Cult News

A story titled Busting on the ?Cult Buster’ reported about personal attacks made in response to my comments within a previous article run by the New York Daily News.

Though Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre are cited within the recent story, there have been many other groups that have responded to criticism by attacking me personally over the years.

When I began working to expose cults in 1982 my family warned that eventually, if that work proved to be meaningful, cults might retaliate by exposing my past.

The old adage seems to apply, “If you don’t like the message, kill the messenger.”

The fact is many cults retaliate by “busting on” their critics.

Lloyd Grove accurately reported that as a young man of 21 and 22 I plead guilty (1975-76) to criminal conduct, resulting in a record that includes a misdemeanor and felony.

In 1983 those guilty verdicts were vacated by court order and my civil rights restored. This was done about the time I began coordinating a prisoner program and serving on an advisory board for the Arizona Department of Corrections.

I deeply regret and am sincerely sorry for the criminal mistakes I made almost thirty years ago, and have done everything possible to rectify those bad acts.

This included complete restitution, which was possible because my crime thankfully only included stolen property and was nonviolent. Those concerned stated they were satisfied in court. And the police did not oppose probation, which ended early and without incident in 1979.

Beginning in about 1988-89 groups that I criticized began investigating me, looking for anything they could use to discredit my work.

Scientology certainly has become the most notable nemesis of cult critics. Accordingly, they compiled and disseminated what is called a “dead agent” file about me, which literally reflects their belief in that old adage about the messenger.

Of course once the Internet became the “information highway” Scientology made the contents of that file publicly accessible online. It now includes 196 pages of typed text.

Groups like the Kabbalah Centre only need to point, click and print it out.

Since 1998 my response to that file has been likewise publicly available online through the Internet. And it has occasionally been updated to respond to new accusations.

Also available at this Web site are the archives “Hall of Flames” and “Flaming Websites,” which are filled with less than glowing descriptions of my work and personal history.

Interestingly, the bible teaches a path of rehabilitation that includes the following:

Acknowledge your wrongful conduct, specifically to those you have hurt and admit it to others openly.

Make whatever restitution is possible.

And then finally, change your life and don’t repeat such bad behavior.

This is exactly the route I chose almost thirty years ago.

This path met the expectations of those directly hurt by my crimes, the legal authorities, my family and community.

However, such an effort will never satisfy groups like Scientology, who don’t seem to believe in rehabilitation, unless they rehabilitate you.

And Scientology apparently does not believe in meaningful rehabilitation for itself. And in my experience neither does the Kabbalah Centre, despite the rabbinical credentials of its founder.

Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre don’t acknowledge misconduct reported about their respective founders and/or the injury caused by their teachings.

And by the way, reporting about Scientology’s bad behavior almost always begets the response that its critics are somehow “bigots” guilty of “persecution.”

But is it “bigotry” to report about criminal indictments, suicides and serious personal injuries linked to Scientology?

Don’t expect acts of contrition from Scientology or the Kabbalah Centre, instead they apparently prefer frivolous litigation and harassment to intimidate their critics.

Once at a deposition a Scientology lawyer asked me what I did to receive probation, was it part of some arranged plea agreement?

When I responded that there was no plea agreement he seemed incredulous, and asked why then did I plead guilty?

The answer, “because I was wrong,” appeared to startle him.

A consistent feature of many cults is their unwillingness to admit when they are wrong.

And historically, cult leaders like Jim Jones have died rather than admit or face the consequences of wrongdoing.

It seems impossible for many cults and/or their leaders to be meaningfully rehabilitated, as they appear unwilling to take the necessary first step, let alone complete the process.