In Memoriam: Rabbi Maurice Davis 3 Scientology Operations Revealed Children Beaten "Lovingly" 6 CUT Firearms and Tax Exemption Linked New Book: Captive Hearts, Captive Minds 8 AMERICAN FAMILY FOUNDATION American Family Foundation News American Family Foundation committee members, and others who are vital to AFF' s research, information, and education functions, will learn of one another's recent activities in this column. Of course, much more work occurs than is reported to us. We'll try to relate the news in the order we receive it. WACO AGAIN? Faye Snider, M.S.W., of the AFF Social Work Committee, who has a private practice in Waban, MA, and her daughter, Beth Snider Glick, M.S.W., who works at the Massachusetts General Hospital, will be presenters at the seventeenth annual Family Therapy Network Symposium at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., in March. Their subject: "Can Waco Happen Again? What Family Therapists Should Know About Cults." In their workshop,they "will explore the different types of cults and the sophisticated psychological methods they use to attract new members, as well as the impact of cult involvement on a family and the recovery resources psychotherapy has to offer." AFF BOOK DISTRIBUTION Dr. Madeleine Tobias (pictured below) reports that when she went to the Dartmouth (NH) Bookstore to have them orderRecoveryFrom Cults(edited by Dr. Michael Langone, published by W.W. Norton, available through AFF and bookstores), she found two copies already prominently displayed on the shelves. CLARK SCHOLARSHIPS Former cult members who received scholarship grants from the John Gordon ClarkFund have written letters of thanks to Cynthia Kisser of the Cult Awareness Network, which makes the grants named for AFF's founding scholar, and she has kindly forwarded copies to us. The awards enabled recipients to attend the annual CAN conference, held in November '93 in Minneapolis. JEWS AND CULTS At that conference, Marcia Rudin and Dr. Sandy Andron were among the speakers, and their remarks concerning Jewish membership in, and recruitment by, many cultic groups were reported in December in American Jewish World "The Jewish community doesn't give a lot of support to organizations that help keep Jews from cults while at the same time, Jews are often targeted by messianic groups. And just because a group is Jewish or Jewish-run doesn't make it safe," according to Marcia Rudin. Dr. Andron: "They [a growing number of messianic groups becoming a major problem for the Jewish community] recruit everywhere--on the street comer, in schools, at fast-food restaurants. To stop them from being successful in recruiting kids, we... need to have councils of kids at various grade levels and learn about what concerns them. And we have to offer continuing Jewish education." He further stated,... "Catholics go into cults looking for freedom, but Jewish kids join because they are looking for structure." FOR SOCIAL WORKERS William Goldberg, M.S.W., led a seminar on cults in contemporary American society, sponsored by the Scarsdale (NY)Adult School, last December. Mr. Goldberg, a clinical social worker with ten years of experience in co-leading a group for former cultists, used the Branch Davidians as an example to discuss recruitment techniques, methods used to achieve a state of mind control, life within a cult, intervention to help those who have been seduced, warning signs to help determine if a group is a cult, and steps that a free society can take to deal with this problem. The Cult Observer 2 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 IN MEMORIAM Rabbi Maurice Davis: Human Rights Champion Rabbi Maurice Davis, Director Emeritus of the American Family . Foundation [publisher of The Cult Observer], died late last year after a long illness. A graduate of the Hebrew Union College, and the retired rabbi of the Jewish Community Center of White Plains, New York, Rabbi Davis devoted his life to the campaign for human rights. He founded the Kentucky Committee on Desegregation in 1952, and in 1966 he marched with Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery. In 1965 he served as chairman of the President's Commission on Equal Opportunity. Rabbi Davis first began helping cult victims in 1970, when two congregants' children became involved in the Unification Church. In time, he personally counseled nearly 200 cultists to leave destructive groups. He also directed and appeared in the film, You Can Go Home Again, a cult-education production of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In 1982, Rabbi Davis received the Cult Awareness Network's Leo J. Ryan award, given in memory of the congressman murdered during an investigation of Jonestown. He marched with Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery. Agreat and gentle radiance has left our scene with the death of Rabbi Maurice Davis. He was one of the people who first brought me into the circle of those devoted to helping cult victims. His compassion and vision were inspiring. He saw clearly the dangers which awaited those who lost their free will to totalism. I remember vividly one of my early contacts with Rabbi Davis, when an attorney for a destructive group was trying to get him to explain what he had said to a member of that group when she returned briefly to her family and agreed to speak with him. "I prayed with her," he said. "I prayed that she remember the teachings of her youth and her love for her family ." The lawyer for the group was taken aback. "Is that all you did?", he said. "Was that all it was.'? ....Yes," Rabbi Davis answered, "the rest was up to her." It was that blend of hope, vision, and respect for the judgment of others that became the cornerstone of the American Family Foundation' s ideals. We owe much to Rabbi Davis and we honor him with our con- tinued commitment. Herbert L. Rosedale President, American Family Foundation He served as chairman of the President's Commission on Equal Opportunity. He saw clearly the dangers which awaited those who lost their free will to totalism. The Cult Observer 3 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 IN THE COMMUNITY Scientology Operations Revealed The Church of Scientology, the secretive, combative international organization that recently won a decades-long drive for Federal tax exemption, counts assets of about $400 million and appears to take in nearly $300 million a year $400 MILLION from counseling fees, book IN ASSESTS sales, investments and other sources, according to docu- ments filed with the Internal Revenue Service. A review of this material in October showed that while the group spends heavily on legal fees--some $30 million during 1987 and 1988-- advertising and commissions for fund- raisers, and is spending $114 million to preserve the writings and tapes of its deceased founder that it calls its scripture, its top officials are paid salaries comparable to those of the leaders of Protestant denominations. The level of these salaries challenges former members of the group and other critics who assert that Scientology is a sham religion run more as a business for the financial benefit of senior members.The organization typically pays fundraisers 10 percent of what they bring in. The IRS, when asked, would not verify the salary figures, but said the information provided by the church was "sufficient" to determine that "there were no issues of inurement that could have prevented" approval of the tax exemption. Although leaders do not appear to make large salaries, some had relatives on the payroll. For example, the church employs the father, stepmother, brother, and sister-in-law of David Miscavige, the highest placed Scientology ecclesiastical official. Some of the fundraisers--who are paid commissions based on donations raised from parishioners-- eamed several hundred thousand dollars annually, but these "disseminators" are considered Field Staff members and not church members themselves. Nor are disseminators considered employees although they raise money for the Intemational Association of Scientologists on a full-time or part-time basis. (From "Scientologists Report Assets of $400 Million," by Robert D. Hershey, Jr., The New York Times, 10/22/93, A12) Parishioners' Donations Donations from parishioners are key to Scientology's wealth. Scientologists pay up to thousands of dollars each for counseling in a process known as auditing that is supposed to rid them of negative thoughts and improve their lives. Critics call it a scam, but church lawyers describe the method thus: "All prices and rates are set to enable churches of Scientology to provide the services, scriptures, and other materials of the religion to more and more members of the general public so that everyone eventually can achieve spiritual salvation. Accounting System To keep track of all this, Scientology uses a new electronic accounting system, which it described to the IRS thus: "Over the years a very precise system has evolved whereby each function in a church is given a statistic which is recorded weekly, plotted against time and reported each week to CSI (Church of Scientology International). The statistics give a complete picture of whether a particular Church is per- forming its duties in accordance with Scripture." The exhibits attached to this statement are graphs showing dollar income. Low Personnel Costs The documents indicate that Scientology personnel costs are low; staffers are paid $50 a week, live in a communal setting, and spend over 14 hours a day on religious work. (From "Scientologists release information showing how they work," by David Dahl and Carl Vicks, Citizens' Voice [Wilkes-Barre, PA], 10/15/93, 20) REMAKING As part of its "expansion" effort THE IMAGE in the wake of last fall's Internal Revenue Service ruling declaring most of its operation tax-exempt, Scientology announced it was ready to take on media critics in a major promotional campaign to try to mend its public image. The first part of the campaign is to be a combative media blitz and a 590-page $19.95 paperback entitled What is Scientology? The church says in the book's promotions that it has "survived 40 years of vicious media harassment and just keeps getting bigger and stronger every day. It's an international phenomenon Continued on the next page The Cult Observer Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 IN THE COMMUNITY that isn't going away." Corporate-image experts say that taking a con- frontational approach to a tarnished image is risky, but the head of a leading New York public relations firm noted that responding to public allegations is often important in retaining the confidence of members. The new Scientology campaign is said to include a documercial entitled "The Problem of Life," which dramatizes the story of "a couple who are looking for answers to the questions of life." The couple unsuccessfully visits a doctor, a psychotherapist, and a marriage counselor. "At the end, they find out Scientology could provide the answers," a spokeswoman said. (From "Church of Scientology to Launch Campaign to Improve Its Image," Wall Street Journal, 10/20/93, B5) Ann Archer for Applied Scholastics Ann Archer, a star of the movie FatalAttraction, spoke in August to 30 children at the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club in Washington, DC, about the importance of learning and the virtues of Applied Scholastics, a program that teaches adults and children how to learn that was developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Archer does not try to avoid the Scientology connection; she mentions it before she is asked. But she says that Applied Scholastics is only a learning program. "We're not trying to make little Scientologists." The program is, in fact, used in the DC schools as part of the Saturday Learning Extension Program, a one-on-one tutorial program. (From "Merrie- Go-round," by Merrie Morris, The Washington Times, 8/3/93, El) [The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church] Archer was in Washington seeking federal funding for Applied Scholastics. "A person can learn anything when he knows the technology to learn," she gushed, looking lovely in an olive suit, suede pumps, and flashy Armani shades. Archer, a long-time Scientologist, raves about the program's "miracles" in L.A. ghettos, but said that it was its success with her own 8-year-old son that got her going. (From "The Reliable Source," by Lois Romano, The Washington Post, 8/3/93, E3) Willie Gault for Narconon National Football League star Willie Gault is the subject of a lengthy interview in a recent issue of The Truth About Drugs, a four-page tabloid aimed at young people by Narconon, the anti-drug program sponsored by Scientology. In the article Gault says, "When I first heard about Narconon from Kirstie Alley, I thought it was definitely a worthwhile program. (Cult Observer Report) Bart Simpson's Voice Selling Scientology Actress Nancy Cartwright, the voice of TV's Bart Simpson, is appearing in a 30-minute television infomercial that the Church of Scientology---of which she is a member--hopes will expose more people to church founder L. Ron Hubbard's message and increase the number of people seeking Scientology counseling. Helping Cartwright sell the production are a number of celebrities, including jazz pianist Chick Correa. They are all selling a $69.95 package that includes the book Dianetics, the Scientology "bible," audio and video tapes, and other instructional material to help buyers begin counseling themselves and others. Scientology is not actually mentioned in the informercial. According to Scientology brochures, the infomercial campaign "is designed to create a HUGE public demand forDianetics and flow people all the way from their initial purchase of a Dianetics book, video, or audio tape through to arrival into our organization and enrollment on [sic] further services." Regarding her experience of Scientology, Cartwright says in the infomercial: "My abilities increased tenfold. I look at myself now, and I'm doing things that I never thought I could do before." (From "Scientology's words to hit the airwaves," by Wayne Garcia, SL Petersburg Times, 8/28/93, 1A, 3A) CONSULTING Numerous complaints about the FRONT Scientology-connected Sterling Management Systems programs sold to professionals like dentists and veterinarians reflect a clear, but usually unstated, connection between the training and the religion, according to one expert observer, Herbert L. Rosedale, a New York City attorney and president of the American Family Foundation [publisher of The Cult Observer]. Rosedale, who represents dozens of medical professionals free of charge, says: "After having taken or agreed to some kind of business consultation with Sterling Management Systems, representations were made that the business management (techniques) would not work if they [the Continued on page 6 The Cult Observer 5 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 IN THE COMMUNITY Children Beaten "Lovingly" Aformer member of a small Gwinnett County, GA, religious sect has accused the group of child abuse. Six years ago, Kelli Huth and her husband Mike adopted Lawrence Clark's interpretation of the Bible, which includes strict and often violent disciplinary measures for children and requires women to remain silent during services. She reported abuse of her children to state officials, who granted custody of the children to her father and stepmother after a hearing in juvenile court. A final custody hearing was scheduled for September, 1993. The nameless sect, which has about a dozen adult members and 30 children and lives in a small underground house in Suwanee and on a 12-acre farm in Dacula, forbids members from associating with anyone who believes differently. Many of the women call their husbands "sir" and the men practice group "reproof," during which they scold their wives for up to 30 minutes for something as minor as an unfinished household task. Members are taught to use wooden rods or refrigerator hoses to strike their children as many as 100 times on the buttocks or bottom of the feet, often until they bled, according to testimony. Members testified that they sing to their children and offer encouragement during beatings, insisting they don't strike in anger. Child welfare investigators say the children equate pain with love. Huth's oldest daughter said "the only way she knew her daddy loved her was because he whipped her," according to one investigator. "He would tell her he loved her while he was doing it." (From "North Georgia religious sect draws scrutiny for disciplinary methods," Associated Press, The Moultrie [GA] Observer, 8/2/93) Scientology con,,n.e,~rom.a~e, professionals] didn't resolve their personal problems." The resolution inevitably involves the Church of Scien- tology, he said. Many professionals around the country, like those Rosedale represents, are seeking to get back the money they paid for Sterling training--sometimes costing tens of thousands of dollars--and some have filed suit, alleging, among other things, that Sterling's use of Scientology "communications" courses in its training caused psychological harm. (From "Vet quits 1 crusade and joins another," and "Struggle between cults and critics grinds on," by Michael Lopez, Times Union [Albany, NY], 6/13/93, H1, H5) Dodging Clearwater Ordinance The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September that a Clearwater, FL, city ordinance requiring charitable organizations--including religions--to keep records of how they use donated money, and authorizing investi- gations by a city attorney if people complain, was unconstitutional. The court also said there was "explicit evidence that the City Commission conducted its legislative process from the beginning [1983 and 1984] to end with the intention of singling out Scientology for burdensome regulation." (From "Will Clearwater raise the white flag on Scientology?," by Ned Seaton, St. Petersburg Times, 10/17/93, 7) White House Policy Director at Rally White House drug policy director Lee P. Brown took pan in a rally for a drug-free America sponsored by the Church of Scientology, the controversial organization which has been the subject of numerous criminal investi- ations. Brown, who joined fifty D.C. children in taking a drug-free pledge before a battery of television news cameras, said he discovered the Scientology connection only later, but indicated that he would have taken part nonetheless. "Anything that [can] be done to minimize the number of youths who are involved in drugs we want to be involved in," he said. The local head of the U.S. Marshals Service, which was also involved in the program, said he knew of the Scientology backing and "I have allied myself with an issue... I take no political stance with the organization [Scientology]. (From "Sponsor of Drug-Free Rally Catches Some Unawares," by Laurie Goodstein, The Washington Post, 8/10/93, D1) Santeria Sacrifices Celebrated The high priest of the Santeria sect in Miami, FL, slit the throats of hogtied beasts on June 26 in a ritual Continued on page 10 The Cult Observer 6 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 IN THE COURTS CUT Firearms and Tax Exemption Linked Weapons stockpiled by the Church Universal and Tri- umphant were secretly moved off of the group's Paradise Valley [Montana] ranch in March, follow- ing the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms February raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, according to court papers filed in Washington, D.C., in June. Where the guns and ammunition have gone was not revealed, although two armored personnel carriers in the group's posses- sion were apparently returned to an arma- ments dealer in New Jersey. The papers were filed in connection with a suit filed by the church to reverse an Internal Revenue Service ruling in 1992 revoking CUT's tax-exempt status. (From "Feds track CUT weapons activity," by Karin Ronnow, Livingston [MT] Enter- prise, 6/30/93) The arms were collected, according to the papers, allegedly through a complicated stock scheme in the late 1970s that may have allowed CUT to "launder" trusted staff members' salaries for the purposes of funding an armed survivalist organization. According to U.S. Department of Justice attorney Stuart Gibson, the survi- valist "club" was part of the CUT leadership's long-standing pattern of "attempting to conceal activities from other members of CUT's staff, from CUT's general membership, and from the general public."(From "Feds suspect CUT gun money scheme," and "Papers give details of 'survival' club," by Karin Ronnow, Livingston [MT] Enter- prise, 7/1/93), 1, 3) Expos(~ Sidetracked Publication of a book about the Church Universal and Triumphant by critic Katherine Schmook was cancelled by Viking/Penguin press following the reconciliation of CUT leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet and her daughter, Moira Lewis, the book's co-author. Moira Lewis has threatened to sue for libel if the book is published, says Schmook. She adds that Viking decided that publishing was too big a risk, "and they don't want any part of it." (From "CUT expos6 sidetracked-- co-author makes up with 6uru mom," by Karin Ronnow, Living- ston [MT] Enterprise, 7/2/93) Pressure in the Workplace Christina M. Goudeau, of Baton Rouge, LA, filed suit against her former employers, Landmark Dental Care, in June, claiming religious discrimination. She said they fired her because she refused to go along with them in joining the Church of Scientology and using Scientology practices and terminology in the office. She says the dentists pressured her to join after they attended meetings and seminars by Sterling Manage- ment Systems, the Dianetics Foundation, and the Church of Scientology. (From "Suit blames Scien- tology for firing" by Fred Kalmbach, The Advocate [Baton Rouge], 6/16/93) Experts on "Mind Control" Day in Court A Supreme Court decision in June concerning the admissibility of expert scientific testimony may affect court cases involving allegations of mind control. In Daubert vs. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals, the court threw out the test applied by a lower court that expert scientific testimony in a field such as psychology must be based on methods or conclusions that "have gained general acceptance" by the scientific commu- nity in that field. Under the new test, federal trial judges must "screen" expert testimony to "ensure that any or all scientific testimony or evidence admitted is not only relevant, but reliable." But it will no longer be permissible to exclude expert testimony merely for lack of "general acceptance." Reasons argued in cases where testimony on mind control has been excluded in the past--sometimes it has not been excluded-- will no longer be valid in future cases. (From "Court Ruling on Scientific Evidence: A Just Burden," by Natalie Angier, New York Times, 6/30/93, A8 and "Supreme Court issues new ruling on expert testi- mony," "by David J. Bardin, CultAwarenessNetwork News, 8/93, 3) Awareness Network Deflects Scientology A Minnesota Scientologist in August was refused a court injunction seeking to prevent Free Minds--the local affiliate of the national Cult Awareness Network--from keeping her out of their meetings. Holly Hagerty claimed that her exclusion by Free Continued on the next page The Cult Observer 7 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 READING "Captive Hearts, Captive Minds" In the soon-to-be-published Captive Hearts, Captive Minds, authors Madeleine Landau Tobias and Janja Lalich address recovery issues for those who have been in cults, cult-like groups, or relationships with ultra-authoritarian individuals. Carol Giambalvo, author of Exit Counseling: A Fam- ily Intervention, said, "This comprehensive book takes the former cult member through all the necessary heal- ing stages--from understanding the effects of mind control and cult involvement to taking positive steps toward a healthy, balanced recovery... I highly rec- ommend this book, which respects the strength, cour- age, dignity, and intelligence of former cult members." Philip Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, calls Captive Hearts, Captive Minds "must reading for everyone who wants to understand the powerful appeal that cults exert over so many ordinary people..." Author and entertainer Steve Allen says "I strongly recommend this penetrating and insightful study," while Eugene Methvin, a Senior Editor at Reader's Digest, wishes that "every cult member, and every family of a cult member, struggling to free himself from the trauma of membership in a destructive relationship could read Captive Hearts, Captive Minds. It offers the powerful healing medicine of understanding." The most common postcult difficulties such as feelings of guilt and shame, loss of self-esteem, fear and confusion, depression and others are covered, with sections on relationships with family and friends, career and belief issues, the special needs of those born and raised in a cult and those who experienced sexual or physical abuse. Included are over a dozen first-person accounts of healing and recovery, written by former members of a variety of cults. There are guidelines for finding professional help, as well as a chapter on therapeutic issues specifi-cally for mental health and other professionals. The book also provides an overview of the cult phenomenon, thought reform, and characteristics of cult leaders. Madeleine Tobias, a former cult member, is a psychotherapist and exit counselor in private practice since 1979. She now specializes in working with current and former cult members and their families. Janja Lalich was in a political cult for 10 years. She is a freelance editor and writer, and is coordinator of the San Francisco area support group for former cult members (FOCUS). Both authors are members of ad- visory committees of the American Family Founda- tion (publisher of The Cult Observer). Published by Hunter House Publishers (Alameda, CA), the book will be available in early March. Deflects Scientology Co.,i..edSromp~ge 7 Minds was religious discrimination. Scientologists in several other states have sought, and been refused, similar injunctions on similar grounds in the past year. (From "Scientologist loses injunction against CAN in Minnesota," Cult Awareness Network News, 9/93, 5) Criminal Child Abuse Bill, Resolution Pass The Massachusetts Senate in October passed a criminal child abuse bill, in the process not only defeating a strong effort by the Christian Science Church to add a religious exemption to the bill, but voting to repeal the religious exemption in current law [that allows denial of medical treatment on religious grounds]. The bill is now in a House-Senate conference committee. (Cult Observer Report). The American Medical Association in June, meanwhile, passed a resolution asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services "to exercise administrative authority to urge state officials to repeal existing child abuse and neglect religious exemption provisions in state statutes." And the American Academy of Pediatrics, in written testimony to the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, stated that "It is the Academy's position that nothing short of an outright repeal of all religious exemptions from state laws will afford children the legal protection they truly deserve against abuse and neglect..." From Children' s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, No. 2, 1993, 10-12) The Cult Observer 8 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 INTERNATIONAL Italy Judgment Against Scientology Translated from "Condannata la 'chiesa' di Scientology," La Repubblica (Rome), 11/10/93 The Court of Appeals in Milan has overturned a two-year-old verdict acquitting 73 members of the Church of Scientology--which was "invented" by the American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard--on charges of conspiracy, extortion, and undue influence (fraud). After listening for eleven hours to deputy attorney general Annamaria Caruso, "We are not here to put the religious faith of the Church of Scientology on trial, but a group of people who were certainly members of that church and in whose name crimes were committed." the magistrates on the court found the Scientologists guilty and handed down sentences ranging from three months to four-and-one-half years. The court also sentenced previously acquitted Sciento10gy officials from various regional centers for tax evasion. In a 300-page statement Caruso emphasized that it was not religion that had been on trial. "This is no crusade," she said. "We are not here to put the religious faith of the Church of Scientology on trial, but a group of people who were certainly members of that church and in whose name crimes were committed... Their religious beliefs," Caruso insisted, "are of l no concern to us here. But those who hold those beliefs are in the dock today because they violated the criminal Code. What we are concerned with is the conduct and methods used to persuade others to use the very same methods." On July 2, 1991, after a two-year trial, charges against the accused were dropped, to the great joy of Dianetics [Scientology] practitioners, who greeted the verdict with hooliganish singing and shouting. The grounds for the acquittal judgment.which ran just 100 pages compared to the two volumes needed to summarize the 45 charges brought against the defendants--did not stand up to the evidence presented to the appeal court by Caruso and Public Prosecutor Pietro Forno. [We thank Dr. Alberto Lolli for assistance in translating this story. ] Australia "All One Voice" Cultic Induction Alleged Former members of a secretive group called everything I was looking for," said a former woman All One Voice, which has amassed millions disciple. "But I soon realized the group had a hidden of dollars through extensive recruiting agenda . . . they wanted, and succeeded in, taking around Australia, have accused the sect control of my life. For two years I lost contact with , of brainwashing, blackmail, .intimidation, reality. They changed my name. They told me how to and excessive control of followers. love and even how to think. I had no personality of All One Voice, which counts anti-nuclear activist my own." Other former members told how they were Dr. Helen Caldicott as one of its senior members, and deprived of food, sleep, and privacy during what they claims to be a peaceful, nature-loving organization, described as "harrowing induction courses." During has thus far bought up about 40 properties in the these inductions they had to participate in 24-hour Leongatha and Warragul districts of Goppsland, in the sessions aimed at "cleansing their minds and bodies state of Victoria, not far from Melbourne. and totally changing their own perceptions of reality According to former members, recruits are to that of the sect." Said one, "After days of fasting required to pay hundreds of dollars to attend seminars, and virtually no sleep, I was ready to accept anything and if they cannot pay, they must do menial tasks for that was put to me. I was extremely vulnerable. senior cult members. "At first I thought the group was Continued on page 10 The Cult Observer 9 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994 CULTS ON CAMPUS More Concerns About BCC Movement Offshoots of the Boston Church of Christ Movement (BCC), now active on numerous campuses around the U.S., and in Europe, continue to make news because of their controversial practices, which include a rigid control of students' lives that some observers characterize as cultic and dehumanizing. Two recent articles present the typical current situation, with former followers, on the one hand, sustained by other critics, discussing how involve- ment harmed them, and, on the other hand, some current members, as well as the group's local leaders, praising and defending the experience. "All in the name of God," by Tammie Adams, The Beacon (Florida International University) and "Seattle Church of Christ too controlling, some say," by Lee Moraiwaki and Susan Gilmore, The Seattle Times' Seattle Post Intelligencer, 7/11/93, B1, B2) Student Psychologist's Analysis Some of the practices of Alpha Omega, a religious organization at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, have been questioned by John Arnold, a psychology major and former member of the BCC movement. Arnold believes Alpha Omega is a cult because it is sponsored by the Central Florida Church of Christ, an affiliate of the BCC, _ which in turn is listed by the national Cult Awareness Network as an organization about which numerous complaints have been received. Arnold says Alpha Omega has cult-like characteristics: it claims a monopoly of truth; it degrades members financially and emotionally; it requires submission to authority and a communal lifestyle; and fosters a phobic fear of leaving the group. Alpha Omega member Gregg Eargle responded: "The people who don't want to change their lives call us a cult. We are trying to be as much like the First Century church . . . because the thing we emphasize is total commitment to Jesus." (From "Alpha Omega's tactics questioned," by Robin Longaker, The Central Florida Future [student newspaper], 9/21/93, 1, 7) All One Voice Con,in.eafrompage9 Rafael Aron, a counselor [associated with Jewish social service agencies] who helps cult victims and their families said that in recent months he has counseled several former members who had been emotionally and psychologically damaged by their involvement with the group, which, he says, "is certainly not what it seems to be." "They use sophisticated mind-control methods to take charge and win favor with their subjects, said Aron. "Those who have found themselves involved with the group have been unable to cut the ties because they (All One Voice) know too much about them. It's all been too deep, too intimate. Too much has happened for them to be able to feel free. The trouble is, if you want to leave this group they hold every bit of information about you that anybody could ever want to know about you. It's as if someone is holding their passport to life." (From "Cult victims tell of brainwash courses," by Wayne Jones, Sunday Herald [Melbourne], 7/11/93) Santeria Continued from page 6 sacrifice of 19 animals, including a black ram and two goats. The event was a rare public ceremony intended to give thanks for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a city ordinance barring animal slaughter unconsitutionally interfered with the Afro-Caribbean religion. The Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, which filed the lawsuit that led to the decision, stated that the sacrifices would, as a rule, be kept private, because "public offering of animals is offensive to our traditions and violates the privacy of the ritual. And it's our belief that it offends the sensibilities of the community at large." (From "Cult marks victory with sacrifices," Tampa Tribune, 6/27/93, 7) The Cult Observer 10 Vol. 11 No. I 1994 PROFESSIONAL PROFILES F. H. Buddy Martin (M.A., University of Massa- chusetts), a Texas native and evangelist- minister of the University Church of Christ, in San Marcos, is now working with a jailed Branch Davidjan survivor of the Waco siege. In doing so, he has come a long way in the last decade. In the early '80s he was living on Cape Cod, attending graduate school (majoring in educational counseling, with an emphasis on communications and clinical work), when a local church group asked Mr. Martin's wife to speak, at a women's retreat, about the controversial Boston Church of Christ. The couple then set out to learn what they could about the group. Interviews with current and former BCC members persuaded Mr. Martin that they had been recruited and maintained thanks to classic manipulation of the double- bind method. He and his wife saw what amounted to destructive cultism clearly in all this, but only came to give it that name after a newspaper article about cultic processes, by Steven Hassan, came to their attention and they began to study the emergent literature in the field, eventually consulting the work of Lifton, AFF director Margaret Singer, and many more AFF associates, who now count Mr. Martin among their number. Soon, Mr. Martin was working as part of an exit counseling team. Although he says cultism is not, at bottom, a Biblical matter at all, he helped--and continues to help-- cult members see the patterns of deception and manipu- lation inherent in religious cult recruitment by first pointing out "false" and inconsistent doctrines and practices. If the group can be shown to distort the Bible, Mr- Martin feels, a member can then be open to see how the group is deceptive and destructive in secular ways. This is the approach he has been using with the Branch Davidian member he is counseling; she now appears to be recognizing the mind-controlling nature of the Koresh group. (Mr. Martin gained access to her because he has for some time past been a volunteer counselor and Bible studies group leader at the jail in which the woman is being held.) For his efforts to persuade members of Bible-based cults to leave their groups--his pamphlet about BCC, Multiplying Ministries, has been very influential--Mr. Martin was roundly defamed: one cultic church spread the rumor that he had left Cape Cod to escape a child abuse investigation; another put it about that he had gone "underground" in order better to "steal" church members (so successful was he in persuading numbers of them to leave). But he has survived all of this, reputation enhanced rather than tarnished, and he carries on. Nadine Winocur Craig (M.A., Pepperdine University) is a new AFF research associate and book reviewer who is currently completing work toward her doctorate in psychology at Pepperdine. She has already had some of her research published in the Cultic Studies Journal (Vol. 7, No. 2) in a paper titled "The False Transformational Promise of Bible-Based Cults: Archetypal Dynamics." The paper is "exploratory and theoretical, building upon the author's interaction with approximately 25 families with Bible-based cult members who have requested intervention counseling," ú.. and "numerous informal interactions with former cult members." In the past six years, Ms. Craig has been of help to a considerably larger number of families with cult-invblved members as well, since her knowledge and understanding of coercive persuasion and group manipulation afford her a comprehensive overview of the situation. She has also been a resource to the BBC and Canadian Broadcasting Corpora- tion on background issues related to a Bible-based cult, and she was interviewed by local news stations and newspapers for her views on Waco and other cults. For her dissertation, Ms. Craig has gathered a team of researchers to help conduct her investigation into the etiology of psychological distress in former group members. They will be looking at pre-group, and post-group factors contributing to distress, and they will conside~ groups of all types. Ms. Craig says she "hopes to make research along these lines an ongoing component of [her] work as a psychologist." Ms. Craig is an executive committee member and member of the Speakers' Bureau of the Commission on Cults and Missionaries of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles. She enjoys speaking to professional and lay audiences, including religious and youth groups. She presented a paper with her colleague, Doni Whitsett, Ph.D. (see Cult Observer profile, Vol. 10, No. 9) titled "The cult phenomenon: Cult affiliation and clinical assessment issues," to the L.A. County Psychological Association in October 1993.She gave two presentations on cult awareness training in March 1992 to branch offices of Family Services of Long Beach, CA. She also provides outpatient psychotherapy to adults, families, and children, both long- and short-term. Her other interests include work with victims of violent crime and unethical social influence. We look forward with great interest to a fruitful association with this dynamic addition to AFF's professional roster. The Cult Observer 11 Vol. 11 No. 1 1994