Feb 25, 2022

CultNEWS101 Articles: 2/25/2022 (Adnan Oktar, Turkey, Tinder Swindler, Waldorf Schools, Anthroposophist)

Adnan Oktar, Turkey, Tinder Swindler, Waldorf Schools, Anthroposophist

"A survivor of a TV preacher's brutal sex cult says she was made to have a nose job operation without an anesthetic.

Turkish televangelist Adnan Oktar, 64, was jailed for 1,075 years for a series of horrific crimes.

He had built up a devoted band of brainwashed followers over decades while living a life of luxury surrounded by glamorous women he called his "kittens" while his young male followers were his "lions".

He was eventually found guilty of ten separate charges including leading a criminal gang, sexual abuse of minors, sexual abuse and engaging in political or military espionage."
'The Tinder Swindler' is a new Netflix documentary telling the story of an Israeli con man.

"Social media has exploded this month with posts, jokes and memes about Simon Leviev, the Israeli scammer who conned his victims out of an estimated $10 million. Though Leviev's story initially broke a few years ago, he's making international headlines again after his crimes were the focus of a Netflix special. The Tinder Swindler documented his elaborate schemes and featured interviews with many of his victims. It was a big hit for the streaming service, amassing over 45,800,000 hours of watch time around the world in only a week.

Despite the shocking story of widespread theft and lies that devastated the lives of multiple girlfriends he conned, a quick search on Instagram will give you no shortage of fan accounts for Leviev - yes, fan accounts. The sudden fame has worked in his favor, in a way.

Leviev, whose real last name is Hayut and is originally from Bnei Brak, took on the last name of a billionaire and pretended to be his son in order to lure women on Tinder. After his victims were in an established relationship with him, he would spin tales of enemies who were after him, even staging fake photos of being attacked, in order to borrow money and open credit cards in their names – money he would use to finance the luxurious lifestyle he was simultaneously leading with multiple girlfriends.

The Netflix special is part of a recent trend of shocking true stories on con men (and women), including The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman and Inventing Anna. The public can't seem to get enough, but is it a good idea to give narcissistic sociopaths more attention and money?"
"Waldorf schools have a hippy image, but are they in fact Germany's equivalent to Scientology?

There are over 250 Waldorf schools in Germany. The private institutions give off a hippy image: students stage elaborate theatre productions and learn to dance their names in a practice called Eurythmy. In the press, they are described as  "progressive" or "left-leaning." 

But as you look closer, the vibe gets stranger and stranger. It's more than just that the buildings have rounded edges and all the toys are all made of wood. Students are educated according to their "seven-year life cycles" and judged according to their "four temperaments" (do you feel more "phlegmatic" or "sanguine"?).

As one former teacher reported to Süddeutsche Zeitung, when teachers were discussing why a particular student was jumpy, it was decided they must have experienced trauma between their previous life and this one. 

Waldorf Schools are run according to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. To understand Steiner, imagine a German version of L. Ron Hubbard. Both men spread esoteric ideas at times when science was all the rage, so they claimed they explored the spiritual realm according to scientific principles. Both considered themselves experts on every imaginable topic, from music to botany to how to wash your car.  Their constant lectures — 5,965, in Steiner's case — were preserved as the ultimate wisdom on everything.

Both Steiner and Hubbard have been frequently accused of racism. But while Hubbard embodied an American ideal of the 1950s, with rugged individuals pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and whatnot, Steiner was a product of imperial Germany with its ethno-nationalist pulse. So while Hubbard based his teachings on the Marcab Confederacy in distant galaxies, Steiner was more interested in Atlantis beneath the waves.

Steiner's Anthroposophy is every bit as complex and weird as Hubbard's Scientology — the former calls itself "the science of knowledge," while the latter is "the wisdom of the human being." To any outside observer, both seem like ravings of delusional narcissists. 

Scientology, while it gets lots of coverage in the tabloids, is limited to a few Hollywood actors and the downtown of Clearwater, Florida. Steiner's followers are less well-known, but far more powerful. Supermarkets sell fruit from Demeter, which is presented as organic, but in fact follows the principles of Steiner's "biodynamic agriculture." Besides avoiding pesticides, this calls for a cow horn to be buried in the field to harness astral and ethereal energy. The cosmetics manufacturer Weleda uses water prepared in Steinerian rituals. Retailers like dm-drogerie and Alnatura are run by anthroposophists. Otto Schilly, Germany's Interior Minister from 1998 to 2005, even belongs to the cult."


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