Cult News

The wrongful death suit filed against the Church of Scientology by the family of Lisa McPhearson has once again been postponed, reports the St. Petersburg Times.

McPhearson died while under the care of Scientologists within one of their facilities in Clearwater, Florida.

Scientology’s lawyers have filed an appeal regarding a decision made by the presiding judge, who rejected their bid to remove the plaintiff’s attorney Ken Dandar for misconduct. This was an apparent strategy to reduce the plaintiff’s ability to prosecute the case and/or a simple delaying tactic.

One lawyer familiar with Scientology litigation observed, “I thought the church would either get it knocked out, or they would wear Dandar out, or at the very end they’d settle. I don’t think the church wants what Dandar is going to do in that courtroom.”

While Scientology continues their appeal the judge decided to postpone the trial, which was scheduled to begin in a matter of days. Now it looks like months will pass before another court date is set.

Such stalling and maneuvering is common for Scientology. It is not unusual for a court case to be held up for years through such legal wrangling, or even longer to collect a subsequent judgement.

In one notable case it took a plaintiff 22 years to conclude his case and collect a judgement rendered against Scientology. The controversial church, which has been called a “cult,” ultimately paid that former member $8 million dollars regarding his personal injury claim.

It seems a settlement was in the works, but Dandar said “demands made by the church” kept it from concluding. This probably means Scientology is demanding some kind of “gag order” to keep everyone silent after making a big pay off.

One attorney said the lawsuit should pull in a settlement of about $5 million, but Dandar stated nothing less than $15 million dollars was being considered.

If Scientology was willing to pay $8 million to a former member injured by the church, how much more should they pay the family of a Scientologist who is dead due to their alleged wrongdoing?

It seems that $16 million would be cheap at twice the price they paid through the previous settlement.

The Kenyan government demonstrates its continuing resolve to crush the destructive “cult” movement known as the Mungiki.

News articles published by The Nation in Nairobi report more arrests as the government crackdown goes on with no letup in sight.

The relatives of one regional leader were arrested in a raid and bail was denied for many Mungiki already in custody.

68 alleged Mungiki will soon be in court facing criminal charges. It appears the men were preparing for yet another reign of terror and had gathered weapons.

It is clear that Kenya intends to put down the “sect,” which threatens the stability of the African nation.

The Mungiki are a prime example of the extreme violence and unrest created by religious cults in Africa that has rocked the continent through waves of violence in recent years.

Claude Vorihon, now known as “Rael,” achieved religious tax-exempt status in Canada and has done well there. But some Canadians are now apparently questioning that status and his comfy situation near Quebec, reports The National Post.

After all Vorilhon left France with an unpaid tax bill of about $500,000 and was never recognized as a religion there. The only thing the French recognized was that his “cult” was one of the most “dangerous in the world.” Rael was also implicated in “various sex-related charges.”

A French documentary reported the rape of an 11-year-old child within the group.

After leaving France under a cloud Vorihon winged his way to Canada where he soon settled with a core group of followers near Quebec.

Now the Canadian press is questioning how this man was allowed to immigrate and then given religious tax-exempt status, considering his well-documented and troubled history.

Who allowed this and why?

Here are some of the questions now being raised about the man who claims he is the son of an alien being from another planet and his followers, the so-called “Raelians.”

“Does this cult, which requires people to participate in orgies and women to have sex with Vorilhon on demand, break any laws or transgress the rights of individuals or minors?”

“Does the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency know how much money is coming into this charity, how it is obtained and from whom?”

“Do Canadian tax officials audit this organization to assess whether it deserves tax-free status? How was this status obtained? Where does the money go?”

“Is the money used strictly for charitable purposes or is it used to keep the founder in the lifestyle to which he’s become accustomed?”

“Does the group’s propaganda contain disclaimers or is the cult allowed to make wild promises about cloning, living forever and extraterrestrials granting eternal life with impunity?”

“Are the children of members of this cult being properly supervised and protected?”

“Are the children of Raelians being properly educated under the law?”

“Isn’t cloning against the law, and if it was undertaken by the cult anywhere, would that constitute grounds to remove its tax-free status in Canada?”

Vorilhon also essentially sponsors himself through “UFO Land” in auto races and drives a costly car. Where does the money to pay for that come from?

Maybe it’s time for another press conference so Rael can answer more questions. But this time he might not like the limelight.

A French official dryly observed, “We’re not very proud of the fact that [Rael] is French.” And some Canadians now fear they are “stuck with him.”

Many news analysts have recently observed that North Korea is not so much a “Communist state” as it is a personality-driven “cult.”

A dictatorial dynasty rules the country, which was first established by the current leader’s father

Noted psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, once studied the methodology of “education” used by North Korea within prisoner of war camps in the fifties. His conclusions were published within his seminal book, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

What can easily be seen from Lifton’s writings is that North Korea has a long-standing and well-established expertise in what is commonly called “brainwashing.”

Its absolute authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Il, known now as “Great Leader,” controls all the media, military and environment. Lifton calls this “milieu control,” which is the foundation for a thought reform program.

Something called “Juche,” is the detailed dogma or ideology used to control the North Korean population, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

Lifton calls such an ideology the “Sacred Science” of Totalism.

Like many cult leaders Kim has exploited his followers, it is estimated that he holds $2 to $4 billion dollars in European banks. He also lives lavishly, while most of his people go hungry. During the 1990s mass starvation took the lives of 2 million in North Korea.

But North Koreans are still officially called “Kim Il Sung’s people.”

Sounds a bit like “Sci-fi cult” leader “Rael” calling his followers the “Raelians” or David Koresh and his “Davidians” doesn’t it?

This is what Lifton calls “Doctrine over Person.” That is, when the group uses its dogma to supercede and blur individual identity.

Kim’s regime is certainly a closed system not easily permeated by outside ideas; the country can be seen as little more than a giant cult compound.

One expert says that North Korea has “carefully constructed illusions.” And such cultic “illusions” often whither when subjected to an outside frame of reference and the free exchange of ideas.

According to recent reports there is now some critical “whispering” about the “Great Leader” within his nation compound. Perhaps “Kim Il Sung’s people” are beginning to consider the possibility of a future without a cult leader.

Lifton has written extensively about cults and “cult formation.” He lists three primary hallmarks that define a destructive cult.

1. A charismatic leader who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose their power;

2. a process I call coercive persuasion or thought reform;

3. economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.

Sounds just like North Korea.

Six more members of “God’s Creation Outreach Church” have been charged related to a child abuse investigation undertaken after the death of a nine-year-old boy, reports the Kansas City Star.

The boy’s parents and leaders of the church Neil and Christy Edgar, who gagged their son, which allegedly led to his death were previously charged.

Five other members of the Edgar church have now also been charged regarding the gross abuse of other children in the group, which is located in Kansas City, Kansas.

Horrific child abuse has often taken place within relatively obscure groups and churches. In such independently run and somtimes isolated organizations there is little if any meaningful accountability for the leaders and the minor children of members have no control over their lives.

Just last year alone groups such as the Nuwaubians, “The Body,” Four Winds Commune, House of Prayer, Order of Saint Charbel, Church of God Restoration, the Wright Family and New Life Tabernacle faced charges regarding the sexual and/or physical abuse of minor children.

In some groups children died due to medical neglect.

The treatment of children, within groups often called “cults,” is a scandal. Child protection services often respond too late or do too little to protect these innocents.

It should be understood that minor children are only in such groups because their parents have joined.

Children are often brought into “cults” like so much baggage and frequently endure a living hell. This may include brutal corporal punishment, substandard living conditions, malnutrition and/or medical neglect.

More official intervention is necessary if minor children, who are often little more than hostages in such groups, are to be protected. Religious and/or parental rights certainly do not include the doing anything without restriction in the “name of God.”

John Edward makes money from supposedly contacting the dead. And his cable show “Crossing Over” has helped the spirit medium considerably to cash in on that claim.

Now he is marketing his supposed spiritualist skills in Australia through a promotional tour. Edward recently sold 4,000 tickets for a Sydney show at $75 each, that’s $300,000 Australian dollars for just one performance, reports The Sun-Herald.

Edward claims that an “Indian chief” became his “spirit guide” when he was a teenager. But the chief didn’t seem to get the “brave” full-time spiritualist status until years later, when Edward quit his day job at a hospital. It is unclear if he conversed with recently departed there.

Some say Edward is merely a “huckster” and the cable star hasn’t objectively proven otherwise. Instead, he stokes his popularity by doing what is called “cold readings.” That is, a process that combines him questioning, guessing and generalizing, which is hardly supernatural.

An example of cold reading was reported through the following spoof. Edward says, “Anyone? Someone who ate food, and slept in a bed … possibly a man or a woman. Someone who had hair. Long or maybe short.” At this point someone jumps up and replies; “My dad had short hair and ate food.”

It’s sad to see a “huckster” like Edward making money through the exploitation of the bereaved, but this type of business has been going on for a long time and no doubt will continue for the foreseeable future.

A professor on the faculty of Alabama A & M in Huntsville is a Raelian spokesperson, reports Associated Press.

Professor Hortense Dodo thinks of herself as not only a microbiologist, but also “something like a priest” and says she is interested in “reaching out,” which apparently means recruiting for the Raelians. The teacher insists though, that she keeps her proselytizing out of the classroom.

Dodo is researching the possibility of producing an allergen-free peanut through cloning. No definitive breakthrough yet for the professor.

Interestingly, the Dodo is also an extinct bird known for its stupidity.

However, the Alabama microbiologist has probably had better luck cloning peanuts than another Raelian “scientist” Brigitte Boisselier has had with humans. Boisselier continues to claim success, but offers no proof.

The Raelians also claim they have 55,000 members worldwide, though there are only five in Huntsville.

Not unlike cloning claims, Raelians appear to grossly exaggerate their membership. Objective reports place the number of active Raelians at about 5,000.

Matt Hale the self-proclaimed “Pontifus Maximus” of the hate group called the “World Church of the Creator” was arrested recently for allegedly plotting to kill a federal judge.

However, according to a Hale groupie in Wyoming it’s all just bogus, reports the Casper Star-Tribune.

Thomas Kroenke says, ”The very idea that an intelligent man, such as P.M. (Pontifus Maximus) Hale, would be so foolish to conspire to murder a judge over any issue, much less an issue we are winning, is absurd.” Kroenke is the man Hale appointed to lead the group in Wyoming.

Hale may have a law degree, but apparently his intelligence can’t find a way to cash in on that diploma. And he still lives with his father. Needless to say his racist views and conspiracy theories are hardly original and are instead the reiterated rant of other like-minded hate mongers. Hale even failed to pick an original name for his group.

What’s so “intelligent” about all that?

Clearly, regardless of the outcome of Hale’s current criminal case, his followers will continue to believe whatever their “P.M.” says. They likely will consign the evidence, prosecution and/or “PM’s” possible conviction, to yet another conspiracy theory.

Many people lose money on schemes that involve multi-level participation. Such programs have often been described as “pyramid schemes,” due to the disproportionate amount of people who lose at the bottom as opposed to the elite few who reap benefits at the top.

Laws in the United States are often ambiguous, riddled with loopholes or weak regarding multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes. The Federal Trade Commission has on occasion shut down such businesses like Equinox and Trek Alliance, an Equinox spin-off that was recently shut down by court order.

Sadly, most often by the time such companies are closed by the authorities; many people have already lost money.

Some of those caught up in MLMs say there is a kind of “cult like” process of coercive persuasion, which takes place through the recruitment, seminar and conference formats used by such businesses. Spouses and friends have at times described distributors as “brainwashed,” when explaining their seemingly irrational commitment and conduct.

A recent article appeared in the Portsmouth Herald, which spelled out how and why these schemes are simply “mathematically improbable” and therefore fail.

Assistant Attorney General Connie Stratton, of the New Hampshire Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau explained this succinctly. She said, “The reason they don’t work is because they have so many levels of distributors. If you work out the math, what happens is that a very few people make money and the majority do not. All the money goes to the top, so you’d have to recruit your way to the top. The problem is that so many people are needed to get there that the market gets saturated and the scheme falls apart.”

One expert stated that the loser rate typically exceeds 93% and in some schemes 99%. And that product-based programs are the most damaging.

Here are a few comments from people who were damaged by MLMs.

“I lost all I had, great job, my financial future, my wife, children, and soul.”

‘I lost $5,000.00 and some of my dignity.”

“I became a Director with the firm several years ago–eventually my sales force did over $100,000 per month in product sales. Despite this I lost over $75,000 as a result of the lies and deceptions of this company. I could tell so many stories of people going broke and the reality of the cult like brainwashing.”

“When we started this business we were only $7,000 in debt, now we are $32,000 in debt, due to this crap. Since the day we left the organization, we have been working nonstop to pay off credit card bills, and loans totaling $25,000.00. We fell for their lies, deception and faulty ad and practices. I hope the Feds make them feel, pay and suffer like we now are.”

What can be done?

It seems that federal regulations regarding the MLM industry are needed to protect people. Essentially, there is no such effective regulation now.

Anyone considering participation within an MLM should do his or her homework and research in-depth before becoming involved or paying a penny.

Sadly, most participants don’t do this and instead are taken in by the pitch. However, today through the Internet investigating such companies is actually becoming an increasingly easy process.

Scientologist Lisa McPhearson died tragically in 1995 while under the care and treatment of her Scientology brethren. But it has taken more than seven years for the lawsuit filed by her family to reach a trial date.

Scientology is adept at delaying and/or derailing lawsuits and it seems they have used every strategy and courtroom tactic to keep this case from going to trial.

Scientology frequently employs what can be seen as the “ad hominem attack.” Rather than directly respond to issues raised, they often go after whoever raises them. This may mean pursuing a plaintiff personally, harassing their lawyer or even their family. It doesn’t appear that Scientologists are adverse to almost anything, when attempting to protect church interests.

The recent loss of a libel case in Denmark and another not long ago in England appears to verify this observation. The largest libel judgement ever awarded in Canadian history, was to a lawyer slandered by Scientology. Each case involved a perceived enemy pursued relentlessly by the controversial church.

But despite all its apparent delaying tactics the McPhearson case will finally proceed to trial and a jury will hear the case. And the judge has refused to remove the plaintiff’s lawyer, despite Scientology’s insistence that he is somehow unfit, reports Associated Press.

This means the sad story of Lisa McPhearson, who died allegedly of severe dehydration after 18 days of care within a Scientology facility, will now be heard in court.

That is, unless Scientology makes a last minute settlement with a “gag order,” which the church that has been called a “cult” has done often in the past.