Cult News

Lucille Poulin the dictatorial self-proclaimed “prophet” of a “cult” commune on Prince Edward Island was sentenced to eight months in jail, reports CBC.

She brutally beat and abused children within her “Four Winds” commune.

Poulin showed no remorse at sentencing and actually seemed to threaten the judge saying, “One day, everyone will face the eternal judge to answer for what they have done.” As if the judge that sentenced her needed to worry about the eternal consequences of his decision.

Poulin ranted in a rambling pre-sentence statement about her “mandate” from “God” and justified her actions through a delusional and often bizarre understanding of scripture.

But the judge concluded, “People cannot assault children without criminal law consequences.” And added, “These children were born into this environment. They were in captivity. They took the punishment and they had nowhere to turn.”

The prosecutor noted, “There are other Lucille Poulin’s out there.”

This was something of an understatement. The rise criminal cases regarding child abuse in Canada and the United States concerning “cult” groups with children is alarming. The “Nuwaubians,” “House of Prayer” and “Church of God Restoration” are examples of this serious and growing problem.

Poulin said, “Regardless of what happens to me here, He will keep my soul from hell.” It seems doubtful that most Christians would agree with that opinion.

One thing is certain, 78-year-old Poulin now has eight months of earthly hell or at least purgatory ahead of her. And as her niece said at sentencing, “It’s her turn now for punishment.”

The practice of “therapeutic touch” or Reiki, is based upon the claim that practitioners can somehow “channel energy” to help people.

Now the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will spend $400,00 to determine if there is any physical and objective proof to substantiate the claims made about Reiki, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Basically, to any objective observer Reiki is simply someone waving his or her hands over another person. And this activity looks more like a religious rite than a medical practice.

However, Reiki practitioners claim they are somehow moving “energy,” which in turn affects the “chakras” of their clients. They often charge for such sessions.

Some of those that have experienced Reiki say it makes them feel better, but these anecdotal stories are subjective. There is no proof that the practice actually accomplishes anything physically.

NIH will do a controlled study through the Albert Einstein Health Care Network.

But such a study has already been done and published within a prestigious medical journal.

Emily Rosa, a nine-year-old fourth grader, tested 21 “therapeutic touch” practitioners and found that they were unable to detect an energy field, reported CNN. Rosa’s findings were later published in JAMA.

So why must taxpayer’s money be needlessly dumped for any additional study? And why waste valuable NIH staff time when Ms. Rosa has kindly already done the work for free?

The editor of JAMA said, “I do not believe age should be a bar on anything, either young or old, it’s the quality of the science that matters.” And they accepted Rosa’s findings. If its good enough for JAMA, why not NIH?

Obviously it doesn’t take an “Einstein” to prove that “therapeutic touch” is bogus, much less a Health Care Network named to honor the late scientist.

Reiki appears to be little more than quackery and with the budget deficit rising, the government could easily find better uses for taxpayer’s money.

In August I mentioned the Goth cult-craze in England, but it’s still popular in America too.

The Midwest is often cited for its moderation and common sense, but believe it or not, it’s also home to some Goths, reports QuadCity.com.

Living in Iowa can be boring. What’s a kid to do? Watch the corn grow?

Some young people prefer to dress in black, paint themselves up and walk around town looking a bit spooky—and not just for Halloween. An Iowa Goth says, “These few outlets are all we have.”

Many see Goth as just a “passing phase” of adolescence. And this is usually right; most devotees of this trend drop it after about five years. They seem to burn out and move on to other interests and/or fashion.

But some diehards do cling to at least a vestige of their former Goth selves. For example, they continue to dress in black, which seems to be a trend some New Yorkers in Soho may never give up.

This all seems to boil down to joining a group, which makes people feel accepted. And those who once were the odd folks out, become the odd folks in.

One Goth puts it this way; “The Gothic culture welcomes everyone freely.” Another notes, “Until I found others like me, I did feel like the outsider.”

So rather than being weird alone and lonely, some find others to be weird with and keep each other company. What’s so weird about that?

There is a subculture within the United States and around the world that accepts the existence of UFOs as a matter of faith—since no meaningful evidence has ever been produced to prove such claims.

UFOs seem to have become the center of a kind of religion, embraced by those who profess their faith in flying saucers and alien visitors from outer space.

But according to the “Mutual UFO Network” or MUFON 2003 is the year their faith will be proven, reports the Charlotte Observer.

Typically such groups blame government conspiracies for “covering up” evidence that would prove their claims, such as the supposed Roswell, New Mexico spacecraft crash and “Area 51.”

However MFON members say, “With all the sightings and information available on the Internet, the government won’t be able to hide the truth much longer.” And there certainly in a growing network of websites maintained by true believers such as MFON.

When claims about “crop circles” were proven to be a hoax, perhaps MUFON saw this as only a test of faith, which they clearly passed.

MFON’s spokesperson insists they are neither a “joke” nor “nuts.”

But to many the behavior of UFO believers often seems eccentric and humorous, though usually harmless.

UFO Groups like “Heaven’s Gate,” led to suicide by Marshall Applewhite, are the very rare exception and not the rule. Typically, joining the UFO subculture seems more like a “license to be weird.”

Almost 30% of Americans believe the existence of life in outer space is more likely than receiving government retirement benefits—to them it appears that Social Security is actually a matter of faith.

Benny Hinn is probably the most popular Pentecostal healer in the world; despite the fact that no healing connected to his crusades has ever been objectively proven.

But now there are some well-documented casualties.

A man had a heart attack and other medical emergencies occurred directly linked to a recent Hinn crusade, reports the BBC.

It seems that crowd control is one “miracle” beyond the scope of the preacher’s calling. Thousands of people were turned away form a Hinn event in England due to confusion over tickets and guest passes and the result was chaos.

Isn’t there something in the bible, which states that God, is not the source of “confusion”?

Hinn has developed a “cult-following” of fans that pack stadiums around the world for his tours. They say he is a “man of God” and “anointed” to do “God’s work.” And criticism of the evangelist is likely to be perceived by his faithful as the “work of the devil.”

However, Benny Hinn has frequently been criticized in media reports for faking healing and living lavishly off the cash flow provided by his ministry.

Apparently the devil is working overtime.

Interestingly, Hinn styles his hair in an extravagant comb-over to conceal a receding hairline. Why can’t the famous healer, supposedly connected to remissions of cancer and other “miracles,” take care of something as insignificant as baldness? Doesn’t “The Lord” work that way?

According to one religious scholar Oprah Winfrey has crossed the line from celebrity to religious icon.

Kathryn Lofton, speaking at an annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) said the popular talk-show host has “rituals,” which she placed within specific categories such as “reading, writing and buying.”

Lofton says that Winfrey has created a belief system that is based upon “self-indulgence and relaxed reflection,” reports the Salt Lake City Tribune.

Huh?

This far-fetched analysis was apparently taken seriously amongst Lofton’s colleagues at their Salt Lake City conference.

However, members of the SSSR are less likely to accept any meaningful analysis about groups often called “cults.” In fact, they don’t like to use the “C” word. Instead, they prefer the “politically correct” label of “New Religious Movements” (“NRMs”).

It seems that many SSSR members have become little more than “cult apologists.”

SSSR member Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi appeared to express a minority opinion within the group when he lamented, “Leading scholars in the field decided to take a stand in the propaganda war over the legitimacy and reputation of certain NRMs and to work together with them in order to give them much needed public support.”

Beit-Hallahmi cited a memo made public that demonstrates such ongoing collaboration.

He also pointed out that prominent members of the SSSR such as David Bromley, Chairman of its Publication Committee and Eileen Barker have attended cult-subsidized conferences. Bromley has also been paid to testify in court on behalf of cults.

Other SSSR members have likewise offered themselves for hire as expert witnesses against claims of “brainwashing.”

The President Elect of the SSSR Rodney Stark, recipient of one of its “research awards,” has also received funding to attend “cult” conferences.

Gordon Melton, closely associated with the SSSR and linked through their website, once received an all expenses paid trip to Japan, courtesy of the infamous cult Aum.

Melton quickly concluded that the group was innocent of criminal wrongdoing and offered his analysis during press conferences in Japan, which was that Aum was likely the victim of discrimination and/or persecution.

However, it has since been proven through much physical evidence and court testimony, that Aum was responsible for the poison gas attack of Tokyo’s subways, which caused twelve deaths and sent thousands to the hospital. Many of Aum’s leaders are now in prison; some have been sentenced to death.

Perhaps Ms. Lofton should have looked to her own organization’s members as examples of “self-indulgence and relaxed reflection”?

Unlike the destructive cults some SSSR members have chosen to defend, Winfrey is a benign phenomenon, with a devoted following of fans. Oprah certainly hasn’t gassed anyone.

Elizabeth Loftus is one of the most respected, but despised psychologists in America, reports the Orange County Journal.

Loftus’ groundbreaking work established that memory is often much less precise and reliable than we would like to believe. And that it can often be shaped, influenced and manipulated relatively easily.

What seems to anger some of her critics most, is that Elizabeth Loftus has repeatedly exposed so-called “repressed” or “recovered” memories, which are frequently the product of controversial therapy techniques.

This category of memory has largely come to be known as “false memories.”

In the late 80s there was something of a “witch hunt” concerning “Satanic ritual abuse,” that was later proven to be without any meaningful objective and factual foundation.

Much of the “evidence” cited to support claims of “Satanic ritual abuse” came from “survivors” with “repressed memories” that had supposedly been “recovered” through therapy.

The media, some professionals and experts were at times largely taken in by such sensational claims.

However, Elizabeth Loftus disputed these anecdotal stories on the scientific basis that memory really doesn’t work that way. That it cannot be “repressed” and then “recovered” as many therapists insisted. This earned her the contempt of “true believers,” active opposition and ultimately personal attacks.

However, Loftus survived and won the “memory wars,” though her opponents often appear to be sore losers. And though the courts have essentially turned the tide regarding such controversial therapies, many people who were falsely accused suffered needlessly.

A recent statement by the American Psychological Association acknowledged this saying, “Psychiatry still needs to help the main victims of RMT[Recovered Memory Therapy]: those falsely accused of heinous crimes, which never happened.”

WABC of New York is now running promotional public service announcements for “All Stars,” a controversial organization closely associated with the “New Alliance Party,” which has often been called a “cult.”

Leaders within the New Alliance Party are Fred Newman and Leonora Fulani, who have been described as “anti-Semitic” by prominent Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

According to New York Attorney General Elliott Spitzer his Charities Bureau is currently investigating “All Stars” for irregularities and possible violations of its tax-exempt status.

The person responsible for public service announcements at WABC is Saundra Thomas. When contacted for comment she appeared to have no knowledge of the recent news stories about “All Stars,” or that Spitzer was looking into the group.

However, Thomas did acknowledge receiving recent complaints about the public service spots run by her station, but said she has no immediate plans to pull them. Thomas says she will “look into it.”

But is the news desk at WABC really that far from her office? Why didn’t WABC review the facts first before running spots that promote “All Stars”?

According to articles in the New York Post written by journalist Jeane MacIntosh, “All Stars” appears to be a “cash cow” milked by Fred Newman to fund other entities he controls such as the Castillo Theater and the East Side Institute for Short Term Psychotherapy.

Newman is also “All Stars” paid “Artistic Director.” And the founder of “All Stars” is Newman’s devout disciple Leonora Fulani.

Fred Newman is a self-described “Neo Marxist” revolutionary who believes mental and emotional problems can be solved by “political activism.” One former “Nemanite” said, “Everything this group does is a front for advancing Fred and Leonora’s politics.”

Does WABC really want to help Newman and Fulani promote their agenda?

Certainly Mr. Newman is not a needy “Neo Marxist.” His residence is a pricey property within Greenwich Village and he is often chauffeur-driven around New York. He also likes to Summer in the Hamptons.

But more importantly, does WABC really hope parents will send their kids to “All Stars”?

Fred Newman once wrote, “The therapist…functions as a revolutionary leader, leading by forming a revolutionary relationship of sisterhood or brotherhood…which overthrows the bourgeois authority or proletarian ego.”

Ms. Fulani serves as the consulting psychologist for “All Stars” and is also a proponent of Newman’s therapy.

Do these sound like the people parents want to influence their children? Maybe WABC should have stuck with less controversial and probably more deserving organizations like the Boys or Girls Clubs?

Battle Creek, Michigan is widely known as the birthplace of morning cereal. During the early 1900s Dr. John Kellogg created his now famous “Kellogg’s Corn Flakes” there.

Today the Kellogg Company is still the largest single employer in Battle Creek and controls almost half of the world’s cereal market.

Dr. Kellogg was somewhat eccentric and developed a cult following. He founded a sanitarium in Battle Creek where those devoted to his principles often went to “take the cure.”

Some of the odd practices at Kellogg’s sanitarium, which came to be known simply as “San,” included exercising in athletic diapers, multiple daily enemas and dunks into electrified water pools. And of course Kellogg pushed his cereal.

Unrestriced bowel movements were vitally important to the good doctor. Kellogg often said, “A housebroken colon is a damaged colon.”

Celebrities of the day flocked to San for the Kellogg cure such as Henry Ford, retailer J.C. Penney, actress Sarah Berhardt, explorer Richard Byrd, inventor Thomas Edison, industrialist Harvey Firestone, President William Howard Taft, and aviator Amelia Earhart.

The movie “The Road to Wellville” starring Matthew Broderick with Anthony Hopkins as Kellogg, is an often-hilarious send up about life at San.

Now it seems there will be a new “San” in Battle Creek with its own unique “cure.” And the charismatic creator of this program beget a group that has been called a “cult.” The name of its founder is L. Ron Hubbard and the “cure” touted by his devotees is Narconon.

A new Naronon facility is now being completed for Battle Creek, reports the Battle Creek Inquirer.

Hubbard’s is known as the founder of Scientology and his cure is the “purification rundown,” which includes large doses of niacin and lots of sweating in saunas.

However, Hubbard was not a doctor like John Kellogg. Instead, he has been called a “pathological liar.” And some say his “cure” is both unproven and little more than “quackery.”.

Nevertheless Battle Creek will soon have its very own Hubbard inspired “San.” And just like the old one the new “San” has plenty of celebrity devotees. Film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta are perhaps the most famous. TV sitcom actress Kirstie Alley who is Narconon’s spokesperson, claims the program saved her life.

History seems to be repeating itself in Battle Creek. But ironically it appears that the old “San” was probably less “flaky” than the new one.

Octogenarian guru and holdover from the sixties Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, now has what seems like his own megalomania-money called the “Raam,” reports the Indian Times.

The founder of “Transcendental Meditation” (TM) was once guru to the Beatles, until they dumped him. But that rejection didn’t stop him. He kept on working and created a financial empire some say is worth more than a billion dollars.

Maharishi’s spiritual kingdom now includes both a “Vedic City” and University in Iowa.

But what’s an empire without its own money?

Now comes the Indian guru’s own “Raam,” which is worth ten Euros when presented at one bank. The Raam is also used in the US. That is, to buy goods within Vedic City, though it doesn’t seem to be worth much outside of the guru’s domain.

Public announcements about the Raam are part of a new grandiose global plan proposed by Maharishi that includes “peace palaces” and other “developmental projects.”

However, the Dallas Daily News observed that Maharishi’s “big plans often come to little ends.” They listed many of his past failures, despite their initial fanfare and intense promotion.

Maharishi’s TM devotees seem to live an odd life in Iowa, based upon a report by the DesMoines Register. Their lifestyle includes ingesting herbal concoctions, measuring fences for “cosmic forces” and gargling with sesame oil daily. Their guru suggests this, and Maharishi’s suggestions are typically followed religiously by his followers. There are 3,000 TMers now living in Iowa.

The guru’s Iowa devotees often pay $150.00 per month to meditate at his domed facility in Vedic City. They must shell out a minimum architectural consultation fee of $7,500.00 to begin construction on a home there and then 3% of the total cost upon completion. Homes at Vedic City range from $200,00 to $800,000, which is quite steep by Iowa standards. And then there is School tuition–$10,000 annually.

One Des Moines Area Community College physics professor researched Maharishi and his claims. Professor Frank Trumpy concluded, “I think it’s nonsense. It’s religion masquerading as science. They are selling the program because they make money off it.”

Is Iowa the prototype of what the old guru has in mind when he touts “global development”? It sounds more like a moneymaking scheme than a spiritual pursuit to save the planet.

Why would such a rich man near the end of his life need or want more money? Well, one rather obvious answer sadly doesn’t reflect the profound enlightenment Maharishi supposedly possesses through decades of meditation and spiritual development—GREED and EGO.

Apparently, the Beatles once sang cryptically and somewhat tellingly about Maharishi in their song “Fool on the Hill.” However, in the current scenario it seems the saying, “there’s no fool like an old fool,” has been turned on its head.

If Maharishi is a “fool,” he is one that has grown richer with age, through what appears to be the foolishness of others.