Cult News

Yesterday the national television program Inside Edition ran a report about John Gray and his educational credentials.

During that interview Gray admitted that he has no accredited degree from any institution of higher learning.

The Ross Institute/CultNews was cited as a source and I commented within the broadcast.

Gray told Inside Edition, “I don’t need to put Ph.D. by my name I’m the most famous author in the world.”

It seems the “good doctor” may have overlooked a few other authors and that modesty was not something Gray learned at those unaccredited colleges he attended and/or corresponded with.

Gray insists, “I’m not a fraud.”

John Bear, Ph.D. (an accredited degree) is a top expert on correspondence schools. He told Inside Edition that Gray’s doctorate from an unaccredited school “holds a lot less weight” than one from an accredited institution, but that having it branded on all his books must have helped sales.

“People look for respectability. Would [Gray] reach [millions] in sales with the non-Ph.D.? I would guess not,” Bear said.

Immediately following the airing of the Inside Edition program email started flowing to CultNews from Gray’s fans, though some seemed more like the cult followers of a charismatic leader, rather than people receiving advice from a supposed relationship expert.

Here are some excerpted examples:

“I was appalled to see your ‘judgement’ of Dr. Gray on Inside Edition tonight based on his degrees… he does have all three, a [Bachelors], [Masters] Ph.D., no matter what the accreditation issues are to date. A degree does NOT qualify intelligence. Are you next going to bash Bill Gates for his lack of credibility in growing a very successful business? Mr. Gates has NO degrees, along with many intelligent leaders of yesterday and today who have contributed so much to society. I have personally spoken to people with Ivy League degrees who have no common sense at all!”

However, Bill Gates did not base his career on essentially misleading credentials like John Gray, who constantly uses the moniker, advice from “Dr. Gray.”

The impression Mr. Gray sought to make, was that whatever philosophy he promoted, it was coming from a highly trained and degreed professional in the area of marriage and family counseling.

In every bio or introduction, it was always “Dr. John Gray,” John Gray, Ph.D. etc.

He also became a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), even though he did not meet their minimum educational requirements.

Perhaps Mr. Gray should have promoted himself as simply “John Gray a man with ‘common sense’ and a high school education.” Though as Dr. Bear points out this probably would not have been as effective for the marketing of his books.

Another viewer wrote, “I was outraged at your daring stupidity to talk about something you have no idea what you are talking about in Inside Edition and through your nasty website…There are very few people in this world who have been able to do what John Gray has done for the benefit of others in the history of this world…The greatest people in this world never held a degree, Jesus Christ, being the greatest of all…John Gray has accomplished what he has accomplished, meaning his capacity to lift and help human kind, not because he has or does not have a stinking degree. The degree is totally irrelevant. John Gray developed, through divine intervention, a new science, a new understanding, an understanding of the human soul to help us live in peace and harmony.”

“Jesus Christ…[and] divine intervention”?

It seems like this viewer has elevated Gray to the status of a “Sacred Science,” which cannot be questioned.

However, “Dr. Gray” emphatically insists upon his titled prefix and uses it constantly, so apparently he doesn’t think it’s “totally irrelevant.”

There were also numerous personal attacks, following the old axiom “if you don’t like the message kill the messenger.”

Here are a few:

“What degree do you hold? How many people have you affected for good in this world? You are no match to John Gray.”

“You are very jealous, get over it. John Gray is better than you are.”

“Why do you feel comfortable applying such standards to everyone but yourself. I am also curious how you can reconcile your finger pointing with the [Jewish] law of lashon hora [gossip].”

I have never attended college.

My bio linked from CultNews states my education plainly as does the CV posted at the Ross Institute (RI).

Clearly the impression John Gray sought to make was that whatever philosophy he promoted, it was something coming from a highly trained and educated professional. Subsequently, it is certainly not “gossip” to report about Mr. Gray’s lack of accredited degrees.

The area of marriage and family counseling is a field typically populated by state licensed professionals. Ironically, John Gray insists upon licensed mental health professionals for his own Mars/Venus counseling centers.

The following comments came in from someone who had a more personal experience with John Gray:

“I was a…repair technician and went to ‘Dr. Gray’s’ house…I…had no idea that I was going to THE Dr. Gray’s house. I…[was] there for about one hour and 15 minutes…During that time He parked his car…in such a way that blocked my car. He seemed pissed when he had to go outside and move his car. I remember that. I overall didn’t like him…He had an assistant that he seemed to treat rudely…The guy is kind of a jerk, if you ask me!”

John Gray wants everyone to know he can legally call himself “doctor.”

The relationship guru’s lawyer faxed CultNews a letter that says, “Dr. Gray received his Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific University (‘CPU’) in 1982. The school, though unaccredited, was then, and continued to be for the next 15 years, a State California –approved university.”

Of course within the lawyer’s carefully parsed language he doesn’t mention that in 1997 the California Attorney General closed CPU down and called it a “diploma mill” that issued “worthless” degrees.

This means that though Gray’s “Ph.D.” is essentially “worthless” and/or useless according to accreditation authorities such as World Education Services (WES) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation it is permissible for him to call himself “doctor.”

But no accredited institution of higher learning would take such a Ph.D. seriously, nor does it allow Gray to become a state licensed mental health or marriage and family-counseling professional, which he is not.

Many professionals like to reminisce about their college days at “Ivy League” schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton, but it’s doubtful that Mr. Gray will ever hold forth about his glory days at old CPU, an institution that featured so-called “long-distance learning.”

CultNews previously reported that Gray’s personal assistant Rosalinda Lynch stated that he attended “Maharishi University of Management in Iowa” (MUM), even though that school said he never attended.

Gray’s attorney wants everyone to know, “Ms. Lynch made a statement…apparently confusing MUM with MERU [Maharishi Research University of Switzerland]…she had not reviewed the matter with Dr. Gray in advance.”

Ms. Lynch seems willing to take responsibility for her mistakes.

But what about her boss?

In an effort to explain away John Gray’s professional membership in the American Counseling Association (ACA), which requires at least an accredited Masters degree, his lawyer offers that Gray “fulfills the requirements of a regular member.”

However, Gray is not a “regular member” of the ACA.

What’s next, will Ms. Lynch take responsibility for mistakes on Gray’s ACA application?

Mr. Gray’s attorney tacitly admits that Gray’s only college degrees, other than an honorary doctorate, come from unaccredited schools.

Nevertheless John Gray can technically and legally use the title of “Dr.”

However, other than a prefix to satisfy his ego, it doesn’t seem to be worth much of anything. And the people who buy books by “Dr. Gray” should know that.

Lee Boyd Malvo, the teenager known as the D.C. sniper is now on trial for murder.

At 17 he and his mentor/father figure John Muhammad went on a killing spree that left ten dead in its wake and terrified a nation.

Now 18 Malvo is literally fighting for his own life in a Virginia courtroom. His attorney’s hope that an “insanity” defense based upon a “brainwashing” claim will explain the boy killer’s behavior and somehow ameliorate the outcome of the trial.

John Allen Muhammad the man that allegedly “brainwashed” Malvo has already been convicted and is almost certain to receive the death penalty. If his surrogate son and accomplice is found guilty, it is likely that he will receive the same sentence.

Opinions in the press vary, but some are calling the “insanity defense” in this case “crazy” reports Slate.

And the Washington Post points out those witnesses, who observed Muhammad and Malvo together, differ in their assessment of the relationship.

Some see Muhammad as a controlling and dominant figure that molded the boy into a “killing machine.”

Others say the two appeared more like friends, without readily seen evidence of a dominant/submissive relationship.

Malvo’s taped confession is chilling. The teenager admits, “I intended to kill them all.” And when asked if he personally pulled the trigger in the shootings the boy answers, “In all of them” reports Associated Press.

With such testimony, not to mention the physical evidence piled up by the prosecution, Malvo really has no other meaningful option than to plead insanity.

But was the boy “brainwashed” by John Muhammad or is this some clever lawyer’s contrived defense?

The “brainwashing” defense did not work for Patty Hearst, who was kidnapped by a political cult in the 1970s.

Hearst an heir to a newspaper fortune was coerced into becoming the pawn of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), but was nevertheless ultimately convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to prison.

President Jimmy Carter later commuted her sentence and Bill Clinton pardoned Hearst before leaving the White House.

Public awareness regarding “brainwashing” has evolved considerably since the Manson murders in 1969 and Patty Hearst’s conviction during 1976.

The Jonestown mass suicide/murder of 1978, which claimed the lives of almost 1,000 followers of cult leader Jim Jones in the jungles of South America, shocked the public and created an acute awareness of the power of coercive persuasion.

The image of parents giving their children cyanide was certainly compelling proof of the power of Jim Jones’ brainwashing.

After Jonestown Americans suddenly seemed to see the destructive cults that existed throughout the country and began to more readily recognize their methods of gaining undue influence. In repeated news stories cult “brainwashing” was discussed during the 1980s and 1990s.

Then came Waco in 1993, the second longest standoff in US history, between the cult known as the Branch Davidians and federal law enforcement. The end would once again be tragedy, when David Koresh and his followers chose death for themselves and their children.

In a succession of similar tragedies one cult after another would demonstrate the effectiveness of its own brand of brainwashing.

1994 the Solar Temple suicide in Switzerland.

1995 — the Aum gas attack of Tokyo subways that killed 12.

1997 — 39 members of “Heaven’s Gate” commit suicide near San Diego.

2000 — the horrific mass murder/suicide of the doomsday group known as the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments in Uganda, which may have claimed more lives than Jonestown.

9-11-2001 — the senseless murder of 3,000 people in the World Trade Center attack, once again perpetrated by the seemingly “brainwashed” followers of a madman, Osama bin Laden.

Self-proclaimed “prophet” Brian Mitchell was able to brainwash Elizabeth Smart from a dutiful family member into his seemingly willing follower in approximately 60 days. Smart subsequently denied her identity to police and did not attempt to escape the lunatic that abducted her at knifepoint.

Muhammad apparently controlled Malvo’s associations, environment and dominated his thinking in a nomadic lifestyle similar to the one Mitchell constructed around Elizabeth Smart.

How have madmen from Manson to Mitchell persuaded normal people to act insane?

The process of thought reform, commonly called “brainwashing” has probably been used in various forms throughout human history. Its mechanics have been explained in detail by psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton in his seminal book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism.

Lifton, who once taught at Harvard Medical School, identified the features of “brainwashing” through eight specific criteria; Milieu Control, Mystical Manipulation, the Demand for Purity, the Cult of Confession, the Sacred Science, Loading the Language, Doctrine over Person and the Dispensing of Existence (see Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism).

Essentially what Lifton observed is that if an environment displays at least six of these characteristics simultaneously, it doesn’t matter what you call it, it is thought reform or “brainwashing.”

But can this work when only two people are involved?

The phenomenon of an abused spouse, often caught within what has been called a “cultic relationship,” also displays many of the same features described by Lifton. Experts have frequently labeled this the “battered woman’s syndrome.”

Was Malvo caught within the web of a “cultic relationship”?

Based upon some of the accounts that have surfaced from his family and witnesses he may have been.

But unlike Patty Hearst, who was eventually pardoned for her brainwashed behavior, Malvo’s deeds under the influence of his leader have included murder.

Perhaps the teenager was a victim of John Muhammad, but what about the victims of their rampage?

Ten people died as a direct result of Malvo’s “insanity,” and even though Muhammad may have been the master-planner of this killing spree, his puppet still pulled the trigger.

Society seems willing to forgive the misdeeds of “brainwashing” victims, but such forgiveness is far less likely if they have committed violent crimes.

The followers of Charles Manson murdered for him. Manson was later convicted like Muhammad, through a prosecution largely based upon undue influence. However, his followers were also convicted and sentenced to death.

Later the death sentences of the Manson Family were changed to life in prison. But despite their impassioned pleas that they were essentially “brainwashed,” Manson’s former followers such as Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten have repeatedly been denied parole.

As the Virginia jury weighs its verdict they are more likely to consider those caught within the sniper’s sights than the boy captured within the web of a madman’s undue influence.

Malvo’s only hope may come after his conviction, when his alleged “insanity” might mitigate sentencing.

At that point the claim of “brainwashing” might provide the basis for a sentence of life in prison, rather than the death penalty.

Tom Cruise has been busy holding forth lately on everything from Japanese culture to “inner peace,” promoting his latest movie The Last Samurai reports AAP.

Of course “inner peace” for the actor comes from Scientology not Zen.

However, the devout Scientologist wasn’t so serene when Today Show host Katie Couric pressed him about the controversy that surrounds his religion in a Dateline interview.

Cruise curtly cut Katie off when she asked him about the persistently controversial organization that has church status in the US.

“Controversial but with who?” said the one-time member of The Firm.

Before Couric could offer an explanation he cut her off again.

“See you’re wrong,” he told Katie.

Then the NBC host really did it; she used the “W” word, offering that Scientology seems a bit “weird.”

Cruise shifted into hyper-drive.

“Absolutely, you’re wrong. And I can tell you that my personal experience with it, you know, I’ve been a Scientologist for going on, I guess 17 years. And it’s extraordinary, it’s extraordinary. And you know, you always have to look at someone who criticizes you, you have to look at them and say, okay, so? Who is that person? Why? What do they know? And I can tell you, you’re sitting in front of a Scientologist who knows. And I can tell you from my personal experience it’s been extraordinary for me. I wouldn’t be here where I am today without, you know, those things to help me out.”

Some might observe that Tom Cruise protests just a bit too much.

Couric seemed to think so. She said,”This obviously annoys you, I can tell.”

“Well I think it’s bigotry. And it’s people’s ignorance. And it’s something that I am offended by. Absolutely I’m offended by what you said, everyone and everybody, and that’s not true.”

Maybe Katie Couric should join the Klan and do some cross burning? What an “ignorant bigot” she must be to ask critical questions about Scientology.

Cruise ranted on, obviously Katie had hit his hot button.

“I think Scientology is misunderstood by some people. But I think also you look at Scientology it is the fastest growing religion. It’s helped so many people. I know it, because I use it and I am a Scientologist. And it’s extraordinary, is what it is… You know, when I make choices, it’s not just what is best for me. You know, it’s what is the right thing. What is the right thing to do. And I think through everything that I’ve been through, that I feel I can sit here and say I feel good about it. I feel good about the decisions that I made and I’m happy. You know, I’m really happy.”

OK. But something about this star’s temperament is very telling.

Cruise may be just a bit nervous. After all he could use a hit movie to fuel more than his jet. His last few films (Minority Report, Vanilla Sky and Eyes Wide Shut) have been less than blockbusters. And the middle-aged actor now appears to be the last Scientologist Superstar (SS) standing.

Is Tom Cruise’s career running out of gas?

Let’s face it John Travolta’s films have bombed for five years and his SS status is a serious question.

Former sitcom star Kirstie Alley is down to pitching for Pier 1.

Perhaps Cruise is “really happy” for his ex-wife Nicole Kidman though. After her split from the SS and his religion she has had one critically acclaimed film after another, not to mention the Oscar on her shelf.

So what happened?

Has this “extraordinary” religion somehow let down Tom Cruise?

Hey Katie, that might be a good question to ask Nicole Kidman.

The Last Samurai does appear promising and maybe this will turn out to be a good pick for the former Top Gun.

People often think that old gurus fade away like old soldiers, but some just get really rich.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM) at 92 is one of the oldest gurus around and also it seems possibly the richest.

He was the guru that handed out mantras to the Beatles in the 1960s. Old fans of the “Fab Four” may think after that he just toddled off into obscurity, without the cache of the British rockers.

However, over the following decades Maharishi methodically built a literal spiritual empire, which is now worth more than all the former Beatles fortunes combined.

Paul McCartney is reportedly worth more than one billion dollars, but his old guru has more than triple the wealth of the knighted Beatle known now as Sir Paul.

Maharishi controls combined real estate and business holdings of at least $3.6 billion dollars reports the Hartford Advocate. Though some estimate his vast financial empire is really worth closer to $5 billion.

This may make Maharishi the richest purported “cult” leader in the world.

The TM founder’s closest rivals for that title would likely be:

Rev. Moon 82, who controls the Unification Church and somewhere around $3 billion.

And then there is David Miscavige, the current head of Scientology, a global organization with its own hefty holdings, which some say might easily be worth more than $1 billion.

All this goes to prove that there may be “no business like show business,” but “cults” can really pay off big time.

John Gray’s bizarre claims about his education make him look more like a Martian than a reputable “doctor.”

The New York Post picked up the story first reported at CultNews about the relationship guru who faked an accredited college education.

Gray calls himself a “doctor,” but has no accredited college degree, even though he belongs to professional organizations that require them.

How did this ruse go on for so long?

It is startling that Gray was able to fool so many professionals, national publications, and network television news programs for more than a decade.

Even Oprah and Larry King were taken in, not to mention Harper Collins Gray’s publisher.

CultNews is still trying to verify that John Gray has an accredited high school diploma.

It seems he hooked up with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi the founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM) while still attending high school in Houston.

Gray spent nearly a decade as a celibate devotee of Maharishi before launching his own career as a relationship guru.

Did the teenage TMer drop out so he could meditate full-time with his mentor Maharishi?

One thing is certain. Any degree Gray claims beyond high school is not accredited and essentially worthless.

Hopefully, the so-called relationship “expert” at least managed to pick up his high school diploma before hitting the road with Maharishi.

Yesterday MSNBC picked up the story about “Dr.” John Gray and his “worthless” degrees.

Jeanette Walls wrote that the author of the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus “has credentials from the twilight zone.”

Gray’s assistant Rosalinda Lynch attempted to defend the “doctor” by claiming that the recent CultNews.com reports about Gray were “very poorly researched, incorrect, mean-spirited and of little consequence.”

CultNews not only stands firmly behind those reports, but also has more to add.

Lynch is apparently in charge of Gray’s spin machine.

She recently stated that his “Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific University [CPU]…was fully approved by the State of California during [his]…tenure.”

However, this effort at spin avoids the fact that the degree is not, nor has it ever been accredited and thus is essentially “worthless.”

A report about CPU on Quackwatch specifically includes John Gray on its list.

Lynch made what appears to be a deliberately misleading statement on behalf of her employer.

She said, “His second doctorate is from Governor’s State University in Illinois, which is fully accredited.”

However, according to the university the doctorate Lynch refers to is a “honorary degree,” that was given to Gray when he spoke at its 2003 commencement.

One again, it is certainly not an accredited degree. And Governor’s State University in Illinois doesn’t have a doctorate program.

Lynch even seems willing to lie for her boss.

She stated, “He has a masters from the American branch of the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, which is fully accredited.”

CultNews called both the registrar and alumni association at Iowa’s Maharishi U, and Gray is neither listed there as a graduate or alumni.

Perhaps Lynch is as much taken in by Gray, as many mainstream media outlets seem to have been.

Gray’s assistant once offered an emotional testimonial on Amazon.com.

Rosalinda Lynch posted, “I would like to thank [you] for writing Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. I’ve had some relationships in or out of desperation or loneliness. I have had engagement offers, but all for wrongful reasons. I know the next time I would like to have it for the right reasons.”

Sounds like Lynch may fit within the category of the “doctor’s” loyal cult following composed of true believers.

What about the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC), that both list Gray as a professional member?

Was his acceptance into these organizations granted as a matter of faith?

John Gray clearly violated both the ACA and IAMFC professional membership requirements, which stipulate that an applicant must have appropriate educational credentials, and be honest not misleading about his or her education.

And how about all those licensed mental health professionals that paid Gray fees for the privilege of being licensed as “Mars/Venus Counseling Centers“?

What professional status is there to being “personally trained by Dr. John Gray,” when Gray has no accredited credentials?

Ms. Lynch was sent an email yesterday citing specifically the substance of this report.

There was no response from Mr. Gray’s office.

Note: CultNews has been unable to verify that John Gray is a high school graduate, though one of his office assistants insists he did complete the 12th grade and received an accredited diploma.

Relationship guru John Gray, author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, is established seemingly as a permanent fixture in popular culture and has something of a cult following.

Mars/Venus has reportedly sold more than 15 million copies since its publication in 1992. And Gray has sold millions of additional books through various spin-offs of that original bestseller.

According to his Mars/Venus website, “John Gray, Ph.D. is the best-selling relationship author of all time.”

Based upon that phenomenal publishing success Gray continued to expand his presence as a relationship guru by doling out professional advice to millions of readers weekly. He does this through a syndicated column within major daily newspapers coast to coast, from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Daily News.

Gray’s column even appears internationally through publications in England, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Korea, Latin America and the South Pacific.

John Gray is also a regular featured “expert” within Redbook, Brides and Parents magazines and has been profiled by USA Today, Time, Forbes, TV Guide and People.

Almost all the major television networks have given Gray a platform to hold forth with his special brand of counseling for couples, singles and families. He has sat with Larry King, Oprah and Phil Donahue.

In 2000 Gray launched his own syndicated TV show hosted by actress Cybill Shepherd, which premiered in more than 180 television markets, though it was later cancelled.

Not discouraged Gray later gave birth to a Las Vegas show titled Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus at the Flamingo Hotel.

John Gray has turned his book into a brand and wrought a financial empire through publishing, a chain of licensed counseling centers, seminar workshops, a syndicated advice column, television and radio broadcasts, not to mention the lucrative lecture circuit.

The synergy between all of Gray’s various interests and enterprises have undoubtedly made him a wealthy man.

But the basis upon which John Gray built his professional career and counseling conglomerate is not sound and seems to be essentially faked.

The relationship guru who constantly promotes himself as “Dr. John Gray” and lists a “Ph.D.” has only one accredited degree, a high school diploma.

Previously CultNews.com reported that Gray’s doctorate is “worthless.” According to California’s attorney general a “diploma mill” that was later shut down issued it.

CultNews kept checking further and can now report that both of John Gray’s other purported degrees are also unaccredited and essentially worthless too.

Neither his BA nor his MA is from an accredited institution of higher education.

Gray received his undergraduate degrees from Maharishi European Research University in Seelisberg, Switzerland before returning to the United States in 1982, according to his posted bio at Brooks International.

Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland is not accredited according to World Education Services (WES) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Both accrediting organizations could not find the Swiss Maharishi U anywhere in their exhaustive and well-maintained databases.

The Swiss school should not be confused with Maharishi University of Management in Iowa.

Maharishi University in Iowa was not granted accreditation to issue a Masters degree in psychology until 1984 according to records kept by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). The NCACS is the regional organization that has accredited the school.

John Gray is a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), which he prominently lists on his bio.

However, the ACA requires its professional members to have at least a Masters degree accredited by CHEA.

Mr. Gray apparently disregarded that standard and the ACA must not have checked.

Associate Director of Member Services Carol Neiman explained that members are on an “honor system” due to the size of the organization, they have 50,000 members.

Neiman pointed out that the ACA Code of Ethics specifically states that members must “advertise or represent…their credentials in an accurate manner that is not false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent.”

The ACA code also states members “are responsible for correcting any known misrepresentations of their credentials by others.”

But Gray has not corrected Publisher Harper Collins that represents him as a “Ph.D.” in his latest book Mars and Venus in the Workplace (2002).

It appears that Gray not only failed the ACA “honor system,” but also has violated its ethical guidelines.

Gray also says in his bio that he is a “Consulting Editor of the Family Journal,” which is a quarterly publication put out by the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC). And he adds that he is a “member of [its] …distinguished advisory board.”

But John Gray does not meet the minimum educational requirements to be a member of the IAMFC.

The IAMFC Ethics Standards regarding competence read, “The minimal level of training shall be considered a master’s degree.” Moreover, members must “accurately represent their education…credentials [and] make concerted efforts to ensure that statements others make about them and/or their credentials are accurate.”

Mr. Gray again appears to be rather ethically challenged.

Gray has also claimed the title of “Fellow and Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Psychotherapists and Psychodiagnosticians.”

Perhaps this is another organization that relies upon the “honor system”?

“Dr.” Gray also claims he is a “Certified Family Therapist,” though he does not specify what organization certified him.

He is certainly not certified or licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, which would be the regulating body within the state where Mr. Gray resides.

Ironically, Gray himself has gone into the licensing business through his Mars/Venus counseling centers. But he advises that the counseling center licensee program is only “open to licensed mental health professionals,” something he clearly is not.

Remember the Hans Christian Anderson story The Emperor’s New Suit?

The fable relates how swindlers convinced a ruler that they were weavers, but only those fit for office could see their clothes.

At the end of this story the Emperor parades naked down the street, but the people along the way for some time refuse to admit he has nothing on.

Well in this modern version Gray has woven his own finery composed of credentials from schools that are essentially invisible, at least according to respected accrediting organizations such as WES and CHEA.

And organizations like the ACA, IAMFC, book publishers and newspapers, network television and various other media outlets have somehow failed to see the naked truth.

Even though information about Gray’s “worthless” doctorate has been on the Internet for some time.

Doesn’t anyone ever Google him?

John Gray’s office was contacted the day before this article was posted for a response. A woman that identified herself as an “assistant” took notes and said Mr. Gray would be contacted regarding the substance of this report.

However, he never responded.

The assistant insisted though that Mr. Gray did have an accredited high school diploma and she said Governor’s State University in Illinois also had given him an “honorary degree.”

How can anyone trust advice from someone like this?

Rather than basing his expert status upon his personal experience, Mr. Gray chose instead to mislead both the public and professionals by clothing himself with a mantle of degrees and dubiously achieved memberships.

However, when scrutinized it can be seen that John Gray “has nothing on at all,” much like the Emperor in Anderson’s fable.

In the end Mr. Gray comes across as more of a poser than a professional.

The so-called “Master Path” recently moved its headquarters from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Temecula, California, a small city 50 miles from San Diego.

The group has been called a “cult” and its “master” is “Sri” Gary Olsen.

Olsen and his group are originally from Fargo, North Dakota, but after much negative media attention there they moved to California for the first time.

The group was based in a suburb of Los Angeles in the early 1990s.

“The Master Path is presenting the most evolved teaching on the planet,” Olsen once told the press. “It’s an esoteric study of the divine…I am…a representative of the divine,” he claimed.

But the growth of the Master Path in New Mexico apparently prompted Olsen to later set up his headquarters in Albuquerque, where he held numerous seminars and conferences.

However, it seems that Olsen never really gave up on the “Sunshine State” and once again has moved his base of operations back to California.

Many of his disciples called “chelas” have followed their master and moved to Temecula to be near “Sri Gary.”

The Master Path is actually little more than a rip-off of another Neo-Eastern “cult” called Eckankar.

Much of Olsen’s writings were plagiarized from the earlier works of Eckankar founder Paul Twitchell.

Members of the Master Path meditate on Olsen’s image and seemingly become infatuated with him and dependent upon the group.

Olsen warns in his writings, “Leaving the Master Path is the worst thing any chela could do … without the Master’s protection, he runs into all sorts of troubles which would not have happened had he remained with the Master Path.”

One Fargo news report carried the headline “The Master Path is a cult that destroys individual self-identity.”

It seems that well-known relationship gurus “Dr.” John Gray and “Dr.” Barbara De Angelis have bogus credentials reports Men News Daily.

Apparently the two both obtained their touted “doctorates” from a “diploma mill” shut down two years ago by the California state attorney general’s office.

Gray and De Angelis received doctorates from Columbia Pacific University, which California officials described as a “diploma mill” that issued “totally worthless degrees.”

Nevertheless these lauded experts have been a hot ticket on the lecture circuit (Gray is $30,000-$50,000 and De Angelis starts at $15,000) and they hold forth on such popular TV shows as Oprah, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live.

Gray and De Angelis routinely pass themselves off with the attached title of “Ph.D.”

Gray’s bestseller Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus has sold 15 million copies worldwide and developed quite a cult following for the author.

De Angelis has written more than a dozen books, produced a video series, infomercial and was featured on CNN as a “relationship expert.”

Some might think that John Gray is trained in psychology and/or counseling, but instead he has degrees in Eastern Philosophy and they are hardly Ivy League. Gray reportedly picked up both his Bachelor’s and Master’s from the Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is the founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement. And Gray was once one of his celibate monks, before becoming a guru of sorts himself.

Well, maybe it takes a guru to make a guru.

De Angelis has more in common with Gray than a “worthless” Ph.D., the two were once married.

De Angelis was Gray’s first wife, though he was her third husband. Barbara then went on to marry twice more, while John is still on his second marriage.

Another TM devotee magician Doug Henning was Barbara’s second hubby. Maybe she met Gray while attending a seminar at Maharishi U? Wouldn’t that be guru-romantic?

De Angelis did double duty as Henning’s assistant in his magic act. Perhaps she is now playing the role of a “doctor” for her second act.

“Secrets for Making Love Work,” is the title of a De Angelis produced video series. But will Barbara learn the secret herself the fifth time around?

And do these two “doctors” really posses the personal histories and/or credentials to commend them as “relationship experts”?

The popular radio “Sex Doctor” and perhaps the gold standard for a relationship guru might be Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

At least “Dr. Ruth” really is a doctor (Ph.D.) and though twice divorced, her third marriage has held together for more than four decades.

In fact both of Westheimer’s children have an accredited Ph.D., which is more than you can say for either “doctors” John Gray or Barbara DeAngelis.