Cult News

In an ongoing analysis redacting events that lead to the Raelians successfully creating a promotional bonanza last month, many pundits have been critical of how easily the “cult” manipulated the media for puff pieces and featured coverage.

But the Raelians are not the only “cult” that seems to be good at conning the press.

Witness the willingness of journalists to frequently provide a pulpit for the Falun Gong followers of Li Hongzhi, from which they preach their version of events in China and allegations of “persecution.”

Recent coverage included a sympathetic look at the group’s ongoing vigil near the New York City Chinese Consulate, reports North Jersey.com.

However, this report like so many others does not mention Hongzhi’s racist teachings and his penchant for condemning gays. The Falun Gong leader teaches that interracial marriage is evil and that homosexuals are an abomination.

But North Jersey.com simply says, “the movement focuses on perfecting individual moral character by reflecting on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.”

How does racism and bigotry perfect “moral character” or reflect “compassion” or “forbearance”?

And what about Hongzhi’s writings touting his supernatural powers, special revelations and claims about alien beings from outer space? Is this the “truthfulness” the reporter is referring to?

According to this recent article Falun Gong is simply, “a spiritual movement based on traditional Chinese ‘qigong’ meditation exercises.”

But how do space aliens fit within “traditional Chinese ‘gigong'”?

Never mind.

Most reports about the Raelians did include the bizarre beliefs held by that group. But for some reason many within the media either don’t research Falun Gong in-depth, or simply refuse to report about the group’s strange claims.

North Jersey.com says that Hongzhi started Falun Gong “in part as a response to a lack of medical care in China.”

But Hongzhi’s “response” was to teach his followers that the practice of Falun Gong would somehow affect their physical health and/or ailments. This led many to reject “medical care,” which often led to death.

When the Chinese government responded to Falun Gong largely as a public health hazard, Hongzhi organized a mass protest, an unsettling spectacle in orderly China.

Since that time the Falun Gong leader has played the media to promote his supposed role as a “victim.” And the NYC vigils recently reported are part of carefully coordinated effort, managed through a network of well-organized Hongzhi operatives.

The Raelians claim a global membership of 55,000, though experts estimate their number is actually closer to 5,000.

In similar fashion Falun Gong makes unsupported claims that they have “millions” of members. And the press often reports this with little if any critical balance.

What are the facts about Falun Gong?

It seems that the group called an “evil cult” in China, is led by a man much like Rael, who cynically manipulates both his followers and the media for his own purposes.

And though Hongzhi’s devotees may be arrested and/or jailed, their leader lives comfortably tucked away in “exile.”

Isn’t it time for pundits to scrutinize this “cult” leader and his brand of self-promotion? It seems Hongzhi’s media hype deserves the same critical analysis offered up concerning coverage of the Raelians and their claims.

George Geftakys a former Baptist minister has led an obscure group based in Fullerton, California called “the assembly” since 1971.

In 1992 this relatively small group, which has been called a “cult,” received attention within the book “Churches That Abuse,” by Ronald Enroth. Enroth is a professor of Sociology at Westmont College.

Geftakys drew his followers largely from college and university campuses within California. Many members stayed on for years raising their children within the group.

However, over the last three decades assembly members have been excommunicated, many walked away, while some were professionally “deprogrammed,” when concerned parents intervened.

Enroth quoted one member that concluded, “You don’t have a relationship with George unless George dominates.” And according to a “written code” the assembly’s work “is not conducted on the basis of democracy.”

George Geftakys effectively became a dictator. And the assembly in many ways became the Geftakys family business.

Then came the troubles.

First, George’s son David Geftakys, who had been given a comfortable salaried position in the group, was exposed as a wife beater and abusive father. Eventually, this behavior became a police concern and a matter of public record.

Geftakys struggled with this situation amidst escalating controversy within the group. It became increasingly difficult for the assembly leader to simultaneously uphold the group’s rigid rules, while his son broke them.

But far more serious concerns regarding George Geftakys’ own conduct are now an issue. Geftakys, who is married and in his seventies, has been exposed for what appears to be adultery and seeming sexual misconduct.

According to a posted statement attributed to assembly “elders and leading brothers in Fullerton” the fallen leader has now been excommunicated.

Their statement says, “The excommunication is for initiating, encouraging and engaging in immoral and unseemly relationships with several sisters for over the past 20 years.” And that Geftakys “repeatedly lied …and deceived …with regard to these relationships and continues to deny any responsibility for them.”

According to the statement “George Geftakys…is not welcome at the Lord’s Supper or at any assembly meeting or gathering until there is a full and complete clearing of these matters.” And “Due to our brother’s spiritual condition, we are also withdrawing all support for he and his wife’s personal needs.”

Can followers so easily dispossess and dethrone a “cult leader”?

Last year another purported “cult leader,” Kip McKean of the International Church of Christ, resigned from his role in what looked like a palace coup. But McKean is still receiving “support for…his…personal needs” and continues to work within the organization.

What will happen now to George Geftakys?

Will he accept his “excommunication,” or simply excommunicate those who have dared to question him?

And what will be done with any assembly assets? Is George entitled to something if he walks away into forced retirement?

A website run by a former member that was “excommunicated” himself keeps track of events within the assembly and allows former members to network through a message board.

It will be interesting to see how this story develops.

That is, what changes actually occur at the assembly and will some new form of leadership eventually replace the old regime? Will there be a new dictator, or will democratic reforms produce meaningful accountability? Maybe the group just fold?

Stay tuned.

Brian O’Leary once was devoted to the exploration of Mars through the NASA Apollo program. But now he seems to be more interested in the “New Age” than the Space Age.

The former astronaut was a recent drop-in at an Indian guru’s ashram, where he went for insights about how “to bring about peace,” reports The Hindustan Times.

O’Leary apparently now likes to orbit Satya Sai Baba, a purported “cult leader” with a sordid history of sex abuse allegations, which at times involved the teenage children of his followers.

Baba is prominently mentioned in O’Leary’s book “The Second Coming of Science.”

But the guru appears more interested in teenage boys than either science or world peace.

While in India O’Leary also met with an advocate of “free energy technology.” This theory is based upon somehow extracting energy from outer space.

However, according to allegations about Baba, the guru has focused upon creating “kundalini” energy within inner space through sex acts. This is probably not the “energy” source O’Leary is searching for.

The former NASA scientist-astronaut has an impressive resume that includes a Ph.D., teaching at Cornell, Princeton, UC Berkely and acting as an advisor to presidential candidates.

But a closer look also reveals that he has been on somewhat strange personal trek that began in the 70s.

According to one interview O’Leary’s journey includes involvement in mass marathon training with a controversial group called Lifespring and a litany of fringe theories about crop circles, “morphic resonance” and UFOs.

The fatuous interviewer referred to O’Leary as a “modern day scientific prophet” who “has tapped into cosmic energy.”

OK. But it looks like this Ph.D. has moved from hard science to something considerably softer, what many might see as “pseudo-science.”

Brian O’Leary certainly has the right to believe and talk about whatever he wants, but it seems the scientist should do more careful research about the gurus he is apparently willing to promote through his work.

Note: Brian O’Leary later denied he recently visited Sai Baba.

“Cult” leader Dwight “Malachi” York charged with sexually molesting 13 children within his group called the Nuwaubians says his name is now under “copyright,” reports The Macon Telegraph.

York’s still devoted followers passed out “copyright notice” advising the media that his name and aliases cannot be used “unauthorized.”

How will York enforce such a dubious claim? Why through his court of course.

The handouts were stamped: “Received, Jan. 08, 2003” by the “Clerk of Federal Moorish Cherokee Consular Court, USA.”

Does all this sound crazy?

Well from a man whose aliases include “Imperial Grand Potentate” and “Grand Al Mufti Divan” maybe this type of behavior shouldn’t seem too strange.

In court York threatened that any copyright violations, as he defines them, could potentially “cost $500,000.00.”

But even this sum wouldn’t buy freedom for the “Imperial Grand Potentate,” since no bail has been set for him.

York’s indictment now lists 197 counts and thus far things don’t look good for the “Mufti.”

It is said that pedophiles are more about power and control than sex. And destructive cult leaders are certainly known for that same obsession.

Apparently York is struggling for some semblance of power in a situation where he has lost control.

Rev. Ronald Oree Nation once watched over Sunday school programs for the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) across the country, but now the man with twenty years of service to that denomination won’t even see a paycheck, reports The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Nation almost 70 was busted in a public park for allegedly having sex with another man. He apparently was literally caught with his pants down.

The UPCI is not waiting to see if Nation is found “guilty.” They seem to have already decided that and has been “retired.”

The UPCI is known for its “holiness standards,” which include strict rules about personal grooming and dress. It comes as no great surprise then that the fringe Pentecostal denomination would effectively toss out someone publicly exposed for sexual misconduct.

No doubt Nation kept his homosexuality a secret, the UPCI has a history of denouncing that sexual preference.

Likewise the UPCI denounces other Christians who do not abjure the trinity as “pagans” in need of salvation. They also believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. This means that Christians not baptized according to the doctrine are going to hell.

Nation may be out of job, but he can still go to heaven. That is, if he continues in his commitment to the UPCI and its doctrines.

The Japanese cult Aum will continue to be watched closely by Japan’s Public Security Examination Commission for at least another three years, reports The Japan Times.

The religious cult attacked Tokyo subways in 1995 with poison gas, killing 12 and sending thousands to hospitals.

Some of those Aum members responsible for the attack have been sentenced to death.

Aum’s once supreme leader Chizuo Matsumoto, known as Shoko Asahara, remains in custody and on trial.

Aum is now called “Aleph” and supposedly has a new leader, but the group has not totally and definitively denounced Asahara. He apparently is still revered to some extent.

88 Aum facilities are in operation now in Japan.

Modern Japan known as a homogenous and peaceful society was shocked by Aum’s violence. Since 1995 cult awareness and education have become an important focus for the island nation.

“I will kill you like an American Imperialist,” is a popular curse in North Korea. The people there are subjected to a barrage of constant anti-US propaganda in an effort to unify the country, often through hate of the outside world, reports Associated Press.

A South Korean fisherman who was kidnapped and spent 20 years in North Korea said, “It’s a daily fodder in North Korea. The first thing you hear when you wake up for the day is some form of diatribe against the Americans.”

A North Korean who defected in 1994 says, “If you rule a destitute country with a personality cult, you must present the people with something to hate. It’s brainwashing.”

Not unlike totalitarian dictators of the past who promoted cults of personality North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il, known as “Dear One,” reinforces his control through fear and hate.

Like Hitler, Tojo and Mussolini, the original “Axis of Evil,” Kim Jung Il uses the requisite scapegoats, mythology, alleged conspiracies, grandiose pretension and xenophobia, to reinforce his rule.

North Korea, frequently described as a “Stalinist state,” follows that sorry chapter in Russian history closely too. Stalin was responsible for the deaths of millions of his countrymen and created an aura of almost supernatural power and mystique about him.

“Stalinism” was by definition personality-driven.

And just like Stalin the “Dear One” largely possesses the minds of his people by controlling all information within his country and virtually any contact with the outside world. Kim Jong Il has carefully crafted a worldview for North Koreans, which effectively excludes any objective accounts of history.

Hopefully, one day North Korea will follow Russian history one more step and eventually pull down the statues of the Stalinist demigods, who have brought that nation decades of needless misery.

But the pressing question now is what has the rest of the world learned from history about dealing with such tyrants?

In Portland, Oregon a coalition of “mainstream religious organizations” has joined the protest against war with Iraq. And that coalition “also includes such fringe religious organizations as the Church of Scientology,” reports The Portland Tribune.

Why is Scientology suddenly so interested in preventing a US war with Iraq?

This looks like a cynical effort by the controversial church to network contacts and curry favor amongst mainstream religious leaders.

Scientology, which only a few years ago acheived religious tax-exempt status and has a history of bad press, is always looking for credibility and some way to burnish its image.

Interestingly, the controversial church plays both sides of the political spectrum. Scientology had close ties to the former Clinton White House ,but now seems friendly with the Bush family and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Does this all sound a bit two-faced?

Never mind, politics Scientology style is apparently a buffet best served cold, devoid of cumbersome commitments based upon a single set of consistent and sincerely held ideals.

Psychologists that specialize in group dynamics said that “a charismatic leader” is the key to understanding the mindset of many terrorist groups, reports Channel News Asia.

Asian experts cited the ability of such leaders “to manipulate a group, and change their attitudes and beliefs.”

And instead of the purported profile of suicide bombers as poor, ignorant and disenfranchised, psychologists were not surprised to learn that many were sophisticated, educated and quite intelligent.

Experts paralleled identified Indonesian terrorists to cult members within Aum, the group that gassed Tokyo subways and also to the followers of Osama bin-Laden.

Elizabeth Nair, Psychologist, National University of Singapore said, “The charismatic leader is effectively able to say, ‘We who are in this group are right and moral, anyone who’s not in this group is not a good person'”

This is what Robert Jay Lifton identified in his breakthrough book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism (first published in 1961) as “The Dispensing of Existence.”

That is, members of the group and its leader are always moral, right and those who disagree are immoral, evil and therefore subseqently dispensable.

Nair added, “A skilful gifted charismatic leader with an agenda of aggression and hostility can successfully lead members to all sorts of action, suicide, homicide and unsociable behavior.”

Again, this was reminiscent of Shoko Asahara of Aum and Charles Manson.

And oaths and pledges are used to bind terrorist groups together, not unlike recognized destructive cult groups.

Once invested in the group and its ideology members seemed to possess a sense of equity and felt they were already in “too deep,” to refuse their leaders when asked to commit crimes of violence.

American psychologist Robert Cialdini has described this sense of investment in some detail in his seminal book Influence.

Cialdini defines what he calls “Commitment and Consistency.” He writes this is “a desire to look consistent through…words, beliefs, attitudes and deeds.” And that “…after making a commitment…people are more willing to agree to requests that are consistent with their prior commitment.”

As we confront the worldwide threat of growing terrorism common sense dictates drawing upon the existing and well-established body of knowledge regarding destructive cults and their patterns of indoctrination and influence.

By understanding destructive cult thought reform programswe can better understand the behavior of many existing terrorist organizations.

A multi-state sex ring based within Chicago has been busted and the leader allegedly ran his outfit like a “cult,” reports The Detroit News.

Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan said, “It appears to have operated much like a cult.”

Minors were abducted and coerced to become prostitutes for their 32-year-old leader Henry “Chicago” Davis.

The coercive persuasion used was often physically brutal, but a subtler means of obtaining control through influence was also used. Evidence of this was the relative freedom of movement women in the group at times experienced, which might enable them to escape.

Davis, apparently a master manipulator said after his arrest, “Nothing is being discussed about the good I did for these women.”

So-called “cultic relationships” can include as few as only two people, when one dominates and controls another. This type of relationship has often been compared to the “battered woman syndrome.”