The Cult Observer is published ten times each year by the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959. (212) 249-7693. Subscriptions. Contributors of $30 or more to AFF (Canada: $35; other: $42 – in U.S. dollars only) will receive The Cult Observer, Young People and Cults, and the AFF Annual Report for one year. AFF is a research and educational orga-nization founded in 1979 to assist cult victims and their families through the study of cultic groups and unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control. AFF shares its findings with professionals, the general public, and those needing help with cultic involvements. AFF's staff works with more than one hundred professionals volunteering their time to AFF's Research Advisory Commit-tee, professional education and other com-mittees, and special research and writing projects. AFF volunteer professionals include educators, psychiatrists, psycholo-gists, social workers, sociologists, attorneys, clergy, business executives, journalists, law enforcement officials, college and university administrators, scientists, and others. AFF is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions. THE CULT OBSERVER Vol. 11 No. 2 1994 ISSN 0892-340X Editor R.E. Schecter Editorial Board Lois Bell Michael Kropveld Eugene H. Methvin Herbert L. Rosedale, Esq. Marcia R. Rudin Forwarding Address Requested American Family Foundation P.O. Box 2265 Bonita Springs, FL 33959 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 69 Bonita Springs, FL 33959 American Family Foundation News American Family Foundation committee members, and others who are vital to AFF's research, information, and education functions, will learn of one another's recent activities in this column. Of course, much more work occurs than is reported to us. We'll try to relate the news in the order we receive it. A M E R I C A N F A M I L Y F O U N D A T I O N A Review of Press Reports on Cultism and Unethical Social Influence Scientology Appeal Denied in Wollersheim Case 3 Christian Encounter Group Training Called Brainwashing 5 On Gurus 6 INFORM's Funding Cut 6 Analyzing the Scientology-IRS Agreement 13 Analyzing the Scientology–IRS Agreement Paul Strekfus This article first appeared as “Recap—What We know About the Scientology Closing Agreement,” Tax Notes, January 10, 1994, 131-132. Copyright 1994 by Tax Analysts. Reprinted with permission. Continued on the page 8 Father James McGuire, who has spent twenty years in Catholic education, from a position as a high school principal up to the higher education level at the University of Pennsylvania (where he was for six years director of the Newman Center), is now Associate Pastor at St. Ignatius of Antioch in Yardley, PA. But his full-time parish ministry still leaves him time to help the families and others who come to him for information and guidance with the cult phenome-non. In the past seven months he has received two to three calls a week, concerning “High school kids dabbling, or getting seriously involved, in Satanism,” and with the Boston Church of Christ with “tentacles reaching into the hearts and souls of Pennsylvania young people.” Calls on the subject to the archdiocese are automatically referred to him. He is still a member of the Interfaith Coalition of Clergy Concerned with Cults in New York, along with Rabbi James Rudin and Seymour Lachman, although his parish commitments keep him from attending regular meetings. In October, he and Father James LeBar gave an adult education program for an audience of over 100, on “Cults in America.” Fr. LeBar gave a generic overview of the problem, and showed videos of his television appearances on Satanism and Bible-based cults. Father McGuire considers his clientele “pretty well-educated,” but he believes that “Waco was a wake-up call” to many. In November, he gave a ministerium talk in Bucks County, PA, a large school, church, and synagogue area where people are “affluent, upwardly-mobile, educated,” and very interested in his expertise on the Boston Movement. He recalls attending an American Psychiatric Association meeting in the late '70s at the University of Pennsylvania where Dr. John Clark gave a talk that “greatly influenced” him in his work. Our best wishes to Fr. McGuire in his new venture. Lorna Goldberg, M.S.W., of the AFF Social Work Committee, a co-leader with her husband William of the long-lived former members' group, was named as a resource for young people and parents concerned about cults in the December '93 / January '94 issue of Young Modern maga-zine. An article, “I Was Sucked into a Cult,” by a pseu-donymous young woman “as told to” a writer and psycho-therapist, Elizabeth Tener, M.S.W., recounts the teenager's unhappy experience in the Boston Movement, also known as the Boston Church of Christ. In a sidebar, titled “Is a friend getting swept into a cult?” Lorna Goldberg says, in part, “To newcomers, cults look like wonderful caring communities . . . Anyone can become vulnerable to cult involvement . . . during a time of loss—a family divorce, a breakup of a relationship . . . or a period of transition . . .” Signs of change that might be worrisome to a friend are then listed and, under the heading “What to do,” this advice is given: “If you're worried, you can learn about the group your friend is involved with. Call the American Family Foundation for information about different cults [the AFF telephone number is given]; this organization will send pamphlets and suggest people to talk to . . . The mind control of cults is hard to shake. You'll be doing your friend a big favor by trying to pull her back.” This story has resulted in a great number of calls for information to the AFF office. Dr. Ronald Enroth, professor of sociology at Westmont College, Santa Barbara,CA, and author of several well-received books on cults and cultic groups, including The Lure of the Cults and Churches That Abuse, was featured speaker at a symposium for “those involved in the lives of college students through campus ministry, university student affairs, or congre-gational ministry,” sponsored by Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Southern Cali-fornia, Los Angeles, on December 1, 1993. The all-day program, “The Challenge of the Cults,” was presented in co”peration with American Baptist Ministries at USC, Canterbury USC, United Ministry at USC, and the Cult Awareness Committee of the USC Division of Student Affairs. It was designed to give practical information from students of cults and from those who had personal or counseling involvement with cults. Marcia Rudin recently traveled with her husband, Rabbi James Rudin, to the Pacific Northwest, where —while managing a brief vacation on a tight schedule—Marcia took part in “a big program” on cults sponsored by the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the American Jewish Committee of Portland, on March 4th. On the 6th, in Seattle, a similar program was co-sponsored by the District Council on Ministries of the Pacific Northwest, the Annual Conference of United Methodist Churches, the American Jewish Committee of Seattle, and the Church Council of Seattle. In Parade Magazine for December 26, 1993, columnist Jack Anderson offers “Headlines You Could See in 1994,” among which was, “With Some Cults, Heaven Can't Wait.” In an excerpt, he states: “You saw it this year with David Koresh, and you'll see it next year somewhere else in America: A small group of armed cultists will have a standoff with federal agents. One estimate by the non-profit American Family Foundation [editor's emphasis] says there are more than 3000 cults, numbering about 5 million members, in the U.S. today. [Most] are peaceful and keep to themselves. But a small number are well-armed, anti-outsider and taught daily that the secular government will oppose them—and so, when the government steps in, they must be prepared to fight a holy war . . .” Cult Education Lesson Plan for Schools Too Good to be True: Resisting Cults and Psychological Manipulation, a new lesson plan about cults, psychological manipulation, and occult rituals for use in middle schools, high schools, churches, and synagogues is now available for purchase from the International Cult Education Program (ICEP). Too Good to be True, designed for three to five class sessions, is an effective way to teach middle and high school students about cults and the pressure and manipulation recruiters use to get people to join groups and stay in them, how to recognize mind control and psychological manipulation, and how to develop critical-thinking skills in order to resist them. It consists of the following components available in different combinations and priced according to the option chosen: 1) a 30-page student text; 2) an 11-page teacher's guide; 3) Cults & Mind Control, a 6-page handout for students; 4) Cults: Questions & Answers, a 13-page pamphlet; 5) “Cults: Saying No Under Pressure,” a 29-minute videotape developed by ICEP and the National Association of Secondary School Principals' InService Video Network and narrated by Charlton Heston. Sales Options and Prices Option 1 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control: $16.00, $4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $20.00 ($22 for Canadian and overseas orders) Option 2 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control, one copy Cults: Questions & Answers: $18.00, $4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $22.00 ($24 for Canadian and overseas orders) Option 3 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control, one copy “Cults: Saying No Under Pressure:” $71.00 ($4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $75.00 ($77 for Canadian and overseas orders) Option 4 — one student text, one teacher's guide, one copy Cults & Mind Control, one copy Cults: Questions and Answers, one copy “Cults: Saying No Under Pressure:” $73.00 ($4.00 postage and handling ($6.00 postage and handling for Canadian and overseas orders) Total: $77.00 ($79 for Canadian and overseas orders) American Family Foundation financial supporters may subtract $2.00 from the price of each option. Additional copies of the materials may be purchased. For further information or to obtain an order form, contact International Cult Education Program, P.O. Box 1232, Gracie Station, New York, NY10028, 212-439-1550. Spiritualist Convicted of Fraud Terri Hoffman, founder of a movement known as Conscious Development of Body, Mind and Soul, accused of having a hand in the deaths of 10 followers, was convicted of unrelated bankruptcy fraud last November. Relatives of ex-follow-ers have claimed in lawsuits that Hoffman influenced their kin to kill themselves after they had given or willed her most or all of their posse-ssions. (From “Spiritualist convicted in federal bankruptcy fraud case,” Cult Awareness Network News [Chicago], 1/94, 3, 7) Polygamist Cultist Sentenced Former polygamist cult member Richard LeBaron, 22, was sentenced to five years in prison for killing a man who had left the cult and the man's daughter. LeBaron is one of the 54 children of the late Ervil LeBaron, founder of the Church of the Lamb of God, who taught that those who leave the group must be killed. In sentencing,U.S. District Judge Sim [sic] Lake said, in Houston, that he considered the young LeBaron had been virtually enslaved and brainwashed by the cult since he was a child. When the judge asked LeBaron what he had been thinking when he shot the two, he said, “I was scared to death. At the time (1988) I just did what I was told. (“Ex-Member of Cult Sentenced For Killing Man Who Left Cult,” AP, Savannah [GA] News Press, 12/3/93) Father Wins Custody from Commune The father of a 13-year-old boy who had been living at Bishop Luke Edwards' Holyland commune in Emelle, AL, won custody of the boy from his mother last October. The child testified that he hardly ever saw his mother; that she took almost no interest in him; and that he often was starved, once for four consecutive days, as punishment. Sandra Williams, who acknowledged that she spent most of her time working at a motel owned by Edwards, could not answer most questions regarding her son's schoolwork or how he occupies his days. The boy attended a commune school, and teachers there also could give the judge little information regarding his school performance. (From “I believe this young man,” by Judi Johnston, Sumpter County Record-Journal, 10/21/93, 1, cited in Cult Awareness Net-work News, 1/94, 7) LaRoucheites' Leniency Pleas Fail Four associates of Lyndon LaRouche have failed in their attempt to use letters from Virginia legislators to reduce their 1991 sentences on security fraud charges. The Roanoke County Court refused in November to reduce the sentences, which ran from 25 to 35 years among the four. While aware that LaRouche himself [at the time of writing], and several other associates were already in jail for massive securities fraud, the legislators, apparently all Republicans, argued that jails should be reserved for “violent” crimes. (From “Legislators' Pleas for Leniency fail to Move Judge in LaRouche Case.” by Justin M. Norton, Loudoun Times-Mirror [Leesburg, VA], 11/10/93, A6) Dealing With Therapist Misconduct In an Op-Ed piece in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (12/30/93, A7), “How can we stop sexual misconduct by therapists?”, author-activist Shirley Siegel suggests that therapists themselves take the lead by: reconstituting state disciplinary boards so that the inherent conflict of interest that operates when colleagues sit in judgment of colleagues is eliminated; refraining from criminalizing sexual abuse, which leads insurance companies to deny coverage (on the basis that they don't pay for criminal acts); stopping buying of malpractice insurance that denies coverage for sexual exploitation or caps it at $25,000; setting up a system to monitor practices of licensed therapists; seeing to it that every counselor or therapist carries malpractice insurance; “doing something about the counseling clergy, if only to call for a public boycott of such folks until they agree to get proper training and a state license.” Verdict Against Christian Science Church The Christian Science Church last September was ordered by a Minneapolis jury to pay $9 million in punitive damages to the father of 11-year-old Ian Lundman, who died in a diabetic coma without treatment as his mother prayed. The jury also returned a $5.2 million award in a wrongful death suit filed by the boy's biological father against his former wife and her husband, the Church, and several of its representatives. The case was the first in which a wrongful death lawsuit resulted in damages against the Christian Science Church. (From “Christian Science Church told to pay $9 million in boy's death,” by Amy Kuebelbeck, The Boston Globe, 8/26/93) Illinois Senate Panel on Cults The Illinois Senate Education Committee held a hearing on Dec. 7 in Chicago that “exposed the fragile tension between religious freedom and protecting college students from harassment.The hearing, “convened to consider what to do about non-traditional religious groups recruiting on campuses,” was dominated by discussion of the Inter-national Church of Christ (formerly the Boston Church of Christ). Former members described the group as “abusive” and “destructive,” and said that it employed “mind control.” “This is not a witch hunt,” Sen. Frank Watson told a packed conference room. “We are not out after any particular group. But we think we have a responsibility to the young people of this state to make sure their environment . . . is one which could be considered a safe environment.” An elder of the church testified, “We're in a country that believes in religious freedom, and it's amazing to me the committee is even discus-sing all this in light of the recent law that was passed in Washington (referring to increased religious protection signed into law recently by President Clinton). (From “State panel studies church recruiting,” Chicago Tribune, 12/8/93, Section 2, 8) AFF News Continued from page 2 It's hard to imagine how two entities desperately seeking respectability in the world of tax- exemption could have done much worse than what has transpired over the past couple of months. In October 1993—after three decades of fighting—the IRS released favorable exemption ruling letters to at least 25 Church of Scientology-related groups. When asked about these developments, the IRS's only response was, “Trust us.” Not surprisingly, attorneys for the Church of Scientology, as well as a church representative, made a similar response. Mistake number one—reporters always take “no comment” to mean “catch me if you can.” On the Trail This reporter's first Tax Notes article on these developments (Oct. 18, 1993, p. 279) asked about the retroactivity of the rulings and the continuing vitality of the Supreme Court's holding in Hernandez (109 s. Ct. 2136 (1989). It now looks like it was naive to guess that Hernandez [a decision that held certain Scientology activities not tax-exempt] would remain the law of the land. This reporter also penned a “Viewpoint” article in the October 25 issue of Tax Notes (p. 500), critically noting the IRS's failure to explain why it was now granting exemption “in cases where numerous courts have found evidence of inurement and private benefit in the operations of Scientology organizations.” In response, one of Scientology's attorneys, Thomas C. Sprong, wrote a letter (Tax Notes, Nov. 1, 1993, p. 627), telling readers what I should do if I “really cared for the truth,” and labeling my reporting as “irresponsible and unprofessional.” A second article (Nov. 1, 1993, p. 525) reported on an intensive review of the administrative record made available by the IRS. The record, probably inintentionally, revealed the existence of an IRS “negotiations committee” chaired by Howard M. Schoenfeld, special assistant to the assistant commissioner (EP/EO). Somewhat ironi-cally, Schoenfeld's office had been bugged by the Scientologists during earlier, less pleasant times. Apparently, the Scientologists were now satisfied that Schoenfeld was not one to hold a grudge. It was later learned that the move to a negotiated settlement had apparently been directed by then-commissioner Fred T. Goldberg Jr., whose adminis-tration had been marked by charges of “giving away the store,” as documented in an article in Tax Notes (Feb. 1, 1993, p. 530). In that article, Goldberg seemed to be arguing that his power as IRS commissioner included reversing Supreme Court decisions, which now appears to have happened in the Hernandez case. The article also detailed a number of other disturbing administrative actions by the IRS. This story, too, was greeted by a blast (Nov. 8, 1993, p. 747) from an attorney for the Scientologists, Monique E. Yingling. She accused me of attacking the settlement “simply because it involves Scientology.” In addition, the Scientologists' designated spokesperson, Marty Rathbun, weighed in, accusing me of “prevaricating with reckless abandon.” (Nov. 15, 1993, p. 871). A third article (Nov. 8, 1993, p. 643) reported on what appears to be the IRS throwing in the towel on the Hernandez issues, notwithstanding its victory in the Supreme Court. Four former IRS commissioners, who apparently don't share Goldberg's expansive view of the power of IRS commissioners to overturn Supreme Court decisions, expressed misgivings about this action. A fourth article (Dec. 6, 1993, p. 1144) provided a hint that the IRS was granting almost full deductibility to all past contributions (including auditing [Scientology counseling] payments that were addressed in Hernandez) made by Scientologists. This article prompted a reader to send in a Scientology booklet titled, “Information on Taxes and Your Donation,” that provided the main details of the church's secret closing agreement with the IRS. Details of Secret Agreement According to the booklet, “The Internal Revenue Service's action has two consequences of utmost interest to Scientologists. First, this action signifies that the Internal Revenue Service—and the United States government as well—has formally recognized that the Church operates exclusively for religious purposes and that Scientology, as a bona fide religion, is beneficial to society as a whole. Second, the action means that the donations you make to the Church—including donations for auditing and training—qualify as charitable contributions and can be claimed as deductions on your federal (and state) income tax returns!” The booklet then states that “those actions by the Internal Revenue Service encompass every Scientology church in the United States,” as well as “several of the most significant Scientology organizations located outside of the United States.” Regarding contributions, the booklet states that “donations for Scientology auditing and training services . . . qualify for the charitable contribution deduction.” This has been a controversial aspect of the closing agreement, since it appears to directly violate the Supreme Court's ruling in the Hernandez case. As for effective dates, the booklet explains that “the entire amount of donations you make from January 1, 1993 on for auditing and training qualify [sic] as charitable contributions.” For years before 1993, two rules apply. For Scientologists engaged in litigation with, or under audit by, the IRS, “the IRS will drop all pending cases in litigation, and will also discontinue any audits that are underway.” This means “any taxes and interest claimed by the IRS by reason of such disallowed donation deductions will not have to be paid.” In case there is still any doubt about this the booklet states, “These tax cases and IRS audits are gone.” For “those instances where donations for services were made in years prior to 1993 but were not claimed as income tax deductions, or where a claim for refund for such taxes is already pending but not under audit,” the booklet advises that “the amount that can be claimed is limited to 80 percent of the donation.” To date there has been no explanation of the significance of this amount, but it would appear to entail a significant revenue loss to the government. A Public Matter What is one to make of all this? First, the IRS has tried to make private what should be a public matter. The Service has aroused strong suspicion that it is acting outside its authority in disregarding the requirements for exemption and in ignoring a Supreme Court decision that seemed to settle the issue of deductibility of auditing payments to the Church of Scientology. The church, on the other hand, seems to be using its usual tactics with the press. It's interesting that at the same time the Scientologists were blasting the coverage in Tax Notes of their rapprochement with the IRS, their former public relations head, Robert Vaughn Young, who has turned against them, was writing abut how Scientologists fool the press (Quill, November/December 1993). In this critical review, he reported on tactics such as “how to respond to a question without answering, how to divert the issue, how to tell 'an acceptable truth,' how to stall for time, how to 'attack the attacker,' ” and much more. It would appear that church representatives continue to use these tactics. To date, despite repeated requests, no information (unless you count fulminations) has been forthcoming from church representatives. At this point in time, the IRS-Church of Scientology closing agreement cannot be fully evaluated since many of its details remain secret. Tax Analysts is currently seeking the closing agreement under the Freedom of Information Act. The evidence released to date, and the lack of information available to the public from the IRS, bring into question the process of recognizing tax exemption and taxpayer confidence in that system. The IRS failed to explain why it was now granting exemption “in cases where numerous courts have found evidence of inurement and private benefit in the operations of Scientology organizations.” Four former IRS commissioners, who apparently don't share Goldberg's expansive view of the power of IRS commissioners to overturn Supreme Court decisions, expressed misgivings about this action. The evidence released to date, and the lack of information available to the public from the IRS, bring into question the process of recognizing tax exemption and taxpayer confidence in that system. Inquiry into Decision Requested The following letter was sent on February 3, 1994 by Edward Lottick, M.D., of Kingston, PA, to Congress-man Paul E. Kanjorski, of Wilkes-Barre, PA, regard-ing the IRS decision on Scientology's tax exemption. Dr. Lottick is a research associate of the American Family Foundation, publisher of The Cult Observer. While thinking of local and national interest and the world we live in, it was with consi-derable dismay that Sally [Mrs. Lottick] and I read about the apparent cave-in of the executive branch of our own government of the United States in the decades' long litigation war of attrition of Scientology against the Internal Revenue Service. The staff of Scientology played a stupid and sordid role in the death of our son, and the leadership of Scientology was very clumsy and likewise sordid in their manner of backing up that staff. I fear that such inadequate and borderline behavior unchecked will lead to the death and debility of others. Sally and I have been very active in educating the public about the dangers of destructive groups and everyone that we talk to wonders what on earth happened to the Internal Revenue Service. . . We hypothesize and speculate, but we are frustrated. We citizens have questions, and you as our representative are in a position to obtain answers to the following questions: • At what level of the executive branch was the decision actually made? • Did the Secretary of the Treasury review the matter before the decision was announced? • Was there any relation between this decision and the events at Waco? • Was the decision consistent with the Internal Revenue Code and the rules and regulations thereunder? • Why did the Internal Revenue Service concede even as to the years when L. Ron Hubbard [the Scientology founder] was alive and enriched by Scientology? • It's clear what concessions the Internal Revenue Service made. What concessions did Scientology make? I know you will have some good ideas and I look forward to your sharing them with us. When you are back in home territory, Sally and I would very much like to schedule some time with you and Nancy for some informal continuing education about various dangerous and destructive groups. “Au Dela Des Mirages” “Au Dela Des Mirages” / “Beyond The Mirage” is a new video production from Info-Secte, the leading cult research and education organization in Canada. Directed by Jorge Martinez, “Au Dela Des Mirages” is aimed at a wide, general audience but should be especially useful for sensitizing young people to the nature and effects of cult recruitment. The video, which exemplifies its message through the stories of two former cult members — with analysis by Michael Kropveld, head of Info-Secte, and Yves Casgrain, formerly Info-Secte's research chief—will also be useful to professionals confronting the phenomenon one way or another in the course of their work. “Au Dela Des Mirages / Beyond The Mirages,” VHS, 24 minutes, either French or English language version, from Vid‚ograph-Distribution, 455 rue Garnier, Montr‚al, Qu‚bec, H2J 3S7, Canada. Tel. (514) 521-2116. Fax. (514) 521-1676 Women in Cults A shocking but sober analysis of the especially abusive treatment of women in certain kinds of cults is the subject of “Un sexe et des sectes by Yves Casgrain in Le Devoir (Montreal), September 25-26, 1993. Casgrain, former research director of Montr‚al's Info-Secte, takes as his illustrative case the torture, slavery, and humiliation experienced by women at the hands of Canadian cult leader “Moses” Rock Th‚riault, now jailed for cutting off a concubine's arm. This victim, Gabrielle Lavall‚e, has written a book, Savage Messiah, about her experience with Th‚riault, but three other concubines wait for him not far from the penitentiary. He will be eligible for parole in 1999. (Cult Observer Report) Consumers' Guide to Self Awareness Schemes The Montr‚al consumer watchdog, ACEF Centre, has published a book, “Pour Etre Bien Dans Sa Peau Sans Y Laisser Sa Peau” (How to Feel Good In Your Skin Without Losing It), aimed to help individuals choose wisely among the multitude of human potential and self-knowledge courses and programs available in an essentially unregulated market. The book poses the kinds of hard questions that one ought to ask before getting involved, including what the regimen is like, what the total costs will be, and what recourse is there for a bad experience. TM Party Outpolls Greens in Qu‚bec The Transcendental Meditation organization's Natural Law Party, which has contested a number of national elections in North America and Europe in recent years, got very little support generally in the recent Canadian elections but manged to garner 30,000 votes in Qu‚bec, by far outpolling the Green Party in the province. Nationally, the TM party, one of whose losing candi-dates for Parliament was magician and TM devotee Doug Henning, spent some $8 million on the campaign. (From “Le Parti de la loi naturelle a recueilli dix fois plus de voix au Qu‚bec que les Verts,” by Isabelle Par‚, Le Devoir [Montr‚al], 10/31/93, A7; “The New Incarnation of the Maharishi,” by Jack Kapika, The Globe and Mail [Toronto], 11/27/93) Germany LaRouche May Have “Hoodwinked” Politicians A September, 1993 advertisement in the Washington Post by a Lyndon LaRouche-affiliated organization may have used the names of prominent German politicians without their knowledge or full understanding. The ad, calling for LaRouche's release from prison, where he was still serving time for a fraud conviction, listed a number of German members of the European Parliament as supporters of the petition. Ingo Heinemann, head of the German 'Action for Spiritual and Psychic Freedom', a cult monitoring and educational organization based in Bonn, said that the signatories drew scathing criticism from the German press. Der Spiegel called for an explanation, noting that one signatory, a politician from Brandenburg, was apparently told by the Schiller Institute, a LaRouche organization in Hanover, that LaRouche was in jail because the U.S. justice system had framed him for murder. (From “LaRouche Organizations May Have 'Hoodwinked' Germans,” by Irena von Zahn, Loudoun Times-Mirror [Leesburg, VA], 10/13/93, A1, 17) Germany continued on page 10 Australia Campaign vs. Cult Education Organizations The Church of Scientology and the Children of God are apparently behind an offensive, begun in 1993, against “counter-cult organizations,” according to a report by one of these organizations, CCG Ministries, of Perth, in their newsletter, Take a Closer Look (10/93, 1-11). The cam-paign—paralleling similar thrusts in Europe and North America—includes literature mailings and mass media articles. It associates CCG, as well as Gateway Counseling, a Jewish organization in the state of Victoria, and other groups, with an organized campaign against fundamentalist Christians, an inquisition, and links, involving depro-graming, to the U.S.A.-based Cult Awareness Network. Italy Bishops Urge Fight vs. “Sects” Parish life and Catholic lay movements must be strengthened to combat the growth of sects [a word which, in the Italian context, includes “cults”], said Italy's bishops in a 46-page document published last June. The document advocated, among other things, strengthening the response of Catholic organizations to the spiritual and psychological needs of persons to whom cults appeal, the creation of a specialized group in each diocese to study sects and offer practical guides to Catholics, and detailed studies on the phenomenon of sects, about which it said too little is known. The bishops believe that sects appeal mainly to the poor and marg-inalized, and offer “easy refuge for persons psychologically troubled, need-ing security.” The document said there were numerous sects in Italy, but mentioned only the Jehovah's Witnesses—criticized for their “spirited proselytism of hostility toward the Catholic Church”—and the New Age movement, which offers a “vague naturalism” that uses Christian authors to distort the salvific role of Christ. (From “Italian Bishops Urge Strong Parish Life to fight Sects,” by Agostino Nono, Catholic News Service, 6/22/93, 11) Member of Parliament Alan Meale (Labour, Mansfield) announced on Nov. 15 that the Home Office has decided to cut funds for INFORM, an organization set up several years ago under the aegis of University of London sociologist and cult researcher Eileen Barker to help individuals and families with cult involvements. This was done even though there already existed in Britain other organizations, albeit not supported by public money, doing that sort of work—including FAIR (Family Action, Information, and Referral), a widespread grassroots organization headquartered in London, the London-based Cult Information Center, and Deo Gloria Outreach, in South Croydon, Surrey. Mr. Meale, Joint Secretary of the Parliamentary Cults Group, said: “I am personally delighted to hear that the Government has at last ceased to continue the funding of INFORM. Although INFORM continues to operate and be at odds with the rest of the cult awareness field, the removal of taxpayers' money from an organisation courted by many of the religious cult groups is welcomed.” Mr. Meale's press release went on to say that undoubtedly, the Waco disaster and the highly publicized activities in Europe of The Children of God (known today as The Family) have helped to get the message across to the Government that the funding by the taxpayer of an organisation found to be friendly toward cults was both stupid and unwise. “The resignation of Professor Eileen Barker from both her positions as a director and Chairperson of INFORM,” Meale said, “is also appreciated. Her apologetic stance for cults has done much to confuse the issue over the past few years. “Her support for the Moonie organisation, the Unification Church, was well known and campaigned against by many, including myself,” Meale added. “It would be encouraging to think that INFORM might now drift into oblivion, as its past has totally blotted the copybook for any future it may have possessed. “Nevertheless,” he concluded, “I look forward to the day when the people giving real help to the victims of cultism are supported by government money.” How Safe Is Your Guru? The Institute for Social Inventions, in London, has come up with a “Guru Quotient” ratings table so that would-be disciples can better judge whether or not they should follow this or that guru's way. The test is based on a series of some 28 questions, among them: “Is what the guru offers really free? Does the guru behave with compassion, generosity, loving kindness, honesty, calm, and open mindedness? Does the guru play down the expectation of rapid, dramatic spiritual attainment? Is it easy to leave the guru; are ex-disciples treated satisfactorily; and are 'opponents' of the guru treated fairly? Does the guru refrain from sexual involvement with the disciples? Is the organization non-authoritarian—are there signs of democracy, for instance, or of questioning and debate and thinking for oneself being welcomed—allowing members to express how they really feel?” Based on the positive answers to the questions, and inferences drawn from available literature and information from past and present disciples, the Institute produced the following table (with the most dangerous getting the lower “grades”): Koresh 4 (out of 100) Bhagwan [Rajneesh] 26 Maharishi [TM] 33 The post-Bhaktivedanta Hare Krishna groups 35 Gurdjieff 46 Leonard Orr of the Rebirthing Movement 57 Krishnamurthi 80 Stephen Gaskin, from the Tennessee Farm commune 82 According to the Institute, “These ratings do not, of course, necessarily reflect what a disciple can learn from a particular guru; they are more an indication of how 'safe' the guru is. Potential disciples would be well advised to steer clear of becoming organisationally involved with 'low GQ' gurus. It is, after all, a very basic checklist; almost all traditional gurus for the last three thousand years would have had little difficulty in scoring in the 80s and above.” Institute for Social Inventions, 20 Heber Road, London, NW2 6AA, U.K. (Cult Observer Report) France Grandma Objects to Moon Family Policy In a grand Paris hotel recently a French grandmother confronted Hak Ja Han Moon, wife of Unification Church leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and pointedly asked: “Mrs. Moon, do you approve of the practice of giving children away?” Thus spoke Th‚resse Gravrand, whose son, a long-time Unification Church member, with four other children, heartily concurred in giving his fifth child to a sterile couple, also church members. Mrs. Moon was speaking at a Unification Church-sponsored conference, where she was accompanied by National Front politician Pierre Ceyrac and supported by the written good wishes of, among others, the Prime Minister's office and the Grand Rabbi of Paris. (Le Parisien, 11/12/93, 12) Vietnam Jonestown Again? A blind, crippled leader of a doomsday cult organized a mass murder-suicide in which he and 52 followers died in northwestern Vietnam, official newspapers in Hanoi reported last October. The dead were all members of Vietnam's Thai minority group. Cult leader Ca Van Lieng, who had predicted an apocalyptic flood in the year 2000, told followers it was time for them to leave the world. Lieng had lost both eyes and arms in a dynamite accident. (From “53 Thais Die In Vietnam Cult Murder-Suicide,” Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle, 10/19/93, A14) “Tvind” — Cultism in Scandanavia On Gurus “The Guru Papers” The authors of The Guru Papers, Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad (North Atlantic Books, 385 pages, 1993), “metho-dically reveal why some people surrender self-deter-mination to parental substitutes they revere—be these “gurus” cult leaders, political rulers, rock stars or even “shrinks”—and then identify with the empowered hero dominating their lives.” Regarding the disproportionate number of Jews “drawn to Eastern style cults as well as neo-Hasidic rebbes,” the authors suggest “a link between persecution and 'renunciate moralities' (defined as religious systems that rely on self-abnegation). Personally or collectively, people who have felt powerless may neurotically repeat the trauma of diminished capacity by bowing to an imagined or actual wise man augmented by their trust.” (From “All about gurus,” by Kinda Bayer, Washington Jewish Week, 9/23/93, 9) Defending Erhard In 60 Minutes and the Assassination of Werner Erhard, (Breakthru Press), Jane Self comes to the defense of Werner Erhard, who has been painted in much literature recently as an abusive cult figure. Self, a Georgia newspaperwoman who admits that her “life has not been the same” since she met Erhard, seems to imply that the rival Scientologists are responsible for stinging criticism of Erhard. Steven Pressman, author of Outrageous Betrayal (St. Martin's), a recent book highly critical of Erhard, says that Breakthru Press has ties to Erhard. The publisher of Breakthru denies this, although he says he has taken Erhard courses. (From “Gone but not forgotten,” by Charlotte Hays, New York Daily News, 9/14/93) Memoir of Ride With “Rama” Lenz Take Me for a Ride (Outer Rim Press, 1993), by Mark Laxer, is the author's account of his experience with Frederick Lenz, or Rama, the New Age guru who recruits college students, many of whom go on to work as computer consultants to finance his glamorous lifestyle. According to The Cult Awareness Network News (10/93, 6), “this personal memoir . . . captures the drama, the adventure, the love and friendship this leader offered—and the price Lenz seductively extracted in return.” (Cult Observer Report) See related story on Lenz, page 12. Sahaja Yoga Leader at NIH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the leader of Sahaja Yoga, was scheduled to appear at the National Institutes of Health on October 14 to show her “simple method through which all people can attain a state of harmonious well-being” through her yoga method. [Sahaja Yoga schools' harsh educational methods have gained headlines in Europe in recent years through the celebrated cases of a number of French children.] (From “Motherly coverage,” The Washington Times, 10/14/93, A7) [The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church] “The Way” College Stll Operating After several years' organizational and financial turmoil following the death of founder Victor Paul Wierwille, The Way International is once again operating its college, now in Rome City, Indiana, on the campus of a former Roman Catholic apostolate. Meanwhile, in New Knoxville, Ohio, the organization convened last August its annual Rock of Ages celebration for what Way officials said was 12,000 members from around the world. Responding to claims by the Chicago-based Cult Awareness Network that it still receives complaints about The Way, and that “we are a dangerous and destructive cult,” officials in New Knoxville replied, “We just say, 'come and see.' ” (From “Way officials contend cult charges unfair,” (Staff reports, The Sidney [Ohio] Daily News, 8/13/93, 1A; “Showing the Way, Non-traditional college focuses on the word of God,” by Rick Martinez, The Journal Gazette [Fort Wayne, IN], 7/10/93, 1D, 8D) Honor to Mrs. Moon Regretted The governor of Oklahoma and a Massachusetts state legislator issued statements last summer regretting that they had honored Hak Ja Han, wife of the Unification Church leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Gov. David Walters signed a proclamation honoring Mrs. Moon at the request of an acquaintance whose wife is president of the Unification Church-backed Women's Foundation for World Peace, which Mrs. Moon heads. A spokesman for the governor subsequently said that if he had known the proclamation was for Moon's wife, “it might have been different.” The campaign manager for Massachusetts Rep. Mark Roosevelt, who issued a legislative citation honoring Mrs. Moon, later said it was “a complete mistake.” (From “Moon burns Dem pol,” by Eric Fehrnstrom, The Boston Herald, 8/13/93; and an Associated Press release in the Daily Oklahoman, July 1993), both cited in The Cult Awareness Network News, 10/93, 5) LaRoucheites Target ADL Supporters of expremist Lyndon LaRouche leafletted households in the Boston suburb of Newton, Massachusetts, in November, with literature attacking the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith as bigots. The leafletting is part of a campaign against the activities of the ADL by the LaRouche organization, which had been branded by the Jewish organization as anti-Semitic. (From “LaRouche group targets Newton homes with anti-ADL literature,” by David Arnold, The Boston Globe, 11/11/93, 33) “The Farm” as Summer Camp For the eighth year, small groups of disadvantaged urban children from Nashville's projects, shelters, and refugee centers escape to The Farm, an intentional community in Tennessee [and regarded as a cult for many years], where they'll live with families, eat vegetarian food, and join Farm kids in a week of intensive country living. The program is a joint project of The Farm Alternative School and Plenty USA,The Farm's relief agency. Businesses, churches, music groups, and individuals sponsor children. The program costs $250 per child. (From “Kids to the Country,” The New Age Networker, May/June 1993, 88) Christian Encounter Group Training Called Brainwashing Momentus Training, a marriage of encounter group and conservative Christianity, has divided the evangelical Christian community in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, in California, strained longstanding friendships between ministers, and sparked criticism that its tactics amount to brainwashing. Pastors and some graduates say the training's exercises and secrecy are virtually identical to those of Lifespring, a nationwide encounter group strongly influenced by New Age thought that trained the head of Momentus. Lifespring's message and methods have drawn criticism from both Christian cult-watching groups and secular psychologists as well as lawsuits from aggrieved former trainees. Momentus creator Daniel Tocchini says his exercises challenge people to actively examine their own real-life experiences in a hands-on approach seldom used at church. “People want to be able to share the things inside them that are rotting them because they feel guilty. They want to be able to communicate their hearts' desires with a passion that's behind it . . . And when they can't do that you have disease. Social disease.” When Tocchini's trainees returned to their congregation at the Santa Rosa Christian Church, a few shook up the services by whistling and shouting out. For them it showed a renewed enthusiasm for their faith. For some members of the congregation, it began to raise questions. 12-Hour Days Critics argue that the training uses 12-hour days, profanity, hypnotherapy, and gut-wrenching exercises to break people down, and later pressures those who try to break their ties with it. One minister who was at first enthusiastic after taking the training now calls it “voluntary brainwashing.” Said the Rev. Dick Williams, of Grace Fellowship Church, in Santa Rosa: “Without question it's a manipulation. It's a very skillful manipulation.” Yet Tocchini says that this is not so, and that his training is different from Lifespring's. He and his pastor, the Rev. J.R. Young, claim that the trainings have saved marriages and converted roughly 100 people to profess faith in Christianity. Others also feel that the training was worthwhile. Rev. John Strong said it helped him forgive his parents and become less oriented toward performing to please others. And John Bishop said that it was “like getting a look at yourself and getting a look at God's idea or God's image or God's desire for your life. And you see His picture against your picture and it helps you grow. That's what being a Christian is about.” Most of Tocchini's first graduates were, in fact, members of his Santa Rosa Christian Church, controversial a decade ago because of a program known as shepherding, in which members conferred with a church “shepherd” on personal decisions including work and marriage. Nonetheless, the Rev. Dennis Peacock, a spiritual mentor of the Christian Church pastoral staff, said: “I have been astounded at the level of psychological mind games and 'let's don't talk about issues of truth but instead the “real” issues of emotion and psychological strongholds.' ” Charles Berlin, a Momentus graduate who served as a volunteer at three trainings, says that while he does not question Tocchini's motives, he feels graduates are more focused on themselves and their experiences than on prayer and Bible study. “There's too much emphasis on the individual and not enough on Christ.” Tom Trumper and his wife say they received 10 phone calls in the two weeks following their training from a Momentus volunteer, who asked, “Where is your commitment?” Said Trumper: “They take this great idea of making a commitment and they focus it right back onto the training where your commitment isn't to Jesus Christ, your commitment isn't to your fellow men, your com-mitment is to bring more people to the training.” Other critics say that during the training people are under such emotional turmoil—under so much peer pressure and so consumed by the experience—that it is the wrong time for them to make rational decisions about failings in their lives. “You make them anxious and then you relieve the anxiety,” said Dr. Michael Langone, a psychologist with the American Family Foundation in Bonita Springs, FL [publisher of The Cult Observer]. People still exercise choice, “but that choice was mani-pulated,” Langone added. Tocchini refers to those psychologists and cult watchers, who have in the past attacked Lifespring, as “witch hunters.” He and his supporters strongly dispute that they use high-pressure tactics aimed at breaking trainees. “It isn't my job to make somebody believe or to sell them goods,” he said. “It's my job to love them.” (From “A Momentus divide among churches,” by Robert Digitale, The Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, CA], 10/3/93, 1, A10) Scientology Appeal Denied in Wollersheim Case The U.S.Supreme Court has denied the Church of Scientology's final petition for certiorari [review] in the case of Wollersheim vs. Scientology, thus allowing plaintiff Lawrence Wollersheim to begin executing hs collection of an unanimous 1986 jury verdict and judgment against Scientology for $2.5 million. With accumulated interest and court costs accrued during Scientology's appeals, the judgment is now worth about $6 million, according to Wollersheim, who now runs F.A.C.T.NET, an educational computer network “whose goal is to inform the public about human rights abuses caused by the growing use of coercive psychological tactics.” Wollersheim estimates that the case cost Scientology $50 to $70 million over the 14 years it has contested Wollersheim's claims that he was psychologically damaged by Scientology practices while a member, and Scientology tactics to silence him after he left the organization. In the California Court of Appeal decision that Scientology was seeking to have reviewed, and ultimately reversed, the court said that “Church practices [of Scientology] conducted in a coercive environment are not qualified to be voluntary religious practices entitled to 'First Amendment religious freedom guarantees . . We hold that the state has a compelling interest in allowing its citizens to recover for serious emotional injuries they suffered through religious practices they are coerced into accepting.” Wollersheim said that the decision “is a victory for all of Scientology's victims and a tremendous defeat for Scientology because this is the case they vowed they would never lose.” Wollersheim believes that the decision will encourage thousands of other “silent victims of Scientology's coercive psychological practices to go to court now and seek restitution.” Wollersheim said he was confident he could collect his judgment, adding that he has liens on about $100 million worth of Scientology property. He said that “Scientology removed over $290 million worth of its corporate assets during my pre-trial period. If they now claim this corporation has no money, I will immediately begin to force Scientology into involuntary bankruptcy and seek criminal charges for felony faudulent conveyance.” (Cult Observer Report) Continued on the next page Christian Encounter Group Continued from page 6 Lenz Called Ruthless Cult Leader The State University of New York at Purchase, not far north of New York City, is caught up in a controversy over the school's rental of space to an organization associated with Frederick Lenz, who foes, including former members and relatives of current members, say controls people's minds to rob them of money and sex. Advanced Systems Inc., which rents space at SUNY Performing Arts Center, is just a professional organization, and not a cult, according to a Center spokesman. Followers who have left the group recently say that Lenz has at least 200 “students” in the area taking seminars that meet several times a week studying New Age themes. Former member Terry Koressal, who left the group in 1990, says she paid Lenz thousands of dollars and was coerced into having sex with him, a “spiritual” experience, he told her, one that would “impart energy” to her. A Lenz attorney in California said the guru is fre-quently maligned in the press by charges that are “totally unfounded.” He is, followers say, the victim of anti-religious bigots who do not respect the First Amendment and hate Buddhism. (From “SUNY tenant called ruthless cult leader,” by Zachary Margulis, Daily News [New York City], 12/5/93, 3) Davidians Acquitted of Murder But Convicted of Manslaughter Eleven Branch Davidians were acquitted by a San Antonio jury on Feb. 26 of charges they mur- dered four federal agents in the raid on their commune last year. This was accounted a measure of vindication for the accused, but the jury, while rejecting con-tentions that the group ambushed the agents, nonetheless found five of David Koresh's followers guilty of volun-tary manslaughter, which carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Those who had been on trial believe that justice was served and, in the words of the father of one who perished in the conflagration, “Our Constitution was at stake. If the government had won, then the government could have done this again.” Prosecutor Bill Johnson, however, with tears in his eyes, said, “Those agents did not die in vain. I want to tell everyone in law enforcement throughout this wonderful country, and especially in the ATF, to keep their chin up . . . seven individuals out of eleven have been convicted.” Attorney General Janet Reno said that the verdict recognized that the killings of the agents were not justified. “This closes another chapter in the Waco tragedy,” she con-cluded. The state had argued that the Davidians conspired to kill the agents seeking to arrest Koresh, while the defense argued that the members were only defending themselves. Prosecution witness Kathryn Schroeder, who agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of forcibly resisting federal officers in exchange for helping the government, testified that Koresh told his followers: “If you can't kill for God, you can't die for God.” However, she said she did not conspire to murder law officers. “Killing the agents was not something that I thought about. Said ATF director John W. Magaw, “In any human effort there will be mistakes. Mistakes do not justify the mass murder that David Koresh ordered on Feb. 28 and concluded on April 19. We have met our responsibility to be accountable and are meeting our responsibility to learn and improve.” US District Judge Walter Smith threw out convictions for using or carrying a firearm during a murder conspiracy because nobody was convicted on the murder conspiracy charge, but let stand other weapons counts against two defendants. [The weapons convictions Judge Walter dismissed have since been reinstated by another court.] (From “Davidians acquitted of murder,” by Kelley Shannon, AP, The Boston Globe, 2/27/94, 1, 14) Davidians Continued from page 3 Canada continued on the page 10 Britain Boston Movement The Central London Church of Christ, a branch of the Boston (U.S.) Church of Christ movement, late last year began a recruiting campaign in Northern Ireland from its base in the Republic of Ireland, where it has been established for more than two years. (FAIR NEWS [Family Action Information and Rescue], Autumn, 1993, 5) The Way “We have had practically no news on (the U.S.-based) The Way in Britain in recent years,” writes the editor of the FAIR News (Autumn, 1993, 13). “Neither do we get many parental enquiries. Perhaps this means that there has not been much recruiting in the UK, or that the group has gone more mainstream.” Jury Justifies Blackmail of Cult Leader A London jury last August found a daughter's blackmail threat to her North Wales commune cult-leader father was justified. Rebecca Teacher, 18, and her stepfather demanded money from leader Kevin O'Byrne in return for not telling her story of his sexual and physical abuse of her, and other followers, if he did not pay. They said they made the demands after her efforts to sue her father in civil court, and her attempts to alert authorities to her plight and those of other children, had failed. After the trial, authorities said they are willing to launch an investigation into O'Byrne and his group. (From stories in The Times of London, by Michael Horsnell, August 12, 13, 18, and 19, 1993, cited thus by the Cult Awareness Network News, 10/93, 2, 8) RECOVERY FROM CULTS Help for Victims of Psychological and Physical Abuse A 432-page hardcover book published by W. W. Norton and Company, edited by Michael D. Langone, Ph.D., including contributions from 23 experts in the field from a wide variety of professional perspectives. This landmark volume is for ex-members, their families, and helping professionals. Preface by: Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph. D. Section I: Mind Control A Little Carrot and a Lot of Stick; Reflections on Brainwashing; Understanding Mind Control Section II: Leaving Cults A Personal Account: Eastern Meditation Group; A Personal Account: Bible-based Group; Post-Cult Problems: An Exit Counselor's Perspective; The Importance of Information in Preparing for Exit Counseling Section III: Facilitating Recovery Post-cult Recovery: Assessment and Rehabilitation; Guidelines for Therapists; Guidelines for Clergy; Guidelines for Psychiatric Hospitalization of Ex-cultists; Guidelines for Support Groups; Guidelines for Families; Guidelines for Ex-members Section IV: Special Issues Children and Cults; Ritualistic Abuse of Children in Day-Care Centers; Teen Satansim; Legal Considerations: Regaining Independence and Initiative Order/Contribution Form Please send me ____ copies of Recovery From Cults @ $40 each, including postage and handling ($42 North America; $50 Europe; $55 other countries). Enclosed is my check (U.S. funds only) for $_________ (including extra donation of $________ payable to the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959 (212-249-7693) Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ State _____ Zip/Country _____________________ Phone ___________________ Continued on the page 4 Waco Prompts Justice Department Training Attorney General Janet Reno was asked in December to attend special crisis management classes as part of a broad Justice Department response to criticism of its handling of the Waco siege. The classes are part of a response to charges that both Reno and the FBI mishandled the crisis. The FBI has defended its actions, while a Justice Department report absolved Reno and other high officials, but outside critics have contended that a separate Justice Department chrononogy showed Reno to have been indecisive at key points in the crisis and misinformed about events. Although Reno said at first that she acted partly because of concerns that children were being abused, she later acknowledged that there was no evidence of recent child abuse by the Davidians. Evaluations of the event by outside experts selected by the Justice Department strongly criticized actions by mid-level bureau managers, concluding that efforts by hostage negotiatiators effect a surrender had been undrcut by tactical agents seeking to drive Koresh out with “psychological warfare.” FBI director Louis J. Freeh said that “substantial changes” the Bureau is making include training a “core group” of agents to manage crises and taking “very dramatic steps to integrate the hostage rescue operators with the negotiators “ to make sure that they work in tandem.” (From “Waco Siege Prompts Crisis Training for Top Justice Dept. Officials,” by Michael Isikoff, The Washington Post, 12/9/93, A10) Chick Corea, Scientologist, Files Suit Over Cancellation Jazz pianist Chick Corea filed a discrimination lawsuit in December against the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg for cancelling his concert there last summer because he belongs to the Church of Scientology. He said in his suit that he wants the state to admit it practiced religious disscri-mination in cancelling his engagement to perform in Stuttgart during the World Track and Field Championships. Baden-Wuerttemberg officials said that Scientology is a cult that brainwashes its membeers, so they ordered a booking agent to Cancel Corea's concert. (From “Chick Corea sues.” The Washington Times, 12/19/93, A2) Japan Soka Gakkai Influence Increasing The lay Buddhit movement Soka Gakkai is exercising increasing political influence in Japan through both the Japan Re-newal Party (with 60 members in Parliament) and Komei, the Clean Government Pary, according to the Far Eastern Economic Review (Nov. 1993). Soka Gakkai, under leader Daisaku Ikeda, seems to be forming a new consevative party operating under religious influence. Soka Gakkai has been accused of using “strong arm” methods to recruit and keep adherents. (From Religion Watch, 12/93, 8)