The photo that has the Brethren flock all atwitter

David Estcourt and Kishor Napier-Raman

The Age

April 9, 2024

Our friends at the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, once known as the Exclusive Brethren, have always had an elevated estimation of the value of their leader.

Bruce Hales is a businessman who once sold office furniture before realising how much more lucrative it was just to sell religion.

His followers have a bunch of names for him: the Man of God, the Elect Vessel, the Paul of Our Day. They say of him that he is “so close to the Lord Jesus that he can feel his heartbeat”.

As such an ethereal being, Hales takes great pains to avoid being photographed. So it caused huge agitation within his little sect when, in the wake of an ATO raid on a company run by some of the church members, our colleagues recently published the first fresh photograph of Hales seen in decades.

There he is, preaching, surrounded by his white-shirted colleagues – all blokes, not a woman in sight. They refer to themselves as the “saints”, but if that’s what heaven looks like, we at CBD are delighted to be going to another place.

Anyway, the appearance of the pic has generated feverish discussion within the Brethren about how it came to be in the hands of reporter Michael Bachelard. Text messages obtained from one such internal debate suggest we offered – wait for it – $1 million for it.

Now, Hales might well be, as the Brethren believe, the Minister of the Lord in the Recovery of the Truth, but he’s worth nothing like that. We can reveal exclusively that the photo came to us from a disgruntled member of his flock. Gratis.

And we wouldn’t have paid a cent for it.

https://www.watoday.com.au/cbd/the-photo-that-has-the-brethren-flock-all-atwitter-20240408-p5fi8i.html

Megachurch pastor wanted by FBI for sex trafficking issues conditions for surrender

Anugrah Kumar

Christian Post

April 08, 2024

A controversial Filipino megachurch Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, sought by the U.S. for child sex trafficking, has set forth conditions for his surrender in the Philippines, demanding assurances against extradition, amid charges against him in both countries. The 73-year-old pastor is accused of asking women to “sacrifice” their bodies to the “appointed son of god” and raping them.

The U.S. Justice Department, in 2021, accused Quiboloy, the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church in the Philippines, of sex trafficking girls and women aged 12 to 25 as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” who were allegedly coerced into sexual relations with him. Concurrently, the Philippine justice department has charged him with sexual abuse and other related offenses, including qualified human trafficking and child abuse acts.

Quiboloy’s demands for surrender include a written assurance from the Philippine government, ensuring no U.S. interference or extraordinary rendition, AFP reported Sunday. He expressed his preference to face legal proceedings in his homeland rather than be subjected to American jurisdiction, citing national sovereignty in his legal battle.

“Unless you give me the guarantee I’m looking for, you won’t see me. Go ahead and manhunt me,” Quiboloy was quoted as saying on a YouTube video. “I’d rather die at the hands of the Filipinos, for my blood to spill here in my country, than to die at the hands of the American authorities who are overseas, in their country.”

The pastor’s legal troubles in the Philippines intensified with the change in administration. Quiboloy claimed that the current government under President Ferdinand Marcos has collaborated with U.S. agencies like the FBI and CIA to facilitate his extradition.

Testimonies from alleged victims have surfaced, detailing the extent of the abuse within Quiboloy’s church.

During a senate probe, three women, under pseudonyms, recounted years of sexual abuse by Quiboloy. Their testimonies painted a grim picture of manipulation and exploitation, with Quiboloy allegedly using his spiritual authority to coerce them into sexual acts, under the guise of divine mandate.

South China Morning Post reported that the pastor had been accused of repeatedly raping women and telling them to “sacrifice” their bodies to the “appointed son of god.” He reportedly had about 200 “pastorals,” many of them Ukrainian girls and women.

The church, claiming millions of followers globally, has been under scrutiny, with its leader’s actions casting a shadow over its operations. Quiboloy’s indictment in the U.S. and the subsequent charges in the Philippines have brought to light the alleged systemic abuse and exploitation within the church’s ranks.

Quiboloy’s ties with political figures, including former President Rodrigo Duterte, have also come under scrutiny.

Quiboloy’s past is marred with controversies, including a 2018 incident where he was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii, for smuggling large sums of money and weapons.

Quiboloy, who is a former member of the United Pentecostal Church, founded the Restorationism church in 1985 after he said he received a calling from God. According to Asia Times, he claims God came to his mother in the form of a cloud after he was born, and declared, “That’s my son.” Since then he has grown wealthy.

He argued in a 2010 interview with ABC News that every member of his kingdom shared his wealth and is welcome to stay at his mansion. He further claimed that God revealed to him in 1983 that he should own a jet and said everyone should accept what they get from God in life, even if it is poverty.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-accused-of-sex-trafficking-sets-surrender-conditions.html

Cult Mediation

Cult mediation is a process designed to help individuals who have been involved with cults, or their families and friends, to understand and effectively respond to the complex issues surrounding cult involvement. The process often involves:

• Initial Evaluation: A preliminary discussion to understand the situation and determine if mediation is appropriate.
• In-depth Assessment: Gathering detailed information about the group in question, its beliefs, practices, and the individual’s experience within it.
• Recovery Assistance: Providing support and resources for those affected by cults, including counseling and therapy from professionals who specialize in this area.

The goal of cult mediation is to assist individuals in making informed decisions and transitioning away from coercive influence towards renewed individual choice. It’s a sensitive and careful approach that emphasizes education, strategy, and awareness of modern norms. If you or someone you know needs assistance with cult mediation, it’s important to reach out to professionals who have experience in this field.

cultmediation.com

OneTaste isn’t an ‘orgasm’ sex cult — but a ‘wellness’ company like SoulCycle, Crossfit, attorney claims despite bombshell grooming allegations

Kyle Schnitzer

NY Post

April 4, 2024

Alleged “orgasm cult” OneTaste is actually just a “wellness” company like SoulCycle and Crossfit, an attorney for the controversial group’s glamorous founder argued in Brooklyn federal court Thursday.

Lawyer Julia Gatto claimed the feds don’t have a case against her client Nicole Daedone — accused of grooming members into having sex with investors and clients for more than a decade — because her “scientifically backed” business was totally legitimate.

“People who take the classes do the training. Many of them become practitioners,” Gatto told Judge Diane Gujarati about the company, which promoted “orgasmic meditation” for women.

“Many of them become practitioners, and then just like any other successful wellness business like SoulCycle or Crossfit, they meet, and they’re like-minded people. They’re elevating their practice — they join together.”

The attorney also claimed that OneTaste occupies the same “space” as yoga and meditation by helping people hone their craft.

Prosecutors have argued that Daedone and her former head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, ran the business like a cult by recruiting victims with prior trauma and promising to fix their sexual dysfunction.

The duo allegedly forced members and employees into debt and subjected them to “economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse” through “surveillance, indoctrination and intimidation” to get free work out of them, according to the indictment.

In her effort to persuade the judge to toss the case, Daedone’s attorney on Thursday argued prosecutors misrepresented the business — and that the alleged victims joined of their own accord.

“This isn’t membership in some secret society,” Gatto quipped. “This is a community developed around like-minded people who are introduced.”

She accused the feds of “conjuring up victims” to bolster was she argued was a weak case, claiming case agents had started re-interviewing people who had previously said they weren’t victims of the alleged scheme.

“There is actually is no meat to the bones of this case,” Gatto later said.

Daedone and Cherwitz have been charged with forced labor conspiracy for the alleged scheme, which purportedly ran for 14 years until it ended in 2018.

The pair, who pleaded not guilty last year, were present for the hour-long hearing, but didn’t comment.

Cherwtiz’s attorney, Jenny Kramer, argued that the brevity of the indictment — a mere 14 paragraphs — was light considering it took five years before the charges were unselaed in June 2023.

Federal prosecutor Lauren Howard Elbert told the court that Daedone and Cherwitz’s alleged manipulative tactics and techniques will be presented as evidence through witness testimony at trial, which is slated to begin in January 2025.

Elbert wrote in court papers the feds had “summaries of portions of witness statements given by over 20 witnesses and identified each of the witnesses.”

The judge didn’t rule on the defense’s motion to dismiss the case but ordered Daedone and Cherwitz to return to court for a status conference on it.

If convicted, the pair face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

OneTaste — founded in San Francisco in 2004 with operations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Denver — was the subject of the 2022 Netflix documentary called “Orgasm Inc.” which chronicled the rise and fall. of the company.

https://nypost.com/2024/04/04/us-news/onetaste-isnt-an-orgasm-sex-cult-but-a-wellness-company-like-soulcycle-crossfit-attorney-claims-despite-bombshell-grooming-allegations/