CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/31/2025

Sex Cults, Maharishi University of Management & Technology, India, 764

A Little Bit Culty: Joshua Paddison: Unraveling America's First Sex Cult Scandal (Part 1)

"Joshua Paddison, a US historian, author, and bona fide expert in the wild world of American cults, spiritualist communes, and utopian experiments. Josh spent years hunting down primary sources and unearthing the surprising connections between 19th-century scandal, religious innovation, and the birth of cult culture as we know it. His tale includes international intrigue, breathwork mystics, spiritual seekers, and even sex scandals that laid the groundwork for the culty headlines we see today. If you've ever wondered about the OG roots of groupthink, word salad, or how the term "cult" even came to exist."

Trak: 3 Amity Universities Along With 54 Others Declared Defaulters By UGC: Check Complete List

"In a major move to ensure transparency and accountability, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued notices to 54 private universities across India for failing to share crucial institutional details as mandated under Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956. These institutions did not upload the required information on their official websites or submit verified documents in the prescribed format despite repeated reminders.

In June 2024, the UGC directed all universities to make important institutional data publicly accessible on their websites. This included administrative information, accreditation details, and academic programs, aimed at maintaining transparency and aiding student decision-making. Universities were also required to submit verified copies of the data to the Commission for inspection.

However, several universities ignored these directives, prompting the UGC to officially categorize them as defaulters. The commission emphasized that such non-compliance affects public trust and violates governance norms expected of higher education institutions."

7. Maharishi University of Management & Technology, Bilaspur.

IJR: Alleged '764' Cult Follower Charged With Child Sex Crime Amid Crackdown On Terror Network

"Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a 19-year-old California man linked to the extremist "764" cult with a string of crimes, including child sexual exploitation, animal abuse, and online threats.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California indicted Tony Christopher Long on six felony counts, including sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child sexual abuse material, cyberstalking, and transmitting interstate threats, according to the press release. Long remains in state custody on related charges.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Long's alleged crimes highlight the brutality of the "764" movement.

"This defendant allegedly engaged in acts of extreme cruelty by exploiting a child, abusing animals, and threatening violence — his conduct reflects the depravity of '764,'" Bondi said.  'These networks seek to terrorize and destabilize our communities by preying on the most vulnerable, and the Justice Department will stop at nothing to dismantle this network and bring offenders to justice.'"

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/30/2025

IFS, Call for Papers

Amber's Substack: IFS and The Spirits

" But why now?

Because IFS founder Richard Schwartz is now publicly saying that IFS "parts" are actually spirits and ancestors, and selling courses on this, which are all over my feed.

If you haven't seen this, look here at this advert:  https://fbwatch/CrgTPMuzX6/

Where he describes himself as admitting skepticism and attachment to credibility, all the while he was teaching IFS, now being convinced by evidence at this late date that spirit stuff was afoot.

I have long told clients that I don't believe in "parts," "archetypes," "protectors," or "attachment figures" as projections of the psyche, but that we will meet Spirit beings with their own lives.

And that is why I have not gone in for IFS, Jungian Dreamwork, and such things.

Because I have my own frameworks for what is happening here, which are not subject to the respectability politics of mainstream psychology.

I'm not a psychologist, I'm not trying to sell a mainstream psychology modality on the most significant number of people possible, I'm already considered "mentally ill" with a longg record, more likely to be seen as a patient than a practitioner (despite being one), meaning I don't have much respectability anyway, so really I don't give a rats ass about being "credible" to mainstream sciences.

I explain to people that this is Spirit Work and I'm here for who's here for it."

2026 ICSA CONFERENCE: Call for proposals now open

" ... The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) invites submissions for presentations, panels, and workshops for the 2026 International Conference, to be held 1–4 July 2026 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, California.

Each year, ICSA's International Conference brings together researchers, clinicians, service providers, survivors, and family members from around the world to engage in open dialogue on the most pressing issues in cultic studies and coercive influence. The event fosters collaboration between academic, clinical, and lived-experience perspectives to deepen understanding, strengthen recovery and prevention practices, and promote ethical and trauma-informed dialogue. 

Conference theme and submission process. The theme for the 2026 conference is: Expanding the Scope of Coercive Control: Understanding abusive dynamics and their impacts across interpersonal, institutional, and cultic contexts.

In an era marked by increasing polarization, disinformation, and organized manipulation, understanding and protecting against coercion is more relevant than ever. Coercive control refers to a sustained pattern of manipulative and abusive practices designed to subjugate individuals, often resulting in serious consequences for their well-being. While the mechanisms of abuse and resulting harm differ in form and context, there are striking parallels across abusive intimate relationships, gangs, sexual exploitation and trafficking networks, ideological radicalization, and cultic environments. Despite their prevalence, research and evidence-based knowledge of these phenomena remain relatively underdeveloped.

Researchers, practitioners, and individuals with lived experience are warmly invited to submit proposals and join this collaborative effort to advance understanding and strengthen responses to coercive control in all its forms.

ICSA is committed to a transparent and inclusive proposal review process. Follow the link below to learn more about how to submit, our 2026 review process, and other important information.

Deadline for submissions: December 20, 2025 https://simplyk-bucket-production.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/deliveries/4ba58adf-ea53-4f85-a5c5-3b6ec5174d05/emails/1cf87221-eb93-44ec-a5cf-fe6c6c01c62b.html

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/29/2025

Jeffrey Epstein, Maharishi, Jesus Morning Star

America 2.0: Part Five: Epstein, Iowa, and the Maharishi

"Was Jeffrey Epstein part of Russia's broader war on the West? In this multi-part series, we examine his obsession with nuclear scientists, eugenics, transhumanism, and influence. What we found will likely surprise you."

Of the many artifacts in the "Epstein Birthday Book" released by the House Oversight Committee this summer, one in particular stood out in our investigation: a letter from investor Bill Elkus to Jeffrey Epstein. Like others in the collection, it was written in 2003 on the occasion of Epstein's 50th birthday. Elkus recounted a trip Epstein made to rural Fairfield, Iowa, in 1988 and related a meant-to-be-humorous tale in which Epstein seduced a beautiful traveling saleswoman and took her back to New York.

While his story is neither funny nor inspiring, other details Elkus provides raise red flags. First, why was Epstein in Fairfield, Iowa, of all places — "a town of less than 10,000 people between Ottumwa and Burlington," in Elkus' own words?

Elkus explains that he was "managing the money of the Zimmerman family, and they lived in Fairfield, Iowa." He added that he "had invited Jeffrey to come to Fairfield to see our investment operations, meet the Zimmerman family, and learn more about their major charitable projects." Elkus' letter was included in the "friends" section of the book, along with Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Les Wexner, and others.

Maharishi International University

There is only one reason Epstein and Elkus might choose to visit tiny Fairfield, Iowa: it is the home of Maharishi International University.

The school, founded in California in 1971 by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, was intended to blend Transcendental Meditation (a movement popularized by Mahesh through his involvement with popular culture figures such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys) with a traditional university curriculum. The goal? To achieve "coherence" through group meditation, which would then lead to world peace. Adherents call this "the Maharishi effect."

Mahesh relocated the school from California to Fairfield in 1974 when it had the opportunity to purchase the 370-acre campus of the bankrupt Parsons College. This school had earned a reputation as a magnet for college dropouts. The university attracted a range of benefactors, among them William Zimmerman, founder of the Pic'N'Save chain of popular discount stores headquartered in Southern California."

America 2.0: Part Five: Epstein, Iowa, and the Maharishi

" ... In his famous 1984 interview with G. Edward Griffin, Bezmenov described the KGB's interest in the Maharishi's work in India, saying, 'Obviously, KGB was very fascinated with such a beautiful school, such a brainwashing center for stupid Americans. I was dispatched by the KGB to check what kind of VIP Americans attend this school."

Canberra Times: At 18, Liz was recruited by a cult while shopping at the Canberra Centre

She was 18 years old, browsing a bookshop at the Canberra Centre, when a woman approached her and asked her to fill out a survey.

It was about Christian faith, and Cameron happened to be a Christian.

She also happened to be lonely, depressed, and uncertain about her future - a perfect candidate for an insidious South Korean cult.

For the next two years, Cameron was drawn into a new "family", isolated from her own family and friends, and brainwashed almost past the point of no return.

It happened gradually—at first, she thought she was joining a friendly church community.

In fact, it was the secretive and predatory South Korean cult Providence, also known as JMS or Jesus Morning Star. Providence now operates in more than 70 countries.

"I didn't even know who this group was, for months on end, I had no clue who they represented, who they really were, because they concealed it," she says.

"They lied to me in a very organised and intentional way. It wasn't just lying by omission - it was intentional lying."

Initially, her new friends "lovebombed" her, telling her she was special, beautiful, and gifted, and giving her a sense of purpose. There were gatherings, bible studies, and even a weird modelling pageant.

Gradually, the atmosphere became more stifling; she was told what to wear, ordered to keep her weight under control, and punished for being late or for speaking out.

She later found out that she was one of many young women chosen to be recruited into the cult because she was tall, beautiful, and white.

These were the physical attributes favoured by cult leader Jung Myung-seok, for whom she was to become a kind of "bride".

By the time she visited the leader and serial rapist in South Korea, he was already in jail for sexual assault.

After two years, Cameron became ill enough, through controlled eating, stress, and anxiety, that her own family was alarmed enough to seek outside help to rescue her from the cult's grip. That was back in 2013, and Cameron began a slow recovery.

She realised that what had happened to her had been systematic and calculated, and set out to understand how such a thing could have happened to her, and so many other people, in plain sight."

Canberra Times: At 18, Liz was recruited by a cult while shopping at the Canberra Centre

"She was 18 years old, browsing at a bookshop in the Canberra Centre, when a woman approached her and asked her to fill in a survey.

It was about Christian faith, and Cameron happened to be a Christian.

She also happened to be lonely, depressed, and uncertain about her future - a perfect candidate for an insidious South Korean cult.

For the next two years, Cameron was drawn into a new "family", isolated from her own family and friends, and brainwashed almost past the point of no return.

It happened gradually—at first, she thought she was joining a friendly church community.

In fact, it was the secretive and predatory South Korean cult Providence, also known as JMS or Jesus Morning Star. Providence now operates in more than 70 countries.

"I didn't even know who this group was, for months on end, I had no clue who they represented, who they really were, because they concealed it," she says.

"They lied to me in a very organised and intentional way. It wasn't just lying by omission - it was intentional lying."

Initially, her new friends "lovebombed" her, telling her she was special, beautiful, and gifted, and giving her a sense of purpose. There were gatherings, bible studies, and even a weird modelling pageant.

Gradually, the atmosphere became more stifling; she was told what to wear, ordered to keep her weight under control, and punished for being late or for speaking out.

She later found out that she was one of many young women chosen to be recruited into the cult because she was tall, beautiful, and white.

These were the physical attributes favoured by cult leader Jung Myung-seok, for whom she was to become a kind of "bride".

By the time she visited the leader and serial rapist in South Korea, he was already in jail for sexual assault.

After two years, Cameron became ill enough, through controlled eating, stress, and anxiety, that her own family was alarmed enough to seek outside help to rescue her from the cult's grip.

That was back in 2013, and Cameron began a slow recovery.

She realised that what had happened to her had been systematic and calculated, and set out to understand how such a thing could have happened to her, and so many other people, in plain sight."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/28/2025

Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, Korea, Legal, NXIVM, Australia

AllKPop: MBC's 'PD Note' investigates Unification Church in special episode: "The mother who became God, Holy Mother Han"

"In September, Han Hak Ja, the leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (commonly known as the Unification Church), who referred to herself as the "only daughter," was arrested on charges of delivering political funds and bribery worth hundreds of millions of KRW. Questions remain about the origin and purpose of the large sums of money allegedly funneled into politics. 'PD Note' obtained exclusive USB documents detailing the flow of funds within the Unification Church, seeking to uncover where the donations, given by followers to fulfill what they believed to be "heaven's will," actually went.

In the middle of Jangrak Mountain in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeon County, a massive white palace stands as a striking landmark. Constructed under Han Hak Ja's direction in the name of building a "heaven on earth," the palace, known as Cheonwon Palace, is said by insiders to be extravagantly decorated, with chandeliers costing tens of millions of KRW. Dubbed the "sanctuary of the heavenly parents," the palace conceals many secrets. Using exclusive documents, 'PD Note' investigates the massive funds behind the lavish palace and traces how the church's money was actually used."

CNS: NXIVM leader accuses feds of evidence tampering in sex cult investigation

The former self-help guru and convicted sex slave ringleader is seeking to vacate his convictions by accusing the FBI of planting falsified evidence of underage sexual exploitation on his computer's hard drive.

"Imprisoned sex cult leader Keith Raniere urged a federal appeals panel on Tuesday to revive his bid for a new trial because the claims federal investigators manufactured evidence of child pornography and planted it on a computer hard drive to link him to child pornography and sexual exploitation RICO predicate acts.

Raniere, 65, founded NXIVM as a purported self-help group in the 1990s and was accused at trial of later creating a secretive inner circle subgroup within the organization known as DOS or "The Vow."

Its female members said they served as "slaves" for Raniere and "masters" who recruited additional new slaves to serve Raniere, who was known as "the Vanguard."

They said each new DOS recruit, or "slave," was forced to provide collateral, like sexually explicit photographs or other personal information, which turned into a monthly pattern of extortion, and at Raniere's direction, the women would sear his initials on one another with a branding iron, without anesthesia.

During a six-week trial in Brooklyn federal court, witnesses detailed sexual abuse, control, and manipulation at the hands of Raniere. He was sentenced to 120 years of prison after being convicted on all seven counts, which included sex trafficking, forced labor, and wire fraud.

The fraud charge alone included 11 racketeering acts, among them creation and possession of child pornography, conspiracy to commit identity theft, and extortion."

The Canberra Times: Christians push back on 'very dangerous' cult laws

"Christian leaders have cautioned against creating coercive control laws for cults over fears that legitimate religious groups could be captured.

Methods used by cults and organised fringe groups to recruit and control members are being probed by a Victorian parliamentary inquiry, as well as the impacts of coercive control.

In public hearings on Tuesday, the Australian Christian Lobby argued existing laws were sufficient to address criminal and abusive behaviour within cults.

There is no legal definition of a cult in Australia, and Victoria does not explicitly criminalise coercive control as a separate behaviour, with examples such as threats and intimidation subject to family violence laws.

Queensland is the second Australian jurisdiction behind NSW to criminalise coercive control, with the laws triggered by the 2020 murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children.

The lobby's Victorian director, Jasmine Yuen, told the inquiry that new legislation would be redundant as some people were "so brainwashed" they could not recognise they were in a cult.

She instead suggested greater education and awareness, and a reporting system. 

Any laws targeting high-control institutions would be "really coming after the Christian churches", Ms Yuen said.

The inquiry's committee chair, Ella George, stressed there was no proposal to recommend legislation specifically targeting Christian churches or any faith-based groups."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/27/2025

Legal, Fortunetelling, Jesus Morning Star

NY Times: 2 Pennsylvania Psychics Stole Over $600,000 to Remove Curses, Prosecutors Say

One woman alone gave more than half a million dollars in cash and luxury items to remove the "black magic" hindering her love and happiness, the authorities said.

"For nearly a year, prosecutors in Pennsylvania said, a man and woman selling their services as psychics had convinced one woman to keep paying them to lift a curse that kept her from being happy.

Using deceitful tactics, the authorities said, the two got the woman to give them about $596,000 in cash and property. They also took luxury items from her and another client, including concert tickets, Airbnb reservations, clothes, and gift cards. Their earnings totaled more than $600,000, the authorities said.

On Oct. 9, the two soothsayers, Steve Nicklas, 40, of Jenkintown, Pa., and Gina Marie Marks, 52, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., were arrested on various charges, including corrupt organization, conspiracy, theft by taking, and fortunetelling, which is a crime in Pennsylvania, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

It was unclear whether either had a lawyer, but both had posted bail, according to court records.

The two had persuaded clients that they had been cursed and that they could help them shed their jinxes if they paid, according to the authorities.

The main target of the scheme, the woman who was convinced that she was cursed, was a longtime customer of a shop offering psychic readings and other fortune readings, Jenkintown Psychic Visions, Detective Jonathan Kelcy, an investigator for the prosecutor's office, said in a criminal complaint filed in criminal court in Montgomery County, Pa.

When that client, who is not named in court records, called the business in September 2022, Ms. Marks answered the phone and identified herself as Naomi, stating that she had taken over the company from the previous owner and offering to give a phone reading, the investigator said. She used tarot cards and "various alleged ritual practices," the investigator said.

The investigator said that Ms. Marks had preyed on the caller's "love for another and desperate desire to remain married, to emotionally abuse her, to mentally weaken her, and to expertly steal her money."

Ms. Marks told the client that a former friend and employee was working with a spiritual adviser and others to prevent her love and happiness by the use of "black magic," the investigator said. She had been made to fear that the curse would destroy her marriage, business, and family."

Canberra Times: At 18, Liz was recruited by a cult while shopping at the Canberra Centre

She was 18 years old, browsing a bookshop at the Canberra Centre, when a woman approached her and asked her to fill out a survey.

It was about Christian faith, and Cameron happened to be a Christian.

She also happened to be lonely, depressed, and uncertain about her future - a perfect candidate for an insidious South Korean cult.

For the next two years, Cameron was drawn into a new "family", isolated from her own family and friends, and brainwashed almost past the point of no return.

It happened gradually—at first, she thought she was joining a friendly church community.

In fact, it was the secretive and predatory South Korean cult Providence, also known as JMS or Jesus Morning Star.

Providence now operates in more than 70 countries.

"I didn't even know who this group was, for months on end, I had no clue who they represented, who they really were, because they concealed it," she says.

"They lied to me in a very organised and intentional way. It wasn't just lying by omission - it was intentional lying."

Initially, her new friends "lovebombed" her, telling her she was special, beautiful, and gifted, and giving her a sense of purpose. There were gatherings, bible studies, and even a weird modelling pageant.

Gradually, the atmosphere became more stifling; she was told what to wear, ordered to keep her weight under control, and punished for being late or for speaking out.

She later found out that she was one of many young women chosen to be recruited into the cult because she was tall, beautiful, and white.

These were the physical attributes favoured by cult leader Jung Myung-seok, for whom she was to become a kind of "bride".

By the time she visited the leader and serial rapist in South Korea, he was already in jail for sexual assault.

After two years, Cameron became ill enough, through controlled eating, stress, and anxiety, that her own family was alarmed enough to seek outside help to rescue her from the cult's grip. That was back in 2013, and Cameron began a slow recovery.

She realised that what had happened to her had been systematic and calculated, and set out to understand how such a thing could have happened to her, and so many other people, in plain sight."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/24/2025

Legal, Charles Manson, Opus Dei, Televangelists, 764

Fox: Charles Manson follower imprisoned in Hollywood killings gets significant ruling from governor

Patricia Krenwinkel, convicted in 1969 of the Manson family murders, has had 17 parole hearings since 1977.

"California Gov. Gavin Newsom has reversed a parole board's decision to release Patricia Krenwinkel, a former follower of cult leader Charles Manson and one of the perpetrators of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders.

In a decision issued Oct. 13 and obtained by Fox News, Newsom wrote that Krenwinkel, now 77, 'lacks the requisite insight she needs to be safely released."

NEW: Pope Leo Set To Break Up Opus Dei

Pope Leo may approve a plan that effectively dissolves Opus Dei's structure; this would be the most significant internal action of his short pontificate to date.

TCD: Wealthy televangelists face backlash as details about recent behavior come to light: 'Getting by with more lavish lifestyles'

"A religious fraud watchdog group in Texas has been looking into the high-cost use of private jets by wealthy televangelists and faith healers in the state. As reported by Houston-area outlet Chron in August, the Trinity Foundation's "Pastor Planes" project has tracked 66 aircraft, 12 of which are registered in Texas and eight of which are jets. A report from the foundation indicated that several of the jets are owned by well-known religious figures.

Trinity's endeavor has shed light on the unchecked wealth and luxury habits of prominent religious leaders and groups, with many allegedly spending enormous amounts of donated funds on opulent travel while remaining shielded by faith-based tax exceptions.

"Churches, televangelists, and church pastors are getting by with more lavish lifestyles with impunity," Trinity president Pete Evans told Chron this summer."

Washington Post: 'It broke me': Inside the FBI hunt for the online predators who persuaded a 13-year-old to die

" ... The early-morning fog had yet to rise when police found the 13-year-old boy in a parking lot behind a grocery store. His body was illuminated only by the ambient glow from the loading dock lights.

Around the boy's neck was a white extension cord he had used to hang himself from a black chain-link fence.

A few feet away, investigators spotted something else: an iPhone propped up on the ground, its camera pointed at the teen's body.

" ... The case would thrust investigators into the darkest corners of the internet — forums where groups of online predators manipulate vulnerable children, extorting them to share nude photos, mutilate their bodies and, in the worst cases, kill themselves. As the case dragged on, the FBI would come to view these groups as a terrorist threat, estimating that their members had targeted thousands of children. The agency is now investigating almost 300 people suspected of preying on children and other vulnerable people, cases that involve all 55 of its field offices.

Jay's death — one of its earliest cases — illustrates the challenges of investigating this new and growing form of online predation. An examination by The Washington Post and Der Spiegel in Germany found that authorities struggled to identify which laws had been broken. They faced jurisdictional hurdles as they traced suspected predators to countries around the world. And federal agents encountered reluctance from their own colleagues and other law enforcement officials in the United States and abroad, who were just beginning to recognize and respond to this growing genre of abuse.

Early on, local police suspected Jay's death was connected to these emerging groups. One of the most violent and extreme is known as "764" — named for part of the Zip code of a Texas boy who founded it in 2021 at the age of 15. Its members, authorities said, often seek out victims as trophies to gain clout and notoriety. Some members see their mission as weeding out society's weakest, which they deem to include mentally ill, gay, or transgender youths.

On a rainy Friday in spring 2022, the Gig Harbor detective in charge of Jay's case sat two visiting FBI agents down in a conference room at city hall and, for the next hour, projected horrific images onto a large screen.
One captured private chat between Jay's online tormentors, laughing and bragging about the fake empathy they'd used to coerce him into killing himself. Others showed teens who had carved their torturers' names and swastikas into their own skin. Some images showed young people who had been blackmailed into harming themselves sexually.

One of the FBI agents, Pat McMonigle, recoiled at the cruelty. "The lack of any kind of mercy for this kid, the manipulation they used, was shocking," McMonigle recalled.

 

By the end of the slideshow, McMonigle felt sick. He and his FBI partner walked out of the police department in a daze. Both had young children and lived in Gig Harbor. McMonigle and his four kids often shopped at the grocery store where Jay hanged himself.

The two agents had planned to grab beers afterward at a bar across the street. Instead, they sat in their unmarked car to regroup.

It is evident to them that a horrible predatory act had taken place, but they questioned whether they could investigate it. McMonigle and his partner worked for the FBI's joint terrorism task forces, which focus on domestic threats like the Boston Marathon bombers or foreign ones like al-Qaeda terrorists. With Jay's death, it wasn't clear where the predators were located or whether they were driven by terrorist ideology.
McMonigle, 45, would later encounter brutality and bureaucratic hurdles in the case that challenged him in ways he'd never faced in his 16 years at the agency. 

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/23/2025

Event, Scientology, Book, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Detroit Free Press Events: The Psychology of Cults Live — Oct. 24 at the Flagstar Strand Theatre

"This gripping live show takes audiences deep inside the world of cults, how they form, why people join, and what it takes to break free.
Who: The Psychology of Cults

When: Friday, Oct. 24, 8:00 p.m.

What: Interventionist Ashlen Hilliard explores cult dynamics, manipulation tactics, and how to break free. The show uses real-life stories and expert insights to explain why people join cults, how cults maintain control, and how to recognize red flags in everyday life. The show is often performed at various performing arts venues. There is also a separate documentary series on Apple TV called "Warping Reality: Inside the Psychology of Cults.

From infamous groups like Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, and NXIVM to lesser-known but equally insidious organizations.  

"The Psychology of Cults" is a live show hosted by cult interventionist Ashlen Hilliard, which explores cult dynamics, manipulation tactics, and how to break free. The show uses real-life stories and expert insights to explain why people join cults, how cults maintain control, and how to recognize red flags in everyday life.

The Show explores topics like how cults form, why people join, and how to leave them. It also discusses coercion and abuse in more everyday situations, such as relationships and workplaces. There is also a separate documentary series on Apple TV called "Warping Reality: Inside the Psychology of Cults."

Joon Atack: What links Adolf Hitler, L. Ron Hubbard, Aliens From Outer Space, and Aleister Crowley?

"This groundbreaking book reveals Scientology's sinister historical ties to the occult beliefs of the Nazis with footnotes, references, and receipts."

" ... This book is a deep deep dive into the complex and bizarre history of the Nazi party's Aryan Race Theory, where it came from and why it was perpetuated by occultists and some quite obviously insane people back in the early 1900s before reaching Hitler and Himmler, who took that ball and ran with it as far as anyone could ever be expected to do so. They only wiped out millions of innocent people in the process, so this kind of thing might be important to know about. Jon does a very competent job of then connecting these dots to the Church of Scientology and showing how L. Ron Hubbard drew from the same corrupt well of hatred to create his so-called "religion." Jon's book is an astounding accomplishment in critical thinking and historical research, and I hope readers will understand that this isn't just a history book – it's a prophetic warning of just how easy it is to drive people over the edge and turn them into monsters."

Daily Nexus: Mesa Pizza brings zen vibes and fresh ingredients to I.V.

" ... Owned and operated by Virandra Singh and his sons, Vir Singh and Visha Singh, Mesa Pizza specializes in pies that blend flavors and spices from Italian, South African, and Indian cuisines.

"We are of South African origin and of Indian ethnicity with some French," Virandra said. "We brought those backgrounds of spices in our food, and together with my brother Raj and my wife Rekha, we took our Italian spices and blended them with our bread."

The Singh family has owned the building on Trigo Road since 1998, but has not used it as a retail space for about 20 years.

"Originally, my brother Suresh and his then wife opened a South African Indian restaurant at that location and called it Cafe Nirvana," Virandra said. "After a few years, it closed due to various circumstances."

Before the Singhs purchased the property, from 1968 to 1981, the building was home to Sun and Earth Natural Foods Garden Restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant and grocery store owned by UC Santa Barbara alum Bob McDonald and Santa Barbara City College alum Ric Smith. The establishment had a particular appeal to the hippie counterculture of the time.

According to Virandra, several culturally significant figures spent time at Sun and Earth, including Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a proponent of transcendental meditation.

"Yoga, as the West knows it, was brought into the U.S. in the late 60s, early 70s, by a person by the name of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi," Virandra said. "He lived in El Colegio, and through him, yoga became big in the U.S. He used to visit the Sun and Earth store very often."

Other prominent visitors of the Sun and Earth store included Santa Barbara native Edie Sedgwick — an actress, model, and socialite — and Andy Warhol, known today as a leading figure in the pop art movement of the mid-20th century."

 

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/22/2025

Jesus Army, UK, Spring Ridge Academy, Australia, Transcendental Meditation

The Guardian: New allegations of sexual and domestic abuse made against the Jesus Army cult

"About 60 former members of the Jesus Army, a cult described as one of the most abusive in British history, have come forward with new allegations against the group, according to a lawyer representing claimants.

The cases range from allegations of sexual or domestic abuse to claims for unpaid work from women who served as "domestic sisters" in the cult, which at its peak in the mid-2000s had several thousand members, many of whom surrendered their assets to the leadership.

Married women living in the group's many communal houses were required to work long hours, unpaid, and some lawyers believe they were treated as modern slaves. Some of the claimants also allege they reported abuse to the Jesus Army's leadership, who failed to act."

HuffPost: From 'Troubled Teens' To Traumatized Adults

"Molly Dickin had only been at an all-girls boarding school in Arizona for a few months when she and two other girls climbed over a barbed-wire fence and ran off into the desert.

It was around 8 p.m. in late April 2015, and Dickin was making her escape from Spring Ridge Academy, a now-closed, for-profit boarding school just over an hour north of Phoenix that housed up to 76 teen girls at a time to treat behavioral problems.

Dickin, now 28, told HuffPost she could no longer stomach the abuse she said she endured while there. Dickin said she was forced to participate in psychological games that included having to roleplay her own sexual assault in front of her peers, and faced punishments that included not being able to speak to anyone for weeks at a time.

"We were just very, very desperate to get away from SRA," said Dickin, who had turned 18 two months before her escape.

" ... Nine years later, in 2024, the school's controversial practices exploded into public view when the mother of a former student won a federal lawsuit after alleging that Spring Ridge was an abusive, cult-inspired program that used fraud and manipulation to "imprison students for an arbitrary and uncertain time period for money." She also claimed that the program was able to "sever" the relationship between her and her daughter.

Spring Ridge, and other boarding schools and boot camps like it, which together are known as the "troubled-teen industry," had started to come under scrutiny from media outlets and lawmakers. Last year, a jury awarded the mother more than $2.5 million in damages, an unprecedented amount that experts hoped would be a turning point toward reining in a multibillion-dollar industry they say preys on vulnerable teens and their families.

But the ruling was reversed earlier this year over allegations that a juror may have conducted their own research on the industry before the verdict was read, potentially biasing the outcome. A judge declared a mistrial and scheduled a new trial for January 2026."

ABC: Victorian inquiry hears from regional cult survivors about their isolation and shame

A Victorian government inquiry into cults and fringe groups has heard evidence about how the groups operate outside of the public gaze.

Survivors are calling for cult-informed frontline workers and better protections for people living in or leaving cults or high-control groups.

More witnesses will give evidence to the inquiry before recommendations are delivered in September 2026.

Paper, An Anthropological Touring of the TM Story in Fairfield, Iowa

Communal Echelons & Generational Wealth in Neighborhoods Built Concentrically Around the Maharishi International University & a Transcendental Meditation Movement Community in Fairfield.  

"In the decade of 1970 to 1980, a million Americans learned Transcendental Meditation.  At the time, this was about 1 in 300+ Americans.

In November 2024, a retired career professor of anthropology who lives on the East Coast visited Fairfield, Iowa. This professor had not really heard of Fairfield, Iowa, and knew very little about TM before coming to Fairfield.

At some point during their visit, I offered to give this anthropology professor a driving tour of the TM community in Fairfield.

I enjoy giving these tours of this utopian story to 'outsiders'.  On this particular driving tour, a throughline thread shared within the tour for this 'anthropologist' was how meditators from their earliest arrival in Fairfield, initially to occupy a newly purchased college campus, settled into living in housing in concentric neighborhoods that developed in sequence over time through different decades of the last 50 years. The pattern reflects distinct waves of growth, socioeconomic, and cultural practices.

In 1974, upon arrival, the move of a university faculty, staff, and students from California to Fairfield focused on settling, occupying, and operationalizing an empty, recently purchased, bankrupt college campus.

In the first few years after initial settlement, a few individual homes were purchased by members of the meditating community in town, often in the nearby neighborhood south of campus.

In 1978, at a large assembly of meditators held at the University of Amherst, a call was made for meditators to move to Fairfield, Iowa, with the mission of holding large-scale daily group meditations.

From this Amherst Assembly invitation, two groups came more immediately to the call: First, those with so much wealth, this was another place to have a house.  A second group who had no life obligations other than that could keep them from coming, and even more wealth came to them more immediately as well.

The Construction of two large golden domes to house the group meditation practice followed.  Within a decade of the first arrival of meditators on campus at Fairfield, an off-campus socioeconomic middle-class began to surface, living in town and in the surrounding County area."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.