Table of Contents
Update on AFF 2003 Conferences
Cultic
Studies Review - New Postings
New Bookstore Items and Specials
Education and Research News
Death of Claire Champollion
Award to Herb Rosedale
Russian Center for Apologetics
Research Commemorates Tenth Anniversary
Formation of Russian Committee to
Combat Cults
Books, Articles,
and Web Sites Brought to Our Attention
Invitation to the Sociology of Religion
Can Minds Leave Bodies?
Rastafarian Identity as a Resource for
Inclusiveness
French Thesis on Scientology
Nova Religio, Contents of 71)
Group News
Tvind in TIME
Children of
God in Argentina
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The
preceding hyperlink will bring you to pages that provide
information on presenters (including brief biographical
sketches that were recently posted), conference events, the
facility, directions, fees, etc. Near the top of each page
are hyperlinks to the other conference pages. If the
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The conference
will take place on Friday and Saturday. Preceding the
conference on Thursday are workshops for families,
ex-members, and mental health professionals. Typically,
three sessions run simultaneously, so attendees have many
choices.
AFF
conferences are a unique combination of practical programs
for families, ex-members, and helping professionals and
scholarly programs for researchers and others interested in
new developments in the field of cultic studies.
If you have
never before attended an AFF conference, the
2002 Conference Report will give you an idea
of the breadth and quality of AFF conferences.
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Cultic Studies
Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, the abridged print version of which
is at the printer, is nearing completion on the Web.
Subscribers
may go to
Cultic Studies Review and click on
“Table of Contents (Current Issue)”. This will bring you to
the contents page for the latest issue, Vol. 2, No. 2.
Scroll down
and you will come to the articles, guest columns, news
summaries, book reviews, etc. that have been posted. News
summaries are organized by posting date, so you can keep
track of recent news by going back to the site on a regular
basis.
Only
subscribers to Cultic Studies Review with valid pass
codes will be able to access the articles. If you are not a
CSR subscriber and wish to subscribe,
click here. Or, go to our online bookstore,
www.cultinfobooks.com, and use the hyperlink
on the left shared border to subscribe.
If you click
on the Table of Contents for Vol. 2, No. 2 you will find
several dozen summaries of group-related news, book reviews,
and the following articles:
Cults and Terrorism: Similarities and Differences
Christopher M. Centner
Traumatic Abuse in Cults: A Psychoanalytic Perspective
Daniel Shaw, C.S.W.
Why Waldorf Programs are Unsuitable for Public Funding
Dan Dugan
International Churches of Christ: Introduction
Carol Giambalvo
The Making of a Disciple in the International Churches of
Christ
Kathy Kelly, MA, ATC/L
An Example for Controversy: Creating a Model for
Reconciliation
Michael Kropveld
Inner Experience and Conversion
Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.
Spotlight on Anthroposophy
Sharon Lombard
Clinical and Diagnostic Issues of Cultism: Group Dependence
Disorder
Miguel Perlado
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AFF has expanded the number of books
available through its online bookstore,
www.cultinfobooks.com. New books include:
The New Age: Notes of a Fringe Watcher.
(paperback) Martin Gardner.
Misunderstanding Cults (paperback) edited
by Benjamin Zablocki, Ph.D. and Thomas Robbins, Ph.D.
Inside Out: A Memoir of Entering and
Breaking Out of a Minneapolis Political Cult
(Paperback) by Alexandra Stein
Insane Therapy
(paperback) by Marybeth Ayella, Ph.D.
From Dean's List to Dumpsters: Why I Left
Harvard to Join a Cult
(Paperback) by Jim Guerra
The Twelve Tribes: aka Messianic
Communities - Journey from Orthodoxy to Heresy
by Rev. Robert Pardon and Judy Pardon
In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the
Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family
by Nansook Hong
Among the new videos available at special
sale prices are the following:
Thought Reform Consultation - Exit
Counseling
Children of Providence: Born and Raised in
the Unification Church
International Churches of Christ
Jehovah's Witnesses
Brainwashing: An Historical Overview
Social Psychology and Brainwashing
Brainwashing in Court
The following items are also available at
sale prices:
AFF Bookstore items are on sale
(scroll down the page to find
the items that interest you):
Coping with Cult Involvement: A Handbook
for Families and Friends.
Livia Bardin.
Releasing the Bonds.
Steve Hassan.
Recovery From Cults: Help for Victims of
Psychological and Spiritual Abuse.
Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.
Cults on Campus: Continuing Challenge.
Marcia Rudin.
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Death of Claire Champollion
Dr. Claire Champollion
died in the last week of July in Paris, surrounded by her family.
She was 83.
After one of her sons
was recruited by the Moon Movement in October 1974, her husband Dr.
Guy Champollion and Claire Champollion founded ADFI (Association for
the Defense of Family and Individual) in Rennes, France, which was
registered on December 18. 1974. There is an
Interview with Claire Champollion (in French -
http://membres.lycos.fr/tussier/moon17.htm).
ADFI was the first
Parents Association in Europe. It soon became nationwide in France
and a model for other countries, especially the Bavarian Munich
Parents Association, which was the first in Germany. As a professor
of German studies, she was a link between the associations in the
French speaking world and the German speaking countries.
Until her death Dr.
Champollion was a dedicated member of UNADFI, the French Parents
Association, and a contributor to the French magazine Bulles,
edited by UNADFI. She gave Lectures, wrote articles, translated
articles, talked to politicians, gave interviews, and helped many
families and individuals troubled by cult involvement.
She was a dedicated
friend of the Dialog Center International and the Dialog Center
Berlin.
She was a long-time
supporter of AFF and graced many of our meetings with her intellect
and gentle charm.
Award to Herb Rosedale
On May 4th, 2003 at a special dinner, the Cult
Information Service, based in the New York/New Jersey area, bestowed
upon Herb Rosedale, President of AFF, the
Harold and
Lila Scales Award in honor of his many years of dedicated
service to families, former members, fellow professionals, and
helping organizations around the world. Make hyperlink to
picture
Russian Center for Apologetics Research
Commemorates Tenth Anniversary
August 2003 marks the 10th anniversary of the
Center for Apologetics Research (CFAR) in St. Petersburg, Russia,
the first-ever evangelical cult research and outreach agency in the
former Soviet Union. The ministry was founded in response to the
influx of cult movements following the demise of the USSR. CFAR USA
is based in San Juan Capistrano, California and represents affiliate
ministries in Brazil, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and Latin America.
Its director, Paul Carden, has been a regular contributor to AFF
conferences.
Formation of Russian Committee to Combat Cults
Friedrich Griess of
FECRIS has informed us about a
Russian article (located at
http://www.regions.ru/newsarticle/news/id/756623.html). The
translation we received states:
On May 17 in the
Moscow City Duma there was deliberation on the topic "Of destructive
totalitarian cults (sects)." "Regions.Ru" reported this from the
Moscow City Duma press center. As announced by the initiator of the
discussion, Deputy Mikhail Moskvin-Tarkhanov, he addressed a letter
to the RF President about the threat to the national security of
Russia by the activities of totalitarian religious and
pseudoreligious sects. In it he commented that at the present time
ten sects and organizations were active in Moscow and on RF
territory which, as a rule, put themselves in opposition to the
denominations traditional in Russia.
In the deputy's
opinion, the government and society in Russia tended to
underestimate the present-day measures and risks of widely
distributed sects. Besides, many government and social figures
possessed opportunities to illegally "strangle" personal rights and
freedoms, which supposedly could be used by a totalitarian sect. In
developed democracies, however, Germany and France in particular,
the risk from sects was recognized and they successfully opposed
operations from a large number of international religious
organizations, such as the "Church of Scientology" or the
"Unification Church of Moon".
Send news updates on your education and research activities to Dr.
Langone at
aff@affcultinfoserve.com.
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Invitation to the Sociology of Religion
Written by Phil Zuckerman, Ph.D. Published by
Routledge. July, 2003. ISBN #0415941261. Paperback $21.95 US.
"This book intends to serve as a conversational, colorful, engaging,
and provocative introduction to the sociology of religion for
undergraduates. Written in lively prose, this volume aims to
introduce students to the major themes, problems and goals of the
sociological study of religion while also summoning the sense of
wonder and curiosity for the enterprise itself." (Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion E-Bulletin, July/August 2003)
Can Minds Leave Bodies?
Written by D. Alan Bensley and published in
Skeptical Inquirer (July/August 2003), this article argues that
research in cognitive science suggests that the separation of mind
and body is implausible. Using the Heaven's Gate suicides as an
extreme example of the belief that minds can leave bodies, the
author examines the origins of dualistic paranormal belief, current
belief, the out-of-body experience (OBE), and relevant cognitive
science research.
Rastafarian Identity as a Resource for
Inclusiveness
Hill, Jack. (2003). Black religious ethics and
higher education: Rastafarian identity as a resource for
inclusiveness. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 24(1), 3-13.
Rastafarian identity represents an ethical resource for broadening
discussions about inclusiveness in university communities. Based on
interviews with Rastas in Jamaica and interpretations of Rastafarian
dub poetry and song lyrics, Rastafarian consciousness is described
in terms of concepts of self (I-n-I), lifestyle (livity) and
community (Ithiopia). Rasta self-concepts are then viewed as
creative catalysts for illuminating globalization discussions, and
Rasta lifestyles are seen as potential resources for social ethical
criticism of international patterns of consumption.
French Thesis on Scientology
Le droit penal et la progression spirituelle
au sein des sectes : l'exemple de l'Eglise de Scientologie. Faculté
de Droit de Cergy-Pontoise, février 2002. Lauréat reçu
avec Mention Très Honorable & Félicitations du Jury. Written by M.
Arnaud Palisson. This thesis argues in support of the French
government's actions against the Church of Scientology, citing
aspects of French law.
More information
can be found at http://www.antisectes.net/these-droit.htm.
Nova Religio, 7(1),
2003 (special issue on African American Religion)
Long, C. H. African
American Religion in the United States of America: An Interpretative
Essay
Anderson, V. A
Relational Concept of Race in African American Religious Thought
Callahan, A. D.
Perspectives for a Study of African American Religion from the
Valley of Dry Bones
Perkinson, J. W.
Trancing Terror: African American Uses of Time to Trick the Evil Eye
of Whiteness
Pinn, A. B. Black
Bodies in Pain and Ecstasy: Terror, Subjectivity, and the Nature of
Black Religion
Williams-Horgan, J. Field Notes: The
Swedenborgian Church in South Africa
Send information on noteworthy new books and articles to Dr. Langone
at
aff@affcultinfoserve.com.
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Tvind in TIME
The July 7, 2003 TIME Magazine had an
article on the controversial group TVIND, which has
been accused of deception in its charity drives in the U.S. and
Europe. TVIND Alert says: "TIME magazine has this week told many
Americans what they probably did not realize—that the red and white
U'SAgain clothes recycling boxes in US cities are for-profit and not
for charity, and part of Tvind. Tvind's U'SAgain clothing banks are
now in nine major US cities and opening soon in Philadelphia. TIME
notes that 'the firm is run by Scandinavians associated with a
secular cult whose leaders are on trial in Denmark for tax fraud and
embezzlement.' U'SAgain has 1,400 boxes and collected eight million
pounds (weight) of donated clothes last year."
Children of God in Argentina
Info-Spes, the
e-newsletter of the Argentine organization, Fundacion S.P.E.S., says
in its June 2003 issue that COG/The Family is distributing audio and
video cassettes in Argentina. Here is the announcement in Spanish:
Se informa que
nuevamente integrantes del movimiento los Niños de Dios / La
Familia, han comenzado en diversos puntos de Argentina a
presentarse en colegios, parroquias y casa de familia bajo
diversas pantallas y disfraces, ofreciendo a la venta una serie de
cassettes de audio y videocassettes.
Concretamente el
material que están ofreciendo consiste en una serie de videos con
el título "El Desván del Tío Iván" (en castellano e inglés), bajo
la marca Chiquivideos" o "Producciones La Aurora", y cassettes de
audio con canciones de amor y con temas religiosos, que se
presentan con la marca "Magia Celeste" o interprestados por el
grupo "Sol y Canto".
Mediante la venta de
este material no sólo reunen dinero para el grupo, sino que
también es utilizado para sus tareas proselitistas.
Quienes estén
interesados en prifundizar el presente movimiento, puede solicitar
una breve ficha sobre el mismo a:
infospes@yahoo.es
Asimismo el próximo
mes de julio comenzará un curso por e-mail sobre dicho movimiento,
cuya información encontrará también en le presente boletín.
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