In this article, we further delve into instances of misconduct at Golden Dawn Tabernacle, with a specific focus on child discipline. This subject often sparks intense debates due to the vast array of opinions surrounding it. However, there should be unanimous agreement that causing physical harm to children is indefensible, regardless of one's disciplinary beliefs. While some might immediately assert, "Such actions don't occur here, and no one in church leadership is mistreating children," it's concerning to note the environment within GDT that can, at times, indirectly condone such behavior.

    Doctrines and Analogies

    It's evident that Pastor Isaac and his leadership team place significant emphasis on certain biblical passages.

    Consider the following scriptures:

    Proverbs 13:24:

    "He who withholds his rod hates his son; But he who loves him disciplines him diligently."

    Proverbs 3:11-12:

    "My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof; for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights."

    Pastor Isaac frequently cites these verses to suggest that the Bible and Reverend William Branham endorse physical discipline towards children. While many might interpret this as conventional discipline, it becomes concerning when it transitions into advocating for "beatings". Sermons often contain undertones promoting physical punishment, with analogies such as "God is beating the dross out of gold". This metaphor suggests that just as blacksmiths must rigorously beat the gold ore to remove impurities or "dross", individuals must endure intense trials, including physical punishment, to be refined or purified. This analogy is applied in various contexts: a particularly stern sermon is explained away as merely "beating the dross", while the pastor's impassioned shouting is justified in a similar manner.

    Another concerning example used in sermons revolves around a story of a supposed shepherd, symbolizing Jesus, with his congregation represented as sheep. In this myth, the shepherd purportedly breaks the lambs' legs to stop them from wandering away. This story has been interpreted to suggest that when individuals face adversity, it's a direct result of God "breaking their legs" to make them more reliant on Him. This narrative is also manipulated to legitimize physical harm towards church members perceived as deviating from the path. Essentially, the "broken leg" analogy serves to rationalize causing harm under the pretense of it being for the greater good, paving the way for potential abuses.

    Furthermore, a concerning doctrine propagated by Isaac is the notion that parents should "break a child's spirit" before they become too set in their ways, usually by the age of 2-3. Isaac has been noted to publically criticize parents from the pulpit, attributing the misdeeds of their adult offspring to their failure to "break the child's spirit" during infancy.

    Such scriptures and stories are manipulated to endorse the beliefs that "love is corrective" and that one should "spare not the rod." This is then used to legitimize harsh physical discipline towards infants and young children, leading to potentially grave repercussions, which will be discussed in further detail in this article.

    Abuse in Church Services

    The chuch is intimidated by Pastor Isaac Noriega, especially given his infamous temper when addressing the congregation. Known for his proclivity to shout and publicly belittle individuals in front of an audience of over 500, it's no surprise that members strive to avoid drawing attention during services. A widely acknowledged sentiment among both current and past members is Isaac's visible irritation when children or infants disrupt the sermons with their cries or noises. Even though it's natural for children to grow restless during lengthy 3-hour services, Isaac attributes such behavior to demons attempting to interfere with the divine message he believes he's delivering. One can imagine the sheer panic of parents when their child's innocent sounds halt Isaac's sermon, met with an intense, angry stare and pause. Such intimidating methods push parents to extreme measures to ensure their children remain silent. Crying infants are hurriedly taken to the nursery, where they might be subjected to spanking until they cease their cries. Similarly, children might be pinched, slapped, or even beaten to instill a sense of fearful obedience. An outsider might commend the church for the exemplary behavior of the young attendees, unaware of the unsettling reasons behind such discipline.

    Physical Punishment In The Home

    The congregation is taught to that the Pastor is the head of the church, and that the husband/father is the head of the household. The fathers are taught that they must keep their house in line and enforce the teachings and rules that the the Pastor teaches. So children being rebellious, misbehaving, or even normal child shenanigans can be met with extremely strong physical punishments in the home, by both the father and mother, and they believe they are justified by the aforementioned scriptures.

    You may barely see the scars in the pictures below, but they were created by a GDT parent beating their child before he was even 11 years old. According to this former church member, the hand scar was for forgetting his Bible for a church service, the arm scar for watching TV at the library, and he also got a scar on his head (not shown) for falling asleep in church.

    "It all came down to following Isaac’s church conduct for my dad."

    Hand scar from punishment for forgetting to bring bible to church
    Hand scar from punishment for forgetting to bring bible to church
    Arm scar for watching TV in library

    Concerning Consequences

    The intent of this article is not to argue against child discipline and corporal punishment. The intent is to discuss how a pervasive culture of fear can incentivize and prioritize corporal punishment with extreme prejudice and trauma inducing consequences that can have life-long effects.

    At GDT, physical abuse stems from a toxic culture in the church that starts at the top that is all supposedly sanctioned by God. This ripples into the families, and abuse is a result of the immense pressure from the church. Fathers are expected to keep their house in line with what the pastor teaches, to the point that any rebellion from children is swiftly punished and quelled. This spirals into the children throwing tantrums and fighting with their parents, and in turn the parents fighting each other too. This has been reported to take drastic turns for the worst, and in some cases, becoming domestic violence cases that require the authorities to get involved.

    And speaking with former members who have been gone for several years, it’s concerning to see that it may only get worse. The most alarming issue are the reports we are receiving for the extreme punishment given to children who violate Pastor Isaac Noriega's latest baseless rules. 

    We believe parents should be allowed to instill their ethics and beliefs as they raise their children, in a safe and non-abusive environment. However, the current GDT culture and environment where everyone in the family from toddlers to teenagers must portray the narrative of being “all in” or "subject" with the GDT way is unsustainable and continues to break families apart. Unfortunately, since the church children don’t know any better, they think this abusive environment is normal. This has created a very difficult and often traumatic experience for far too many children in the church.  

    Punishing Children For Normal Activities

    The children at GDT are not being given an opportunity to grow up in a healthy environment. They are punished for acting normally, or wanting to do normal things, due to the strict church rules. GDT parents place the utmost importance keeping their family out of Isaac’s "doghouse" but it can come at a steep cost for the children. We ask the parents to please consider how that is more important than the well being of their children?

    As an example, youth sports and extracurricular activities are not allowed for GDT members. Instead, church youth are punished if they are caught participating in these normal activities as they are deemed to be a gateway to exposing them to "worldly" activities and put them at risk for leaving the church.

    However, there is well documented evidence that sports and recreational activities are good for the development of children. They are intended to instill structure and discipline and a creative outlet for the children to express themselves and to promote mental, social and physical development. All while offering a multitude of benefits to the children, such as learning how to work in a team environment, collaborate and solve problems and hone a multiple of skills.

    It is crucially important that children are in a safe environment that encourages growth and development and does not suppress individuality. It is incredibly sad that the majority of these activities are banned at Golden Dawn Tabernacle.

    Conclusion

    Going back to the shepherd analogy, a rod or staff is not used to hurt the sheep, rather it is used to protect the sheep against predators. However, at Golden Dawn Tabernacle, it appears to be acceptable to use the rod to beat the sheep, both spiritually and physically, and especially the lambs (children), which is truly tragic.

    Do you have any information you'd like to share about this topic? Feel free to comment below, or you can contact us directly at our Contact Us page or via our social media accounts below.

      Archived Comments#

      5 comment(s) imported from the original site:

      Anonymous — September 30, 2023#

      B**** is one who beats and shakes her kid to get them to shut up. She’ll start beating them at 3-6 months old!!! So horrible! Other moms of course notice but everyone is too afraid to say anything. 

      Sleepy Church Member — September 30, 2023#

      Didn’t crazy Carey report the beatings to Rey and nothing was done? I think the song leaders wife was hitting the kids too

      Richard — October 1, 2023#

      When in the 90s I attended a church in Buenos Aires of one of the preachers who admired Isaac, all this was already visible, but it was mixed with ignorance and local family customs. I saw several children, now adults, being “educated” under that type of regime, and yes, there are consequences. But the trauma or bitter feeling that remains the strongest is seeing your own loving parents give in and act in the face of the threats and special needs of that third party, all to conform to that third party that believes itself to be the voice of God. The worst thing a family, any family, can do is to permanently let in the influence of a third party. It is one thing to seek help from a doctor, or a therapist, or a counselor, and for certain family needs we seek help from a third party. But having a third party giving opinions and influencing the decisions of the family unit all the time, all your life, is very toxic, it is sickening. I remember my mother, she was enthralled with her cult leader for almost forty years, she admired that man, she wanted us, her children, to be like that man, because of the words he preached. My father endured seeing his own wife admire another man all those years, unfortunately my father didn’t know how to do anything about it, I think my father lived depressed for much of those years.

      Nueva generacion — October 1, 2023#

      Eso se nos dice y se nos repite, " quebra el espiritu de el niño antes de los 5 años"…. Ellos ( El ministerio)se encarga despues de los 5 en la clase dominical. Y en la escuelita, … los quebran tanto que ahora puedes ver hombres solteros y casados de todas las edades que todavia dependent de sus padres, solteros de casi 40 años y mas y no saben valerse por ellos mismos. Los desalman completamente… duele el corazon.

      Name — October 2, 2023#

      Damn, if I got an ass whooping for every time I fell asleep in church I’d get whooped twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday every week. Idk how you all resisted, the soft music playing before service and not caring at all what came out of Isaac’s mouth was the perfect recipe for falling asleep every time I sat down in that place. I’m getting sleepy just thinking about it 😴.

      What you forgot to mention, at least back when I was going to the church, is the “abuse” that goes on among the young men that sit next to each other. I remember getting kicked, kneed and even poked with safety pins by other young men sitting next to me cuz they were jealous I was asleep. Or more likely they were afraid Isaac would tell them to wake me up. Eventually you all realized I didn’t care and even Isaac stop telling you all to wake me up and I was able to sleep peacefully twice on Sunday and once one Wednesday.