------------------------------------------------------------------- F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated) a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library 601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA BBS 303 530-1942 FAX 303 530-2950 Office 303 473-0111 This document is part of an electronic lending library and preservational electronic archive. F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Book Reviews Behind the Watchtower Curtain: The Secret Society of Jehovah's Witnesses. David A. Reed. Crowne Publications, Inc., 1989, 152 pages. The unmistakable flavor of dearly-paid-for experience runs through the pages of Reed's book, Behind the Watchtower Curtain. According to the author the purpose of this work is to open the eyes of the potential convert and also of the general public as to what the Watchtower actually is. The book is the third volume in a series dealing with the same subject. This should be kept in mind, otherwise the reader might wonder why some aspects of the issue, for example, doctrines, are not discussed. After apologizing for dealing with an unpleasant subject in a "negative" manner (a cardinal sin in our times), the author, a former Witness himself, proceeds to expose a number of facts. Not only does he explain the implications of the "theocratic" dictatorial form of government and the threat to democracy but he also describes the process of amassing an enormous fortune. He talks about the "pacifism," the "struggle for freedom," and the latent racism. He reveals how the Watchtower eschatology is employed as a power device and exposes the amazingly effective brainwashing process step by step. The grave consequences of membership are also listed -- mind control, restriction of freedom, danger of health and of death, unhappiness, broken family ties. The book contains a glossary of the jargon used by Jehovah's Witnesses together with an explanation of its functions. There is a chapter devoted to the Watchtower "Underground" and the Postscript offers practical suggestions for action and the addresses of certain groups active in exposing the Witnesses. Readability and conciseness of account combine with accuracy of facts, at least as corroborated by experience in this reviewer's country, where there is a difference in the voting practice that only serves to prove the author's point. In the last decade the Witnesses are known to have received instructions to participate in electoral voting; however, they are to vote only for a certain political party. The real cause of most people's involvement with the Witnesses is explicitly although somewhat briefly mentioned, and sound preventive advice is offered. The writer's fears about the prospect of new legislation, though not misplaced, seem rather exaggerated. When legislators made the laws protecting religious freedom they were unaware of the problem of destructive cults. Nevertheless, with today's experience, the necessary fine distinctions between freedom and various abuses can be made. The 1984 Resolution of the European Parliament can serve as a starting point. Reading Behind the Watchtower Curtain is a positive experience for the general reader and may prove very valuable in the case of potential converts. Mrs. Hero M. Lucas, B.A. University of Athens, Greece The Discipling Dilemma. Flavil R. Yeakley, Jr., Editor; with articles by Howard W. Norton, Don E. Vinzant, and Gene Vinzant. Gospel Advocate Co., Nashville, TN, 1988, 205 pages. This is a good book. It can be recommended, with only a few cautions, to anyone who has a need to know about the shepherding/discipleship movement. It incorporates a good history of the phenomenon with the names of all the leading personalities who have played a part in its spread and development since the early 1970s. Edited by Flavil R. Yeakley, the principal author, and with articles by Howard W. Norton, Don E. Vinzant, and Gene Vinzant, the book focuses on the discipling movement as it manifests itself within the Churches of Christ. The authors have an understandable concern to defend their churches against the coercive methods of the disciplers, yet what they have to offer is of great value for every denomination. This book records the great initial impulse for the discipling methodology which came from Gainesville, Florida, where Chuck Lucas shepherded the Crossroads Church of Christ and the campus ministry of the University of Florida. The book then reports on the powerful impact of Kip McKean and the Boston Church of Christ, a church that has nourished many daughter congregations. Yeakley notes the historical background in the Restoration Movement fellowships. Some readers may be familiar with these when they are described as "restoring churches" or "multiplying churches." A unique feature of this book is the editor's technique of using boxes spread throughout the text to highlight some of the thoughts expressed. While this method was not intended to serve as an outline of the material, it does prove useful for a rapid review. For example, the first box informs the reader that "most of the churches that employed Crossroads-trained campus ministers eventually divided into discipling churches and churches that oppose this approach." Another box summarizes the problem: "Members are controlled in such a way that their personalities are changed to conform to the group norm." What is the dilemma that the authors are concerned with? In their words, "It involves the question of how we can help others become more and more like Jesus Christ without making them over in our own image and thus changing them in ways that have nothing at all to do with Christianity." One could say, I think, with somewhat more directness, that the dilemma is, "How do you deal with the destructive control employed in this sort of ministry?" Yeakley is surprisingly optimistic that the Church of Christ can "correct its many failings." He should be in a good position to make a judgment -- in 1985 he undertook a study of the growth of the Boston Church. It was a methodical and objective study in which he assessed personality changes among 900 members. He used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which assumes that a person's "true type" does not change and that when there are changes they do not indicate normal healthy growth. "Healthy growth takes place," he notes, "within a person's true type and does not require denying one's true type and trying to become a copy of someone else." However, the Yeakley study concluded that the Boston Church of Christ is producing in its members the very same pattern of unhealthy personality change that is observed in the studies of well-known manipulative sects. He notes that this pattern of personality change was not found in other Churches of Christ nor in members of five other mainline denominations. He adds that the Boston Church now teaches that Christians must obey their disciplers even in matters of opinion. Yeakley, a trained researcher in growth, makes an observation which, in view of the facts he has brought to light, seems strange. He contends that the Boston Church is growing not because of what it is doing that is wrong but because of what it is doing that is right. One has to believe that this sentence (which appears on page 72) has escaped his own proofreading. The author's research and this reviewer's experience argue to the contrary. The decisive factor in the expansion of these shepherding/discipleship groups is precisely the manipulative techniques that they employ. There is another judgment that could mislead the unwary reader. Yeakley says, "Discipling churches are doing many things that are good. Do not reject the good when you reject what is bad." Such an attitude would be seen as extremely tolerant by the people who have escaped from confinement within any of these organizations. Howard Norton, in his first essay on the missionary effort of the Boston Church, is liberal in praise of the "zeal" and rather uncomplaining about the "methods" of that church. However, in a second article he expresses his own re-evaluation of their approach in Brazil. He notes that the leaders are exalted to the position of dictators and that "submission and loyalty are the coin of the realm." Leaders must be obeyed; followers must submit blindly to their direction. Norton warns against "adopting an attitude toward these zealous brethren that would preclude the possibility of unity and peace." Some will see this ironic disposition as overly generous and this may be where the dilemma really lies. What is the most prudent and most charitable tack to take in countering the destructive methods of the shepherding/discipleship movement? Upon reaching page 111 the reader will certainly wince if he or she happens to be Catholic or Protestant. Norton does not like either one very much. He really should be above that. He and this reviewer are at one in a desire to defend and promote authentic religion, to protect it from this ersatz variety which constitutes a spiritual virus for our contemporaries. Similar prejudice mars the following essay by Don Vinzant who grasps the fact that shepherding groups burden their members with guilt. However, when he reaches back to Christianity's fifth century to find the Roman roots of authoritarianism he reads history in a strained way. One can easily share his distaste for the terms "direction" and "spiritual director" in the vocabulary of religion, but it is only in the past two decades that I have seen the exploitation or manipulation of the faithful that he and I now lament. As for recent history, Vinzant can be thanked for listing the chief contemporary figures: Nee, Ortiz, McKean, Lucas, Mumford, Basham, Baxter, Prince, Simpson, and the exploiters of the charismatic movement within the Catholic church. Vinzant appeals for the Churches of Christ to reject the discipling approach. No doubt he is pleased that since the publication of this book there have been a number of public statements of repentance by some of these early shepherds. One hopes that these conversions are sincere. In charity we must assume that they are. Meanwhile, books such as this one are necessary to caution the public that it is not always a shepherd who appears in shepherd's clothing. Fr. Walter Debold Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Seton Hall University In Pursuit of Satan: The Police and the Occult. R. D. Hicks. Prometheus, Buffalo, NY, 1991, 420 pages. This is a formidable seven-chapter book, with a 4-page, 2-column index and a staggering 1166 reference notes. Though he denies being a "cult expert," Hicks is well qualified: he is a law-enforcement specialist in Virginia's Criminal Justice Services and a former Tucson police officer with two degrees in anthropology. Hicks questions "what Satanism (whatever it is) has to do with crime" and states that "the road is paved with invective, calumny, and rumor but also with insight, temperance, and skeptical thinking." He "skeptically examines the myriad claims" of "cult cops" and does so meticulously. His style and content are the stuff the best police investigations are made of. The author applies anthropological and sociological data and well-chosen research studies to contrast fact with fantasy, hard data with hysteria; and all of this is exceptionally well-referenced. At times there seem to be too many data and some redundancy of ideas, but this may in fact add to the effectiveness of his scrutiny. The book is a floodlight into a dark subject. Chapter 5 is especially helpful in shedding light on unconvincing case law on ritual abuse and the great need for more careful data gathering and investigation. Despite his firm confrontation to error and bias, Hicks ends with an appeal to "remove the `cult' from cult crime" and get on with the basic mission of law enforcement to bring to justice anyone who commits crime regardless of ascribed motive or belief. This book contains much useful information and has the potential of becoming a standard reference, not only in law enforcement and effective investigation but also for anyone interested in applying the scientific method, objectivity, and critical judgment to a subject that has received far too little research attention. Highly recommended. Frank J. MacHovec, Ph.D., Director Center for the Study of the Self Money and Power in New Religions. J. T. Richardson, Editor. Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY, 1988, 435 pages. This hefty paperback is Volume 22 in Mellen's "Studies in Religion and Society" series. Its 15 chapters are written by American, Canadian, British, and New Zealander authors. There is no index but chapters are fairly well-referenced and endnoted. The major focus is on the economics of cults and cult-like groups. Each chapter describes aspects of fund-raising and fiscal and organizational management of better-known cults or "new religions." Richardson contends that "mundane material concerns" can be as important to these movements as theology or ideology. Without money and effective management, membership cannot be sustained. Richardson comments that these factors are seldom considered by cult analysts. Communal and noncommunal cult and cult-like organizations use methods similar to those used by traditional or mainstream religions, such as tithes by members, fees for services, sale of goods, diversification into business enterprises, and soliciting money from nonmembers. But "economic chicanery, fraud, exploitation, obsessive materialism and mania for wealth and power also occur" (p. 72). Tax exemption and tax evasion are described with examples. These organizations are increasingly involved in litigation brought on by ex-members for civil and criminal actions in both state and federal courts; many cases are cited. An index of cases and a cross-index by organization name would have been helpful. This book may be more than you want or need to know about the economic realities of cults or "new religions" and at a fairly high price ($39.95 for the paperback). It is, however, a useful reference for those with a special interest in this neglected aspect of operation. Frank J. MacHovec, Ph.D., Director Center for the Study of the Self The New Age Rage. Karen Hoyt and the Spiritual Counterfeits Project. Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, NJ, 1987, 263 pages. Karen Hoyt, executive director of Spiritual Counterfeits Project, a Christian nonprofit corporation, has an M.A. in clinical psychology and works as a therapist in the San Francisco Bay area. She has, along with several contributors who are extremely well-versed in the "new age movement," written a book that does an outstanding job of exploring the impact of that movement. The New Age Rage traces the development of the various philosophies and doctrines of the new age's historical predecessors and attempts to catalogue the good (true) and the bad (false) doctrines of the "movement." Some readers might be disconcerted by the authors' listing of areas about which Christians and members of new age groups can or should be in agreement. Most readers familiar with Judeo-Christian philosophies and the processes of the East, however, know that new age groups borrow heavily from both in order to make their philosophies saleable and palatable. Readers will find an overview of most new age groups sufficient to aid them in making knowledgeable decisions about the extent of their affiliation or lack thereof. While this reviewer is not suggesting that the authors' total answer to the new age movement is simply being "born again," the book is not replete with instruction for those adversely affected by new age groups if they are not ready to be "born again." For the reader interested in understanding the nature and quality of the new age movement the book is almost encyclopedic. The contributors have more than done their homework and their input provides a simplified (not simplistic) overview of the how, why, and when of new age growth. Among the new age groups, there is something for every appetite: personal responsibility or lack of it; world conspiracy to explain away individual failure; reincarnation for today's failure (to have another chance in another life); spirits who guide and those who channel, and so on, ad infinitum. Regardless of the reader's religious orientation, the book is eminently readable and well-organized. In contrast to some new age psychobabble, these authors straightforwardly analyze new age theory and beliefs and compare them to more traditional belief systems. Considering the religious orientation of the author and her contributors from the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, one might expect a lack of objectivity; however, the reader will be pleased at the almost total avoidance by the authors of partiality and/or subjectivity. The authors are astute enough to point out that in most new age activities there is some good to be gained, while participants must maintain their vigilance and decide for themselves the extent of affiliation. It is possible that the authors make the new age movement's philosophies seem too benign and harmless. The unspoken suggestion is that affiliation with a new age group can be voided or reversed by a little contact with the teachings of Jesus or some "born again" contact. While not every book should include a chapter on the logical nexus between involvement in the new age movement and the transition to cultic groups and the problems to be encountered there, this particular book might be enhanced by such a chapter. Just as some "social" drug users venture a step too far, so do some new-age-movement dabblers. Finally, the book reads well. And, with a little work on your part, you can become the center of attention if you memorize and then mention the founder of each "movement" when the subject comes up, as it invariably does, at weekend cocktail parties. Most important, the book is informative. Lawrence Levy, Esq. Sherman Oaks, California Leaving Cults: The Dynamics of Defection. S. A. Wright. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Monograph Series, Number 7, 1987. "What is really demonstrated in these findings," according to author Stuart A. Wright, "is the almost complete absence of brainwashing accusations..." by cultists and ex-cultists. In this monograph, sociologist Wright compared 45 voluntary defectors with 45 members of the Unification Church, Hare Krishna, and Children of God. Wright collected responses to a structured questionnaire and interviewed each subject in depth for one to two hours. The two groups were rather similar with regard to such characteristics as age, gender, pre-cult religion, and so on. Wright first used the defectors' open-ended replies to illustrate precipitating "factors" -- insularity, dyad exclusivity, imminence of transformation, primary group affectivity, and leadership. For each factor he proposed a hypothesis. Consider "dyadic exclusivity" as an example of Wright's sociologese -- if two cultists fall in love, they tend to leave the group. He develops an overarching and complex theory of commitment to explain why some cultists stayed and others left their groups. In introducing his study, Wright described himself as having "evangelical leanings"; he was disturbed by the growth of the "Therapeutic State" and critical of the medical model. In other words, he opposes government intervention in new religions (such as the U.S.S.R. has done by hospitalizing political dissidents) and he criticizes the concept of cult mind control as formulated by John Clark, Robert J. Lifton, and the anti-cult "zealots." Apparently he did not realize that today most mental health specialists who are knowledgeable about cults argue that cult commitment in itself is not pathological. Although he expressed these criticisms in both introductory and closing chapters, I found very little in the data (cultists' replies) to support them. Though well-expressed with suitable scholarly documentation, his attacks on the anti-cult movement seemed to be directed at straw men of his own construction. Of course, from the anti-anti-cult point of view his theories are conspicuously and conceptually correct. Considered by the standards of rigorous social science, however, the study -- which was based on a doctoral dissertation at the University of Connecticut -- has very serious weaknesses. The samples were small, and he did not demonstrate that they were representative. To find voluntary defectors he advertised on college campuses and used a "snowball" strategy with those who replied. The three cults provided access to participants (is this like asking Saddam Hussein to help find a representative sample of Iraqis?). Participants' replies were quoted selectively -- that is, not all were clearly accounted for. Obviously, since the defectors had not experienced exit counseling or rehabilitation, and since neither defectors nor cultists had much exposure to CAN or AFF, they did not use terms like mind control or brainwashing. (To my knowledge there is very little evidence as to what proportion of voluntary defectors, for how long, and to what extent, if at all, remain unconsciously under the control of their former religion. (How common is floating?) Although the interview is the standard method of inquiry for investigative reporters, it can be susceptible to bias. (According to T. X. Barber in his book, Pitfalls in Human Research, when the investigator designs, collects, classifies, and interprets work without objective verification, she or he is committing serious "errors.") Wright neglected to inquire about recruitment experiences, nor did he report how long the defectors had been out of their cults. A less serious flaw: in comparing the two groups, most of Wright's tables, based on replies to the questionnaire, presented percentages horizontally but not vertically. Because the monograph is tempting ammunition for those who deny "brainwashing," let me demonstrate how, by deliberate selective bias, I can make a case for mind control from the published statements of Wright's informants. First, I will define "brainwashing" here (which Wright did not do) as a process of manipulation, social influence, or control. Then I will admit that I have talked directly with many persons who had been brainwashed, heard considerable direct testimony about snapping, and, as a result, am convinced that brainwashing exists. However, it is not a precise term. Listen to Wright's subjects: . . ."they tell you if you leave the movement you are spiritually dead" (p. 33). . ."they had the authority to tell you anything" (p. 34). . ."I didn't feel if you wanted to attain God consciousness it was necessary to do all the things they asked" (p. 41). . ."You know we were so convinced that the tribulation was going to start like it says in the book of Revelation" (p. 43). . ."How can he [Prabhupada] say this? He is supposed to be a pure devotee, perfect, holy, and sinless, and he is saying that lying and stealing is [sic] not wrong" (p. 49). . ."It was taught that if you left the church you would lose your salvation" (p. 69). To sum up, the monograph is worth reading because the interview material is fascinating. However, readers should beware. Wright's commitment theory and his various propositions about defection are jargon-filled, sophisticated, and complex (based on an admittedly biased interpretation of the raw data); yet, in fact, if examined closely, the raw data can be construed as consistent with theories of social control, manipulation, and intense persuasion. Far from evidence about the absence of brainwashing, examples of mind control can be easily found in the words of the study participants. In fact, Wright says, ". . .world transforming movements exercise little selectivity in recruiting and tend to rely more on intensive socialization processes to secure commitment" (p. 12). Arthur A. Dole, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus Psychology in Education Division Graduate School of Education University of Pennsylvania ================================================================= If this is a copyrighted work, you are acknowledging by receipt of this document from FACTNet that on the basis of reasonable investigation, you have not been to obtain a copy elsewhere at a fair price, and that you are and will abide by the following copyright warning. WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photo copies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified by law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." 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F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD CATALOG ENTRY DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: E:\PCB\AFF\FILES\CSJ\BKRV8N1.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: SECURITY CODE: DISTRIBUTION CODE: DESCRIPTION FOR BBS FILE LISTING: SORT TO: CONTRIBUTOR: American Family Foundation (AFF) LOCATION OF ORIGINAL: American Family Foundation (AFF) NOTES: Back issues and selected reprints of the Cultic Studies Journal are available from the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959-2265. For additional verification see the contributor of the document. UPDATED ON: UPDATED BY: =================================================================