Tag: cult experts

Friday’s Religion and Cult News Roundup

‘Sex rabbi’ Eliezer Berland faces extradition from the Netherlands. A religious pirate radio broadcaster has been ordered off-the-air. And: what’s up with yoga’s popularity?

Also: information about the International Cultic Studies Association’s annual conference.

Once again a Scientology front group has been discovered infiltrating schools to promote the cult’s quackery.

Plus: the Scientology business is in full damage-control mode over Alex Gibney’s documentary exposing it to daylight. Meanwhile, it is using the dirty tricks its founder proscribed for dealing with critics.

Speaking of critics: we’ve got info about an upcoming anti-Scientology conference.

Religion ‘not that important’ to growing number of Americans

Is Dr. Craig Stasio running a doomsday cult? Parents of the young people he has surrounded himself with think he has brainwashed their daughters, who refer to him as “the prophet.”

Plus: a poll shows that increasing numbers of Americans don’t consider religion all that important. Russians, on the other hands have become more religious — and religion plays an important role in the current Russia – Ukraine conflict.

Also: Christians urgently need to gain an understanding of Islam.

Come to church and donate your money: we’re buying a mall

god and money Among the items in today’s edition of Religion News Briefs: ‘Come to church and give us your money: We’re buying a mall.’

Plus: the Muslim cleric at the foreground of the campaign to prosecute a young Pakistani girl accused of blasphemy may have planted the evidence — burned pages from the Koran — himself.

From the religion beat: the popular Faith & Reason column at USA TODAY is closing down.

Jailed ‘Home Bible Study’ pastor faces felony charges

Michael Salman In today’s issue of Religion News Briefs: Already jailed for violating residential zoning codes, ‘home bible study’ pastor Michael Salman now faces a series of felony charges.

Plus: the condition of cult leader Sun Myung Moon worsens.

A daughter-in-law of Samuel Mullet, the leader of a breakaway Amish group on trial on hate crimes charges, says he coerced her into sex. Meanwhile his sister says Mullet’s group is a cult.

The Israeli government has distanced itself from a new Scientology cult center in Jaffa.

Also: the authors of a new study say the common assumption that natural and supernatural explanations are incompatible is psychologically inaccurate.

Plus, the latest issue of ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) Today has an in-depth article about the history of the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center — non-profit residential treatment facility that provides a program of counseling and instruction to victims of cultic abuse, religious abuse and/or mind control.

Cult experts hope pending Aum Shinrikyo cult trial will raise awareness

Aum Shinrikyo The upcoming trials of the last three Aum Shinrikyo cult members will inevitably revisit the atrocities committed by the cultists, whose spiritual pursuits under guru Shoko Asahara claimed 29 lives and left more than 6,500 people injured.

Cult experts hope that revisiting Aum’s mayhem will raise public awareness of the potential dangers of joining cults.

UK: Cult information charity faces Charity Commission curb, reportedly after Scientology complaint

Cults After 25 years in operation, the Cult Information Centre in England fears it may no longer be able to work effectively.

The Cult Information Centre (CIC) was granted education charity status in 1992 but has recently run into difficulties with the commission after complaints were received from the Church of Scientology that it is in breach of the rules governing status.