2. Controlling Toxic Families & Individuals Attack Us Online 

- As we grew in ourselves and our Lord Jesus Christ, three groups of people came together to harass us. Controlling family members, ex-business partners & spurned mentees actively sought out each other and anyone with grievances against Lighthouse.
- These anti-Christian false accusations & racist attacks were made online on Reddit for 21 months. They sought to use the Daily Mail as a platform to legitimise their malicious campaign of constructive sabotage. We pray for these people every day.

Accusation 1:

“Lighthouse leaders branded an e-commerce accounts manager’s wife ‘destructive’ and wanted to sue her after she supported her husband’s decision to quit the group.”

The Evidence-Based Facts:

• Richard Thomas’s wife, by his own admission, was instrumental in harassing him to leave Lighthouse International Group, which he eventually did.
• In 2021, Richard Thomas was proactively offered an opportunity to receive a full refund of the £25,000 he had paid in November 2019. This was offered on compassionate grounds.
• Richard Thomas ignored 9 text messages from Paul S. Waugh trying to establish communication with him and arrange for his compassionate exit from Lighthouse International Group.
• Shaun Cooper asked Richard Thomas on LinkedIn, in response to being publicly accused by Mr Thomas of stealing his money, if he could publish the text messages between him and Mr Thomas to categorically show he has not stolen any of Mr Thomas’s money. Mr Thomas did not reply.

Text Message Evidence of Compassionate Refund Offer To Mr Thomas

This was sent from Mr Cooper on 15th May 2021 and remained unresponded to for 5 months, until 16th October 2021

Accusation 2:

‘It took me months and months to actually do this because there was no actual financial agreement,’ he said.”

The Evidence-Based Facts:

• Mr Thomas was offered a Win-Win Partnership & Performance Agreement.
• Mr Thomas resisted this greatly, mentioning so on two separate occasions to Mr Cooper.
• Mr Thomas had ample time (18 months) to gain a written agreement but neglected to do so and his verbal agreement is legally binding.

Accusation 3:

“Mr Thomas says after investing he was expected to attend group calls lasting up to six hours with Lighthouse leader Paul Waugh.”

The Evidence-Based Facts:

• There was no obligation to be present on any of these calls in much the same way as there is no obligation to attend many lectures at universities.
• All Associate Partner Elects were given the choice to select their levels of involvement.
• Mr Thomas was excused from meetings and calls on numerous occasions. We have text messages as evidence for a court of law.

Accusation 4:

“Paul classifies people individually in terms of levels. If you are evolved, you move from level 1 to 4. ‘Only Paul is ever at level 4. Everyone else is broken, you’re wrong, and it became very, very transparent.”

The Evidence-Based Facts:

• These ‘levels’ are taken from the work of renowned psychiatrist Dr. M. Scott Peck (Author of The Road Less Travelled).
• They are not unique to Dr. Peck either, who drew upon the work of other leading academics like James W. Fowler, Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson.
• Once understood it is something that is very self-evident and easy to understand and provides a good structure and objective reference for people to assess their own progress.
• No one need agree with this method of assessment, but to deny what is objectively evident isn’t conducive to effective growth and development. 

More can be understood about these levels by reading this article here.

Accusation 5:

“The request prompted a message on November 11 last year, in which Mr Cooper blamed the decision on the ‘animosity and destructiveness’ of his wife towards the group. He added, if Lighthouse had to refund the cash ‘we would have to make a legal compensatory claim for that money’ from his wife ‘plus legal costs’. ‘Do we hold [your wife] accountable for that or you? Let us know because with your permission (in writing to our solicitors) we will hold her accountable by law.’ On November 24, Mr Cooper messaged to say no refund was possible and Lighthouse would be passing the content of Mr Thomas’s texts to their solicitor, whom he said would ‘act accordingly in connection with yourself as they have with others who have behaved unlawfully as you are behaving’.”

The Evidence-Based Facts:

• Mr Thomas’s spouse was instrumental in his decision to walk away from the Programme he had paid to take part in, so it would be fair to hold her accountable for that and any damages or costs Lighthouse International Group might incur as a result.
• The offer of a compassionate refund was retracted when Mr Thomas gave Mr Cooper a yes/no ultimatum in November 2021.
• Mr Thomas was invited to meet with Mr Waugh to discuss this, but he ‘respectfully’ declined.
• Mr Thomas is to all intents and purposes trying to sully the reputation of Mr Waugh and Lighthouse in a bid to gain grounds for undue recompense.