www.edmundcreffield.com
www.edmundcreffield.com
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The Cast of Characters
Photos and Bios of the Holy Rollers
Book Reviews
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1903 to 1907 Newspaper Articles About the Holy Rollers
1906 Editorial Calling for Gun Control
After Multiple Murders Involving the Holy Rollers
Stewart Holbrook Holy Rollers Article
Advertisements from 1893 to 1913
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Oregon Insane Asylum
Where the Holy Rollers Were
Committed
Creffield, Brainwashing & Thought Reform
Early Cases of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
1906 Autopsies Of Holy Rollers
Forensics Before CSI
Holy Roller Bizarre Divorce Decree
Hartley describes trying to kill his wife's lover
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How the Fire Fell
A Movie About The Holy Rollers
***
Life
in Corvallis in the early 1900s
Life
in Waldport, OR in early 1900s
Oregon State Penitentiary
Where Creffield Was
Incarcerated
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Info
about Cults
Could
you ever be lured into joining a cult?
Share your thoughts about, and experiences with, cults
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Creffield's
Preachings
Creffield
Vs. Crefeld
The
Salvation Army Opening Fire in 1886
Holy
Roller Theology
Reverend
Knapp's Bible Songs of Salvation &
Victory
Songs Sung by
the Holy Rollers
Buy an autographed copy of
This page is under construction, but here's a start.
Throughout history there have been those who have been regarded as especially inspired, those who have held out the promise of a better world to others--those such as Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, and Confucius. They profoundly influenced the lives of others while they lived and long after they died. Franz Edmund Creffield thought he was another such man, and so did his flock.
Great religious leaders show deep concern for their disciples' development. They guide their disciples in examining their own lives. They teach by example, and foster a climate in which their disciples can decide how best to conduct their lives--permitting them to come to their own conclusions. Creffield did none of this. Creffield was not a great religious leader, but a cult leader.
Cults have always been with us and will always be with us. In the United States today there are an estimated 1,000 harmful cults with an estimated combined membership of one-million people. Not all cults are bad or harmful, though. Cults are first-generation religions. Most cults do not last long after their leader dies. If they survive after their leader dies, the cult may eventually be accepted by society as a legitimate religion.
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all grew out of tightly knit communities of believers with leaders who said their doctrines or teachings came directly from God. Many of the early practices of these faiths seemed shocking to those who didn't share them, and adherents of these religions were often persecuted. Time and acceptance are necessary for a cult to be considered a legitimate religious group. Creffield's church, the Church of the Bride of Christ, did not stand the test of time.
Creffield probably never intended to destroy lives. It is possible he started out with the best of intentions and meant only the best for his flock. It is possible that he believed what he said, and was truly baffled how others could believe he was evil. It is possible he really thought he had God-like powers, or even was God. It is possible he said to himself: "A man fired a gun at me five times, and the gun clicked harmlessly! I said the world was coming to the end, and San Francisco was destroyed!--obviously I am God." God will be the one to pass final judgment on Franz Edmund Creffield.
How do you tell if a group is a harmless fringe group or a dangerous cult? According to Margaret Thaler Singer, a cult expert and author of Cults in Our Midst, dangerous cults have most of these ten characteristics:
Information about Brainwashing & Thought Reform
Lifton's eight 'psychological themes' that can be found in totalist groups like the Holy Rollers:
***
Information
about Cults
Think
You Can't be Lured into a Cult? Think Again.
The Oregon State Insane Asylum in 1907
***
Relevant Newspaper Articles:
October to December 1903: Holy Rollers Burn Furniture & Pets
April to June 1904: Holy Rollers are Committed to the Asylum
The Prologue
Chapter 1: Life Before Creffield (B.C.)
Chapter 2: Creffield's Preachings
Chapter 4: The Holy Rollers Roll on Kiger Island
Chapter 5: A Sacrificial Bonfire
Chapter 6: Community Concerns
Chapter 7: Esther, The Chosen One
Chapter 8: Tar and Feathers
Chapter 9: The Holy Rollers are Committed to the Insane Asylum
Chapter 10: More Beast Than Man
Chapter 11: God Will Plead Creffield's Case
Chapter 13: Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 14: Men are Gunning for Creffield
Chapter 16: The Widow Creffield
Chapter 19: An Inherited Streak of Insanity
Chapter 20: Testimony
Chapter 21: Two Other Murders
Chapter 23: Seeking Reconciliation
Chapter 24: Another Holy Roller Page One Murder
Chapter 25: What Can Papa Do For You?
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