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This is a listing of recent updates and additions. For newer items, see what's new today.

"A $2 million-plus Taylor County business that sells books and videos teaching a new form of Christian therapy in more than 100 countries is generating cries of miracle cures and of criticism to its controversial therapeutic approach.

Theophostic Ministries, founded by Ed Smith of Campbellsville, teaches that inside memories of past traumatic events are lies embedded by Satan that create emotional distress in a person's life. A Theophostic facilitator encourages the person to go back to the memory, and then allows God to reveal the lie. Proponents claim immediate relief from a variety of emotional problems.

A growing group of vocal critics, however, claims that efforts to deal with current abuse by resurrecting memories can lead to the creation of false memories during Theophostic sessions, which can sometimes result in false allegations."

Learn more about Theophostic Counseling from the research resources is this Apologetics Index entry.

Jesus said, "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. [...] At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible."

In November last year, New Mexico TV station, KOBV TV reported, "The FBI and New Mexico State Police are keeping a close eye on a group of about 70 people who have settled in a self-styled cult in northeastern New Mexico. .... They follow a man who calls himself Michael of Travesser, although they call him Michael the Archangel."

Michael himself also claims to be Jesus: "I have come in the clouds of heaven to draw all who hear My Spirit into the clouds of glory with Me. I have come with all of My holy angels. I have blown the trumpet and I have thrust in My sickle. Behold, the harvest is come. My children are now ascending with Me into the clouds, and ever shall they be with Me, as it is written."

Read more in the latest update about Michael's 'Strong City' - a cult of Christianity.

So the latest Harry Potter book has hit the stores, accompanied by the usual marketing frenzy. This time, however, the press has noted a near absence of religious attacks on the book.

Instead, Reuters reports that "[m]any conservative Christians have come to embrace the books, in part drawn by a portrayal of evil that has grown increasingly sophisticated, almost Biblical, with each book."

See, for example, Connie's Neal's The Gospel According To Harry Potter. And John Granger, who considers J.K. Rowling to be a member of the Inklings - originally a group of Oxford dons who wrote Christian fiction - in his book The Hidden Key To Harry Potter "demonstrates the absurdity of the claim that Harry Potter is anti-Christian."

Christians can and do disagree on Harry Potter (as they can and do on other non-essential issues). Not sure yet? These research resources will help you investigate a variety of facts, views and opinions in the Harry Potter debate.

A recent survey of the public's perception of the Scientology organization shows that people are well-informed regarding the cult's true nature. Though Scientology has gotten smarter about public relations, the cult's behavior continues to mold its image.

Scientology is known for, among other things, its unethical behavior. This includes hate and harassment activities condoned and promoted by the cult's founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

We have added a link to an article titled, Scientology: Training to Obliterate Good People, which further documents the hate group's unethical policies.

The Boston Globe today reports on the chaos within the International Church of Christ - one the most destructive cults of Christianity: "Thomas 'Kip' McKean, its charismatic founder, has stepped down. Its world governing body has dissolved and dozens of local church leaders have resigned or been fired, in part because churches can no longer afford to pay their salaries."

Learn more about this cult. See also these resources on abusive churches and spiritual abuse.

Top American evangelicals met in Washington Wednesday to begin the daunting process of trying to square a circle.

Here is the problem: How do you dialogue with Muslims without engaging in syncretism - the mixing of religions traditional Christians eschew?

How do you proceed without minimizing, on the one hand, the difference between Christianity and Islam - and without trading gratuitous insults on the other, as Diane Knippers, President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, phrased it? At a Consultation on Evangelical Christian-Muslim Relations, organized by the IRD and the National Association of Evangelicals, fellow conservative Christians, such as the Rev. Franklin Graham, were gently rebuked for calling Islam a wicked and evil faith.

Read more about Christian-Muslim interfaith dialogue in this news item. Then read the Guidelines for Christian-Muslim Dialogue, as published by the Institute on Religion and Democracy. Apologetics Index points to many research resources on Islam, and also includes information about Interfaith Activities and Interreligious Dialogue

Consumer Alert: (Update) Last January, Jim Moran, who operated Light Of Truth Ministries - a site critical of the Local Church, which theologically is a cult of Christianity - died of a massive heart attack.

Subsequently, the Local Church ("The Church in Fullerton") has gained control over all of Jim's files, computer records and domain names.

This means that any information currently posted under the domain names thelocalchurch.org, ltm.org, biblesforamericaexposed.org, and recoveryversionexposed.org now is provided by The Local Church - the cult whose teachings and actions Jim Moran worked hard to expose.

The material produced by Jim Moran will soon be placed online again. Meanwhile, here's where you can still find material produced and/or posted by Jim online.

Also, though it claims otherwise, the Local Church has shown itself to be unable to deal with legitimate criticism in a biblical, Christian manner. See, for example, information about its current lawsuit against Harvest House, John Ankerberg, and John Weldon.

In addition, read When Talk Isn't Cheap and Speech Isn't Free: The Abuse of Libel Law, which addresses some of the problems surrounding a previous lawsuit in which the Local Church - aided by, among others, cult apologist J. Gordon Melton - attacked a Christian ministry.

According to a recent news article, Plattsburgh State Professor Richard Robbins, who describes himself as "not religious", "has studied [the Twelve Tribes] and convinced students that it's no more cult than Christianity.".

Sadly, the professor's conclusion is incorrect. Knowledgeable Christians, who are qualified to comment on this issue, know that the group's aberrant and heretical teachings identify the Twelve Tribes as, theologically, a cult of Christianity. Sociologically, this high-demand / high-control group also differs also displays many cultic elements that set it apart from genuine Christianity.

Learn more at this updated Apologetics Index entry.

Yoga is both popular and controversial. Does it consist merely of physical exercisis or is Yoga first and foremost a religious or spiritual practice? And if it is the latter, can one divorce the physical from the religious elements?

In Yogasanas: physical postures, spiritual method or both?, Dr. John F. Weldon takes a look at these issues.

The so-called Local Church, a cult of Christianity supported by, among others, cult apologist J. Gordon Melton continues its long-standing practice of harassing its critics with legal treats and actions.

Christians Concerned for Truth reports that not all 'Local Churches' agree with the movement's latest lawsuit.

This article, in which Thought Reform Consultant Carol Giambalvo takes at look at The Hunger Project and its founder, Werner Erhard, was censored by AOL after a complaint by The Hunger Project...

As expected, Japanese prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for Shoko Asahara, the guru who presided over the Aum Shinrikyo cult's murders, gas attacks and other crimes.

"Meanwhile, nine of his disciples, who have testified they acted on the guru's orders, have received death sentences, while six others received life sentences."

This destructive cult, which at one time was defended by cult apologists, including J. Gordon Melton, remains under observation of public security authorities, who believe the cult remains dangerous.

Learn more about Aum Shinrikyo is this updated Apologetics Index entry.

The World Church of the Creator, a hate group that promotes white supremacist under the pretense of religion, has been forced to change its name after losing a trademark infringement suit. The group is now known as The Creativity Movement.

Learn more about the hate group in this Apologetics Index entry

Consumer Alert: Pleae note: last January, Jim Moran, who operated Light Of Truth Ministries - a site critical of The Local Church, which is a cult of Christianity - died of a massive heart attack.

It now turns out that The Local Church has gained control over Jim's files, computer records and domain names.

This means that any information currently posted under the domain names thelocalchurch.org, ltm.org, biblesforamericaexposed.org, and recoveryversionexposed.org now is provided by The Local Church - the cult whose teachings and actions Jim Moran worked hard to expose.

The material produced by Jim Moran will soon be placed online again.

The Word of Faith Fellowship, a controversial church in North Carolina (USA), has responded to a lawsuit filed by one of the organization's former members alleging she was the victim of false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The church asked a judge to dismiss the suit on the grounds of religious freedom.

Do you know how to recognize abusive churches, and how to respond to spiritual abuse? Learn more about abusive churches and spiritual abuse

According to an article in the Daily Nexus, cult defender J. Gordon Melton recently said,

"[M]any Christians, secular apologists and countercult professionals disagree with his work and often attack him. The Christian website "Apologetics Index" calls Melton a "cult apologist," and says many cults use his works "in their crusade against the anticult and countercult movements." Melton does not consider himself to be a controversial figure, but acknowledges that he has been involved in controversial topics."

Find out why apologists (both secular and Christian) and countercult professionals criticize Melton's views and research. And here's what you should know about cult defenders.

Do you remember seeing Bugs Bunny at Disneyland? If so, you're not alone:

"A new study shows just how easy it can be to induce false memories in the minds of some people. More than a third of subjects in the study, presented Sunday, recalled that theme-park moment -- impossible because Bugs is not a Disney character -- after a researcher planted the false memory. Other research, of people who believed they were abducted by space aliens, shows that even false memories can be as intensely felt as those of real-life victims of war and other violence."

Learn more about False Memory Syndrome.

Documents obtained by the Associated Press show that the FBI knew more about Timothy McVeigh, and threats of attacks on Oklahoma government buildings, then it has admitted.

In fact, "[t]he FBI and prosecutors ordered the destruction in 1999 of evidence from a bank robbery they once suspected linked Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to white supremacists who were threatening before McVeigh's bombing to attack the government, documents show."

These revelations are sure to resurrect the conspiracy theories surrounding the Oklahoma city bombing (which is believed to have been carried out in revenge for the government's attack on the Branch Davidians, two years earlier.)

The Branch Davidians are in the news again, and for a good reason. "Branch Davidian survivors and victims' families say they are entitled to a new trial of their wrongful-death lawsuit against the U.S. government because U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. of Waco has exhibited "deep-seated antagonism" against them."

While the US government is quick to judge other nations for their approach to cults, the last word has not yet been spoken on its handling of the Branch Davidian siege and its aftermath.

We bring you and updated entry of research resources.

Yesterday, Apologetics Index received a legal challenge from a Scientology lawyer claiming that The Road to Xenu, posted at this site as a PDF file, includes several copyright violations. This book has been available online (on Bulletin Board Systems) long before the dawn of the World Wide Web. We believe the material quoted in the book falls within the 'fair use' copyright clause. However, while we are discussing this issue with our legal advisers, we have temporarily removed the file in question - and instead are linking to the same item as available elsewhere on the Internet. For a list of additional sites where the The Road to Xenu is available, see this Google search.

Meanwhile, remember that Scientology's scriptures - as written by its founder, L. Ron Hubbard - view the law as a tool to harass people with: "The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win. The law can be used very easily to harass ..." (L. Ron Hubbard, A Manual on the Dissemination of Material, 1955. Details)


See also these other research resources on Scientology's teachings and practices.

Have you ever been offered a 'Free Personality Test'? If so, chances are good that you were targetted by a Scientologist using one of the cult's favorite recruitment tools: a worthless test designed to get you to listen to a high-pressure sales talk.

"[A] psychologist at University College Dublin, Dr Declan Fitzgerald, said he believed that what was called the Oxford Capacity Analysis, carried out by the church in its auditing process, impinged on people's self-esteem and was highly manipulative. He said he was embarrassed that his profession had not got this message across to the public more clearly. "

Find out what the test (which, by the way, has nothing to do with Oxford University) is all about. And if you are so inclined, take the actual test without having to interact with Scientology's recruiters.

The Vatican weighed in Monday on the New Age movement, saying some aspects of the search for inner peace were positive but warning that they can't replace true Christian religion.

In a 90-page booklet dotted with references to the "Magical Mystery Tour," "Feng Shui" and the dawning of the "Age of Aquarius," the Vatican addressed a topic usually reserved for the self-help sections of bookstores.
[...more...]

Sociologist Jeffrey K. Hadden, a notorious cult apologist, has died at the age of 66.

In November last year, New Mexico TV station, KOBV TV reported, "The FBI and New Mexico State Police are keeping a close eye on a group of about 70 people who have settled in a self-styled cult in northeastern New Mexico. .... They follow a man who calls himself Michael of Travesser, although they call him Michael the Archangel."

Read more about Michael, his claims, and his group here.

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