CultNEWS101 Articles: 3/7/2023 (Book, Cult Recovery, China, Religious Freedom, Larry Ray, Little Pebble, Obituary, Happy Science, Japan)

Book, Cult Recovery, China, Religious Freedom, Larry Ray, Little Pebble, Obituary, Happy Science, Japan

Esther Friedman: The Gentle Souls Revolution: A Secret Cult, an Open Rebellion, and Lessons in Protecting and Honoring Your Gentle Soul

"Have you been told, "you're too sensitive" or "you think too much"? Do you wonder what is wrong with me? Nothing, according to The Gentle Souls Revolution.

After a five-year cultic misadventure in a secret "school," author Esther Friedman wrote her cautionary tale. Memoir led to research on narcissistic abuse and a recovery template for empaths. With humor and compassion, Friedman describes how the cult exploited her empathy. She interviews former members from other cults and includes research from leading experts. We learn that all cults and cons market false hope by leveraging human nature to profit from the vulnerable.

This revolution teaches Gentle Souls to self-protect by accepting the existence of—and learning to identify pathological selfishness. Recovery requires valuing your proclivities and protecting them like priceless gems. When you do that, those vulnerabilities can become your greatest strengths. That is The Gentle Souls Revolution."

South China Morning Post: How powerful ancient Chinese cults threatened the regimes of the day, and even hastened the end of dynasties

" ... Today, the definition of cults has broadened to include groups that are non-religious in nature, such as the one depicted in Stolen Youth, but in the past they typically referred to groups that professed some kind of non-mainstream religious beliefs.

There must have been countless religious cults in China given its long history and its territorial and population size, but almost the only ones that got any mention in historical records were those that became sufficiently powerful to threaten the regime of the day.

One of the earliest religious cults to grow into a political and military force was the Taiping Dao, or Way of the Great Peace.

Its leaders were Zhang Jue and his two brothers, who were venerated as sorcerers and healers by their followers, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands all over China.

Zhang Jue launched his armed rebellion against the Eastern Han dynasty in AD184. Known in history as the Yellow Turban Rebellion after the headgear of the rebel troops, the revolt was eventually put down after a few years, but the Eastern Han was so severely weakened that warlords tore it apart and the dynasty fell in 220.

In the Tang dynasty, a woman named Chen Shuozhen, who claimed to be immortal, led an armed rebellion against the local government in 653.

She even proclaimed herself the Wenjia Emperor, making her the first woman in Chinese history to bear the title huangdi, a full 37 years before Wu Zetian, the only officially recognised "female emperor" in China, took on the title in 690.

Chen's rebellion lasted only a month before her troops were routed by government forces. She was most likely killed in battle but many of her followers believed that she escaped death and ascended to heaven like an immortal, or survived and lived incognito among them.

The most recent cult that shook the nation before the 20th century was the Bai Shangdi Hui, or God Worshipping Society, a syncretic form of Christianity founded by Hong Xiuquan, who claimed to be Jesus Christ's younger brother.

In 1850, Hong led around 10,000 followers in an armed rebellion against the Qing dynasty and founded the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, a theocracy with him as the supreme ruler.

The Taiping Rebellion grew to such an extent that the Heavenly Kingdom occupied almost all the territories south of the Yangtze River at various stages of the rebellion."

9Now:  What life was really like inside the doomsday cult run by the paedophile known as 'Little Pebble'

"His devotees call him Little Pebble; his victims know him as a paedophile.

William Costellia Kamm is the self-appointed leader of a notorious doomsday cult that formed its headquarters in 1987, based in a secure compound in Cambewarra, just outside Nowra on the NSW South Coast.

At its height, thousands of pilgrims from around the world travelled to the bush setting for a spiritual experience like no other.

On the 13th day of each month, the Virgin Mary would appear to William - her apparition only visible to him - and he would pass on her messages and warnings to the gathered and devout crowd.

Watch full interview here on 9Now

He declared his compound the Holy Ground, a new promised land for his followers for when the apocalyptic second coming of Christ would wipe out most of mankind.

At the time, Kamm was married and had four children but unknown to his wife, this self-proclaimed Messiah was planning on creating a royal harem, filled with 12 queens and 72 princesses - 84 mystical spouses to bear his children to repopulate the earth.

Little Pebble claimed God chose who his brides would be but as Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans from the State Crime Command puts it, it was Kamm who did all the grooming, and his preference was under-age girls.

"He was using religion in such a way that just split families. So, it was just awful and it continued for many many years. I see it as grooming with the families to get to these children and it's just terrible," he says.

In the Hinrichs family, Kamm found the perfect target. He discovered them on one of his many pilgrimages to Europe where he would drum up business by preaching his particularly conservative and fringe brand of Catholicism, for which he would ultimately be excommunicated by the Church.

Amongst the faithful in Munich, disaffected by the so-called modernisation of the Catholic Church, Kamm found Ingrid Hinrichs and her family of pretty blonde daughters.

This struggling family had already suffered unspeakable abuse. In the attentive Kamm, they believed they had found a benevolent saviour."

Fox News: Cult leader who claimed to 'channel spirits' of Jesus, Trump and Freddie Mercury dies 

"A Japanese cult leader who famously claimed he could channel the spirit of any living or dead person has passed away at the age of 66. 

Ryuho Okawa, leader and CEO of the "Happy Science" cult, was rushed to hospital after collapsing in his home on Monday from an apparent "state of cardiac arrest." He finally passed on Thursday night, and his cause of death remains unconfirmed, according to Fuji TV.  

Okawa had remained a controversial figure for most of his life, claiming to have received "Messages of God" and to have the ability to channel the spirits of the rich and famous. Okawa would publish books based on what he said the spirits told him.  

His publications included addresses from the "guardian spirits" of Jesus Christ, former President Trump, Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He described his books as a form of "religious journalism."   

Okawa was born in 1956 in a rural area and graduated from the University of Tokyo. He founded the "Happy Science" cult in 1986 after he had an "epiphany" that he could speak with spirits, which told him that his mission was to "lead humanity to happiness."  

The group believed in Okawa's ability to channel spirits, as well as spiritual reincarnation and the construction of a global utopia.  

The cult claimed to have grown the group to include members in more than 110 countries and 700 related facilities both inside and outside the country. A New York Times report in 2020 cast doubt on the group's claims, including its boast of 11 million members, instead citing Okawa's first wife who said the group had roughly 30,000 members in 2011."

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Cult leader who claimed to ‘channel spirits’ of Jesus, Trump and Freddie Mercury dies

Peter Aitken

Fox News

March 2, 2023

Ryuho Okawa's son once denounced his father for spouting 'complete nonsense. 

A Japanese cult leader who famously claimed he could channel the spirit of any living or dead person has passed away at the age of 66. 

Ryuho Okawa, leader and CEO of the "Happy Science" cult, was rushed to hospital after collapsing in his home on Monday from an apparent "state of cardiac arrest." He finally passed on Thursday night, and his cause of death remains unconfirmed, according to Fuji TV.  

Okawa had remained a controversial figure for most of his life, claiming to have received "Messages of God" and to have the ability to channel the spirits of the rich and famous. Okawa would publish books based on what he said the spirits told him.  

His publications included addresses from the "guardian spirits" of Jesus Christ, former President Trump, Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He described his books as a form of "religious journalism."   

Okawa was born in 1956 in a rural area and graduated from the University of Tokyo. He founded the "Happy Science" cult in 1986 after he had an "epiphany" that he could speak with spirits, which told him that his mission was to "lead humanity to happiness."  

The group believed in Okawa’s ability to channel spirits, as well as spiritual reincarnation and the construction of a global utopia.  

The cult claimed to have grown the group to include members in more than 110 countries and 700 related facilities both inside and outside the country. A New York Times report in 2020 cast doubt on the group’s claims, including its boast of 11 million members, instead citing Okawa’s first wife who said the group had roughly 30,000 members in 2011.  

Hiroshi, Okawa’s son, denounced his father as nothing more than a con-man. He told the Times in a 2020 interview that his father "relentlessly lied to his followers" and that he believed "what my father does is complete nonsense."  

The cult claimed to have grown the group to include members in more than 110 countries and 700 related facilities both inside and outside the country. A New York Times report in 2020 cast doubt on the group’s claims, including its boast of 11 million members, instead citing Okawa’s first wife who said the group had roughly 30,000 members in 2011.  

Hiroshi, Okawa’s son, denounced his father as nothing more than a con-man. He told the Times in a 2020 interview that his father "relentlessly lied to his followers" and that he believed "what my father does is complete nonsense."  

The party failed to win any national government seats as of Okawa’s death, though, some members have won local assembly seats, according to France 24. 

The "Happy Science" group members have not released any statements following Okawa’s death.  

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news. 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/cult-leader-claimed-channel-spirits-jesus-trump-freddie-mercury-dies

Inside the Fringe Japanese Religion That Claims It Can Cure Covid-19

Happy Science, which boasts millions of followers, is led by a man who channels Buddha (and Jesus and Freddie Mercury) and says he can defeat the coronavirus. For a fee.

Sam Kestenbaum

The New York Times
April 16, 2020

When New York went into lockdown last month, emissaries of a religious group called Happy Science showed up in a ghostly Times Square to deliver a peculiar end-of-days gospel. They wore ritual golden sashes and huddled in a semicircle.

“Doomsday may seem to be coming,” a young minister said.

“But the greatest savior,” he continued, “our master, is here on earth.”

One or two passers-by lingered, taking in the gloomy scene. Of the few people who were on the street, most rushed past.

None of this was as haphazard as it seemed.

Happy Science is an enormous and powerful enterprise claiming millions of adherents and tens of thousands of missionary outposts across the world. Secretive, hostile to the media, and structured around a tiered, pay-to-progress system of membership, they’re sometimes called Tokyo’s answer to Scientology.

“To many,” The Japan Times wrote in 2009, “the Happies smell suspiciously like a cult.”

The coronavirus pandemic has proved to be a perfect vehicle for the religion’s apocalyptic themes and esoteric doctrines. Its many, many texts are filled with U.F.O.s, lost continents and demonic warfare; now they detail the supernatural and extraterrestrial origins of the virus.

And in addition to the new DVDs, CDs and books for sale, Happy Science is offering “spiritual vaccines” — for a fee, the faithful can be blessed with a ritual prayer to ward off and cure the disease.

In Times Square, the minister wrapped up his speech with a special incantation. He lifted his arms and chopped them to and fro, shouting as he went. His flock cheered and waved homemade placards.

One read, “Happy Science Knows the Truth!”

The exalted star at the center of the Happy Science universe is a former Wall Street trader named Ryuho Okawa, whose followers, incredibly, regard him as the incarnation of a supreme being from Venus. What’s more, he also claims to channel the spirits of hundreds of characters, dead and alive, like Freddie Mercury, Barack Obama and Steve Jobs. Mr. Okawa almost never appears before the media and, via aides, declined requests to speak.

Before his extravagant reinvention, Mr. Okawa was born Takashi Nakagawa in 1956, on the southern island of Shikoku in Japan. The postwar decades in Japan had seen a surge in new and novel forms of religion that blended imported New Age texts with longstanding Japanese traditions. It was in this soul-searching mélange that Mr. Okawa came of age.

He attended Tokyo University and seemed poised to become a businessman. In the early 1980s, he joined one of the country’s largest trading firms and said he spent a year working at its Manhattan office.

But Mr. Okawa would pursue another career.

Around this time, he came to believe he was in contact with wise men from the past, like Buddha and Jesus. They told him he was chosen to spiritually redeem a world gone to rack and ruin. Who was he to say no?

“It was up to me,” he later wrote, “to gather all the peoples of the world into this new faith.”

Mr. Okawa returned to Tokyo, where he tapped into the city’s burgeoning metaphysical scene and attracted a following. Playing on the economic anxiety of the early 1990s, he self-published several tracts with titles like “The Terrifying Revelations of Nostradamus” and “The Great Warnings of Allah.”

The books were hits. And as more flooded out, the tales became more and more dazzling. At first Mr. Okawa was just a channel for far-flung spirits. Then he was a reincarnated Buddha. Eventually he proclaimed himself the supreme deity of this world. And remarkably, his followers agreed.

Life on earth, Mr. Okawa came to teach, was engineered millions of years ago by a creator god from Venus named El Cantare who had been reincarnated over the years as deities and enlightened masters, like Hermes, Thoth from Atlantis, Odin, Buddha and an Incan king named Rient Arl Croud. The latest incarnation of El Cantare, of course, was Mr. Okawa himself.



Soon, Happy Science would fill stadiums with ceremonies that blended theatrical cosplay and what looked like revelation. Mr. Okawa might leap from a mock U.F.O., clad in feathery angel wings as smoke machines billowed.

Between the growing media franchise and fees and donations, Mr. Okawa’s project made him exceptionally rich. By some estimates, Happy Science had revenues of $45 million a year.

But there was always a dark side, never far from the surface.

In the mid-1990s, Happy Science’s rivalry with another doomsday group, Aum Shinrikyo, took an ugly turn. Aum first tried to assassinate Mr. Okawa, then later launched an attack on the Tokyo subway with sarin nerve gas, killing 13 and injuring thousands.

Yet where other enterprising messiahs fell aside, Mr. Okawa persisted. Happy Science has since opened private schools in Japan, and in 2009 it branched into politics, with a right-wing platform that has seen limited success in local elections.

Mr. Okawa has continued to churn out books, which now number more than 2,000, most of them transcriptions of lectures. A film division also puts out feature-length anime.

Meanwhile, Happy Science has left scores of disaffected members in its wake. Opponents accuse the group of fleecing acolytes in what they say amounts to a pyramid scheme. Much to the embarrassment of Mr. Okawa, his own son Hiroshi (once primed as a successor) is now one of Happy Science’s most vocal critics.

Hiroshi Okawa, in a message, said of his father: “He claimed to have received the ‘messages of God,’ he relentlessly lied to his followers.”

He added, “I believe what my father does is complete nonsense.”

Happy Science’s claims of 11 million members also seem unlikely. When Mr. Okawa’s first wife, Kyoko, left the group in 2011 she estimated real membership was 30,000.

For his part, Mr. Okawa denounced his estranged family as demonic. He has since remarried.

So, troubled at home, the Happies have set sights on America, where they have found a receptive, if modest, welcome. In 2008, Happy Science purchased a Manhattan townhouse and, after renovations, installed its North American headquarters here, relocating from a small office in New Jersey. For the grand opening, Mr. Okawa flew in with his entourage to hold an inaugural lecture that packed the sanctuary and an overflow room downstairs.

The building is on a shaded TriBeCa alley, sandwiched incongruously between espresso cafes and designer boutiques. Looped videos of Mr. Okawa’s lectures play on a large screen facing the street.

One afternoon before the shutdown in New York, Yushi Hagimoto, the head minister in the city, sat in the foyer tidying up wares. Glittering amulets and jewelry were for sale. A golden statue of El Cantare, his face modeled on Mr. Okawa’s, sat at the dimmed central altar.

Hundreds of Happy Science texts lined the shelves, with titles like “Alien Invasion,” “7 Future Predictions,” “Spiritual Message From the Guardian Spirit of Donald Trump,” and so on.

“The books about demons are very popular,” Mr. Hagimoto said.

When news broke this year about a deadly virus spreading from China, Happy Science was quick to pivot to this novel cataclysm.

Beginning in January, Mr. Okawa claimed to receive messages from a trio of extraterrestrials— going by the unfamiliar names R.A. Goal, Metatron and Yaidron — and the spirits of Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping. (The guardian angels of Boris Johnson, John Lennon and Angela Merkel also sent transmissions.)

According to Happy Science, the virus was created as a bioweapon by the Chinese government in Wuhan, and then, in a twist, it was unleashed by a U.F.O. to punish the communists for their godless ways. It has spread to other lands that lack true faith.

This material was quickly published as three booklets in Japanese and has now been translated in English this month as “Spiritual Reading of Novel Coronavirus Infection Originated in China.”

But there is hope for the faithful, the Happies say. Along with the book series, they now sell coronavirus-themed DVDs and CDs of Mr. Okawa lecturing; the sound alone of his voice is meant to hold immune-boosting power.

In one video clip, Mr. Okawa advised, “You must knock out the coronavirus with your El Cantare belief.”

In another, “It will become like, ‘Out with the demons, in with the good fortune.’”

Mr. Okawa also introduced the sacred text of a new ritual purported to miraculously cure the disease. It is conducted in private at temples, in exchange for donations. Japanese ads list several prices for virus-related blessings, going from $100 to more than $400.

Numerous members of the TriBeCa congregation have requested the coronavirus prayer.

“It’s amazing,” Mr. Hagimoto said. “We’re seeing people being cured.”

In the early days of the virus, Happy Science had proudly kept its Manhattan doors open for business even as some churches closed. But as infections in the city soared, the temple announced that it would lock up.

Beginning this month, Happy Science will administer spiritual vaccines remotely.



https://www.nytimes.com/article/happy-science-japan-coronavirus-cure.html

Renowned Spiritual Leader Takes Readers From Unhappiness to Healing to Invincible Thinking and on to the Starting Point to Happiness

Ryuho Okawa PRNewswire
February 28, 2018

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Ryuho Okawa recognizes the United States of America faces turbulent times domestically and internationally that impact the happiness and well-being of its citizens. Okawa lived in the United States in the 1980s and today after three decades, he continues to observe the day-to-day tumult and provide spiritual and practical guidance for his growing followers.

IRH Press USA

The Japanese renowned spiritual leader, best-selling author and founder of the global movement, Happy Science, authored seven new titles released in the United States in 2017. In 2018, Okawa plans to release at least 6 more titles which add to the over 100 million copies of books he has sold internationally. Okawa is compassionately committed to the spiritual growth of others. In addition to writing and publishing books, he continues to give lectures around the world with a simple goal: to help people find true happiness and create a better world.

Okawa recognizes we are facing troubled times. During this time of turmoil, individuals may feel disheartened and powerless to change the circumstances they are in. When people feel they have had enough, they can take a breather from all the troubles and problems around them by shifting their perspective and start looking within. If they want to change the world according to Okawa, the starting point is always with the individual; he or she needs to start where they are. So the first step to a happy world is to create one more happy person in the world---oneself.

How can this be done when we are bombarded daily with the negative? In Asia and the East, people seem to deal with problems differently from the people in the West. The Eastern cultures value harmony and peace, so Eastern philosophy can certainly help each one of us find "quiet happiness" which is a sense of fulfillment, tranquility, and contentment. So how about learning a bit of Eastern wisdom from Ryuho Okawa to face and deal with our problems and troubles? Perhaps, all of us can find a new avenue for solutions to the issues we are facing personally and globally now.

As one of the most renowned spiritual leaders from the East, Okawa has been offering myriad of spiritual lessons and wisdom to help people in the United States find peace and happiness. In one of his books (Okawabooks.com) released last April, The Unhappiness Syndrome: 28 Habits of Unhappy People (and how to change them), he writes about how we often unconsciously choose thoughts and actions that invite unhappiness into our lives. In this book, he shows that by shifting our perspective, we can begin to see the world around us differently and start attracting happiness. In another book released last June, Healing from Within: Life-Changing Keys To Calm, Spiritual, and Healthy Living, he talks about how we have inner strength to heal ourselves, and that all we have to do is to awaken to and trust this innate power to improve our lives. In Invincible Thinking: A Essential Guide for a Lifetime of Growth, Success, and Triumph released in October, Okawa talks about how we can cultivate a winning mindset that lets us keep moving forward and achieve lasting success no matter what obstacles we may face in life. Finally, In The Starting Point of Happiness: An Inspiring Guide to Positive Living With Faith, Love, And Courage released in November, Okawa illustrates how we can find purpose and meaning in life and attain lasting happiness that will infuse us with hope, strength, and fulfillment.

Together these titles and those set to be published in 2018, provide readers with a continuum for growth, self-development and long-lasting happiness. It's no wonder, these books and Okawa's annual "Laws " series have grown in sales at chain, independent and online bookselling outlets.

IRH Press USA is distributed by Continental Sales and NBN Canada. Since joining with Continental two years ago, distribution in the United Stateshas increased significantly. IRH Press USA is represented by Newman Communications for publicity, marketing and sales coordination.

About the Author

In 1986, after working on Wall Street, Okawa founded Happy Science as a spiritual movement dedicated to bringing greater happiness to humankind by uniting religions and cultures to live in harmony. Today he is the CEO of the Happy Science Group. Happy Science has grown rapidly from its beginnings in Japan to a worldwide organization with centers in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Canada and over 12 million followers. The spiritual workshops Happy Science offers are open to people of all faiths and walks of life and are rooted in the same simple principles of happiness that inspired Okawa's own spiritual awakening. Okawa is compassionately committed to the spiritual growth of others. In addition to writing and publishing books, he continues to give lectures around the world. In addition to promoting spiritual growth, Okawa has also dedicated himself to improving society and creating a better world. As affiliates of the Happy Science Group, he has founded various institutions including boarding schools, a higher education institution, a preschool education institution, as well as a publishing company, a political party, a talent agency, and a talent school. In 2017, Ryuho Okawa lectured to 50,000 people at the Tokyo Dome.

About Happy Science

Happy Science maintains United States Temples in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Tampa, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For more information, visit http://happy-science.org.

Media Contact:

Robert Newman
Phone: 617-952-1470
Email: bob.newman@newmancom.com

SOURCE Ryuho Okawa

Related Links

http://happy-science.org

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With Over 100 Million Copies of Books Sold, Best-Selling Author Ryuho Okawa Offers His Readers in the United States New Perspectives to Get Through Tough Times, Achieve True Happiness, and Create a Better World

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Prison Sentence on Student Leaders of the Hong Kong Umbrella RevolutionWhat Should Be Done to Protect the Freedom and Prosperity of Hong Kong?

What Should Be Done to Protect the Freedom and Prosperity of Hong Kong?

August 24, 2017

Key points in this article:

• The three young leaders of the Umbrella Revolution got prison sentences.
• The three activists will not be able to run for office for the next five years.
• Hong Kong must serve as a teacher to bring democracy to China.

“They can silence protests, remove us from the legislature and lock us up. But they will not win the hearts and minds of Hongkongers.”

Joshua Wong, a former student leader of the Umbrella Revolution, the 2014 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, was sentenced to six months in prison for participating in unlawful assembly. He was a key figure that led the pro-democracy movement at the mere age of 20. The opening passage is the message he posted on Twitter immediately after he was given his sentence.

The High Court, the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, sentenced Mr. Wong and two other student leaders to six to eight months in prison. One of the leaders, Nathan Law, won in Hong Kong’s direct election for the first time last year, but he was disqualified from the Legislative Council because the High Court refused to accept his oath in July of the same year.

Prison Sentence Is Aimed to Prevent Protest Leaders From Running for Office

Hong Kong’s Law stipulates that anyone sentenced to three or more months in jail cannot run in any election for five years. Mr. Wong was expected to run for office because he would be reaching the age of eligibility for election next month.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (the August 18th edition), Mr. Ho-fung Hung, an Associate Professor in political economy at Johns Hopkins University, said as follows:

“If he runs he could easily win, and if the government disqualified him like it disqualified many candidates in 2016, that will become an international incident. So the ideal strategy of the government is to make his sentence as harsh as possible so that he won’t be qualified to run from the beginning.”

In short, the jail sentence on the three pro-democracy leaders was aimed to prevent them from running for office.

Despite the fact that “One country, two systems” governance guarantees Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, the court in Hong Kong has delivered judgment in complying with the wishes of the Chinese government. The jail sentence on the three activists highlighted the fact that Hong Kong’s independence has been eroded.

Hongkongners Should Show People in Mainland China the Direction to Take

It is said that the Chinese authorities are now increasing pressure on Hong Kong to enact anti-subversion legislation under which anyone who demands greater autonomy for Hong Kong is found guilty. The enactment of the legislation will make it easy for the Chinese government to crack down on politicians and their supporters who oppose Beijing’s tightening control over Hong Kong.

In May of 2011, Master Ryuho Okawa of Happy Science visited Hong Kong to give a lecture. To Hongkongers who was alarmed by the situation, he said as follows:

“You are the one portion of great China, but you are the teacher of great China, and you can teach all China people. And you are the leaders of China people. So if I, if I can put some kind of mission and some kind of, some kind of responsibility on you and you accept that responsibility to enlighten all the people in the China and can show the direction of the future of China. It is the welcome of all the people of all over the world.”

(Excerpt from “The Fact and The Truth Q&A”)

Right now, people in Hong Kong are faced with the choice to keep fighting against China for freedom, or just sitting back and watching China swallow Hong Kong. It is obvious that the former choice is the one Hongkongers should make.

http://eng.the-liberty.com/2017/6889/

Our reporter infiltrated the “Happy Science” religion…accidentally, when in junior high

Master Blaster

rocketnews24.com

February 17. 2017




Serendipity has given RocketNews24 an inside look at the controversial religion currently making headlines: Happy Science.

Although founded in 1986, the Happy Science religious movement has been frequently mentioned in the news recently after 22-year-old actor Fumika Shimizu (Kamen Rider, Hentai Kamen, Aikatsu!) announced her early retirement from show-business to devote herself to the religious group.

The news reminded our own Japanese-language writer Go Hattori of an encounter he had with Happy Science, and its founder Ryuho Okawa, back in 1994. Since he was only 15 at the time, don’t expect this to be a deeply probing look at the religion, but it is an interesting look at how these burgeoning faiths used to operate in Japan at one time, and how casually people used to view them.

One winter day in 1994, Go walked into the kitchen to find his mother holding an envelope with a troubled expression on her face. As he approached her he could see that she had a “platinum ticket” for some kind of “Happy Science” performance at Tokyo Dome. The value of the ticket was 10,000 yen (US$100 at the time).

Go asked his mother where she got it and she explained that some acquaintance who belonged to the group gave it to her and recommended that she “check it out.”

However, she had absolutely no interest in Happy Science. Their family did not have any specific religious beliefs, but Go and his sister had heard of Aum Shinrikyo and followed their activities through media coverage like many kids did at the time. Aum Shinrikyo had some pretty far-out ideas that appealed the inherent curiosity of youth, like explaining how cell phones were a form of mind control, and outing Japanese celebrities and politicians as Freemasons.







Go’s mom said she wouldn’t go, but he didn’t want to let a 10,000-yen ticket go to waste. Furthermore, if the person who sent it asked how the show was, what would they say?

Taking a trip to Tokyo Dome also sounded much more appealing than studying for his exams, so Go feigned a heavy sigh, snatched up the ticket and told his mom, “Okay, okay! I’ll go then.”



The event took place on 18 December, 1994. It was an unusually cold day as Go walked down the street leading up to Tokyo Dome and Korakuen Hall, where he had seen performances from Giant Baba’s All Japan Pro Wrestling and Antonio Inoki’s New Japan Pro Wrestling.

It’s worth noting that pro-wrestling shows were 15-year-old Go’s only frames of reference for live events and would shape how he interpreted the scene that was about to unfold.



“Boy, everyone walking in the same direction as I am is a Happy Science believer,” Go thought as he headed to the venue. He didn’t judge these people, however. To him Happy Science was just as valid as any other faith people choose to follow. Also, if they were willing to give him a 10,000 yen show, then heck, they were okay in his book.

Young and alone, Go nervously found his seat in the upper-deck of Tokyo Dome. From there he could see everything and noticed lots of empty patches of seats. However, those filled up gradually as the start time approached. Next thing he knew, he was surrounded on all sides by older people he didn’t know.



Go learned afterwards that this show had been broadcast live all over Japan to a total of nine million people. If that was true then it must have been one of the biggest religious rallies in history…if it was true.

As the stadium filled up some new age music played over the loudspeakers and some dancers performed by carrying around one of those dragons on sticks, like what you might see at a Chinese festival.



After the performance, the music began to swell, the lights slowly dimmed, and clouds of smoke formed on the floor of the stadium. Go grew excited as the main event was surely about to start. He wasn’t sure what was coming, but he was sure it was going to be big.

…and it was.


Go: “HOLY CRAP, WHAT IS THAT?!!”



Riding on the head of a giant dragon was the El Cantare (leader) of Happy Science himself, Ryuho Okawa. Needless to say, Go was impressed by his entrance, but not as much as those around him. Go heard sobbing and looked to his left only to find an older man with tears streaming down his face and an emotion-induced runny-nose.



“Things are about to get full-on,” thought go, but he still had no idea what was going on. Then Okawa, dressed in an extravagant costume, began to speak.



“There are two demons in modern Japan,” he proclaimed, “One is the mass media! The other is…RELIGIONNNnnnn-ah!”

Go wondered what the “demon religion” was that Okawa referred to, but he got excited that it might be Aum. He fantasized that the two sects were like rival gangs who would settle their differences at a royal rumble on pay-per-view.

But before Okawa was going to get to that part, he had to explain the evil in the Japanese mass media which, unbeknownst to Go, was something that would rattle his very core and stay with him to this day.


Okawa: “HAIR NUDES are turning all of Japan into a hell of carnal desire!”



Out of nowhere, Okawa decided to open his religious sermon to young Go and 9 million other people with… “hair nudes.”

By the way, “hair nude” is a Japanese term for pornography which reveals the hair of a woman’s nether-regions. Although, it didn’t go much beyond Playboy level nudity, it was still a controversial level of exposure of the human body for Japan at one time.

The speech went something like the following, but bear in mind that this is paraphrased from Go’s own memory of the rally which took place over 20 years ago.


Okawa: “First of all, there are many types of hell, and among them is the hell of carnal desire. If you live a life based on sexual desire, you will fall into this hell. However, the mass media is turning all of Japan into a hell of carnal desire by manipulating our desire of full-length hair nudes.

Humans who lose their sense of shame become animals, and as such the follow the villainous into the hell of carnal desire. This must Stop-pah! If these magazine publishers want to plunge into hell, so be it! But do not take others down with you-ah!!!”

Go: “Hair nudes… hell of carnal desire…”



Upon hearing this Go thought of his farther whom he knew had bought those kinds of magazines. He then thought about himself who would occasionally sneak a look at those magazines. Looking at the pictures made Go happy, but it was a bad kind of happy.

He was going to hell.

As Go dwelled on this Okawa went on about other problems in the media such as honoring kids who commit suicide after being bullied, and promoting organ donorship from brain-dead patients. These topics were not nearly as important to Go though.


Go: “Hair nudes… Hair nudes… Going to hell.”



Then the main event began…


Okawa: “There is a demon in religion itself…”
Go: “Oh man, Is he gonna talk about Aum!”




Okawa: “There are said to be so-called evil cults!”
Go: “He’s going to say Aum, isn’t he?”




Okawa: “The reason that the reputation of religion has fallen since the war is the number of these cults and the various social problems they cause.”
Go: “Social problems?!”
Caption: “This time is before the Sarin Incident.”




Okawa: “For example…”
Go: “Ah? Here it comes….”




Okawa: “AUM SHINRIKYO!”
Go: “Aw snap!”




Okawa: “THE UNITY CHURCH!”
Go: “Wha…oh, he’s got a beef with them too?”




Okawa: “There was a time when we were considered the same as them. But people who can’t tell the difference aren’t around anymore.”
Go: “Is he saying they aren’t enemies anymore?”




Okawa: “However”
Go: “Wha?!”




Okawa: “The worst cult of all is surviving and still growing!”
Go: “It’s like the final boss!”




Okawa: “You know who I mean…”
Go: “No way!”




Okawa: “SOKA GAKAI!”
Go: “Oh no he did NOT just go after them too! Hot damn!”




Okawa: “How much has the reputation of new religions dropped because of this religion? I will not allow it!”
Go: “Dude is super pissed!”



For those unfamiliar with Soka Gakkai, it’s a relatively new sect of Buddhism that has evolved into a financial and political powerhouse in Japan and maintains a presence internationally as well. Despite its widespread influence and membership in the millions, many in Japan view the religion with suspicion, although not quite as fervently as Okawa had.

The El Cantare continued in his speech by condemning politicians associated with these “demon cults” and shaming their leaders. But for 15-year-old Go, the whole event seemed to have already climaxed.

However, Okawa had one more crowd-pleaser when he said, “You must not register even a single vote for politicians who support Soka Gakai.” Suddenly, as if Giant Baba had just rushed into the ring and delivered a running neckbreaker to Jumbo Tsuruta the crowd raised their fists in unison and exploded with a singular cry of “OOOOoooohhhhh!”



And then with a few closing remarks and reminding the crowd that he “shan’t forgive evil cults” the show was over.


Go returned home thinking that while it lacked the violence of pro-wrestling, overall, the Happy Science rally was pretty intense. Upon entering the house, his mother asked how it went.

“It was pretty cool,” Go replied briefly. “The guy talked about Aum.” Still in his adolescence, Go couldn’t bring himself to talk about the hair nudes with his mother.

From then on, it seemed that Japan has been spared from turning into a hell of carnal desire…I think, but Okawa had been right about one thing.

Only three months and two days after that rally, on 20 March, 1995, the evil of Aum Shinrikyo would reveal itself. Members of the group launched an attack on the Tokyo subway system, releasing sarin gas which killed 12 people and injured many more.

After that, Go would not be allowed to attend another religious event – not that he wanted to anyway. Things were different after that.

Original article by Go Hattori
Illustrations by Kyoshiro Mamiya
Images ©RocketNews24

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/02/18/our-reporter-infiltrated-the-happy-science-religion-accidentally-when-in-junior-high/

Fumika Shimizu to retire from entertainment to devote herself to cult

ARAMA! JAPAN
February 12, 2016

Popular 22-year-old actress Fumika Shimizu has announced her intention to retire from the entertainment industry to commit herself to Happy Science, a controversial new religious and spiritual movement often criticized for being a cult.

Founded in 1986 by CEO Ryuho Okawa, the basic teachings of Happy Science are “Exploration of the Right Mind” and the “Principles of Happiness“. Okawa claims to channel the spirits of Muhammad, Christ, Buddha and Confucius, and is the incarnation of the supreme spiritual being called El Cantare.

Shimizu is most notable for playing Yuki Jojima in Kamen Rider Fourze and Aiko Himeno in HK!!! Hentai Kamen.

Her parents introduced her and her three sisters to the controversial religion at birth, and has since been following it unbeknownst to her agency.

Since last month, Shimizu has been working with two lawyers to prematurely end her contract with LesPros Entertainment, claiming that she is unable to balance entertainment commitments and her beliefs.

A regular on Fuji TV variety show NIJIIRO JEAN, Shimizu continued working as normal until February 4th when she cancelled future appearances on the show due to “poor health”. Since then, her agency has been unable to contact her. Her Twitter account through LesPros has been deleted, prompting her to creating a personal account.

Throughout the three decades since its foundation, Happy Science has rapidly grown into a global movement with members in over 100 countries around the world. The cult boasts 10 million members domestically and 1 million abroad with centers in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.

In recent years, Happy Science has been working hard to secure a favorable image with the public to recruit. We last reported about the cult in December of last year with the announcement of their very own propaganda idol group Anjewel.

Shimizu has two starring roles in upcoming films scheduled for release later this year, Tokyo Ghoul and Ankoku Joshi, and with her swift and controversial demand to end her career as an actress, their release is now up in the air.

http://aramajapan.com/news/fumika-shimizu-to-retire-from-entertainment-to-devote-herself-to-cult/70942/

15 cults from across the world that have mind-blowing agendas

MARISHA KARWA
DNA India
January 31, 2016

It takes all kinds to make the world — even if that means a group that believes in living on only fresh air or committing suicide to save the planet. Marisha Karwa looks at some odd-ball groups that make our world (and heads) go around

1 Flying Spaghetti Monster
Let's start at the very beginning of the universe. In 2005, pretty well known Bobby Henderson wrote, in jest, a letter to protest a state decision in Kansas, US, allowing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in science classes. Henderson contended that whenever a scientist carbon-dates an object, a supernatural creator that closely resembles spaghetti and meatballs is there "changing the results with His Noodly Appendage." This gave rise to the cult of the Flying Spaghetti Monster — considered to be the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism. The social movement, whose central belief is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe, promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools.
"I don't have a problem with religion. What I have a problem with is religion posing as science. If there is a god and he's intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humour," he has said.

2 Raelism (UFO religion)
Before you start praying to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, spare a thought for the Raelians. Guided by a former French auto racing journalist, Claude Vorilhon, members of the Raelian movement believe that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim. Members says that Elohim earlier intentionally misinformed us that they were angels, cherubim or gods. Raelism strives for world peace and cloning. Getting membership requires an official apostasy from other religions.

3 Cargo cult
If it's hard for you to imagine UFOs and extraterrestrials, think of the tribals inhabiting remote islands in vast oceans. For these primitive groups, even 'cargo' is a manifestation of the God's will. The movement encompasses a range of practices, such as making replicas of desired goods, after coming in contact with colonising societies. According to Wikipedia, the earliest recorded cargo cult was the Tuka Movement that began in Fiji in 1885 after the British colonials made their presence there. Cargo cults exemplify the third law of Arthur C. Clarke: that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

4 Ho No Hana Sanpogyo
Also in the realm of magic and clairvoyance existed the now non-existent sect Ho No Hana Sanpogyo, founded by Hogen Fukunaga. He claimed that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and the Buddha and could tell people's fortunes by reading the soles of their feet. Eventually though, Fukunaga was charged with fraud and came under debt for millions of yen.

5 Happy Science
Considering fortune telling is always riddled with risk, perhaps it's better to always be happy. And guess what, there's a religion for that too. 'Master' Ryuho Okawa founded the Happy Science religion and movement in Japan on 6 October, 1986. Happy Science claims that El Cantare is the true hidden name of the Heavenly Father in the Old Testament and that Jesus is the incarnation of the supreme spiritual being called El Cantare.

6 Poro
Poro is a male-only society in Liberia, Sierra Leone and a few other African nations that believe in the intervention of mysterious forces in human affairs. So, whatever happens in the physical world is a manifestation of what's happening in the spirit world. Boys are initiated into this society on reaching puberty, by being taken behind the bushes and undergoing some rituals that are kept secret.

7 Black Jesus
Stephen Tari gave up his studies to be a Lutheran minister, and travelled in the mountains of New Guinea. He started his own cult and called himself "Black Jesus." The cult had all kinds of rituals, made sacrificial offerings and even used 'Flower Girls'— especially chosen young girls who served as concubines for Tari and other cult leaders. At some point the Black Jesus cult grew so popular that it has 6,000 members. Although Tari was charged for rape and managed to escape from a prison, he was eventually hacked to death and buried in a pit by the villagers of Gal.

8 Bikerni
No doubt beliefs and religion are very important matters, but what about the pursuit of interests for the sake of pure, unadulterated joy? Bikerni is a group of all women bikers that started in Pune to "encourage women to go on adventures they would've never thought to go on before." Talk about women empowerment, ah!

9 Gadget Hackwrench
Forget Jedi, this character from Chip 'n Dale has a cult following in Russia. Her fans pray to large cut-out posters of her, pen and sing songs in her praise and think of this female mouse as a divine being. "She is strict, cute, optimistic and her level of technical knowledge is unachievable for a mortal being," is what her followers are known to have said.

10 4chan
And then the force turns to the worldwide web. While 4chan isn't quite a grouping or even an association of like-minded individuals, we felt it qualifies to be a cult of all-things-Internet. This seemingly-simple, image-based bulletin board has single-handedly spawned some of the best creations in the digital world. Think Lolcats, memes and (hold your breath) hacktivist group, Anonymous.

11 Heaven's Gate cult
Led by Marshall Applewhite, the followers thought that Earth was about to be "recycled" into a clean slate, and that they could escape doom by hitching a ride on comet Hale-Bopp in March 1997. Applewhite and 39 members, wearing armbands and Nike sneakers, poisoned themselves in shifts in a California mansion.

12 Church of Euthanasia
And while on the subject of death, here's a cult that actively promotes dying. Wikipedia says that the Church of Euthanasia was inspired by a dream, in which Rev. Chris Korda confronted an alien known as The Being who speaks for the inhabitants of Earth in other dimensions. The Being warned that our planet's ecosystem is failing, and that our leaders deny this. The Being asked why our leaders lie to us, and why so many of us believe these lies. Rev. Korda awoke from the dream moaning the Church's infamous slogan, 'Save the Planet — Kill Yourself'.' The Church's sole commandment: Thou shalt not procreate. And understandably, its four pillars are suicide, abortion, cannibalism and sodomy!

13 Breatharian
Is that too much information? Perhaps you want to stop and breathe. And live on that — on fresh air that is (if you are lucky enough to be in Switzerland). Breatharianism is the belief that we humans don't need to eat for our nutrition, that is possible to live on fresh air alone. Before you roll your eyes, do note that quite a few people are already living the Breatharian life: People like Prahlad Jani and Hira Ratan Manek in India, the Nepalese monk Ram Bahadur Bomjon and Wiley Brooks, the founder of the Breatharian Institute of America, whose website is a must-read (http://breatharian.com/breatharians.html).

14 Santa Muerte
On the other hand, if you are sure that living on fresh air is going to lead to certain death, then just bow to Santa Muerte, whose following, many claim, is growing by the millions (ever since she appeared in a cameo in Breaking Bad). A personification of death, the skeletal, female folk saint is venerated primarily in Mexico (and as far as in Australia too), and is associated with healing, protection and safe delivery to the afterlife. Some of her most devoted followers are drug dealers and pick-pocketers!

15 Missionary Church of Kopimi
And the best for the last! Sweden has officially recognised this congregation of file-sharers as a religious community. But only after their application was rejected in three earlier attempts! The followers, Kopimists, are intellectual persons who believe that all information should be freely distributed. This philosophy opposes the monopolisation of knowledge in all forms of copyright, and encourages file sharing of media including music, movies, TV shows, and software.
Incidentally, the Missionary Church of Kopimism held its first wedding on April 28, 2012, in Belgrade, Serbia, between a Romanian woman and an Italian man. It was conducted by a Kopimistic Op, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, while a computer read vows and some of Kopimism's central beliefs aloud.
The church said, "Hopefully, they will copy and remix some DNA cells and create a new human being. That's the spirit of Kopimism. Feel the love and share that information. Copy all of its holiness."

http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-15-cults-from-across-the-world-that-have-mind-blowing-agendas-2172068

FIRE: Japanese Happy Science Teacher Ryuho Accused Of Leading Cult

Chimp Reports
June 22, 2012

Happy Science entered Uganda in 2008. It has since spread beyond Kampala to Lira, Karuma, Tororo and Entebbe.

Now it is engaged in an aggressive and expensive promotional campaign heralding the appearance of its founder on 23rd June at Namboole Stadium.

That founder is Ryuho Okawa, a 55-year-old former businessman who was born as Takashi Nakagawa on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s main islands.

Okawa claims that in 1981 he experienced “Buddha Enlightenment,” which led him to organize Kofuku no Kagaku (“science of happiness”) in October 1986 to offer “salvation for all humankind.” Okawa has gained a wide audience through publishing and films.

Today he is one of Japan’s wealthiest men.

Happy Science is one of “new religions,” that have sprouted in Japan since World War II. It advertises itself as “a universal religion open to people of all religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.”

But more than this, Okawa claims to be the most important person in the world today: El Cantare, the literal reincarnation of the original Buddha and “the supreme God of Earth.”

In 1991, the Associated Press quoted Okawa as boasting that “I came here as more than the Messiah…This universe, this world were based on my words and my teachings.”

How did Okawa come to such stunning delusions of grandeur? One reason is that he is a practicing occultist—a spirit medium.

And like Alice Lakwena, Credonia Mwerinde, and Joseph Kony, he confounds and controls his followers by claiming to speak for the dead.

The Japan Times explains that before founding Happy Science, Okawa “wrote books in which he channeled the spirits of Muhammad, Christ, Buddha, and Confucius,” among others.

Strangely, these long-departed religious leaders and geniuses had much the same message: “Japan is the world’s greatest power and should ditch its Constitution, rearm and lead the world.”

Indeed, in 1991 the Associated Press described Okawa’s passionate sermon at a giant rally where he declared the Japanese “a chosen people” who are destined to “destroy the United States and the Soviet Union,” making China “a slave” and Korea “a prostitute.
But what does all this mean to Christians in Uganda?

Scripture commands followers of Jesus to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

Christians will find the vast doctrine of Happy Science neither happy nor scientific. It’s a bizarre, complex combination of New Age and eastern mysticism, mixed with Okawa’s sci-fi fantasies of lost civilizations and multi-dimensional beings.

And it conflicts violently with the Bible in almost every major category of belief. Okawa denies the Trinity, the unique deity and incarnation of Jesus Christ, His atonement for sin and resurrection, and the doctrine of everlasting punishment.

In his books Okawa shamelessly makes Moses, Peter, Paul and even Jesus his spirit puppets to mouth his occultic messages.

At a time when many are seeking hope, longing for answers, and hungry for something “new,” Ugandans need to know that Happy Science is a hollow substitute for the Good News that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Curious churchgoers who are tempted by Okawa’s pride and pageantry should beware lest, “as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:3). “No wonder,” the Apostle Paul continues, “for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (vv. 14–15).

The writer is a graduate of African Bible University who is involved in research and documentation of New Religious movements and the defense of the Christian faith”.

The views expressed herein are the author’s not Chimpreports.com management.

http://www.chimpreports.com/4827-fire-japanese-happy-science-teacher-ryuho-accused-of-leading-cult/

Blooming 'Happy Science' cult channels Disney, Gandhi, Jesus and Thatcher

Beau Donelly
The Age
November 2, 2015

Self-styled Japanese master Ryuho Okawa,
 founder of Happy Science

This could be Melbourne's most eclectic new religion.

With spiritual help from Jesus, Gandhi, Moses, Zeus and others, Ryuho Okawa has got all the bases covered. And the self-styled Japanese master's sights are set squarely on expansion in Australia, which he believes will be a world superpower in 300 years time.

Okawa, founder of the controversial Happy Science religion, claims to receive guidance from more than 500 "high spirits" who have had a profound impact on world history.

Other members of the cohort of famous names Okawa says he's able to channel are Shakespeare, Socrates, Thomas Edison, Confucius, Walt Disney, Margaret Thatcher and, despite his not yet having entered the spiritual plane, US President Barack Obama.

The claims have been dismissed by cult watchers as "preposterous", but that hasn't stopped Happy Science from expanding - and attracting big donations from converts.

Spreading the high spirits' messages is central to Okawa's religious movement, and his mission to bring happiness and salvation to the world.

The sect made its debut in Sydney about 10 years ago and recently gave its Melbourne branch on St Kilda Road a makeover.

Happy Science Melbourne's 'new look' branch on St Kilda Road

Co-director Hiro Sunada said Happy Science was attracting a growing number of disciples, with more than 4000 local members.

Happy Science Australia is registered as a charity and lists among its objectives relieving poverty, sickness, suffering and distress.

According to its own government business filings the sect has taken in $1.5 million in donations in two years, with an increasing amount coming from followers in Melbourne and Sydney.

But when asked whether any charitable donations had been made, its head office gave only vague details, listing a donation of books to a library and a collection for Nepal's earthquake victims.

"Unfortunately we haven't done a great job so far," he said of the organisation's commitment to charity.

The movement came to Australia, Mr Sunada said, because the country was destined to become a global superpower.

"We believe that Australia is going to be the next leader of the world in 300 years," he said. "That's why we came, to realise this vision given by God."

According to the Happy Science website, Master Okawa threw in his career as a New York market trader to become a guru when he attained great enlightenment in the 1980s.

He now has a dual role of running a global corporation and being spiritual "grand saviour" to his flock, claimed to be in the region of 12 million worldwide.

The website says he has written more than 1800 books and given in excess of 2300 public lectures. He's also dabbled in politics on a platform of boosting Japan's population and arming it for conflict with China and North Korea.

Okawa conducts "alien readings", predicts that much of the United States will sink at the beginning of the 24th Century, and has written that Martin Luther will be reincarnated as a Japanese school teacher and help usher in a new religious movement.

 

Spirits summoned by Master Okawa: Happy Science website

Melbourne-based Cult Consulting Australia said it was fielding an increasing number of calls from people worried about relatives being involved with religious groups from Asia, including some who were concerned about Happy Science.

"There's a proliferation of suspect, cult-like groups that exist in Japan, China and South Korea, which often defy imagination in terms of their beliefs," counsellor Raphael Aron said.

Mr Aron said it was likely Happy Science would continue to attract a local following, but said it was all "smoke and mirrors".

"His [Okawa's] claims are preposterous, in terms of him being the most enlightened being on Earth that represents the manifestation of all the higher power that ever existed … and then there's also this business about aliens coming. It just goes on and on and on," he said.

"The most fascinating part of all this is that people join in and that he actually gets a following."

 

Happy Science website

Described in Japanese media as being cult-like, Happy Science bills itself as a religious organisation involved in "education, publishing and charitable activities".

Mr Sunada said Happy Science published educational material and ran seminars for worshippers, who were taught to explore their "right mind" through teachings based on the principles of love, wisdom, self reflection and progress.

"We are trying to solve problems of people by giving teachings [about] how to control their mind, keep their mind calm," he said.

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http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/blooming--happy-scienc e-cult-channels-disney-ghandi-jesus-and-thatcher-20151028-gkkzow.html#ixzz3qKzH0Rei