The list of rules that church members are required to follow continues to grow over time as Pastor Isaac Noriega gets older. This is believed to be an attempt to exert more control over the congregation. Many of these rules are extreme compared to mainstream "Message" churches. Isaac publicly claims that William Branham wrote him a letter with some of these rules (even though they were never mentioned in William Branham's message sermons), but when asked for evidence of this letter, Isaac alleges that it was stolen with his briefcase from his car, so no one has ever seen it. Isaac had an Apostolic upbringing (his father was an apostolic minister), so many of his rules are heavily influenced by Apostolic church doctrine.
The following list of unspoken and unwritten rules were provided by former members of the Golden Dawn Tabernacle and are still in effect there. If you ask church members about these rules, they will deny that they exist and claim that they are free to do what they want, but the reality is that there is tremendous pressure to follow these rules in order to be considered a model church member.
- Women are not allowed to wear scarves, jewelry, flip flops, open-toed shoes or high heels, only flat soled shoes.
- No partaking in drinking alcohol, smoking, gambling, dancing, concerts, sport events or any "worldly" activities.
- Men can not grow their hair too long or cut it too short and must have an approved hairstyle.
- Men are required to shave on a regular basis (no mustaches, beards, sideburns or goatees allowed) -note Apostolic influences.
- Men are not allowed to wear wedding bands ( allegedly William Branham once told Isaac Noriega in a letter that wedding bands are for women only). Note: this is traditionally an Apostolic rule
- Fellowship with local message churches is not allowed as they are all believed to not be part of the true "Bride".
- Members are not allowed to visit ANY other message church without approval from the pastor.
- Attendance at every single service (3 times per week: twice on Sunday, once on Wednesday) is mandatory. If you miss a single service, it will be immediately noticed due to the assigned seating, and it will likely be blasted from the pulpit. A deacon will also call or visit you the next day to check up on you and find out why you missed the church service.
- You are required to be at church a half hour prior to service (A William Branham standard that Isaac Noriega strictly enforces)
- If you do not go to the altar to pray before the service, everyone assumes you are not right with The Lord. It is worth noting that this has turned into a fashion parade for congregants to exhibit their clothing while praying at the front of the church.
- Men are required to wear a suit and tie on Sundays, and at minimum a tie with formal attire on Wednesdays. If you show up in jeans, you may not be allowed into the service, and if you were, you are likely to be publicly and angrily criticized from the pulpit.
- Listening to ANY type of music other than music from the Golden Dawn Tabernacle is highly discouraged (Isaac Noriega is even against classical music).
- The church band is not permitted to have drums or a bass guitar, as those instruments are considered worldly (ungodly). Recently, they have been limited to only playing music written by members of the church.
- You are not allowed to have any contact with members of your family who do not believe the message or attend the church. If you do, you will be condemned from the pulpit and, more recently, you will not be allowed to partake in communion.
- Children/youth are not allowed to attend public school (if they do, they are considered rebels). Homeschooling is highly encouraged. The irony is that the pastor's children, as well as the deacon's children, were generally permitted to graduate from high school and even attend college, but this was about 20-30 years ago.
- The piano and organ players are not allowed to play anything too jazzy or cheerful, as that would hinder the Holy Spirit with worldliness. The pastor lets the musicians know when they are not playing according to his standards by giving them a very angry facial gesture.
- It is not encouraged to go to the hospital without first informing the pastor or one of the deacons/elders. If you do go, it is normally frowned upon and you are considered to be weak in your faith, and not a good Christian for not trusting God for divine healing.
- If you receive treatment for a disease, you are considered weak in your faith, and it is assumed that you have sin and demons in your life. (The ironic part is that when the pastor's wife got sick, she was taken to the Mayo clinic for some of the most expensive treatment available.)
- There is absolutely no bodily contact allowed between unmarried men and women (such as holding hands). Even conversation is very limited. If you want to court someone, you must first get the pastor's approval and then proceed in a highly chaperoned environment. Because of this, most marriages in the church are arranged by Isaac Noriega. In many cases, Isaac will arrange marriages as an incentive to keep young people from leaving the church..
- Aside from women not being allowed to cut their hair and not wear makeup, the pastor also forbids the women from plucking their eyebrows and no "attention seeking" hair styles.
- Women are not allowed to wear pants or shorts. They must wear skirts or dresses with a length that falls below the ankles, and their clothing must not show their "figure". Church officials typically enforce this rule, and there have been instances when they have sent girls home to change into approved attire.
- Married women are not allowed to work. Single women are allowed two work options: working at the church school or cleaning houses with the older widowed women who must report to Isaac Noriega.
- It is strongly encouraged for a young man's first job to be at one of the church member-owned businesses, where other church members work, preferably in manual labor, so that they can be more easily controlled.
- Television, radio and movies are forbidden as they are considered tools of the devil.
- The internet is strictly forbidden. Although you are allowed to have a computer, it must not be connected to the internet. It is not even acceptable to use the internet for your business, although some church businesses secretly use it because it is an essential tool for success in today's economy.
- Board games are forbidden as they are considered worldly. Issac recently has extended this to sports.
- The church prohibits the use of smartphones and encourages the use of flip phones. Some church congregants who secretly have smartphones will ask each other "Is that family smartphone friendly?" before visiting, so they know if they can openly use their smartphone. Some will switch their SIM card between their smartphone and flip phone to avoid being caught.
- Each month, communion (only for those without sin in their lives) involves eating bread and sharing wine from the same glass with hundreds of congregants (even during COVID), followed by mandatory foot washing of congregants.
- Elderly congregants are strongly encouraged to sell their homes and give the proceeds to the church, and then live on the elder residential compound.
- The Elder residential compound has a daily curfew where the gates are shut and residents are expected to be home.
- It is not allowed to speak freely or provide feedback on the pastor's decisions, or else you will be considered a rebel and against the "ministry"
- Telling on congregants who break the rules is highly encouraged and incentivized. Many times anonymous sources (letters, texts) are cited by the ministry as evidence.
- Infants and children are expected to be kept under control and quiet during the service so as not to interrupt the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit during the preaching. According to Isaac Noriega, only the true "Bride" is able to control their children. This has led to parents physically abusing and beating their children (particularly in the nursery) when they cry during a church service.
- It is encouraged to be "subject" to and consult the pastor on all major life decisions, such as purchasing a home, car, making financial decisions, choosing a job, making education decisions, choosing a spouse, deciding how many children to have, and deciding what to name your children, etc.
- Attending a post-service altar call to pray and confess on a regular basis is now strongly encouraged. This is a double-edged sword: if you do not go to the altar, you are seen as not wanting to repent and as a backslider, and if you do go to the altar, you are seen as having sin in your life and as a backslider. This causes a lot of psychological trauma and makes congregants feel like they have no self-worth.
- If you are caught committing any "sinful" act, you are required to publicly confess it and ask for forgiveness by writing a letter that Pastor Isaac Noriega will read aloud during a church service, typically right before communion.
Consequences for breaking the rules:
- Removal from the church and excommunication.
- Church families are required to kick you out of their home if you are excommunicated.
- Shunned by the church congregants and your family.
- You will not be allowed to have a public church wedding.
- Not allowed to partake in communion until you publicly confess.
- Removal from positions of privilege, leadership, band etc.
- If your employer is a member of the church, Isaac may put pressure on them to terminate you from your job.
- If you are under scrutiny by the pastor, elders, or deacons, you will experience a lot of additional micromanaging to control your behavior, similar to someone on parole or probation. For example, an elder sister in the church was only allowed to spend 20-40 minutes in the grocery store on her weekly grocery trip. If she spent more than that away from home, the pastor would call her to berate her for not staying home.
The rules and consequences can vary depending on who you are. For example, only the children of church leaders were permitted to go to college (believed to have been paid for by the church), presumably because they had a career in the church ahead of them. Additionally, some of the church leader's children are allowed to have smartphones, even though this is against the rules, because they use the smartphones to expose other congregants who violate the rules. Overall, there is a lot of hypocrisy and distrust among congregants. However, appearing to be a holy and model church member (like a Pharisee) is something that many church members strive for.
Do you have more rules you would like to add to this list? Feel free to leave a comment or you can contact us below, anonymously, or if you would like us to respond to you, please provide an email address or phone number.
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