The Cult Observer is published ten times each year by the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959. (212) 249-7693. Subscriptions. Contributors of $30 or more to AFF (Canada: $35; other: $42 – in U.S. dollars only) will receive The Cult Observer, Young People and Cults, and the AFF Annual Report for one year. AFF is a research and educational orga-nization founded in 1979 to assist cult victims and their families through the study of cultic groups and unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control. AFF shares its findings with professionals, the general public, and those needing help with cultic involvements. AFF's staff works with more than one hundred professionals volunteering their time to AFF's Research Advisory Commit-tee, professional education and other com-mittees, and special research and writing projects. AFF volunteer professionals include educators, psychiatrists, psycholo-gists, social workers, sociologists, attorneys, clergy, business executives, journalists, law enforcement officials, college and university administrators, scientists, and others. AFF is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions. THE CULT OBSERVER Vol. 11 No. 6 1994 ISSN 0892-340X Editor R.E. Schecter Editorial Board Lois Bell Michael Kropveld Eugene H. Methvin Herbert L. Rosedale, Esq. Marcia R. Rudin Forwarding Address Requested American Family Foundation P.O. Box 2265 Bonita Springs, FL 33959 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 69 Bonita Springs, FL 33959 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. A M E R I C A N F A M I L Y F O U N D A T I O N A Review of Press Reports on Cultism and Unethical Social Influence Continued on the page 8 Cult Education Lesson Plan for Schools Too Good to be True: Resisting Cults and Psychological Manipulation, a new lesson plan about cults, psychological manipulation, and occult rituals for use in middle schools, high schools, churches, and synagogues is now available for purchase from the International Cult Education Program (ICEP). Too Good to be True, designed for three to five class sessions, is an effective way to teach middle and high school students about cults and the pressure and manipulation recruiters use to get people to join groups and stay in them, how to recognize mind control and psychological manipulation, and how to develop critical-thinking skills in order to resist them. It consists of the following components available in different combinations and priced according to the option chosen: 1) a 30-page student text; 2) an 11-page teacher's guide; 3) Cults & Mind Control, a 6-page handout for students; 4) Cults: Questions & Answers, a 13-page pamphlet; 5) “Cults: Saying No Under Pressure,” a 29-minute videotape developed by ICEP and the National Association of Secondary School Principals' InService Video Network and narrated by Charlton Heston. Sales Options and Prices Option 1 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control: $16.00, $4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $20.00 ($22 for Canadian and overseas orders) Option 2 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control, one copy Cults: Questions & Answers: $18.00, $4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $22.00 ($24 for Canadian and overseas orders) Option 3 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control, one copy “Cults: Saying No Under Pressure:” $71.00 ($4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $75.00 ($77 for Canadian and overseas orders) Option 4 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control, one copy Cults: Questions and Answers, one copy “Cults: Saying No Under Pressure:” $73.00 ($4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $77.00 ($79 for Canadian and overseas orders) American Family Foundation financial supporters may subtract $2.00 from the price of each option. Additional copies of the materials may be purchased. For further information or to obtain an order form, contact International Cult Education Program, P.O. Box 1232, Gracie Station, New York, NY10028, 212-439-1550. “Tvind” — Cultism in Scandanavia RECOVERY FROM CULTS Help for Victims of Psychological and Physical Abuse A 432-page hardcover book published by W. W. Norton and Company, edited by Michael D. Langone, Ph.D., including contributions from 23 experts in the field from a wide variety of professional perspectives. This landmark volume is for ex-members, their families, and helping professionals. Preface by: Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph. D. Section I: Mind Control A Little Carrot and a Lot of Stick; Reflections on Brainwashing; Understanding Mind Control Section II: Leaving Cults A Personal Account: Eastern Meditation Group; A Personal Account: Bible-based Group; Post-Cult Problems: An Exit Counselor's Perspective; The Importance of Information in Preparing for Exit Counseling Section III: Facilitating Recovery Post-cult Recovery: Assessment and Rehabilitation; Guidelines for Therapists; Guidelines for Clergy; Guidelines for Psychiatric Hospitalization of Ex-cultists; Guidelines for Support Groups; Guidelines for Families; Guidelines for Ex-members Section IV: Special Issues Children and Cults; Ritualistic Abuse of Children in Day-Care Centers; Teen Satansim; Legal Considerations: Regaining Independence and Initiative Order/Contribution Form Please send me ____ copies of Recovery From Cults @ $40 each, including postage and handling ($42 North America; $50 Europe; $55 other countries). Enclosed is my check (U.S. funds only) for $_________ (including extra donation of $________ payable to the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959 (212-249-7693) Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ State _____ Zip/Country _____________________ Phone ___________________ Law, continued on page 6 Give me three or four more lines if you can. Thanks. Bob Manson Continued from page 5 Continued on the next page AFF News Continued from page 2 Conflict Over Rajneesh “Empire” A fight has emerged among leaders who are heirs to the late guru Bhagwan Rajneesh's empire, which has establishments in Europe, America, his native India. The conflict, at least as far as the Indian establishment is concerned, pits disaffected Indian followers against a group of Westerners who the Indians say have money, and not metaphysics, on their minds. “Their sole concern is to become bigger and bigger, and more powerful,” charged Swami Suraj Prakash Manchanda, a Bombay trucking company owner who once hosted Rajneesh for five months in his home. For speaking out, Manchanda said, he has been banned from the Ashram in Poona, the main Indian Establishment of Rajneeshism and site of visits by thousands of Western tourist-disciples annually. (From “Feud Flares Over 'Club Meditation,' ” by John-Thor Dahlburg, Los Angeles Times, 2/5/94, A1, 12, 13) Ex-Rajneeshees Extradited Two British women were extradited to the U.S. from Britain in late July to face trial on charges of conspiring to kill Oregon state attorney Charles Turner in 1985 when they were members of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh religious cult and he was investigating it. The British High Court rejected their appeal against the extradition request. (From “Two extradited for trial in US,” Boston Globe, 7/28/94,) [On arrival in the U.S., the two women were allowed to remain free pending trial proceedings.] More International on page 11 Continued on the next page Moon at U. Bridgeport: Update A University of Bridgeport Trustee, a student, and a former faculty member, along with a group of donors and alumni, filed a lawsuit in February against the University of Bridgeport (UB), its Board of Trustees, the Unification-Church sponsored Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), and the Board of Governors of Higher Education in Connecticut, asking for an injunction to prevent the PWPA-controlled board from operating the University. The plaintiffs say that the UB-PWPA agreement violates state law and public policy because the trustees improperly delegated to the PWPA authority to select its own membership and operate the University; that there is an illegal conflict of interest in a third party secured creditor, the PWPA, being granted the power to control 60% of the UB Board; that the agreement between UB and the PWPA violates the UB charter, which requires that the University be operated as a non-sectarian institution; and that the PWPA is not incorporated to operate an institution of higher education, has no charter, and is not licensed by the state. Historically, however, courts have denied standing to those challenging the decisions of the boards of directors of nonprofit institutions in general and universities in particular, reserving “standing” to the Attorneys General of the states. And Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal has joined UB and the PWPA in arguing that the plaintiffs should be denied standing because they have suffered no real injury or direct and personal harm from the UB-PWPA deal. Meanwhile, according the Unification News of January, 1994, UB president Edwin G. Eigel, Jr. hosted members of the Moon family in, according to the church's news-paper, an “historical proclamation at the John Cox Student Center of the 'United Nations University' as True Father [The Rev. Moon] has designated this new project.” The president gave the Moon family representatives a gift “for their support of the University's mission. He closed by thanking Reverend and Mrs. Moon on behalf of the Board of Trustees for their financial backing through the PWPA. . . . After the cake-cutting ceremony, Jin Sun Park Moon continued to pour out the True Parents' vision for the University for another two hours. . . Yet another eternal page has been written in the history of the University of Bridgeport and God's Providence to restore the heavenly world of True Love.” (From“Lawsuit Update,” Moonwatch [Coalition of Concerned Citizens, Bridgeport], March 1994, 1, 3) Ordeal of Ex-Moon follower at U. Chicago, page 11 Thought Reform Exists: Organized, Programmatic Influence Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. Thought Reform Exists Continued from page 3 Sometimes it takes a personal statement to highlight the need for the American Family Foundation and its programs to educate about destructive cults. Below is a letter received recently which highlights the continuing need to educate professionals and provide victim assistance. We can only extend to the letter writer our hopes that her child receive adequate diagnosis and treatment leading to recovery. But we can also let our legislators and concerned professionals know about the need for better information about cults and greater sensitivity to cult-related injury and distress. Herbert L. Rosedale, President, American Family Foundation (Publisher of The Cult Observer). Dear Mr. Rosedale: I thank you for your response to my letter. First of all, my son was at “State Hospital” which, I might add, doesn't give the best of care. He's been there three times since he joined Scientology. They are guessing at his condition. The last doctor was from Iraq, and never heard of “Hubbard Dianetics” alias [sic] whatever else they may call themselves. I took brochures for him to read; his response: “They are crazier than your son.” The doctors there don't care to educate themselves, pertaining [to] brainwashing by cults. I do believe they feel it's too much of a challenge for them. Since “Scientology” turned my son against the medical profession and medication, it's impossible to get him to go for help on his own. He's obsessed with Scientology, so would not speak against them. He's run away from hospital three times and the courtroom once. Need I say more about that hospital staff. He's missing from hospital at this moment. I've asked the judge and doctors if I could obtain guardianship over him. They only said “he seems to be okay now. Even though he still thinks he's someone else and waits for space ships to pick him up. It will eventually go away.” But how? No one would hire a person in this mental state. He is very ill. So what is he to do? No one seems to care! Yes, I've been out of money. Out of desperation I sold my house to a real estate agent, far below market value. Then I spent most of the proceeds trying to straighten my son out. I can't believe this organization [Scientology] with all their money can be tax exempt. In my opinion, they are no better than the drug dealers who corrupt people on our streets. Needless to say, I'm upset. I've lost most of my family over this. It's taken a toll on my mental state, my dignity as a human being, and I cry at the drop of a pin, because I feel so guilty. They've ruined my life. What else can I say? Congresspersons— An Endangered Species Edward A. Lottick, M.D. It is painfully apparent to us sadder but wiser people that cults are most likely to influence and even recruit or capture people when they are vulnerable. And one of the most important factors making us vulnerable is to be in an unfamiliar location away from home, friends, family, and community. This is frequently the situation of various government leaders and their staffs. In that sometimes strange country inside the Beltway, governmental leaders and their staffs are constantly besieged by propaganda, importunement, and persuasion. Some of the large destructive cults work the area using lobbyists and public relations firms. They spend much money to persuade and influence your government leaders and legislators, not without some effect. I was in Washington visiting congresspersons recently and there were both subtle and obvious signs of cult influence. And I could not help but wonder why Scientology was granted non-profit status by the federal government. How did this startling turn of affairs come about? Could unethical persuasion be the explanation? Could someone have been unusually susceptible? But aren't our representatives all susceptible to one degree or another as we all are? And doesn't that make our representatives an endangered species in more ways than one? Shouldn't we sadder but wiser people make sure they are knowledgeable about cults and their various deceptions? I'm sure at the very least that each of us has a compelling story to tell. And from all that I have seen of fellow victims, we are a very presentable, articulate, and literate group, and many of you have an impressive command of the subject. Have you established contact with your representative and senators, or if not with them yet, personally, at least with their local staff? Your representative's local office is probably not far away, and some of your senators may have multiple offices, spread around the state, one of which may be quite convenient for you to visit. Some representatives have town meetings, in an effort to determine what's on constituents' minds. Have you either singly, or as part of a group of local citizens concerned about destructive cults, visited their local offices? Have you gotten to know their staffs? Have you established enough rapport that they feel they know you and would be receptive to further information? I emphasize their local offices because I think congresspersons are less distracted by the press of business when in their home territories. Each one of us needs to present the other face of destructive cults in America to counteract the propaganda barrage in Washington, where a skilled lobbyist or public relations propagandist can make extortion sound like self-improvement, and slavery sound like wonderful dedication to the cause, leader, or principal. We can beat this persuasion game. Each of us has a story to tell and we have the facts. Congresspersons are very receptive to their constituents. I have heard of people having trouble scheduling appointments but I have never heard of anyone being turned away. For congresspersons there is nothing like personal contact with real people. Such a contact weighs very heavily against propaganda, polemics, manipulation, and suggestion of one sort or another. There is only one problem with personal contact. You have to take the initiative. No one can do it for you! Make it part of your personal agenda!!! “Thought reform is not mysterious. It is the systematic application of psychological and social influence techniques in an organized programmatic way within a constructed and managed environment.” Edward A. Lottick, M.D., a physician from Kingston, PA, is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Family Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer, and chairman of AFF's Medical Education Committee. Recently, cult apologists have attempted to create the impression that the concept of thought reform has been rejected by the scientific community. This is untrue. As recently as May of this year, the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association cites thought reform as a contributing factor to “Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified” (a diagnosis frequently given to former cult members). Thought reform (notes 1,2,3 below) and its synonyms brainwashing and coercive persuasion (4,5) were also noted in DSM-III (1980) and in DSM-III-Revised (1987), as well as in widely recognized medical texts (6,7). Thought reform is not mysterious. It is the systematic application of psychological and social influence techniques in an organized programmatic way within a constructed and managed environment (6,7,8,9,10). The goal is to produce specific attitudinal and behavioral changes. The changes occur incrementally without its being patently visible to those undergoing the process that their attitudes and behavior are being changed a step at a time according to the plan of those directing the program. In society there are numerous elaborate attempts to influence attitudes and modify behavior. However, thought reform programs can be distinguished from other social influence efforts because of their totalistic scope and their sequenced phases aimed at destabilizing participants' sense of self, sense of reality, and values. Thought reform programs rely on organized peer pressure, the development of bonds between the leader or trainer and the followers, the control of communication, and the use of a variety of influence techniques. The aim of all this is to promote conformity, compliance, and the adoption of specific attitudes and behaviors desired by the group. Such a program is further characterized by the manipulation of the person's total social environment to stabilize and reinforce the modified behavior and attitude changes (8,9,10). Thought reform is accomplished through the use of psychological and environmental control processes that do not depend on physical coercion. Today's thought reform programs are sophisticated, subtle, and insidious, creating a psychological bond that in many ways is far more powerful than gun-at-the-head methods of influence. The effects generally lose their potency when the control processes are lifted or neutralized in some way. That is why most Korean War POWs gave up the content of their prison camp indoctrination programs when they came home, and why many cultists leave their groups if they spend a substantial amount of time away from the group or have an opportunity to discuss their doubts with an intimate (11). Contrary to popular misconceptions (some intentional on the part of naysayers), a thought reform program does not require physical confinement and does not produce robots. Nor does it permanently capture the allegiance of all those exposed to it. In fact, some persons do not respond at all to the programs, while others retain the contents for varied periods of time. In sum, thought reform should be regarded as “situationally adaptive belief change that is not stable and is environment-dependent” (8, 10). The current effort by cult apologists to deny thought reform exists is linked to earlier protective stances toward cults in which apologists attempted to deny the cults' active and deceptive recruitment practices; deny the massive social, psychological, financial, spiritual, and other controls wielded by cult leaders; and thus dismiss their often destructive consequences. These earlier efforts to shield cults from criticism rest on a “seeker” theory of how people get into cults, which overlooks the active and deceptive tactics that most cults use to recruit and retain members. When bad things happened to followers of Jim Jones or David Koresh, the twisted logic of some apologists implied that these “seekers” found what they wanted, thus absolving the cult leader and his conduct. Finally, to promulgate the myth that thought reform has been rejected by the scientific community, cult apologists doggedly stick to a faulty understanding of the process. Contrary to the findings in the literature, they aver that physical coercion and debilitation are necessary for thought reform to occur, and that the effects of thought reform must be instant, massive, uniform, universally responded to, and enduring. The recent upholding of thought reform in DSM-IV is but one more piece of evidence that this orchestrated process of exploitative psychological manipulation is real and recognized within the professional psychiatric field. To say then that the concept of thought reform is rejected by the scientific community is false and irresponsible. The phenomenon has been studied and discussed since 1951, and continuing studies by social psychologists and other behavioral scientists have solidified our understandings of its components and overall impact. c 1994 M.T. Singer References 1. Lifton, R. J. (1961). Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. New York: W. W. Norton. (Also: 1993, University of North Carolina Press.) 2. Lifton, R. J. (1987). Cults: Totalism and civil liberties. In R. J. Lifton, The Future of Immortality and Other Essays for a Nuclear Age. New York: Basic Books. 3. Lifton, R. J. (1991, February). Cult formation. Harvard Mental Health Letter. 4. Hunter, E. (1951). Brainwashing in China. New York: Vanguard. 5. Schein, E. H. (1961). Coercive Persuasion. New York: W. W. Norton. 6. Singer, M. T. (1987). Group psychodynamics. In R. Berkow (Ed.), Merck Manual, 15th ed. Rahway, NJ: Merck, Sharp, & Dohme. 7. West, L. J., & Singer, M. T. (1980). Cults, quacks, and nonprofessional psychotherapies. In H. I. Kaplan, A. M. Freedman, & B. J. Sadock (Eds.), Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry III, pages 3245-3258). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. 8. Ofshe, R., & Singer, M.T. (1986). Attacks on peripheral versus central elements of self and the impact of thought reforming techniques. Cultic Studies Journal, 3, 3-24. 9. Singer, M.T., & Ofshe, R. (1990). Thought reform programs and the production of psychiatric casualties. Psychiatric Annals, 20, 188-193. 10. Ofshe, R. (1992). Coercive persuasion and attitude change. Encyclopedia of Sociology. Vol. 1, 212-224. New York: Macmillan. 11. Wright, S. (1987). Leaving Cults. The Dynamics of Defection. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Monograph no. 7, Washington, D.C. Margaret Thaler Singer is Emeritus Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a director of the American Family Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer. I was in Washington visiting congresspersons recently and there were both subtle and obvious signs of cult influence. Linda Blood has achieved her most important goal, the publication in August of her much-anticipated book, The New Satanists, a Warner paperback with a first printing of over 29,000. At $5.50, the book should fly off the bookstore shelves. It would indeed be a bargain at twice the price, containing as it does a brilliantly documented overview of the Satanism phenomenon's long history, the story of her tormented and destructive association with Michael Aquino and his Temple of Set, chilling cases of ritual child abuse in day care centers and elsewhere—some of which are resolved in the children's favor but many more left in limbo—and much more. She also describes the “shoot the messenger response” on the part of many professionals in law enforcement and mental health, defense lawyers, accused parents, and actual pedophilia advocates. Linda has much more to tell, and manages to convey horrific facts without falling into lurid detail. Her exposure of the historical connection between various Satanist groups, neo-Nazis, skinheads, other racist groups, and deniers of the Holocaust may come as unwelcome news to many. The previously known but seldom advertised link between Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis—with its “no-holds-barred ritual sex magic and drug abuse”—and his followers, Dr. Jack Parsons (founder of Cal Tech) and L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology— is disclosed in all its lunacy. Many AFF associates who work in this area are credited in the book: Dr. Susan Kelley, a professor in the Maternal Child Health Graduate Program at Boston College School of Nursing whose scholarly work earned her the John Gordon Clark Award, is cited for her excellent studies on ritual abuse in day care centers; Rob Tucker, former head of COMA (Council on Mind Abuse) in Toronto, is quoted extensively on his work with adolescent Satanists, as is Kevin Garvey, who has exit counseling experience with teens and young adults attracted to the nihilistic philosophies of Crowley and Anton LaVey (founder of the Church of Satan) through “extreme apathy toward their own lives and human existence in general.” AFF associate Detective Sandi Gallant Bargione appears in the denouement of the investigation into Aquino's alleged ritualistic abuse of San Francisco's Presidio day care center children. Others quoted or thanked for their help are Dr. Carl Raschke, Dr. Herbert Nieburg, Marcia Rudin, Dr. Michael Langone, and Madeleine Tobias. The New Satanists is very nearly encyclopedic in its scope, and could well profit from an index in subsequent editions, of which there should be many. Congratulations, Linda, on a splendid achievement. Rose Paull (see Cult Observer profile in Vol. 11, No. 4) has been awarded the Herbert L. Rosedale Award for 1993 for “demonstrating an exceptional dedication to teaching young people about cultic groups and psychological manipulation.” The wording of the award continues: “Since 1990, Mrs. Paul has set up information booths twice a week at Miami Dade Community College and Florida International University. She talks to students, makes a reading table available to them, and distributes flyers and other information at her own expense. We will never know exact-ly how many students have resisted cultic seductions as a result of Mrs. Paull's steady dedication to the cause of psychological freedom, nor will we know how many she has inspired by her commitment and hard work. But we are sure that those she has influenced will be forever grateful.” The Herbert L. Rosedale Award was established by the American Family Foundation with a grant from the Jerry L. Sheaffer family, which sought to honor the AFF president publicly for his tireless effort during their own time of need and for “being an example to be followed.” Believing that so many other people also give so much of themselves to the cause of helping cult victims, Mr. Rosedale asked that the honor the Sheaffer family bestowed on him be shared with other individuals, such as Mrs. Paull, who are 'examples to be followed.' ” A valuable publication, Virginia Child Protection Newsletter (VCPN), volume 41, Winter, 1993, has come to our attention. The entire issue is devoted to the related subjects of multiple personality, dissociation, ritual abuse, and child abuse in cults. AFF associate Janja Lalich gave a presentation on cults in July to Campus Ministers studying at the Frank J. Lewis Institute-West, which is a 10-day summer study session for Dominicans. The group was comprised of men and women with a range of degrees from undergraduate to doctoral, who have been serving as Campus Ministers for at least one year. Those attending were from across the country, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and various parts of California. Discussions centered around how to recognize cults, the types of cults active on campuses today, how to do preventative education on campus, how to deal with the aftermath of cult membership with both students and their families, and typical cult recruitment tactics. And—wonderful news—an Australian publisher has just purchased 1,000 copies of Captive Hearts, Captive Minds, co-authored by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias, for distribution in Australia. AFF News Continued from page 2 Donna Adams (M. Ed., Xavier University) recently gained her graduate counseling degree with a thesis using the “cultism scale” developed by AFF Executive Director Michael Langone and Professor Arthur Dole, an AFF director. Ms. Adams administered the scale's questionnaire to former members of the Cincinnati Church of Christ (part of the Boston Church of Christ movement), and then compared the results with those derived from former members of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a group active on many college campuses. The former Church of Christ members scored higher on the scale—indicating a significant cultic experience—than the ex-InterVarsity students. Ms. Adams found it especially interesting that most of her Church of Christ respondents had not been deprogrammed or exit-counseled; this contradicts cult apologists who hold that such post-cult experiences lead to harsher than justified judgments of the cult. She was surprised that the ex-members did not score higher on answers to the questionnaire which indicated “exploitation” and “dependency” —albeit they scored significantly higher here than the InterVarsity respondents. Rather, they scored highest on the indicators of “mind control” and “compliance.” The thesis, “Cincinnati Church of Christ: How Former Members Rate the Group on the Cultism Scale” is now being prepared for publication in a scholarly journal. Ms. Adams did not come to the study of cults casually. When she left the cultic University Bible Fellowship five years ago, she finished a nursing degree at the University of Cincinnati and then determined to understand better, through additional professional training, her own experience. Her teachers did not know much about cults and unethical social influence, but they were interested. Indeed, they allowed her to give workshops on the subject to her fellow students. Now, as a practicing nurse in staff development and health education for a public health agency, and part-time counselor in the cult field, she frequently gives such workshops, and talks, in and around Cincinnati. Ms. Adams reports that the University Bible Fellowship is still operating in Ohio, but people are getting better educated about the problem, thanks to the educational work undertaken in recent years by her, and others like Dr. Paul Martin, AFF associate and head of the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center, who first directed Ms. Adams toward AFF as a vehicle through which she could express her interest in cult education and research. She believes that campuses, and especially campus ministries, are more aware of the dangers of cults than they once were. As a soon-to-be doctoral student in counseling psychology, Ms. Adams hopes to help ensure that this trend continues. Scientology Settles Suit with Ex-PR Firm On the verge of trial, the Church of Scientology has settled its $40 million lawsuit against its former public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton, and longtime foe Eli Lilly and Co., for an undisclosed sum of money. All sides have agreed not to discuss the agreement. The suit stemmed from Hill & Knowlton's dropping the Scientology account following a Time magazine cover story in 1991 blasting Scientology as a cult of greed. Scientology alleges that Hill & Knowlton divorced itself from the church due to pressure from Eli Lilly and Co., makers of the drug Prozac, which Scientology has tried for years to discredit. Judge Stanley Sporkin's order quoted an executive of J. Walter Thompson, Co., a sister firm of Hill & Knowlton, who characterized Lilly's feeling about Scientology as, “It will be all-out war and anyone associating with the enemy will be dealt with accordingly.” A Lilly spokesman said that the company would be happy to be able to pursue the matter, and that “Suing or threatening to sue is one of Scientology's most common tactics of intimidation.” (From “Scientology suit on PR firm heads for trial,” by Wayne Garcia, St. Peters-burg Times, 3/31/94, 1E and “Church of Scientology settles with PR firm,” by Wayne Garcia, St. Petersburg Times, 7/7/94, 1E ) Church Universal and Triumphant Settles with IRS Elizabeth Clare Prophet, leader of the apocalyptic Church Universal and Triumphant, has agreed to stop stockpiling weapons in exchange for restoration of the church's tax-exempt status—except for a two-year period from May 1988 to April 1990. The church agreed not to own or store any weapons and to dispose of any it now owns within 90 days. Individual church members will still be permitted to own weapons in their homes within the bounds of state and federal law. The settlement also requires the church to set up separate taxable subsidies for the group's business activities. (From “Montana Church Agrees To Give Up Its Guns For Tax Exemption,” Church & State, July/August, 1994, 3, 21) AJC Lawyer Explains Support of Scientology Decision In the continuing controversy over the Internal Revenue Service's recent granting of tax-exempt status to most of the Scientology organizations, American Jewish Congress lawyer Marc Stern, who argued in favor of the IRS decision, added: “But we never took a position on whether they were otherwise qualified to be tax-exempt.” Stern argues that the recent IRS decision should not be understood as “a ruling about their legitimacy as a church. If anybody wants to set up as a church and have all the trappings, it's almost impossible for the IRS to prove fraud if you're careful about the bookkeeping,” Stern said. “Besides, anybody who needs the endorsement of the IRS has some very severe problems.” (From “Ex-Scientologists question IRS ruling,” by James L. Franklin, Boston Globe, 11/7/93) “Religion” Removed from Harassment Guidelines The Senate voted unanimously in June to adopt a resolution calling on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to remove religion from new anti-harassment guidelines, pending further study. Religious Right organizations saw the unrevised guidelines as hostile to religious expression in the workplace. Some groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Baptist Joint Convention, and the American Jewish Congress, believe that omitting religion entirely from the guidelines would be a mistake. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, also against the omission, said that the guidelines “will not ban one Bible [as the Religious Right believe] or eliminate one invitation to attend worship services. They will ban patterns of religiously motivated harassment and eliminate continuous pressure for employees to conform to employers' religious values.” (From “Battle Over EEOC 'Religious Harassment' Guidelines Expands,” Church & State, July/August, 1994, 3) LaRouche After Prison Although some LaRouche supporters indicate that they expect their leader's return from prison back to his Leesburg, VA, mansion/compound to energize his organization, critics doubt it. Mira Boland, who tracks Larouche's activities for the national Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith [which LaRouche regularly exco-riates] says that LaRouche and his followers have “never succeeded in gaining the political influence that he and his followers think they deserve. They are, in a word, legends in their own minds.” (From “LaRouche Paroled After 5 Years in Prison, Returns to Loudoun,” by Peter Pae and Leef Smith, The Washington Post, 1/27/94, A11). In the view of a local Leesburg editorialist, “. . . LaRouche and his followers are very deserving of the continued vigilance of this community and its representatives, both in law enforcement and the press.” (The Loudoun [County, VA] Times Mirror, 2/2/94, A14) CUT Leader Bans Tax Protests Elizabeth Clare Prophet, spiritual leader of the Church Universal and Triumphant, has banned her followers from protesting against taxation. Even before the recent resumption of tax-exempt status by CUT [see story on page 8], new editions of church publications denounced the tax-protest activities of some members, saying that the message not to protest came from Jesus Christ. (Members have been told that Jesus speaks through Elizabeth Clare Prophet.) In late 1993, church member Mitchell Mandell, who appears to have been strongly influenced by the literature of fanatic tax-protest groups, was killed in a shootout with police near the group's Montana headquarters. Church spokesman Murray Steinman said that a “couple” of members will be excommunicated and others will be put on probation for involvement in “patriot,” constitutionalist, and “asseverated citizen” movements. Steinman said church members “have been targeted by these groups in the wake of Mandell's death.” Tax protesters have been an element of the church for years, but the church leadership has tried to distance itself from them at times. “We attract all kinds of people,” Steinman said.” (From “CUT members told to drop tax protests,” Livingston [MT] Enterprise, 2/3/94) Meanwhile, Elizabeth Clare Prophet has become pregnant, at the age of 55. Her husband and business manager, Ed Francis, 43, is also church vice president. Mrs. Prophet already has four children, from 22 to 29 years. Francis, to whom she has been married for 13 years, is her fourth husband; the first was CUT founder Mark Prophet. (From “Spiritual leader Prophet is pregnant,” The Washington Times, 3/19/94, D4) [The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church] Jesus People Called Cultic Some ex-members of the two-decades-old Jesus People USA are calling the leaders authoritarian, heavy-handed, insensitive, and abusive. Cult watcher Ronald Enroth, a sociology professor at the evangelical-aligned Westmont College, in Santa Barbara, CA [and advisor to the American Family Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer], the author of Churches That Abuse, concluded, after interviewing some 40 former Jesus People: “It's not that the leaders are worshiped, but they're spiritual tyrants. If you question leadership, you're put down.” The interviews are included in Enroth's new book, Recovery from Churches That Abuse. Despite the charges, the Chicago-based Evangelical Covenant Church, which the Jesus People USA joined in 1989, still supports the group. “I find their leaders very honest and open, not typical of an abusive, cultic group,” says Herbert Freedholm, superintendent of the church's central conference. (From “Ex-members charge church has abusive, dark side,” by James D. Davis, Fort Lauderdale, FL Sun-Sentinel, 12/12/93, 4E) From the Grass Roots The March/April newsletter of “Free Minds,” the Minnesota affiliate of the Cult Awareness Network, reports: “Calls the past two months were steady with many inquiries about Amway. It seems that at least one of the sub-organizations within Amway is behaving like a destructive cult. The one most asked about is the Dexter Yeager group. We also had calls inquiring about the old standbys—Lifespring, The Forum, Scientology, the Boston Church of Christ (aka the International Church of Christ), Jehovah's Witnesses, Victory Church of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and the Assene of Lamoni, Iowa. It appears that the Family (Children of God) and The Way International are doing some active recruiting and PR work, too. Our mail inquiries were slow. We held two meetings, one in January, one in February. January brought a snowstorm the same night so our turnout was quite light, but February brought out 19 hardy souls. We also had two Scientologists at each meeting. They were not allowed to stay as we have won the lawsuit against us and the ruling was that we are a private organization with the right to exclude anyone we choose. One thought before we sign off: Has your church, school, or civic organization had a cult awareness talk? Do these organizations have books and other [cult awareness] materials available for use by students or families? If not, why not? Quote for the month: “How far can you open your mind before your brains fall out?” (Cult Observer Report) Cult Education in Spanish The Chicago-based Cult Awareness Network has produced a brochure in Spanish concerning its work in educating the public about cults. The publication defines cults, discusses people's vulnerability to recruitment, and provides information both on how to avoid cultic involvements and how to deal with them. (Cult Observer Report) Scientology Harassment Alleged Police are investigating complaints that private investigators, allegedly employed by the Church of Scientology or its agents, have intimidated witnesses and plaintiffs in forthcoming court cases, according to Richard Palmer writing in the Sunday Times (4/3/94). Police in East Grinstead, West Sussex, sent a file to the Crown Prosecution Service after incidents during a six-day demonstration outside the house of Jon Atack, one of the witnesses. Atack, a former Scientologist, is acting as a consultant or expert witness in a number of cases. In an attempt to discredit him, Scientology representatives allegedly distributed defamatory leaflets to his neighbors alleging that he was a drug dealer. Other targets include Beverly Tyall, a solicitor in Chichester. Much of the harassment is said to have been carried out by an American private detective, reportedly flown in from Los Angeles, who previously targeted for similar treatment Russell Miller, a journalist for the Sunday Times and author Bare-Faced Messiah, a book on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. “Word of Life” Pressures Students The Aberdeen Express [Scotland] reports in “Cult Clampdown” (4/2/94), the members of “Word of Life International” (connected with Ulf Exkman's Livets Ord in Sweden) have been using pressure tactics on Aberdeen students. “They have been knocking door-to-door inside halls of residence at night time. It is totally out of order,” said Amanda Monk, president of the Students' Council. University chaplain Dr. William Murdoch said: “The university has a policy of not allowing such activity within the halls. We will be trying to ensure that a lookout is kept..” (From FAIR NEWS, Spring 1994, 13) Africa President Welcomes TM in Mozambique The Transcendental Meditation organization's plans for developing “Heaven on Earth” apparently stymied in Zambia with the fall from power of former president Kenneth Kaunda, is concentrating on Mozambique. There, according to Bill Keller, writing in the New York Times (2/10/94), Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano is an enthusiastic devotee. He credits meditation with the ending of his country's 16-year cvil war and the country's worst drought. He promotes TM practice throughout his government and in the countryside. His son and the children of cabinet members are studying on scholarships at the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, IA, and Chissano lectures anyone who will listen about the Maharishi's promises. The TM project for a ravaged Mozambique envisions 49 million acres of land, a quarter of the country, tilled by legions of Mozambicans who have achieved inner harmony through meditation. TM developers will have to prove themselves on a small scale, however, before the government hands over huge portions of the country. (From FAIR NEWS, Spring 1994, 11-12) High-Pressure Moonie Fundraising Continues A former member of The Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church has written an open letter to fellow students at the University of Chicago detailing his harrowing experience with the church's Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles. In an open letter to Chicago Flame (“An independent Student Newspaper”), Ingo Michel says he was deceived, and that Moon's Divine Principle is not the truth and that Moon is not the Messiah. While he was a member he went through much hardship, allegedly required of all CARP members, one of which was intense fundraising. He would usually stay up until the small hours to raise money, often by selling flowers. In the spring of 1993, Michel was assigned by his leader to sell $1,000 worth of flowers from Friday to Saturday night. Despite fundraising until 3:00 am, he was unable to sell all of the flowers. As a result, the leader “reproached and scolded me—and pushed me twice with my back against a sharp protruding corner of the bathroom walls. Two days later I could hardly walk because of the intense chest pain.” Michel said that the leader rebuked him again when he found him lying in bed, and accused him of being lazy and selfish. When Michel went to the doctor, he was told that part of his left lung had collapsed. (From FAIR NEWS [Family Action Information and Rescue] Spring 1994, 13, citing the Chicago Flame, “A Hard Look at Religious Groups,” by Al Castillo, 2/8/94) Thought Reform Exists: Organized, Programmatic Influence 3 Why AFF Exists 5 Moon at U. Bridgeport: Update 6 CUT Leader Bans Tax Protests Scientology Harassment Alleged 8 Congresspersons—An Endangered Species 10 Convention/Workshop on Cults A three-day “Convention/Workshop Opportunity for Professionals/Ex-Cultists and Families” is now scheduled for October 14-16 at the Capri Convention Centre in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The faculty for the event, sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and the Edmonton Society Against Mind Abuse, includes Margaret Singer, renowned pioneer in the study of cultism, Michael Kropveld, Executive Director of Info-Cult, the leading resource center on cults in Canada, Madeliene Tobias, author and counselor, and Wm. Kent Burtner, O.P., Executive Director of the Cult Resource Center of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. For information, call Susan Purvis or Dr. N.P. Costigan at (403) 343-4673)