Cult News

Demi Moore seems to be the latest celebrity to get hooked on the “Kaballah,” or at least what People Magazine passes off as “Kaballah” within a puff piece featured in its May 12th issue, now on news stands.

However, the version of “Kaballah” Demi studies along with Madonna is through a controversial organization run by Philip Berg and his family called the “Kaballah Center,” which has been called a “cult.”

The positive almost promotional article barely hints at the troubled history of this organization and instead focuses on what stars say about the group.

People Magazine appears more concerned about what celebrities think, than the public good.

However, Berg and his Kaballah Center have a long history of bad press.

Its teachings have been called everything from “absolute mumbo jumbo” to “McWisdom of the ages.”

Instead of being the seemingly legitimate study of “Jewish mysticism,” as presented within People, Berg’s Kaballah Center is instead often described as a fringe group amongst mainstream Jewish scholars.

In 1995 a Jewish task force report in California stated the following:

“Outside of his own…circle of followers, neither the academic nor the Jewish religious worlds know anything about [Philip Berg] except for the anomalies of his centers. They have absolutely no regard for him, his teachings, writings or activities. In fact, he is universally condemned by both the Orthodox rabbinate and contemporary schools of Jewish mysticism in Israel, the USA and elsewhere, as a charlatan.”

People Magazine did cite one Jewish teacher though that is a strong supporter of Berg and his organization.

Roseanne.

The former sitcom queen now teaches a class at the LA Kaballah Center.

Now there’s a class worth attending, but it’s not clear what for?

But apparently being the star of a syndicated television series with substantial residual income may largely cover Berg’s teaching requirements.

Maybe the bigger the star, the greater their “McWisdom” and corresponding credentials?

Get ready for a class on “God, Jewish spirituality and the meaning of life” from Madonna.

The heir to the largest fortune in Australia appears to be hooked on Scientology, but his billionaire father seems to think that’s OK, reports the Sydney Herald.

James Packer 35, heir to the fortune of media mogul Kerry Packer, seems to be increasingly submerged within the world of Scientology.

On a flight from Australia to LA Packer Jr. was seen reading Scientology literature and listening to their CDs for many hours. And Packer was on his way to a Scientology bash.

But Packer’s father reportedly considers his son’s interest in Scientology “no great concern” and instead sees it “as a fairly harmless self-help tool.”

It appears this media mogul doesn’t read much or is in denial.

If the Packer patriarch bothered to do some serious research he would find quite a bit to be concerned about.

James Packer, like many of Scientology’s recruits, appeared to be depressed and at the bottom of a bad run when long-time Scientologist Tom Cruise seemingly scooped him up.

The movie star became his “friend” while filming “down under” and it appears this quickly led to Packer’s involvement with the controversial church, which has been called a “cult.”

The Herald article offers a history of James Packer’s troubled personal and professional life, which apparently made him easy pickings for Scientology.

Packer Jr. has reportedly attended “clearing” sessions with Scientologists, which means he has undergone what they call “auditing,” but what critics call “brainwashing.”

Australian newspapers not controlled by Packer Sr. are raising questions that maybe the father should be asking.

The Herald asked, has James Packer “joined a cult”?

Cult apologist Susan Palmer likes to call the controversial “Raelians” her “friends,” and proclaims that they are now the “world’s largest UFO religion,” within an article run by Trinity College’s online newsletter.

The Canadian religious studies teacher recounts, “My Raelian friends boasted that membership had skyrocketed from 50,000 to 60,000 since [making their clone claims].”

However, whatever Palmer says must be taken with more than a grain of salt. She is a self-professed “cult lover” who has been paid by such groups to defend them in court.

Palmer chooses to describe Raelian leader “Rael,” as a playboy and a sportsman and a social satirist.”

However, news reports routinely refer to him as a “cult leader.”

In fact, Rael’s own family sees him quite differently than Palmer.

The man’s real name is Claude Vorilhon. And the aunt who raised “Rael” calls him “little Claudy.” When confronted about her nephew’s claims of communication with alien beings from outer space she says Vorilhon is a “cornichon” (pickle), which is French for nitwit.

Palmer disregards Vorilhon’s personal history and seems to be deeply invested in Raelian myths. After all she has a book coming out about the Raelians.

“The [cloning] affair was…an unqualified success. The media…played right into his hands…[and] for the first time elicited a direct response from the Vatican,” says the seemingly infatuated Raelian chronicler.

Palmer doesn’t seem to care that the clone claims were a hoax, or that the group reportedly bilked a couple for a considerable amount of cash. She is impressed by “little Claudy,” even if his family is not.

Don’t expect this religious studies teacher to critically or objectively analyze anything about Rael or his Raelians. Palmer has pronounced the group “benign” and she is invested in that position, despite serious allegations of sexual abuse and various investigations still pending in France.

Perhaps that’s why when the cult apologist “bumped into a group of [Raelians]…they pecked [her] cheeks enthusiastically.”

The Krishna organization, often called a “cult,” is now trying to grope its way out of a legal quagmire, reports the LA Times.

A class action lawsuit was filed against the controversial organization in 2000 on behalf of more than 90 victims of childhood abuse, within the group’s boarding schools.

The apparent strategy employed by the organization that cynically seemed to anticipate this action was to create a spin machine, in a hopeful effort to influence public opinion and subsequently the jury pool.

Krishna’s spin-doctor Anuttama Dasa said the organization had changed, admitted the gross abuse in the group’s schools and claimed everything would be taken care of, including the victims.

But it appears Dasa like Krishna was more spin than substance, so eventually the group’s victims sought relief through a class action lawsuit.

Krishna’s next move was to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.

A Krishna lawyer explains now, “We are working on reorganization plans that will provide meaningful compensation for anyone found to have a valid claim. The judge will determine the capacity of these temples to pay based on the Court’s analysis of their assets, and not on the whims of an inflamed or biased jury,” according to self-serving press release.

Meanwhile, the federal lawsuit was dismissed, but was filed once again as a state action in Texas.

Krisha’s counsel got it right.

The horrific abuse of children within Krishna schools would inflame almost anyone. And it is hard to imagine what would be “meaningful” compensation, given the admitted scope of abuse, let alone what could be set as punitive damages.

According to a friend of Krishna, academic and apparent apologist E. Burke Rochford Jr., “20 percent of all students…[and] 75 percent of the boys” at one Indian boarding school alone were victims of abuse.

3,000 children went through the Krishna schools in question. This means there are literally hundreds of victims.

Virtually the same entrenched autocracy exists today than ran the Krishna organization during that era of abuse.

Almost all of Krishna’s leaders are Americans and/or Westerners that became devotees when the sect’s founder Swami Prabhupada was alive.

The controversial swami built his first temple in New York City in the sixties. Krishna temples typically include a statue of him, which appears to be virtually an object of worship.

Rather than being a part of mainstream Hinduism, Krishna is largely seen as an aberrational sect defined largely by the personality and idiosyncrasies of Prabhupada, rather than traditional Hinduism.

Now it seems like the old swami’s creation is crumbling under the legacy of its past deeds. But rather than its leaders receiving judgement through some future incarnation, it may be that an earthly judge will mete out their punishment.

A strange cult called Pana Wave ceased blocking a road in Japan and moved on, but only after Japanese police searched the group’s vans and insisted they leave, reports the Herald Sun.

An apparently terminally ill woman named Yuko Chino 69 leads the group. The self-proclaimed “prophet” is reportedly dying from cancer.

Literature produced by the cult focuses on disturbing doomsday scenarios, with Chino as the exclusive savior of humanity, reports Associated Press.

Many Pana Wave members now live nomadically in tents and wander about Japan in a van caravan, most likely this has been directed by their “prophet” and motivated by her delusions.

One Japanese cult watcher said, “This is a cult in its terminal phase.”

Cults can be extremely volatile under such circumstances.

After the horrific attack of Tokyo’s subway system by another doomsday cult Aum in 1995, the Japanese are not taking any chances with another potentially dangerous group.

Authorities in Japan seem to be closely monitoring Pana Wave.

Scientology has taken to the airwaves in Lafayette, Louisiana, reports The Advertiser.

Scientology’s show airs on Sundays and is called “Solutions.”

A spokesperson for the controversial church says, “We give them a forum to better understand what’s going on in the world around them and offer solutions without encroaching on a given faith.”

Wait a minute.

Didn’t Scientology fight for religious tax-exempt status? So doesn’t that mean that Scientologists have their own distinct faith and doctrines?

Never mind.

This Scientology program is part of the weekly lineup on KPEL Talk Radio, which also features notable commentators such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly.

How do these guys feel about being part of a programming schedule that includes the “Cult of Greed“?

The Scientology show is “one hour of talk, advice and call-in questions.”

But the controversial church’s “advice” certainly didn’t seem to help Lisa McPherson or Greg Bashaw. They both sought the group’s “solutions” for years, but now they’re dead, some say because of Scientology.

But don’t expect to hear any “call-in questions” about that.

Ithaca, New York is largely known as the site of Cornell University. But now this college town in upstate New York may be known for more than that.

A notorious “cult” called the “Twelve Tribes,” led by racist and anti-Semite Elbert Spriggs, is buying up property in Ithaca, reports the Cornell Daily.

The group, which numbers about 3,000, has been buying up storefronts and houses in small towns for years. They seem to especially like upstate New York, due to its rather depressed real estate market and comparatively low prices.

Twelve Tribes is known for its “coffee houses,” which seem to afford the group recruitment opportunities. They are now opening and/or operating such businesses in Ithaca.

Spriggs controls a chain of such cafes, along with workshops and assorted businesses, which benefit from very low labor costs.

Generally, the members of Twelve Tribes work for little more than room and board and receive no conventional benefits such as medical insurance.

Now the “cult” also known for its child beating practices, has apparently decided to raise its profile and profits in Ithaca.

No doubt Spriggs and his disciples also realize that recruitment opportunities within a college town are substantial. They have recently bought a building right near the Cornell campus.

Colleges have traditionally been the focus of intense “cult” recruitment efforts over the years. And the Twelve Tribes initially drew upon that population heavily during its early days in the 1970s.

In recent years Spriggs and his followers has become drawn increasing attention due to child labor violations, law enforcement investigations regarding missing children and Spriggs relatively luxurious lifestyle.

But in an apparent effort to keep costs down regarding group housing Spriggs once said, “Is air-conditioning necessary…is the Holy of Holies air conditioned?…Breathing the same air continually is deadly.”

However, one of Spriggs residences in New England apparently is air-conditioned.

Parents of students and college officials at Cornell may soon find that “breathing the same air continually” with the Twelve Tribes in Ithaca, though not “deadly” may become increasingly uncomfortable.

Once upon a time there was teenage boy who said, “I am Lord of the Universe.” And the little “Lord” came to America and set up shop–with ashrams, devotees and work crews.

The little “Lord’s” disciples worked and worked for their guru, hoping to please him and attain “enlightenment.”

The guru boy became fat, rich and retired.

But that’s not the end of this story.

The self-proclaimed “Lord of the Universe,” decided that the guru business was just too good to quit, so he came back for another round, with a new name.

Now a fat middle aged man, the ex-“Lord of the Universe” once known as “Guru Maharaji” of the “Divine Light Mission,” is now just Prem Rawat. And he runs something called “Elan Vital.”

However, Prem Rawat hasn’t really changed that much, since the old days when he was often called a “cult leader.” The ex-guru is still marketing “enlightenment.”

But one former disciple says, “He is nothing more than a fraud and fat cat who is living in the lap of luxury at the expense of his followers,” reported the Courier Mail.

There are quite few “ex-premies” who apparently would agree with this observation and they have websites and discussion groups on the Internet (see links page listing).

The former “Lord of the Universe” denies all their allegations of abuse and exploitation.

Rawat is now in the midst of a tour throughout the United States, which has proven to be fertile ground for the guru in the past. And historically he has harvested quite a few followers from college campuses.

His first stop was at UC Berkeley sponsored by Elan Vital.

“He’s coming to Berkeley doing an introductory program, which means he’s trying to recruit more people,” a former member said. And added, “What they are not telling the public is that he used to claim he was the living incarnation of God,” reported the Daily Californian.

But the message of the ex-“Lord of the Universe” has been modified somewhat and the “God-man” now talks largely in generalities that are puffy and peaceful. It’s not easy to pin him down.

Rawat eventually admitted in an interview that he’s promoting a type of meditation.

“You could say this is meditation, but it’s not meditation because it’s so far beyond that…So, it is like meditation and it is very unlike meditation,” he said.

Huh?

Rawat goes on, “You have to feel for yourself. It’s a feeling…But that doesn’t mean anything because, unless you have felt it, you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

The old guru appears to be promoting a type of trance induction achieved through various techniques.

“You just need to be free from distractions so that when the techniques are being taught, you can learn them. And…practice…every day when you can sit down quietly to do that,” he says.

One ex-premie put it more bluntly, “It’s all about surrender. Unfortunately that includes surrendering your money.”

The ex-“Lord of the Universe” tour is scheduled to make stops in Pittsburgh, New York and Miami.

Many of his devotees, like “dead heads,” follow their old guru from venue to venue. One diehard fan some might say is in denial insisted, “I don’t see any connection between Mr. Rawat and a cult,” reports the Daily Californian.

“Prem Rawat’s inspiration and guidance is what gets me through school,” extolled an exuberant new Berkeley recruit and avid practitioner of his techniques.

Well, it appears that the “incarnation of God” is back in business and judging from the naive attitude of some college kids, he might just have a new cash crop.

A bizarre cult has recently drawn heightened media attention in Japan through its strange behavior, reports BBC.

The group is called “Pana Wave,” led by 69-year old Hiroko Chino, a woman who began drawing a cult following during the 1970s.

Pana Wave overwhelmed and temporarily obstructed an isolated roadway near Giffo, Japan.

Their actions were prompted by a paranoid conspiracy theory, which claims there is an ongoing plot to kill their leader with a “weapon using electromagnetic waves.”

It appears Chino is dying from terminal cancer. And rather than accept that illness, she has spun a paranoid world of lurking enemies to maintain control and manipulate her followers further through fear.

Members of the group wore all white, including facemasks, to protect themselves from “harmful electromagnetic waves.” Even their vehicles were covered with white cloth.

Pana Wave members believe that white cloth blocks out the suspected destructive transmissions.

Chino has predicted the earth’s end is near. And Pana Wave reportedly has about 1,200 adherents.

One pamphlet states that if the leader dies cult members should “exterminate all humankind at once,” reports Reuters.

After the devastating gas attack of Tokyo’s subways in 1995 by another doomsday cult called Aum, the Japanese view such cult threats very seriously.

Police surrounded, questioned and eventually dispersed Chino’s followers. But the group remains under investigation.

Doomsday groups like Pana Wave are relatively common within the world of cults. And their leaders often manipulate members through fear of annihilation.

Marshall Applewhite, David Koresh and Jim Jones all used such dire predictions of coming catastrophe to draw their followers into compound life, within an insulated and isolated world of dread.

Rather than seeking to block out “electromagnetic waves,” Chino actually seems to be engaged in an ongoing process of blocking an outside frame of reference, which might provide her disciples with accurate feedback.

But historically as such a leader’s physical and/or mental well being unravels, a situation of high risk may develop.

Cult followers are often deeply dependent upon their leader to determine and/or define reality. They also typically allow that leader to do much of their thinking for them.

Given the history of destructive cults and Chino’s reported deteriorating health, the Japanese authorities have good reason to be concerned and monitor Pana Wave closely.

In a recent interview plugging her new CD Madonna once again sought to promote the so-called “Kabbalah Center,” a controversial group led by Philip Berg, which has been called a “cult.”

The “Material Girl” even brought along her “rabbi,” for the NBC interview with Matt Lauer.
She thus provided a media platform for the Berg-man to plug himself and his leader’s teachings.

However, despite claims that the group is somehow engaged in the study of historical “Jewish mysticism” one former member says, “The whole system is based on them getting as much money out of you as they can under the guise of teaching this very watered-down system of spirituality.”

One article called Philip Berg’s version of “Jewish mysticism” called it “McWisdom,” implying that Berg’s teachings are more like fast food than digesting anything with meaningful depth.

But Madonna seems to love this alleged junk food. The star even brings her six-year-old child to the Kabbalah Center for “Happy Meals.”

The pop icon claims that the little girl is learning the “power of words” and that classes have “changed her immensely.”

Other celebrities have also raised their children in controversial groups called “cults,” such as Priscilla Presley, who began Lisa Marie’s Scientology indoctrination at an early age.

Much like Presley Madonna apparently has chosen to ignore the troubled history of the group she has become involved with.

Former Berg followers say the Kabbalah Center can be abusive and often exploits its full-time workers called “Chevra,” some are reportedly paid as little as $30.00 per week.

One ex-member opined, “We all know about physical rape…But we don’t have any protection for spiritual or emotional rape.”

But Madonna doesn’t seem to care about such things. The “Material Girl’s” approach to spirituality seems as narcissistic, self-serving and devoid of any serious sensitivity as her earlier pop image conveyed.

For example, she offers as partial explanation for her last movie flop the “evil eye.” The effects of the so-called “evil eye,” which is a superstition often discussed within the Kabbalah Center.

Madonna wants the public to believe she’s changed, reinventing herself once again. She insists, “[Once] I wasn’t interested in what I could do for other people. I looked at people and said, what are they going to do for me?”

But after seven years in a controversial “cult,” it seems that Madonna still isn’t “interested in…other people” and remains focused upon “me.”

Madonna’s makeover into the “Spiritual Girl” lacks the same depth of her previous personas. And it looks like the same old self-indulgent narcissism.

Madonna told Matt Lauer, “I’m a Kabbalah,” much like the old Dr. Pepper motto “I’m a Pepper.” Perhaps that’s an appropriate title for a pop diva.

The singer gives herself a “C” concerning her “Kabbalah” studies with the Berg group, though the “rabbi” she brought along quickly upgraded her to a “B.”

However, it seems like Madonna’s exploration of religion should receive an “F.”

Her understanding of the potential harm that she may cause, by promoting a purported “cult,” appears to rank right along with her latest movie effort as another example of her personal failure.