Separation Within The Church - Mistrust and Infighting
According to current and former church members, Pastor Isaac Noriega, the leader of the church, is well known for the harsh tactics he uses for maintaining tight control over the church and its members. It is important to note that Isaac teaches that as the pastor and head of this sovereign church, he holds authority over them, so it is important that they be subject to his teachings. One of the methods of control he routinely uses is encouraging families to separate, even those who are current church members, by suggesting there is no reason for them to visit each other, especially grandparents. This is believed to be done in cases where he fears the grandparents may influence their children and grandchildren against him, especially if he has had a falling out with them.
In addition to encouraging families to separate, Isaac is also known for pitting people against each other through his influence. Former church members have reported that when he is invited to a church member's home for dinner, he will speak negatively about certain individuals or families within the church. However, when he goes to the next family's home, he will criticize the previous family he recently dined and fellowshipped with. This behavior has led to a lot of inner turmoil within the church, with members being more focused on each other than the ministry and a general lack of trust amongst church members.
Isaac has made common pratice of labeling individuals and families as "not subject," "worldly," or "having a bad spirit" when he is not pleased with them for any given reason. He uses these labels to vilify them and cause fear and separation within the church. This psychological manipulation allows him to exert influence over these individuals and maintain tight control over the church.
Historically, church members were allowed to communicate with outside family members who had not yet rejected "The Message," although visiting them was highly discouraged and could result in being ostracized by Isaac from the pulpit. Over the years, visiting outside family members became prohibited, and now even communication with them is forbidden. This rule is even enforced in cases where a family member passes away, and outside family members are discouraged from attending the funeral. Despite these rules, church members still communicate with their outside family members, but they do so secretly and fearfully, always worried that someone will report them to the pastor or deacons.
Separation From The Church - Excommunication
Excommunication, known in the church as "being cast out from under the protection of the blood of Jesus and being turned over to Satan for the destruction of your flesh", is a drastic, traumatic, and life changing event. It is considered to be the most severe punishment the church can exact on a church member. Those who are excommunicated are completely cut off from everything they have ever known or grown up with. They are removed from the church and are not allowed to return unless they repent and pay a heavy penance. Any family or friends they had in the church are forbidden to speak to them, under the threat of being excommunicated as well. If they are employed by a church member's business, they are required to be fired.
Being excommunicated often means a drastic and traumatic change in one's life, as they lose their family, loved ones, friends, and job. They are left on their own with little to no support system. This can be especially difficult for those who do not have a robust education or a normal upbringing, making it extremely difficult for them to succeed on their own.
If someone decides to leave the church for any reason, they are immediately cut off and are usually presented before the church at an upcoming communion service to be excommunicated. In addition to being traumatic, this can also be embarrassing and emotional, not only for the person who has been excommunicated but also for any family members who remain in the church.
Church members are taught to believe that being excommunicated means that their life is over, their soul is lost, and they are going to hell. This creates a strong fear within the congregation of leaving the church and gives Isaac leverage to control and manipulate them. It is important to note that excommunication can be used for any reason Isaac deems appropriate. If a church member breaks one of the church's rules (whether it is Biblically based or not) and does not confess, Isaac may use this as grounds for excommunication. This fear of being excommunicated is often used to keep church members in line and prevent them from leaving the church. Of course, if asked, Isaac would probably say that no one in the church is being held against their will, but the fear tactics used suggest otherwise.
Members of the church often police each other and will report any current members who are seen with ex-members or are caught communicating with them. This behavior leads to a lack of trust within the church and even within families. In some cases, parents are so fearful of speaking to their children that they will self-report their perceived wrongdoing to Isaac. This only serves to further perpetuate distrust and fear within the church community.
As an example, there was a recent incident where a church family randomly ran into their excommunicated children. The father felt so bad about this encounter that he self-reported himself and his family to Isaac Noriega. What followed is similar to what would happen to a suspect being interrogated by the police. Isaac and the deacons took the family and put them in separate rooms, interrogating them to determine if anyone was lying. They then forced the father to write a public confession and repentance letter. Prior to the monthly communion service, Isaac was originally planning to read it in front of the congregation, publicly shaming and humiliating the family. However, he changed his mind and stated that the family wrote a letter of confession, but that they did no harm to the Bride, so he would not read it. He allowed them to partake in communion, which was considered merciful. The family is now being constantly watched and monitored by the church deacons and other members who will immediately report them to Isaac should they observe any activities they deem suspicious.
Several years ago, another tragic event occurred where a young man named Johnathan Samuel Gutierrez was excommunicated from the church in 2017. He was the son of Robert Gutierrez Jr. (known as Robbie, a church trustee) and Arlene Elizabeth Gutierrez, and the grandson of Robert C and Rose Marie Gutierrez (who until recently, owed a significant amount of money to the church). Since he lived with his parents his entire life, and he was not self-sufficient, leaving the church put him in an extremely difficult position. Because of his isolated and controlled upbringing in the church, he had a limited education and social skills. He had to learn how to navigate the hardships of life on his own and he had to rely on friends for shelter and support. He was excommunicated because he was not happy living under the control and rules of the church. Ultimately, the church leadership forces you to decide to choose the life you want to live on your own terms, or your family in the church. But they do not allow you to have both. This is always an incredibly heartbreaking decision and ultimatum. It does not have to be this way, but that is how this church operates. Being away from his family was especially difficult on Johnathan. One of his close friends said that Johnathan would always say how much he missed his parents and family and how much he wanted to see them but wasn't able to due to being excommunicated.
What makes this story even more heartbreaking is that Johnathan passed away in a tragic accident on December 14th, 2020. We are dedicating today’s blog post in memory of Johnathan, on the two year anniversary of his passing. Since he was excommunicated, his friends and out-of-church family stepped up and took care of the funeral arrangements. Because of this, his parents, Robert (Robbie) and Arlene Gutierrez and family in the church did not attend his burial service. This is believed to be due to Isaac's pressure that they abstain in any involvement with excommunicated members.
So even when a loved one has passed, there are no exceptions. There are other testimonies from former church members that have recounted being turned away at church funeral services for their own family members by the church deacons because they were excommunicated. Where are the brotherly kindness and charity characteristics from The Stature of a Perfect Man? They certainly seem to be lacking at this church, especially for Pastor Isaac Noriega.
These stories are tragic, but it is important to illustrate the reality and consequences of being excommunicated. For most, it is a matter of life changing decisions that will either make you or break you, which is why it is used as a powerful fear, control, and manipulation tactic. The church hopes that your decisions will break you and you come crawling back to them.
The sad irony of the above examples is that when Isaac's close friend and former church member died due to suicide several decades ago, Isaac mourned and cried publicly for him, had a special burial service in the church, and claimed that he believed he was saved. Isaac showed care and empathy for him because he cared about him, but he does not demonstrate this same care and empathy for all in his flock who are supposed to be in his care. In the Bible, Jesus tells us of the Parable of the Lost Sheep, where a shepherd of 100 sheep temporarily leaves his large flock to search for one lost sheep. That is what a true pastor is supposed to do. Does Isaac demonstrates these same traits for his flock?
Unfortunately, there are many other painful and traumatic examples like the above. Many former church members recall the trauma and abuse they experienced as a result of being excommunicated, and still suffer from cult related post-traumatic stress disorder due to the emotional and psychological abuse they endured, even after leaving the cult. We will explore some of these stories in future posts.
Summary
Pastor Isaac Noriega and Golden Dawn Tabernacle / Tabernaculo Emanuel Church leadership will go to great lengths to ensure order and compliance is followed at the church, even if it comes at a steep cost to the church members. There is an extraordinary amount of psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse that has resulted due to the actions of the church leadership and toxic culture instilled within the congregation. That is why we are publishing this blog, so that we can raise awareness about this type of abuse and hopefully help people escape from it.
On a positive note of encouragement, we want to let our readers know that leaving the church is not the doomsday and hellscape that Isaac Noriega preaches it will be. The majority of former Golden Dawn Tabernacle church members lead normal, happy, successful and fulfilling lives with their families and loved ones. It is amazing to see how much we can flourish when we are not under strict church control and abuse. If you are reading this and you are in the church and you want to leave but feel trapped with no way out, please know that there is hope for you. In future upcoming blog posts, we will be writing some articles tailored to how you can better prepare yourself for escaping from the church while maximizing your self-sufficiency, self reliance and overall success in life.
If you are reading this and are still in the church, ask yourself if you truly want to continue living under this abusive and controlling environment. If you need help, have questions, or have a story you would like to share, you may contact us below, anonymously, or if you would like us to respond to you, please provide a phone number or email address.
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Archived Comments#
4 comment(s) imported from the original site:
Israel zepeda — December 28, 2022#
Hi I used to go to Isaac Noriegas church 25 years ago and can tell you a lot from what I knew back then
GDT Research — December 28, 2022#
Hi Israel, thank you for visiting our site and reaching out! It’s good to see you on here. We will be in touch as we would love to hear about your experience at GDT. -Ex-GDT Team
An Origins Story of Manipulation & Control: Separation & Division - Golden Dawn Tabernacle Church Research — January 21, 2023#
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Does Isaac Noriega Believe The Message? - Excommunication - Golden Dawn Tabernacle Church Research — March 18, 2023#
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