News

"In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
-- George Orwell

If you have recent stories that should be on this page, please let us know! Send them to Nick DiCiaccio.

NEW! February 2003 Open Letter by top leader Henry Kriete

Healing Workshop for Former Members of undue influence groups (cults)
Healing Oneself from Destructive Mind Control
A two-day Workshop with Steven Hassan
March 15, 16, 2003 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, LAX.  
Click Here To Learn More

Press Release

3-Feb-03: MEDIA ALERT INNOCENT VICTIMS TO FALL PREY TO DANGEROUS CULTS IN 2003   Please read Freedom of Mind release here

The GOP's man on the Moon

Bill Berkowitz - WorkingForChange
 
02.05.03 -  For more than two decades he has been a powerful and influential
political figure, despite being more than a bit out of step with mainstream
America. Now, perhaps thinking of his own mortality, he has become more
visible, staging and sponsoring numerous events and conferences.  A
revivified Rev. Sun Myung Moon is planting the seeds of his political legacy
-- and he's getting help from his friends in the Bush Administration.

On December 19, 2002, while many Americans were caught up in Trent Lott's
troubles or trying to figure out what to get their mother-in-law for
Christmas, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced the
appointment of three managers to oversee AmeriCorps.

David Caprara was appointed director of AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in
Service to America). Caprara comes to government service having served as
president of the American Family Coalition, an organization many observers
say is a "front" organization for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Caprara's appointment is the latest in a series of events signifying a
close relationship between the Bush Administration and the Rev. Moon's
Unification Church.

For rest of article;
URL: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=14455
 

Scientology's Salman Rushdie Goes Global Gerry Armstrong announces new website defying Scientology suppression www.gerryarmstrong.org

Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!

http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/introduction.html

The U.S.-based Scientology enterprise says that every mention Gerry Armstrong
makes of his cult experiences is worth $50,000.  Every person he assists in
any way against Scientology persecution  - ka-ching! - $50,000.  Every time he
mentions any Scientology organization, any of their front groups, any of their
directors, employees, volunteers, or L. Ron Hubbard, cult founder and the creator of their "scriptures" - ka-ching! - $50,000.  If Armstrong mentions any of their private
investigators, their covertintelligence operatives, or even any of their hundreds of lawyers -ka-ching! - another 50 grand.

And Scientology has filed a new $10 million plus lawsuit to give credence
to this monstrous value they've put on Armstrong's words.
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a7/complaint-cv021632.html
This is the fifth lawsuit Scientology has filed against him to enforce and collect the $50K per utterance penalty. http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/index.html

Scientology says that they can assault Armstrong, which they've done on multiple
occasions, and he can't talk about it. They can sue him, but he may not tell anyone.
They can run covert intelligence operations on him, but he may not inform even
the authorities. They can libel him, but he may not publicly refute the libel.
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/index.html, They can try to have him prosecuted on false criminal charges, and he may not oppose their attempts. http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/osa-ltr-fsb-2001-04-20a.html, They can ruin him utterly, and he may not say a word in defense.

Scientology says that all of its directors, employees, volunteers, agents and
lawyers can say whatever they want about Armstrong, no matter how false or
perverse, and he may not respond.  If Armstrong responds, in addition to having to
pay Scientology $50,000 per response, he is subject to being jailed and fined.
 
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a4/ord-contempt-1997-06-05.html,
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a4/ord-contempt-1998-2-20.html.

Armstrong's position is that Scientology, by judicially prohibiting him from responding to their attacks, and punishing him with imprisonment and fines if he does respond, has created a new type of slavery, which has U.S. Government support in flagrant violation of its own Constitution.  Armstrong says that because the U.S. confers on Scientology the status and privileges of religion, what this cult is doing to him, with U.S. Government support, is comparable to jailing and fining someone for mentioning Christ or God or the person's religious experiences in the Christian religion.

Since no U.S. Court would conceive of jailing and fining someone for discussing
his religious experiences in any other religion, and since the U.S. government would not
support such an obscene concept for any other religion, the favoritism that U.S. Courts
and the Government give Scientology to persecute and enslave its victims makes it the
American State Religion.  What Scientology, with U.S. Government support, is doing to
Armstrong, and hundreds of other citizens like him, is specifically prohibited by the
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, yet not one U.S.
official has ever objected.  Why?

Armstrong is now in Germany, where Scientology is seen as an organization with
criminal potential, where the nation's Constitution is not so easily ignored, and where he has the Constitutionally guaranteed freedom to respond to this cult's continuing attacks. http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/media/focus-2002-10-14.html

Contact:
Gerry Armstrong
Dialog Zentrum Berlin
Heimat 27
D-14165 Berlin-Zehlendorf
Tel: +49-(0)30-847-23958
Fax: +49-(0)1212-5-205-27-015
gerry@gerryarmstrong.org
 

Exit Issues regarding the Watchtower and other undue influence groups (cults)
WATCH a June 2002 interview with Steven Hassan and Randall Watters regarding issues face after leaving a cult. The interview can be found at the Free Minds website and can be viewed on Real Video. Steve will explore three questions persons often ask about leaving their organization:

1. Some of us have left a high-control religious organization (such as the Watchtower) and we have proven to itself that it is not of God, but still at times we seem to struggle with feelings of guilt or fear. How can this be overcome?
2. For those of us who have been raised in a high-control organization and have never had a life outside of it, how can we start over and gain a new life and a new identity?
3. Many of us are in the process of leaving our organization after years or bondage to it, and we would like to get beyond our past and our painful memories, but some members of our family remain in the group as a common reminder. How can we cope with them?

Special Note on News Concerning Scientology
There are always so many stories about Scientology that it will only be possible to have a fraction of them here. A good weekly summary of Scientology news stories is Rod Keller's weekly email "A.R.S. Week in Review", archived at http://www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/. If you wish to subscribe, write to Rod at rkeller@voicenet.com.

Another excellent resource for Scientology news is Mark Bunker's site, http://www.xenutv.com.

14-May-02: Banquet planned to honor 20th anniversary of Washington Times newspaper

On Tuesday, May 21, Sun Myung Moon will hold a banquet in honor of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Washington Times newspaper, a leading "conservative" newspaper which is in reality a propaganda device for Moon's Unification Church. Please see this link for more.

28-Apr-02: Article on Jews, Judaism and Sun Myung Moon's Divine Principle now posted

In light of the mass blessing that took place yesterday, we recommend this excellent piece by Rabbi A. James Rudin on Judaism, and the Divine Principle. Though dating from 1976, we feel it's still quite relevant, and helps shed light on Moon's true views on the relationship of Jews and Judaism in the Divine Principle.

24-Apr-02: Moon mass wedding, including clergy "blessings", taking place this Saturday, April 27

Sun Myung Moon plans to bless several clergy couples at a Washington DC hotel this Saturday, allegedly as part of a mass worldwide mass wedding involving 144,000 couples. For more information, please read this press release.

3-Mar-02: Please see new postings on Freedom of Mind web site

Recenty, we've posted several new items on the site. We've changed around the page for our first-time visitors, and also put up some new upcoming events. We've also added new items to several pages on various groups of concern, including the Andrew Cohen group, the Unification Church, and the Jehovah's Witnesses. We welcome you to browse around the site!

24-Feb-02: Steve Hassan appearing on LA radio; leader of 'Tvind' arrested

If you can, please tune in today, Feb. 24, to listen to an interview Steve Hassan is giving on LA radio station KFI-AM. Steve will appear on the "Rabbi Mentz" show, which runs 10pm-12mid LA time. This is a follow-up show to one that was done last week with two ex-members of Scientology. Those in LA can listen by tuning in to 640 on the AM dial; those out of range may listen over the Internet, at this link.

Also...the leader of the Denmark-based group Tvind, Amdi Petersen, has been arrested in LA on tax abuse charges, and is currently being held in custody pending his extradition to Denmark. You can find out the latest details at the Tvind Alert web site.

31-Jan-02: Boston Globe reports on Boston-area Kabbalah Center opening, Steve Hassan quoted; actor Tom Cruise defends Scientology in Germany

We welcome everyone to read this very informative article on a Boston-area Kabbalah Center opening recently. Freedom of Mind has serious concerns about this group, headed by Philip Berg. In the article, Steve speaks about his recent counseling of a member of the group. We also invite you to read our page on the Kabbalah Centre for more information.

Another article, "A Mother's experience with the KLC," is now up for reading.

Also, we invite you to read this recent Reuters article on Tom Cruise defending Scientology while recently in Germany. For those of you who may not be aware, the Germany government doesn't consider Scientology a church, but an organization which defrauds and exploits its members. The German state of Bavaria has even started a resource center for those hurt by Scientology's practices. For more info, please see our page on Scientology.

27-Jan-02: Talk at Cal State on how to be aware of pressure from destructive cultic groups

The cult education group CultsonCampus.com, which tries to educate those in university settings about the presence of cults on their campuses and what they can do about the issue, is holding a talk at Cal State on Tuesday, January 29. For more information, please see this URL on their web site:

http://www.cultsoncampus.com/campusnewsoncults/events.html

Also, please feel free to browse around the Cults on Campus web site.

23-Jan-02: Press release from silentlambs, inc. regarding a civil sexual abuse lawsuit filed in Washington State against the Brooklyn, NY-based Jehovah's Witnesses' organization

Click here for the full release.

19-Jan-02: Course for Mental Health Professionals on the Effects of Cults; MD Legislature to Establish Task Force to Study Effects of Cults in MD Universities

Mental health professionals should be aware of a course offered in New York City this upcoming April on the traumatic effects of cults. The course, titled "The Dark Side of Enlightenment: Trauma and Recovery From Abuse in Cults", is being offered by the National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP) and the NIP Professional Association (NIPPA). We highly recommend all mental health professionals consider taking this excellent course to better understand the effects of cults in the lives of current and former members, and perhaps more effectively counsel such individuals in their own practices. For more information, please contact Daniel Shaw, CSW, NCPsyA by phone at (212) 581-6658 or by email at shawdan@aol.com. Also, more information is available at Daniel Shaw's web site.

Also...The Maryland House has passed a joint resolution to form and fund a task force to study the effects of cults on the campuses of the universities in the Maryland system, as well as St. Mary's College and Morgan State University. We invite you to read about this resolution at the below link on the web site of the MD House:

MD House Joint Resolution 22: Task Force to Study the Effects of Cult Activities on Public Senior Higher Education Institutions

12-Jan-02: See Steve Hassan's appearance on The O'Reilly Factor on the "American Taliban"

Courtesy of our friends at LMT International (aka the Lisa McPherson Trust), a video of Steve Hassan's recent appearance on The O'Reilly Factor where he discusses the "American Taliban" (aka John Walker) is now available. To play or download a copy of the video, please visit this link.

Note: The video is in Real Player (.ram) format. You'll need the free Real Player to view.

5-Jan-02: Link to a letter to the Boston Globe from father of former Twelve Tribes member

Please see this letter from the father of a former member of the Twelve Tribes, in response to a column that appeared in the Globe regarding a restaurant operated by the group, the Common Ground.

© Freedom of Mind Resource Center, Inc. 1999-2002