Cult News 101 - CultNEWS101 Library: Ambash

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Sep 22, 2019

CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/21-22/2019

Bikram Yoga, Sexual Abuse, Toronto Film Festival, Ambash, Polygamy, Israel, Herbalife, Nuskin, Tupperware, Avon, Multi-Level Marketing, Uyghurs, China, Religious Freedom

NY Post: Toronto film festival 2019: 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator' movie review

"Looks like Bikram yoga may not be hot for much longer.

Bikram Choudhury, the famous founder of the sweat-soaked practice, has come under fire in the U.S. for sex abuse allegations over the past few years, though his branded technique is still being taught in studios around the country. He's also still personally teaching massive classes abroad – but his days as a guru may be numbered if victims continue coming forward.

In just the few days since the scorching Netflix documentary "Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, six additional women have reached out to Aussie director Eva Orner to say they, too, were abused, she told a screening audience at the festival on Thursday afternoon. "Women have to speak up, and men have to support them," said Orner, whose documentary chronicles the rise of Choudhury as a celebrity yoga guru in America, dating back to the Nixon presidency. In one of the Indian yogi's many dubious claims, he actually says the president was one of his first American clients – and gifted him his green card as thanks.

Choudhury went on to become one of the key people to popularize the practice of yoga in the U.S., claiming that his special series of 26 poses and two breathing techniques would cure just about every ailment under the sun. He did it while cranking the heat in his classrooms up to punishing extremes (though, Orner shows in class footage, he would sit on a throne in the middle of his gigantic Beverly Hills classroom with a personal air conditioner blowing on his head).

Unlike many soft-spoken, New Agey yoga practitioners, Choudhury had an outsize personality and an impish and sometimes downright bullying style that appealed to hardcore exercise enthusiasts, who didn't mind being called "chickens–t" and "bitch" and having their fat mocked while trying to contort themselves into his poses. On the contrary, one adherent after another gushes in the documentary about the magical, life-changing properties of c – and of Bikram himself. "He could look in your eyes and you just feel he could see into your soul," says one teacher who remains close to him."

The Jerusalem Post: 'CULT WOMEN' RUNNING FOR KNESSET

" ... 'We wanted to run for the Knesset in the previous election, but we couldn't, due to procedural obstacles,' say A., one of the wives of Daniel Ambash, the leader of a cult who was convicted of sadistic abuse of his family members in 2013 and sentenced to 26 years in prison for holding them in slavery conditions. "When we heard that another round of national elections would take place, we decided that we just had to run. We owe it to our fellow citizens. Because of what we've gone through, we want to help all the women and men who've ever been wronged or had their rights trampled upon."

Despite the fact that Ambash has been convicted, and is currently in prison serving time, four out of his six wives still support him. At the beginning of the summer, these women officially registered their new political party known as Kama (Advancing Individual Rights). "We don't care what people think about us," claims A. 'We have an obligation to our thousands of supporters to fix our crippled society. We've been greatly mistreated by the Israel police, by the prosecutor's office and by the courts. We've seen firsthand the corruption in these organizations, how they mistreat simple citizens who have no power when they come up against these powerful institutions. They have no chance of winning. We are religious women, true believers who are asking that God helps us to bring about a change and help the Israeli people achieve the civil liberties they deserve.'"

Seeking Alpha: Multi-Level Marketing Brands Are Taking A Terrible Beating

"Stock market drops and flat or declining revenues for the multi-level marketing, MLM, sector, e.g., Herbalife, Nuskin, Tupperware, Avon, indicate a downward shift in fortune. The cause is being debated.

Wall Street may choose to overlook MLM ethics, tactics and its negative social and financial consequences, but cannot ignore the decline in the MLM "brand" on Main Street.

In particular a popular new series on Showtime depicting MLM as a "scammy pyramid scheme" indicates the "brand" of MLM is being discredited, ridiculed and widely viewed as socially harmful.

The MLM industry is publicly reacting to the Showtime series, urging MLM companies not to "overreact" for fear of 'creating a perception that the show has hit a nerve or hit too close to home – that it's revealing a 'hidden truth'".

MercatorNet: China plays no favourites. It persecutes all religions

"You have just published "The Black Book of Religious Persecution in China" with readings from the Bitter Winter news service. What prompted you to take an interest in this?

Massimo Introvigne: I realized that some of the articles in Bitter Winter could be put together and rearranged as a coherent narrative about religious persecution in China. The book was basically already written, although it needed editing and coordination between the different chapters in order to become readable. It is in Italian but we are ready to consider proposals for other languages,

It appears that old-fashioned Communism is alive and well in China – the kind that despised religion as "the opium of the people". Is the persecution motivated by Marxist doctrines or just cultural xenophobia?

Persecution is mostly motivated by power and control. The CCP believes that civil society, including -- particularly -- religion, was left unchecked in Eastern Europe and caused the collapse of Communism there. It does not want to repeat the same mistake. For some CCP leaders, power means keeping their luxurious lifestyle. But others are true believers, persuaded that by saving the power of CCP, the last genuine fortress of Marxism, they are saving the world.

Is President Xi Jinping personally responsible for this hatred of religion and the persecution? Will things change if he departs?

Xi Jinping did bring some personal ideas. He promotes the thesis of the superiority of Chinese culture -- by which he means Han culture, to be imposed on non-Mandarin speaking minorities such as Tibetans and Uyghurs, whose languages he would like to eradicate."

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Sep 12, 2019

'CULT WOMEN' RUNNING FOR KNESSET

‘We wanted to run for the Knesset in the previous election, but we couldn’t, due to procedural obstacles,” say A.

ILANA STUTLAND
Jerusalem Post
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

‘We wanted to run for the Knesset in the previous election, but we couldn’t, due to procedural obstacles,” say A., one of the wives of Daniel Ambash, the leader of a cult who was convicted of sadistic abuse of his family members in 2013 and sentenced to 26 years in prison for holding them in slavery conditions. “When we heard that another round of national elections would take place, we decided that we just had to run. We owe it to our fellow citizens. Because of what we’ve gone through, we want to help all the women and men who’ve ever been wronged or had their rights trampled upon.”

Despite the fact that Ambash has been convicted, and is currently in prison serving time, four out of his six wives still support him. At the beginning of the summer, these women officially registered their new political party known as Kama (Advancing Individual Rights). “We don’t care what people think about us,” claims A. “We have an obligation to our thousands of supporters to fix our crippled society. We’ve been greatly mistreated by the Israel police, by the prosecutor’s office and by the courts. We’ve seen firsthand the corruption in these organizations, how they mistreat simple citizens who have no power when they come up against these powerful institutions. They have no chance of winning. We are religious women, true believers who are asking that God helps us to bring about a change and help the Israeli people achieve the civil liberties they deserve.”

A., 37, met Ambash when she was only 19 and became his third wife, living side-by-side with the other wives. “Since I was a very young girl, I’d been looking for an alternative family lifestyle,” says A., who realized after their appeal to the Israel Supreme Court was denied that the only solution was to change the law.

“Our goal is to protect Israeli citizens’ most basic human rights and the right of individuals to live in any family structure that they choose,” says B., 46, another one of Ambash’s wives, who grew up in the national-religious community. “I identify with the Breslov community now, I’m a follower of Rabbi Nachman,” says B. “I used to be a teacher. Since our lives were ruined, I’ve been engaging in social activity in an effort to restore justice and my right to live however I want, without having to worry that the state will intervene and invade my privacy. We created the Kama political party so that we could help other women and prevent them from suffering as we have. We are channeling our distress and energy in an effort to counteract the distortion of law, to prevent the government and Israel’s legal system from interfering in our lives. We must be allowed to live however we choose.”

One of the wives, G., 35, who grew up in a secular home, studied education and became religious 10 years ago. She joined the Ambash family as the sixth wife. “We began writing and performing skits, kind of like a traveling theater, and slowly over time I realized that this had become my family. Up until that point, I’d never wanted to get married. That type of life had never attracted me. But then I found a family that suited me. The other women became my best friends and Daniel became my lover. It didn’t bother me that he had other wives. In fact, the opposite was true – I felt we all complemented each other really well.”

Currently, four of the wives still live together in Jerusalem. “Daniel was married to I., his first wife, and we all joined later as common-law wives, as friends for life,” explains B. “Each one of us joined at our own will, at different times. We are not a polygamous family – we all love each other very much.”

Don’t the wives get jealous of each other?

“Of course there’s jealousy, I mean we are human,” B. says. “But it’s kind of like jealousy between siblings, and we’ve found ways to deal with it by talking about the issues and solving problems as adults. We all have a great sense of humor and we don’t let arguments get out of proportion.”

Doesn’t it bother you that the man that you love sleeps with other women, too?

“The opposite is true,” explains B. “This competition adds spice to our sex life. And we’re not going against any halachic ruling – we’ve checked everything. We are all God-fearing individuals who believe that the Torah offers freedom of choice to people. The State of Israel has no right to take away this right of people to choose how they want to live.”

The man you and your sister-wives love was convicted of very serious offenses.

“Not one ounce of the claims brought against Daniel are true,” continues B. “He’s never ever abused any of us. It was all a big setup. The judges acted in a paternalistic fashion and decided that we women have no will of our own. In their eyes, women are inferior. And that’s why we are fighting for women’s rights, and the rights of every individual to live the way they choose, without the state being able to come in and ruin their lives. We’ve met with religious freedom scholars from many countries around the world, and each one came to the conclusion that our Daniel was used as a scapegoat by Israeli society.”

“The court decided that we were abused women, when that is so far from the truth,” claims G. “We chose a certain lifestyle, and because the state doesn’t agree with our choice, they created a false storyline that allowed them to arrest Daniel, and then prevented our voices from being heard. So now, we are fighting for our right to be heard and to live the way we choose.”

So you do not accept the court’s ruling?

“There’s no better way to fight against this phenomenon than to push for legislative change,” says G. “We are working for the greater good, so that other women won’t have to suffer as we have.”

“Their claims that we were abused are absurd,” claims M. “Why would we lie about this? Our lives have been ruined. We were happy people, living in a happy family before Daniel was arrested. We feel like we live in North Korea.”

Have you seen Daniel since he was convicted?

“They won’t let us,” says B. “They haven’t allowed any conjugal visits either. We used to live in separate houses in the same compound, but they’ve sealed off our homes. We worked so hard to build harmony between all of us and we love each other so much. The state tried to make us appear as a group of women who worship Daniel, but that’s never how it was. We never believed he had any special powers, we just all love each other. And no government has the right to intervene in a loving relationship between adults.”

The four remaining wives are currently making a living by telling their story. “We’ve taken lots of loans, and have been living extremely frugally,” says G.

“We are also trying to sell our book, which is a recounting of our struggle. Our goal is to achieve justice, and to let people know the truth,” explains B. “Daniel is only in his 60s, and he has so many years left to serve. They wanted to set an example with his conviction, and claim that we are a cult. But we believe in our way of life, and I believe that if we win seats in the Knesset, we’ll have a chance to change the law and thereby give people the freedom to choose how they want to live.”

“We have many supporters, and many concerned citizens have approached us and agree with us that change must come,” says G.

“There’s a good chance we will succeed,” adds M. “I love a good challenge, and I will spend the rest of my life fighting for our rights.”

Translated by Hannah Hochner.

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Cult-women-running-for-Knesset-601372

Aug 18, 2019

CultNEWS101 Articles: 8/17-18/2019

Polygamy, Ambash, Israel, You Church, Switzerland, Chris Oyakhilome, Christ Embassy, Nigeria, Kingdom Embassy International, Narcissism, Reparative Thearpy, NXIVM, Rainbow Cultural Garden

The Times of Israel: Four wives of jailed cult leader found pro-polygamy party to run in elections

"Four wives of a polygamous cult leader who was convicted of sadistic abuse of his family members six years ago officially registered on Thursday [August 1st] as a political party to run in September's election.

In 2013, Daniel Ambash was sentenced to 26 years in prison in what has been described as one of the most shocking abuse cases in the country's history. His six wives and many children were kept by Ambash and his assistants in slavery conditions, forcibly confined and routinely punished with rape, electric shocks and beatings.

But most of the wives have never renounced Ambash, a Bratslav ultra-Orthodox Jew. They still live together, view themselves as his wives and revere him. The four have claimed the entire case was fabricated."

SWI: INSIDE 'YOU CHURCH''We are not brainwashing people'

"Swiss evangelical group YOU Church says it is being unfairly labelled as a sect that manipulates people. Claims of healing, money grabbing, and the estrangement of followers from their families have been cited as the main problems. What – and who – is behind the organisation?"

" ... One of the main founders of the church and current Senior Pastor is Jella JR Wojacek – known as Pastor J. Wojacek was inspired by Nigerian pastor Chris Oyakhilome, who runs the megachurch Christ Embassy with millions of followers worldwide.

YOU Church began as a splinter group of the Zurich-based International Christian Fellowship (ICF) and was called Kingdom Embassy International. After internal splits and mergers – it went by the name of Word&Spirit International for a while – it began operating as YOU Church in 2015."

Besides Sunday services, the church hosts prayer nights and small Bible study classes. Worshippers are offered dance and karate classes and a playroom for their children. The church also funds Bible sessions abroad, for example in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines.

However, the group has come in for some criticism and was responsible for the second-highest number of calls (35) made to the Infosekta helpline last year. Waniek attributes the increase in helpline calls to what she calls fear-mongering by Infosekta.

Three issues keep cropping up among hotline callers asking about YOU Church, according to Infosekta: healing, money, and the estrangement of followers from their family."

"Infosekta's view on YOU Church

But she insists that so called "free churches" exhibit sect-like tendencies.

"At first glance they appear like any Bible group. This is one side of the coin and behind it lies a black-and-white approach of either you are with us and God, or you are under the influence of Satan," she says.
She also says that some members give more than they can afford because the leader says that they will get back what they give, tenfold or hundredfold.

On the subject of healing, Schaaf is aware that YOU Church has officially made it clear that they do not require worshippers to stop taking medication. However, she feels they should do more to prevent people from interpreting messages as they see fit.
"When people end up with problems, the groups try to blame the outcome on external factors or the members themselves. These controversial groups should be responsible for how their messages are received," says Schaaf."

Psychology Today: 10 Stages in the Treatment of Narcissistic Disorders

"The internet is full of sites by non-mental health professionals that say that narcissistic personality disorder cannot be treated. They also say that narcissists are master manipulators who can fool even experienced psychotherapists and what appears to be progress is just a temporary behavior change. Or, else they claim that narcissists twist the truth and somehow manage to convince experienced psychotherapists that they are blameless and the real problem is someone else.

I would like to set the record straight. None of the above is true. There are effective treatments for narcissistic personality disorder. Change is difficult, but possible. Everyone has the capacity to grow and evolve and this includes people with NPD."

CNN: North Carolina bans public funding of 'conversion therapy' for youth

" ... In an executive order signed Friday [August 2nd], Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper barred the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from using state and federal funds for "conversion therapy" for North Carolinians under the age of 18.

"Conversion therapy has been shown to pose serious health risks, and we should be protecting all of our children, including those who identify as LGBTQ, instead of subjecting them to a dangerous practice," Cooper tweeted shortly after signing the order.

Equality groups across the state applauded the move, which aligned North Carolina's policies with the consensus among leading medical and mental health professional organizations.

"As we continue our campaign to end conversion therapy once and for all, we're looking forward to working across North Carolina to share a message of love and affirmation," said Allison Scott, director of policy and programs at the Campaign for Southern Equality, in a statement.

So-called "conversion therapies," also known as reparative treatments, rely on the assumption that sexual orientation can be changed or "cured" -- an idea debunked and discredited by major medical associations in the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere.

Studies have found that efforts to change a young person's sexuality can put them at a greater risk of depression or suicide. Despite being condemned by medical bodies, the practice is legal throughout most of Europe, where campaigns and petitions to halt it exist in several countries.

About 698,000 LGBTQ adults in the US have received conversion therapy at some point in their lives, according to a 2018 studyby the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law."

Daily Caller: Sex Cult Founder, Alleged Followers Tied To Experimental Schools For Children Still Operating Internationally

"The convicted leader of the notorious NXIVM sex cult concocted an experimental child development program that's still operating internationally, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation has found.

NXIVM is the Albany, New York-based "self-help" group that in 2017 was exposed of coercing numerous of its female members into becoming sex slaves branded with the initials of its leader, Keith Raniere. A federal jury in New York convicted Raniere in June on numerous charges, including sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of a child. Former "Smallville" actress Allison Mack pleaded guilty in April for the role she played in the sex slave ring.

In 2006, Raniere founded Rainbow Cultural Garden (RCG), which he called a "revolutionary child development program promoting children's cultural, linguistic, emotional, physical and problem-solving potential." The program claimed it could teach children as young as 2 years old up to seven languages simultaneously."