The Word of Life Christian Church was examined on People Magazine Investigates: Cults, steaming on Investigation Discovery
Updated on December 1, 2022 08:01 AM
Residents of Chadwicks, N.Y., had long thought there might be something wrong with the Word of Life Christian Church. Those suspicions were confirmed on the night of Oct. 11, 2015, when two teenage brothers were savagely beaten for a dozen hours inside the church’s sanctuary room after trying to defect.
The vicious attack — at times carried out by the boys’ parents — left Lucas Leonard dead and his then-17-year-old brother, Christopher, severely injured.
Soon pulled under the harsh scrutiny of a police investigation, the little-known religious sect was revealed as a dangerous cult.
Word of Life is no more, having been dismantled following what happened to the Leonard brothers. Christopher, though, survived his injuries and graduated from high school.
All told, nine people were sent to prison for their involvement in Lucas’ death — among them, the church’s pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, who inherited the group from her father before bending it even further to her will.
Many who’ve followed the case still wonder how Bruce and Deborah Leonard could have been compelled to kick, punch, strike and whip their two sons over 12 torturous hours. The case and the church itself was featured in a season 1 episode of People Magazine Investigates: Cults, which can be streamed on Investigation Discovery.
As Bruce later said in court, the attack began following a Sunday service when Irwin called his family together and confronted the teenage brothers with allegations of child abuse and witchcraft.
Bruce told a judge the beatings started with a punch and a slap and quickly progressed to electrical cord whippings. The point, he said, was so his sons «would understand the hurt that they caused» and to discipline and punish them.
Though the question of child sex abuse came up in court, with Christopher testifying he and Lucas molested the children of several Word of Life Church congregants, investigators have always insisted there was no evidence to indicate they ever harmed any children.
According to cult expert Rick Ross, the Leonard parents had been brainwashed over time and would have followed any instruction from Irwin, who claimed to be their only reliable path toward salvation.
«As with most cults, they manipulated people like pawns,» Ross previously told PEOPLE. «Some cults are more destructive than others, but from what I have observed and read the destruction wrought by the Irwin family caused families to be disrupted and estranged.»
The Word of Life Christian Church, which operated out of a run-down brick building that once housed a school, was founded in 1987 by Tiffanie Irwin’s late father, Jerry Irwin. The isolated group lost touch with reality not long after Tiffanie assumed control in 2012, when her dad died.
RELATED VIDEO: PMI Cults: Word of Life Opening Sequence
As the group’s membership dwindled before the cult was ultimately shut down, the Leonard brothers announced their plans to defect, according to Ross. That’s when Tiffanie accused them of sexually abusing their younger cousins.
«Church leaders believed that the boys leaving would cause others to leave — maybe even their parents, who were pivotal members of the group,» Ross explained. «What happened here had everything to do with the retention of members and the maintenance of control.»
Those that left, Ross posited, «were considered damned. There was no place else to go. The Irwin family wanted people to feel like there was no alternative … that they were the one and only true church in the world.»
After Lucas bled to death inside a nearby hospital, his parents were charged with his killing. Also arrested were Tiffanie, her brothers, Joseph and Daniel, and her mother, Traci.
Prosecutors offered plea deals to Bruce, who was sentenced to 10 years on two counts of assault, and Deborah, who was sentenced to five years on the same charges as well as a charge of manslaughter. Bruce is up for parole in 2024, while Deborah was released from prison in January 2020.
Nearly all of the other suspects admitted some responsibility in the attack.
Tiffanie avoided a murder charge by pleading guilty to manslaughter and assault and was sentenced to 12 years. Brother Joseph also pleaded guilty to first-degree gang assault and second-degree assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Joseph was released in September 2022 after serving seven years.
Church member David Morey and his mother, Linda, both pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault and were sentenced to five years and released in 2020.
Tiffanie’s mother, Traci, and her son, Daniel, pled guilty to unlawful imprisonment and were both sentenced to two years. They were released from jail in March 2017.
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Sarah Ferguson, the Leonard brothers’ half-sister, was the only defendant involved in the attack to decline a plea deal. In July 2016, she was convicted by a jury of manslaughter and assault — but was cleared of murder. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In the years since the excruciating assault, Christopher still grapples with his wounds from that day. Though he is «well» and has many friends, «Recovery is not even in the cards for a very long time for any of us,» sister Kristel Leonard told PEOPLE three years after the incident.
«And it really is not about the parents,» she said. «It is because of the cult experience.»
Christopher’s contact with the adult members of the church «has been very minimal to none,» Kristel revealed.
«I think he has made a conscious choice to close that horrid chapter,» she said, «and move on.»
Word
of
life
Слово
жизни.
Speak
to
my
weary
heart
Поговори
с
моим
усталым
сердцем.
Strengthen
my
broken
parts
Укрепи
мои
сломанные
части.
Lead
me
to
Your
open
arms
Веди
меня
к
своим
распростертым
объятиям.
Word
of
truth
Слово
истины.
Illuminate
all
these
lies
Освети
всю
эту
ложь.
The
enemy
speaks
inside
Враг
говорит
внутри.
In
freedom
I
will
rise
На
свободе
я
восстану,
‘Cause
You
called
me
out
from
the
grave
потому
что
ты
позвал
меня
из
могилы.
So
I
can
live
like
I’ve
been
changed
Так
что
я
могу
жить,
как
будто
я
изменился.
There
is
a
new
song
in
my
soul
В
моей
душе
новая
песня.
And
it
begins
when
I
breathe
in
И
это
начинается,
когда
я
вдыхаю.
Your
word
of
life
Твое
Слово
жизни.
(Your
word
of
life)
(Твое
Слово
жизни)
Take
me
to
a
deeper
place
Отведи
меня
в
более
глубокое
место.
Take
me
out
of
what
is
safe
Забери
меня
из
того,
что
безопасно.
I
will
not
be
afraid
Я
не
буду
бояться.
Fill
me
with
joy
again
Наполни
меня
радостью
снова.
Springing
up
from
within
Подпрыгивая
изнутри.
It
cannot
be
contained
Его
невозможно
сдержать.
‘Cause
You
called
me
out
from
the
grave
Потому
что
ты
позвал
меня
из
могилы.
So
I
can
live
like
I’ve
been
changed
Так
что
я
могу
жить,
как
будто
я
изменился.
There
is
a
new
song
in
my
soul
В
моей
душе
новая
песня.
And
it
begins
when
I
breathe
in
И
это
начинается,
когда
я
вдыхаю.
Your
word
of
life
Твое
Слово
жизни.
The
old
has
gone
away
Старый
ушел.
Only
Your
love
remains
Остается
только
твоя
любовь.
I
am
alive
today
Я
жива
сегодня.
‘Cause
You
called
me
out,
ooh
Потому
что
ты
позвал
меня,
у-у
…
You
called
me
out,
ooh
Ты
позвал
меня,
о-о!
‘Cause
You
called
me
out
from
the
grave
Потому
что
ты
позвал
меня
из
могилы.
So
I
can
live
like
I’ve
been
changed
Так
что
я
могу
жить,
как
будто
я
изменился.
There
is
a
new
song
in
my
soul
В
моей
душе
новая
песня.
And
it
begins
when
I
breathe
in
И
это
начинается,
когда
я
вдыхаю.
Your
word
of
life
Твое
Слово
жизни.
Your
word
of
life
Твое
Слово
жизни,
The
old
has
gone
away
Старый
ушел.
Only
Your
love
remains
Остается
только
твоя
любовь.
I
am
alive
today
Я
жива
сегодня.
‘Cause
You
called
me
out
Потому
что
ты
позвал
меня.
Внимание! Не стесняйтесь оставлять отзывы.
[Verse 1]
Word of life
Speak to my weary heart
Strengthen my broken parts
Lead me to Your open arms
Word of truth
Illuminate all these lies
The enemy speaks inside
In freedom I will rise
[Chorus]
‘Cause You called me out from the grave
So I can live like I’ve been changed
There is a new song in my soul
And it begins when I breathe in
Your word of life
(Your word of life)
[Verse 2]
Spirit of God
Take me to a deeper place
Take me out of what is safe
I will not be afraid
Spirit of God
Fill me with joy again
Springing up from within
It cannot be contained
[Chorus]
‘Cause You called me out from the grave
So I can live like I’ve been changed
There is a new song in my soul
And it begins when I breathe in
Your word of life
[Bridge]
The old has gone away
Only Your love remains
I am alive today
‘Cause You called me out, ooh
You called me out, ooh
[Chorus]
‘Cause You called me out from the grave
So I can live like I’ve been changed
There is a new song in my soul
And it begins when I breathe in
Your word of life
Your word of life
[Outro]
Hey
The old has gone away
Only Your love remains
I am alive today
‘Cause You called me out
How to Format Lyrics:
- Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
- Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
- Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
- Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
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Информация о песне На данной странице вы можете ознакомиться с текстом песни Word Of Life, исполнителя — Jeremy Camp. Песня из альбома I Still Believe: The Greatest Hits, в жанре Иностранный рок
Дата выпуска: 06.02.2020
Лейбл звукозаписи: Stolen Pride
Язык песни: Английский
Word Of Life(оригинал) |
| Word of life |
| Speak to my weary heart |
| Strengthen my broken parts |
| Lead me to Your open arms |
| Word of truth |
| Illuminate all these lies |
| The enemy speaks inside |
| In freedom I will rise |
| ‘Cause You called me out from the grave |
| So I can live like I’ve been changed |
| There is a new song in my soul |
| And it begins when I breathe in |
| Your word of life |
| (Your word of life) |
| Spirit of God |
| Take me to a deeper place |
| Take me out of what is safe |
| I will not be afraid |
| Spirit of God |
| Fill me with joy again |
| Springing up from within |
| It cannot be contained |
| ‘Cause You called me out from the grave |
| So I can live like I’ve been changed |
| There is a new song in my soul |
| And it begins when I breathe in |
| Your word of life |
| The old has gone away |
| Only Your love remains |
| I am alive today |
| ‘Cause You called me out, ooh |
| You called me out, ooh |
| ‘Cause You called me out from the grave |
| So I can live like I’ve been changed |
| There is a new song in my soul |
| And it begins when I breathe in |
| Your word of life |
| Your word of life |
| Hey |
| The old has gone away |
| Only Your love remains |
| I am alive today |
| ‘Cause You called me out |
Слово Жизни(перевод) |
| Слово жизни |
| Поговори с моим усталым сердцем |
| Укрепи мои сломанные части |
| Веди меня к Твоим распростертым объятиям |
| Слово правды |
| Осветите всю эту ложь |
| Враг говорит внутри |
| На свободе я поднимусь |
| Потому что Ты вызвал меня из могилы |
| Так что я могу жить так, как будто меня изменили |
| В моей душе новая песня |
| И это начинается, когда я вдыхаю |
| Ваше слово жизни |
| (Ваше слово жизни) |
| Дух Бога |
| Отведи меня в более глубокое место |
| Забери меня из того, что безопасно |
| я не буду бояться |
| Дух Бога |
| Наполни меня радостью снова |
| Возникает изнутри |
| Это не может содержаться |
| Потому что Ты вызвал меня из могилы |
| Так что я могу жить так, как будто меня изменили |
| В моей душе новая песня |
| И это начинается, когда я вдыхаю |
| Ваше слово жизни |
| Старое ушло |
| Остается только твоя любовь |
| Я жив сегодня |
| Потому что ты позвал меня, ох |
| Ты позвал меня, ох |
| Потому что Ты вызвал меня из могилы |
| Так что я могу жить так, как будто меня изменили |
| В моей душе новая песня |
| И это начинается, когда я вдыхаю |
| Ваше слово жизни |
| Ваше слово жизни |
| Привет |
| Старое ушло |
| Остается только твоя любовь |
| Я жив сегодня |
| Потому что ты позвал меня |
Рейтинг перевода: 5
/5 |
Голосов: 1
How Life Works: The Inside Word from a Biochemist by Daphne Elliott and William Elliott
Synopsis: Complete with colour illustrations and written in a conversational style, biochemist William Elliott unravels the mystery of life while revealing its majesty. How do chemical reactions occur? How do genes hold information? Why do our bodies age? What happens when someone gets cancer? How Life Works provides the inside word for those who are curious about the workings of the microscopic world inside us.
Biochemistry not only explains what DNA is and how it forms the blueprint for who you are, it also explains how the food you eat is broken down, supplying the energy to run a marathon. It shows the intricate structures of proteins and describes their amazing functions. With millions of interactions and reactions all taking place in accord, biochemistry is the science of how life works.
Published: September 2015 | ISBN: 9781486300471
Mini-bio: Daphne Elliott is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at Flinders University. She was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal in 1994 for her contribution to the education of women in Science and Mathematics and served as Federal President of the Australian Federation of University Women. In 2002, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the promotion of women’s education and as an advocate for improving the status and human rights of women.
Mini-bio: William (Bill) Elliott was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and Head of Biochemistry at The University of Adelaide for 23 years. In 1982 his department was awarded the Australian Government’s first Centre of Excellence, for research devoted to gene technology. In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and science in molecular biosciences. At The University of Adelaide, his legacy and achievements are celebrated annually by the W.H. Elliott lecture and a research fellowship in his name. Bill passed away in 2012, and the book was subsequently prepared for publication by his wife Daphne.
“Elliot’s explanation of the processes of life is rational, scientific, based on observation and measurement as good science must be, but it is also full of a sense of wonder and excitement.”
Nick Goldie, Cooma-Monaro Express
[Image Credit: http://www.publish.csiro.au/covers-high/7164.jpg ]