Reuters: Russia moves to ban 'undesirable' Church of Scientology groups
"Russia declared two organisations linked to the Church of Scientology "undesirable" on Friday, paving the way for the group to be formally banned.
The Prosecutor General's Office said the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises International and the Church of Spiritual Technology, which are both based in California, were "a threat to the security of the Russian Federation".
Russia has banned more than a dozen foreign groups under legislation against undesirable organisations, adopted in 2015. Under the law, groups are typically first labelled undesirable and then formally banned by the Justice Ministry.
Russian authorities have moved against the Church of Scientology in the past. In 2016, the Supreme Court ordered the closure of the group's Moscow branch. The Justice Ministry has also declared some of the group's literature extremist."
"Charles Sims Africa, the last member of MOVE freed on parole after serving 41 years in prison for the 1978 shootout that killed Philadelphia Police Officer James Ramp, died on Sept. 20, family members said.
Africa, who was 61, had been battling cancer when he died early Monday morning, said Mike Africa Jr. on his podcast discussing the life of "Chuck" Africa with Mike's parents, Debbie Africa, Chuck's sister, and Mike Sr., a friend of Chuck's since childhood.
"I've never ever seen or met anybody that was just so strong-willed and so determined to just be a fighter. And he fought every step of the way … since he came home last February," Debbie Africa said on the podcast.
Chuck Africa was released from the State Correctional Institution Fayette, south of Pittsburgh, on Feb. 7, 2020.
Several weeks earlier, Delbert Africa was the second to last of the nine to be freed on parole. Two died while serving their sentences. Delbert Africa died in June 2020.
Brad Thomson, Chuck Africa's lawyer at the time he was released, said on Twitter: "Chuck had a heart and a fighting spirit that was unparalleled. He loved animals, boxing, and literature -- which we'd talk about often. RIP Chuck. You will be deeply missed."
Chuck Africa was one of nine MOVE members convicted of third-degree murder for the death of Ramp and seven counts of attempted murder following an Aug. 8, 1978, shootout with police at the radical group's compound — a three-story Victorian twin at 33rd and Pearl Streets in Powelton Village."
Chrissy Teigen helped executive produce the upcoming docuseries, which premieres on HBO Max Sept. 30.
" ... HBO Max is digging into the life of the late Gwen Shamblin Lara, who founded a wildly popular Christian diet program and later, the Remnant Fellowship Church in Tennessee.
The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin, a new five-part series debuting on the streamer this month, follows Shamblin Lara's rise to fame as an influential religious leader who convinced her followers that God had given her "the key to permanent weight control," which she reveals in the trailer is "a matter of the heart."
"After rising to fame with her Weigh Down Workshop, a Christian-based diet program that preached slenderness as next to godliness, Gwen Shamblin Lara founded the Tennessee-based church," the series' official synopsis reads, per HBO. 'Despite a carefully curated image, Lara and the church soon fielded accusations of emotional, psychological, and physical abuse, and exploitation for their alleged cult-like practices.'"
"HBO Max has released the trailer for The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin, an original docuseries which premieres its first part on the platform next week. The five-part series will unveil the story of the late Gwen Shamblin Lara, a woman who made a whole bunch of people believe God gave her a secret formula to help people lose weight – and then made a highly successful career out of it."
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.
Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.
Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.
Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Joe Kelly (joekelly411@gmail.com)
Patrick Ryan (pryan19147@gmail.com)
If you do not wish to be subscribed to this list, or you think you are being maliciously subscribed to the list, or have any other questions, send them to: pryan19147@gmail.com or send an email to: cultnews101+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment