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Herbert L. Rosedale, Esq. |
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Memorial - Reflections |
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We have posted reflections in no particular order. In order to speed up loading, we have broken this page into three and are now using hyperlinks to direct you to the various sections. Thank you for your interest in and tributes to this exceptional and good man. And thanks also to those of you who sent condolences. We will share these with Herb's family. We will all miss him.
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Back to Profile/Memorial Page with Photo Reflections Posted 11 November 2003 Reflections Posted 12 November 2003 Reflections Posted 13 November 2003 Reflections Posted 19 November 2003 Reflections Posted 3 December 2003 obit_rosedale_herb_comment_copy(2).htm
Reflections Posted 13 November 2003
Advocate for People Who Have Survived Terrible Ordeals I am very saddened by the news of the passing of Herb Rosedale. I wanted to send condolences to his family and all who knew him through his years at AFF. I met him in Minneapolis in 1999. He was kind enough to spend time speaking with me about an issue that was very sensitive for me, a former cult member. I have attended conferences every year since and it has always been a pleasure to see Herb. He was a unique and spirited person. He had a rare kind of eloquence. He was an advocate for people who have survived terrible ordeals that the world does not acknowledge. It really means so much that people like Herb are out there speaking for us and not letting the world forget what has happened to us. This is from letters to a young poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. It has been a great comfort to me over the years during times of sadness.
Being a former cult member, I don’t believe the last line. What I believe is that you have to decide to hold on to life. Sometimes knowing that there are people like Herb out there help’s tip the scales in that direction. Colette A. Blackburn Long Beach, California
Such a Tough Man Herbert Rosedale, Esq. must have been an incredibly tough man, who had outlived so many cult attacks. But now, receiving your e-mail letter with the news of such a tough man's death, we are very surprised and are in deep sorrow. We really don't know how to express our thanks to Mr. Rosedale, who had taken such an active part in cult education and assistance. Please accept our sincere condolences. We heartily offer our sympathy and wish for peace of mind for the bereaved family. National Network of Lawyers Against the Spiritual Sales Secretary General, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Make New Advances in the Work Begun by Mr. Rosedale We are saddened to hear that Mr. Herbert Rosedale, the president of AFF, died on the 4th of November, 2003. Please accept the Shangdong Anti-Cult Association’s condolences on the death of Mr. Rosedale and share our condolences with his family. As the president of AFF, Mr. Rosedale contributed greatly to AFF's progress and built the connection between AFF and Chinese Anti-cult colleagues. At the same time, he hosted members of Shangdong Anti-Cult Association to present at the AFF conference, and we are hosting the AFF colleagues now by the same cooperative project started by him. We hope both of us would make new advances in the work begun by Mr. Rosedale and protect more and more people from the harm of cults. Shandong Anti-Cult Association
Graciously Gave of His Knowledge and Expertise I am still in shock that Herb Rosedale has passed away. He has become such a strong presence, a fixture in the movement to promote awareness and knowledge about destructive mind control activities. I can’t recall how many times I called him for his sage advice or help over the years. Nor can I attempt to say how many people I referred to him for help. Certainly it numbers in the thousands. Herb always graciously gave of his knowledge and expertise. He helped me to better understand the legal system and how to best address problems in the most effective and efficient way. It seemed that he was never too busy to help. I first met Herb Rosedale when the Moonies had purchased a house in his town in the late 70’s. Herb was involved in a precedent setting action in which the local zoning board held extensive hearings and determined that the Moonies had a right to own the house but did not have the right to do mind control activities (workshops) that harmed individuals. An ex-member that I had counseled who had been indoctrinated at the property testified for the board. Of course, I testified also. I believe this was how Herb first became really aware of the dangers of unethical mind control. Over the years, I came to admire Herb Rosedale more and more. When I learned of his illness, I guess I just assumed that he would fight it and win. From what I understand, he did make extraordinary efforts. When I saw him at this past AFF conference in Connecticut, I could see that his body was failing him and was grateful to be able to tell him how much I appreciate everything he has done and thank him for his efforts. I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to replace Herb. He was one of a kind. We will all miss him very, very much. Steven Hassan
Touched Many Souls Across the Globe The staff of Cult Counseling Australia join the family and associates of Herb, in particular the AFF, in mourning the passing of a pioneeer, leader, and mentor whose professionalism and warmth touched many souls across the globe. He will be sorely missed. Raphael Aron
Lucidity and Humanity of His Contributions This is shocking news. I only met Herb once at the AFF conference in Minneapolis in 1999. But like many I have followed his contributions to raising cult awareness over many years, and have always been impressed by the lucidity and above all humanity of his contributions. I enjoyed talking to him on the occasion that our paths crossed, and what appeared to be true of him in his writings was also evident on meeting him. He was a quite delightful person to encounter, and his passion, commitment and enjoyment of meeting people were well in evidence. I am very sad that he will not be there at future AFF events. A memorial page is more than merited, and I am sure would be appreciated by many. My condolences to his family, to you, to all his close colleagues and his very many friends. Professor Dennis Tourish Aberdeen Business School Robert Gordon University
Helped Us Avoid Many a Shoal It is very difficult to accept the fact that Herb Rosedale is gone. He did look pale and thin at the conference just last month in Connecticut. But beginning with his welcoming speech and continuing with his panel presentations he was as clear, rational, fair-minded, fact based, informed, wise, and articulate as ever. Behind the scenes Herb was for many years a masterful pilot for the organization. He gave freely of legal advice and helped us to avoid many a shoal. He helped enormously to adapt AFF as circumstances changed. Freely he provided good counsel to ex-members and their parents and to exit counselors. Thank you, Herb. Art Dole
Una Persona Determinata a Combattere Tutti Gli Abusi Non ho avuto la fortuna di conoscere Herbert Rosedale, anche se in diverse occasioni ho intrattenuto con lui una interessante corrispondenza nella quale ci scambiavamo opinioni e informazioni sui problemi che affrontiamo quotidianamente, quando si tratta di prestare assistenza a coloro che chiedono aiuto. Era una persona determinata a combattere tutti gli abusi anche sul piano legale, nel quale era molto esperto e aveva negli anni acquisito una grande esperienza, ma, nello stesso tempo, sapeva essere prudente nelle sue battaglie e cercava di evitare inutili cacce alle streghe. In modo particolare negli ultimi anni si era impegnato, insieme a Michael Langone, per iniziare un dialogo con gli studiosi delle scenze sociali che vengono definiti comunemente "difensori dei culti", poichè riteneva che il dialogo sia possibile e indispensabile, anche tra avversari. Aveva concretizzato questo intento invitando ai Congressi dell'AFF anche esponenti del campo avverso e recandosi a sua volta ai congressi indetti dalle organizzazioni degli studiosi. Spero vivamente che il suo impegno nella ricerca del dialogo sarà portato avanti da chi prenderà il suo posto e che tutto quello che egli ha realizzato nei decenni passati rimanga una eredità feconda e duratura. A nome della comunità di SRS mi unisco, attraverso la preghiera di suffragio, alla Organizzazione di cui era Presidente, l'AFF, e a tutti coloro che lo conoscevano. Raffaella Di Marzio
Un Vide Qui Sera Difficile a Refermer Voila une bien triste nouvelle. La mort de notre ami Monsieur Herb Rosedale est une grande perte pour nous tous. Celui va laisser un vide qui sera difficile a refermer. Ce que j'aprecie le plus chez notre ami, c'etait la personnalite meme de celui-ci. J'ai du mal a croire en sa disparition. Je presente mes condoleances a sa famille et aussi a l'American Family Foundation). Pascal Zivi Mind Control Research Center Nishioka, Japan
Reflections Posted 19 November 2003
A Bridge for Dialogue Before I met him, I, like most people concerned with the so-called "cult scene," had heard quite a lot about Herbert Rosedale. Some of the reports (from former members and their relatives) were full of praise; others (from some of the groups) were less so. From all accounts, however, he was a formidable figure. Then, about four years ago, I plucked up courage to ask him if I could attend an AFF meeting and was amazed at the warmth and graciousness of his welcome. While we certainly approached some things from a different perspective (he, after all, was a lawyer and I a sociologist of religion), I think we were both surprised at the number of points upon which we wholeheartedly agreed. But there was not enough time on that occasion to discuss all the things we wanted to discuss. With Michael Langone, we agreed to hold a small private meeting for a full day just before the next conference. It was a day I shall never forget and one in which the silliness of dividing ourselves into anti-cultists on the one hand and cult apologists on the other became glaringly obvious. My respect for Herb continued to grow as I observed how he encouraged members of new religions—as well as several social scientists who have been studying them—not only to attend AFF meetings but also to participate by giving talks. He was, indeed, an important building block in creating a bridge whereby people coming from a wide variety of positions could not only dialogue, but also come to understand better each other's perspective. There was a very great deal of very great value that I learned from Herb. I shall miss him - I am already missing him. His passing is a very great loss for the AFF. Eileen Barker, Ph.D. London School of Economics
Help and Comfort We are so sorry to hear of Herb Rosedale's death. I (Genevieve) never met him but he saw my husband (Graham) in 1994 when he came to New York to try to help our son Rick, who was trapped in the Moonies. It was very frightening to come to New York in those circumstances, and Herb Rosedale gave up his valuable time freely to help and comfort my husband. I was at home receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer at the time. I know of other Australian families who were similarly helped. He was a wonderful human being and will be sorely missed. Our sympathy to the Rosedale family. Genevieve and Graham Isbell
His Commitment to Fight for Human Rights Last week, I received the sad news that Herb Rosedale died. Although I only have met him twice, once in Barcelona and the other one at the Connecticut Conference, I have to say that I was touched by his energy, his objectivity, and his commitment to fight for Human Rights. I am sure that his work and efforts were not in vain. Now, we have to keep working like he did: with vitality, optimism, perseverance, and determination. Thank you for all, Herb! Ferran Alonso Barcelona, Spain
Friend of China I was shocked to learn of the untimely passing of the President of AFF, Herb Rosedale. I wish to express my deep condolences to you and through you to the bereft family. Mr. Rosedale was among the best American friends of China and will remain alive in our hearts forever. Chen Ligang Director-General International Liaison Dept. Chinese Writers' Association Beijing, China
He Stood for Freedom of Our Son's Soul and Mind We are so saddened by the message of Herb's passing. Oh, what a marvelous human being and our hero. For us he stood for freedom of our son's soul and mind, and the escape from bondage to tyrants and terrorists. Our children and thousands of others will have the ability to make choices; they will be independent of slavery of the mind—because of Herb and others like him. We extend our deepest condolences to all of you at AFF and to Herb's family. We are so deeply moved by this event. We are certain that wherever Herb may be, his spirit will remain with us, and we will try to impart his message on to others in any way that we can. Anita and Fred Solomon
Reflections Posted 3 December 2003
A Great Asset to Many People All Over the World We have received with sadness the message of Herb Rosedale's death. The first time we met him was at the CAN and AFF Conference in 1989. Later he visited Sweden for a few days and we had dinner and a short meeting together in Stockholm. Since then we have got the opportunity to benefit from his great experience with cult issues. During the years he has been a very important source of knowledge to us and he has been a great asset to many people all over the world. We feel very grateful for his contribution to and the support he gave us in our joint fight against manipulative and coercive groups. On behalf of a lot of former cult members in Sweden and their relatives we want to express our deep regret at the loss of Herb Rosedale. Harriet Svenhard and Olle Wall FRI, Sweden
Help When It Was Needed Most When we had found it impossible to communicate with our daughter over a period of 12 days of trying to visit her in New York, Herb Rosedale gave us very practical legal advice on confronting the organization that had such a hold on our daughter. He referred us to a psychiatrist who was able to outline specifically the threat to our daughter's health posed by the group's irresponsible treatment of her bipolar illness. And as we followed through, Herb Rosedale was always there to answer an early morning phone call, assess our situation, and advise us on next steps. We remember this as an important first step in her eventually freeing herself. We were surprised that he didn't charge us for his services yet made us feel that he was "our" lawyer. What a wonderful, compassionate, wise man. The world's a better place because he was with us for a while. Parents of a former cult member
A Courageous and Ethical Voice Herb assisted me on a troublesome issue at a crucial time in my career, and for doing so I will remain forever grateful. In 1993, I was about to publish an article about a controversial "group" when the group's leadership caught wind of it and managed to block the publication through hints of lawsuit to the publisher. I had worked for a long time on the article, and quickly reached an impasse about what I should do with it. After a long, anguishing period in which I did not know how to proceed, I sent the study to Cultic Studies Journal. After review and a few small adjustments, the article was accepted, but the big question was, "would AFF be at risk if its journal were to publish the study?" As an attorney, Herb had the final say. With considerable courage (given what the consequences could have been), Herb decided to take the chance. Not only did CSJ publish the piece, but also Herb himself wrote an introduction to it, explaining some of the article's unfortunate history and stressing the need for the academic community to allow room for critical analyses of controversial groups. From that moment on, I felt a deep gratitude to Herb and the AFF, and I appreciated the respect for objective but critical research that he and the organization were attempting to represent. I miss the guy. Stephen A. Kent, Ph.D.
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Related InformationLast revised: September 25, 2005