The Universal Church Kingdom of God (UCKG), known for its exorcisms is under investigation by British officials regarding its treatment of children, finances and discrepancies in its constitution, reports Local London.
The church founded by Brazilian preacher now media tycoon Edir Macedo, is being probed for its failure to report concerns about a child’s welfare and transferring funds from its English branch to another in Portugal.
The UCKG has a history of controversy and now one more seems to be brewing. Perhaps it needs to exorcise its own demons?
Skeptic Michael Shermer pitched a concept for a TV show, its theme would be debunking psychics and paranormal practitioners who are now so popular on American television. But there were no takers, according to the LA Times. Perhaps Shermer now gets it. That is, TV executives know fantasy sells better than reality.
There might be a market for contrived “reality TV,” such as CBS’s “Survivor” or MTV’s “Real World,” but apparently a dose of the real thing is not what the public wants.
TV ratings for shows about communicating with the dead or reading the future are good and that translates to revenue from advertisers. Apparently, there is little interest in skepticism, which would be a downer for viewers and thus bad for ad sales.
Let’s face it, paranormal promoters make people feel good. The dead usually have something nice or comforting to say in the current pop format and that’s reassuring. Most psychics can almost always find a silver lining, even within the darkest future. Professionals in these lines of work know how to keep their ratings up too.
Polygamist David Ortell Kingston was sentenced to ten years in prison on third-degree felony convictions for incest and sexual contact with a minor child. The victim was Kingston’s own niece, who he took as his 15th wife.
Now a Utah parole board has decided to release Kingston after serving only four years, because he promised not to do it again and is a “model prisoner.” Not only will the convicted sex offender be released early, he will also not be under any further supervision after that date, reports the Salt Lake City Tribune.
It’s not surprising that Kingston is a “model prisoner,” since there are probably no little girls within his cellblock. What’s surprising is the inequity regarding the treatment of polygamists within Utah.
Polygamist Tom Green was first sentenced to five years for bigamy then later sentenced five years to life for “child rape.” But unlike Kingston, whose niece fled, Green’s “wife” stayed, bore him children and testified in his defense.
However, the Kingston clan is an “affluent” group and apparently receives somewhat different treatment in Utah.
And then there’s Rulon Jeffs who died peacefully in his bed at 92. Despite the fact that Jeffs had a reported 19 wives he was never even charged. Jeffs led the richest polygamist group in North America.
Both Kingston and Jeffs also represent long-established polygamist clans, while Green was a maverick.
So it seems like poor, unconnected polygamists better be careful in Utah, while rich established ones may have some leeway.
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) with about 6,000 members is probably the largest polygamist group in North America. It was ruled over by its declared “Prophet” Rulon Jeffs, until his death this month. But Jeffs 92 left his succession somewhat vague, reports the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Warren Jeffs, the deceased leader’s son, wants to fill that vacancy. But to accomplish this he must first overcome Fred Jessop another candidate who is 92. However, if Jessop wins Jeffs will still reach his goal soon enough, since Jessop’s reign would certainly be brief.
In an interesting subplot Canadian FLDS leader Warren Blackmore became a recent casualty of the group’s internal warfare. Rulon Jeffs denounced Blackmore shortly before his death and then Warren Jeffs removed him from key positions, according to the Vancouver Province.
Mayor Dan Barlow of Colorado City, Arizona an FLDS stronghold says, “The leader is chosen by the Lord. It will be revealed.” However, what is revealing is how earthly this power struggle actually is. According to recent reports the FLDS has $200 million dollars in US assets alone. Is that what’s called the “profit” motive?
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against Harlingen Family Dentistry of Texas for firing employees that refused to take Scientology courses, reports the Valley Morning Star.
According to the suit employees were pressured to become involved in the controversial church, and thus subjected to “religious discrimination.”
This situation is not unique. It is not uncommon for professionals such as dentists, doctors or chiropractors, to become Scientologists and then subsequently run their practice based upon its principles and “technology.” This may lead some to essentially evangelize their staff as virtually an article of faith, though such an effort is more likely to be characterized as a means to increase employee efficiency and performance.
What is Scientology, a faith or a business? Maybe the EEOC will help to resolve this issue in court.
Amdi Pederson the founder and head of Tvind/Humana is now back in his native Denmark, according to “Tvind Alert.”
Pederson was extradited from the United States after spending some time in a Los Angeles jail.
He was first indicted for financial fraud and tax evasion by Danish authorities and then a warrant was issued for his arrest. The “cult leader” was caught at LAX before boarding a flight. Mr. Pederson won’t be flying again anytime soon.
The Tvind founder first fought extradition and then caved in, some say because he knew jail would be easier in Denmark. He landed in Copenhagen International Airport yesterday.
It seems that “every dog has it’s day,” well at least in Denmark. European governments have repeatedly demonstrated they are far less likely than the US to look the other way regarding cults and their abuses. Amdi Pederson is now the most recent example of that reality.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) would prefer college students drink beer instead of milk.
A PETA spokesperson said, “Even one glass of milk supports animal abuse,” reports the Montreal Gazette.
PETA now promotes the pun “Got Beer,” which mocks the dairy industry’s “Got Milk” slogan. But binge drinking and drunken behavior at college and university campuses is not funny. Despite this, PETA now plans to place “Got Beer” ads in college papers.
Amongst animal rights advocates PETA continues to gain a growing reputation for fanaticism. And if not for the violence that has at times been the result of such extremism, maybe they could be written off as just a joke.
This latest PETA campaign demonstrates how out of touch the organization is with reality and the type of cult-like obsessive focus they often promote.
September 11th is a religious holiday for members of the Rastafarian religion. This date coincides with their annual celebration of the Ethiopian new year, Associated Press reported this week.
The Rastafarian faith began in Jamaica during the 1930s as a reaction against the oppression of blacks and it then spread throughout the Caribbean. It centers upon cultic devotion to the deceased Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie as a “manifestation of God.”
Rastafarians are commonly known for their dreadlocks, music and use of marijuana. However, their beliefs are actually based upon the revitalizing of African historic roots and culture.
This year Rastafarian celebrations on September 11th were called off in remembrance of those who died in the United States on that date last year as a result of terrorist attacks.
True believers are seeing Mary again, this time in Saskatchewan on a hothouse wall. Skeptics say it’s just steam from a greenhouse, according to CBC.
But whatever it is, the benign image isn’t hurting anyone and the cult of devotion that revolves around Mary offers many believers solace and comfort.
In some isolated instances those who claim to speak for Mary, such as the “Army of Mary” and “Caritas of Birmingham” have raised concerns, but those who simply see her do no harm.
Perhaps Mary seems more approachable than God, or any member of the Trinity. Faithful Catholics may be pragmatic, hoping that the “Mother of God” might put in a good word for them with her son. After all, most sons do visit their mothers.
A 15-year-old Indian girl was slain in a ritual sacrifice as an offering to the goddess Kali, reports Time.
Two hundred years ago such murders were common, but now Indian authorities say they have dwindled to one per month in the country, which now has a population of 1 billion.
The goddess Kali has a legendary lust for blood according to Indian mythology and sacrifices to her are believed to bring power and wealth to the supplicant.
In the United States stories of cult ritual sacrifices peaked in the late 1980s. However, this was based upon an urban mythology developed around tales of babies slain for Satan.
Some “experts” claimed that there was a vast hidden network of multi-generation “Satanic cults.” Many so-called “survivors” came forward to tell horrific accounts of abuse often based upon “repressed” or “recovered” memories.
But these cult stories were proven false. Unlike the ritual murders of India, the American version lacked objective physical evidence. Now the FBI and other law-enforcement officials readily admit the stories were unfounded. It appears “the devil was given more than his due.”
