------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Spain: Children of God Children Twenty children were taken into custody last November at a Children of God settlement near Barcelona following a police raid investigating possible corruption of minors. Although allowing them to stay in the custody of their parents-under strict control of authorities- a judge issued an order for the children to remain wards of the court. The COG keeps the children in isolation, teaches them to shun the outside world, and manipulates their minds so that they develop no critical faculties. The court said the children should stay with their families and get proper schooling, but that they should have nothing to do with the cult and should not be removed from the country. (From El Pais, Dec.12, 1991, cited in FAIR News, Winter 1991/91, 3) 2 France: Court Supervises Children [Sahaja Yoga. Shri Mataji] From FAIR NEWS (Family Action Information and Rescue), Winter 1991/92 A recent French Appeal Court judgment in the matter of two children sent out of the country by Sahaja Yoga to its school near Rome imposed the following conditions for returning the custody of a four-year-old and a five-year-old to their parents (an uncle and aunt were temporary guardians): domiciling them outside the community of Shri Mataji (the leader); regular schooling independent of the sect; organization of free time outside the sect; maintenance of family links, particularly with the grandparents, and the aunt and uncle; remaining in the country unless departure is approved by the court. In a case involving a six-year-old sent to a group school in the Himalayas, the court objected that the child was unlikely to receive satisfactory instruction in the French language there, which could severely compromise his education when he returned, and that very long-term separation from his family at his age could do great psychological harm. The court ruling in this and the other case has the force of law until September 1992. 3 Moon Supports National Front Right wing National Front leader Jean Marie LePen's financing is hush-hush, but former followers say a great deal of money comes from the Unification Church. The ex-followers, and J.F. Boyer's L'Empire Moon, say the connection was born at a 1984 rally when Moon lieutenant Bo Hi Pak was very impressed by LePen's advocacy of a "Christian Europe." A former LePen confidant says the Moon organization gave LePen $800,000 during the election that followed, and other such contributions in later years, funneled through Moon-owned businesses. Moon also supplies manpower to LePen (whose National Front lieutenant and Euro MP, Pierre Ceyrac, is head of the French branch of CAUSA, the Moon-inspired and financed anti-Communist crusade). In the 1988 presidential race, 200 devotees from Europe, Japan, and the U.S. worked round the clock for the LePen effort (which annoyed some National Front people because LePen advocates "France for the French," abhors mixed marriages, and wants to deport all foreigners. (From LeMonde, 2/8/92, excerpted by Emanuelle Kaufmann in Paris) 4 Germany: Scientology Investigation The Christian Democratic Union party in the state of Baden-Wuertenberg has asked the provincial government to investigate the Church of Scientology and its front organizations in order to learn whether the group is an ordinary voluntary association and whether, as a church, it can claim religious freedom protections. The party wants the investigation to determine whether Scientology, Dianetics, and mind control cause psychological damage, what methods the church uses to silence critics, the degree of members' financial and psychological dependency, and the statistics on drug addicts cured by Dianetics. Pending the investigation, the CDU wants a ban on Scientology advertising, the use of the prefix "religion" or "religious community" in association with Scien-tology, financial assistance for self-help groups, increased staff for the cult monitoring center in the Ministry of Culture and Sport, establishment of a legal advice center for friends and relatives of Scientologists (financed by the provincial government), and allocation of funds for potential leavers who are unable to take legal action because cult membership has ruined them. The CDU statement declared that Scientology is to be criticized mainly because it financially exploits people and abuses the weak.(From FAIR News, Winter 1991/91, 14) 5 Korea: Rev. Mr. Moon and Kim Il Sung [North Korea] Unification Church leader The Rev. Sun Myung Moon met with North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Il Sung in December and called on overseas Koreans to invest in the cash-strapped nation. Kim asked Moon to arrange a meeting for him with President Bush, according to a Unification Church official. The meeting between the virulently anti-communist Moon and Kim seems to have been stimulated by North Korea's need for money to stave off economic collapse and Moon's wish to raise his international profile and make profitable investments in the North. The South Korean government believes that Moon's efforts to insinuate himself into the sensitive reunification process are possibly detrimental to continuing government-to-government talks. (From "Moon Visits North Korea, Talks With Kim Il Sung," by Robin Bulman, Washington Post, 12/8/91, A48) 6 Britain: Hare Krishna Festivals A High Court justice has dismissed the appeal of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness against the Secretary of State's decision to uphold the Hertsmere Borough Council's ban of public worship and festivals at its Bhaktivedanta Manor. ISKCON says it will take its case to the Court of Appeals and then, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights. Meanwhile, public worship can continue at the manor -- which the local authority granted permission initially for use as a school and residence 7 Britain: Unification Church Recruiting The Sheffield University student newspaper, Darts, warns readers to be cautious when looking for summer jobs in Europe lest they "be duped into working for the Moonies," whose International Cultural Foundation is apparently having a recruiting drive among university students. The newspaper also warns that The Movement, the Central London Church of Christ, and Scientology may also be recruiting. 8 Britain: Exit Counseling the Viscount From FAIR NEWS (Family Action Information and REscue), Winter 1991/92 Ken McIntyre reports (Sunday Telegraph Review, 11/24/91) on the story of Viscount Reidhaven, who came under the spell of a 'spiritual advisor,' 34-year-old Muhammed Ali of the Sufi sect Naqshbandi, and reportedly became obsessed with chanting, changed his name to Abdul Qadir, and lavished expensive gifts on his 'master.' The family looked on for about 18 months, and then Reidhaven's father, the Earl of Seafield, took action. A film-script-like chain of events ensured that Muhammed Ali went to America while his 'disciple' appeared in Inverie, one of the remotest villages on the Scottish west coast, where he stayed for several months under the supervision of American exit counselors and a psychiatrist. The locals took it all in their stride, but commented that James looked a lot better after his stay in Inverie. The exercise appears to have been very expensive, but perhaps less than if the young viscount had stayed under the influence of his mentor, who seemed greatly interested in the family's fortune. 9 Canada: Info-Cult and finances The Quebec government must face the fact that cults are a real and growing menace, a coalition of health-care professionals and social workers said in December. Psychologist Mario Poirier, a member of the coalition, said the group hopes that Health Minister Marc-Yvan Cote will change his mind and provide a $50,000 operating grant to Info-Cult -- a non profit organization established in 1980 to research cult phenomena and help those affected by them. Cote said in a letter to Info-Cult that it was "not within the mandate of the health and social services minister to interfere where religious freedom . . . may be at risk." The coalition, made up of about 10 groups, including Info-Cult, the Quebec Association of Psychiatrists, the province's medical college, and associations of psychiatrists and consumers -- angrily criticized the response. Poirier said at a news conference that there are "significant physical and mental health costs" to society for former cult members, and the Health Department has a role in informing the public about the dangers of cults. An aide in Cote's office said the department will study the coalition's position. (From "Cults still a threat, group refused grant says," by Scott Murray, The Gazette (Montreal), 12/3/91) ================================================================= DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: CO0392AC.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: none ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: OK SECURITY CODE: SCO DISTRIBUTION CODE: RO DESCRIPTION FOR BBS FILE LISTING: The Cult Observer March 1993 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. FOREIGN STORIES: | 1 Spain: Children of God Children | 2 France: Court Supervises Children | [Sahaja Yoga. Shri Mataji] | 3 Moon Supports National Front | 4 Germany: Scientology Investigation | 5 Korea: Rev. Mr. Moon and Kim Il | Sung [North Korea] | 6 Britain: Hare Krishna Festivals | 7 Britain: Unification Church | Recruiting | 8 Britain: Exit Counseling the | Viscount [Reidhaven. Muhammed | Ali, Sufi sect Naqshbandi.] | 9 Canada: Info-Cult and finances For additional verification see the contributor of the document. UPDATED ON: 8/25/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc =================================================================