Patty Hearst Is Not Happy About the New Projects on Her

Gabriella Paiella 
The Cut
January 12, 2018

Patricia Hearst has spoken out against two new projects about her high-profile kidnapping and ordeal with a guerrilla group, Deadline reports.

The heiress was abducted from her apartment in 1974 by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Over a year and a half later, she was arrested with other members after participating in some of their crimes. Hearst served time in prison, though she maintains she was brainwashed by the group (she was eventually pardoned in 2001).

Her case is the subject of an upcoming CNN docuseries, The Radical Story of Patty Hearst, and an unnamed Fox 2000 film starring Elle Fanning, based on Jeffrey Toobin’s recent unauthorized book,American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst.

Hearst begins her statement by referencing the Golden Globes, particularly Oprah’s speech. “That hit home for me more than you can imagine. It’s no secret that I was abducted, raped, and tortured at 19,” she wrote. “What followed was a series of events that were the direct result of a child having been destroyed both inside and out.”

She particularly took issue with Toobin’s 2016 book — the source material — and referenced the #MeToo movement in her argument against it:

Jeffery Toobin’s unauthorized book, American Heiress, which cites one of my kidnappers as its main source, romanticizes my rape and torture and calls my abduction a “rollicking adventure.” This project is attempting to rewrite history and directly flies in the face of the present #MeToo movement where so much progress is being made in regard to listening, and providing a voice, to those who have suffered abuse.

“I have no interest in revisiting such a violent and hurtful time in my life,” Hearst continued. “Aren’t we living in a better world than this? I sincerely hope the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’”

You can read her full statement here.

Update, 1/12: Fox announced that they dropped the Hearst film on Thursday evening after the statement’s release. “Twentieth Century Fox Film and its production partners have decided to cancel the studio’s planned project based on the book American Heiress,” a spokesperson said, without further explanation.

https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/patty-hearst-speaks-out-against-new-movie-series-on-her.html

Botswana shuts 'miracle' pastor Shepherd Bushiri's church

BBC News

January 10, 2018

Botswana has shut down the church of a controversial Malawian self-styled prophet, who claimed to walk on air.

The government confirmed the closure of Shepherd Bushiri's Enlightened Christian Gathering Church (ECG) in Gaborone, reportedly due to concerns over so-called "miracle money".

Malawi24 reports that the church has appealed against the decision, taken less than a year after he was in effect banned from entering the country.

He had been due to attend a conference.

However, Botswana minister Edwin Batshu announced in April 2017 that Mr Bushiri - who now lives in South Africa - would need a visa to enter, despite Malawians not usually needing one, according to AllAfrica.com.


Who is Shepherd Bushiri?

• Malawi-born "prophet" who now runs churches from Ghana to South Africa
• Claims to have cured people of HIV and brought people back from the dead, South Africa's Mail & Guardian says
• Predicted the UK would split, "states" would fight and it would descend into "chaos", the Maravi Post said in a report
• Appeared to walk on air in a video shared widely on social media
• Told Zimbabwe politician Kembo Mohadi he would get "the crown" before he was named vice-president, according to New Zimbabwe

The government has now announced that the church will be shut for good, with the Botswana Gazette obtaining a letter informing management the "registration" had been cancelled.

The newspaper further reports it was the church's use of "miracle money" - promises of money appearing as if by magic - which broke the country's laws.

Mr Bushiri - who has more than 2.3 million likes on Facebook and filled Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on New Year's Eve - and his church have yet to respond publicly.

The church leader is known as much for his lavish lifestyle as for his successful ministry, which stretches across Africa.

He came under fire last year after it emerged he was charging between 1,000 and 25,000 rand ($80-2,000; £60-1,500) to attend a gala dinner with him, South Africa's News24 reported.



http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42634112

Minister forced kids to work at fish markets, deputies say

Greg Barnes
The Fayetteville Observer
January 9, 2018


Nearly a year ago, two former members of a religious organization near Godwin complained to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office that their minister was forcing children to work in his fish markets for little or no money.

If the children refused to work, John C. McCollum — chief apostle, as he has called himself — would threaten them with physical violence or take away their food, sheriff’s deputies say.

McCollum had been in trouble with the law before. In 1990, Fayetteville police charged him with beating four children so hard with an automotive fan belt that he left scars. McCollum pleaded guilty in that case to misdemeanor child abuse but faced little punishment.

In the years that followed, McCollum moved his organization from a house on Early Street in Fayetteville to isolated land he owns near Godwin that has grown to include several buildings, huts and vehicles. The property is visible from Interstate 95 and accessible by a rutted, sandy road called McCollum Lane. A sign at the entrance proclaims it as McCollum Ranch.

As the compound grew, so too did the complaints of alleged child abuse or neglect against what deputies refer to as an “alternative religious organization.”

Before the latest complaints in February, deputies had gone to the compound at least four times to investigate abuse or neglect allegations since the mid-1990s, said Lt. Sean Swain, the sheriff’s spokesman. Each time, Swain said, no one inside the compound was willing to talk, and no other witnesses would come forward. No one was charged with crimes.

That all changed with the complaint the Sheriff’s Office received in February. After months of staking out the fish markets and the religious compound, the investigation came to a head on Dec. 12, when deputies charged McCollum, 67, and three of the women who worked for him. Six others are being sought. Charges against McCollum include involuntary servitude of children, obtaining property by false pretense and continuing a criminal enterprise.

Arrest warrants list 16 children and young adults as victims, but Swain said investigators believe there were many more over the years.

In addition to making children work in the John C’s Fish Markets with little or no compensation, the Sheriff’s Office says, McCollum and others are accused of fabricating high school transcripts to enroll the youths into Wake Technical Community College and other institutions.

McCollum’s compound had a license for a home school called the Halls of Knowledge, but Swain said there is no indication that children met guidelines for a high school diploma. Many of the children had difficulty reading and writing, he said.

Although a few of the youths and young adults did enroll in online college classes, Swain said, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that McCollum’s organization has received $500,000 in financial aid over the years.

A man at the compound who identified himself as John McCollum Jr. referred questions to his father’s lawyer, Antonio Gerald, who declined to comment at this time.

•••

In the 1980s, John McCollum and some of his disciples operated out of the house on Early Street, off Ramsey Street near Law Road. McCollum appeared regularly on a WIDU radio program designed to promote the interests of black people. McCollum’s father helped found the Fayetteville branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and once served as its president.

McCollum remained prominent in Cumberland County, despite his 1991 conviction for misdemeanor child abuse. After moving what was then the Holy Tabernacle Church from Fayettville to the Godwin property, McCollum and his followers pitched a red and white striped tent in the field and held an annual “Homeless Dinner” on McCollum’s birthday. An estimated 250 people attended in 1995.

McCollum is also a businessman. At various times, he operated fish markets on Murchison Road, Reilly Road, Ramsey Street and in Hope Mills and Lumberton. Since the investigation began, only the market on Reilly Road remains open. McCollum also owned a small trucking company, according to N.C. Secretary of State records, and he operated mobile concession stands, selling fish products at fairs and other events. McCollum’s church established a nonprofit to feed children.

As part of his ministry, McCollum held tent revivals in other states and even other countries, said sheriff’s Sgt. Christy Booyer, the lead investigator in the case.

It was during those revivals, Booyer and Swain said, that McCollum recruited people to live at the compound near Godwin. Investigators were able to document 120 people — probably not counting children — who lived at the compound over the years, Swain said.

Booyer said McCollum recruits “vulnerable people” to become part of the organization and live at his ranch.

But some of the people charged in December were listed as victims in 1990.

“Now they have grown up in this,” Booyer said. “Now it becomes their way of life. If you have nowhere else to go…. It’s very possible that today’s suspects are yesterday’s victims.”

•••

The man who went to sheriff’s investigators in February with a complaint about the compound had lived there for some time, Booyer said. He was with a woman who had been there about six months. Their complaint was soon bolstered by a 15-year-old boy who had run away from the compound, Booyer said.

She said the boy told investigators about how he and his 13-year-old brother were forced to work in the fish markets for more than 40 hours a week. Children, at least one as young as 9, were made to cut, clean and ice the fish, Booyer said, adding that they lifted 50-pound boxes of fish and often cut themselves with the filet knives.

Their compensation, Booyer said, was about $20, if that. McCollum called it an allowance, she and Swain said. They said the boy who ran away told investigators that when he wasn’t working in a fish market, he was required to work on McCollum’s concessions trucks.

Booyer described adults living at the compound as respectful and quiet — so quiet that they refused to say much of anything about their lives or answer questions during the investigation.

But an arrest warrant spells out what investigators believe was happening. Booyer wrote that McCollum locked food away from one victim and took custody of his infant child because “he was not of this world.”

Other witnesses — children mostly — also began to come forward as the investigation expanded. In October, Swain and Booyer said, DSS social workers entered the compound to investigate allegations of child abuse. Deputies accompanied them to provide security, Swain said.

When they arrived, Swain said, they found that many of the children had been removed from the complex. Investigators were told they were taken to a hotel in Harnett County, but Swain said deputies couldn’t locate them.

Emotions rose when DSS entered the compound, Booyer and Swain said.

“This is a delicate situation, any time you are dealing with children and religion,” Booyer said.

Booyer said deputies were able to defuse the situation.

Brenda Jackson, the DSS director, would not comment about the whereabouts of the children or how many are in protective custody. When social workers went to the compound, Swain said, they were looking for about 25 children.

“We have been working closely with law enforcement regarding these arrests to ensure any children identified as meeting the child protective services criteria are safe and receiving proper care,” Jackson said in an email.

McCollum now faces a long list of charges: six counts of involuntary servitude with a child victim, three counts of felony conspiracy, nine counts of obtaining property by false pretense and one count each of falsifying documents and continuing a criminal enterprise.

After his arrest in December, a Cumberland County judge rejected McCollum’s bid to reduce his bail from $1.1 million to $75,000.

Three other people in his organization were also arrested on Dec. 12. Brenda Joyce Hall, the 49-year-old home school coordinator, faces 10 counts of obtaining property by false pretense and single counts of felony conspiracy and falsifying documents.

Pamela Puga Luna, 41, was charged with knowingly allowing a 13-year-old to be placed in a “religious compound where he was denied a formal education and housed in an environment connected with human trafficking.” Unlawfully profiting by forcing a child to work can be construed as human trafficking.

Cornelia McDonald, 44, was charged with continuing a criminal enterprise by holding minors in involuntary servitude by coersion and intimidation and acting in concert with five or more other people.

Deputies had hoped to arrest six more adults from the compound at a DSS hearing Tuesday, but none of the six showed up. Swain said arrest warrants have been issued for Shirley McNatt, Daffene Edge, Kassia Rogers, Irish Williams, Shirmitka McNatt and Earlene Green Hayat.

Williams and Shirley McNatt were convicted of child abuse in the 1990 case and sentenced to probation. Shirmitka McNatt was listed as a victim in that case. She was 9 years old at the time.

No charges of child abuse have been filed in the latest case.

The investigation continues, and Swain said federal authorities may join the case.

McCollum remains in the Cumberland County Detention Center. Booyer said he doesn’t believe he has committed any crimes.

“He doesn’t see where he’s failed,” she said.

Staff writer Greg Barnes can be reached at gbarnes@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3525.

http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20180109/minister-forced-kids-to-work-at-fish-markets-deputies-say

CHINESE SPIRITUAL PRACTITIONER IN ISRAEL FACES DEPORTATION AND PERSECUTION

Falun Gong followers meditate in Hong Kong

JACOB GOFF KLEIN
Jerusalem Post
January 10, 2018

Israeli immigration authorities recognize the threat he faces in China, but refuse to grant him political asylum.

Chinese spiritual practitioner in Israel faces deportation and persecution.


Tel Aviv resident and Falun Gong spiritual practitioner Mr. Yang (his full name wont be disclosed), who applied for political asylum in Israel, faces deportation to China despite Israeli state knowledge that Falun Gong practitioners are persecuted in the People's Republic, the Information Center of Falun Gong reported on Wednesday.

Falun Gong is an eastern religion based on the revival of ancient Chinese traditions that gained popularity in the 90s. The Chinese Communist Party claims the Falun Gong is a threat to the Chinese state and has arrested thousands of practitioners who are known as “prisoners of conscience.”

Israeli immigration authorities have knowledge of the brutal crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners and recognize the threat, but have cast doubt on the Chinese Communist Party’s knowledge that Yang practices the religion. However, UN representatives in Israel who interviewed Yang concluded that he is indeed a devoted practitioner of Falun Gong.

Yang has been living in Tel Aviv for 16 years on a work visa and practicing Falun Gong for 11 years. He studies with a small class of Israelis who have trying to help their friend achieve political asylum.

A similar case was won in Germany when a Falun Gong practitioner won political asylum after a court battle.

If deported to mainland China, Yang could face imprisonment, persecution and torture at the hands of the ruling party.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Chinese-spiritual-leader-in-Israel-faces-deportation-and-persecution-533365

New documents about Jehovah's Witnesses' sex abuse begin to leak out

Trey Bundy
Reveal
January 10, 2018

Dozens of confidential documents apparently leaked from Jehovah’s Witnesses archives appeared online Tuesday, providing a rare window into how the religion’s child abuse policies favor accused sexual predators at the expense of the victims.

FaithLeaks, a group pushing for more transparency in religious organizations, posted the documents in tandem with a story published by Gizmodo.

The documents detail the accusations of two sisters who say they were sexually assaulted by their father when they were growing up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion. One says her father tied her down and molested her. The other says her father raped her repeatedly over a period of years.

Most of the 33 documents are letters between local leaders and the religion’s global headquarters in New York — The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. They show how the alleged perpetrator was able to attend a congregation with one of his alleged victims, in violation of a restraining order, while leaders admonished a member for reporting the violation to police.

The Watchtower’s written policies direct leaders to keep sexual abuse allegations away from authorities and handle them internally, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting has found.

While Reveal could not independently verify the new documents immediately, the details found in them are consistent with dozens of other documented cases. For example:

Face your accuser: Jehovah’s Witnesses elders establish their own tribunals to determine whether members accused of wrongdoing are guilty. Historically, accusers — even those who were still kids – had to confront their abusers face-to-face or else the elders would drop the matter. After being admonished in public hearings into their child abuse policies in Australia in 2015, Jehovah’s Witnesses officials say they have changed that policy. The new letters, which span the late 1990s and 2000s, indicate that elders held off disciplinary proceedings with the alleged abuser because one of his accusers did not want to face him.

The “two-witness rule”: Watchtower policy dictates that without a confession by the abuser or two witnesses to the crime, the elders in the congregation can not take action against the accused. The FaithLeaks documents show that the congregation’s response to the accusations against the alleged abuser was stalled because the accusers did not have two witnesses to the crimes against them.

Child abuse is a confidential matter: The Watchtower does not instruct elders to report child sexual abuse to police. A 2014 memo to elders in all U.S. congregations directs elders to maintain “strict confidentiality” and “avoid unnecessary entanglement with secular authorities” in matters of assault, rape, child abuse and murder. The new documents provide no indication that the Watchtower reported abuse to police.

Repentance goes a long way: According to internal Watchtower documents obtained by Reveal, if a confessed child sexual abuser convinces elders that he feels remorse, he can remain in the congregation, even if that means weekly contact with his victim. Abusers who are removed from congregations for their crimes are sometimes eligible for reinstatement years, or even months, later. According to the new documents, the alleged perpetrator was eventually kicked out of the religion but was later reinstated.

The Watchtower has gone to great lengths to keep its documents on child sexual abuse private. It has spent millions of dollars in recent years fighting, and in some cases violating, court orders to produce a database of known child abusers in its U.S. congregations. Those cases are ongoing.

The database is made up questionnaires that elders are required to submit to Watchtower anytime they report child sexual abusers to headquarters. The documents posted by FaithLeaks do not include any such questionnaires.

FaithLeaks redacted all of the names contained in the letters.

https://www.revealnews.org/blog/new-documents-about-jehovahs-witnesses-sex-abuse-begin-to-leak-out/

Though it was once banned by their prophet, multilevel marketing has caught on in Utah polygamous communities

Stephen Dark
Salt Lake Tribune
January 8, 2018

Colorado City, Ariz. • Dawn Bistline-Cooke and her husband couldn’t pay their power bill. They struggled to afford diapers. Their truck had been repossessed. And at priesthood meetings, leaders of the FLDS Church reminded her husband to contribute up to $1,000 a month toward the storehouse and legal costs of the polygamous sect.

During the week, her husband worked construction jobs out of town while Bistline-Cooke cared for their four children. In search of fun one weekend, she went to a “What Women Want” expo in St. George and found a business opportunity instead: selling appetite-suppressant lollipops called Power Pops.

Bistline-Cooke had a natural network to tap as she joined the multilevel marketing company: She signed up a quarter of her 43 siblings to sell the cherry and piña colada treats and get others to join.

“My sister and I had coffee parties” to promote the lollipops, she said. “That was our social life: Have a coffee party and breastfeed.”

And the $250 to $500 she earned each week helped the family afford “things we were desperate for.”

From the 1970s on, beginning with companies such as Amway, Avon, Tupperware and Mary Kay, one network-marketing craze after another swept through the dusty streets and 15-bedroom houses in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., the traditional home of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

But a few months after Bistline-Cooke began to make money in 2004, FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs brought the community’s networks to a halt, denouncing multilevel marketing from the pulpit for taking money from the church. “Everyone dropped it,” she said.

Today, the Essential Coffee Co. drive-thru in Colorado City offers to add Young Living oils to a take-away coffee for 45 cents — making peppermint, orange and nutmeg drops from the Lehi MLM company one sign of the industry’s resurgence among current and former FLDS members.

For people leaving the church, “It’s the easiest and cheapest way into business,” Bistline-Cooke said. “Especially for moms leaving with kids. They don’t have any means to support themselves and have to stay at home with their young kids.”

For FLDS women, MLM events are a way to stay connected, as many families are departing the towns on orders from Jeffs, who’s been incarcerated since 2011.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/01/08/after-lives-in-reclusive-polygamous-communities-some-utah-women-are-trying-to-build-new-lives-with-the-help-of-multilevel-marketing/

FaithLeaks

FaithLeaks: A "non profit media organization founded on the belief that increased transparency within religious organizations results in fewer untruths, less corruption, and less abuse. The organization provides sources and whistleblowers the technical ability to anonymously submit sensitive documents for use by professional and citizen journalists for starting and expanding news reporting, public commentary, and criticism related to religion."

https://faithleaks.org/

Identity Snatchers: Exposing a Korean Campus Bible Cult

“This book is part of a critical examination of University Bible Fellowship. It gives insight into the structures and methods of this controversial group that’s work is focused on students.” --Dr. Reinhard Hempelmann, Director of the Protestant Centre of Religious and Ideological Issues, Berlin Germany

“I think the book is so important to show that processing UBF is not about criticizing them mainly but about becoming happy, healthy, and whole again.” --Former member

Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ppakEJ

Free online companion: http://ubfriends.net/restunleashed/

Obituary: Josie Zelov

RIP.  Josie Zelov, along with her husband Randy (deceased, 2008), as concerned parents became involved with the Personal Freedom Association (PFA), Philadelphia in the early 1970s. PFA was a local organization associated with the national group, the Citizens Freedom Foundation, which changed its name in 1984 to Cult Awareness Network (CAN). Josie was elected to CAN's national board of directors in 1987 and served until the early 1990s. During this time she served as secretary, treasurer, and chair of the development and publications committees, which developed the CAN logo and CAN's original information brochure. Also during these years she formed the Cult Abuse Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.  In addition, Josie was involved in information, consulting, and referral for families and friends of cult members as well as several interventions and rehab.  She presented educational programs to churches, schools, colleges, and the Junior League, as well as family workshops for CAN national conferences. She received the CAN Achievement Award for her service.  Though inactive since the 1990s, Josie has remained connected to and supportive of ICSA.

 

From obituary published in Main Line Media News on Nov. 19, 2017: Josephine Frank Zelov, wife of deceased Randolph D. Zelov, Sr. of Rosemont, PA and sister of Armin C. Frank Jr., also deceased, died peacefully at the age of 89 on Wednesday, November 8, 2017. Josie was born on March 24, 1928 in Savannah, GA. She is the daughter of Elsie Espy Frank and Armin C. Frank, Sr. of Milwaukee, WI. She graduated from Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, CT. and Connecticut College. In 1950, she married Randolph (Randy) who at the time was a Lieutenant and graduate of the U.S. Navel Academy. They were married for 57 years until his death. In 1966 after Randy’s 26 years of military service, the family settled in Bryn Mawr, PA. Josie raised her family, served as a volunteer in many community organizations: the Junior League, churches, schools, Navy Relief, the Red Cross and many more. She served on the vestry of the Church of the Redeemer and was chairman of the Denbeigh Day Camp, which served inner city and suburban children. She was a member of the Delaware Valley Association of Exceptionalities which served children diagnosed with learning difficulties. Josie also worked for 20 years, with the Cult Awareness Network; serving families and loved ones caught up in high demand groups. She was a board member for six years. Josie was known for her friendliness, enthusiasm, commitment, sincerity, courage, strength, humor, love of life and her dedication to her family. She truly loved interacting and communicating with multiple generations. She was an avid tennis and bridge player, enjoyed different types of stitchery, designed and taught needlepoint and was a lover of art and music. She was a member of Merion Cricket Club, the Acorn Club, the Gulph Mills Club and the St. Andrews Club of Delray Beach, Florida. She spent her summers at Pocono Lake Preserve. Josie was also a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of Pennsylvania. She is survived by her three children, Randolph Jr., Charenton Zelov Drake and Peter, nine grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

Convicted rapist church leader Jeong Myeong-seok soon to be released

Self-proclaimed messiah Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader of religious group 'Providence' is due to be released in February 2018 and it is believed that foreigners visiting the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang could be a recruiting target of the cult organisation.

Leah NA

SBSJanuary 8, 2018

Campaigners have voiced growing concerns about Korean "cult" leader Jeong Myeong-seok, due to be released on parole in February 2018.

Jeong, a leader of the religious group' Providence' - also known as Jesus Morning Star (JMS) is a self-proclaimed messiah and a convicted rapist.
JMS, a 'cult' led by a convicted rapist

Jeong is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for the rape and sexual assault of five women across several Asian countries. The victims were his followers and were told they could be purified by becoming Jeong’s "spiritual brides" and having sex with him.

The JMS organisation has claimed there are 300 affiliated churches and more than 100,000 followers in Korea. It also claims that there are over 10,000 believers around the world and it operates in a number of other countries including Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Taiwan and Japan.

Providence was set up in Australia in 1997 and has founded branches in major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra.

Recruiters are especially active in university campuses and shopping centres, often luring young females by offering them modelling or dancing opportunities, bible study classes or even sports groups.

"The main beliefs of the group are that Jeong is the new Messiah," former Australian church member Liz told SBS The Feed in 2014.

"They said that we are in the position of brides towards God.

"And that were also in the position of brides to Jeong, the leader, as he represents God."
Anti-JMS activist Peter Daley warns "Beware of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics."

Australian Peter Daley is a lecturer in Korea and has been running an anti-JMS website called jmscult.com nearly for 15 years.

The website provides all the English information about how JMS operates and how it indoctrinates people.

Daley witnessed the group's first-hand when he taught English in the Korean county of Geumsan in 2002 and claims they are a cult.

He found that very little information was available in English at that time and that spurred him to follow the issue over a decade.

His journey has not been easy. As reported on by regional Korean news outlet Modern Religion Monthly, and detailed in an interview with Vice Daley has been taken to court by JMS and complains of alleged ongoing harassment, but it didn’t stop him from running the anti-JMS website.



Speaking to SBS Korean Mr Daley warns that Providence will become more be active once Jeong is released next month as it is a huge moment for his followers, who consider him as a god.

“Jeong’s release coincides with the Pyeong Chang Winter Olympics and the organisation traditionally uses big events as a recruitment opportunity, as lots of foreigners come to Korea," he says.

He says it is possible that the church will run a "front" group under the guise of introducing foreign visitors to Korean culture or music and eventually lure them to their church - as he says previously occurred during the 2002 World Cup period.

"In 2002 during the World Cup, they have a few events and 'front' groups," he says.

"They had one group called 'Smile Korea' which just kind of they greeted visitors and try to introduce them to cultural events, music events and sporting activities - that was the first point of entry into the group."

Mr Daley warns people to be cautious "if a group starts as a non-religious setting, then eventually changes to a religious study."

He also says that as well as luring new members in, this tactic serves another purpose.

"It also keeps members busy," says Daley. "Recruitment is one of the goals, but these activities also keep members extremely busy."

"Keeping members keep busy and sleep-deprived is kind of core management style of the group."

Issuing a warning to unsuspecting visitors, Mr Daley says, "If a bible group discloses its name and tells you about its leader, but tells you to keep it as a secret from your family and friends, then you should be careful - because that’s how JMS works."
Activist calls for foreign travel ban against Jeong

Jay Kim in Korea has been an anti-JMS activist for the past 20 years. He was not a former believer himself but says he has witnessed quite a few victims and has a strong belief that Jeong won’t stop running the cult even after his prison term, because the organisation's followers still believe that Jeong is innocent.

"I have met many people," says Kim. "Including 17 victims who were actually raped."

"I also talked to three or four foreign victims - like those who were featured in the Feed's episode - including former believers and their families."

"I think I have met hundreds of people - I couldn't believe their stories at first, but later I realised that these unbelievable stories were something really happened.

"Now I have been working on it for 20 years."

As to what can be done about to regulate the group, Lee says "as this is a matter of freedom of religion there are not many things what the law enforcement can do."

He suggests that if the South Korean government were to forbid Jeong from leaving the county, that would be helpful to prevent future victims.

“There are victims in US like Australia," says Lee. "I wish these victims work together and bring Jeong Myeong-seok to justice but if it is not possible I think we should stop him leaving from Korea at least.

"I think South Korea should ban his travel to overseas to prevent this occurring to other victims."
Australian believers’ father shares his loss

There have been a series of media reports about Australian female victims. Most recently ABC’s current affair program 7:30 reported on an Australian father and the recruitment of his daughter to the secretive Korean religious cult.

Gerry Wagemans told the ABC’s 7.30 that his only daughter, Camilla, was approached by recruiters of the Providence while she was a law student at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Mr Wageman said his family only has a very limited communication with his daughter.

“I’m told that she will come out, eventually. I hope it will be in my lifetime,” he said.

As per the 2014 story by The Feed, the group says it has nothing to hide and that it is just like any other religious group. They say their leader is not a messiah and that the church is not a cult.
Listen SBS Korean's full story (in Korean) via podcast in the audio player above.

https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/korean/en/audiotrack/convicted-rapist-church-leader-jeong-myeong-seok-soon-be-released?language=en

Book Reviews: Rebecca Stott, In the Days of Rain. A Daughter

The Journal of CESNUR

Book Reviews
Rebecca Stott, In the Days of Rain. A Daughter. A Father. A Cult. London: 4th
Estate (Harper Collins), 2017.

Reviewed by Massimo Introvigne, Center for Studies on New Religions,
maxintrovigne@gmail.com

Anti-cult literature is normally repetitious, and rarely of interest for scholars.  “Atrocity stories” by “apostates,” the technical term used by sociologists to
designate angry ex-members who have left groups they regard as “cults,” in
particular, tend to repeat the same clichés. In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott, one of many anti-cult “apostate” books by ex-members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC), deserves, however, more attention. The author is both a well-known novelist and author in unrelated fields and a self-styled apostate from the PBCC, not a frequent combination and one that made her book well supported by publicists and generously reviewed in mainline media.

Read Complete Review (PDF)

For the first time ever, Hildale has a woman and ex-FLDS mayor

BEN WINSLOW
fox13now.com
JANUARY 5, 2018

HILDALE, Utah -- In an historic ceremony before a crowd of hundreds, Donia Jessop took the oath of office, becoming this polygamous border town's first-ever woman mayor.

She's also the first mayor to not be a member of the Fundamentalist LDS Church, which has dominated local politics. Mayor Jessop, an ex-member of the faith, was elected by a narrow majority in November.

"I look forward to working with every single person and to create relationships that haven't been able to be created until now. I'm just excited to do this," she told FOX 13.

Relationship building will be big in her administration, Mayor Jessop said. Changing demographics in Hildale -- once the stronghold of the FLDS Church -- allowed for her and other ex-FLDS members to be elected to city government. Many FLDS faithful have moved out under orders from their leaders as court-ordered reforms to the communal land structure of the town have taken hold.

Still, the mayor said she wanted to work with everyone.

"Repairing relationships, creating relationships," Mayor Jessop said. "Right now, I believe we're really in the relationship stage."

When she was in the FLDS Church, the mayor said, she was told by church leaders who to vote for. Others also pointed that out.

"It's one of the greatest days in the history of this town. To have a real election for people who don't have to be inside the church to be able to serve the city and the community," said Gary Taylor, who lives in Hildale and attended Thursday night's swearing-in ceremony.

Hildale's government has been under a cloud of controversy for years. The U.S. Department of Justice sued it and neighboring Colorado City, Ariz., accusing the town governments of discriminating against non-FLDS members in services. The police department was accused of being loyal to polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. A jury sided with the feds and the towns have been implementing court-ordered changes.

FLDS faithful remain loyal to Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence for child sex assault stemming from underage "marriages."

Mayor Jessop said she wants to make some big changes in the community with the help of the city council, which also includes three new members: Maha Layton, Jvar Dutson and Jerod Nicol. She said the water system needs fixing, the roads need work and she wants fiber optic networks in town to attract new business.

At Thursday's ceremony, Mayor Jessop led the crowd in a singalong. Nodding to everyone in the audience -- FLDS and non-FLDS -- she urged them to stay and mingle.

"My friends, this is our community," she said.

http://fox13now.com/2018/01/05/for-the-first-time-ever-hildale-has-a-woman-and-ex-flds-mayor/

A new generation of L.A. Satanists finds community in blasphemous times

August Brown

Los Angeles Times

January 5, 2018

In November, in the candlelit basement of a house just above the Silver Lake Reservoir, Alexandra James walked over to an altar where her husband, Zachary, waited near a bleached human skull, teeth locked in eternal rictus. From the altar, she lifted a sword and drew points across his chest while a circle of onlookers watched solemnly (well, a few giggled too). An organist played eerie minor key chords and Alexandra turned to face the group.

“On this altar we consecrate swords to direct the fire of our unholy will,” she said. “A human skull, symbol of death. The great mother Lilith created us all, and will destroy us all.”

“Hail Satan! Hail Satan! Hail Satan!” The group chanted back.

The Jameses had planned the ritual as the climax of a low-key house party that included a dozen or so friends associated with ritual magic — artists, writers, rock musicians who freely mingle occult vocabularies (Satanist, coven, witches), none taken too literally. But a bigger moment came a few hours later when word circulated that Charles Manson had died. Far from mourning a man whose crimes burned satanic imagery into the American mainstream, everyone cracked beers in celebration and jammed on psych rock tunes. Bonnie Bloomgarden, the singer for the band Death Valley Girls, joked that Manson’s spirit would be reincarnated as a small dog, and that she’d probably accidentally adopt it.

It was a great night for a heterodox generation of new self-described Satanists who are upending old “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Helter Skelter” stereotypes in service of radical politics, feminist aesthetics and community unity in the divisive time of Trump.

Given the never-ending chaos in American life, when nuclear war seems to many to be just one juvenile presidential tweet away, a coterie of artists are rediscovering Satanism’s imagery and rituals in a city with a long, rich and weird history of contrarian philosophies. Traditionalists might debate if any of it is properly “Satanic” at all; this new take is much more feminist than nihilist, flexibly self-aware and better versed in internet culture than orthodox theology.

“In terms of the aesthetics of the occult, it’s everywhere you look. There are so many young women especially who use occult imagery to define their identity,” said Anna Biller, a director whose 2017 film “The Love Witch” beautifully revamped ’70s Technicolor genre films for our era of wry misandry and new social movements.

“What I’m trying to do is to transform the witch from a figure of male fear and fantasy into a figure of female power and sexuality. For some women it represents healing, for others, raw power, for others, the freedom to be unorthodox or to find their own spirituality outside of the family system,” she said.

“It’s important for women to try to reclaim our images for ourselves.”

That, more than anything, is the animating force behind this new wave of interest in both Satanism and the occult (which are two separate things, sometimes mingled together). If satanic rituals of old were centered on smashing Christian orthodoxy and middle American propriety — or, more basely, taking drugs and getting laid — this form of Satanism explicitly uses a huge range of ideas to give shape to the inchoate rage felt by so many — especially women and other marginalized groups.

These new converts believe that when confronted with so much chaos, one way to make sense of it is to conjure it themselves.

“If you don’t give people some sense of magic and community, you get the Proud Boys,” Alexandra said, referring to the fraternal neo-fascist group created by Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes. Zachary agreed: “People like the Proud Boys have their own social clubs, and that’s black magic. Instead of running away from that, we need to find better ways of organizing ourselves.

In these times, a lot of people want to not feel helpless. And Lucifer was the original rebel angel.— Zachary James

"In these times,” he added, “a lot of people want to not feel helpless. And Lucifer was the original rebel angel.”

Like in any extreme subculture, the definitions and lessons of Satanism have always been fought over (whenever anyone in the scene talks about Satan and magic, it's usually not literal but a metaphor for human potential). Was Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic spiritual thought or Anton LaVey’s atheist Church of Satan the more effective path? Should any of this be a heartfelt religion, or just a psychological tool and a way to needle the pious?

L.A. history is filled with outsiders coming together under the mantle of the occult, an oft-conflated sphere of sometimes-opposing worldviews, which range from atheist Satanism to neo-pagan traditions like Wicca. They left their mark on the city in a variety of ways.

Jack Parsons, an early figure at CalTech and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Lab, was a Thelemite who worshipped at the Ordo Templi Orientis, as did his wife Marjorie Cameron, an artist whose work recently had a retrospective show at MOCA PDC. They followed Crowley’s school of thought, whose main principle is “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will.” Their onetime friend L. Ron Hubbard founded Scientology.

LaVey’s Church of Satan broke with Crowley’s spiritual side and structured itself as a platform for rejecting all supernatural religion. Before the Manson murders, he had a Hollywood contingency that included Sammy Davis Jr. and Mansfield.

Some in the current generation of self-described Satanists seem more flexible on doctrinal disputes, favoring inclusivity, especially for women, often the losers in both traditional religion and radical politics. L.A.’s chapter of the Satanic Temple has a mission statement that promises to “encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will.” In 2015 the temple held a ritual to “demonize” St. Junipero Serra, who founded the brutal early Spanish missions in California.

LaVey wouldn’t approve, but there are also common threads here with young women of color exploring traditions like Santeria or Yoruba beliefs for rebellion and self-care today, including Bri Luna, the black and Mexican Seattle mystic and artist behind the Hood Witch brand, which just received a glowing profile in Vogue.

Ruth Waytz is a magistra in the official LaVey-founded Church of Satan, whose mission is “dedicated to the acceptance of man’s true nature — that of a carnal beast, living in a cosmos that is indifferent to our existence” (it also maintains a hilarious, politically salient Twitter feed). For her, Satanism should also be a corrective to contemporary liberal pieties.

“Our writers, directors, producers, and designers lead the charge on our real-world individualist approach — not some spooky, occultnik mumbo jumbo, which is often anti-Satanic and mired in mysticism,” she said. “LaVey formulated Satanism as a resistance to the collectivist ‘resistance’ of the ’60s. His philosophy is one of individual self-empowerment, of a will to power via the manipulation of the carnal and material world. And sometimes that takes unconventional, controversial forms because Satanists are often the outcasts within their externally-defined social groups.

“Satanism is not now and has never been about seeking inclusion in the herd, but celebrating being apart from it,” she said.

Even among the merely Satan-curious, the imagery seems to be popping up all over art, film and music.

The Jameses’ group — not officially affiliated with any one strain of Satanism — is loosely based around their doo-wop band Twin Temple, which sounds like the Marvelettes if that group had pined after the blessings of Baphomet instead of the boy next door. They got their start playing shows for the music-activist collective Play Like a Girl. Dressed in uniforms of black leather and lace, the couple made quite a striking duo on the town, and soon enough others wanted in on their scene.

“They were these barfly regulars with a Gomez/Morticia Addams vibe. We would riff on all things weird,” said Brent Smith, a novelist who met them at the rock bar Harvard & Stone. He sees their rituals as less of a religion and more of a structure for community and making art.

“It's hard enough inspiring people in L.A. to congregate,” Smith said. “But there's also real philosophy there, and the means to apply it. Rituals keep you accountable to the work you're doing. Satanism doesn't require ideology, and it's ideology that so often kills writing.”

On Halloween, much of the group gathered in the basement of the Hollywood bar Black Rabbit Rose, where a who’s who of modern occultists gathered for rituals, rock shows and talks from the scene’s demimonde elite.

Avant-garde director Kenneth Anger (whose “Lucifer Rising” is a favorite of Satanists and starred eventual Manson family murderer Bobby Beausoleil) took questions from fans like Matt Skiba, the Blink-182 guitarist and Satanist. Noise musician and prominent Satanist Boyd Rice interviewed Karla LaVey (daughter of Anton LaVey) about war stories from the scene’s midcentury heyday. Glenn Danzig, founder of the horror-punk band the Misfits (who recently sold out the Forum for a reunion show), gabbed with fans in the VIP suite and showed off an archive of rare last-days-of-Jayne Mansfield photographs alongside the Lethal Amounts gallery owner Danny Fuentes, who organized the party and often hosts exhibits of transgressive occult-y art.

At the witching hour, Twin Temple performed a full set, capped with a ritual during which it performed an anti-baptism of its coven-mate, the young film director Kansas Bowling. Blood-smeared and stripped down to nearly “sky-clad,” as they put it, Bowling was offered up in service to the goddess Lilith as an avenging angel for crimes against women.

“Some of these men, like Harvey Weinstein, are finally being held accountable for their crimes,” Alexandra yelled at the crowd. “What do you think, shall we burn him at the stake? Or shall we drown him and see if he floats?” The crowd erupted in cheers for both.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-satanism-music-20180105-story.html

One of Us

"Nobody leaves the Hasidic community, unless they're willing to pay the price."

One of Us offers a look into the secretive world of Hasidic Judaism and those who wish to leave that community for a life among the non-religious, whatever the costs. 

Watch One of Us on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80118101

Footsteps

"Whether you are considering leaving the ultra-Orthodox community or have already begun a new life in the secular world, there is a place for you at Footsteps. We offer programming and resources for people at any stage of the journey. We also welcome formerly ultra-Orthodox people who would like to help others considering or actively making the transition."

"Footsteps is the only organization in North America that assists people who wish to leave the ultra-Orthodox community. Based in New York, Footsteps provides a range of services, including social and emotional support, educational and career guidance, workshops and social activities, and access to resources. Thanks to Footsteps, former ultra-Orthodox Jews have a safe, supportive, and flourishing community to turn to as they work to define their own identities, build new connections, and lead productive lives on their own terms."

https://footstepsorg.org/

ICSA's 2018 Annual Conference

The International Cultic Studies Association's (ICSA) 2018 Annual Conference is in Philadelphia, PA. July 5-7; preconference events July 4 detaila are now available online, including registration, agenda, speakers, abstracts, hotel, etc.

Conference details: http://www.icsahome.com/events/conferenceannual 

Meditation is common across many religious groups in the U.S.

DAVID MASCI AND CONRAD HACKETT

Pew Research Center
January 2, 2018

In popular culture, meditation often is associated with Eastern spirituality and its secular offshoots, such as mindfulness. But substantial shares of Americans of nearly all religious groups – as well as those who have no religious affiliation at all – say they meditate at least once a week.

Americans tend to say they meditate regularly (40% do so at least weekly) or rarely, if at all (45% seldom or never do). There’s not much middle ground – only 8% say they meditate once or twice a month and only 4% say they do so several times a year. But these figures vary widely among different U.S. religious groups.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many Buddhists and substantial numbers of Hindus say they meditate regularly, according to Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study. Indeed, two-thirds of Buddhists and one-third of Hindus in the survey say they meditate at least once a week. (An earlier Pew Research Center survey of Asian Americans, which was conducted in several Asian languages and included a different question about meditation, produced a much smaller estimate of the share of Buddhists who meditate regularly.)

At the same time, many Christians, including 49% of evangelical Protestants, 40% of Catholics and 55% of members of the historically black Protestant tradition also say they meditate once a week or more, according to the Religious Landscape Study. Among some smaller Christian groups, the share of self-described meditators is somewhat higher. Six-in-ten Mormons and 77% of Jehovah’s Witnesses say they meditate at least once per week. Both Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged by their churches to meditate.

Within Christianity, the practice of meditation or silent contemplation dates back to the Desert Fathers (early Christian monks and nuns who sought God in the quiet and solitude of the Egyptian wilderness) during the first centuries after the death of Jesus. Today Christians of various traditions still encourage meditation as a means to try to get closer to God. Eastern-style meditation, by contrast, generally involves clearing the mind.

Some Christians and others may think of meditation as a form of prayer, given that there can be some overlap between the two practices. In addition to the question about meditation, the survey asked separately about prayer, finding that the more often someone prays, the more likely they are to say they meditate. Among those who say they pray at least weekly, for instance, 50% say they meditate regularly. By contrast, among those who rarely pray (less than a few times a month or never) only 17% say they meditate.

Roughly a quarter (26%) of religiously unaffiliated Americans – defined as those who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – also say they meditate regularly. Even among self-described atheists, about one-in-five (19%) meditate weekly or more often, an indication that not all people who meditate do so for religious reasons.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/02/meditation-is-common-across-many-religious-groups-in-the-u-s/

'Don't step out of line': Confidential report reveals how Chinese officials harass activists in Canada

'They said if this (critical) story comes out in the Canadian press, then you are responsible for the life of your relatives'
Tom Blackwell

National Post

January 5, 2018

At home in Ontario, his activism barely raised an eyebrow.

But when a quiet-spoken Chinese dissident travelled to the country of his birth last year, security officers shadowed him for weeks, booking hotel rooms next to his, even following him to breakfast.

Before he left, they also had a disturbingly direct message: Stop condemning the Chinese government to Canadian media, or the family he had come to visit would face the consequences.

“They said if this (critical) story comes out in the Canadian press, then you are responsible for the life of your relatives,” he recalls.

According to a confidential report submitted to the federal government earlier this year — not yet released to the public — it’s just one example of a sweeping intimidation campaign by Chinese officials against activists here in Canada.

The product of a coalition led by Amnesty International Canada, the report catalogues harassment ranging from digital disinformation campaigns to direct threats.

Targets include Canadian representatives of what the Chinese sometimes call the five “poisons”: the Uyghur Muslim minority, independence-minded Tibetans, Taiwanese, democracy advocates and, especially, the Falun Gong.

“This is not just a matter of occasional and sporadic incidents,” said Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty Canada, one of the organizations behind the report, along with groups representing Chinese religious, human-rights and ethnic minorities in this country. “There is a consistent pattern … a troubling example of a foreign government being very active in Canada in ways that are undermining human rights.”

The threats also seem to be working. The report, which comes just as the Liberal government and business leaders strive for closer economic ties with China, notes a “significant chilling effect” on human-rights activism among Chinese-Canadians.

That includes the Ontario dissident interviewed for this story, who agreed to speak only on condition of total anonymity, and has ceased activism since his trip.

Among those who continue to speak out are Falun Gong organizers. And as recently as last month, emails making grandiose claims about the group — that their leader was “the greatest God in this world, exceeding any others including Jesus Christ” — were sent to members of Parliament. The missives also claimed that MPs such as Liberal Judy Sgro were being featured in the group’s posters.

The emails were purportedly from Falun Gong practitioners themselves, but according to organizer Grace Wollensak, they had nothing to do with the group, and clearly echo Beijing’s propaganda campaign against it.

Seen as a threat to communist party control, China banned the Falun Gong in 1999, and has allegedly jailed, tortured and killed countless practitioners since. Although Chinese authorities often call it an “evil cult,” Canadian experts have described Falun Gong as a new, loosely organized religion emphasizing meditation and “profoundly moral” teachings.

When the fake emails began to arrive a few years ago, says Wollensak, they were easily traced to accounts in China. They’re harder to track now, and some politicians are unaware they are not from Falun Gong.

“It’s really an attempt to disparage the Falun Gong’s followers,” says Sgro, who chairs a parliamentary “friendship” committee with the organization (and keeps getting the emails).

Over the last decade or so, city councilors, mayors and other politicians have certainly tried to quash Falun Gong commemorative events or protests, often under pressure from local Chinese consulates. The former mayor of Vancouver, for instance, publicly ordered the group to stop protesting outside the local consulate in 2006.

Uyghurs in Canada, who number about 2,000, have faced more insidious intimidation, says community leader Mehmet Tohti.

The Muslim ethnic group is at the centre of unrest in China’s Xinjiang region, with human-rights groups accusing Beijing of repressive crackdowns in response to calls for independence and alleged terrorist acts.

Tohti, who founded the Uyghur Canadian Association, believes he too has been shadowed by Chinese agents in Toronto. And he says telephoning kin back home can land them in prison.

When he rang a distant relative two years ago, for example, “immediately she was put in police custody.” “It was in February and she was put outside for two hours,” says Tohti. “They’re punishing me and forcing me to stop doing what I’m doing.”

Experts say such tactics form part of a larger push to influence and monitor Chinese-Canadians, Chinese citizens who study here and Canadian society as a whole — a project active in many other countries, too — that has reportedly swelled under leader Xi Jinping.

The groups behind the report — presented to Global Affairs Canada, RCMP and CSIS officials at meetings in September — want Canadian authorities to take a more coordinated, aggressive approach to the harassment.

Adam Austen, a spokesman for Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, declined to comment on the broad-ranging report, saying the department does not talk about “specific cases.”

But he says any attempt by a foreign government to improperly influence or harass Canadians is taken seriously. “In instances where unacceptable activities by foreign diplomats do occur, appropriate action is taken, up to and including rendering the diplomat ‘persona non grata.’”

One Chinese official accused of harassing Falun Gong was blocked from renewing Canadian credentials. Another was successfully sued for libelling the group. But activists say they are unaware of any Chinese diplomat actually declared persona non grata.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, activists suggest the long arm of China continues to punish dissents in Canada. Former Miss Canada Anastasia Lin is acutely aware of the collateral damage from criticizing China: After speaking to Canadian media about China’s oppression of the Falun Gong, she was barred from the 2015 Miss World contest in Sanya, and says her father, still living in China, has been intimidated repeatedly by police.

Lin also revealed to the Post that her pageant sponsor — a Toronto dress shop owned by a Chinese-Canadian — dropped her after receiving an admonishing email from the local consulate.

“Most of the Chinese here would have business ties or family back in China, and that itself is holding everything they have in China hostage,” she says. “So people here don’t step out of line.”

http://nationalpost.com/news/world/confidential-report-reveals-how-chinese-officials-harass-activists-in-canada-there-is-a-consistent-pattern

Inside 5 of the most infamous cults in American history

ABC 13 News
January 04, 2018

Nearly 25 years have passed since the horror in Waco, yet many still wonder how a cult like the Branch Davidians and leader David Koresh could hold such incredible influence over its followers.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a cult is a religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader, like Koresh.

Here's a closer view of five of the best known cults in the United States, and the story of how their converts showed incredible devotion to beliefs outside the mainstream, often with deadly and horrifying consequences.

JONESTOWN - November 18, 1978

Reverend Jim Jones was embraced by African-Americans after his fiery speeches on racial equality in America. From the 1950's until the end of "The People's Temple" in 1978, Jones was seen as a beacon of peace across the racial divide and a leading advocate for socialism.

But when Jones moved hundreds of cult members to "Jonestown" in Guyana, where he and followers believed they could create a "socialist paradise," concerned family members garnered the attention of California Congressman Leo Ryan.

The congressman sought to investigate whether some cult members were being held against their will, as relatives suggested. When Ryan traveled to Guyana to meet with Jones, he was ambushed on a plane by the reverend's followers, and died after being shot repeatedly in the body and face.

Fearing retribution for the congressman's death, Jones led 918 followers into a mass murder-suicide known now as the "Jonestown Massacre" on November 18, 1978. Most died by drinking cyanide mixed with Kool-Aid. The reverend, however, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

THE MANSON FAMILY - 1967-1969

Ex-convict and singer-songwriter Charles Manson was able to woo followers, especially women, into a non-religious cult that believed a race war known as "Helter Skelter" was imminent.

Manson, who described Scientology and Satanism as influential to his beliefs, told those who joined The Manson Family cult that when the African-American rebels won the war, they would be elevated by the survivors to lead the survivors in the United States.

As leader of The Manson Family, Charles influenced the murders of nine people in California, including the murder of actress Sharon Tate and four others in her home. The family also was involved in a number of crimes, including the plotting of an attempted assassination of President Gerald R. Ford.

Charles Manson was sentenced to death for his crimes, but because California banned the death penalty, he lived in prison for decades before he died on November 19, 2017.

BRANCH DAVIDIANS - 1959-1993

Formed by charismatic leader David Koresh after his expulsion from the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Branch Davidians shared a belief that the end of the world was drawing near.

Koresh, recognized often for his musical talents on the guitar, believed he was a messiah who spoke the true word of God. He also believed all women were his spiritual wives, resulting in multiple relationships with women in the cult, married and single alike.

Members stockpiled weapons at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, preparing for the pending apocalypse. They also caught the attention of ATF agents, who attempted to raid the compound on February 28, 1993, for alleged weapons violations.

An intense gun battle ensued, killing four agents along with six Branch Davidian members. The incident sparked a 51-day standoff that would come to a deadly conclusion on April 19, 1993.

When negotiations stalled following the release of 19 children, the FBI and state authorities moved in on the compound with tanks firing tear gas. As television cameras carried live pictures on cable and network news, a major fire erupted inside the compound as the Branch Davidians set the compound ablaze.

In the end, 76 people were killed in the building. Investigators determined those who did not perish in the fire died of gunshot wounds or from being crushed when a concrete wall collapsed.

HEAVEN'S GATE - 1974-1997

Finding meaning through the cosmos and extraterrestrial life, former University of St. Thomas (Houston) professor Marshall Applewhite led dozens of people in a cult known as "Heaven's Gate."

Launching the society in 1974 after a near-death experience, Applewhite and his followers believed the end of Earth was near, and that the planet was going to be "recycled."

As a result, believers were prepared to leave Earth by boarding a spaceship that was trailing the Hale-Bopp Comet. But in order to leave, followers had to make the ultimate sacrifice by shedding their earthly bodies.

After drinking a mix of cyanide, pineapple juice and vodka on March 26, 1997, 39 people died, including Applewhite, in Rancho Santa Fe, California. When police found their bodies, the members all wore black clothing, matching armbands and tennis shoes.

Before the group committed suicide, their website was updated to read: "Hale-Bopp brings closure to Heaven's Gate ... Our 22 years of classroom here on planet Earth is finally coming to conclusion -- "graduation" from the Human Evolutionary Level. We are happily prepared to leave "this world" and go with Ti's crew."

WARREN JEFFS FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCH - 2006

Formed by leader Warren Jeffs as a breakoff sect, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints had one fairly obvious difference from believers of the Mormon faith: its practice of polygamy.

Jeffs, who was excommunicated by the church for polygamy, watched as his church membership swelled to more than 10,000 members in Arizona, Utah and Texas.

Amid allegations of ongoing and far-reaching incest and sexual misconduct with minors inside the church, federal officials raided Jeffs' Eldorado, Texas ranch in 2008.

Evidence led investigators to charge Jeffs on multiple counts for sex crimes against children. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, to be served consecutively.


http://abc13.com/religion/inside-5-of-the-most-infamous-cults-in-american-history-/2859622/

Javier Wolcoff About Kabbalah Center

Javier Wolcoff About Kabbalah Center

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SNKgtZ31kmUzXZBdOfChIjSqz9t2VRCr/view

Avatar Uncovered: Exposing the Inner Workings of the Avatar Course

"We are a platform dedicated to investigating and exposing the inner workings of the Avatar Course, the Stars Edge Network, the Advanced Intern Program and Stars Edge International."

"The information, education and support we provide is suitable for ex-members, Avatar Masters who are questioning, potential students who are considering the Avatar Course, public awareness, journalists, law enforcement, professionals, and concerned friends, family and loved ones."

"We strongly believe that our investigation, and information shared on this site is absolutely critical and that this type of in-depth study and exposure is in the public interest. We aim to provide an alternative view of Avatar than what is merely shared in their marketing materials and current perspectives of Avatar Masters."

https://avataruncovered.is/who-are-we/

Peter Popoff: Miracles or manipulation?

DARREN CUNNINGHAM

Fox 17

January 5, 2018

WEST MICHIGAN -- Steve Lyles said he found letters written by his father to Peter Popoff Ministries. He described them as heartbreaking letters that detailed his father's desperation to beat stage IV cancer. Lyles said Popoff promised his father he'd live another hundred days with only one catch, and that was to send Popoff money.

You may have seen Popoff's commercials. Peter Popoff Ministries promises 'miracle water' and other items that can heal your body or cause you to reap financial blessings.

Lyles said, "He was claiming that if you send him enough money that he's got a miracle phone line to God, and he can just pick up this phone line, talk to God and you'll be cured as long as you send him enough money."
​
Lyles said his father, Vernon, received a money pouch and a plastic glove from Popoff.

"And that if you rub it over your body and send [Popoff] money, you'll be cured. I don't think God works that way," Steve Lyles recalled.

He said his dad, who lived in Rothbury, was diagnosed with prostate cancer 6 years ago.

"Earlier this year [2017], we discovered that it went to stage IV," he said.

Lyles said desperation set in for his father as Vernon learned he had months to live. Vernon Lyles sent Popoff more money before passing away months ago.

"We're still getting letters for this guy to have money sent to him for my father. So my father can be cured," Lyles said.

Lyles said his brother made the initial discovery of their dad's communication with Popoff Ministries when checking his father's mail. The brothers learned their father had sent about $70.

"I reached out to you just to let everybody know that this is going on and for those of us that have elderly and sick parents, we've got to watch out for this. My dad and I were best friends and he never told me," Lyles said.

The FOX 17 Problem Solvers called and left a message for Popoff Ministries. An online search reveals numerous complaints and accusations of Popoff being a charlatan. In the mid 80s, Johnny Carson aired a segment exposing one of Popoff's alleged schemes. He then declared bankruptcy and listed nearly 800 creditors, but Popoff made a comeback in the 90s.

"I don't know how he lives with himself," Lyles said.

"All that he is is someone who's looking for people who are in their last hours, grasping at straws, looking for anything to stay alive a little bit and sucking money out of 'em," he added.

John Masterson, with the Better Business Bureau said, "These guys know how to hit the pressure points and sell it hard, and they're hoping that you really don't look into it or think about it or consider what you're doing and just write a check."

So before sending any money the BBB has a suggestion.

"Always just take a second, research, think about it, and then make your decision," Masterson suggests.

Again, Lyles said his brother checked his father's mail and made the discovery that he'd been writing Popoff. It's a warning to be aware of what your loved ones may be doing.

http://fox17online.com/2018/01/05/miracle-or-manipulation/

Attorney for David Koresh during Waco standoff reflects on seige's 25th anniversary

Elissa Rivas
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) 
January 04, 2018

Like most, Houston-based attorney Dick DeGuerin first heard of David Koresh through a newscast.

"I didn't know anything about the Branch Davidians until the afternoon of February 28, 1993," DeGuerin recalled.

That was the day federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tried to serve warrants at their compound. Four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians died in the violent shootout.

A quarter century later, DeGuerin remains critical of how the ATF conducted the initial raid and how the Federal Bureau of Investigation chose to end the standoff.

"Some men lost their lives and they shouldn't have," said DeGuerin.

As for DeGuerin's involvement in the incident that rocked 1993, he was hired by Branch Davidian leader David Koresh's mother, Bonnie Haldeman.

"My job, as I saw it then --and I still see it, was to show that the Davidians were protecting themselves from excessive force," DeGuerin said.

He met with Koresh five times during the standoff and says though federal agents were worried Koresh and his group would kidnap DeGuerin, he believed it was Koresh who was most in danger.

"I said, 'It's good that you're not showing yourself at the window, because there's snipers out there and they could very easily take you out,'" DeGuerin recalled saying to Koresh.

At the time, DeGuerin described Koresh to reporters as 'bright, cheerful, very lucid' and today is still convinced Koresh would have surrendered had the FBI been more patient.

However, on day 51 of the standoff, the FBI launched tear gas into the compound and a fire later started, killing dozens of Branch Davidians, including many children.

"By the time I got there, it was over, burned to the ground," said DeGuerin.

After the seige had ended, DeGuerin went to the jail to ask the survivors critical questions, but says he wasn't convinced Koresh had intended the incident to be a suicide.

"I don't believe Koresh or any of the others wanted to die," DeGuerin said.

During a recent trip back to the property, DeGuerin took a walk on the gravel road to what used to be the compound.

"My boots were crunching on the gravel but then they started crunching on a metallic sound, hundreds if not thousands of expended shells from the ATF," DeGuerin said of the property, so many years later. "The evidence was still there."

Though more than two decades have passed, DeGuerin says the incident is still worth talking about today.

"The more the public knows about how horrible what happened in Waco was, the better chance it's not going to happen again," he said.

http://abc13.com/society/attorney-unconvinced-waco-cult-leader-david-koresh-wanted-to-die/2863044/

The rise and rise of the ‘spiritual’ economy in 2017: From Patanjali to Sri Sri Tattva

Gurbir Singh
Express News Service
January 1, 2018

Lest we forget, 2017 was also the year of godmen. Yoga and spiritualism have come a long way. Thirty years ago, for the westernised elite, it was associated with outlandish sadhus in the Himalayas and ‘Hare Ram’ was a fad that the Beatles pursued with Maharishi Yogi. Today, spiritualism is going through a renaissance and yoga is the new route to both mental and physical wellness.

Tantrics and godmen have always had a place in the economy. Earlier, they had sold products like amulets and herbal concoctions. But these are small change compared to the current multi-billion dollar market for ‘organic’ products of daily use like soaps, branded ‘atta’ and noodles.

The new tribe of spiritual entrepreneurs is tapping the world-wide rejection of processed foods and the new focus on health. The wellness industry worldwide is estimated to be worth $3.4 trillion, and three times the size of the pharmaceutical industry.

The Patanjali story

No one has succeeded in growing the ‘spiritual economy’ as Baba Ramdev has. Brand Trust Report India 2017 declared Patanjali as the most attractive brand in India among 10,000 brands vetted in the study. From yoga guru, Baba Ramdev has moved rapidly to become the third-largest producer of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG).

His company Patanjali Ayurved Ltd claims to have doubled sales from Rs 5,000 crore in FY16 to Rs 10,216 crore in FY17. With a range of products including soaps and toothpaste, atta, hair oils amla juice oil, biscuits and noodles, Patanjali hopes to cross Rs 20,000 crore in sales in FY18.

Baba Ramdev’s rise

Patanjali has reportedly surpassed the revenue of FMCG majors such as Nestle India,Godrej Consumer Products  and Dabur, clocking 140 per centgrowth rate

Ramdev’s marketing has focused on India’s yen for discovering grandmother’s natural remedies. Patanjali is said to have surpassed the revenue of other FMCG majors such as Nestle India (Rs 9,159 crore), Godrej Consumer Products (Rs 9,134 crore) and Dabur (Rs 7,691 crore). It has clocked a heady 140 per cent growth rate, in a market where competitors struggle to reach double-digit growth.

The new marketers

The latest to join the race for a slice of the Rs 4.2 lakh crore FMCG market is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the ‘Art of Living’ fame. He has announced that his wellness brand Sri Sri Tattva will target a turnover of Rs 500 crore by FY20 through three formats of retail stores - Mart, Wellness and Home & Health - offering a range of FMCG products, prescription medicine and Ayurveda items. The company plans to roll out 1,000 franchised stores by March 2020.

Critics say the meteoric growth of spiritual entrepreneurs may not have been possible without government support. A Reuters report estimates that since the Modi government took office in 2014, Baba Ramdev has acquired about 2,000 acres of land at discounts totalling around Rs 300 crore. In Uttar Pradesh, Patanjali has bagged a Rs 700-crore midday meal contract for government schools. There are muted protests among other FMCG giants that that they are not on a level playing field.

Old babas vs new-age gurus

Babas of yesteryear were billionaires many times over, but they were not manufacturers and retailers. Dhirendra Brahmachari and Chandraswami of the Congress era had millions of followers as well as politicians funding them. But, the new era spiritualists are for erecting well-oiled corporate machines selling wellness and spirituality products.

While Ramdev has already given the consumer goods giants a run for their money, competition between the established brands and new entrants is likely to intensify with Ravi Shankar too entering the fray.
On the flip side, there are some like the disgraced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh ‘Insan’ who have given a bad name for spiritual entrepreneurs.

Ram Rahim had set up not only hospitals and schools, but also retail chain and e-marketing websites commanding a huge market. In January 2016, he had launched a huge marketing blitz, putting on sale 400 products under brand ‘MSG’.  These included 14 varieties of pulses, dozens of grocery items, and a whole spectrum of salt, ghee, spices, honey, mineral water, and noodles. Many of these products have disappeared and it is not known whether his marketing machinery exists after his conviction and incarceration.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/jan/01/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-spiritual-economy-in-2017-from-patanjali-to-sri-sri-tattva-1741392.html