Montreal Gazette: No sects, please - we're French
Damian J. Anderson
http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=C8A5CFE8-A142-4604-9765-6759EB366F34
No sects, please - we're French
SUSAN PALMER
Montreal Gazette
Tuesday, September 04, 2001
On a recent research trip to France, I visited communes and meditation
centres, interviewing people who define themselves as being on the
spiritual path.
All the groups I visited are on a government list of 172 "sectes,"
presumed dangerous. They are regarded with jaded suspicion, much like
biker gangs or terrorist cells would be here. In May, France passed the
About/Picard law that criminalizes missionary activity and makes it easy
to dissolve voluntary associations.
As a religion teacher and researcher of new religious movements (NRMs we
scholars like to call them), I can invite Scientologists, Hare Krishnas
and Moonies to speak in my Cults and Religious Controversy class at
Concordia University. I take my Dawson College students on field trips
to the Hare Krishna temple and to Raelian UFO baptisms to observe the
rituals.
I never realized this before, but we are spoiled. Canadians enjoy a level
of academic freedom and religious liberty unheard of in most countries,
even in France, with its brilliant intellectual tradition. If I were
a French sociologist and behaved this way, I would be out of a job. I
would be called a "cult-lover," a closet Scientologist or a "revisionist"
downplaying the atrocities perpetrated by the sects.
Shocked at Intolerance
Social scientists are not supposed to make value judgments, but I was
shocked by what I observed in France. Shocked at the intolerance and
prejudice toward minority religions, the assaults on individual rights
and, most of all, by the sheer stupidity and willful ignorance of France's
government, which created MILS (Inter-ministerial Mission for the Fight
against Sects).
I teach a course on research methods at Dawson College in which
social-science students learn not to trust popular opinion but to
read, collect data using various sampling methods and analyze the data
systematically before presenting findings. If MILS had handed in its
report on sects in my class, I would have had to flunk it.
In France, the cult experts are actually proud to proclaim they make
a point of "having nothing to do with the groups we are fighting
against." In March, I was in the Pau courthouse listening to Michel
Moreau, a psychologist who writes about "manipulation mentale" (France's
watered-down version of the CIA-developed brainwashing/mind control
theory). We were both expert witnesses in the trial of parents from the
Twelve Tribes who were charged with criminal negligence leading to the
death of their baby, born with a heart defect.
When the judge asked Moreau if he had ever visited the Tribes' community,
he replied "no" and proceeded to make sweeping generalizations, comparing
the group to the Solar Temple. It was quite clear he had not read up
about the Tribes, which are unique among NRMs.
When I testified I had been conducting field research on the group since
1989 in Vermont and published six articles, two book chapters and two
encyclopedia entries on them, it became apparent that in France real
hands-on research disqualifies one as an expert. I was contaminated,
for I had consorted with the enemy. I was asked if I were a member of
the community. My research was dismissed by the judge because it was
only in the United States and because my stay in the French community
of the Twelve Tribes was only for five days.
The parents were sentenced to six years in prison, and the judge ruled
that unless the Tribes children were sent to public school and given
vaccinations, they would be taken away and the fathers sent to jail.
It was clear to me that had these parents been secular parents, they
would have had a better case. Had they been Catholics, the tragic death
of their child would not have been used to control and stigmatize the
Catholic church.
I felt frustrated. I had taken a week off teaching, flown to France,
planned my testimony and been told to shut up, presumably because I
was a ghastly American with misguided notions of religious liberty who
actually had the bad taste to consort with the sects.
Dangerous Sects
The 1995 Guyard report on sects, commissioned for the National Assembly
compiled a report of 172 sects presumed dangerous. I was astonished that
the report had distorted Rael's philosophy and made false allegations
of criminal conduct. It even got the dates of Raelian history wrong.
Some groups have succeeded in having their names taken off the infamous
list. The Mormons (whose Latter-day Saints number over 10 million)
were removed, but other Christian minority churches - Christian Science,
the Seventh-day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses - are still on
it and have all been disestablished and hit with back taxes.
A feminist who organized an international self-help crafts industry
for women in Third World countries, was shocked to find she was on
the list. To her relief, the misunderstanding was cleared, her name
was dropped.
In interviews, the secretary-treasurers of Mahakari and Human Yoga
both complained that they hardly recognize themselves in the government
reports.
Their real problem, however, is the media. The major newspapers in France
rely on ADFI, France's anti-cult organization, and government reports
for their sensationalistic stories. Journalists tend to adopt a cavalier
"seen one sect, seen them all" approach.
A recent magazine article on sects grossly inflated memberships and
almost routinely accused leaders of pedophile tendencies or planning
mass suicides. Almost every group was classified as apocalyptic. There
were four groups described that I had written books on, but I could
hardly recognize them. But perhaps they were lucky, for I next visited a
group that had been "researched" - Horus, a now defunct new-age farming
commune in the Vaucluse countryside.
"I am considered the most dangerous woman in France," said Marie-Therese
Castano, a Basque grandmother whose mystical ecology and horticultural
skills led to a collective experiment in self-sufficient farming. She
recently spent a year in prison.
She described how Alain Gest of MILS had made an appointment to see her
in 1996. He arrived with the local mayor, stayed for a few minutes and
refused to listen to her account of the group's daily life. Instead,
Gest demanded to have a private talk with a child, determined to find
evidence of "mental manipulation."
"He acted like a bailiff, come to inform us we were a dangerous sect,"
said Castano.
In my research-methods course at Dawson College, we talk about low-impact
participant observation, on not disturbing the research field. We worry
about how to compensate for cultural biases in interpreting data. I
don't know what is going to happen in France's anti-sect war now the
About/Picard law is in place. But at least I have collected some excellent
examples of how not to conduct research that I can use in my classes.
- Susan Palmer teaches religion at Dawson College and Concordia
University, where she is an adjunct professor.
--
Damian J. Anderson <dam...@unification.net> http://www.unification.net
Feisty
opposed to this treatment (as she generalizes) which she
herself displays in return. A = A.
I think she should join one of these groups, possibly one that she has
not even mentioned, as a person who says yes to everything. One of two things
will happen. 1) No one would ever see her again. 2) She would
be promoting one of these groups.
She could have proved her illogical use of her education in less than
a few sentences. But that was not her aim.
Feisty
Damian J. Anderson <dam...@unification.net> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.04.101090...@www.unification.net...
>
>
http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=C8A5CFE8-A142-4604-9765-6759EB
Boudewijn van Ingen
>A perfect example of a person who wastes an education to be as adamantly
>opposed to this treatment (as she generalizes) which she
>herself displays in return. A = A.
>
>I think she should join one of these groups, possibly one that she has
>not even mentioned, as a person who says yes to everything. One of two things
>will happen. 1) No one would ever see her again. 2) She would
>be promoting one of these groups.
>
>She could have proved her illogical use of her education in less than
>a few sentences. But that was not her aim.
Indeed, the version below would make an excellent short version:
>Damian J. Anderson <dam...@unification.net> wrote in message
>news:Pine.LNX.4.04.101090...@www.unification.net...
>>
>>
>http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=C8A5CFE8-A142-4604-9765-6759EB
>366F34
>>
>> downplaying the atrocities perpetrated by the sects.
>>
>> - Susan Palmer teaches religion at Dawson College and Concordia
>> University, where she is an adjunct professor.
>>
>> --
>> Damian J. Anderson <dam...@unification.net> http://www.unification.net
Groeten,
Boudewijn.
Tilman Hausherr
<dam...@unification.net> wrote in
<Pine.LNX.4.04.101090...@www.unification.net>:
>http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=C8A5CFE8-A142-4604-9765-6759EB366F34
>
> No sects, please - we're French
>
> SUSAN PALMER
Susan Palmer is known as a cult apologist. She co-wrote the infamous
french book "Pour en finir avec les sectes".
> Montreal Gazette
> Tuesday, September 04, 2001
>
>On a recent research trip to France, I visited communes and meditation
>centres, interviewing people who define themselves as being on the
>spiritual path.
>
>All the groups I visited are on a government list of 172 "sectes,"
>presumed dangerous.
And starts with a lie. There is no such list of 172 *dangerous* groups.
>They are regarded with jaded suspicion, much like
>biker gangs or terrorist cells would be here. In May, France passed the
>About/Picard law that criminalizes missionary activity and makes it easy
>to dissolve voluntary associations.
And another lie. The law does not criminalize missionary activity.
>As a religion teacher and researcher of new religious movements (NRMs we
>scholars like to call them), I can invite Scientologists, Hare Krishnas
>and Moonies to speak in my Cults and Religious Controversy class at
>Concordia University. I take my Dawson College students on field trips
>to the Hare Krishna temple and to Raelian UFO baptisms to observe the
>rituals.
>
>I never realized this before, but we are spoiled. Canadians enjoy a level
>of academic freedom and religious liberty unheard of in most countries,
>even in France, with its brilliant intellectual tradition. If I were
>a French sociologist and behaved this way, I would be out of a job. I
>would be called a "cult-lover," a closet Scientologist or a "revisionist"
>downplaying the atrocities perpetrated by the sects.
And indeed she is.
Kind of like a professor for italian art history who goes watch a mafia
ritual, and then explains that this is indeed a ritual.
Very good. I append a recent article about the 12 tribes to show that a
dangerous group this is.
>It was clear to me that had these parents been secular parents, they
>would have had a better case. Had they been Catholics, the tragic death
>of their child would not have been used to control and stigmatize the
>Catholic church.
Had they been secular or catholic, the baby would most likely not have
died, got vaccinations and sent to school.
Le me make clear that Susan Palmer supports these parents wish not to
send these children to school.
>I felt frustrated. I had taken a week off teaching, flown to France,
>planned my testimony and been told to shut up,
Hahahahaha!!!!
Maybe Susan Palmer should tell why.
>She described how Alain Gest of MILS had made an appointment to see her
>in 1996. He arrived with the local mayor, stayed for a few minutes and
>refused to listen to her account of the group's daily life. Instead,
>Gest demanded to have a private talk with a child, determined to find
>evidence of "mental manipulation."
Well sure, Mr. Gest isn't interested to hear about the thoughts of
plants when a child is presumed in to be danger.
>"He acted like a bailiff, come to inform us we were a dangerous sect,"
>said Castano.
>
>In my research-methods course at Dawson College, we talk about low-impact
>participant observation, on not disturbing the research field. We worry
>about how to compensate for cultural biases in interpreting data. I
>don't know what is going to happen in France's anti-sect war now the
>About/Picard law is in place. But at least I have collected some excellent
>examples of how not to conduct research that I can use in my classes.
>
>- Susan Palmer teaches religion at Dawson College and Concordia
>University, where she is an adjunct professor.
And here is the article about the 12 tribes:
THE CULT NEXT DOOR; Twelve Tribes' practices, beliefs brought to
light
The Boston Herald
4.9.2001
BY DAVE WEDGE
After years of being abused, forced to work in factories,
brainwashed and denied a normal childhood, Zebulun Wiseman finally
found the strength to run from the "high-control cult" he says
robbed him of his identity.
"Growing up in there, I saw the inside scoop. There's a lot of
things there that just weren't right," Wiseman, the 18-year-old son
of the group's second in command, Charles "Eddie" Wiseman, said of
living within the Twelve Tribes. "Spanking kids, locking them up.
You can't have your own money. They work you. I mean really work
you. And you don't get paid. The money goes to the group."
Over the past three decades, the Twelve Tribes, also known as The
Community of Believers or the Messianic Community, has businesses
and compounds in New England, including a store on Dorchester Avenue
in Boston and property on Cape Cod. The controversial cult has been
accused of racism, child abuse, using child labor, kidnapping and
questionable medical practices - including some that have led to the
deaths of newborns.
Founded by former carnival barker and high school guidance counselor
Elbert Eugene Spriggs, the quirky Christian/Hebrew hybrid religion
grew from the ashes of the drug-fueled hippie movement of the early
1970s. Formed in Spriggs' hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn., in 1976,
the Twelve Tribes bases their religion on Spriggs' haphazard New
Testament interpretations.
"This man is viewed as being like Moses," says Robert Pardon,
executive director of the New England Institute of Religious
Research, which has extensively studied the Twelve Tribes. "You've
got someone at the top who claims to have a direct pipeline to God
and no accountability. When you have those two premises, you've got
a deadly combination."
They heavily recruit new members at peace rallies and rock concerts
and were regulars on the Grateful Dead and Phish touring circuits,
handing out literature promoting salvation through membership and
hawking organic foods, medicines, handcrafted candles, soaps and
oils. Claiming to be nothing more than a "spiritual brotherhood,"
their writings encourage the curious to visit their stores, cafes
and compounds, saying "come for a day, or to stay . . ."
But critics charge that the Twelve Tribes is really a brainwashing
sham religion that preys on lost souls, sucking members dry of their
money, property and identity while fattening the pockets of the
reclusive Spriggs. Members turn over their land, homes, cars and
bank accounts to the group, vowing to live communally.
"They abuse children and they exploit members for virtual slave
labor for nothing more than room and board," noted cult expert Rick
Ross said, comparing Spriggs' tactics to those of doomsday cult
leaders like David Koresh and the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. "They preach
that the end of the world is coming very soon. This gives the group
a real crisis mentality. It creates urgency and that's a very useful
tool for Mr. Spriggs."
Children are homeschooled until their early teens and then put to
work in factories and shops. While state governments regulate home-
schooling programs, children of the Twelve Tribes don't receive high
school diplomas. They also aren't allowed to seek out high school
equivalency degrees or go to college.
Children aren't allowed to fantasize, pretend or have toys.
Magazines, TV, radio and music are banned and independent thought is
considered sinful.
Doctors are rarely used, children aren't given vaccinations and they
teach that it's acceptable to lie to those who don't deserve the
truth - including the courts, social workers, police officers and
the media. They also promote racism, teaching that blacks are
naturally subservient to whites and that Martin Luther King Jr.
"deserved to be killed."
"There are so many teachings that keep you from being who you are.
They keep you from being human," ex-member Joellen Griffin said.
"You get so absorbed in the teachings that you lose your emotions
and your ability to respond to situations. They seem like a
tight-knit family, but you just don't know all the misery behind
those eyeballs."
The Twelve Tribes is a federally recognized religion with nonprofit,
tax-exempt status. They have between 2,500 and 3,000 members
worldwide, including hundreds living in several New England
compounds. They have a multi-family home on Melville Avenue in
Dorchester and they run the Common Ground cafe, a health food eatery
on Dorchester Avenue in Lower Mills.
They run a similar cafe on Main Street in Hyannis and the Common
Sense furniture and "wholesome" food store in downtown Plymouth. In
Hyannis, they recently bought an old colonial home on Main Street
which is being expanded, while in Plymouth, they just moved into and
are renovating a $400,000 former nursing home on Route 3A.
While most in the group live communally in any of the 30 compounds
worldwide, Spriggs globe-trots, dividing his time between palatial
homes in Sus, France, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a swank $402,000 house
overlooking Canoe Pond in Brewster.
Spriggs, 64, reportedly has sole control over the group's tithe - a
10 percent skim of all money taken in by the dozens of cafes,
stores, workshops and contracting businesses run by members.
"This is just a way for Gene Spriggs to make a lot of money," Ross
says. "He's a jet-set cult leader. He contracts out their labor and
only he knows where every cent is. There's no question Gene Spriggs
controls millions of dollars. Where is it? Only he knows."
Over the past three decades, members of the controversial cult have
been embroiled in high-profile kidnapping, abuse and child labor
scandals. The most notorious was a 1984 raid in Island Pond, Vt.,
during which Vermont state police snatched 112 kids after a defector
told social workers that the group severely beat his daughter and
other children.
Prosecutors were planning on having the children examined by court-
appointed doctors but the charges were quickly dropped and the
children were sent home after a judge ruled the search was illegal.
Former members say despite the scandals, the alleged abuse has never
stopped. In fact, current members readily admit that any elder is
permitted - even obligated - to "discipline" any child who acts up,
striking them with a bamboo rod or a balloon stick dipped in resin
to make it sturdy.
"We use a thin, reed-like rod," said Twelve Tribes elder William
Smith, aka "Kharash." "It will inflict pain but not damage tissue."
Smith, who lives at the group's Basin Farm in Bellows Falls, Vt.,
also admitted that children start working in factories and farms at
a young age but he denied that the group violates any child labor
laws. The group is currently the focus of a New York child labor
probe after investigators learned children were making furniture for
Robert Redford's Sundance mail order catalog. Redford has since
pulled the furniture from the catalog. The cult also lost a
lucrative contract with perfume giant Estee Lauder after it was
revealed that children helped make their products.
"From time to time, they work with us. But we don't consider it
child labor. We don't depend on them as a labor force," Smith said.
Member Andre Masse, aka "Kepha," lives in the Island Pond community
and says the group's teachings are "misunderstood by those who have
evil intentions."
Masse, 63, refuted allegations of racism, pointing out that there
are black members. He also scoffed at claims the group exploits
children in factories, saying children merely work alongside their
parents to learn trades.
"We have our children with us. We don't have them running down the
streets. We have them by our side," he said.
In recent years, officials have investigated a spate of stillbirths
and questionable infant deaths within the sect. In St. Joseph, Mo.,
a young mother was in labor for five days in May 1998 before the
group finally took her to the hospital so doctors could remove the
baby that died inside her. Missouri authorities investigated the
death but no charges were filed against the group.
In Colorado Springs, Colo., a child born April 2, 2000, to member
Manon Stern died hours after birth. Police investigated that death
but no charges were filed. There was also a stillbirth in a Twelve
Tribes house in Warsaw, Mo., in the summer of 1999, ex-members said.
"They let these ladies go through agonizing labor. These children
could have survived," former member Kris Wetterman, who witnessed
one of the stillbirths, said.
In fact, stillbirths are so common that the cult's private burial
ground in Island Pond, Vt., includes several unmarked graves of dead
children.
There have also been outbreaks of whooping cough, hepatitis and
other avoidable diseases within the cult which have killed children.
In France last year, members Michel Ginhoux, 40, and Dagmar Zoller,
38, were sentenced to six years in jail for negligence after their
19- month-old son, Raphael, died of malnutrition and a treatable
heart ailment.
Zeb Wiseman, who spoke out for the first time in an exclusive Herald
interview, said he was beaten, locked in rooms and mentally
tormented by members who used his mother's 1990 cancer death as an
example of what happens to sinners. She was denied medical care, he
said.
"It's like a big mind game. You don't have any choice (for)
yourself," Zeb said. "They subtly control you. When everyone's that
controlled, the elders have a lot of power. They really don't care
about other people, they just want authority."
--
Tilman Hausherr [KoX, SP5.55] Entheta * Enturbulation * Entertainment
til...@berlin.snafu.de http://www.xenu.de
Resistance is futile. You will be enturbulated. Xenu always prevails.
Find broken links on your web site: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
The Xenu bookstore: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/bookstore.html
MM
"sects" and now life is good.
MM
Squiggles
Non monsieur, you are confusing de French wit de British
- vive la difference - :-)