CultNEWS101 Articles: 7/28/2025 (Worldwide Church of God, Shakahola Massacre, Church of Almighty God)

Worldwide Church of God, Shakahola Massacre, Church of Almighty God

BET: I'm a Black Woman Who Grew Up in a Cult - Here's Why I'm Finally Talking About It

"In this personal op-ed, actor and podcast host LaNisa Renee Frederick unpacks her childhood in the Worldwide Church of God, how racism shaped its theology, and the healing that came from naming the shame out loud.

Growing up in the '80s and '90s as a Black girl in the Midwest, I knew early on that my church was different—maybe even "weird"—compared to my peers'. But it wasn't until years later that I connected my experiences to the word cult, which sent me on a journey to unpack the shame and embarrassment I didn't even realize I was carrying.

Like many Black households, the church was a cornerstone of my upbringing. However, most of my school friends were Baptist, AME, or Pentecostal. I didn't really understand what we were, but I knew we were Sabbath keepers. From Friday sundown to Saturday sundown: no work, no parties, no Saturday morning cartoons. (Though my siblings and I did manage to sneak in episodes of He-Man and She-Ra.)

I remember being six and pulled from the class Halloween party because I wasn't allowed to participate. Heartbroken, I sat alone watching my classmates gobble down candy corn and M&M's, wondering what was so sinful about dressing up like Barbie.

And while other kids settled into the school year each fall, I was collecting homework assignments ahead of our annual two-week spiritual pilgrimage out of state. Sure, it was a little unorthodox. But I didn't start questioning the church's doctrines and ideologies until college. I was taking an intro to theology course and decided to use this new thing called Google to look up my old church. What I found shook me: article after article labeling it a cult.

That couldn't be right. I had fun in church! We went roller skating and had potlucks that even brought my non-member mom into the fold. Plus, we're Black. We don't do cults. Outside of "those Jonestown people," cults were something that happened to white folks in documentaries. Sure, we might deal with "church hurt," but cults? Nah. Not us.

Still, I kept digging—reading, researching, and talking to former members. At first, I defined a cult by what I could see. Then I began to understand, through experts, that cults aren't about optics. You don't have to live in Waco, wear matching Nikes, or drink the Kool-Aid to be under control. Fear-based obedience, punishment for questioning authority, strict hierarchies, and man-made rules disguised as biblical truths? That's culty too.

That's when I finally said out loud: 'Oh shit. We were in a cult.'"

Citizen Digital: Fresh fears of cult activity emerge in Kilifi, nearly two years after Shakahola Massacre

"Nearly two years after the gruesome discovery of mass graves in Shakahola Forest shocked the nation and the world, chilling new developments out of Kilifi County are stoking fears that the horrors of 2023 may not be behind us.

Authorities have recovered one body and rescued four severely emaciated individuals just kilometres from the original Shakahola site—raising alarming questions about the possible resurgence of cult-like activity in the region.

Even more disturbing is the revelation that among those arrested is a husband and wife, former victims of the Shakahola cult, who had previously been rescued during the 2023 operation but disappeared again earlier this year.

The couple, originally from Nyadorera in Siaya County, allegedly fled their home in March with six children—aged between 1 and 15 years—before resurfacing in Kilifi under circumstances now under active investigation.

A brother of the male suspect, whose identity has been concealed for safety, confirmed that the family had once been reintegrated into the community but mysteriously vanished months ago.

"Alitoka huko nyumbani na familia yake wakaenda Shakahola mara ya kwanza… wakati watu walikuwa wanatolewa, tuliweza kuwaokoa wakaenda nyumbani," he said. "Tulijua atareform akiwa nyumbani… lakini amerudi tena."

The whereabouts of the six children remain unknown. "Nimewaishi na hao watoto," the brother added. "Nimefuata kujua wako hali gani lakini sijawaona. Sasa nimeachia serikali ifanye uchunguzi."

Human rights advocates and local authorities fear the emergence of what they are calling a possible "Shakahola Two." Rapid Response Officer Mathias Shipeta expressed grave concern, saying one of the couple's children had been among those held during the initial Shakahola raid and placed in a rescue facility. "As we speak, we are concerned that Shakahola 2 inaweza kuwa imeanza," Shipeta warned. "We are calling upon the police to investigate the matter and ensure we do not have casualties or deaths as in Shakahola 1."

Ongoing investigations suggest that remnants of the original Shakahola network may still be active, quietly regrouping and continuing indoctrination efforts despite government crackdowns and nationwide condemnation.

"We have been told that some of those previously charged and detained at Shimo la Tewa are regrouping and conducting teachings to continue radicalizing Kenyans," Shipeta said.

The victim's brother echoed the growing alarm: "Naomba serikali hii mambo ya Shakahola ikapate kuisha kabisa… isiendelee tena. Inaonekana bado watu wanaendelea kuregroup huko msituni."

The original Shakahola tragedy, believed to have been orchestrated by controversial preacher Paul Mackenzie, claimed over 400 lives and triggered widespread calls for reform of religious and cult-related laws in Kenya."

HemeroSectas: Three months in a Chinese WhatsApp sect (Google Translation)

" ... This is a neo-Christian group founded in China in 1991. It preaches that Jesus has returned in the form of a Chinese woman named Yang Xiangbin, supposedly living in New York, although none of this is explained in the recruitment groups. They have been harshly persecuted by the communist regime, but are also accused of coercing and isolating believers. In the West, they are spreading rapidly through social media. This demonstrates their productive potential in the artistic field: their powerful website features numerous films (all about stories of Chinese neo-Christians persecuted by the regime), dance choirs, testimonies, sermon series, and highly developed music videos. It's clear that this is a growing religion and one that has financial resources.

Their base in Spain is a house in an industrial park in Fuenlabrada. From there, they coordinate their virtual groups. I had joined out of curiosity and went with the flow. Now I was a step up, had a house in Madrid, a potential love proposal to respond to, and was scheduled for the first physical meeting."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

CultMediation.com   

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.

Facebook

Flipboard

Twitter

Instagram

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.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Ashlen Hilliard (ashlen.hilliard.wordpress@gmail.com)

Joe Kelly (joekelly411@gmail.com)

Patrick Ryan (pryan19147@gmail.com)

If you do not wish to be subscribed to this list, or you think you are being maliciously subscribed to the list, or have any other questions, send them to: pryan19147@gmail.com or send an email to: cultnews101+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

ICSA Annual Conference: Decolonizing the cult survivor

ICSA Annual Conference: Decolonizing the cult survivor

Grahame Gee

Saturday, June 25, 2022

11:00 AM-11:50 AM 

This presentation will outline my reflections of my experience as someone who was born into the Worldwide Church of God, a Bible based doomsday cult. It will focus on the effects of psychological colonization by the cult leader and his enablers and provide an outline of a model for assisting second generation survivors (SGS) of a cult, whom I define as individuals either born into a cult or brought into a cult at a young age who subsequently leave the cult. This will be achieved by firstly, providing a brief overview of the cult’s teachings and organizational characteristics. This will include a brief autobiographical summary of the cult leader. Secondly, the colonizing effect of the cult’s practices will be outlined. This will include a brief discussion of the cult’s effect on the psychological and emotional development of its SGS, noting that the cult’s controlling influence led to a level of moral development that stuck at the level of obedience and punishment. While the primary source of this truncated development is the colonizing effect of the cult leaders traumatizing narcissism, mid and low-level enablers were required to both mediate and reinforce his colonizing influence. Finally, I will present a model for psychological decolonization of SGS. The model encompasses for parts, involving listening without judgment (Receiving the Story), Acknowledging without Blaming (Validating the Story), Identifying Strengths (Reinterpreting the story) and Identifying Authentic Values and Goals (Rewriting the story).

• Conference Information
• Agenda
• Conference Registration

Grahame Gee

Grahame was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand and he is a survivor of the Worldwide Church of God, a Bible based doomsday cult. He was around 18 months old when his parents were recruited into the cult which proclaimed a heady mixture of end time judgment with the promise of escape for the elect. For his first three decades, his life revolved around the teachings and restrictions of the cult. Following the death of its founder, Herbert W Armstrong, the cult was riven by power struggles and splits within its leadership. It was during this time that Grahame began the long and painful process of decolonizing himself from the cult and its leader. From his recent work with survivors of intimate partner violence and physical and sexual violence while growing up, he was able to see parallels between the systems of coercive control his clients faced and that of the cult he grew up in. He currently works as a mental health nurse in a community setting supporting clients with complex mental health needs in the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. He is married to Helen.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/25/2018

Books, Religion and Family Law, Worldwide Church of God, Wirapol Sukphol, Sexual Abuse, Buddhism, Thailand

K5 News: A stark new memoir about life inside a cult

" ... Renee Linnell is an accomplished businesswoman who achieved many high-profile goals before she turned 35, before realizing she'd been living under the control of a cult. In her new memoir, The Burn Zone, she shares the heartbreaking situation that opened her up to falling victim for nearly seven years, to people who called themselves spiritual teachers, and how she finally reclaimed her identity and life."

Phsy: New book studies friction between religion, family law

" .... 'For religious people in the U.S., there are strange crosscurrents in the country right now. We have cases from the Supreme Court that decide – correctly I believe – that institutions where religious values have traditionally had tremendous influence, like marriage, don't belong to religious people to decide for the rest of the country,' she said. "At the same time, a decision like Hobby Lobby – the 2014 Supreme Court decision that allows businesses to cite religious beliefs to exclude contraceptives from insurance plans – has left some in the faith community believing they have an unfettered right for their religious beliefs not to be burdened."

"Together, those decisions have sparked a sense among religious people that they've lost control over much that is deeply important to them."

"The book, published by Cambridge University Press, features original scholarship by Wilson, University of Illinois law professors Richard Kaplan and Robin Kar, and national and international scholars on the tension between religious freedom and the state's protective function. It also features an introduction by U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch."

Little Village Magazine: ‘Snap Judgment’ host Glynn Washington talks growing up in a cult, Ira Glass and the dark side of storytelling

"On Thursday, Nov. 1, National Public Radio host and raconteur Glynn Washington will bring his storytelling sensation, Snap Judgment LIVE, to Iowa City’s Englert Theatre. That night, some of the world’s best storytellers will take the stage to tell real life stories, set to the beat of a live band. Snap Judgment LIVE offers a truly unparalleled performative experience — especially for anyone who enjoys storytelling programs like This American Life or The Moth."

"Little Village recently spoke with Washington about how he tells the story of his own life — a story which starts with his upbringing in an apocalyptic cult, the Worldwide Church of God."

Reuters: Jailed Thai ex-monk gets further 16 years for child rape, abduction

"A former Buddhist monk who sparked outrage in Thailand over his lavish lifestyle and is already serving time for fraud was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison on Wednesday for abducting and raping a child."

"Wirapol Sukphol, formerly known by his monastic name of Luang Pu Nenkham, was sentenced in August to 114 years in prison after a court found him guilty of fraud, money laundering and computer crimes."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.

Facebook
Google+
Flipboard

Twitter

Instagram

Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.

Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

Snap Judgment's Glynn Washington on growing up in a cult and how to tell a good story

Glynn Washington

Christopher Spata
Tampa Bay Times
September 25, 2017

Glynn Washington, the creator and host of NPR's "Snap Judgment," will bring his live show to the Tampa Theatre on Sept. 29. Photo courtesy Snap Judgment

Glynn Washington spent much of his last visit to Tampa preparing his soul for the impending apocalypse. He was assured it was coming any day.

More than three decades later, the world's still spinning, the city's still standing and so is Washington, though his life as host of hit public radio show Snap Judgment is a far cry from when his family was entrenched in the Worldwide Church of God.

"One of the things I go back to a lot on the show is that I grew up in an apocalyptic, end of days, Jesus cult," Washington told the Tampa Bay Times. "We had a feast every year called the feast of tabernacles, which meant for a week thousands of people would go to festival sites around the country that the church would pick. One of the top spots was actually Tampa.

"To think that I'll be on a stage near where I was hearing about the end of days just makes me laugh inside."

The stage he'll be on Friday is at the Tampa Theatre, where Washington, plus storytelling masters Jen Kober, James Judd and the experimental soul band Bells Atlas will present Snap Live!

Snap episodes normally open with a personal story from Washington. His escape from that religious sect and his work as a young diplomat in Japan have provided fodder for some of the best. They're followed by several longform tales allowing subjects to speak mostly for themselves, expertly edited by Snap's crack team of young producers into cinematic sagas, all scored by a hip-hop beat.

It has been seven years since Washington beat out more than 1,000 other aspiring public radio producers in a Public Radio Talent Quest. In that time he's often garnered comparisons to Ira Glass, public radio's biggest star and host of This American Life. Both men are expert curators of audio documentaries, and both are known for high standards when shepherding stories to air. But there's a wide gap between their radio personas.

Washington's bubbling, breathless delivery, swirling with colloquialisms, stands alone on public radio. It made for a familiar sound when we caught up with Washington via phone, as he drove from Oakland to Chino, California on his way to interview a story subject .

The Worldwide Church of God was originally named the Radio Church of God. Even as negatively as you've described it, do you think that experience influenced you becoming a broadcaster?

Well, yeah. You run as fast as you can, and get right back to where you started, right? (Church founder) Herbert Armstrong was multimedia before that word existed. He had radio, magazines, TV, newsletters. That aspect of trying to meet people where they are is built into the DNA of Snap, so maybe I do owe Herbert a debt for that. Also, growing up in that organization, you're told you're one of a very select few in all the globe, time and history, and just because you leave doesn't mean that feeling of being special goes away, even though you don't have anything to base it on. It was a tight community, the people in it were for the most part good people trying to do the best they could. Lots of people get hoodwinked by charlatans, and that aspect of life has not changed.

Much like This American Life, each of your episodes has a theme and title. I always wonder if you come up with the theme first and look for stories that fit, or vice versa?

It can be either-or. I see a lot of that as my job on the show. Sometimes we build a theme we want to hit and we're working toward it. Or I'll say, 'How do these things go together?' and it's my job to tie everything up with a bow.

Why do you tell a story from your own life to start the show?

A lot of the point of the personal story is that, yeah, I've had an interesting go of it, but I think that most people have. You'll notice that my stories are not generally some huge, guns-blazing stories. I can tell a story about being in an alley in Tokyo with the gangsters shooting above me, but I've only got a couple of those in me. Real drama is small, granular stories — crossing the street, calling your mom. The point of Snap is you don't have to be some kind of secret agent to have stories that matter.

Has going to the well of your own life every week been a good thing for you?

Absolutely. It has been one of the greatest gifts ever to reexamine the chaste of my own past. What's great about personal storytelling is that most people, if you ask their story, they will tell you a story of trauma, and their story oftentimes stops in that trauma. What's great about going back and telling the story is that you get to put the ending wherever you want. I don't have to be frozen as a 10 year old hiding in a closet or whatever it is. I can take little Glynn and put him in a position of power.

What's more important, the content of the story or the way it's told?

I think both are important. A lot of it is our job as producers. People might not realize that hours and hours of interviews go into a 10 minute story. A lot of our Snap heroes, they're not necessarily pro storytellers, they're just people who have lived amazing lives.

Where do all of these stories come from?

Sometimes they're from a book, or the news, but most of the time they come from this small but amazing team of producers who just talk to a lot of people. The other day I was in the restroom and someone said, 'Hey ain't you that Snap guy?' And he said, 'Hey I have a story I want to tell you about.' I listened to him, and that story is probably going to go on the show.

Are there certain topics that are played out, that Snap just isn't going to do?

There are these tropes in storytelling. If you're going to do a coming out story of any type, it better have some twists and turns, because as a storytelling vehicle it's getting tired. But of course, everyone's coming out story is personal and powerful to them. Another one is the first time someone called me the n-word story. OK, but is that going to really resonate beyond personal, with a national audience?

What should people expect at the live show?

The funk, the soul, the swagger, but on a stage. It's electric. The best storytellers in the world rock it. It's a duet between this amazing band who play in real time live scoring to the storyteller. I promise you will laugh, cry and laugh again, the highs are high and the lows are low.

What's the key to good storytelling?

People think they have to exaggerate themselves, but you want to do the exact opposite 99.9 percent of the time. The best stories come from picking at scabs, that thing you don't want to talk about, that secret you don't want anyone to know about you, that's your story. Leaning into that scab is almost every time where that story is. I don't want to tell the story about me when I wasn't as heroic or as brave or kind as I'd like to envision myself, but that failing is where the real narratives lie. For example, Don Reed came in and was telling a story about his sister, who is trans. He was telling it, and I thought, 'This isn't hitting, I'm not feeling it.' Finally he just said, 'I didn't protect her the way she protected me,' and he sobbed when he said it. Right there we knew we had a story. It ended up being our story of the year.

http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/events/snap-judgments-glynn-washington-on-growing-up-in-a-cult-and-how-to-tell-a/2338725

Snap Judgment's Glynn Washington on growing up in a 'cult' and how to tell a good story

Christopher Spata
Tampa Bay Times
September 25, 2017

Glynn Washington, the creator and host of NPR's "Snap Judgment," will bring his live show to the Tampa Theatre on Sept. 29. Photo courtesy Snap Judgment

Glynn Washington spent much of his last visit to Tampa preparing his soul for the impending apocalypse. He was assured it was coming any day.

More than three decades later, the world's still spinning, the city's still standing and so is Washington, though his life as host of hit public radio show Snap Judgment is a far cry from when his family was entrenched in the Worldwide Church of God.

"One of the things I go back to a lot on the show is that I grew up in an apocalyptic, end of days, Jesus cult," Washington told the Tampa Bay Times. "We had a feast every year called the feast of tabernacles, which meant for a week thousands of people would go to festival sites around the country that the church would pick. One of the top spots was actually Tampa.

"To think that I'll be on a stage near where I was hearing about the end of days just makes me laugh inside."

The stage he'll be on Friday is at the Tampa Theatre, where Washington, plus storytelling masters Jen Kober, James Judd and the experimental soul band Bells Atlas will present Snap Live!

Snap episodes normally open with a personal story from Washington. His escape from that religious sect and his work as a young diplomat in Japan have provided fodder for some of the best. They're followed by several longform tales allowing subjects to speak mostly for themselves, expertly edited by Snap's crack team of young producers into cinematic sagas, all scored by a hip-hop beat.

It has been seven years since Washington beat out more than 1,000 other aspiring public radio producers in a Public Radio Talent Quest. In that time he's often garnered comparisons to Ira Glass, public radio's biggest star and host of This American Life. Both men are expert curators of audio documentaries, and both are known for high standards when shepherding stories to air. But there's a wide gap between their radio personas.

Washington's bubbling, breathless delivery, swirling with colloquialisms, stands alone on public radio. It made for a familiar sound when we caught up with Washington via phone, as he drove from Oakland to Chino, California on his way to interview a story subject .

The Worldwide Church of God was originally named the Radio Church of God. Even as negatively as you've described it, do you think that experience influenced you becoming a broadcaster?

Well, yeah. You run as fast as you can, and get right back to where you started, right? (Church founder) Herbert Armstrong was multimedia before that word existed. He had radio, magazines, TV, newsletters. That aspect of trying to meet people where they are is built into the DNA of Snap, so maybe I do owe Herbert a debt for that. Also, growing up in that organization, you're told you're one of a very select few in all the globe, time and history, and just because you leave doesn't mean that feeling of being special goes away, even though you don't have anything to base it on. It was a tight community, the people in it were for the most part good people trying to do the best they could. Lots of people get hoodwinked by charlatans, and that aspect of life has not changed.

Much like This American Life, each of your episodes has a theme and title. I always wonder if you come up with the theme first and look for stories that fit, or vice versa?

It can be either-or. I see a lot of that as my job on the show. Sometimes we build a theme we want to hit and we're working toward it. Or I'll say, 'How do these things go together?' and it's my job to tie everything up with a bow.

Why do you tell a story from your own life to start the show?

A lot of the point of the personal story is that, yeah, I've had an interesting go of it, but I think that most people have. You'll notice that my stories are not generally some huge, guns-blazing stories. I can tell a story about being in an alley in Tokyo with the gangsters shooting above me, but I've only got a couple of those in me. Real drama is small, granular stories — crossing the street, calling your mom. The point of Snap is you don't have to be some kind of secret agent to have stories that matter.

Has going to the well of your own life every week been a good thing for you?

Absolutely. It has been one of the greatest gifts ever to reexamine the chaste of my own past. What's great about personal storytelling is that most people, if you ask their story, they will tell you a story of trauma, and their story oftentimes stops in that trauma. What's great about going back and telling the story is that you get to put the ending wherever you want. I don't have to be frozen as a 10 year old hiding in a closet or whatever it is. I can take little Glynn and put him in a position of power.

What's more important, the content of the story or the way it's told?

I think both are important. A lot of it is our job as producers. People might not realize that hours and hours of interviews go into a 10 minute story. A lot of our Snap heroes, they're not necessarily pro storytellers, they're just people who have lived amazing lives.

Where do all of these stories come from?

Sometimes they're from a book, or the news, but most of the time they come from this small but amazing team of producers who just talk to a lot of people. The other day I was in the restroom and someone said, 'Hey ain't you that Snap guy?' And he said, 'Hey I have a story I want to tell you about.' I listened to him, and that story is probably going to go on the show.

Are there certain topics that are played out, that Snap just isn't going to do?

There are these tropes in storytelling. If you're going to do a coming out story of any type, it better have some twists and turns, because as a storytelling vehicle it's getting tired. But of course, everyone's coming out story is personal and powerful to them. Another one is the first time someone called me the n-word story. OK, but is that going to really resonate beyond personal, with a national audience?

What should people expect at the live show?

The funk, the soul, the swagger, but on a stage. It's electric. The best storytellers in the world rock it. It's a duet between this amazing band who play in real time live scoring to the storyteller. I promise you will laugh, cry and laugh again, the highs are high and the lows are low.

What's the key to good storytelling?

People think they have to exaggerate themselves, but you want to do the exact opposite 99.9 percent of the time. The best stories come from picking at scabs, that thing you don't want to talk about, that secret you don't want anyone to know about you, that's your story. Leaning into that scab is almost every time where that story is. I don't want to tell the story about me when I wasn't as heroic or as brave or kind as I'd like to envision myself, but that failing is where the real narratives lie. For example, Don Reed came in and was telling a story about his sister, who is trans. He was telling it, and I thought, 'This isn't hitting, I'm not feeling it.' Finally he just said, 'I didn't protect her the way she protected me,' and he sobbed when he said it. Right there we knew we had a story. It ended up being our story of the year.

http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/events/snap-judgments-glynn-washington-on-growing-up-in-a-cult-and-how-to-tell-a/2338725

Korean 'cult' recruiting in Dunedin

Otago Daily Times
May 3, 2017

VIDEO

A South Korean religious group known as Elohim, and described by some as a cult, is operating in Dunedin.

The Roslyn Presbyterian Church, in Highgate, has been the Dunedin headquarters of the World Mission Society of God church since 2012.

It believes Korean founder Ahn Sahng-Hong is an incarnation of Christ.

The South Today has been told the society, using the name Elohim, or the Elohim Training Institute, is approaching people on the University of Otago campus and outside shopping malls.

The group holds regular meetings at the Otago University Students' Association building and according to Critic writer Esme Hall, is recruiting students.

''About a month ago a friend of mine said she'd got baptised into a cult.

''We were all like: `What the heck'.

''She just didn't really know how to say no and ended up getting taken to their church and pretty much baptised in the name of their God.''

And student Izzy Condon said she had also been approached.

''It just felt very invasive, almost intimidating in the way where someone says, `you're wrong' or `the way you think is not right'.''

Canberra-born university lecturer and recognised cult expert Peter Daley, who now lives in South Korea, says universities need to do more to educate students on the presence of cults on campus.

"It can take time for these groups to become known and gain a reputation, and that's the benefit of these transitory front groups," he said.

"The medicine for these kinds of extremist organisations... is to realise you're probably going to encounter these people in-between classes, at shopping centres, in your day-to-day life."

Otago University Students' Association communications manager Katrina McLennan told the South Today in a statement this week: ``I don't believe OUSA has received a formal complaint but please rest assured that this
is being addressed internally.''

A member of the group declined to discuss its activities when approached by the South Today.

- rosel.labone@southtoday.co.nz

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/korean-cult-recruiting-dunedin