Another needless death due to Jehovah Witness blood policyAnother unnecessary death has been documented due to Jehovah's Witnesses harsh pronouncements prohibiting blood transfusions.
A 24-year-old mother died in Britain shortly after giving birth to her second child delivered by Caesarian section, reports Local London.
The coroner stated the cause of death was "post-operative complications for which she refused medical intervention, namely, a blood transfusion."
How many more Witnesses will suffer and die before the organization's leaders finally change this medically unsound and outdated policy?
[Posted by Rick Ross at 12:06 PM][Link]
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Australian "cult" leader faces criminal sex chargesA "cult" leader in Australia is garnering bad press as he faces sex charges in criminal court, reports the Illwara Mercury.
William Kamm, who calls himself "Little Pebble," leads a small splinter group of former Catholics. Kamm claims he receives messages from the "Virgin Mary," but has been banned by the church.
According to court testimony "Little Pebble" exploited teenage girls in the group. He allegedly persuaded adults under his influence to essentially surrender their children for sex. This was supposedly, "God's will."
A teenage girl testified this week compellingly about repeated abuse at Kamm's hands. She said he called her his "queen."
Soon it seems "Little Pebble" may be removed from his throne and confined to receiving "messages" from fellow prisoners on his cellblock.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 11:46 AM][Link]
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Travolta talks about introducing the Presleys to ScientologyIn a recent interview John Travolta disclosed details regarding Priscilla Presley's introduction to Scientology, reports Go Memphis.com.
While trying to pump up his flop Basic, the star disclosed how he apparently recruited Presley into the controversial church.
Travolta said, "After Elvis died, Priscilla Presley wanted to meet me. She was looking for some answers."
The vulnerable Presley must have been easy prey for any proselytizer at the time.
Now Travolta sees the Presleys regularly at Scientology activities.
He says, "I see Lisa Marie about three times a year, and see her mom about twice a year. Lisa Marie's kind of like my surrogate daughter. She always asks me about the guys she gets involved with."
Lisa Marie may now be as gung-ho as her mother's Scientology mentor.
The Elvis heir said in a recent interview, ''I took to [Scientology] because I found it answered all the questions to my satisfaction, about men, the mind, sanity. It made sense, and it's kept me grounded," reports Gannett News.
But Scientology's answers "about men" and Travolta's feedback doesn't seem to have helped Presley that much in married life. She is a three-time loser at 35.
And the "sanity" Scientology somehow provides doesn't appear to include common "sense." Consider Presley's bizarre marriage to alleged pedophile Michael Jackson.
Has the church's teachings helped Travolta further develop his "sense" for good movie projects? He has made one flop after another and hasn't had a hit in five years.
And was it "sanity" when the almost 50 former star of Saturday Night Fever turned down the role that won Richard Gere a Golden Globe in the Oscar winning film Chicago?
Does that make "sense"?
Maybe Presley's right about one aspect of Scientology though.
It just might be keeping both her romantic life and Travolta's career "grounded."
[Posted by Rick Ross at 05:55 PM][Link]
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Is NYC "guru" basis for short story about destructive therapy?A new short story about a cult-like therapy group is now online.
The writer is Tim Woulforth and the story is titled Self Defense, it ends in a strange twist.
Woulforth is also the co-author with Dennis Tourish of the book On The Edge: Political Cults Right and Left.
Self Defense tells the story of people victimized by "Relational Therapy," a process that affords its practitioner "complete control of the patient's mind."
The protagonist says, "The gurus I had met were hollow creatures, afraid of exposure, needing to dominate others so no one would discover their secret. They knew they were frauds."
Woulforth's fictional story might easily describe many so-called "therapy cults" and seems eerily reminiscent of a group led by Fred Newman called "Social Therapy."
Come to think of it, Newman is more than mentioned in the Woulforth book On the Edge.
Hmmm, very interesting.
Fred Newman wears several hats. He is not only the originator of "Social Therapy," but also the founder of the New Alliance Party and artistic director of the "All Stars," an after school children's program in New York.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 03:50 PM][Link]
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Was Tucson man's death the result of undue influence?A man in Tucson seems to have died needlessly while under the influence of a "cult."
But authorities have concluded that no one will be charged, reports the Tucson Citizen.
James Killeen was a follower within a group called "World Ministries" in Tucson, Arizona led by Stan Bennett.
Under Bennett's influence, Killeen a diabetic, undertook a medically dangerous religious fast. He died before the 40-day fast ended.
Members of the group prayed for the man's "resurrection" as his body decomposed for weeks.
Eventually authorities discovered the death.
Killeen's sister said, "If they can pull the wool over my brother's eyes they can brainwash anybody," reported the Arizona Daily Star.
But there is no criminal charge for "brainwashing" someone to death.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 03:08 PM][Link]
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Is AOL censoring free speech?America On Line (AOL) seems to have become "big brother."
Not necessarily a kindly big brother to help Internet users, but more like what George Orwell calls "big brother" in his classic book 1984.
AOL shut down a long-standing educational website, because the webmaster didn't remove certain historical information.
One article posted on cult watcher Carol Giambalvo's website displeased someone important and AOL apparently concluded, much like the pigs on Orwell's Animal Farm, "Some are more equal than others."
The "more equal" apparently describes The Hunger Project (THP), an organization closely associated with Landmark Education. A controversial privately owned company, that stages a type of mass marathon training.
Landmark was previously known as Erhard Seminar Training (EST), founded by Werner Erhard. Their introductory weekend seminar is called the Forum.
Giambalvo, a former participant in both EST and THP wrote an article titled, The Hunger Project Inside Out.
But you won't find it online anymore.
Why?
Giambalvo says it all started when, "The Hunger Project sent me a letter…asking me to remove it…[they said] the article [was] outdated." The ex-ESTie says that she was given "the usual rap about them not being affiliated with Landmark programs or Werner Erhard."
However, Christian Century exposed the historic ties between THP and EST in an article run in 1979.
And in fact, the Vice President at THP who sent the letter to Giambalvo, has ties to Landmark.
Giambalvo didn't remove the offending piece. "I just put [their] letter at the end of [my] article so people could see their point of view," she explains.
But that just wasn't good enough.
As one of Orwell's characters observed in 1984, "up to date…[means] any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was…scraped clean."
When Giambalvo failed to comply THP complained to AOL and the Internet giant took immediate action. Giambalvo's website was shut down without notice. And it was only restored after her "expression of opinion" was "scraped clean."
Doesn't this sound drastic for a media conglomerate, which includes journalism icon Time Magazine?
After all, Time is widely respected by cult watchers for its 1991 cover story "Scientology: The Cult of Greed."
AOL it seems, should not be confused with its media partner.
Giambalvo concludes, "Wonderful freedom of speech we have here in America, but not America On Line!"
Has AOL become a corporate version of "big brother," bent upon censorship to please the "more equal"?
Orwell summed this up neatly within 1984, "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."
Note: Giambalvo now advises that a copy of the material previously posted about THP at her website is "available by direct request."
Follow up: Carol Giambalvo advises that AOL brought to her attention the "terms of service" she agreed to, "which basically gives them license to say something is objectionable and to remove it." She also admits AOL might have sent her a disconnect warning, but "I may have deleted it because...I get so much junk mail on AOL."
Seems like two good reasons not to be an AOL user, the potential for censorship and spam.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 04:12 PM][Link]
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Maharishi's early days come to light onlineA new book is now available free online titled Call No Man Master, written by Joyce Collin-Smith.
The author has had "fifty years of spiritual adventures" and offers "praise of teachers," but warns to be "wary of gurus."
One of the gurus she warns about is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Collin-Smith was one of his early disciples, so she "knew him when."
A reader recently told CultNews.com the following:
"Chapters 9 to 14 give a detailed description of the early years in which Maharishi established himself in England.
The author passed through a variety of spiritual movements and spent about 8 to 10 years meditating with Maharishi and also served in some capacity as his administrator.
Her period of involvement was from 1960 to about 1968-70.
Fascinating and valuable descriptions of how Maharishi got his start in England.
The author provides convincing evidence that his Transcendental Meditation (TM) may have caused damage and passivity, from the very beginning.
Collin-Smith also offers a fairly convincing case that the guru was an imposter, basically a monastic washout who failed to get a promotion in India, who then sought to re-invent himself as a 'Realized Master' in the West. And then marketed that persona to less discerning and more gullible audiences.
It seems significant that Maharishi did not minister to the more knowledgeable émigré Indian community in London, but instead concentrated on Westerners, that probably could not tell a bogus yogi from a real one.
Collin-Smith appears to demonstrate that from the outset Maharishi was greedy for money and that he seemingly ruthlessly used and discarded followers. The guru also apparently showed no concern when people began breaking down as a result of practicing TM.
The author says that though Maharishi might have some special gift, he abused it. And of course, how the guru struck gold when he was able to latch onto the Beatles."
Collin-Smith claims to have suffered personal injury as a result of her years of TM practice and reports that many artists she knew also had their careers derailed because of this form of meditation.
She also discusses how TM-related passivity and depression may have disabled people's critical faculties."
The author writes, "The stream of creative energy, once so vigorous and prolific in me, had been dammed, diverted or even destroyed altogether. I therefore had no source of happiness and satisfaction. Judging by the conversations I had with various artists, writers, musicians and a ballet dancer, this experience of the meditation effects was shared with them. 'The ballet used to be my life. Now it's just the way I earn my living.' 'I don't seem to want to paint any more. I'd rather just sit in the sun.' 'I can't get on with writing my book. I don't seem to feel much interest in anything but TM,' were some of the comments I heard."
Note: This book, now made easily accessible through the Internet, provides thought-provoking information for anyone interested in the early history of Maharishi and/or the origins of TM.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 12:24 PM][Link]
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Maharishi's early days come to light onlineA new book is now available free online titled Call No Man Master, written by Joyce Collin-Smith.
The author has had "fifty years of spiritual adventures" and offers "praise of teachers," but warns to be "wary of gurus."
One of the gurus she warns about is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Collin-Smith was one of his early disciples and so she "knew him when."
A reader recently told Cult News.com the following:
"Chapters 9 to 14 give a detailed description of the early years in which Maharishi established himself in England.
The author passed through a variety of spiritual movements and spent about 8 to 10 years meditating with Maharishi and also served in some capacity as his administrator.
Her period of involvement was from 1960 to about 1968-70.
Fascinating and valuable descriptions of how Maharishi got his start in England.
The author provides convincing evidence that his Transcendental Meditation (TM) may have produced dissociative reactions and passivity, from the very beginning.
Collin-Smith also offers a fairly convincing case that the guru was an imposter, basically a monastic washout who failed to get a promotion in India, who then sought to re-invent himself as a 'Realized Master' in the West. And then marketing that persona to less discerning and more gullible audiences.
It seems significant that Maharishi did not minister to the more knowledgeable émigré Indian community in London, but instead concentrated on Westerners, that probably could not tell a bogus yogi from a real one.
Collin-Smith appears to demonstrate that from the outset Maharishi was greedy for money and that he seemingly ruthlessly used and discard followers. The guru also apparently showed no concern when people began breaking down as a result of practicing TM.
The author says that though Maharishi might have some special gift, he abused it. And of course, how the guru struck gold when he was able to latch onto the Beatles."
Collin-Smith claims to have suffered personal injury as a result of her years of TM practice and reports that many artists she knew also had their careers derailed because of this form of meditation.
She also discusses how TM-related passivity and depression may have disabled people's critical faculties."
The author writes, "The stream of creative energy, once so vigorous and prolific in me, had been dammed, diverted or even destroyed altogether. I therefore had no source of happiness and satisfaction. Judging by the conversations I had with various artists, writers, musicians and a ballet dancer, this experience of the meditation effects was shared with them. 'The ballet used to be my life. Now it's just the way I earn my living.' 'I don't seem to want to paint any more. I'd rather just sit in the sun.' 'I can't get on with writing my book. I don't seem to feel much interest in anything but TM,' were some of the comments I heard."
This book, now made easily accessible through the Internet, provides thought-provoking information for anyone interested in the early history of Maharishi and/or the origins of the TM.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 12:14 PM][Link]
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Is Maharishi's plan for peace or business?When it comes to cash, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi perhaps the worlds richest guru, has so much he's apparently out looking for investment opportunities.
One such opportunity popped up through a piece of prime property located within one of Chicago's historic districts, reports the Sun-Times.
Maharishi's business arm, called "Maharishi Global Development," is now engaged in the expensive renovation of a 22-story Blackstone building, which it is refurbishing into 39 luxury condos.
The estimated cost is $135 million.
How does this project promote the guru's vaunted goal of world peace?
Developing luxury condominiums for the rich in a historic downtown neighborhood is certainly a savvy business move. But how does that achieve progress for humanity along the spiritual path outlined by Maharishi for planetary salvation?
Well, maybe "global development" actually means real estate development?
The guru seems to be meditating on a business plan to enhance his burgeoning investment portfolio, rather than the often-stated goal of global harmony.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 06:41 AM][Link]
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New York Times declares Jehovah's Witnesses "a Christian denomination"It seems that Jehovah's Witnesses have achieved a status within the pages of the New York Times, previously denied them.
In a New York Times Obituary regarding the death of a prominent Witness leader and corporate president, the newspaper described the organization as "a Christian denomination founded in the late 19th century."
Well, at least they got the time of their origin right.
However, historically no Christian denomination has ever officially recognized Jehovah's Witnesses as a "Christian denomination."
Instead Witnesses have a long history of controversy and basic doctrinal differences with Christians.
Some Christians even consider the organization a "cult."
The Witnesses reject Christian observances such as Christmas and Easter, as "pagan" holidays.
They have consistently remained outside of established Christianity and instead have chosen their own unique blend of religious beliefs.
Never mind.
The NY Times seems to think they are a "Christian denomination" without qualification, so it seems at least through the so-called "paper of record," they have achieved a new status.
Note: A Newsday Obituary made the same mistake, reporting that the Witnesses are simply a "Christian group," without making any further distinctions.
Doesn't anyone at these papers proof or fact check the obituary section?
[Posted by Rick Ross at 08:44 AM][Link]
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Elvis heir's "ex-lover" is back and he seems willing to embrace Scientology tooLisa Marie Presley supposedly has returned to the arms of her ex-lover John Oszajca, reports the Australian Herald Sun.
This on and off again relationship has an interesting history.
Three years ago Oszajca, a twenty-something musician, apparently almost marched down the much-treaded aisle with the Elvis heir.
But unlike her former husbands Michael Jackson and Nicholas Cage, Oszajca was reportedly ready to jump into Scientology, which seems to be the required rigor for Presley's grooms.
The only child of Elvis is probably now worth about $200 million. Last year alone she made $32 million, without the need to do anything more than count the receipts.
Presley is a hefty cash cow, even amongst Scientology celebrities
And Scientology seems to have its veritable hooks sunk fairly deep into the ever-growing Elvis estate.
The money Lisa Marie has given the controversial church through courses, training, contributions and/or bequests must total millions.
With so much money on the line it's doubtful that Presley's Scientology friends and/or handlers would ever encourage her to marry outside of the organization, which has been called a "cult."
Whenever Presley ties the knot with a non-believer, it doesn't last long. Her marriage to Cage didn't even make it to an anniversary.
Elvis's daughter has few kind words for ex-husbands Jackson and Cage, but she remains close to her first groom Danny Keough, who is a Scientologist.
Maybe Oszajca the musician would make an acceptable mate? If he doesn't play back up for the aspiring singer Presley, he might make a good Scientology stay-at-home dad.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 10:22 AM][Link]
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Lisa Marie Presley's troubled lifeIn a "no holds barred" interview run in Rolling Stone Magazine, Lisa Marie Presley supposedly speaks out frankly and about her life.
However, the article comes across as more of a promotional puff piece and often neglects important facts.
Presley attempted to dismiss reports that Scientology has often dominated her life.
The daughter of Elvis says, "If you know anything about my personality" -- she laughs -- "you 'll know that's not possible."
But it doesn't appear the reporter knows anything, or at least he's not telling.
Danny Keough, Presley's first husband, was and is a deeply devoted Scientologist. The reporter notes he was there during an interview session, "home schooling" their two children in the next room.
Presley says, "He 's my absolute best friend in the world…this is the one man I [will] be connected to for the rest of my life."
Then there's Paige Dorian, "her assistant and friend of eight years," also a Scientologist. And Luke Watson, another Scientologist, who is "documenting her recent life on film."
Watson was reportedly once assigned to look after Presley by Scientology.
Dorian and Watson accompanied her for dinner with the Rolling Stone reporter. She explained "They live my life with me."
Presley and Watson first met reportedly in Clearwater, Florida, a bastion of Scientology, where she took church courses. Presley was there so much that she bought a home in the area, which was later sold to Kirstie Alley, another Scientologist.
Like Alley Presley claims to have overcome drugs. She says, "I did drugs for four years." But is quick to point out that this was before she significantly embraced Scientology.
Part of Scientology's cure for drugs is called the "purification rundown," which may have caused Presley subsequent health problems.
However, she says those problems were due to dental fillings.
Ironically, Elvis apparently loathed Scientology. According to members of his inner circle he once said, "F - - - those people! There's no way I'll ever get involved with that son-of-a-bitchin' group. All they want is my money."
Lisa Marie now ardently dismisses and condemns long-time Elvis insiders.
Presley's marital history is strange and strewn with Scientology connections.
Twenty days after ending her first marriage with Keough she married Michael Jackson in the Dominican Republic. Her first husband's brother and wife, both Scientologists, witnessed that wedding.
The Jackson/Presley union ended after 20 months. And the lawyer that tied up the loose ends was John Coale, another Scientologist.
It was rumored that the Jackson marriage was a sham, concocted by the "King of Pop" and Scientology to neutralize an ugly sex scandal.
The Jackson marriage allegedly largely ended because the pop star made it clear that he would not be involved with the controversial church.
Presley's most recent marriage only lasted four months.
Her third husband Nicholas Cage like Jackson, apparently wanted nothing to do with Scientology.
Obviously Lisa Marie Presley's involvement with Scientology plays a very pivotal and influential role in her life.
The Rolling Stone reporter either didn't care, didn't dig deep enough, or apparently understood that such comments wouldn't be appreciated.
It appears the heir to the Elvis estate has inherited more than her father's money and looks, she seems to have a deeply troubled life too.
[Posted by Rick Ross at 02:54 PM][Link]
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