Latest Religion & Cult News
Family International, the cult formerly known as The Children of God, is gearing up for a massive come-back. Known for anything from sex scandals to offbeat doctrines that are far removed from the teachings of Biblical Christianity, the cult announced its plans for the future at the recent conference of CESNUR — and organization known for its defense of religious cults.
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In today’s Religion News Roundup: your beauty products may be pushing a religious philosphy; 60% of gays say faith is important to them; and an American preacher arrested in Kenya faces charges of trafficking pornographic material. Germany has more Muslims than previously thought, and the German government is making some concessions to them.
Meanwhile, the debate about the Burka continues elsewhere.
A brief roundup, posted from our vacation spot.
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In today’s religion news roundup, more about the St. Petersburg Times 3-part expose highlighting abuses within the ‘church’ of Scientology — a commercial enterprise that would like you to think it is a religion. A great buyer beware. Also, what many UK teenagers prefer over faith in God — as well as another religion trends item that addresses the popularity of religion online.
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Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder, the highest-ranking executives to leave the Church of Scientology, are speaking out for the first time. Two other former executives who defected also agreed to interviews with the St. Petersburg Times: De Vocht, who for years oversaw the church’s spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, and Amy Scobee, who helped create Scientology’s celebrity network, which caters to the likes of John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
One by one, the four defectors walked away from the only life they knew. That Rathbun and Rinder are speaking out is a stunning reversal because they were among Miscavige’s closest associates, Haldeman and Ehrlichman to his Nixon.
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A French prosecutor on Monday recommended a Paris court should dissolve the Church of Scientology’s French branch when it rules on charges of fraud against the organization. The cult claims the fraud case against it violates freedom of religion but in France, as in many other places, it is merely considered a for-profit cult.
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A couple charged with manslaughter claim they were within their constitutional rights when they decided to pray for their 15-month old daughter rather than take her to a doctor to treat her pneumonia. But legal experts believe that Carl and Raylene Worthington will likely have a difficult time arguing freedom of religion over the state’s duty to protect children from harm.
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Cries rang out in an emotion-filled courtroom after a New Zealand High Court jury found five members of the family of a young woman guilty of her manslaughter during a curse lifting ceremony. The family performed an exorcism on Moses in October 2007, forcing water into her mouth and eyes to flush out demons and lift the makutu, or curse. Instead enough went into her lungs to drown her.
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The mother convicted of reckless homicide for praying while her daughter became gravely ill and died of undiagnosed diabetes will be sentenced Oct. 6. A Marathon County prosecutor is seeking an out-of-county jury to try Dale Neumann because of heavy media coverage during the faith-healing trial of his wife, Leilani Neumann. His trial on a second-degree reckless homicide charge has been scheduled to start July 23.
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Aum Shinrikyo:
A secret stash of money apparently hidden by a member of the Aum Shinrikyo killer cult — notorious for its poison gas attacks on Japan’s metro system, as well as a range of other crimes — has been turned over to a fund set up for its victims. which handed the money to the organization after the expiration of a three-month retention period, is investigating whether the money was used to provide support for wanted AUM fugitives.
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Exorcism:
The fate of eight family members who took part in an exorcism ritual in which a young mother died after water was poured down her throat is in the hands of a jury. During the trial the New Zealan Crown called over 60 witnesses to give evidence against the accused. The Defence did not call a single one, instead using cross-examination to find flaws in the evidence.
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Uchu Shinri Gakkai (Cosmic Truth Society), a Japanese religious body that operates “love hotels” in five prefectures, hid some 1.4 billion yen in income in the seven years up to February 2008, it has been learned. The group claims the money represents donations that wen to help needy youngsters.
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British film-maker Roland Joffe is to recreate the life and miracles of Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer, the Spanish priest who founded Opus Dei, one of the most influential and secretive organisations within the Catholic Church. The film seems set to stir up more controversy, following in the wake of several screen hits tapping into public fascination with tales of Opus-inspired crimes and conspiracies, which have set Vatican chasubles aflap.
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An attorney said Wednesday that he plans to publish a notice in a newspaper as early as next week giving the man accused of being Tony Alamo’s “enforcer” 30 days to respond to a lawsuit or risk having a judgment entered against him. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes gave Carter permission to notify Kolbeck of the lawsuit by publishing a notice [in] the Texarkana Gazette.
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Raelians:
A UFOland is to be built in Las Vegas by the Raelian movement, a religious cult which believes humans were created by extra-terrestrials.
Visitors will be able to attend a Happiness Academy and see a full-size replica of a UFO.
In 2002, Clonaid, a company linked to the religious cult, claimed it produced the world’s first cloned baby.
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Eden Community / Lia Eden:
The court found Lia guilty of religious blasphemy and incitement of hatred among religious adherents by proselytizing her religion - which she named God’s Kingdom of Eden - and delivering her messages to thousands of government institutions, including the Presidential Palace. She has also called herself the Virgin Mary and her son Ahmad Mukti, Jesus Christ. Her followers have named the religion Salamullah, and declared all religions truthful.
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Islam:
The Christian mother of a 12-year-old girl in Punjab Province who was kidnapped, coerced into converting to Islam and forcibly married to a 37-year-old Muslim hopes to recover her daughter at a court hearing next week. The reaction of Pakistani law enforcement authorities to Sajida Masih’s complaint so far – ridiculing her and asserting that there is nothing she can do because her daughter is now a Muslim – does not encourage her hopes of recovering her daughter Huma at next Thursday’s (June 11) hearing.
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Prominent fundamentalist Mormons, most of whom were excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for practicing polygamy while they were alive, have been posthumously re-baptized in LDS temples, a Salt Lake City researcher says. “The LDS Church appears to be reinventing its polygamous history, as it ushers excommunicated Mormon fundamentalists back into the LDS fold through a postmortem back door,” Helen Radkey wrote in her report.
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RNB Roundup:
Today’s Religion News Roundup brings you soothsayers, fortune tellers, astrologers, a ‘vampire’, and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. With the flim-flam out of the way, there’s also room for the Samaritan (”the smallest sect in the world”), China’s whining about the Dalai Lama, and some religion/abortion issues.
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Vikash Patrick’s 19-year-old bride died while praying at the Assumption Church in Kathmandu valley’s Lalitpur district, the largest Catholic church in Nepal, in an anti-Christian bombing on May 23, the day they were to return home. Claiming responsibility for the violence was the Nepal Defense Army (NDA), a group wishing to restore Hinduism as the official religion of Nepal.
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New Life Church (Belarus):
New Life Church confirmed that it received a letter from the Property Maintenance and Repair Department (PMRD) of the Moscow District of Minsk demanding that the church leaves its current complex not later than Monday, June ,1 or face forcible eviction. In an interview, the head of PMRD’s legal department, Ludmila Bulyga, suggested that the eviction could be carried out by security forces. “They (the church) need to vacate the building and the land since it was never zoned for religious usage. The court’s ruling will be carried out by the court’s officers, who have the full right to use law-enforcing agencies,” she said.
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Dahn Yoga claims it can ease your stress, even heal your ailments. But a lawsuit filed on behalf of 26 former Dahn members alleges the organization subjects its members to “psychological manipulation”.
Experts say this organization fits the definition of a cult, adding that the accusations made in the 53-page lawsuit are not new.
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Celebrity evangelist Brian Houston has defended his Hillsong ministry against allegations it is a “cult-like” organisation as the Sydney megachurch opened a “campus” church on Brisbane’s southside recently. Houston is interested in expanding further into Europe, where Hillsong already operates in London, Paris, Kiev, Stockholm and Moscow.
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In today’s Religion News Roundup, two different items about the combination of spirituality with eroticism. Also, the Buddhisation of the Netherlands, plus Is This Your Brain on God? Further: What is Dan Brown’s agenda?
Plus some RNB Twittered items you may have missed.
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The father of a girl who died after refusing blood transfusions, on the basis of un-biblical teachings by the Jehovah’s Witnesses — continues to battle the cult in court. Some legal scholars observing the case see what could be worrying setbacks for this legally aggressive sect accustomed to mobilizing the courts to block members from receiving life-saving transfusions
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Quackery • Scientology:
The Church of Scientology, which many view as a commercial enterprise masquerading as a religion, is in trouble again. While the movement is considered a ‘religion’ in the USA, many others countries view it as a cult whose sole aim is to separate gullible people from their money by selling quackery and false promises.
In France, the cult is now on trial for fraud and practicing ‘medicine’ without a license.
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Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, new religious movements, alternative religions, abusive churches and - to a lesser extent - related issues (e.g. ethics, human rights).
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