Cult News

The controversial “Word of Faith Fellowship” (WOFF), which has been called a “cult,” led by Jane Whaley is now being sued by a former member claiming personal injuries, reports The Herald-Journal.

The former member now plaintiff Holly Hamrick said, “I can’t sit back and be quiet when I see abuse going on. A lot of people didn’t see Waco coming or Jonestown…”

The embattled group is already engaged in a bitter legal battle with another former member who wants her minor children back.

The WOFF apparently thinks its religious prerogatives trump a custodial parent’s rights.

Whaley and her followers have withheld the minors from their mother who left WOFF months ago. After receiving help at a cult recovery center called “Wellspring Retreat,” she came back for her four children.

Abuse claims by the alleged victims of WOFF seem to be gathering momentum. Are Whaley’s glory days of power passing in Spindale, North Carolina?

For years the purported “cult leader” has been something of a big fish in a small pond. But it looks like Whaley’s pond is either drying up or becoming increasingly difficult for her to swim in.

Scientology finally achieved tax-exempt status in Germany this month, reports Deutsche Welle.

The organization has striven for years to accomplish this.

One German critic said Scientology “operates as nothing other than a business syndicate with a Mafia-like structure.” And Hamburg’s Scientology commissioner called the organization “dangerous.”

Now defunct George Magazine once reported how Scientology used Hollywood celebrities to lobby Washington and pressure Germany. Stars like John Travolta, Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes spoke out against the German government.

No doubt German Scientologists are happy about their new tax-exempt status. Some might even shout out “Heil Hubbard.” L. Ron Hubbard was the founder of Scientology.

However, the majority of Germans will likely continue to be suspicious about Scientology.

Germany’s tragic 20th Century history should make it easy for anyone to understand why its people would be concerned about an essentially totalitarian regime growing in their midst.

According to a recent press report Scientology continues to be monitored closely by 15 of Germany’s 16 states.

Falun Gong followers are always looking for any opportunity to promote their leader Li Hongzhi’s teachings and/or protest.

And the Chinese New Year is apparently no exception, or at least until this year.

Parade organizers in New York City appeared to resent the group’s self-centered and often seemingly obsessive efforts.

Last year Hongzhi’s devotees handed out flyers and did their exercises, rather than just parade and wave like other participants.

One community leader said, “Lunar New Year is supposed to be all the Chinese forgetting about politics for one day, just one day, just simply celebrating the culture, the traditions.”

The president of one Chinese business association made it clearer, “Celebrate, but don’t promote,” reported the Flushing Times.

Ultimately Falun Gong followers were included in the parade, but only upon the condition they not engage in self-promotion or otherwise disrupt the annual celebration in any way.

Yesterday when they paraded in New York’s Chinatown the group “drew no reaction from the crowd,”
reports Newsday.

It appears many within the Chinese American community are growing tired of the group and its leader.

“Elvis priestly” was apparently more than the staid hierarchy of the Anglican Church in Canada was willing to endure, reports The Anglican Journal.

That nickname reflects the cult-like devotion of Rev. Dorian Baxter, Anglican priest and Elvis impersonator.

But Baxter’s church leader felt that the priest should be more focused on the “King of Kings,” than the “King of Rock.”

Popular amongst his flock for dressing up as Elvis to perform his vocation, Baxter’s bishop nevertheless dressed down the Anglican priest. He is now “officially on leave” from his assigned church.

Undaunted, the “Rockin’ Reverend” decided to create his very own “Graceland Independent Anglican Church,” through which he will continue his “Elvis ministry.”

This is not the first house of worship dedicated to Presley, others have sprung up since the star’s death.

Many Elvis fans make a yearly pilgrimage to their icon’s fabled mansion Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Now Presley’s cult following can stop off in Toronto too, and experience Graceland the church.

Perhaps there they will share an ultimate communion, facilitated by a minister equally enthralled with the object of their enduring devotion.

And the King said, “Love me tender.”

The website Girlcomic.net decided to dedicate a section to religion recently, and everything from “Jewish Nerds” to Yoga was discussed and joked about.

One comic Kimmy Gatewood wrote about a fun-filled evening at Scientology headquarters in New York.

The apparently street-wise comic quipped that it was cheaper than a Broadway Show.

She took the “free personality test,” walked around and even saw a film short.

Gatewood says, “I fell out of my seat laughing.”

Besides the humor what can be readily be seen from her story is how smooth Scientology can be. First it’s free, then Gatewood is quoted only $25.00 for a handbook.

No doubt their come on would have escalated as courses and “auditing” would be suggested, which can get pretty pricey.

But like many groups called “cults,” Scientology comes on slow and escalates involvement in gradual increments.

It’s an effective sales approach. Actor Chris Reeve was taken in for awhile and he’s a Cornell graduate.

However, little Kimmy was not an easy mark. She concludes, “All in all, an evening well spent in my continual search to understand others. More important, a lesson well learned in celebrity-endorsed cults. You’ll never get me, Travolta!”

When President George Bush gave his State of the Union address Tuesday it was reported (“Bush Touts Religion-Based Drug Treatment,” Associated Press, January 29, 2003 by Laura Meckler) that Henry Lozano of Teen Challenge in California, was sitting with the first lady throughout the presentation.

Bush pushed the idea of funding faith-based drug rehab programs with federal money.

But would it be appropriate to include Teen Challenge within such a scheme?

According to Teen Challenge literature its entire approach can be summarized as “Basic Confrontational Evangelism.” And the organization has stated specifically, “The only cure for . . . drug abuse, is Jesus Christ.”

The Teen Challenge program is essentially religious training and indoctrination.

There is nothing wrong with including faith as a meaningful component when confronting drug abuse. And such approaches can be successful.

But should federal money be used to pay for a sectarian cure? This would certainly seem to set a troubling precedent.

Before televangelist Pat Robertson received $500,000 for a pet program through Bush faith-based funding, he pointedly objected to the president’s project.

Robertson previously said such grants would be like opening “Pandora’s Box.” And that once opened would not easily be shut.

How can the federal government decide which theologically based cures should be funded?

Would Scientology’s Narconon drug rehab receive federal money? What about Krishna? They might have a substance abuse solution based upon chanting? Maybe the Raelians have some special cure coming from outer space?

Will the government now be in the business of judging which religion works best?

Whatever happened to that old feel good extended weekend seminar known as “est,” which developed a “cult following” that included celebrities like Valerie Harper and John Denver?

Well it got bigger and better, at least from a business perspective.

Est is now called “Landmark Education,” and according to a press release on Yahoo, the private for-profit company now has “60 major offices in 21 countries,” affecting “100 cities” with ” 750 professionally trained course leaders worldwide.”

The PR spin gushes about Landmark’s recent deal with Sprint “to improve its communications infrastructure.”

The company’s “flagship” program is called the Forum, which can be seen as mass marathon training.

Landmark has a rocky history that includes serious complaints about abuses, subsequent lawsuits and more than a little bad press.

Its founder Werner Erhard (a.k.a. Jack Rosenberg) also went through some rough times. His bad patch included allegations of incest, spousal abuse and income tax problems.

Erhard eventually sold the company and licensed its “technology.” The specific details of that sale were never disclosed

But never mind all is well now.

Landmark is clearly pulling in more money than ever.

And Erhard? He resolved his personal problems and ended up a rich man relaxing on the beaches of the Cayman Islands. He lives in Georgetown with his girlfriend Hanukkah.

Landmark still generates lawsuits, complaints and bad press, but they seem to settle such matters quietly and weather whatever controversy arises comfortably.

His status as probably the world’s richest guru apparently wasn’t enough for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He created his own country and currency, which generated some attention.

Maharishi seems to like attention.

But maybe the attention this time is unwelcome. The Dutch Central Bank is investigating the old guru’s funny money called the raam, reports Yahoo.

In the sixties Maharishi hung out and/or hung onto the Beatles. They eventually ditched him.

Maybe the Dutch will make him ditch the raam?

Earl Krugel has now pleaded guilty regarding a conspiracy to bomb an American mosque.

The 60-year-old Jewish Defense League (JDL) member may ultimately end his life in prison based upon the terms of his plea agreement reports Associated Press and Fox News.

According to the deal negotiated with prosecutors Krugel will serve no less than ten years in prison for his involvement in the bomb plot.

The FBI arrested Krugel and his JDL leader Irv Rubin in December of 2001.

Rabbi Meir Kahane founded the JDL in 1968. A Moslem fanatic murdered him in 1990.

Kahane was not unlike other charismatic hate group leaders such as William Pierce and Osama bin Laden who largely defined their groups through the power of their individual personalities.

The hate-filled rhetoric of the radical rabbi was often described as extremist and incited violence. One man associated with an Israeli Kahane-connected organization murdered 29 Moslems at prayer in a Hebron mosque.

Fortunately it seems the FBI stopped Rubin and Krugel before they could wreak havoc and death on a mosque.

In 1994 the party Kahane founded in Israel was outlawed and later declared a foreign terrorist organization by the United States State Department.

Now perhaps the JDL’s reign of terror will end. Without Rubin or some other strong personality to fill its present void, perhaps the JDL will fade away.

A prison inmate claiming to be a “Hebrew Israelite” was refused kosher meals so he sued the prison system. But a federal judge has now rejected his claim, reports Associated Press.

For many years religious diets have been a part of prison life, within both federal and state correctional facilities, but this prisoner’s case may change all that.

Prison inmates often play “games,” which means they attempt to receive special treatment or get something through some sort of scheme. But it looks like this prisoner’s game backfired.

First the self-proclaimed “descendent of the biblical tribe of Judah” was interested in Protestantism, then he suddenly became a “Hebrew Israelite.”

Prison authorities apparently saw through all this and rejected his claims.

But what about the long-standing precedent of providing religious diets to those men and women in prison not running games?

Now it seems many legitimate religious people, such as Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Adventist prisoners might suffer needlessly because of one man’s scheme, which may have set a new legal precedent.