---

Kyodo News Service, Japan
Oct. 26, 2006
home.kyodo.co.jp

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 16384 • Posted: Thursday October 26, 2006  

---

TOKYO, Oct. 26–(Kyodo) — Fumihiro Joyu, leader of the AUM Shinrikyo cult, said Thursday he and his followers are considering abandoning educational materials that promote the personality cult of AUM founder Shoko Asahara, as part of their efforts to emerge from Asahara’s shadow.

Joyu, 43, said in an interview with Kyodo News that the materials he has in mind include photos and videotapes of the former guru and that he and his group members plan to sort out the items to be ditched and decide when to do so by the end of November.

“To break away from the former leader, we’ll advance reform of our educational materials, and make the changes visible by February next year,” Joyu said at the cult’s premises in Tokyo.

“We’ll then decide on a new name for our group and educational materials,” the former AUM spokesman said.

Joyu heads a group of followers who are critical of Asahara, 51, and agreed to abandon such materials in the cult, which now calls itself Aleph. Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, is on death row, having recently had his sentence finalized.

But Joyu indicated that even his group may have difficulty in determining which materials could directly lead to individual worship of Asahara as many of them, such as Buddhist sutras and books written by Asahara, have been used by the cult followers for a long time.

“We’re going to abandon anything that can be associated with the former leader, including meditation methods that worship him and the name ‘Guru Asahara,’” Joyu said.

Joyu said he will discuss with other group members exactly which items should be covered by the policy and try to iron out differences among them.

In September, the Supreme Court finalized the death sentence for Asahara over the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in which 12 people were killed and other charges.

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Aum Shinrikyo Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Aum Shinrikyo Read Another Article Previous entry: Prosecution rests in Emeka King case Next entry: Gangloff, Eck and Jackson testify against Irenia Cotner in Claremont murder trial RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Aum Shinrikyo Most Popular Today NewsChannel 10 allowed inside self proclaimed messiah’s compound Wanda Barzee pleads guilty to charge in Elizabeth Smart case Judge cancels hearing in case against Warren Jeffs Atheists ‘just as ethical as churchgoers’ research shows

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.