------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: LB.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: LB.TIF ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: SECURITY CODE: DISTRIBUTION CODE: NAME FOR BBS: The Cult Observer, Vol. 11, No. 3, 1994. SORT TO: CONTRIBUTOR: LOC. OF ORIG: FACT NOTES: Five articles: Hare Krishnas, Scientology Taxes, Scientology & Hollywood stars, "Tvind", and Probe request backfires on cult leader. For additional verification see image files contained in the file with same name and .ZIP extension. UPDATED ON: 6/14/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc --------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 1 THE CULT OBSERVER, Vol. 11 No. 3, 1994 A Review of Press Reports on Cultism and Unethical Social Influence Hare Krishnas: The Next Generation, page 3 Scientology Wins Tax Battle, page 4 Scientology Cultivates Hollywood Stars, page 6 "Tvind" - Charity or Cult?, page 6 Probe Request Backfires on Cult Leader, page 13 AMERICAN FAMILY FOUNDATION Page 2 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. Herbert L. Rosedale was cited, as practicing attorney and AFF president, in "An Inside Look at the Hare Krishnas" (New York Times, Westchester edition, 11/28/93). The story traces the history of a former Hare Krishna member, now living near Mr. Rosedale's Chappa- qua, NY, home-- "who found ways to cope legally and emotionally" with leaving the group a number of years ago thanks to Mr. Rosedale's assistance. The article gave AFF's New York City number for further information. Associates at Conference Herb also attended an all-day conference at the Holiday Inn at Newark Airport (NJ), under the auspices of the Cult Awareness Network, on April 17. With featured speaker Steve Allen ("celebrity entertainer, father of ex-cult member"), the conference, "Exposing the Cults," was aimed at professionals in education, social work, psychology and psychiatry, the clergy, and law enforcement, as well as parents, family members, and present and former cult members. Among the many AFF professionals in attendance were Arnold Markowitz, Lorna and Bill Goldberg, Marcia Rudin, Patrick Ryan, and Paul Engel. A new associate, Cynthia Lilley, spoke on "How I Used Media Exposure to Force the Cult to Release My Daughter," a story told this past year on the "Today Show" on NBC. Keynote, the publication of the high school division of Kiwanis, in its February '94 edition, has a three-page article by Katie Layden titled "The Cold Lure of Cults." In it, the author states that "In reality, cults not onlywant teenagers, they actively recruit them--and more often than most persons realize. International Cult Education Program In a recent survey of 308 former cult members that was conducted by the [AFF-financed] International Cult Education Program (ICEP), a group based in New York City that develops educational materials and information about cults and their dangers, 10 percent reported that they were in high school when recruited." The author gives further facts and figures, acknowledging that "statistics are difficult to maintain,"... since "new groups pop up so often," but she uses the generally accepted figure of about 3,500 cults in the U.S. And in Canada, there are reportedly over 1,000 cults in Quebec alone. She quotes ICEP director Marcia Rudin: "Most people think that cult recruitment just happens in college... but kids who aren't approached by a cult member in high school will meet it in college for sure." There is more information from Marcia, and the author continues with the story of Dr. Edward Lottick and his wife, Sally, who have been "researching cults extensively ever since the couple's twenty-four-year- old son, Noah, committed suicide in New York City just seven months after joining a cult [Scientology] ." Noah, a young Russian studies scholar, was among the better students at his school, as are so many young people sought out by cults. Dr. Lottick says, "People don't join cults, they are actively, frequently, and deceptively recruited... It's psychological seduction." The resources the author recommends are Info-Cult [of Montreal, headed by Mike Kropveld], the Cult Awareness Network, and the American Family Foundation. Harvard Medical School's Department of Continuing Education recently announced a new offering for June 3-4, 1994, titled "Psychiatry: Controversies in Clinical Practice" and among the topics is "Cult Controversies--What Clinicians Need to Know," presented by Marvin Snider, M.S.W., an AFF associate. Cults and Psychotherapy Madeleine Tobias, M.S.W., recently moved, with her husband, from Connecticut to Plainfield, New Hampshire, where her new home in "the far North--over the edge of the world"--is in an area with "a great view." From a full- time practice in Connecticut, she has now scaled back a bit: she does some exit counseling around the country, and is a volunteer for a battered women's group. Her new book, written with co-authorJanja Lalich, Captive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Other Abusive Relationships (Hunter House, CA), is just out in bookstores and is also available through both CAN and AFF. In a letter to the editor of the Valley News of Lebanon, NH regarding its editorial commentary in mid- (Continued on page 5) Page 3 Hare Krishnas: The Next Generation With the children of Hare Krishna members from the 1970s reaching maturity, the movement is said to have evolved from its exclusively communal, monastic lifestyle into a broader-basedreligious movement with the vast majority of members--still no more than several thousand in the U.S.--living outside the sect' s communities. Take Chitralekha Langsford--"Charie"-- a teenager from San Juan Capistrano, CA. While her family helped prepare the Sunday feast at the Hare Krishna temple, she spent the day at the beach with her younger sister. Later, when a blast on a conch shell called the faithful to worship, she stayed in the temple garden, basking in the sun. The 19- year-old says she began phasing out the formal aspects of her religion a year and a half ago, and has no intention of becoming a full-time temple member. Like many second- generation Hare Krishnas, she feels the pull of the secular world. While they practice their religion in their everyday lives, these daily lives, and their aspirations, are not greatly different from those of their non-Krishna contemporaries. "Charie" works as a waitress and plans to major in holistic medicine in college. "They are no different than any other teenagers," says Christopher Walker, 25 and raised in the sect, who is associate editor of a magazine for second-generation members who attended Hare Krishna boarding schools. Of the 500 far-flung readers of the magazine, he said "most are living a normal lifestyle as opposed to a full-time Hare Krishna lifestyle, but Hare Krishna consciousness does have a big part in their life." Charie, who moved out of the commune with her parents in 1980, says, "I believe pretty much in the whole philoso- phy, but there are things that seem too restricted... To me, I'm experiencing what I think I should experience at this time of my life. I'm not ready to experience the religion fully." According to Burke Rochford, a sociologist at the University of Vermont, whose Hare Krishna in America chronicles the movement through the 1980s, about 2,000 live in the 40 to 50 Krishna farms and city communities spread across the country, and more than 20,000 live outside, the majority of them Hindus from India who are drawn by the similarity of religious traditions and the absence of Hindu temples in most American communities. It is in the growth of congregational membership that, as Rochford says, the Hare Krishnas have become "simply another part of the religious landscape of American society." (From "Part-Time Hare Krishnas," by Dennis McLellan, San Francisco Examiner, 12/5/93) [This article should not form the basis for a conclusion that children brought up in the Hare Krishna group do not suffer as a result thereof.] Krishnas' Alleged Florida Scam Hare Krishna fundraisers have come into conflict with Tampa's Busch Gardens tourist attraction by soliciting donations at the entrance to the facility while wearing safari-style clothing, including pith helmets, which mimic the outfits worn by Busch Gardens staff. The Krishnas approach cars coming to the gardens, present religious stickers, and ask for donations for religious pamphlets and books. The average take for two to three hours of work is $50 to $70, a Krishna spokesman said. Busch Gardens employees have carried signs near the entrance stating that the solicitors do not represent Busch Gardens. The Krishnas have been in conflict with authorities over local solicitation ordinances for some time, and currently have a case pending in which they claim that the laws now infringe on their free-speech rights. (From "Busch Gardens says Krishnas' outfits are a crime of fashion," by Doug Stanley, Tampa Tribune, 11/10/93, 1) Children of God Trying to Revise Image The Family, formerly known as The Children of God, is putting a new face forward in the United States in an attempt to win acceptance and come out of the shadow of a past where members were known for sharing sexual partners among themselves and their proselytes (called "flirty fishing") [as well as for the alleged promotion of sexual relations among children and between adults and children]. Attempting to shed its original image, The Family has developed sophisticated public relations machinery which tells about the good charitable work being done among the "underclass" by members in various urban centers around the country. These centers have been augmented by a host of group families that has been returning to the US in recent years, perhaps partly in response to raids by authorities in France, Australia, Spain, and Argentina alleging that children in the group are abused. (Continued on the page 5) Page 4 Scientology Wins Tax Battle The Pinellas County (FL) property appraiser agreed in late January to take 74 percent of the Church of Scientology's property in the area--about $19o million worth--off the tax roles. In return, Scientology will pay $2.5 million in back property taxes (the total bill was nearly $9 million). The action, apparently concluding a longstanding legal dispute, follows a U.S. Supreme court refusal to review a lower court decision that fees paid by Scientology members to the church for counseling services were tax-deductible. The appraiser said that he will now treat Scientology "just like any other religion." The settlement brought [Here a map is shown of Downtown Clearwater, with this caption:] Some Scientology properties in Clearwater St. Petersburg Times howls from Clearwater officials, who had hoped that all of Scientology's nearly $24-miIlion in holdings--Clearwater is their world headquarters--would stay on the tax rolls. "This just shows that they're screwing us," City commissioner Fred Thomas said. "Do I get angry when somebody's screwing us? Yeah." The assessor defended his decision to settle, saying that bringing the case to trial and the inevitable appeals would cost "at least half a million dollars" and likely wouldn't "happen in my lifetime." The settlement is based on religious use of the properties. At the Fort Harrison [a former downtown hotell, for instance, counseling centers and rooms used for Scientology auditing [a special form of counseling] will be off the tax rolls. But hotel rooms for visiting parishioners will be taxed. (From "Scientology, county settle tax suits," by Wayne Garcia, St. Petersburg Times, 1/26/94, 1B, 5B) One Jurisdiction Holds Out Although it has persuaded the IRS, as well as property assessors in Pinellas and Dade counties, that it is a tax- exempt religious opganization, Hillsborough County (FL) Property Appraiser Ron Alderman insists that the church has not proved it deserves the religious exemption for property taxes. And in late January, a special master hearing the church's appeal of his decision agreed withAlderman. Scientology has called for a reconsideration of the decision. At issue is the 7,500-square-foot Church of Scientology building, in a strip mall in south Tampa, containing a book store, administrative offices, counsel- ing areas, and a roped-off office dedicated to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. A county attorney said the issue for Alderman, who made his decision before the IRS handed down its own, was: "Is this a religious o~ganization that is a profit-making venture or is it strictly non-profit? There seemed to be a lot of cash running through this organi- zation, the lawyer said. "They don't look charitable." One of the documents available on Scientology's finances showed advanced counseling fees listed at 50 hours for a donation of $26,000. "They were charging an arm and a leg for a little counseling,"said Alderman's supervisor of exemptions, Inge Kilbourne. "We just felt like they didn't meet the criteria to be exempt." (From "Hillsborough challenges Scientology on taxes," by Jeff Testerman, St. Petersburg Times, 1/26/94, 3B) "Business" Still Taxable The Pinellas county settlement with Scientology "does make one undeniable point: Churches, legitimate or otherwise, can be taxed for their business enterprises".. The decision left Smith (the appraiser) to treat Scientology much as he does any other church... and the approach is logical: Don't tax property used for religious purposes... but tax property that is used as any other business would use it. One can quarrel with how fairly Smith drew the line between business enterprise and religious operations with the Church of Scientology, but he did draw it. And the Scientologists accepted it." IRS Sellout "What does that say of the IRS' sellout? At the federal level, taxpayers now are subsidizing the entire operations of the Scientology empire because the IRS refused to make (Continued on the next page) Page 5 Cult Awareness at Florida College In response to several complaints to Dean of Students Pamela Mounce regarding "destructive" cult activities at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, the institution'S Student Senate declared Jan. 31 to Feb. 4, 1994 as Cult Awareness Week. The program they presented was the result of a cooperative effort among the Senate, the executive branch of Student Government, the Campus Activities Board, and the StudentAffairs Office, which all joined forces as the "Partnership for CultAwareness." The Student Senate motion for the program said that "The Cult Awareness Week will not attempt to point fingers or use any theological argumentation. It is based on the principle that religious choice is an individual choice; however, it should be an informaed, educated choice, which takes into consideration the ling-term consequences of such actions." The hope, the motion said, was "for a comprehensive, 'total campus' cult awareness program which is designed to facilitate a greater knowledge base among students before they face the challenge associated with the choice to enter these religious groups."The Senate contributed $435 to the program, 25 percent of the total estimated cost. Activities for the week included a literature table on the "Green," a library book display, videos in the Wild Plaza, advertisements in the student newspaper; and guest speaker: exit counselor and cult information specialist Carol Giambalvo [an associate of the American Family (Continued on the next page) Scientology Taxes (Continued from page 4) the same simple distinctions that Smith made. The IRA just threw up its hands and gave this international enterprise a free pass from federal taxation. Even ignoring the question of whether Scientology qualifies as a religion, the IRS approach is simply indefensible. The law currently requires all charitable organizations to pay an 'unrelated-business income tax' on the commercial portions of their operations; yet the IRS won't enforce it, and Congress looks the other way. The last time the subject was raised in Congress, in 1989, the the subject was dropped before a bill was even introduced. . . . This is a question not of religion but of basic tax fairness. As the county settlement suggests, tax agencies can indeed make fair distinctions between church and business operations. Why won't the IRS? (From "Tax Fairness and Scientology," editorial in The St. Petersburg Times, 1/28/94, 12A) [See "Analyzing the Scientology- IRS Agreement," The Cult Observer, Vol. 11, No. 2, 1994, 13-15.] Children of God (Continued from page 3) Members of a local Family group, who helped victims of Hurrican Andrew, actually sang at the opening of the 1992 White House Christmas season after they got a video about themselves into the hands of President Bush when he visited the site of the Florida devastationú Part of the new Family approach has been publicly to attack groups like the Cult Awareness Network, long critical of the Children of God, even in its present incarnation, and to join with other "new religious movements," from the Church of Scientology to the Jehovah's Witnesses, publicly to defend themselves against critics. (From "Children of God Revamp Image, Face Renewed Opposition," by Joe Maxwell, Christian Research Journal, Fall 1993, 5-6, 41) AFF News (Continued from page 2) March on the Biosphere (the ecological/human experiment recently ended in the Arizona desert) and its successor, Biosphere II, she comments rather forcefully on the unscientific cheating that several news organizations have reported took place. Her question, "Why should this crazy adventure affect us New Englanders?," is answered by her in this way: "If you think that this just happens somewhere out West, just read the papers and look in the phone book. Vermont and New Hampshire have chapters representing most of the large cultic groups in our country." In her five years as a psychotherapist working with hundreds of ex-cultists and their families, she has "seen the devastation wrought by these groups on an unsuspecting public." She writes, "The key to prevention is knowledge, awareness, and a healthy skepticism (not cynicism)." She gives the telephone numbers for CAN and ICEP, stating that both are non-profit organizations, and she concludes, "We cannot afford to be ignorant." Page 6 Scientology Cultivates Hollywood Stars The Church of Scientology, following a strategy developed by founder L. Ron Hubbard, has been successful in recruiting a number of well-known Hollywood stars and dozens of lesser-known ones. Scientology, which runs a posh "celebrity center," "to forward the expansion and popularization of Scientology through the arts," that caters to these stars and high-ranking Scientologists, is said by some of the stars to have been very helpful in their lives. Indeed, since Scientology aims to help people overcome doubt and rejection, it seems to be a belief system tailor- made for actors. John Travolta says that before Dianetics--the name for Scientology's philosophy--"if people said negative things to me or about me, I would cave in easily," something he presumably no longer does. And the stars are especially good to recruit because the recruiter gets 15% of all the money the recruit spends on church services, which can be a great deal. At first, no well-known Scien- tologists agreed to be interviewed for this article, but following the reporter's meeting with church officials, many sent in testimonials. Ann Archer wrote that Scientology "is a brilliant technology that I have used for many years to make my life more insightful and richer. As an artist I have felt more and more creative and find myself constantly expanding." Priscilla Presley wrote, "I have had tremendous gains from applying Scientology philosophy to my life... People who drop out of Scientology or have a problem with it obviously can't maintain the ethics involved ." Ex-Scientology celebrities were reluctant to talk--out of fear. Emilio Estevez said he supported the reporter's efforts to learn about Scientology, but declined to be interviewed. "I don't want to end up with my phones tapped." Such fears have foundation: Scientologists are known to have framed the mayor of Clearwater, FL [a critic of the group] in a trumped up hit-and-run accident; they also framed a journalist named Paulette Cooper [who wrote an expos6 about them, alleging a bomb threat], and sued her (The roster of stars said to have been especially cultivated as Scientology recruits, following the strategy of Scientology founder L. Ron ttubbard, include: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidm an, Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, Ann Archer, Juliette Lewis, Kelly Preston, John Travolta, Mimi Rogers, Karen Black, and Kirstie Alley.) 17 times. Scientology says these acts represent a long-gone dark side of the organization. But they admit without hesitation that they still use private detectives to investigate their enemies. (From "The Scientology Church of Hollywood," The Globe and Mail [Toronto], 9/11/93, D5, excerpted from "Catch A Rising Star," by John H. Richardson, Premiere magazine, September 1993, 86-92) Campus Program (Continued from page 5) Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer]; and Judy Safransky, the head of the Tampa Bay affiliate of the Chicago-based Cult Awareness Network. (From "Senate creates a Cult Awareness Week," The Central Florida Future, student newspaper of the University of Central Florida, Orlando, 11/24/93) Page 7 Scandinavia "Tvind"- Charity or Cult? Tvind, nominally a charitable educational organization begun in Denmark, now with branches in many Western European countries, and the U .S ., is actually a multinational money-making conglomerate with cultic aspects, according to reports from the British and Scandinavian press and recent correspondence from former members. Tvind--"Humana" in English-speaking countries-- has become known to the public through its Development Aid from People to ~le (DAPP), an organization that collects used clothing which it sells inexpensively or gives away in Third World countries, where it maintains community development projects manned by young recruits from Europe. Tvind was founded in the early 1970s by the charismatic Mogens Amdi Petersen, who built a string of "progressive" boarding schools which specialized in taming troublesome children and emphasized a pro-Third-World outlook. There are now 40 Tvind schools in Denmark, Norway, the U.S., and Britain. The organization also owns plantations in St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, and Belize, and a shipping company, all in the Caribbean, bringing the value of the group's property in 1989 to t:22 million. According to Tvind, 12-15 percent of the clothing, the best of it, is actually sold in the group's shops in Europe, where advertising tells potential buyers that sales will benefit the overseas poor. Half of the clothing goes to Africa--where it is sold rather than given away in order to avoid creating an aid culture, says Humana, and to create jobs. Thirty percent is sold to rag traders, and 10 percent is given away. A report prepared for the Swedish government in 1992 found that only 2 percent of money raised by the organization actually found its way to recipients in Third World countries, while almost 80 percent went for the salaries of project leaders and to train "solidarity" workers.. The report prompted a block on Swedish government funding for DAPP. Humana public clothing collection boxes are now banned in Oslo and Bergen, in Norway, while the Belgian govemment charity agency in 1993 advised cities in that country not to allow installation of the boxes. The Dutch government last year ordered an investigation of the operation. (From "Charity (Continued on page 9) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: What it's Like in Tvind Former member Anne Ellingsen, a Norweagian recruited into Tvind at age 16, in 1982, told a 1993 internationa conference on cults: "One really enters Tvind after about two years of living and traveling with one of its schools. Then, as a "teacher," the potential member is expected to sign a so-called "lifetime" contract, the conditions of which are to give all of your time, property, and earnings to Tvind. The contract is valid until age 67, one of my teachers told me. About 600 men and women live their lives like this. They have a harsh life and can be ordered anywhere on the globe at any time. One can expect to be separated from others with whom one has initiated close friendships. Tvind teachers work up to twenty hours per day, seven days a week, and all year around. "The kinds of work they do includes organizing house construction in African countries, working children as young a five-years-old very hard. Indeed, Tvind uses child labor wherever it gets access to unprotected children, in Norway as well as in South America, Malaysia, or Morocco . . . . They claim that the projects help the Third World, but it just helps Tvind leaders accumulate wealth. Totalitarian Teachers "Some of my best friends became Tvind teachers, and soon cut off contact with their families. The sect sends photo-copied letters to the parents telling them how the sun is shining and their children are learning solidarity by practicing it in the Third World. A father got his son home for Christmas, but, as he told me, not in the conidtion he would have liked. Johnny was dead. He was my age and he was one of my best friends. But he became totally loyal to Tvind after extensive use of methods learned by Tvind teachers on study trips to Kampuchea, Albania, and North Korea. Tvind usually makes the parents pay for transportation for their children's coffins . . . . Let me end by quoting the former Danish minister of education, Mr. Bertil Haarder, in the Newspaper "Politiken": "I can testify that Tvind's tactics are to talk and talk, complain and harass, threaten again and again. They are clever and they are dangerous . . . . They are totalitarian Marxist with an unholy motive behind their organizaiton."" Page 8 France Probe Request Backfires on Cult Leader Christian Solidarity International (CSI), an American human rights organization based in Washington, D.C., has found that the French government's removal of seven from a religious cult called La Citadelle was not a case of religious persecution. Rather, the fact finders, who say they "customarily investigate as thoroughly as possible any case involving allegations concerning violations of religious freedom of Christians," found that the abusive practices common in La Citadelle, attested by numerous former members, justified the state intervention. The CSL investigation team, which included the chief- of-staff of a U.S. congressman and a French-speaking professor from George Mason University, went to France after hearing reports from Christian news organizations of possible persecution of La Citadelle parents, and an appeal for help from none other than La Citadelle leader, George Mihaies, one of the fathers of the children. (According to a Cult Observer correspondent Emanuelle Kaufmann, in France, Mihaies believed that he could use the investigation to legitimize his claims of persecution; he tried very hard to become official "host" for the group, escorting them wherever they went, and became "furious" when it met, for example, with ADFI, the major French group educating the public about destructive cultism.) Cultic characteristics According to the CSI report, former members of La Citadelle spoke of how they were under intense pressure to isolate themselves from others, especially relatives who were not part of the group. They described how they had initially been taken in by the love and generosity of George and Delia Mihaies, only to become victims of the couple's manipulation and control. (Mihaies, according to the Cult Observer correspondent, emigrated to France from Romania in the 1970s, became involved in a small Baptist church, and then took half the congregation with him when he left after a power dispute.) La Citadelle's children, who were separated from their parents for extended periods of time and left in the Mihaies' care, were punished severely with a belt if they squirmed in the slightest manner during lengthy "confessional" sessions and Bible studies. Children were provided nothing in the way of children's activities and toys. (However, music lessons were mandatory.) "Complaints from disgruntled church members are not uncommon within any church," according to the CLS report, "But in the case of the Citadel, the number of disconcerted [sic] members outnumber those who remain ... Among the more than forty people who previously had associated with the Citadel, only about 21 remain. Nearly all of the former members described their association with the Citadel as a painful ordeal." While allowing that "a child should not be removed from the parents unless the welfare of the child is severely jeopardized... Clearly, abusive practices were evident concerning the children of former members [of La Citadelle]... It may or may not be in the children's best interest to remain separated from their parents. However; it should be noted that the parents have made little or no attempt to visit their children. In the case of Mr and Mrs. Behejian, who lost custody of three children to grandparents three years ago, they have made no attempt to visit or call their children." The CSI report notes, nonetheless, that the highly publicized La Citadelle case could set a precident for "witch hunts" against Christian parents who depart from accepted "traditional" norms. so it advises Catholic and Protestant leaders in France to form an association to represent Christian concerns and serve as an advisor to judges should similar cases arise in the future, especially involving education and parental rights. Such an association, says CSI, "would help bring balance to the influence made on judges by social service agencies and secular organizations such as the Asociation for the Defence of the Family and the Individual (ADFI)." Yet the report concludes that "it would be inappropriate for CSI to take further action in support of the families of the Citadel because of the number of former members who feel that they themselves are the victims and who feel that it is their obligation to rescue those who remain in the 'clutches' of the citadel's leaders, George and Delia Mihaies ." (From French Case Update (special paper), published in October 1993 by Christian Solidarity International, E O. Box 70563, Washington, DC, 20024.) Page 9 Britain Cult "Top 15" (From FAIR NEWS [Family Action Information and Rescue], Winter 1993/94, edited by Ursula MacKenzie) The FAIR office registered 1000 more inquiries in 1993 than in 1992, the steep increase being due to the "avalanche" of information requests following the Waco events. Inquiries concerned 191 separate groups and movements, some new to the files. The "Top 15" in order of the number of information requests was: Scientology, Unification Church, Central London Church of Christ, Children of God (The Family), Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Army, Sahaja Yoga, Branch Davidians, ISKCON [Hare Krishnas], Tvind (Humana), Emin, Rajneesh, Atlantis, TM, Fundamentalists. Although the top groups have retained their rating, actual figures fluctuated considerably. There was an unusually great number of inquiries about the Central London Church of Christ, the Children of God, and the Jehovah's Witnesses, while the Branch Davidians group, that created so much general concern, rated relatively low. Tvind and Atlantis had not featured in the listing for 1992 at all. This shows that the cult scene is by no means static. Central London C of C Ex-Members T.O.L.C. (Triumphing Over London Cults), a group of ex-members of the Central London Church of Christ (which is related to the Boston Church of Christ Movement, based in the U.S.) wants to curb the influence of the group. They publish a periodical, Close to the Edge. The paper reports that a senior member of the CLCC has revealed that membership has dropped from over 1000 to less than 600. And membership is said to have declined in the rest of the country as well. It is unclear whether this change is due to a February 1993 purge of members who were not trying hard enough or to a disillusionment with the group. (Tvind continued from page 7) fails to account for funding gap," by Ian Katz and Tom Sharratt, The Guardian [UK], 7/8/93) Cultic Aspect Hinted Hints ofcultism in Tvind are partly associated with reports of how its schools operate. The inspector of Humberside social services, in England, sent inspectors to a nearby Tvind school --which is said to charge œ50,000 a year--"who say the kids are almost like automata." In its early, more clearly radical political days, concerns developed that Tvind was turning cultic. Members were given little time to sleep, and were put on strange diets. Meetings to discuss group policy sometimes lasted days. In 1987 founder Peterson--now retired with old cronies to luxury villas in the Cayman Islands--asked a meeting of 600 followers in Denmark whether the movement should be prepared to kill in some circumstances. They all backed the proposal. (From "Charity begins with terror," by Peter Hounan, Daily Mirror [London], 7/9/93, 9) In the 14 years since the overseas clothing project started, some 2000 volunteers have labored for Tvind. In 1982, several hundred Tvind teachers signed a contract in which they promised to give 80 percent of their wages as donations to a foundation now called Falleseje, for a 12 year period. That meant they could avoid paying the normal tax in Denmark, which is more than 50 percent. Tvind financial success-- supplemented by door-to-door campaigns--is in fact built on a very sophisticated means of taking advantage of Danish tax law. Through the years, Tvind teaching methods have been criticized, and not only by the former members' group, for unsafe travel and study programs and using brainwashing methods to inculcate socialist ideals. (From "Mysterious Organization Behind LLCD," by Lotte Lund, Dagbladet Pollliken [Copenhagen], 9/22/91) Resource Center on Cultic Thinking The "Resource Center on Cultic Thinking," established and maintained by Info-Cult, in Montreal, is being used increasingly by reserachers, educators, and members of the general public, according to Michael Kropveld, director of Info-Cult (and editorial board member of the The Cult Observer). The non-circulating, bilingual library offers a wide variety of reference materials, collected over the last fifteen years, includes books, (continued on page 11) Page 10 Clergy and Cults: A Survey The Rev. Richard Dowhower, D.D. The Rev. Richard Dowhower, an advisor of the American Family Foundation (publisher of The Cult Observer) conducted a survey late in 1993 of clergy attitudes toward, and experience of, cults. The 53 respondents, all from the Washington, DC area, included 43 Lutheran clergy and seminarians, one Roman Catholic and one Jewish clergyman, and an Evangelical minister. The Rev. Dowhower, pastor of All Saints Church in Bowie, MD, has spoken and written widely on cults and cultism. I have had the following personal experiences with destructive cults: Immediate members of my family have been involved--2 Members of my congregation or their relatives have been affected--22 My family and/or congregation are concerned by media coverage--8* Close friends have been involved--8* Acquaintance's relatives have been involved--2 No one whom I have known has been affected by cults--15* The cults I am most concerned about are: Unification Church, Hare Krishna--18* Scientology, est/Forum, Lifespring--28* Satanism and other ritual abuse--24* LaRouche, political cults--15 Shepherding/discipling (Christian-sounding)--18 New Age--24* Jehovah's Witnesses--3 Mormons--3 Amway--2 Other groups--2 I believe most mainstream clergy are: Unaffected by cultic practices--7 Unaware of destructive cults--7 Mildly aware of cults d2 Seriously affected and concerned--2 Aware and concerned clergy need: More information about cults--31 * Training on how to implement their concems--29* Referral resources to assist persons affected--35* Other--2 * Indicates that 50% of number were seminarians Cults Low on Clergy List American clergy are so overwhelmed with other matters that cults are low on their priority list -- unless one has personal or professional involvement with cult activity -- according to a consultation on cults held last fall by associates of the American Family Foundation (publisher of The Cult Observer). The group concluded that while clergy in some areas of the country are more aware of cult activity than others, the phenomenon nevertheless does not bulk large in their consciousness. The conferees also believe that most clergy do not understand fully the effects of mind control, nor do they accept how extreme the effects can be. In the post-Waco era, the group identified an ideological split among clergy. The left, "politically correct" thinking, holds simply that the government made a mistake, while the others say, "It couldn't happen to me or mine, but I am interested in knowing more about cults." Indeed, Protestant clergy seem to the researchers more resistant to the counter-cult movement than Roman Catholic and Jewish clergy, in part due to the ideological influence of the National Council of Churches, whose advisors on cults have been extremely hostile to criticism of cultic organizations. The study group felt that such criticism threatens some clergy for several reasons: it may create a sesne that religion itself, and the First Amendment, are under attack; a clergy person may also feel that his or her own use of "persuasion" is under attack; and the very existence of cults may be an indictment of mainline religions for failing to provide what some cults appear to provide. Page 11 Professional Profile Rose Paull is a remarkable educator. Not because she is an .octogenarian grandparent with energy, intelligence, and a mission, but because this long- time AFF supporter and advisor has established and imple- mented since 1990 a unique and successful continuing educa- tion project among students and faculty at Miami Dade (County) Community College (MDCC) and Florida International University (FIU). Twice each week, she drives her car to the campus space which the school administration at MDCC has assigned her. She carries her materials to her two tables, set up next to the school library, hangs neat signs identifying her subjects-- "Mind Control," "Exit Counseling," "Recruitment," and the like -- arranges articles and pamphlets so that their mastheads and headlines are clearly displayed, and stands ready to answer queries, from early morning to mid-afternoon. If a passing student seems especially interested, she will engage in conversation. She doesn' t push. The result has been great interest among numerous students and the distribution of a great deal of good popular and professional literature about cults and cultism. Mrs. Paull also maintains a nearby "reading" table so students can consult standard analyses of the cult phenomenon as well as first hand accounts of cult involvement. Mrs. Paull sets up at Florida International on Monday of one week and on Thursday of the next week, to ensure that students who attend classes on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, as well as those who attend only on a Tuesday-Thursday schedule, get to see her. Faculty members at both DCCC and FIU have also made use of Mrs. Paull's educational service. Instructors in psychology, sociology, law, and English have asked for material for their courses, and assigned student papers on the subject of cults. Fittingly, Mrs. Paull wrote an article on student education for Young People and Cults, the newsletter of the AFF-funded International Cult Education Program. She also contributed significantly, through her literature tables, to the effort to diminish the influence of local branches of the Boston Church of Christ movement, which has recruited voraciously on numerous Florida campuses in recent years. Like many AFF supporters, Mrs. Paull was moved to educate herself about cults, and to associate herself with our work, because one of her children became involved in a cult, an involvement that, alas, continues. The group is not happy with Mrs. Paull's educational work, which prominently highlights them. Once, they set up a table opposite hers, clearly hoping to counter her message. But students showed very little interest, and the competition packed up and went home within the week. Resource Center (Continued from page 9) newsletters, legal documents, video cassettes, government reports, journals, news clippings, and information about specific groups. Info-Cult (called Info- Secte in its French language aspect), the leading cult-education organization in Canada, offers annual library member- ships to individuals ($15), college students ($10), and high schools ($25). Non-members pay $5 per visit to use the library, which is accessible only by appointment. Info-Cult recently produced a videotape, one version in English, another in French, entitled "Au Dela Des Mirages / Beyond The Mirage." For more information, contact Info-Cult at 5655 Park Avenue, Suite 305, Montreal, Quebec, H2V 4H2, Canada. Tel: (514) 274-2333. Denmark Democracy and Religion Seminar The Dialog Center, a leading European center of research and writing on new religious movements, will run its annual seminar from 1-5 August, 1994, on "Religions and Demo- cracy." The seminar, to be held in Skaade, just outside Aarhus, is being organized by Johannes Aagaard, a professor on the theology faculty of the University of Aarhus, a well known authority on new religious movements (and an advisor of the American Family Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer). A seminar session of special interest to Cult Observer readers will be "Anti-democratic tendencies in modern guruism," presented by Thomas Gandow, a Lutheran minister and prominent German cult researcher/educato~ Other sessions will consider democracy in major world religious traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism. For information, contactThe Dialog Center, Katrinebjergvej 46, DK 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark. Tel: 86 10 54-11. Fax: 86 10 54 16. Page 12 American Family Foundation P.O. Box 2265 Bonita Springs, FL 33959 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 Satansire; 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CULT OBSERVER 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 organization founded in 1979 to assist cult victims and their families through the study of cultic groups and unethically manipulative techniquyes 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 of AFF's Research Advisory Committee, professional education and other committees, and special research and wriging projects. AFF volunteer professionals include educators, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, attorneys, clergy, bushiness executives, jounatlists, law enforecement officials, college and university administrators, scientists, and others. AFF is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions.