get enough (apparently a minimum of 12 is required), my jaw about hit the floor.

Begin preparations to request the personal agape letters; approximately 12 LETTERS are needed. Please be sure to get letters from family, good friends, and clergy. Please mark the letters with &#8220;SPONSOR&#8221; or &#8220;S.&#8221; If you have more than 12, give the extra to the pilgrim after closing. Just be sure the most important letters are in the initial 12 the pilgrim will be given on Sunday. If you do not have 12 letters, people working behind the scenes (who probably don&#8217;t know your pilgrim) will have to make up the difference.

The more I learn about this thing, the more thankful I am God has kept me far away from this stuff.

 

[Phil G]

Yes Starbright, you are now seeing what I have seen while doing research into Emmaus. I too found it difficult to find information about what actually goes on during and after Emmaus weekends.

My persistance has paid off however, and the more I found out, the worse it got. Most of the information I got from Emmaus' own literature.

Most of the promoters of Emmaus seem to imply if you have not gone, you cannot judge. This is a sure sign of psychological manipulation, because any Christian will know that excuse cannot stand up to scripture. It doesn't even stand up to logical thinking. If I must try something to judge whether it is right or wrong, I would be in prison long ago!

Most of the pilgrims promoting Emmaus do not seem to have investigated what is going on. They focus instead on the experience but deny any criticism which puts Emmaus in a bad light. Just like in cults, if you question outside the program, they can't find the answer. If all they have to fall back on is their experiences, it will all come crashing down some day.

 

[StarBright]

The fact that it's promoted as a "Christian" event leads a lot of people to believe it has Protestant roots. In fact, it has Catholic roots, and that is extremely revealing, since Catholicism relies largely on "trusting" those in positions of authority, and never questioning too much or seeking your own answers.

More weird factoids I've noticed:

Why are the Emmaus staff called "angels"? What is that about? Angels are not people, people are not angels, it's just weird and corny to me. More emotional manipulation if you ask me.

What's with the "De Colores" theme? Everyone greets each other with "De Colores!" and they all sing the song at the end of the weekend. Why? "De Colores" just means "colors". It's not a greeting. It's not even a phrase. Why is it used like a slogan and greeting? Weird.

 

[Phil G]

The fact that it's promoted as a "Christian" event leads a lot of people to believe it has Protestant roots. In fact, it has Catholic roots, and that is extremely revealing, since Catholicism relies largely on "trusting" those in positions of authority, and never questioning too much or seeking your own answers.

More weird factoids I've noticed:

Why are the Emmaus staff called "angels"? What is that about? Angels are not people, people are not angels, it's just weird and corny to me. More emotional manipulation if you ask me.

What's with the "De Colores" theme? Everyone greets each other with "De Colores!" and they all sing the song at the end of the weekend. Why? "De Colores" just means "colors". It's not a greeting. It's not even a phrase. Why is it used like a slogan and greeting? Weird.

De Colores refers to a Spanish song apparently sung by pilgrims after seeing a cockrel in all its glory after a storm while returning home from a retreat. It has nothing to do with scripture.

What it does do is similar to cults by using terminology which excludes those outside of the group. You and I are not incuded in such a greeting because we are not part of the Emmaus Community.

I haven't heard of the team members being called Angels before, but that seems to be more of the exclusive language used by Emmaus to keep the group exclusive and pilgrims thinking along the lines of the Community.

Yes it is weird!

 

[StarBright]

I haven't heard of the team members being called Angels before, but that seems to be more of the exclusive language used by Emmaus to keep the group exclusive and pilgrims thinking along the lines of the Community.

Yes it is weird!

When I first read testimonials using the "angels" term, I thought at first it was just people being gushy (OH, those nice people were such angels!), but as I was reading the actual sponsor instructions today, they refer to the staff as Angels, an actual title. So corny.

 

[Phil G]

When I first read testimonials using the "angels" term, I thought at first it was just people being gushy (OH, those nice people were such angels!), but as I was reading the actual sponsor instructions today, they refer to the staff as Angels, an actual title. So corny.

Yes, I just saw an Emmaus website referring to "luggage angels" and "shower angels". I can see at the very least, it could cause confusion as to the true Biblical accounts of who angels actually are.

They don't carry your luggage or arrange your shower!

 

[StarBright]

Apparently, some of the "love" showered on the "pilgrims" include being ordered to go to breakfast undressed (one woman was in her PJ's, didn't have to time get dressed, and was ordered to go eat anyway; she refused, good for her) and having "gifts" mysteriously appearing, like snacks beside your bed, or bouquets of flowers appearing on your bed. That would creep me out, sorry. I don't want anyone sneaking up on me when I'm asleep.

 

[Phil G]

Apparently, some of the "love" showered on the "pilgrims" include being ordered to go to breakfast undressed (one woman was in her PJ's, didn't have to time get dressed, and was ordered to go eat anyway; she refused, good for her) and having "gifts" mysteriously appearing, like snacks beside your bed, or bouquets of flowers appearing on your bed. That would creep me out, sorry. I don't want anyone sneaking up on me when I'm asleep.

The very strict time regime within the cloistered environment where there is no contact with the outside world is a very real psychological technique. Pilgrims are told they are indispensable to the weekend and their table group. So missing any part of the weekend is letting the group down.

With the pilgrims having no way of knowing the time or the timetable for events, and no knowledge of what to expect next, each item adds to the emotional experience building to the "Candlelight" event on the Saturday night. This event is pivotal to the weekend. If a pilgrim leaves before Candlelight, they cannot become a member of the Emmaus Community. Leaving after Candlelight entitles a pilgrim to become a member of the Emmaus Community. It is like a rite of passage, an initiation into a fraternity.

No wonder Emmaus pilgrims can get the idea of being the elite.