Cultic Studies Review is Online

Cultic Studies Review: An Internet Journal of Research, News, and Opinion is now online.

This free, inaugural issue includes peer-reviewed, scholarly articles, articles for laymen, professional columns, a personal account from a former group member, and dozens of news reports on groups and selected topics.

The complete table of contents.

A print version of the issue will go to press shortly and should be ready for mailing within a few weeks.

Updates to AFF Annual Conference

The following programs have been added to the AFF Annual Conference, which will take place June 14-15 in Orlando, Florida, since the original brochure was distributed in December:

Children of Providence: Born and Raised in the Unification Church (Donna Collins, Coordinator; Flore Aslid; Thelord Schuhart; Discussants, Eileen Barker, Ph.D., Steve Dubrow Eichel, Ph.D.)

Inner Experience and Conversion (Michael Langone, Ph.D.; Joseph Kelly; Patrick Ryan)

Unfortunately, Catherine Delhaire  and Christopher Centner will not be able to make the program, so their talks, a research paper in the program “Advances in Social Science Research” and “Cults and Terrorism: Similarities and Differences,” will not be given.

We have been told by Universal Studios that they offer 10% discounts to conference attendees.  We will have more information in attendees’ registration packets.

Details on the conference and registration information.  Our next early registration discount date is April 28th.  However, as a special offer to our newsletter readers, we will extend the February 28th early registration discount until April 5th.  Register through the bookstore now!

Education and Research News

Alan Scheflin Wins Awards

Alan Scheflin, J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law, Santa Clara University Law School and member of the Editorial Advisory Board of AFF’s Cultic Studies Review, received the 2001 American Psychological Association, Division 30 (hypnosis), Distinguished Contribution to Professional Hypnosis Award. This is the "highest award that Division 30 can bestow." He was also awarded The American Board of Psychological Hypnosis, Professional Recognition Award. This Award was created to honor his achievements in promoting the legal and ethical use of hypnosis.

Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio

Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio, a member of AFF’s Cultic Studies Review Editorial Advisory Board and member and past president of GRIS Roma, has published a new Web site, Sette, Religioni e Spiritualita (Cults, Religion and Spirituality).  The site includes an English version.  It contains news, forums, chats, and other interesting information.

Kimiaki Nishida, Ph.D.

Kimiaki Nishida, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Social Psychology, University of Shizuoka, Japan (Email: nishidak@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp), gave a paper, "Recent Developments of Anti-cult Movements in Japan" at the Association for the Sociology of Religion" in Anaheim, California, August 17-19, 2001.

Pascal Zivi

Pascal Zivi has written a series of nine articles on spiritual abuse in Christianity for a Japanese Christian journal, the first material published on this subject for Japanese Christians.  Mr. Zivi will also publish a book on this subject in 2002 (in Japanese).

Jean-Francois Mayer

Jean-Francois Mayer, Ph.D., a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Frieburg and a speaker at the 2001 AFF conference, launched a new Web site (mainly in French but with some materials in English) in January.  The site includes articles, collections on a theme, notes, important documents normally difficult to access, and news articles on religion.

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Books and Articles Brought to Our Attention

Spiritual Intelligence

Frank MacHovec PhD, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia (e-mail: machovec@tez.net), a member AFF’s Cultic Studies Review Manuscript Review Board, has a new book, Spiritual Intelligence: The Behavioral Sciences and the Humanities, which will be released in June 2002. The book relates to cults and religious extremists and may be part of an "antidote" for them. It explores and defends the validity of a spiritual intelligence (a la Gardner's multiple intelligences theory), with chapters on Near and Far East philosophies and excerpts from world literature.