Volume 2, Number 2, 2003

Table of Contents
 

1. AFF 2003 Conferences

2. Cultic Studies Review - New Postings

3. New Bookstore Items and Specials

4. Education and Research News
   Death of Jeffrey K. Hadden
   News from Italy
   East European Conference and Center
   FECRIS Conference Reports
   Human Rights Award to Scientology Foe
   Religioscope Interview with Steve Hassan
   Eileen Barker Lecture
   News from Minnesota
   Islamic Revivalism and Violence

5. Books and Articles Brought to Our Attention
   Terrorists and Cultists
   Spiritual Connection on the Internet
   Exposing Spiritual Abuse
   Peddler of Paradise – K. Gordon Neufeld
   Short Stories by Nori Muster
   Neopaganism: Is Dialogue Possible?
   La Lutte Contre les Sectes
   Cults and Kids: What Parents Need to Know
   Vatican Report on the New Age
   Embassy of Israel Briefing
   Belgian Cult Education Organization’s Position on Raelian Cloning

6. Group News
   News from Ukraine
   Cultic Enclave Flourishes in Chile
   McPherson Death Suit Can Proceed

7. Remember to Refresh Your Browser

8. Please Donate

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Education and Research News

Death of Jeffrey K. Hadden

University of Virginia professor Jeffrey K. Hadden, an authority on religious trends and the Christian Right, died Sunday, January 26th from pancreatic cancer. He was 66.

Hadden, a professor of sociology and religious studies and former president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, published about 25 books, including The Gathering Storm in Churches, which examined Protestant clergy in the Civil Rights movement.

During the 1980s, Hadden studied religious broadcasters and the emergence of the Christian Right in America.

In the mid-1990s, he and his graduate students began work on a Web site that has comprehensive information on more than 150 religious movements: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/home.html   ^

News From Italy

Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio has contributed a chapter on a fringe Catholic movement, La Missione Luigia Paparelli, to Religions of the World, a four-volume encyclopedia edited by Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann (Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2002).  A review of the Encyclopedia is available at http://www.dimarzio.it/srs/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=12.

Dr. Di Marzio has also written Italian summaries of two recent Cultic Studies Review articles: "Cults of Hatred" and "Mind Control: Psychological Reality or Mindless Rhetoric?"  These are available at: http://www.dimarzio.it/srs/article.php?sid=169&mode=thread&order=0.

Dr. Di Marzio and her husband, Dr. Alberto Amitrami, are also working on the first online course on religion in Italy: http://www.corsiweb.org.   ^

East European Conference and Center

In October 2002, there was a conference in Vinnitsa (Ukraine) of The East-European Right-Protective Centre of Family and Personality "Dialogue" (the Editor can’t vouch for the accuracy of this translation of the title).  Representatives of five states—Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Pridnestrovje Moldavian Republic—founded the East-European Centre. Alexander Dvorkin of Russia was unanimously elected the president of the new organization, while Paul Broyde of Ukraine was elected the vice-president and executive director.  Pastor Thomas Gandow of Berlin became the President of the Board of trustees of the new organization.

Another conference took place on February 24 - 25, 2003 in the city of Chercasy (Ukraine): the Fourth International Scientific and Practical Conference "Defense of Society, Family and Personality from Totalitarian Sects.” The conference was organized by the Ukrainian Department of the East-European Right-Protective Centre of Family and Personality "Dialogue." Psychologists, psychotherapists, doctors, lawyers, journalists, theologians, officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, deputies of the Parliament of Ukraine, and representatives of high schools and public organizations, members of 22 local departments of All-Ukrainian Centre "Dialogue" took part in the conference. Attendees came from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus', Moldova, Pridnestrovje.   ^

FECRIS Conference Reports

FECRIS (European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism - http://www.fecris.org) held a conference in May 2002 in Barcelona, Spain.  Talks from the conference are now available online:

1. View on the screen: http://griess.st1.at/barcelona/enfants.

2. Download as a compressed file, ready for printing with numbered pages: http://griess.st1.at/barcelona/enfants/compact170.zip.   ^

Human Rights Award to Scientology Foe

The European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA (EACC) is pleased to announce Andreas Heldal-Lund of Stavanger, Norway as the recipient of the 2003 Leipzig Human Rights Award.  The award will be presented on May 17 in the Old Stock Market in Leipzig, the city known as the birth place of the East German civil rights movement  http://www.leipzig-award.org/englisch/index.html.

Mr. Heldal-Lund is the fourth recipient of the Leipzig Award, which has been given each year to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the achieving of the human rights reforms that the EEAC seeks in US-operated totalitarian cults.

Mr. Heldal-Lund is an Information Technology professional and free speech proponent who created and maintains .Operation Clambake— http://www.xenu.net/—which focuses on the US-based Scientology organization.

In February this year, bowing to pressure from Scientology lawyers employing the US law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the widely used Internet search engine Google removed links to Operation Clambake from its directory. Mr. Heldal-Lund held his ground, contending that Scientology withholds important information about its teachings that he was making available, and that people perhaps would not join the organization if the full information was accessible. Free speech advocates around the world rushed to his defense, mounted an Internet and print media campaign, and forced Google to put Clambake back into its search engine.

The EACC Committee includes: Gerry Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada, Writer; Professor Claire Champollion, Paris, France, Linguist, Researcher and Author; Joe Cisar, M.S., Cleveland, Ohio, Vietnam Veteran, Journalist; Professor Alexander Dvorkin, Moscow, Russia, Director of the St. Irenaeus-of-Lyon-Center; Rev. Thomas Gandow, Berlin, Germany, Publisher of Berliner Dialog; Mike Garde, Dublin, Ireland, Dialog Centre Ireland; Roger Gonnet, Paris, France, Author; Friedrich Griess, Vienna, Austria, Engineer, Press Spokesman of Gesellschaft gegen Kultgefahren O"sterreich; Birgitta Harrington, Accountant, Helsingborg, Sweden; Tilman Hausherr, Berlin, Germany, Software Developer; Ursula MacKenzie, Retiree, London, United Kingdom; Solveig Prass, Leipzig, Germany, Business Manager EBI Leipzig; Professor Johannes Aagaard, Aarhus, Denmark, President of the Dialog Center International (DCI).  ^

Religioscope Interview with Steve Hassan

Religioscope.com, directed by Dr. Jean-Francois Mayer, has an interesting interview in English with noted American cult expert, Steve Hassan.  Entitled “From Deprogramming to Strategic Interaction,” the interview can be found at http://www.religioscope.info/article_48.shtml    ^

Eileen Barker Lecture

On Tuesday, March 11, 2003 at 6:00 p.m. Dr. Eileen Barker will speak at The Old Theatre, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE. The event is free and open to all. Entry is on a first come, first serve basis.  For further information please e-mail events@lse.ac.uk or phone 020 7955 6043.  The lecture is entitled “Why, For God’s Sake?” A poster elaborates: “Many of us find other people's religion (or any religion) strange—even, perhaps, dangerous. Why do people believe such incredible things and perform such irrational acts? How do we react to such alien worldviews? Such questions raise issues that are more than ‘merely academic.’” Eileen Barker, OBE, FBA is Professor of Sociology with special reference to the study of religion at the London School of Economics.  She is internationally known for her work on new religions and alternative spirituality, and on religion in post-communist countries.  In 1988, with the support of the Home Office and mainstream Churches, she founded INFORM, a non-profit organization, based at the LSE, which conducts research on and provides information about “cults,” “sects,” and other minority religions.   ^

News from Minnesota

Alexandra Stein, author of Inside Out (now available from AFF), will give a reading from her book at Hamline on March 7th.  Doug Agustin gave a general talk on cults to the Wellness group of Hamline University on February 27 to about 25 attendees.  ^

Islamic Revivalism and Violence

Dr. Vamik Volkan gave the 22nd Edith Weigert Lecture at the Intercultural Center of Georgetown University on October 18, 2002 on the subject of “Islamic Revivalism and Violence.” Dr. Volkan approached the subject from a psychoanalytic perspective on group psychology. He explained factors that allow cults to grow into large groups displaying violent and regressive social functions. The Winter 2002 edition of the Washington School of Psychiatry News states:

The existence of shared symbols, `reservoirs’ or identity elements, is a prime factor, and such symbols exist in all groups, little noticed except when groups are threatened.

Dr. Volkan gave special emphasis to the selection of `chosen traumas’ that allow groups to recruit others and to speak deeply to the wounded feelings of their followers.  `Chosen glories’ remind groups of past achievement and may hold them in idolization of the past with dreams of a triumph to come. In addition to using chosen traumas, cult groups also frequently emerge in social groups that have pessimistic outlooks by choosing one divine book to establish their ideas and designating one leader as the only true interpreter of that one book. Through the one book and he one leader the group then begins to feel special.  It strengthens borders between itself and other social groups and emphasizes differences through dress, custom and ritual.  Cults frequently weaken family connections and begin to see outside groups as dangerous to their own integrity.   ^

Send news updates on your education and research activities to Dr. Langone at aff@affcultinfoserve.com.

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Books and Articles Brought to Our Attention

Terrorists and Cultists

AFF director, Dr. Arthur A. Dole, has a chapter, “Terrorists and Cultists,” in The Psychology of Terrorism, Volume III, Theoretical Understandings and Perspectives, edited by Chris E. Stout and published by Praeger, 2003.  Dr. Dole’s chapter asks the question: “To what extent, if any, can one hundred years of psychological research into cults, sects, and religion help in understanding, preventing, and opposing terrorists?”  He discusses Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, compares definitions of cult, mind control, and terrorist, examines relevant clinical, experimental, and theoretical psychological work, incidents of cult violence, whether or not Bin Laden is a cult leader, and recommendations concerning prevention, consultation, and research.  ^

Spiritual Connection on the Internet

Written by Mindy Sink and published in the December 28, 2002 New York Times, this article briefly describes the great variety of ways in which the Web is impinging on religion.  The author states: “In her book Give Me That Online Religion (Jossey-Bass, 2001), Brenda E. Brasher, who has been studying religious Web sites for more than a decade, gives the example of a Hindu temple in India where the faithful wait in line for hours to enter before they are welcomed by the sounds of chanting priests and the scent of embers, along with the smells of fruit and flowers. She contrasts that with a visit to a virtual temple online that features a graphic drawing of a Hindu god and downloadable meditation music and chants.”  A study of the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that about one-quarter of adult Internet users (about 28 million people) have used the Web to seek religious information.   ^

Exposing Spiritual Abuse

Written by Mike Fehluer and published by Charisma Books, Exposing Spiritual Abuse says that thousands of Christians have given up church attendance after experiencing abuse at the hands of controlling pastors.  Among many examples that Fehlauer gives is one that concerns a family that went on a vacation without first telling their pastor. The pastor then ordered the rest of the congregation not to speak to the family for a certain period of time, during which the children were not allowed to play with other church kids. Fehlauer says that the warning signals of potential abuse include the use of fear to motivate members, making it difficult for members to leave on good terms, a demand for unquestioned obedience, and creation of an atmosphere of secrecy. (Charisma News Service, Internet, 11/22/02)   ^

Peddler of Paradise – K. Gordon Neufeld

K. Gordon Neufeld, who will speak at AFF’s June 2003 conference in California, has published an opinion piece, “Peddler of Paradise,” in the January 2003 issue of First Things, a magazine about religion and public policy edited by Rev. Richard John Neuhaus.  Mr. Neufeld’s article compares a mass wedding ceremony in which he participated 20 years ago with one of Rev. Moon’s recent mass weddings last April in Washington, D.C.  www.firstthings.com   ^

Short Stories by Nori Muster

Nori Muster, author of Betrayed of the Spirit, has written two short stories, available at http://surrealist.org/norimuster/index.html#writing.  The first is a science fiction story, "Find Me at the Gates." The protagonist is Ann Messenger, who was once an official for a guru group in Los Angeles. It takes place in Los Angeles in the year 2012 when Ann returns to work for her family's business. (approx. 16 pages) The second is "The  Last Days," written during the Christmas of 1988. The author tells what it was like for her during the final days of living at the Krishna temple in Los Angeles. (approx. 5 pages)    ^

Neopaganism: Is Dialogue Possible?

We thank Apologia Report (www.apologia.org) for making us aware of this article by Andrew McLean in Lutheran Theological Journal, 36:3, 2002, pp. 126-137. (Luther Seminary, Adelaide, Australia: http://www.luthersem.edu.au/publish/publish1.htm).  Apologia says that this article is “the most comprehensive yet concise and balanced treatment of neopaganism by an evangelical that we have seen….We were particularly impressed with McLean's brief discussion of the one aspect of neopaganism that is least understood by evangelicals: sexuality in ritual magic. His mature and factual description avoids sensationalism and unnecessary detail while at the same time helping his conservative readers understand the reasoning behind the infrequent neopagan practices in this area.”    ^

La Lutte Contre les Sectes

La Lutte Contre les Sectes.  Editions de l’Université de Bruxelles. 129 Pages.

Alain Vivien, Anne Fournier, Catherine Picard, Michel Monroy, François Bellanger (l’exemple suisse), Patrick Laclémence (les naufragés des temps modernes), Janos Molnar (Une lutte à organiser d’urgence. Sectes et pédéclastie) et le président du centre belge, Adelbert Denaux (L’attitude des autorités belges face aux nouveaux mouvements religieux).

Pour toute commande il suffit de verser la somme correspondant aux livres désirés au compte 210-0624799-74 en précisant le titre.  Ou, pour les pays hors Belgique :  Editions Espace Liberté, Centre d’Action Laïque : tél 00 32 2 627 68 60 Fax. 00 32 2 627 68 61.     ^ 

Cults and Kids: What Parents Need to Know

This newspaper article in All About Kids (January, 2003) is written by Lynn Slaughter, a free-lance writer from Louisville, Kentucky and mother of two sons.  Extensively citing AFF, the author briefly discusses characteristics of a cult, who is susceptible, prevalence, warning signs of involvement, departure, postcult adjustment, and what parents can do to discourage involvement.    ^

Vatican Report on the New Age

The Vatican has published a report on the New Age Movement, available at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html

The forward states:

The present study is concerned with the complex phenomenon of “New Age” which is influencing many aspects of contemporary culture.

The study is a provisional report. It is the fruit of the common reflection of the Working Group on New Religious Movements, composed of staff members of different dicasteries of the Holy See: the Pontifical Councils for Culture and for Interreligious Dialogue (which are the principal redactors for this project), the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

These reflections are offered primarily to those engaged in pastoral work so that they might be able to explain how the New Age movement differs from the Christian faith. This study invites readers to take account of the way that New Age religiosity addresses the spiritual hunger of contemporary men and women. It should be recognized that the attraction that New Age religiosity has for some Christians may be due in part to the lack of serious attention in their own communities for themes which are actually part of the Catholic synthesis such as the importance of man' spiritual dimension and its integration with the whole of life, the search for life's meaning, the link between human beings and the rest of creation, the desire for personal and social transformation, and the rejection of a rationalistic and materialistic view of humanity.

The present publication calls attention to the need to know and understand New Age as a cultural current, as well as the need for Catholics to have an understanding of authentic Catholic doctrine and spirituality in order to properly assess New Age themes. The first two chapters present New Age as a multifaceted cultural tendency, proposing an analysis of the basic foundations of the thought conveyed in this context. From Chapter Three onwards some indications are offered for an investigation of New Age in comparison with the Christian message. Some suggestions of a pastoral nature are also made.

Those who wish to go deeper into the study of New Age will find useful references in the appendices. It is hoped that this work will in fact provide a stimulus for further studies adapted to different cultural contexts. Its purpose is also to encourage discernment by those who are looking for sound reference points for a life of greater fullness.   ^

Embassy of Israel Briefing

A January 21, 2003 briefing by the Embassy of Israel, written by Moshe Fox, Minister for Public Affairs, describes the exploitation of children by Palestinian terrorist organizations.  The briefing states:

The phenomenon of the exploitation of children by Palestinian terrorist organizations for the purposes of executing terrorist attacks and suicide bombings has increased once again, following the capture of two children last week in the midst of committing an attack. The children, age eight and fourteen, were armed with a knife and were apprehended in the community of Netzarim, as they attempted to stab passersby.

In recent months, hundreds of Israeli civilians have been killed and many more wounded, as a result of Palestinian terrorist attacks. The following is a review of the issue of Palestinian terrorist organizations exploiting children to execute terrorist attacks.

Please note that all activities referred to in this review are prohibited by international law, they pose a threat to the well-being and safety of Palestinian children and they must be severely and unequivocally condemned. Pressure must be brought to bear on the Palestinians to stop this activity immediately.

1. Guiding principle: Terrorist organizations exploit the innocent appearance of children who do not arouse suspicion and can easily blend in among the crowds. Furthermore, the terrorist organizations view children and youth as the most convenient recruits for suicide bombing missions, since they are easily influenced. Israeli security forces apprehended a considerable number of children and youth before they could carry out terrorist attacks.

2. Indoctrination: The terrorist organizations uproot the children from their homes and families. Resorting to brainwashing and religious indoctrination, they incite the children to carry out terrorist attacks. The children are persuaded that if they do so, they will be granted paradise in the hereafter.

Salah Shehadeh, one of the Hamas leaders in Gaza, who was killed recently, stated in an interview on the internet site Islam Online (May 26, 2002), that children should be trained properly prior to the execution of terrorist attacks, and that they should be enlisted in a special branch of the military arm of the organization, so that they are imbued with the values of the armed Jihad, and are taught to distinguish between good and evil. Remarks of this kind are an important factor in the persuasion of parents to send their children to carry out terrorist attacks.

3. Motivation and scope: On June 27, 2002, the official Palestinian Television broadcast a film entitled Child Martyrs and Lovers of their Homeland. Dr. Fatal Abu Hin, a lecturer in psychology, was interviewed during the film, and spoke about the growing phenomenon of the involvement of children in violent incidents. Abu Hin noted that the word Shahada (martyrdom) carries a number of meanings for the Palestinian child, specifically, and for Islamic society, in general. He maintained that the Palestinian child understands that through Shahada, he can win honor and respect, and that this phenomenon drives children to take an active part in violent events.

Abu Hin presented a survey carried out by the Islamic University in Gaza, in April 2001, which focused on a group of one thousand youngsters from Gaza, in the 9-16 age bracket. The survey findings indicated that of those questioned, 45% had taken an active role in the violence. In addition, 73% of the youngsters stated that they wanted to become martyrs. These findings clearly indicate that children and youth in the West Bank and Gaza have been radicalized, and that they are easy prey for the terrorist organizations that exploit them to perpetrate terrorist atrocities.

4. Educating for martyrdom: As well as the encouragement of children through the media, the Palestinian educational institutions and summer camps are also involved in inciting, brainwashing and indoctrinating Palestinian children and youth. Children are indoctrinated with extreme Islamic ideas, calling for support and encouragement of the Jihad against Israel. At the beginning of July, the Islamic Movement in Gaza launched its summer camps, named The Al Aqsa Intifada Martyrs Summer Camp. In addition, the Hamas summer camps are popular with children, where they are given uniforms, shoes and exercise books. At the camps, the children are taught about the history of Islam, and pictures of martyrs are hung in every place. In this way, the seeds of hatred towards Israel are planted in the children.

5. Official and parental complicity: The Palestinian Authority Ministry for Youth and Sport also oversees summer camps that are designed to recruit children to carry out attacks against Israel. At the camps, the children are subject to incitement, and are trained to use weapons for future attacks against Israel.

In many cases, Palestinian children dress up as a shaheed (martyr) with their parents' consent. Indeed, these children are often encouraged to do so by their parents. More and more cases are coming to light of children participating in processions, wearing replicas of explosive belts and inscriptions declaring that they are martyrs. This brings to mind the photograph of the baby recently discovered in Hebron. The photograph showed a baby wearing a replica explosive belt and a headband declaring that the baby was a martyr for "Allah". These children are then easily recruited by terrorist organizations for the purpose of carrying out attacks.

6. Childhood as terrorist camouflage: It is not only the children who are exploited by the terrorists. To disguise their activities, terrorists use children’s accessories and toys. In addition, the terrorists try to camouflage their activities by operating close to schools and kindergartens.

It has emerged that the various terrorist organizations have used children's schoolbags and toys to conceal explosives. At first glance, these innocent looking items did not appear suspicious, yet they contained explosives, and were intended for use against Israeli civilians and other targets. Thus, during an IDF operation in the town of Kalkilya on April 26, 2002, three explosives laboratories were found. Most notably, a child's schoolbag containing explosive charges ready for use was also found.

7. Hiding behind children: Senior terrorist operatives revealed that they tend to locate the explosives laboratories close to schools and kindergartens, in order to conceal their terrorist activity. In this way, the terrorist organizations directly endanger the lives of Palestinian children. By locating the bomb laboratory close to the school, the pupils nearby were exposed to many dangers, including exploding charges during tests, work accidents in the course of the production of explosives and exposure to hazardous materials. The operatives exploited the innocent appearance of the pupils arriving at school, in order to conceal their activities.   ^

Belgian Cult Education Organization’s Position on Raelian Cloning

The Centre d’Information et d’Avis sur les Organisations Sectaires Nuisibles (Center for Information and Advise on Harmful Sectarian Organizations), set up by the Belgian government, has released a position paper in French on the cloning controversy generated by Rael.

Le Centre d’information et d’avis sur les organisations sectaires nuisibles tient à réagir à la suite de l’annonce par le mouvement raélien de naissances d’enfants prétendument clonés.

La mythologie élaborée par Claude Vorilhon, alias Raël, pour fonder le mouvement raélien, prétend expliquer l’origine de l’espèce humaine par des manipulations génétiques pratiquées par des extra-terrestres. Ces théories pseudo-scientitifiques ainsi qu’un plaidoyer en faveur de l’eugénisme conduisent au concept de géniocratie qui réserve l’exercice du pouvoir à ceux dont le Q.I. est supérieur de 50 % à la moyenne. Au nom de la géniocratie, Raël tient des discours anti-démocratiques et a notamment incité à voter pour Le Pen au second tour des élections présidentielles françaises de 2002.

Dans le domaine du clonage reproductif humain, Raël s’oppose de front à la communauté internationale qui condamne ces pratiques tant pour des raisons scientifiques qu’éthiques. A la supposer avérée, l’expérimentation sauvage du clonage reproductif – c’est-à-dire non scientifique et avec un objectif principalement commercial - sur des adeptes du mouvement raélien, exposerait ceux-ci et les enfants nés ou à naître à des risques physiques et psychologiques graves voire irréversibles. Ces adeptes, présentés comme des patients volontaires sont d’abord victimes de l’exploitation soit de leur détresse soit de leur fantasme d’immortalité.

Le mouvement raélien utilise à nouveau la technique de la provocation afin d’attirer l’attention des médias. Le but principal de l’opération n’est donc pas le résultat concret de l’expérimentation  dont ils n’apportent pas de preuves scientifiques, pour autant qu’ils soient en mesure de les produire.

Le Centre d’information et d’avis sur les organisations sectaires nuisibles met en garde contre des pratiques qui exposent des personnes à des dommages corporels et psychiques en se référant abusivement à la liberté de croyance ou de religion. Mettre en pratique de telles expérimentations humaines ferait sortir le mouvement raélien du cadre de la liberté religieuse pour le faire entrer dans le domaine du droit commun de la responsabilité civile et pénale.

Send information on noteworthy new books and articles to Dr. Langone at aff@affcultinfoserve.com.

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Group News

News from Ukraine

Nataliya Bezborodova of the Family and Personality Protection Society has sent some news about cults and new religious movements in Ukraine.  Among her news items are:

• Between 1992 and 2000 the number of charismatic communities in Ukraine grew from 27 to 470, with over 10,000 adherents in Kiev.  Kenneth Hagan’s Faith Movement is particularly active. Word of Faith, led by a Nigerian preacher, has aroused considerable public concern and has been investigated by authorities.
• In Ukraine there are 59 Mormon communities with a combined population of 5,000 – 6,000, with about 2,000 in Kiev.
• There appear to be about two dozen members of The Family (Children of God) in the country.
• A “Church of Christ” (International Churches of Christ??) has caused controversy on several college campuses.
• The Unification Church has been active in industrial areas and has formed a number of associations, in part in reaction to legal investigations of the church.
• Aum Shinrikyo missionaries arrived in Kiev in 1995 and unsuccessfully tried to register as a religion.  Prosecutions related to tax laws have taken place.
• The Buddhist group, White Lotus, established centers in about 10 Ukrainian cities.
• Several dozen OSHO (followers of the late Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh) communities exist in Ukraine, although none, so far as the correspondent knows, has sought to be registered.
• TM has been quite active and has registered two Vedic universities.  About 5000 individuals have received TM mantras.
• Several Tantric schools exist in Ukraine, including Tantra Sangha, which has a Russian origin.
• ISKCON registered in Ukraine in 1995.  It has more than 30 charitable missions (e.g., “Meal for Life”) and has begun construction on a school.  It is estimated that ISKCON in Ukraine has 120 students, 5,000 active adherents, more than 300 clergy, and nearly 40,000 adherents.
• Scientology is active in Ukraine, although it appears to try to keep a low profile.  There are an estimated 50 centers.  The “Free Scientology Zone,” the members of which reject attempts to grant religious status to Hubbard’s doctrines, is independent of the main Scientology organization.  Other Scientology splinter organizations also appear to be thriving, including at least one that focuses on management.
• In 1992 the Satanist group, Brotherhood of the Black Cross, opened a branch in Ukraine.  Other Satanist groups include Order of the Black Circle, Satanic Terrorists (aka Norway Black Metal Inner Circle), Party of Satanists, Legion of Darkness, Black Brotherhood, Black Order, Church of Satan, Temple of Set, and others.  These groups tend to have no more than a few dozen members in each.  It is estimated that there are about 200 such groups with a total of about 1500 to 2000 members.
• The Jehovah’s Witnesses will have a major congress in Ukraine in August 2003.  Attendance is expected to be about 65,000, including 18,000 from Europe.    ^

Cultic Enclave Flourishes in Chile

The paramilitary Colonia Dignidad continues to flourish in Chile’s Andean foothills despite being, in the words of a recent Chilean congressional report, a heavily armed “state within a state.”

The founder and leader is German-born Paul Schäfer, who rules over a fortress settlement — protected by barricades, barbed wire, roadblocks, searchlights, and hidden cameras and microphones — that is home to about 300 people, mostly German citizens. Schäfer and his lieutenants have been accused of sexually abusing scores of young boys, torturing political prisoners, kidnapping, forced labor, and tax evasion. Schäfer preaches an apocalyptic creed that has strong anti-Semitic and anti-Communist elements.

The German ambassador says that he does not understand how Colonia Dignidad can “defy a free and sovereign state [Chile],” but Chilean investigators say that this can be explained in part by the protection of sympathetic military and police officials that was cultivated by Colonia leaders during the Pinochet dictatorship.

In addition, the transformation of Colonia Dignidad from a charitable organization into a diversified business group has financed a “guerilla war” in the courts that has protected the organization. Some Chilean legislators suspect that fear of a mass suicide in Colonia, something that the group has hinted might occur if it is pushed too far, has inhibited authorities.

Schäfer, a former Luftwaffe [German air force] nurse now in his 80’s, arrived with a few followers 1961, fleeing sexual abuse charges from an orphanage he worked at. He developed close relationships not only with the German community in Chile, but with the head of Chilean intelligence; Chilean political prisoners were hidden in Colonia Dignidad cells, and tortured, according to