Title: Linguistic manipulation within the selected neo-pentecostal churches: a critical

discourse analysis
Category of proposal: individual papers

Abstract: In Poland, charismatic christian communities have been dominated by the neo-
pentecostal movement which focuses mainly on miracles taking place during numerous
healing services. Pentecostals believe that experience is more important than rational
cognition (sola experientia). Because of the fact that nowadays people need someone to rely
on, such forms of worship attract especially young and vulnerable to external stimuli Poles.
As soon as they join the neopentecostal community, they become significant parts of the
larger system. Each of such groups tends to be led by a charismatic leader who is the one
responsible for decision making. The main goal of the leader, also known as a preacher, is to
build a rapport with the followers in order to earn trust. Problems appear when the preacher
starts implementing different manipulation techniques for his or her own benefit. Moreover,
as soon as a member of such community starts expressing doubts, he or she is no longer
accepted.

Introduction: It is widely-known that human behaviour can be shaped by many different

factors. Needless to say, language is one of them. People tend to form groups depending on
their areas of interest, but what they undoubtedly have in common, is the presence of the
leader. In case of religious groups, the leader is usually called – the preacher. In the Catholic
Church, it is the priest who is responsible for the service, while in other Christian
communities, especially those charismatic, it is always one of the secular service members.
Although both, the priest and the Christian preacher perform the same role, the language they
use differs. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new, influential movement known as
Pentecostalism, emerged in Europe. The Pentecostal movement has had an enormous impact
on its followers since decades owing to the fact that it puts emphasis on the spiritual
experiences human beings are looking for. Furthermore, Pentecostalism not only evolved in
the form of the so called „three waves”, but also attracted many Catholics who as a result,
decided to leave the Roman Catholic Church. It is no longer the tradition believers want to
follow. More specifically, what shapes people’s behaviour as well as affects their
commitment to various religious groups, are the leader and his or her power of persuasion.
Human beings are searching for spectacular manifestations of God’s presence and that is why,
they are particularly vulnerable to different forms of manipulation.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the linguistic manipulation within neo-
pentecostal churches in Poland as well as its overall impact on members’ behaviour.

Methods: The case study method was applied in this research due to the fact that such an
approach enables the researcher to focus on various aspects of one community, especially
when it comes to communication. A critical discourse analysis technique was implemented in
order to examine social inequalities within a target group. First of all, video podcasts
presenting a particular community preacher were analyzed in details putting emphasis on the
ways the preachers convey messages. To be more precise, pentecostal sermons were taken
into consideration with the aim of investigating the followers’ emotional reactions to the
verbal commands issued by the leaders. Secondly, the importance of personal testimonies of
faith was analyzed with the intention of examining the relationship between a particular
member’s emotional condition and his or her vulnerability to linguistic manipulation. Thirdly,
the ecstatic experiences such as speaking in tongues as well as slaying in the Spirit were
studied carefully.

Results: Taking the followers into consideration, none of them gave the impression of being
manipulated. Conversely, they seemed to be impressed by the preacher’s charisma and also,
they were convinced that each sermon could be compared to the presence of God. Moreover,
the analyzed video podcasts clearly demonstrate that the language used by the preachers was
highly emotive and their behaviour – greatly exaggerated. It should also be mentioned that
during the so called healing services, the previously-chosen participants would go on stage
with the aim of receiving a miracle and on top of that, they would crawl on the floor, shaking
and shouting at the same time. The paricipants followed preachers’ instructions as well as
they interacted with each other by laying on of hands with the objective of creating a sense of
community. None of the members expressed any doubts with regard to these practices. Last
but not least, the implemented technique helped to discover that the above-mentioned
preachers managed to achieve a strong position within the target community using language
as the main tool. The neopentecostal leaders used the following expressions in order to sound
persuasive as well as convincing:

• Jesus loves you

• Do it for Jesus
• Jesus is real
• Don’t keep on sinning, Let the Lord renew your mind
• All you need is Jesus, I’m healing you in the name of Jesus
• Let’s gather together in God’s presence
• God sees you
• Jesus is your fan,
• Only Jesus can save you. Are you thirsty for something more in life?
• It’s impossible to please God without faith, God is faithful, That’s the power we carry.
The word of God is spiritual food
• The Christ is penumatic, You carry the pneumatic Christ already
• Only the broken are chosen
• We all qualify for the life-giving Spirit
• There’s power in the name of Jesus
• You’ll be shocked – you’ve got an enemy
• You need the power of the Holy Ghost
• You’re not a prisoner of hope, Holy Spirit I ask you to come and to give Your power
• I Command the spirit of cancer get out of your body!
• Please Lord – increase the breakthrough, thanks!
• As soon as you realize you got healed, raise your hand!,
• Bless the Lord, somebody will be healed today, praise the Lord! Pray and God will be
able to do exactly what you want Him to do.
 Conclusion: The results of this study will help researchers to understand the question
of the linguistic manipulation and its future consequences on the human psyche.
Furthermore, the analysis exposes the problem of using people’s vulnerabilities
againts them. To be more precise, the study emphasizes the alarming phenomenon of
the emotional subjugation within various Christian communities.

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