------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ===================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Scientology's Campaign to Discredit Werner Erhard California private investigator Ted Heisig says that the Church of Scientology had collected filing cabinets full of information on the life and activities of Werner Erhard, founder of "est" [and its successor, The Forum] in preparation for an investigation and media blitz to discredit the competition. "Since Werner started his est program, he took potential customers . . . away from the church," said Heisig. The campaign lasted more than a year and included private detectives, Heisig among them, spying on him, interviews with scores of disgruntled followers, and digging deeply into records of his personal and financial affairs. In one case, Heisig supplied information to a former est devotee who was suing Erhard for financial ruin and psycho-logical damage. The former member, thinking only that Heisig represented other former est followers, in turn supplied the information and documents to journalists around the country. In the end, Erhard got so much notoriety-including a scathing segment on "60 Minutes"-that he sold his business and now lives in Costa Rica, blaming Scientology for his troubles. Most of the journalists involved in doing critical stories about Erhard and est say they were unaware that evidence was ultimately coming from Scientology. Erhard himself, however, issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times accusing Scientology of mounting a conspiracy to destroy his family and associates. He called the conspiracy an "expression of evil." Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard contended, says Heisig, that Erhard, who had dabbled in Scientology, incor-porated some of its teachings into est, making a fortune in the process and taking millions of dollars and potential customers away from Scientology. Former Scientology official Vicki Aznaran said she saw files that showed Scientologists were instructed to enroll in est seminars and "act crazy" and "heckle" the program leaders to disrupt the seminars. Another plan, says Aznaran, which did not do well, was to have Scientology try to copy the est method. Hubbard was incensed when someone made money using Scientology methods without giving Hubbard a cut. He felt that est was essentially Scientology "up to 1954." At one point, says Aznaran, he infiltrated an agent into the est office hoping to develop a copyright or trademark infringement suit - never brought to court -against Erhard. Erhard admitted that there were traces of Scientology in est, but that "in essential respects, however, the two are different." (From "Founder of est Targeted in Campaign by Scientologists," by Robert W. Welkos, Los Angeles Times, 12/29/91, A1, 12, 22-23, 26) 2 Beware Scientology Management Front [Sterling] Complaints to the Better Business Bureau seem to bear out conclusions of a recent Time magazine article reporting that management courses for professionals offered by Sterling Management Systems and associated consulting groups are aimed, in Time's words, "to hook customers for Scientology." Complaints used such phrases as " . . . we feel the [Sterling] training was fraudulently presented as a professional management seminar, when in reality it is a front to promote Scientology," and "the course's content was infil-trated with Scientology philosophy as were the instructors for these courses." Others complained of "a lot of pressure" and "hard sell." One method used to link management course participants to Scientology is to suggest that problems revealed in a per-sonality test can be solved by studying Dianetics [Scientology philosophy] and taking auditing [Scientology counseling], both developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (although Sterling publicly denies any formal links to Sci-entology). Ohio orthodontist Dr. LaVerne Hutchinson, solicited by Sterling, calls its classes "subtle indoctrination," the material "rambling," and "90 percent of the teachings repetitious." She credits being forewarned to avoid getting "sucked into Scientology," but she has not gotten back any of the thousands of dollars she spent. Another dentist and his wife recount how they were separately persuaded during early course meetings to agree to auditing or else their marriage wouldn't last a year and the wife would abuse their child. She says now, "I feel very strongly that mind control techniques were in effect from the beginning. We were there from 9 a.m. till 10 p.m. or midnight . . . I begged them to let me take a nap . . . they pointed out to us . . . how everyone in our lives - family and friends - had controlled and manipulated us and turned us into the kind of people we are now. They pitted us against our family." The pressure to get into auditing was so great - consisting as it did of hours of exhausting questions, including investigations of her sexual fantasies and her possibly negative feelings about Scientology - that she simply fled to a public phone to call the police, her interrogators in hot pursuit, urging her to reconsider. She and her husband are now suing for infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy. (From "The Sterling Road to Scientology," The Business Link [Better Business Bureau serving the Los Angeles area], Sept. 1991, 1-5) 3 Narconon Certification Denied [Oklahoma] From "Board Denies Certification for Narconon," by Michael McNutt, Daily Oklahoman, 12/14/91, 1-2. The Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services has voted 6-0 to deny certification to the Chilocco New Life Center, a 75-bed drug-treatment facility run by Narconon, which is tied to the Church of Scientology. The Board asked that 27 patients at the facility, formerly an Indian school, be removed within a week because "the program is basically unsafe. Their [the patients'] well-being is at risk." The Board's reasons for the certification denial included: treatment of all addictions the same; requiring patients to sweat up to five hours a day each day for thirty days to purge fat-stored drugs and chemicals, a technique that has no scientific basis; requiring a high dosage of vitamins - "drug or vitamin bombs" - and minerals, which can be dangerous; failure to take vital signs every six hours during the detox process; hiring former students immediately after they them-selves leave the program; failure of a majority of the treatment plan and course work to involve education about drug and alcohol abuse treatment or addiction. A board member also expressed concern that the facility lacked a certified drug and alcohol abuse counselor and that the staff had little formal training in the drug and alcohol abuse field. The Board refused to allow the facility to remain open pending appeal of the decision - which could take up to three years to resolve. Narconon representatives say the Health Department is prejudiced against the program. 4 Ted Patrick Exonerated [Deprogramming. Cathryn Rommel. Connie Smith] Citing inconsistencies from their own witnesses, King County (WA) prosecutors have dismissed charges against internationally-known deprogrammer Ted Patrick and five relatives of a 33-year-old woman they allegedly abducted. Defense attorney Richard Hansen said the charges never should have been brought, and described the putative victim, Cathryn Rommel, as a "lost and wayward soul" who had fallen victim to cult leader Connie Smith, whom Rommel continues to visit. Her family, he said, have "given up" and won't try to abduct her again. (From "Deprogrammers exonerated," by Peter Lewis, Seattle Times, 11/23/91, A18) 5 Sect Leaders' Sexual Abuse [Arvin Shreeve, alleged polygamist, northern Utah. Frithjof Schuon, Indiana.] Arvin Shreeve, 61, leader of a purportedly polygamist sect, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing four girls under the age of 14. Ex-followers of the northern Utah sect say Shreeve's 55 to 60 followers believe he is a prophet. (San Francisco Chronicle, 11/8/91, A10) Meanwhile, a Monroe County (IN) jury indicted 84-year-old Frithjof Schuon for sexually battering and molesting three teenage girls in his group, which combines Islamic, Hindu, and American Indian religious beliefs. The girls, and their parents, deny the charges. Schuon, once a comparative religion scholar, has an international following, with 70 devotees, including doctors and lawyers, living in Bloomington. A former follower says Schuon believes himself "somewhat equivalent" to Christ and Mohammed. (From Cult Awareness Network News, Dec. 1991, 8) 6 Moon Front Suit vs. Moon Dismissed A $122 million suit by the Committee to Defend the United States Constitution - once a Unification Church front group - against the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and several of his enterprises, has been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin in Washington because he considered the Committee and the Moon organization two faces of the same entity. Committee chairman R. David Finzer charged that Moon had defrauded the Committee by using it as a tax dodge and a vehicle for propaganda to rehabilitate his image following his tax evasion conviction. (Washington City Paper, 1/3/92, 9) 7 Yahweh's Followers Cry Persecution Followers of Yahweh ben Yahweh, the Miami leader who is standing trial on murder and racketeering charges, say that the federal government is engaging in a campaign of religious persecution aimed at crushing the religious group. They say it is like indicting the pope for the actions of a few bad Catholics. Yahweh is charged with directing disciples to carry out 14 murders from 1981 to enterprise." Many experts say the case is based on firmly established Supreme Court precedents that permit prosecution of church members and leaders for criminal acts. "The religion clauses [in the First Amendment] are not a screen for criminal activity," said Michael McConnell, a law professor at the University of Chicago and an authority on church-state issues. (From "Followers say whole sect being persecuted," by Warren Richey, Tampa Tribune 1/13/92, 3) 8 "Straight," Under Investigation, Gets Good Inspection Report [Florida, drug treatment] The "Straight" adolescent drug treatment program, which has run afoul of regulatory agencies in several states, is being investigated by the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services for complaints that clients were abused by staff and other clients, but the St. Petersburg-based program got generally good grades in a recent inspection by state health workers. (From "Drug program got good review," by Carol A. Marbin, St. Petersburg Times, 12/14/91, 1B) 9 LaRouche, NAP Political Campaigns [VA, NH. David Duke.] The LaRouche organization is fielding seven candidates in independent campaigns for state-level offices in Virginia, according to the group's New Federalist (8/23/91, 12). LaRouche himself has been refused matching funds for his prison-based presidential run because of his previous campaigns' fundraising fraud. Meanwhile, a LaRouche supporter in New Hampshire refused to release President Bush's campaign handshake during a pass through a shopping mall until he answered the question, "When are you going to let Lyndon LaRouche [who is on the New Hampshire ballot] out of prison?" The president replied, "He's in jail." The man said, "Yeah, and you're holding him a political prisoner." And the president replied, "He's in jail, where he belongs." (Boston Globe, 2/13/92) The American Civil Liberties Union is exploring the possibility of a suit to get LaRouche and David Duke on the Virginia presidential primary ballot, from which they, along with almost 20 others, have been excluded. (Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 1/5/92) 10 Tim Cain Exposed Unification Church [Death of the noted journalist announced.] Timothy J. Cain, the journalist and author who investigated and exposed Unification Church activites in the Ocean City, NJ, area in the late 1980's died in early January. Mr. Cain, 42, was so affected by what he saw of the church's attempts to recruit young people through a front group that he not only wrote passionately and com- pellingly about it, but joined a local affiliate of the national Cult Awareness Network. (Cult Observer Report) 11 "The Farm" is Thriving "The Farm", which turned 20 years old late last year, has matured from a freewheeling commune of 1,400 hippies living in buses and tents to a cooperative of 200 people who run small businesses on communally-owned land with homes that look almost suburban. Each adult pays $100 per month to the cooperative endeavor but is responsible for his or her own livelihood. (From "Still havens for security, spirituality," by Craig Wilson, USA Today, 10/15/91, 1D, 2D. 12 Jim Jones Record[ings] A Colorado Springs record store is offering for sale an album of preachings by the late Rev. Jim Jones, who orchestrated the 1978 mass-suicide murder of more than 900 followers in Jonestown, Buyana. the album "Messages for the Total Man," appears to be personally inscribed by Jones: "My God is able to supply all your needs through Christ Jesus our Lord. Jim Jones." (St. Petersburg Times, 11/30/91, 8A. 13 "Social Therapy" of the New Alliance Party [Lenora Fulani, Fred Newman, Lyndon LaRouche, Dennis Serrette, Kate Harris, Rainbow Lobby.] New Alliance Party presidential candidate Lenora Fulani, who earned a doctorate in developmental psychology from the City University of New York, and is now a director of the NAP-affiliated New York Institute for Social Therapy and Research, joined NAP in 1980 while a patient of Fred Newman. Newman, founder of "social therapy" and one-time ally of extremist Lyndon LaRouche, is Ms. Fulani's campaign manager and mentor. "Social therapy," also called "crisis normalization," was developed as an alternative to traditional psychotherapy, which social therapists contend is Eurocentric, racist, sexist, and homophobic. Social therapy patients are told that their emotional problems stem from societal ills and are urged to get involved in political and community work to help them heal, according to movement literature. Dennis Serrette, a black activist who broke with the group after being part of its inner circle, days NAP "is basically a therapy cult" that, during his experience in the mid-1980s, used therapy as a means of controlling members. Ms. Fulani dismisses Mr. Serrette's allegations of cultism as "bull," charging that he was on the Democratic [party] payroll. On a different level, minority organizations with which NAP has ostensibly sought alliances have been its harshest critics. Kate Harris, chairman of the New Jewish Agenda, says NAP members joined her group, deliberately "packed our meetings, voted en bloc, derailed our agenda, and challenged our fundamental precepts." Similarly, when NAP officials formed the Rainbow Lobby in 1984, after witnessing the success of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition, the Jackson group received numerous complaints that Rainbow Lobby workers who collect money door-to-door represented themselves as members of "the Rainbow." Rainbow Coalition spokesman Frank Watkins says, "It is a fairly blatant attempt to profit off of the Rev. Jackson's political appeal." (From "Grass-roots party stirs up debate on funding, tactics," by Amy Nayer, Washington Times, 2/5/92, E1, 4) [The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church] New Alliance Party presidential candidate Lenora Fulani has qualified to receive $624,497 in matching federal money on the strength of her fundraising through the end of last year. Of all the announced candidates at the time, only President Bush qualified for more. (New York Times, 12/31/91) 14 Cult Awareness Award to Oklahoma Editor [Distinguished journalist Robert Lobsinger. Newkirk, OK, Herald Journal. Narconon.] Robert Lobsinger, Editor of the Newkirk (OK) Herald Journal, is the 1991 winner of the Cult Awareness Network's Leo J. Ryan Award, named for the U.S. Congressman murdered while investigating the Rev. Jim Jones's Guyana settlement. Mr. Lobsinger received a special commendation from the Oklahoma state legislature for his paper's extensive coverage of the Scientology-connected Narconon drug teatment program's attempts to establish a presence in Oklahoma. (Cult Awareness Network News, Dec. 1991, 1) 15 Sullivanians' Founder Dies [Saul Newton] Saul Newton, head of the Sullivanians, called a psychotherapy cult by ex-members who have sued the group, died in December at the age of 85. He felt himself to be on a par with Freud in the area of psychology and-a unionist, Communist, and anti-fascist Spanish Civil War veteran-with Marx, Engles, and Lenin in politics. He characterized those who said he separated parents from children and pressed members to have multiple sex partners as mentally disturbed or political opponents. (New York Times, 12/23/91) ================================================================= 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." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. FACTNet reserves the right to refuse to accept an order for copying or other duplication, or delivery of copied or duplicated material if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. ------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD CATALOG ENTRY DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: E:\PCB\AFF\FILES\CO0292\CO0292AB.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: SECURITY CODE: DISTRIBUTION CODE: NAME FOR BBS: SORT TO: CONTRIBUTOR: American Family Foundation (AFF) LOC. OF ORIG: 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 image files contained in the file with same name and .ZIP extension. UPDATED ON: UPDATED BY: 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. 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: CO0292AB.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: none ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: OK SECURITY CODE: SCO DISTRIBUTION CODE: RO DESCRIPTION FOR BBS FILE LISTING: The Cult Observer July 1991 SORT TO: AFF 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. U.S.A. STORIES: | 1 Scientology's Campaign to Discredit | Werner Erhard | 2 Beware Scientology Management | Front [Sterling] | 3 Narconon Certification Denied | [Oklahoma] | 4 Ted Patrick Exonerated [Deprogramming. | Cathryn Rommel. Connie Smith] | 5 Sect Leaders' Sexual Abuse [Arvin | Shreeve, alleged polygamist, northern | Utah. Frithjof Schuon, Indiana.] | 6 Moon Front Suit vs. Moon Dismissed | 7 Yahweh's Followers Cry Persecution | 8 "Straight," Under Investigation, | Gets Good Inspection Report | [Florida, drug treatment] | 9 LaRouche, NAP Political Campaigns | [VA, NH. David Duke.] | 10 Tim Cain Exposed Unification | Church [Death of the noted | journalist announced.] | 11 "The Farm" is Thriving | 12 Jim Jones Record[ings] | 13 "Social Therapy" of the New | Alliance Party [Lenora Fulani, | Fred Newman, Lyndon LaRouche, | Dennis Serrette, Kate Harris, | Rainbow Lobby.] | 14 Cult Awareness Award to Oklahoma | Editor [Distinguished journalist | Robert Lobsinger. Newkirk, OK, | Herald Journal. Narconon.] | 15 Sullivanians' Founder Dies | [Saul Newton] For additional verification see the contributor of the document. UPDATED ON: 8/30/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc =================================================================