CultNEWS101 Articles: 7/15/2024

[Patrick Ryan]

Jerusalem Bride Church, Trinidad, Legal, India, Baba Rampal, Scientology

bne IntelliNews: Cult infiltrates Trinidad's elite spy agency in shocking coup plot

" ... The esoteric cult, identified by local media as led by Pastor Ian Brown – a self-proclaimed spy charged with misbehaviour in public office – had deeply embedded itself within the SSA. Rowley, addressing Parliament on July 3, described how the cult's adepts, including highly trained military personnel, were covertly employed by the SSA and influenced its operations. "Such persons belonged to a cult which was arming itself while preaching a doctrine for trained military and paramilitary personnel with a religious calling to be the most suitable to replace the country's political leadership," Rowley stated, highlighting the grave threat to national security.

The clandestine group's activities included the unauthorised establishment of a Tactical Response Unit, comprising former commandos. This unit, operational until its abrupt termination in March, raised alarming questions about its true purpose. The audit also uncovered that the SSA had accumulated an arsenal of over 100 firearms and 100,000 rounds of ammunition under dubious circumstances. The procurement included military-grade weapons and accessories, all without proper authorisation or oversight."

" ... The infiltration extended to high-ranking officials within the SSA. Deputy Director of Intelligence Joanne Bartholomew-Daniel, who had ties to Major Roger Best, the ousted SSA head, was suspended along with 11 other employees, all linked to the Jerusalem Bride Church. This shadowy organisation, run by Pastor Ian Brown, was arming itself and preparing for a doomsday scenario, indoctrinating its members with the belief that they were destined to replace the country's leadership."

Irish Star: NFL's Daniel Muir embroiled in 'cult' controversy with ex-Colts player after teen son found

Former NFL player Daniel Muir has been charged with domestic battery and obstruction of justice alongside his wife after their 14 year old son was reported missing last month.

"Former NFL player Daniel Muir has been embroiled in controversy following the discovery of his missing 14 year old son, with links to the religious community Straitway Truth Ministries, which is labeled a "cult" by detractors.

Daniel Muir, aged 40, now faces legal troubles being charged with domestic battery and obstruction of justice whilst his 38-year-old spouse Kristin Muir faces similar obstruction charges."

" .... Tennessee authorities unfolded a supposed "cult" existence following a high-tensity SWAT deployment on a faith-based compound. Past accounts, escalating before this occurrence, indicate that Muir's path to Straitway was influenced by ex-NFL colleague Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, a distinguished Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer, who also swayed another Indianapolis Colts companion, Robert Mathis, towards the group.

A 2020 Sports Illustrated piece recounted how Gbaja-Biamila, Muir's teammate at Green Bay, shared Pastor Charles Dowell of Straitway's videos with him. Muir, motivated to invalidate Dowell's views through biblical scrutiny, eventually found himself persuaded.

It's suggested that an encounter between Muir and Mathis, where Muir donned a Hebrew-inspired t-shirt, led to Mathis's introduction and subsequent involvement with Straitway. Maths's link with the group was acknowledged in a Sports Illustrated interview back in 2020."

Times of India: Bhole Baba or Baba Rampal: How these men are playing God

" ... Boosted by TV and self-promoting literature, Rampal’s messianic grip over his followers is emblematic of similar gurus the region seems to produce. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of Dera Sacha Sauda, is also headquartered in Haryana (Sirsa) and retains a huge following despite a controversial past.

Who's Chyren?

So how did Rampal create the larger-than-life image that he enjoys among his followers? He depends on visuals to drive home the message. Besides distributing merchandise such as stickers, rings and pendants, his facilities are peppered with hundreds of huge posters in various poses as if to offer visual proof of his omniscience.

Some of them proclaim him as The Great Chyren from Nostradamus’s prophecy. He told followers he was Nostradamus’s prediction come true: “The great Chyren will be chief of the world/Loved feared and unchallenged, even at the death/His name and praise will reach beyond the skies/And he will be content to be known only as Victor.”

Taking on other faiths

The “victor” is currently languishing in jail but talking to his followers and reading his books, one feels the preacher positions himself as a faith-healer and a pugnacious social reformer — someone who consciously and constantly challenges other sects provoking a reaction. For instance, the common slogan in the ashram is: Jeev hamari jaati hai, maanav dharm hamara, Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai dharm nahi koi nyara."

Independent: Family says Scientology officials prevented women from seeking mental health treatment before she took her life

The lawsuit claims Mills requested a special auditing session to prepare for her spirit to ‘drop’ her body.

"The Church of Scientology prevented a woman from seeking mental health treatment before she took her own life, a lawsuit states.

The woman, Whitney Mills, 40, was a high-level Scientologist who worked as a real estate agent before her 2022 death, her mother Leila Mills said in the lawsuit.

Mills had been battling with her mental health, and twice had to be hospitalized. Before her death, Mills experienced insomnia, anxiety, and an increased heart rate, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges church officials failed to prevent her death while she was under their supervision.

A spokesperson for the Church of Scientology told the Tampa Bay Times that while Mills’ death was an “unfortunate tragedy,” the church never assumed her care.

“Church policy is crystal clear: if a Scientologist is in need of medical care, he or she must see a medical doctor,” the spokesperson told the paper. “Any and all decisions regarding medical treatment are solely the decision of the individual. The Church does not provide medical advice.”

" ... The lawsuit seeks to establish that Mills was suicidal based on a request she made to receive a Scientology rite that prepared the body’s spirit — thetan, in Scientological terms — for its exit from the body. On April 20, 2022, Mills reportedly asked a caretaker to oversee an “auditing” session to help her “drop the body” and noted she had learned about the practice from another caretaker.

The suit claims that after making that request in April 2022, Mills’ caretakers “either intentionally or negligently” left her alone for several hours on May 12, 2022. Mills died by suicide that day.

The spokesperson for the Church of Scientology told the Tampa Bay Times that there is no rite in Scientology to prepare a body for death, but a former Sea Org member who administered auditing sessions told the paper that not only did the rite exist, but that it was created by founder L. Ronb Hubbard himself."

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