------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 The Rev. Mr. Moon's University: Update [Bridgeport, CT] Anthony Sorem, a specialist in the psychology of new religious movements at St. John's University in Collegeville, MN, considers the Unification Church's move to take over the financially strapped University of Bridgeport through the church's Professors World Peace Academy a sign that the church is becoming more open, although he warns that it remains an "authoritarian structure" with an agenda. "I don't know that the Unification Church has developed yet a track record of tolerance for a diversity of ideas," said Sorem. "authoritarian structures - and I consider the Unification Church a very good example - will tolerate all expressions of thought as long as they promote that organization's goals." Still, Sorem predicts a gradual diminishing of the church's "cult" characteristics, including its focus on Moon as a near-divine figure. He expects that, within a generation or two, the church "will in fact be a Protestant denomination." But The Rev. Martin Marty, a scholar of church history at the University of Chicago Divinity School, considers it unlikely that the church will find a lasting place in this country. "It remains an Asian movement with an American outpost," he said, "a mix of Korean Presbyterianism and shamanism with little broad appeal to the American psyche." (From "Moon church move to college examined," by Gustav Spohn, Chicago Tribune, 10/2/92, 8) Recruiting During the past summer, the university enlisted the help of companies in the Bridgeport region to recruit students for the fall semester. Sikorsky Aircraft and Textron-Lycoming, two defense manufacturers, were planning to host registration sessions, and Yale-New Haven Hospital was the site of such a session in early August. [The report listed the places and times for the local registration sessions]. (From "Firms help UB recruit students," by Debbie Carvalko, Connecticut Post, 8/6/92, A15) Protest Some ten members of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, who oppose the new affiliation, protested outside a meeting of the newly constituted trustees; they carried a sign that read "Hall of Shame - UB Trustees." They and other critics feel that the affiliation will allow the recruitment of students into the Unification Church. One protester - who said his son was brainwashed by so-called "Moonies" and had to be deprogrammed - described the church as "a cult" that he "wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." Led by Bridgeport aldermen Bill Finch and Peter Niles, as well as Rabbi Israel Stein of the Congregation Rodeph Shalom, the protesters said they will continue trying to thwart the merger through legal action. (From "Moon group members join board," by Debbie Carvalko, Connecticut Post, 8/6/92, A15) New Trustees Sixteen members of the Professors World Peace Academy have been appointed to sit alongside the fifteen previously sitting trustees of the university, giving the new owners control of the institution. Three of them, unnamed, are said to be members of the Unification Church. [The new trustees include a number who have been associated for some time with Unification Church academic and political organizations.] The new trustees include The Rev. Joseph Fichter, a professor of sociology at Loyola University in New Orleans, Morton Kaplan, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, Neil Salonen [formerly a high Unification Church official], vice chairman of the PWPA, former U. S. Rep. Richard Ichord, and Rodrigo Carazo-Odio, president of Costa Rica from 1978 to 1982. (From "Moon group members join board," by Debbie Carvalko, Connecticut Post, 8/6/92, A15) [The backgrounds of the trustees are discussd by Washington, D.C., investigative journalist Frederick Clarkson in "Rev. Moon Buys a College, Hires Spooks & Moonies, Covert Action, Fall 1992, 39] Law School Moves Out The university's law school, meanwhile, transferred to Quinnipiac College - a move approved by the American Bar Association - when members of the law school faculty made it clear they opposed the merger. It is said to be the first case in U.S. history of a school transferring from one parent institution to another without interruption in its accreditation. (From "Bar Group Approves Transfer of U. of Bridgeport Law School," by George Judson, New York Times, 8/13/92) Student Responses Students attending the first day of classes at the University of Bridgeport were wary of the Unification Church takeover, saying they weren't sure what it will mean to the school's future. Some were worried. Others, like junior accounting major Aisha Abdullah, were not. "We shouldn't assume this is the worst thing to happen to UB. If it wasn't for the [PWPA] the school would be closed and none of us would be here," she said. "We should wait and see what happens . . This could be a positive thing." Another student was not worried because she felt any Unification Church influence would not be felt until after she graduated. Marjorie Bernard-Butler, a graduate student, said fears of a Moonie takeover are unfounded and people should give the group a chance. "This is their flagship school. They know the eyes of the state are on them and I think they are going to be on their best behavior." She said the affiliation is a 'good thing' for both UBV and the city. "I am the fourth person in my family to attend UB and it would be a shame to see it closed. The [change] will bring more students who will shop and spend money in town, and Bridgeport can use all the help it can get." Students on campus for the beginning of classes said they hadn't yet noticed any changes but said concerns about possible changes kept many new and transfer students away from the school. The administration projected a fall enrollment of 1,300, down from 3,000 last fall (and from 9,100 in 1969). (From "Many saying wait and see as UB reopens," New Haven Register, 9/1/92) Moon Graduates One longtime Moon researcher argues that UB will be the jewel in Moon's crown and irresistible draw for young foreign students eager to study at an American university and not too worried about what happens when they get there. He says the school will soon lay the groundwork for an international expansion of Moon's businesses by pumping its well-groomed, ecumenically correct graduates directly into Moon-owned companies - his newspapers and video production company in the United States, perhaps, or his arms manufacturing concern in Korea. (From "Heavenly Deception: The Reverend Moon's Polite Purchase of the University of Bridgeport," by Chris Bryson, Lingua Franca, Sept./Oct. 1992, 37-42) 2 Accreditation Issue [University of Bridgeport] The University of Bridgeport is planning to renegotiate its agreement with the World Professors Peace Academy in an attempt to retain its accreditation and keep its doors open, according to university officials. Part of the agreement, or the school's bylaws, will be rewritten to meet state accreditation requirements. They are responding to the report of a team of state education officials that the university was violating state regulations relating to the governance and autonomy of the college, its financial resources, and its curriculum. The committee said too much power, including the power to select the president, had been shifted from the university's trustees to the academy. Without state accreditation, the university would not be able to grant degrees in Connecticut, in effect forcing the school to close. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, meanwhile, released a report that appears to be more favorable to the school than the state's. Instead of insisting that the agreement be rewritten, the regional team suggested only that the relationship between the academy and the university be monitored. (From "University of Bridgeport Moves to Retain Its Accreditation," AP-New York Times, 11/22/92) 3 Complaint Against Scientology-Associated Detective [Herbert Rosedale, George Ingraham] New York attorney Herbert Rosedale [President of the American Family Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer] has filed a complaint with the California Bureau of Collection and Investigative Services asking for a disciplinary hearing concerning George Ingraham, a private detective employed sometimes by the Church of Scientology. Rosedale accuses Ingraham of gross and uncivil behavior toward him during sessions of the Cult Awareness Network's annual meeting at a Los Angeles hotel in November. Ingraham was apparently trying to serve legal documents to several conference attendees when Rosedale asked if he could help. Ingraham, as Rosedale tells it, became boisterous and loud, refused to identify himself, called Rosedale a "New York smart ass," which Rosedale took to be a slur against his Jewish religion, and called the hotel management to file a complaint about Rosedale. The following day, according to Rosedale, Ingraham walked over to someone with whom Rosedale was speaking, grabbed the man by the shoulder, and said, "you should not talk to him [Rosedale], he is only a loudmouth," adding that the reason not to speak with Rosedale was that he was "with that group of _____ ing assholes," and he was going to serve every one of them [with legal papers] the next day. (Cult Observer Report, 11/27/92) 4 Enemies Attend Conference [Scientologists at CAN conference] Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas Murphy ruled in October that the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) had to admit eight Scientologists who registered for the November CAN national convention after the attorney representing the Scientologists said that CAN had denied them the right to attend because of the Scientologists' religious beliefs. The judge stated from the bench that he expected both sides to behave at the conference or risk being called to appear before him again. [Despite a Scientology suit against the Ramada Hotel, site of the conference, and Scientology picketing of the hotel every week for a month before the conference, the three-day event went off as planned.] (From "Scientologists Win a Battle in Long War," by Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times, 10/31/92, B1, B2) 4 CAN Winning Scientology Cases [Scientologists cannot volunteer at CAN national headquarters Three Scientologists have lost a court case in which they sought an injunction to force the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) to let them volunteer at the CAN national office in Chicago. The Scientologists maintained in the Cook County Circuit Court that since they were paid members of CAN National, they should have access to the CAN national office to volunteer their ser-vices. Before the court could have jurisdiction, however, the plaintiffs were required to get a certification in support of a temporary restraining order against CAN from the Illinois Department of Human Rights. The department denied the certification, determining that there were not "exceptional circumstances in which irreparable injury would result [to the plaintiffs] from a civil rights violation . . ." if they were denied the right to volunteer at the CAN national office. In another Illinois case, a religious discrimination suit by Scientology minister Andrew Bagley, was dismissed with prejudice in October. Bagley alleged he had been refused membership in CAN because he was a Scientologist. Judge Harry Leinenweber dismissed the suit on a motion for summary judgment filed by CAN because Bagley could provide no facts to support his claim of religious discrimination. (Cult Awareness Network News, November 1992, 2, 7) 5 Evangel Fundraising Influence Case May Be Reconsidered [John L. Meares and his sons, Washington, D.C.] Former members of the Evangel Temple, a Washington, D.C.-area Pentecostal church whose fund-raising activities have drawn criticism, may be granted a new trial on their allegation that their ministers defrauded them. In overturning a lower court dismissal of their case against Bishop John L. Meares and his sons, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Court of Appeals granted the former church members greater access to evidence and ordered the case returned to the D.C. Superior Court where a judge will decide whether to grant a new trial. The appeals panel found, among other things, that some of the congregants should have been allowed to pursue their assertions that their ministers used "undue influence" in getting them to contribute to the church. In an emotional trial four years ago, former members testified that church leaders pressured them to borrow money and sell their houses to meet demands that they each contribute $5,000 to the church building fund. They alleged that unbeknownst to them, the Meareses spent some of the money on themselves, buying, for example, a $295,00 house. Former congregants testified that the Meareses harassed and humiliated those who did not contribute enough to the church building fund, and warned that God would "curse" them, "turn his back on them," and even "kill" them. One testified that she had turned over her child-support payments. Others said they had taken out second mortgages on their houses. Those who did not contribute sufficiently were singled out by name during church services and endured an oral gauntlet of deacons and other members in good standing, the plaintiffs said. The ministers said they were not guilty of fraud because church members contributed funds of their own free will and were not induced to do so through any false statements. The Meareses argued that the dispute is fundamentally religious in nature and does not belong in court. In granting the plaintiffs broader discovery rights, the appeals panel agreed to allow church members to obtain financial records that the plaintiffs said might support their allegations that some of the funds were diverted by the Meares family. Over the years, the Meareses, a family of Southern white people that started as tent revival faith healers, built an almost all-black congregation in the District. (From "Ex-Church Members Win Appeal," by Susan Schmidt, The Washington Post, 11/19/92, C6) 6 A Scientology Church Involved Mainly in Taxable Activities [IRS] The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST), a Scientology organization created in 1982 to act as the repository for the writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, has lost a suit by the Internal Revenue Service which claimed that the CST was engaged in taxable activities and not exempt, as Scientology officials maintained. Church of Spiritual Technology funds have come exclusively from other Scientology management churches. In 1983, CST received $17,959,745 from another Scientology organization, and has received annual unrestricted grants ranging from $623,000 to $2.8 million, according to the court. In addition to its many bank accounts, Scientology stores money in at least 10 separate trusts which own or control publication and distribution channels for religious books and products, and provide investment and financial management services. The court found that CST "was founded for the primary purpose of gaining tax-exempt status to serve the financial goals of other, non-exempt entities, and that CST's archiving activities are secondary to its obtaining a tax exemption and would not of themselves qualify CST as a tax-exempt organization." (From "Scientology loses tax case," Cult Awareness Network News, Nov. 1992, 2) Privacy Claim Upheld The Supreme Court ruled in mid-September that the Church of Scientology can continue its effort to force the government to return documents and tape recordings obtained in an investigation. Prosecutors claimed the tapes showed the church and its lawyers were trying to conceal fraud.The church argued that the tapes were confidential lawyer-client discussions, but after several court rulings, the California state court released them last year to federal prosecutors. Although Scientology now has the original documents, the IRS retains copies, and the church claims privacy interest in seeing that the tapes are not used in future court cases. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the most recent decision that "even if the government retains only copies of the disputed materials, a taxpayer still suffers injury by the government's continued possession of those materials." (From "Court upholds Scientology privacy claim on IRS tapes," by Nancy E. Roman, The Washington Times, 11/17/92, A3. [The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church) Libel Suit vs Time Can Go to Trial [Scientology versus Time magazine] A federal judge in New York ruled in November that a libel suit by the Church of Scientology against Time magazine could go to trial, although no date was set. Church officials said a cover story of May 6, 1991, headlined "Scientology: the Cult of Greed," was based on the thesis that Scientology is not an acceptable religion for the "social mainstream," and contained "unwarranted and bigoted attacks on the Sci-entology religion. Time officials contended that the six passages called libelous did not directly name the church. (From "Libel Suit to Go to Trial, The Washington Post, 11/24/92, A10) 7 CUT Tax Exemption Reportedly Revoked The federal tax-exempt status of the Church Universal and Triumphant has been revoked by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, according to IRS spokespersons and CUT officials. The IRS refused comment, but church vice president Ed Francis, husband of leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet, called the revocation "absolutely unwarranted and unjust," and said it would be appealed. The church plans to ask the court to look at the IRS's decision-making process and determine whether the agency has applied the law correctly. The IRS has said in proceedings dating back to 1989 that CUT's political and economic activities, and weapons purchases, justified revocation of the tax-exempt status. CUT might now be liable for years of back taxes. (From "CUT's tax-exempt status revoked," by Karin Ronow, Enterprise [Livingston, MT), 10/30/92, 1) 8 Hoffman "Brainwashing" Suit Stalled [Terri Hoffman] Spiritualist Terri Hoffman has repeatedly taken the Fifth Amendment in response to deposition questions put to her by attorneys representing relatives of a number of deceased persons - including her husband - who left money to her shortly before their untimely and sometimes violent deaths. Ms. Hoffman's detractors suggest she is an evil, greedy, death-dealing Svengali who uses mind control to exploit devotees, but on the day in 1990 when a grand jury was to have convened to hear a drug case against her, the Dallas County district attorney canceled his presentation, citing insufficient evidence. (From "Hoffman bankruptcy case far from routine," Dallas Morning News, 8/24/92, 1A, 6A) 9 The "Sea Org" -- Power Behind Scientology ["Deceptis visus"] Recent proceedings in a court case between the Church of Scientology and the Internal Revenue Service [see page 4, "A Scientology Church Found Involved Mainly in Taxable Activities"] have revealed that the church is actually controlled by a little-known association of elite members. "After carefully examining the record and attempting to understand the nominal corporate structure of Scientology, " the court said, "it is apparent to the court that it [the nominal corporate structure] is something of a 'deceptis visus.' Real control is exercised less formally, but more tangibly, through an unincorporated association, the Sea Organization, more commonly referred to as the Sea Org." Members of the Sea Org, founded by high level Scientologists in the 1960s, are the most dedicated Scientologists, pledged to stay in the organization for a billion years. In the process of arriving at this conclusion, the court outlined Scientology's nominal corporate structure. They found it to include, at the highest level, four Management Churches: The Church of Scientology International (the mother church), The Religious Technology Center, The Church of Scientology San Francisco, and The Church of Scientology Los Angeles. These management groups make all organizational decisions. The court also identified four Scientology Saint Hill Organizations, engaged primarily in training Scientology auditors (counseling clients), 141 Class IV Churches, said to deliver lower and middle level church services and ordain ministers, and 129 Missions, providing lower levels of Scientology services. (From "Scientology loses tax case," Cult Awareness Network News, Nov. 1992, 2, 7, citing "Church of Spiritual Technology v. United States," Tax Decisions and Rulings, Bureau of National Affairs, Washington, D.C., 7/8/92, K-5) 10 Jonestown-like Like Operation Alleged ["Bishop" Luke Edward, Christ Temple Church, Meridian, MS] Bishop Luke Edwards of the Christ Temple Church in Meridian, Mississippi, is leading hundreds of blacks off welfare rolls in Mississippi and Alabama by adapting collectivism from Israel's kibbutz movement, but he has also been accused of operating a personality cult that one Mississippi television station likened to that run by the Rev. Jim Jones in Guyana. In 1990, the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations said it found 129 violations of child labor laws at businesses run by Reach, Inc., which include collective farms, restaurants, supermarkets, meat-processing plants, and other businesses. "The bigger we get," said Edwards, "the more vulnerable we are to rock-throwing." The core of Reach's enterprises is the 54-acre Holyland commune in Emelle, Alabama, at which 250 men, women, and children live, study, and work in a Spartan Pentecostal atmosphere and practice an entrepreneurial vision rooted in the Bible. Holyland has the look and feel of an Israeli kibbutz, with separate housing for married couples and children, a day-care center and a communal dining hall. While the children attend school, the adults work, often 12- to 18-hour days, earning no salary. ("From Min- ister in Deep South Leads Blacks Off Wel- fare," by William Claiborne, San Francisco Cronicle, 9/29/92, A3) 11 Prominent Support for Cult Awareness Conference Well-known personalities known for speaking out on human rights participated on an Honorary Committee for the 1992 Cult Awareness Annual Conference held in early November in Los Angeles. The committee members included author-entertainer Steve Allen, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, U. S. Representative Anthony Beilenson, California Assemblyman Tom Hayden, actor Charlton Heston, and Patricia Ryan, CAN president and daughter of the late U.S. Representative Leo J. Ryan, murdered in 1978 while investigating the People's Temple settlement of Jim Jones in Guyana. (Cult Observer Report, 12/1/92) 12 Shirley MacLaine Disconnects from Ramtha [New Age, J. Z. Knight] Actress Shirley MacLaine, a prominent New Age proponent who once associated with guru J. Z. Knight, the "channeler" also known as Ramtha, "has moved on to other explorations," according to MacLaine's Hollywood spokesman. Knight is now involved in a divorce suit in New York brought by her husband Jeffrey, infected with the HIV virus, who says that Ramtha bullied him into accepting a meager settlement when he and his wife divorced in 1989. (From "Divorce Puts New Age on Trial," San Francisco Chronicle, 9/26/92, A6) 13 Nominate Dead Man [Ted Weiss] Over NAP Candidate [Fred Newman's cult, New Alliance Party] New York Rep. Ted Weiss was renominated for Congress on September 8 [and elected in November] despite his death from heart failuree. Democrats heeded the call of party leaders to vote for Weiss in order to prevent the nomination of Arthur Block, of the New Alliance Party. The NAP calls itself an independent group fighting for gays, women, minorities, and poor people. But critics say it is little more than a cult founded by Fred Newman, who operates a chain of psychotherapy clinics.(From "Race goes to dead man," AP-Philadelphia Daily News, 9/16/92) ================================================================= 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\CO1092\CO1092AB.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: CO1092AB.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. U.S.A. STORIES: | 1 The Rev. Mr. Moon's University: | Update [Bridgeport, CT] | 2 Accreditation Issue [University | of Bridgeport] | 3 Complaint Against Scientology- | Associated Detective [Herbert | Rosedale, George Ingraham] | 4 Enemies Attend Conference | [Scientologists at CAN conference] | 5 Evangel Fundraising Influence Case | May Be Reconsidered [John L. Meares | and his sons, Washington, D.C.] | 6 A Scientology Church Involved | Mainly in Taxable Activities [IRS] | 7 CUT Tax Exemption Reportedly Revoked | 8 Hoffman "Brainwashing" Suit | Stalled [Terri Hoffman] | 9 The "Sea Org" -- Power Behind | Scientology ["Deceptis visus"] | 10 Jonestown-like Like Operation | Alleged ["Bishop" Luke Edward, | Christ Temple Church, | Meridian, MS] | 11 Prominent Support for Cult | Awareness Conference | 12 Shirley MacLaine Disconnects | from Ramtha [New Age, J. Z. Knight] | 13 Nominate Dead Man [Ted Weiss] Over | NAP Candidate [Fred Newman's cult, | New Alliance Party] For additional verification see the contributor of the document. UPDATED ON: 8/30/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc =================================================================