Volume 2, Number 4, 2003

Table of Contents

1. Update on AFF 2003 Conferences

2. Cultic Studies Review - New Postings

3. New Bookstore Items and Specials

4. Education and Research News
   Death of Robert Vaughn Young

   Death of Bob Penny

   Award to Drs. Linda Dubrow and Steve D. Eichel

   Ford Greene Nominated for Lawyer Activist Award

   Dennis Tourish, Ph.D.

   Janja Lalich, Ph.D.

   Ron Burks, Ph.D. Tours Japan

   New Acquisitions and Postings of Info-Cult/Info-Secte

   Mary Kochan

   Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio

   Rev. Alexander Dvorkin Interviewed

5. Books, Articles, and Web Sites Brought to Our Attention
   Senior Papers by Arthur Dole, Ph.D.

   Sectas Destructivas by Jorge Erdely, Ph.D.

   Headgames

   Covert Participant Observation

   Pantheism Web Site

   Nature Religions in Australia

   Diccionario Enciclopedico de las Sectas

   Nova Religio, Contents of 6(1)

   Nova Religio, Contents of 6(2)

   New Journal

   Parental Alienation Syndrome

   Emotions Upon Leaving a Destructive Cult

   Religiosity and Mental Health

   Paranormal and Religious Beliefs in the U.S.

   Measurement of Religion and Spirituality

6. Group News
   Nori Muster Files Claim Against ISKCON

   Yoga Numbers Growing

   BBC Program on Tvind

   JW Congress in Ukraine

   Public Petition to Investigate Sathya Sai Baba

7. Remember to Refresh Your Browser

8. Please Donate

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Education and Research News

Death of Robert Vaughn Young

Graham E. Berry, Esq. provided the following to honor Robert Vaughn Young:

It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Robert Vaughn Young. He died early Sunday afternoon June 15, 2003 after a long illness. His son had just been visiting with him and his beloved companion Caren was at his side. I am told he was resting peacefully and comfortably when he passed on.

Vaughn was one of the most wonderful people that I have had the honor to know. He had a master's degree in Philosophy and was teaching at University of California Davis when he became involved with Scientology in the early 1970s. He became one of Scientology's highest ranking public relations officers and he was one of L. Ron Hubbard's archivists. He has described his Scientology experiences on many occasions. There are his own writings, his own testimony and those who have written about him. To access some of this writing and testimony search his name on Google groups.

http://groups.google.co.nz/groups?q=robert+vaughn+young&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

In the late 1980s Vaughn "escaped" from Scientology with his then wife Stacy Brooks. He was one of the highest level executives to have ever defected from the church. In 1993 Vaughn and Stacy agreed to testify as expert witnesses in litigation then being handled by Dan Leipold, Esq. and myself. The rest of that story is also history.

http://groups.google.co.nz/groups?q=robert+vaughn+young&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=G&scoring=d

More recently Robert has been involved with pioneering a website resource and community group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. His wonderful work and that legacy can be viewed at: http://www.phoenix5.org/

Robert Vaughn Young made a major contribution to Hubbard's Church, at least until he learned the truth about L. Ron Hubbard and his past. Robert revealed much of this truth after he escaped from the cult. He leaves behind a mountain of knowledge about the dark side of Scientology and its sordid history.

I feel honored and privileged to have been a friend of Vaughn. He was a man of courage to his very last breath. In my experience, he was a person of the highest integrity and honesty, and in every thing he did and said. He was highly intelligent, charming, articulate, literate and loyal. I shall miss and mourn him. He was one of the best. A true hero to me and to many.

Death of Bob Penny

Robert T. Penny of Niwot, Colorado died of multiple sclerosis Thursday, June 19, 2003, in Louisville. He was 60.  Lawrence Wollersheim, co-founder of Factnet, had this to say:

Bob Penny the co-founder of Factnet died recently. Bob was a person of amazing integrity and courage. He was the technical brains behind the creation of Factnet.

He was a friend who always challenged Factnet to do better and do more. I will miss him as I have frequently missed the heated debates we had so frequently before his MS caused him to retire from the Factnet board.

Factnet has copies of some of Bob Penny's writings at http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/Bob_Penny.html.  Bob never quite finished his doctorate in sociology at the University of California Davis, but his writings reflect his research training as well as his personal experience.  They are among the most insightful in the field.

Award to Linda Dubrow, Ph.D. and Steve D. Eichel, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.

Drs. Dubrow and Eichel have been awarded the "Psychology in the Media" award of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association at the Association's annual convention in Harrisburg in June.  The Association stated:

Linda Dubrow, Ph.D., and Steve Eichel, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., have worked closely together for over twenty years and requested to be considered as a team entry for this award. Their extensive research, educational activities and treatment interventions concerning cults is the area of their work that has garnered the most media attention. They have received national and international recognition, publishing numerous articles and books, and appearing many times on television and radio. This year, Dr. Dubrow was featured in articles published in Denmark, while Dr. Eichel's work was cited on Web sites in Germany and Australia. Their cult-related writings have been translated into several languages, including Spanish and Russian.  Their work and media outreach have also had an impact going beyond cults into the understanding of terrorism and the treatment of victims of all forms of totalism and coercive social influence.

Drs. Dubrow and Eichel have also been featured in the media on a range of psychological issues, including anxiety disorders, addictions, domestic violence and trauma. Years ago, they recognized the value of the Internet for public education, and initiated their practice Web site, described by Dr. Eichel in a November 1998 article in The Pennsylvania Psychologist, "Constructing a Website: An Introduction." Dr. Eichel also authored the official Web site of the Greater Philadelphia Society of Clinical Hypnosis.  Their unique undertaking in 2002, the "cat credentialing" project, in which they were able to obtain bogus credentials for a feline, was picked up extensively, and enabled them to educate consumers about the importance of legitimate credentials in psychotherapy and hypnosis.

The Pennsylvania Psychological Association is proud to present the Psychology in the Media Award for 2003 to Drs. Linda Dubrow and Steve Eichel for their many years of educating the public through their outstanding involvement with the media.

Judith Blau, Ph.D. for the Pennsylvania Psychological Association

Ford Greene Nominated for Lawyer Activist Award

Ford Greene of San Anselmo was nominated along with three Southern California attorneys for their work on a 22-year legal battle to collect a multi-million dollar jury verdict for a man who had claimed he was psychologically and financially ruined by the Church of Scientology.  Additional information on winners and other nominees can be found at http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~10859~1460338,00.html.

Dennis Tourish, Ph.D.

On August 1^st Dr. Dennis Tourish will become Professor of Communication at Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.  Dr. Tourish has also been involved in an issue with the British Medical Association's General Medical Council, which licenses doctors in the United Kingdom.  The Council was investigating the behavior of a general practitioner associated with Re-evaluation Counselling. Dr. Tourish prepared a written report for the Council on RC, and will act as an expert witness at a disciplinary hearing in late July.

Janja Lalich, Ph.D.

The April 17, 2003 issue of Inside Chico State published an article, "Cult Expert Janja Lalich Offers New Theory on Brainwashing."  The article reports on Dr. Lalich's extensive media appearances and the theory she developed for her dissertation and a forthcoming book to be published in 2004 by the University of California Press, Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults.  Written with the support of grants from the Dean’s Strategic Performance Funds at CSU, Chico and the first Elizabeth Douvan Postdoctoral Development Award from the Fielding Graduate Institute, the book is based on a comparative study of the Heaven’s Gate cult and the DWP political cult.

Ron Burks, Ph.D. Tours Japan

The Spring 2003 issue of Thriving, the newsletter of the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center includes an article describing Dr. Ron Burks's series of talks in four Japanese cities.  The tour, sponsored by Japan's Cult Research and Rehabilitation Center, ran from February 10-13 with stops in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Sapporo.

New Acquisitions and Postings of Info-Cult/Info-Secte

Info-Cult/Info-Secte's most recent acquisitions can be found at: http://www.math.mcgill.ca/triples/infocult/ic-acq.html.  For an integrated list of recent and past acquisitions please go to: http://www.math.mcgill.ca/triples/infocult/ic-selacq.html.

Mary Kochan

Mary Kochan, who writes regularly for www.catholicexchange.com, had a lead article on May 3^rd, entitled "Cults, Movements, World Religions."  The article can be found at http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=2&art_id=18498.

Raffaella Di Marzio

Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio tells us about a planned series of online courses, with which she is involved, organized by the Centro Consulenza.  The first course on religion in Italy ended on July 2^nd.  Next year the centre plans to offer four monographic courses on line on Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, Satanism, New Age. For more information in Italian see www.corsiweb.org or write to info@corsiweb.org.

Alexander Dvorkin Interviewed

In the 23 May 2003 issue of Konservator Irma Kaplan reports on an interview with Alexander Dvorkin, author of the book Sectarian Studies, employee of the Moscow patriarchate, publicist, and religion scholar.  The full interview can be found at: http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/0305f.html#43.

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

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Books, Articles, and Web Sites Brought to Our Attention

Senior Papers by Arthur Dole, Ph.D.

Infinity Publishing.Com is proud to announce the publication of Senior Papers by AFF director, Arthur A. Dole, Ph.D.  Senior Papers is a "stew of reminiscences, anecdotes, tall tales, and observations dredged from personal experiences as a son, unemployed flounderer, crafty academic, active pacifist, lover, husband, father, dog owner, jokester, traveler, polio survivor, money manipulator, psychologist, mentor, and religious skeptic."  The new book also includes chapters on Dr. and Mrs. Dole's rescue of their daughter from a cult and reflections on abusive groups.  Order on line at www.bubooksontheweb.com, or call toll free: (877) Buy-Book (Price: $19.95 + S & H).

Sectas Destructivas

Erdely, Jorge (Ed).  (2003).  Sectas Destructivas: Un Analisis Cientifico. Publicaciones Para el Estudio Cientifico de las Religiones.  Ciudad de Mexico.  Includes chapters by Drs. L. J. West, Jorge de la Pena, Michael Langone, Cesar Mascarenas, Elio Masferrer, Margaret Singer, John Hochman, Jorge Erdely.  For more information:  raer_mx@yahoo.com.mx.

Headgames

Creative Loafing Atlanta included an article entitled, "Headgames" by Steve Fennessy.  The article investigates the Center for Social Therapy and Fred Newman, founder of the Center and the East Side Institute for Short-Term Psychotherapy.  It relates the personal story of Erika Van Meir, a critic of the organization.  The story can be found at http://www.atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-05-21/cover.html.

Covert Participant Observation

Lauder, Matthew A.  (2003). Covert Participant Observation of a Deviant Community: Justifying the Use of Deception. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 18(2), 185-196. When participant observation involves the use of deception, such as the use of a covert role and the manipulation of subjects, the study is fraught with methodological and ethical challenges that can make field research impossible and may result in harm to the participants. In this article, I maintain that covert participant observation is a useful and necessary tool in the examination of deviant communities, in particular new religious movements existing on the fringe of society. I argue that, on the basis of methodological necessity and a cost-benefit analysis, the use of deception is both operationally and ethically justifiable. In order to elucidate my argument, I draw upon the methodological and ethical challenges experienced during three years of covert participant observation of the Heritage Front, a neo-National Socialist organization that adheres to a racial-religious worldview, and the fieldwork experiences of Stanley Barrett and Nigel Fielding.

Pantheism Web Site

The July 2003 issue of Religion Watch (http://www.religionwatch.com) describes a new Web site, developed by the World Pantheist Movement (http://www.pantheism.net).  Religion watch notes:  "Although many new religious movements and other religions—from the New Age to Hinduism—share pantheistic beliefs, the World Pantheist Movement promotes the belief in the universe itself as divine as the core of its spirituality. The movement, founded five years ago by Paul Harrison, now has more than 2,000 members and anticipates that there are many more pantheists who would join if they knew of such a group… (Source: Utne Reader, July/August)."

Nature Religions in Australia

The same July 2003 issue of Religion Watch also summarizes an article in Pointers, the newsletter of the Christian Research Association of America, which says that the Australian Bureau of Statistics found "a 130 percent increase between the 1991 and 2001 censuses and a 140 percent rise between 1996 and 2001" among adherents of nature religions.  "Nature religions attracted an additional 20,000 people in the decade, bringing their numbers to a total of 24,156. [The Pentecostals attracted more than twice that number--about 45,000]."

"Among the nature religions group, paganism is the largest and fastest-growing (representing 44 percent of all nature religions, followed by Wicca or goddess worship (representing 36 percent); Australian traditional indigenous religions were not included in these figures.  Nature religions had the youngest age profile of all major religious groups in the 2001 census. Although involving veneration of nature, 64 percent of these practitioners live in major cities."

Diccionario Enciclopédico de las Sectas

Escrita por el experto MANUEL GUERRA, autor del gran Diccionario Enciclopédico de las Sectas (que va por su tercera edición con más de 1000 páginas), ha hecho un gran esfuerzo de síntesis de la información para ofrecer una guía completa y muy interesante, que será útil a todo el mundo para buscar cualquier secta. Aquí va la ficha que proporciona la editorial en su web:  Título: las sectas y su invasión del mundo hispano: una guía.   Autor: Manuel Guerra Gómez.  ISBN: 84-313-2083-4.  Editorial: EUNSA (Pamplona).  Año: 2003.  Págs.: 304.

Nova Religio, 6(1), 2002

Wessinger, Catherine & Moore, Rebecca.  Letter from the Co-General Editors.  Page 6.

Cook, David.  Suicide Attaks or "Martyrdom Operations" in Contemporary Jihad Literature.  David Cook.  Pages 7-44.

Elisha, Omri.  Sustaining Charisma:  Mormon Sectarian Culture and the Struggle for Plural Marriage, 1852-1890.  Pages 45-63.

Frisk, Liselotte.  The Satsang Network: A Growing Post-Osho Phenomenon. Pages 64-85.

Schoen, Brigitte.  Reconstructing Reality from Highly Deviant Perspectives: A Reply to "'Verfassungsfeindlich': Church, State, and New Religions in Germany" by Irving Hexham and Karla Poewe [in Nova Religio, 2(2), 208-227], Pages 102-118.

Siewert, Hubert.  Is Germany Different? A Comment on Hexham and Poewe's Interpretation of German Anticult Policy.  Pages 119-128.

Source Criticism and the Reconstruction of Reality: A Reply to Brigitte Schoen and Hubert Seiwert.  Irving Hexham and Karla Poewe.  Pages 129-136.

Kenney, Jeff.  The Politics of Sects and Typologies.  Pages 137-146.

Sonbol, Amira.  Thoughts on Sects and Exceptionalism.  Pages 147-154.

Shepard, William E. "Denomination" as a Label for Some Islamic Phenomena?  Pages 155-164.

Sedgwick, Mark. Sects and Politics.  Pages 165-173.

Palmer, Susan J.  France's Anti-Sect Wars.  Pages 174-182.

Nova Religio, 6(2), 2002

Wessinger, Catherine.  Falun Gong Symposium Introduction and Glossary.  Pages 215-222.

Ownby, David.  A History for Falun Gong: Popular Religion and the Chinese State Since the Ming Dynasty.  Pages 223-243.

Irons, Edward.  Falun Gong and the Sectarian Religion Paradigm.  Pages 244-263.

Lowe, Scott.  Chinese and International Contexts for the Rise of Falun Gong.  Pages 263-276.

Bell, Mark R., & Boas, Taylor C.  Falun Gong and the Internet: Evangelism, Community, and Struggle for Survival.  Pages 277-293.

Fisher, Gareth.  Resistance and Salvation in Falun Gong: The Promise and Peril of Forbearance.  Pages 294-311.

Edelman, Bryan, & Richardson, James T.  Falun Gong and the Law: Development of Legal Social Control in China.  Pages 312-331.

Burgdoff, Craig A.  How Falun Gong Practice Undermines Li Hongzhi's Totalistic Rhetoric.  Pages 332-347.

Palmer, Susan J. From Healing to Protest: Conversion Patterns Among the Practitioners of Falun Gong. Pages 348-364.

Robbins, Thomas.  Comparing Incidents of Extreme "Cult Violence": A Comment on "Is the Canon on Jonestown Closed?"  Pages 365-375.

Moore, Rebecca.  A Response to Thomas Robbins' Comment. 

New Journal

Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions is a refereed journal that encourages research driven, thematic or comparative contributions on all aspects of revolutionary and sacralised politics.  It has no chronological or geographical boundaries, and welcomes academic and expert non-academic writers working in fields as diverse as propaganda, film, literature, and sport as well as those covering ideological and state policy questions.  It welcomes work on the ideologies of Left and Right, as well as analysis of contemporary fundamentalist extremism.  Editors: Michael Burleight (Washington and Lee University, Virginia), Emilio Gentile (Rome University), and Robert Mallett (University of Brimingham).  Frank Cass Publishers.  Three issues per year.  Individuals 40 pounds/$54.  North America: marketing@isbs.com; UK/rest of world: sales@frankcass.com.

Parental Alienation Syndrome

The April 2003 issue of Counseling Today, the newspaper of the American Counseling Association (http://www.counseling.org/ctonline), includes a front page article (the first of two-parts) on Parental Alienation Syndrome: "The Secret Killer of Parent-Child Relationships." "The concept of PAS is pretty simple—one parent deliberately damages, and in some cases destroys, the previously healthy, loving relationship between his or her child and the child's other parent.  In a severe PAS case, the alienating parent and child work together to successfully eliminate the previously loved mom or dad from the child's life." 

Emotions Upon Leaving a Destructive Cult

Dubrow, Linda Jayne.  Emotions Upon Leaving a Destructive Cult/High Demand/Extremist Group.  (2003, March).  PSPP Currents, 13.  Column appearing in the newsletter of the Philadelphia Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.

Religiosity and Mental Health

Hackney, Charles H., & Sanders, Glenn S.  (2003). Religiosity and Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis of Recent Studies.  Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42(1), 43-56.  "Analysis of 34 studies conducted during the past 12 years revealed that the definitions of religiosity and mental health utilized by psychologists in this field were indeed associated with different types and strengths of the correlations between religiosity and mental health."

Paranormal and Religious Beliefs in the U.S.

Rice, Tom W.  Believe it or Not: Religious and Other Paranormal Beliefs in the United States.  Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42(1), 95-106.  Christian-related and occult paranormal beliefs were explored in a nationwide random sample survey.  "The results indicate that standard social background factors do a poor job of accounting for who believes in paranormal phenomena and that the importance of specific background factors changes dramatically from phenomenon to phenomenon…These findings call into question many prevailing theories about paranormal beliefs."

Measurement of Religion and Spirituality

Hill, Peter C., & Pargament, Kenneth I..  (2003). Advances in the Conceptualization and Measurement of Religion and Spirituality: Implications for Physical and Mental Health Research.  American Psychologist, 58(1), 64-74.    ""The authors highlight recent advances in the delineation of religion and spirituality concepts and measures theoretically and functionally connected to health.  They also point to areas for growth in religion and spirituality conceptualization and measurement.  Through measures of religion and spirituality more conceptually related to physical and mental health (e.g., closeness to God, religious orientation and motivation, religious support, religious struggle), psychologists are discovering more about the distinctive contributions of religiousness and spirituality to health and well-being."

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

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Group News

Nori Muster Files Claim Against ISKCON

Nori Muster, author of Betrayal of the Spirit and former ISKCON member, has filed a claim against ISKCON at

http://surrealist.org/betrayalofthespirit/claim.html

She says:

ISKCON is currently sending some of its temples into bankruptcy to avert the attempts of people to sue them for child abuse. The bankruptcy courts asked ISKCON to notify people to file claims if they were abused in ISKCON. They asked me to post information at my website, see: http://surrealist.org/gurukula/bankruptcy.html. On 19 June, out of frustration, I filed my own claim based on non-payment of Social Security taxes and emotional pain that I suffered as a pawn in that organization. However, on 30 June (the deadline for filing), I decided to withdraw my claim and speak as a concerned ex-member instead. Here is my letter to the court and attorneys, followed by the claims I filed on 19 June.

Yoga Numbers Growing

The June 23^rd issue of Apologia Report (http://www.apologia.org) says that a survey by the California-based Yoga Journal found that "the number of yoga practitioners in the US has tripled from 5 million in 1998 to 15 million."  It also found that "Most Americans are now accessing yoga through their regular gyms and fitness centers."

BBC Program on Tvind

Tvind Alert (http://www.tvindalert.com) says that on June 9^th BBC television "followed the trial from Planet Aid clothes boxes in England to Tvind in Denmark. The programme Inside Out interviewed former headmaster Steen Thomson, Danish investigator Frede Farmand, Tvind Alert, and members of the Teachers Group. The BBC also filmed at Amdi Petersen's high security ranch in Grindsted and at the courthouse in Aarhus.

JW Congress in Ukraine

Nataliya Bezberodova tells us that the International Congress of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ukraine will take place with the support of the State Committee for Religious Affairs in Kiev 7-10 August, 2003. (Interfax-Ukraine)  About 61,000 delegates from various countries of the world (USA, Germany, Canada, Italy, Baltic countries, Poland, CIS) are expected to participate in the Congress in Kiev. Ukrainian followers of Jehovah's Witnesses will be represented by about 41,000 delegates from different regions of the country. Jehovah's Witnesses first appeared in western areas of Ukraine and Byelorussia in the 1920s. In USSR its activity was forbidden. An earlier International Congress of Jehovah's Witnesses took place in Kiev in 1993.

Public Petition to Investigate Sathya Sai Baba

We have received word that a public petition calling for an investigation of Sathya Sai Baba can be found at http://www.saiguru.net/english/.  Another Web site critical of Sai Baba is http://www.exbaba.com.  The official Sai Baba site can be found at http://www.sathyasai.org/organize/z1reg01/contents.html.

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