Cult News

Arizona State Representitive Mark Anderson, a Republican from Mesa, has a long history of loyal and devoted service to Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed “messiah” (photo below right) and leader of the Unification Church.

Moon’s followers have historically been called “Moonies.”

Almost ten years ago the Mesa Tribune reported about how Anderson’s actions as an elected official were often closely aligned to Rev. Moon’s agenda.

CultNews has now learned from a reliable source that Anderson’s political pandering to his religious leader apparently has continued unabated.

Rev. Moon teaches his disciples that singles should not expect a happy hereafter and that marriage is a requirement for salvation and entering heaven.

Matrimony also plays a pivotal role in Moon’s theology. He calls himself the “Lord of the Second Advent” who provides a “physical salvation,” which Jesus was unable to accomplish, because he was executed and didn’t marry.

It is largely because of these beliefs that Moon has presided over mass weddings, often marrying thousands of his followers simultaneously.

Mark Anderson appears to be dutifully following Moon’s dogma as a state legislator.

In the Spring of 2000 he sponsored a bill that successfully passed and created a “Marriage and Communication Skills Commission.”

Funded by Arizona’s taxpayers, the purpose of the Commission is to recognize “the importance of marriage.”

Beyond this the Commission also doles out funding for “workshops” and “programs,” which are provided through contractors.

And guess who is co-chairman of the Arizona marriage commission?

None other than Mark Anderson (photo left), who has substantial influence concerning which contractors receive state money.

Five states have created marriage commissions including Arizona, South Carolina, Utah, Louisiana and Michigan.

But only Arizona allows its Commission to choose, which community agencies receive a contract.

The selection process includes an objective evaluation process.

That is, because Arizona requires that contracts be awarded to the highest scored vendor.

But are they?

Enter Pastor Leo Godzich, President of the “National Association of Marriage Enhancement” (NAME), a close associate and long-time friend of Mark Anderson.

NAME has been and continues to be the recipient of hundreds of thousands of dollars in state contracts.

But Arizona’s Department of Economic Security (DES) didn’t rank NAME highly through its scoring process as a potential provider for workshops and programs.

Nevertheless Godzich’s group got the money, because the Commission had the power to award a contract regardless of a potential provider’s DES score or ranking.

This isn’t the first time Godzich has gotten money through his buddy Mark Anderson.

In a Mesa Tribune article that raised questions about Representative Anderson’s peculiar mix of religion and politics, Godzich (photo right) is named as one of two “paid speakers” at an Anderson related political event called “Parents Day.”

Should Mark Anderson be helping his cronies with state funds, in what appears to be a blatant breach of public procurement policy in the name of his special interests?

On what basis does his Commission “accept” or “reject” DES recommendations? And what process is in place to ensure that Commission members like Anderson do not have a conflict of interest?

What about NAME and Anderson’s religious agenda?

Doesn’t this potentially represent a violation of the separation of Church and State?

CultNews has been told by a reliable source “that it is unethical for the Commission to have any involvement in ‘recommending’ which community agencies receive a contract award with DES, when the Commission is not involved in the internal DES review, evaluation, and scoring process of the proposals.”

Maybe Rev. Moon should fund Mark Anderson’s pet projects instead of the taxpayers of Arizona.

After all Rev. Moon is a multi-billionaire, while Arizona is currently facing what could become a multi-billion dollar revenue shortfall.

Note: Mark Anderson is running for US Congress.  At his Web site Anderson says, “Congress is a mess. Thee is too much partisan bickering, too many scandals and too much wasteful spending of taxpayer’s money.” But given the potentially scandalous and often partisan way Anderson spends taxpayer’s money in Arizona, why send him to Washington to mess around?

Have you ever been bothered by unwanted visitors at your door trying to sell you on their religion?

Probably the most familiar and persistent door-to-door proselytizers are “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” a sect seemingly historically obsessed with “doom and gloom.”

Witnesses have an apparent fascination some might observe fixation with “The End,” as demonstrated by their repeated efforts to determine its date.

But after a few failed predictions they have conveniently decided that the end date for the world is actually “fluid.”

Witnesses still have an array of nifty handouts though like their preeminent “Watchtower,” which has depicted the eventual disaster that will consume the earth in graphic and horrific detail.

Who will be destroyed?

Well it seems, anyone that disagrees with their dogma.

According to a survey taken by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Jehovah’s Witnesses are the least tolerant and most closed minded religious group in the United States.

Witnesses ranked number one, with more than a 20 point lead over Mormons, as the religious group least likely to tolerate another point of view.

Only 16% of Witnesses responded positively when asked if it was possible that “many religions can lead to eternal life.”

Mormons came in second at 39 percent.

And only 18% of Witnesses could even imagine the possibility of any other way to interpret their teachings, other than the official explanation, as provided by their “Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.”

Mormons allowed for considerably more wiggle room, fully 43% responded that Mormon scriptures might be subject to interpretation.

This means that the most likely religious salesman to appear at your door, is the least likely to be tolerant of whatever religious beliefs you might express contrary to their own.

So the next time Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormon missionaries knock on your door, maybe you shouldn’t allow them to play too easily upon your sense of tolerance and fairness.

Just tell them you read the Pew survey and that they didn’t come off too well in these categories.

And here are couple of helpful hints about how to handle such unwanted proselytizing.

With Witnesses it’s always good to have a copy of the book “Crisis of Conscience” by Raymond Franz around.

Franz was once a member of the Witnesses’ revered “Governing Body,” which is its highest authority and his book divulges some embarrassing insider secrets about the process for determining dogma within the organization.

Turn down the corners on your favorite pages so that you can quickly find them to read to Witnesses wandering through your neighborhood. This is a virtual lock that they won’t linger long, at least not on your doorstep.

For Mormon missionaries keeping copies of letters nearby from the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic Society for easy reference concerning the “Book of Mormon” is a safe bet.

Tell the LDS lads that you will be happy to hear them out, but only after they can substantiate with objectively verifiable historical evidence that the peoples mentioned within their scriptures actually ever existed.

Needless to say both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons may label such a response “narrow mindedness” or even call it “religious persecution,” but then you can bring up the Pew survey again.

After all, who came in last on those issues?

Note: The groups that reflected the most tolerance by the largest majorities allowing for another religious point of view are Hindus 89%, Buddhists 86%, Mainline churches 83%, Jews 82%, Catholics 79% and Orthodox Christians 72%.

Chuck Anderson, the head of an unaccredited school called the Endeavor Academy (EA) in the Wisconsin Dells, is dead. He was 83.

Often referred to as a “cult leader” by his critics, Anderson’s followers called him instead their “Master Teacher” (MT).

The self-styled “miracle worker” (see photo left) was a former real estate broker from Chicago. He died quietly while watching television last month on the evening of May 13th, according to “Janice” a spokesperson for the group.

There is no official announcement of Anderson’s death at either the EA Web site or its sister site the “Miracle Healing Center.”

EA adherents consider death a “transition,” but it seems that they may be experiencing some difficulty making the transition to a group without its MT.

Groups called “cults,” defined by a charismatic living leader who becomes the focus and locus of power, frequently crumble after that leader is gone.

This strange announcement was posted at a discussion board about consciousness and mysticism four days after Anderson’s death. “Our beloved Teacher and friend, Dear One, left the body on May 13. Many of you also know Dear One as a teacher of teachers and a beloved friend. We invite you to join us this evening in not just talking about Dear One but BEING with him in a brand new hologram of light that he continues to offer – even now – to everyone.”

Has MT gone from dearly departed to disembodied deity?

Anderson was extolled by his disciples as “a continuing union with the mind of Jesus of Nazareth through the Holy Spirit…a Teacher of God…the Awakener” and “Light Transmitter.”

His teaching “credential” was supposedly “the transmission of the power of Resurrected Mind.”

MT based his teachings on a book titled “A Course in Miracles,” (ACIM) an essentially benign work that according to its author Helen Schucman, originated from a divine source she named as Jesus.

The Foundation for Inner Peace and Penguin Books sued Anderson claiming that he and EA had violated their ACIM copyright. Ultimately though MT prevailed, when the First Edition of the book was declared public domain.

Accoording to a 1991 report filed by Kalie Picone Anderson promised that he would “enlighten everyone that follow[ed] him” and one day they would “get out of here….flash[ing] out…together.'”

However, MT is gone and his followers have been left behind.

A cadre of loyalists are appaarently intent upon soldiering on and preserving his legacy, administering an MT video library, not to mention the residue of cash and assets strewn in the wake of their “Awakener.”

Darla Hughes, a prominent leader at EA said that there are now many “master teachers” who are “graduate ministers” (see photo right) and that no single leader would replace MT. She and her husband Alden Hughes continue to facilitate workshops.

Ms. Hughes explained that “there is no such thing as death.”

In an expression of what can be seen as either denial or devotion the EA teacher went on to say, “[MT] is still alive in me and I experience him every day.”

Visitors to the EA Web site are greeted by the audio taped voice of Anderson followed by a haunting video invitation to become his pupil.

But what is Chuck Anderson’s real legacy? A man that appeared to yearn for enduring recognition.

MT apparently relished the spotlight, as seen through his stream of self-produced videos, which featured Anderson in the starring role of “Light Tranmitter.”

However, other than his own productions MT achieved little recognition, with the exception of a 1999 CBS “48 Hours” segment titled “The Academy: Miracle or Cult?”.

This became both Anderson’s proverbial and literal “Andy Warhol 15 minutes.”

MT was featured in a critical book by Australian Ian Hamilton, one of his former students. The book is titled “Awake among the Sleeping,” EA was also linked to a well publicized suicide in Australia.

CultNews reported in 2006 that Anderson managed to get attention through a public speaking engagement in California at a “Wellness Weekend,” which featured Deepak Chopra.

But a source said that the octogenerian “wasn’t allowed to go near [Chopra] the whole time.”

A critic of the 2006 CultNews article admitted, “Master teacher is ego maniacal…with both an inferiority as well as a persecution complex…I have seen him do some creepy things.”

“Creepy things”?

Another former EA student elaborated in some detail.

“We all know…that Charles is a fraud,” she said. “I’ve seen Chuckie beating up his people, screaming at them and making absolutely no sense in the process. I’ve seen him raving insanely at other teachers (Not associated with EA) who all out-classed him simply by not defending themselves.”

She added, “I’ve seen otherwise rational people sit, against their wills, and listen to his mad-gabbing for years at a time simply because they couldn’t understand him and thought he knew something they didn’t”

The same former student leveled serious sexual harassment and abuse allegations against Anderson.

“I’ve seen [MT] molesting women on so many occasions I can’t count them, he is not subtle about it either, he puts his hands down their tops and plays with their breasts in public or he yanks at their hair or goes in for the kill and grabs at their sexual organs.”

CultNews received complaints from concerned families that compared MT’s “mind training” to “brainwashing.”

Enlightened being or dirty old man?

Master Teacher or master manipulator?

In the end what will be Chuck Anderson’s epitaph?

Yisrayl “Buffalo Bill” Hawkins, self-styled prophet and religious entrepreneur runs an operation called the “House of Yahweh” (HOY) near Abilene, Texas.

Recently featured in a segment on ABC 20/20 and interviewed on CNN Nancy Grace, Hawkins held forth on the fate of the world, predicting with alleged Godly authority that June 12th was the beginning of “The End.”

That’s right, yesterday was supposedly a day of reckoning when a “nuclear baby” would be born and explode somewhere in the Middle East ushering in the “End of Time.”

But Hawkins (see photo above), who has a long history of failed predictions, bombed again.

The would-be prophet’s last doomsday date was set for September 12, 2006.

According to the bible prophets are only allowed one mistake, after that it’s time for stoning.

So how is it that a loser like Hawkins still has a following, which rather than throwing rocks, showers him with praise and money?

Diehard HOY members seem determined to stay with this guy no matter what happens.

Last year CultNews (Rick Ross) hosted a special for the A&E Network titled “Mind Control,” which included a hidden camera conversation with one of HOY’s top leaders.

Hawkins’ lieutenant insisted that a failed prophecy doesn’t really make a difference, it’s the intent that matters.

That is, if Hawkins is faithfully delivering the message God told him everything is OK, even if God somehow later decides to change His mind and let the world last a little longer.

So if Hawkins is wrong it’s God’s fault?

Who said that political campaigns were the only camps with spin machines, it appears modern-day prophets need spin too.

It was at this point that CultNews wondered just a bit cynically if old “Buffalo Bill” was playing his people for money.

After all, HOY has made the purported “cult leader” a multi-millionaire.

Hawkins controls a religious empire, largely accumulated real estate holdings, worth millions of dollars.

In fact, the 73-year old who started HOY more than twenty years ago seems more like a salesman than a soothsayer.

HOY is a burgeoning business that includes publishing, DVD and CD production, a cable show, ticket sales for feasts and festivals and even a grocery store.

Hawkins is also a landlord collecting rents from many of his followers.

John the Baptist may have wandered the desert destitute, but Mr. Hawkins has learned how prophets can turn a profit.

Part of his prophetic pitch includes selling his compound as a safe haven that “Yahweh” (God) wants the faithful to migrate to before “The Last Days.” And so they come to become Hawkins’ tenants and virtually his captive consumers (see compound photo right).

Hawkins teaches that the outside world is contaminated, which includes its suspect food supply.

So the faithful buy HOY approved products at Buffalo Bill’s grocery store.

Did Jeremiah have a business plan?

It seems like everything at HOY has a price tag, not to mention frequent tithing.

That’s probably why Yisrayl Hawkins won’t be shedding his prophetic mantle any time soon.

After all, predicting the “The End” has worked out well for him.

The only fly in Hawkins’ proverbial anointing oil may be a few legal problems.

The HOY leader was busted for promoting bigamy and child labor violations.

His trial is set for September 15th, that’s if the world doesn’t end first.