LA Lakers basketball star Shaquille O’Neal is rumored to have joined Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam, reports the NY Post.
Apparently Farrakhan is a “very close” friend and the minister attended the Laker star’s recent wedding at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
However, O’Neal seems reluctant to announce his conversion to the controversial group due to “all the anti-Muslim sentiments right now.”
Matt Hale the leader of the so-called “World Church of the Creator” apparently decided that hate mail and rage just wasn’t enough when it came to U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow.
A ruling by the federal judge riled Hale so much, according to the criminal charges now pending against him, the hate group leader planned to kill her.
Hale is now charged with solicitation of murder and may end up in prison for 20 years, reports CNN.
Judge Lefkow ruled that Hale’s group must stop using its name, because another organization that had it first objected. This ruling required Hale to destroy all material, which included the name and make appropriate changes at his Web site.
Maybe that was the “last straw” for Hale who has had one setback after another.
The Illinois State Bar rejected him and despite his law degree, Hale could not practice in that state. And he lost subsequent appeals.
Hale also lost one bid after another to become a member of the East Peoria City Council.
It just seems like Matt Hale has become a serial loser. The unmarried racist doesn’t even have his own home and instead lives with his father.
However, living with daddy must seem fine when compared to the distinct possibility of setting up housekeeping in a prison cell.
It appears that this serial loser may soon even lose his freedom.
“Mormon missionaries’ lifestyle is filled with structure and sacrifice,” reports Michigan’s Midland Daily News.
Mormon men are expected to serve two years as missionaries, while for women such service is optional and only lasts 18 months.
The lifestyle and rules of Mormon missionaries is demanding and rigid. They are specifically trained to present six precise and pre-set one-hour lessons in exact succession to potential converts.
Every day missionaries get up at 6:30 a.m., study the scriptures for three hours and then begin working their assigned area. They have one hour for lunch, then work until supper and continue working in the evening until near Bedtime, which is at 10:30 p.m.
Their required dress includes white shirts, black ties and slacks. Men must be clean-shaven, have short hair and avoid face piercings. Women must wear blouses, sweaters and skirts and also appear very conservative. They must address each other as “Sister so-and-so” or “Elder such-and-such.” They don’t use first names.
All this can be seen as a way of breaking down individual identity. Missionaries may cease to see themselves as unique and instead form a group sense of identification and related mindset.
Mormon missionaries are only allowed to phone their families twice a year, on Christmas and Mother’s Day.
Cut off from even their families, the missionaries have no meaningful outside frame of reference, but are largely locked into an environment completely controlled by their church. And this is reinforced by the rule that they must never be alone, are required to work in pairs and always be within speaking distance of each other at all times.
This can be seen as a means of monitoring every missionary, closely and constantly.
All media is prohibited. This includes television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Access to information is thus controlled.
One missionary told the Midland Daily News, “It’s about focus. For me, after I talk with my parents, I mean it’s really nice to talk to them, but it is so hard to get back on track.”
And a Mormon missionary can expect to be moved on short notice, if reassigned to another area they must pack up to leave and be gone within 24 hours.
One missionary said, “We are strained, stretched and stressed.”
It is interesting to note the parallels that can be seen between the rigidly structured life of a Mormon missionary and the established criteria of coercive persuasion.
Of course Mormon missionaries freely volunteer for service and such parallels might also be drawn regarding other religious orders and/or the Marine Corp.
But is being a Mormon missionary the equivalent of becoming a soldier? And are city neighborhoods somehow a beachhead?
First the Raelians hand picked Michael Guillen as their “expert” to coordinate DNA testing, which would supposedly prove their cloning claims. Later, Guillen was exposed as Clonaid CEO and Raelian bishop Brigette Boisselier’s “friend.”
Skeptics see Guillen as largely an apologist for paranormal claims. He received a “Pigasus” award (“when pigs fly”) from noted debunker James Randi.
Have the Raelians found another friendly “expert”?
Newsweek recently quoted Susan Palmer, a professor at Dawson College in Montreal and the author of a forthcoming book on the Raelians, in an article about the “cult” called “Spaced Out.”
Palmer described Claude Vorilhon or “Rael,” founder and leader of the Raelians, as a ” a playboy and a sportsman and a social satirist.” And she characterized the group as “benign.”
Palmer is also the author of an article which appeared in the Montreal Gazette titled “No sects – please we’re French.” She essentially attacked the French effort to identify and monitor destructive cults. Palmer prefers the politically correct term “new religious movements” (NRMs).
According to Palmer the “Moonies,” Scientologists, Hare Krishnas and of course the Raelians, are all NRMs. She likes to take her college students on “field trips” to the Hare Krishna temple and to witness Raelian baptisms.
Palmer admits, “If I were a French sociologist…I would be out of a job. I would be called a ‘cult lover.'”
Palmer also has defended an anti-Semitic cult group called the “Twelve Tribes,” which was fined for child labor violations in New York and has been the focus of frequent allegations regarding child abuse.
Professor Palmer appears to be more of a cult apologist than an objective observer or “expert.”
Serious questions have been raised about the research of academics like Palmer.
Benjamin Zablocki a professor of sociology at Rutgers University lamented, “The sociology of religion can no longer avoid the unpleasant ethical question of how to deal with the large sums of money being pumped into the field by the religious groups being studied…in the form of subvention of research expenses, subvention of publications, opportunities to sponsor and attend conferences, or direct fees for services, this money is not insignificant, and its influence on research findings and positions taken on scholarly disputes is largely unknown. This is an issue that is slowly but surely building toward a public scandal.”
How has Professor Palmer’s Raelian research and coming book been funded and/or supported? And what fees, money, expenses and/or sponsorships has she received from groups called “cults”?
Maybe James Randi should consider Susan Palmer for a “Pigasus”?
Start up your own cult?” Instead of Jim Jones, think Dow Jones,” reports Entreprenuer.com.
Yes, for those who say, “How could anyone be stupid enough to join a cult”? Maybe you should look into the mirror. How many products do you consume with cult-like devotion?
Do you prefer familiar brands that have developed a “cult following,” such as Nike, Starbucks, Jello, McDonalds, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, or Krispy Kreme donuts? Maybe you are part of the phenomenon of cooperate cult branding?
This is the focus of Geoff Williams analysis in his article “Develop your own cult following.”
What Williams offers is not only a “how to,” but a “how come?” inside look at the brand-driven consumer market, which is fueled by clever techniques of persuasion and influence through advertising.
What’s the difference between being “brainwashed” by Corporate America as opposed to “cults”? Well, there are some obvious distinctions. But clearly virtually everyone is vulnerable to persuasion, or companies wouldn’t waste their money promoting “cult followings” for their products.
And what about those destructive cult leaders?
According to leading cult expert and clinical psychologist Margaret Singer, “They’re all basically, really, the same, con men.”
Singer warns, “These sharpsters, when they’re very good at what they do, can get people to believe anything, You might think you’d never get taken in, but don’t bet on it.”
So the next time you are laughing at the Raelians or some other seemingly preposterous “cult” that accepts the bizarre claims of an apparent “con man,” think about the “sharpsters” who have taken you in. Starbucks anyone?
A multi level marketing scheme called “Pre Paid Legal” suffered a setback. Its stock crashed Monday losing 23% of its value, reports The Street.com.
One short-seller said, “It’s only a matter of time before a pyramid based on misleading people begins to collapse.”
Pre Paid Legal reportedly used an “Amway strategy” of multi level marketing to fuel its growth.
However, according to the Detroit Free Press “Multilevel marketing — practiced by such well-established companies as Alticor’s Amway unit — is a legitimate form of business.”
In Michigan Amway is a major employer and perhaps the Detroit Free Press is reluctant to discuss Amway’s own troubled history within a recent article about “get-rich-quick” schemes.
Multi level marketing (MLM) companies such as Amway and Pre Paid Legal seem to frequently focus more on the pitch than their products. That is, slick sales hype and high-pressure meetings where potential distributors or sellers are persuaded to become involved.
Many former MLM distributors have likened such high-pressure approaches to coercive persuasion. And the mindset produced by some MLM companies has been called “cult-like.”
This MLM mindset is often evident by the participant’s willingness to accept whatever the company and/or his “upline” says, rather than objectively examine such claims through an independent and careful process of critical analysis and/or due diligence.
A kind of false euphoria, or “dream” of success often replaces the common sense of many MLM distributors. And anyone who offers criticism of the MLM plan, is apt to be labeled as a “dream killer.”
What is the MLM industry based upon? Is it about offering viable and competitive products, or selling dreams, which are unlikely to be fulfilled? Is the profit for MLM founders through primarily achieved by product sales, or feeding off layers of distributors, who have become “true believers.”
Pre Paid Legal’s current problems seem to indicate the inherent fragility of many MLMs.
Historically, the collapse of Equinox, a recent court ordered shut down of Trek Alliance and a pending class action lawsuit against “New Way to Wealth” seem to indicate the more sinister side of some MLMs.
Many people are losing money in MLMs and they remain essentially an unregulated industry.
In its “Roll Call” of those who died during 2002 Associated Press describes a purported “cult leader” accused of “brainwashing” and sexual exploitation as simply a “guru who advocated respect for all faiths through his motto “Truth is One, Paths are Many,” reports Fox News.
However, the late “guru” Satchidananda, who died this past August, actually recruited people for his own “path,” which largely consisted of honoring, obeying and serving his own needs.
Yogaville, the ashram in rural Virginia Satchidananda founded, was a place used to contain the guru’s most devoted followers and generate revenue. It has now become something of a shrine to his ego as well.
Associated Press seems to have done little more than run an ashram press release. Fox likewise posted the report apparently without any meaningful background research.
But many articles have been previously published about Satchidananda, which reflect the guru’s deeply troubled history and a litany of allegations about abuse and sordid sex scandals.
It is true that the good are listed along with the bad on the Associated Press 2002 “Roll Call.” You will find mob bosses Joseph Bonnano and John Gotti along with the Queen Mother of Great Britain and slain journalist Daniel Pearl listed together.
However, perhaps it would have been better to provide a more accurate description of the boss of Yogaville, rather than just echo the perception of his devoted followers.
The controversial “expert” introduced by Clonaid CEO and Raelian bishop Brigitte Boisselier at her “news conference,” has apparently dumped the “cult,” reports the Globe and Mail.
Michael Guillen said in prepared statement given through a PR firm, “The team of scientists has had no access to the alleged family and therefore cannot verify firsthand the claim that a human baby has been cloned. It’s still entirely possible Clonaid’s announcement is part of an elaborate hoax intended to bring publicity to the Raelian movement.”
Really?
It is interesting that it took Guillen this long to figure that out. No wonder the so-called “journalist” won a mocking “Pigasus” (“when pigs fly”) award from a famous debunker, which recognized his seeming stupidity.
Of course the Raelians will continue to spin this story and try to grab more publicity. But maybe it’s time for the media to stop rewarding them with any additional coverage for what is obviously a knowingly contrived “hoax.”
Some religious scholars don’t like the word “cult” and prefer the more politically correct term “new religious movements” (NRMs), reports ABC News.
ABC said such scholars say “just because a belief system is young doesn’t make it wrong.”
This category of “new religions,” according to the quoted scholars, includes the Raelians and Scientology.
Gordon Melton, director of the “Institute for the Study of American Religions” offered comments for the ABC piece, as did religious studies Professor Frank Flinn.
However, both men have a history of working closely with “cults.” And they can be seen as “cult apologists.”
Flinn has defended Scientology in court.
In one affidavit the professor submitted he stated, “It is my opinion that the spiritual disciplines and practices…of the Church of Scientology are not only not unusual or even strange but characteristic of religion itself when compared with religious practices known around the world. Contrary to the generally second-hand opinions of outsiders and to the claims of disaffected members, whose motives are suspect.”
However, compare Flinn’s “second-hand” analysis to Time Magazine’s “Scientology: The Cult of Greed.”
First-hand accounts from former members are routinely dismissed as “suspect” by academics like Flinn.
But Benjamin Beit-Halami, Professor of Psychology at Haifa University said in his paper “Integrity and Suspicion in the Research of New Religious Movements,” “Statements by ex-members turned out to be more accurate than those of apologists and NRM researchers.”
And given Scientology’s sordid history in court and criminal indictments how could Flinn characterize it as “not unusual or even strange”?
Benjamin Zablocki, Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University concluded, “The sociology of religion can no longer avoid the unpleasant ethical question of how to deal with the large sums of money being pumped into the field by the religious groups being studied…in the form of subvention of research expenses, subvention of publications, opportunities to sponsor and attend conferences, or direct fees for services, this money is not insignificant…This is an issue that is slowly but surely building toward a public scandal.”
Gordon Melton and Frank Flinn have both been the recipients of such funding and fees paid by groups called “cults.”
Melton once flew to Japan to defend Aum, the cult that gassed Tokyo subways killing 12 and sending thousands to hospitals. Aum paid for all of his expenses. Melton’s defense of Aum in retrospect now appears to be part of building “scandal,” referred to by Zablocki.
Gordon Melton comes highly recommended by the Church of Scientology along with other “scholars” that are often referred to as “cult apologists.” He has made a career largely from defending “cults.”
Cult apology has become a substantial source of supplemental income for some academics. Such “religious scholars” and/or “forensic psychologists” work on paid reports or appear as expert witnesses for “new religious movements.”
Perhaps it is actually people like Flinn whose “motives are suspect.”
Jane Whaley and her husband Sam, founders of the “Word of Faith Fellowship” (WOFF) in Spindale, North Carolina, have been ordered to appear in court, reports Associated Press.
The Whaley’s church has been called a “cult” and has a troubled history.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) is now investigating allegations of child abuse regarding the group and it seems the Whaleys are not exactly cooperating.
The controversial church is also involved in a struggle with a mother and former member who wants her minor children released to her custody. They are now being held by WOFF members.
Followers of the Whaley group once alleged that the mother Shana Muse abused her children, but DSS cleared the parent.
It remains to be seen if the Whaleys can pass through the same process without problems.
