Word of Faith, neo-Nazi, KKK, NXIVM, Valley of the Dawn
"A former member of a highly controversial Rutherford County church was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with breaking into the home of a church leader while carrying a gun.The break-in follows weeks of heightened tensions over whether the highly secretive Word of Faith Fellowship is hiding an outbreak of COVID-19, which critics say endangers this Foothills county of 67,000 residents, 70 miles west of Charlotte.On Monday, Word of Faith's attorney told the Observer that three church members who had the coronavirus illness have died and that the church does not know how many other members may be infected."
"The Elkhart County Indiana Prosecutor's Office said a pilot project that would install a surveillance system has been put on hold after it was revealed that the founder of the company — called "Banjo" — was formerly involved with neo-Nazi groups and the KKK.The Banjo system reportedly has the ability to monitor traffic cameras, first responder locations, 911 calls and social media.The prosecutor's office said the project was put on hold for further review — not canceled outright — because the company's founder, Damien Patton, has expressed regret and remorse about his past.Patton's past has also become an issue in Utah, where the attorney general has also put a state contract on hold."Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney Vicki Elaine Becker believes in the concept of rehabilitation and the ability of a person to overcome their past with many years of positive actions and changes in thought patterns and priorities," read a press release issued Wednesday. "Some people are successful, many are not. Recognizing this, the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney will be reevaluating the appropriateness of partnering with Banjo until further information is obtained."Becker did not question the value of the Banjo system but said there could be issues of "trust" because Patton did not disclose his past.According to a story by Matt Stroud of OneZero Media, Banjo CEO and co-founder Damien Patton, 47, pleaded guilty in 1992 for assisting a KKK leader in a drive-by shooting of a Jewish synagogue. It was a story initially reported by The Tennessean in 1992."
"The sentencing of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere is now firmly scheduled for June 23 — one way or another.And one way may be a virtual court appearance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The 59-year-old Raniere, a former Halfmoon resident known within his cult-like NXIVM organization as "Vanguard," had been scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on May 21."
" ... Several thousand members of the religion known as the Valley of the Dawn gather in silence at a temple outside the Brazilian capital of BrasÃlia. They come from around the world to "synchronize their spiritual energies."As the Sun's first rays appear over the horizon, the members, in fairy-tale-like garments, chant their personal "emissions" – a ritual invocation of cosmic forces that fills the air with a collective drone.Valley of the Dawn adherents "manipulate" cosmic energies to heal themselves and others. They describe themselves as members of a spiritual tribe called the Jaguars, who are the reincarnated descendants of highly advanced extraterrestrials sent by God some 32,000 years ago to jump-start human evolution.Normally, the May 1 Day of the Indoctrinator ceremony attracts Jaguars from across the globe, as well as spectators and journalists."" ... The Valley of the Dawn has grown steadily since the founder's death in 1985, spreading from Brazil to Portugal, the United States and England.Outsiders often dismiss the Valley as a cult. A BBC journalist who visited the community in 2012 called it a "refuge for lost souls."But my research offers an alternative explanation of why some people might find the Valley of the Dawn appealing: It offers a more progressive, egalitarian version of modernity.Brazil, with its corruption scandals and savage social inequalities, has not always lived up to the motto "order and progress" as inscribed on its national flag. It is not alone. Across much of the West, the promise that modernity would bring higher living standards, greater personal freedoms and a more just society remains largely unfulfilled.Instead, the 21st century has created low-wage jobs with little security and government institutions that too frequently benefit the richest and most powerful. Individualism has supplanted community, leaving people increasingly isolated and lonely – and that was before coronavirus and social distancing.The Valley of the Dawn, in contrast, offers a collective life that members find gratifying."
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