Tag: ICSA

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.

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.

Ex-Scientologist Karen Pressley, Paul Grosswald and Steve Hassan talk

Video: Listen in on a casual conversation between cult expert Steve Hassan, ex-Scientologist Paul Grosswald — a long-time anti-cult activist, and ex-Scientologist Karen Pressley, who was a top person at the cult’s Celebrity Centre, a Seo Org member, and who worked directly for David Miscavige for 4 years.

Karen talks about her presentation at the ICSA conference with ex-Children of God member Miriam Boeri (who wrote Heaven’s Harlots), suppression of her new book by the Scientology cult, and its forthcoming release.

Cult experts question woman’s voodoo account

voodoo The account of a woman recovering from critical injuries she said were inflicted by members of an occult group may be difficult to unravel because it doesn’t match the typical methods used by such groups, an expert in cult activities said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, police investigators released little new information about the case but cult experts and police documents raise some questions about the woman’s account.

Cult experts; Utah officials discuss FLDS at cult studies conference

In the aftermath of the raid by Texas authorities into the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints’ Yearning for Zion ranch, polygamous sects are an issue of discussion at the International Cultic Studies Association meeting this weekend at the University of Pennsylvania.

At the conference top officials for the Utah and Arizona attorneys general were peppered with questions about prosecuting polygamous crimes.