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News about cults, sects, alternative religions... An Apologetics Index research resource |
Religion News ReportNovember 19, 1999 (Vol. 3, Issue 134) ![]() ![]()
=== Waco/ Branch Davidians
1. Waco test impossible, officials say 2. Investigators to begin review of siege evidence 3. Senate Panel Backs Waco, Spying Subpoenas Plan 4. Waco Prober Seeks FBI Firearms 5. Waco woven into Idaho couple's lives === Aum Shinrikyo 6. Lower House panel approves bills to crack down on Aum 7. Highlights of the legislation === Falun Gong 8. Mass trials of Falungong members expected after UN chief's departure 9. China to try Falun Gong leaders, frees HK members 10. Falun Gong adherent gets aylum in S.F. 11. Falun Gong 12. Beijing reassures UN leader about sect 13. Members of banned sect protest, arrests reported in China === Scientology 14. Foe of Scientology plans move to area 15. State vs. Scientology === Hate Groups 16. Pastor Who Takes Pride in Hate Traces the Emotion to Bible (Phelps) 17. Supremacist testifies for L.A. shootings grand jury (Butler) 18. Amazon.com Stops German Mein Kampf Sales === Shakty Pat Guru Foundation / Life Space 19. Cultists say mummified man still lives === Breatharianism 20. Breatharians found guilty of manslaughter === Mormonism 21. Couple want LDS suit dismissed 22. Family Conference Stumbles Over LDS Participation 23. Popular LDS Genealogy Web Site Is Adding 240 Million More Names === Other News 24. Freemasons Set to Reveal Secrets on Internet 25. Patriarch Accuses Missionaries 26. Massachusetts high court throws out abuse finding against minister 27. Evangelist says Y2K isn't a big problem (Garner Ted Armstrong) 28. New score just in: Organized religion 9, Others 1. 29. Catholic bishops vote to certify theologians === Noted 30. A Question of Right and Wrong (Character training in schools) 31. Cal Thomas: Faith and persecution === Interfaith / Interdenominational 32. Leaders debate the changes that religious diversity brings to the millennium (NCC) === Film 33. Film Review: 'Omega Code' a mega disaster 34. 'Jesus in love' film backed by Vatican === Waco/ Branch Davidians 1. Waco test impossible, officials say Dallas Morning News, Nov. 18, 1999 http://dallasnews.com/specials/waco/1118waco1waco.htm Tests to find the cause of flashes on FBI infrared videotape shot in the final hours of the Branch Davidian siege will probably be meaningless because the camera used at Waco no longer exists, federal officials said Wednesday. Authorities have refused to release anything about the make or capabilities of the FBI's infrared camera used to record the fiery end of the 1993 Davidian standoff. They cited national security and law enforcement secrecy rules. But an FBI official said Wednesday that the camera was a one-of-a-kind instrument extensively upgraded after the 1993 incident and had capabilities that probably couldn't be duplicated with any other camera. "It does not exist in the form that it was. It has been upgraded from analog to digital recording," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's a significant change that is so fundamental to a re-creation, I don't know how we can ever say how experts will be able to agree to a test protocol." (....) The issue is a cornerstone of the Branch Davidians' lawsuit, which alleges the government's gunfire kept innocent women and children trapped in the compound as it burned to the ground. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 2. Investigators to begin review of siege evidence Dallas Morning News, Nov. 17, 1999 http://dallasnews.com/specials/waco/1117waco1waco.htm Texas Rangers and investigators from the office of special counsel John Danforth will begin sifting through 12 tons of Branch Davidian evidence in Waco on Wednesday, searching for a missing tear-gas projectile and other items that may shed new light on the 1993 standoff. Six Rangers will be joined by up to 10 members of Mr. Danforth's staff and congressional investigators for the examination of mounds of the burned remains of the Branch Davidian compound, officials said. "This is evidence that frankly has never been intelligently looked at, so I'm sure we're going to find things that nobody knew were there," said James B. Francis Jr., chairman of the Texas Department of Public Safety Commission. "Whatever we find, we intend to turn over to the court." [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 3. Senate Panel Backs Waco, Spying Subpoenas Plan AOL/Reuters, Nov. 18, 1999 http://my.aol.com/news/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=01&id=1999111707100263 A Senate panel approved a plan on Wednesday for issuing dozens of subpoenas as part of a broad congressional inquiry of the Justice Department's handling of the Waco, campaign finance and China spying investigations. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, brushing aside Democratic objections, approved a procedure to be used for issuing up to 38 subpoenas for thousands of documents related to the investigations. Democrats said the subcommittee probe and the possible subpoenas were too broad and already had been covered by multiple congressional and government investigations. The subpoenas, to be aimed at officials including Attorney General Janet Reno, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Defense Secretary William Cohen, would seek "any and all'' documents related to all three probes. (...) But Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, a Democrat, said the subcommittee was going over old ground. "We're going to run this simultaneously after we've already done this in the House and the Senate?'' Biden said of the Waco probe, noting it would clash with an ongoing investigation by former Sen. John Danforth, who has complained about Specter's investigation. 4. Waco Prober Seeks FBI Firearms AOL/AP, Nov. 15, 1999 http://my.aol.com/news/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=01&id=1999111506150120 The special counsel re-investigating the 1993 Branch Davidian siege has asked the FBI to turn over the firearms carried by its on-scene personnel to determine whether federal agents fired shots during the standoff's final hours. (...) While the FBI and Justice Department have always maintained the Branch Davidians killed themselves, independent filmmakers, lawyers for survivors suing the government, and others skeptical of the claim contend government agents fired at the compound. (...) "Their request came in, and we are complying with the request,'' FBI spokesman Bill Carter said Monday, declining further comment. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 5. Waco woven into Idaho couple's lives Spokane.net, Nov. 14, 1999 http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=111499&ID=s660292&cat= Former gun dealers Henry McMahon and Karen Kilpatrick live in a small apartment in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, in the shadow of Ruby Ridge. But their lives are occupied by another symbolic location in the anti-government movement: Waco, Texas. McMahon was the gun dealer who sold Branch Davidian leader David Koresh 223 legal firearms. Kilpatrick was a close friend of several Davidians. (...) They expect to be called as witnesses early next year in the suit brought by surviving Davidians against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. (...) Whenever there's an opportunity, the Bonners Ferry couple speak out against the government. McMahon spoke at a Soldier of Fortune convention and testified before Congress. McMahon and Kilpatrick will tell anyone who will listen that they were mistreated, assaulted and wrongfully detained by ATF agents for three weeks after the Davidian siege began in February 1993. The ATF disputes that. The FBI also found no merit to their claims of civil rights violations. Yet another arm of the federal government, the Social Security Administration, says the couple are victims of government-caused stress. Both now suffer from post-traumatic stress traceable to the ATF raid at the Davidian compound, a federal administrative law judge ruled in 1997. (...) McMahon and Kilpatrick started visiting the Davidian compound regularly, and were even invited to Thanksgiving dinner there. They sat through Koresh's 10-hour-long Bible studies, but never moved to the compound. (...) Kilpatrick said she became friends with others living at Mt. Carmel, and even changed baby diapers there. She said she saw none of the child abuse federal agents alleged occurred at the compound before the ill-fated raid. (...) "The ATF was asking me all these questions about David Koresh. Why does he need so many guns? What's he going to do with them?" McMahon recalled. Disturbed with the questions, McMahon said he picked up his telephone and called Koresh. "I said, 'David, the ATF is here asking questions about you,"' McMahon said. "He told me, 'If they want to see my guns, tell them to come out here."' McMahon said he offered the phone, with Koresh on the line, to the two ATF agents, who were upset the call had been made. (...) Later that month, after three people died in the Randy Weaver standoff at Ruby Ridge, McMahon recalled that he and Koresh "talked about a government that we both thought was out of control." [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Aum Shinrikyo 6. Lower House panel approves bills to crack down on Aum Japan Times, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/news11-99/news.html#story1 The Lower House Judicial Committee approved two bills Wednesday designed to tighten control of Aum Shinrikyo and facilitate redress to the cult's victims. (...) The committee's approval will pave the way for the bills to be passed in a plenary session of the Lower House today and the Upper House by early December. One of the bills, submitted by the government, will allow the Public Security Investigation Agency to regularly supervise or restrict the activities of Aum followers. (...) One point of contention during Diet deliberations was whether the law would be used to crack down on other groups. Opposition lawmakers claimed that provisions of the bills may lead authorities to apply it to other groups, but Justice Minister Hideo Usui repeatedly said, "Aum is the only group at the moment that would meet the conditions of the legislation." To clarify the government's point, the DPJ insisted that the bill be limited to cover groups whose attempt at indiscriminate mass murder occurred within the past 10 years. The LDP-led coalition parties agreed to that point. The four parties also agreed to narrow the definition of the law's target, by mentioning in the legislation that it is aimed against groups that committed indiscriminate murders "by, for example, using sarin gas." (...) The other bill, submitted by the LDP-led ruling coalition, aims to collect the assets of the bankrupt Aum Shinrikyo and its affiliated companies and groups, and submit them to the court-appointed trustee assigned to dispose of the cult's assets. (...) Senior Aum Shinrikyo member Tomomitsu Niimi, who is facing murder and other charges in 11 court cases, denounced on Wednesday the "bashing" that the religious cult was taking at the hands of the public. During a trial hearing at the Tokyo District Court, Niimi, 35, argued that the public's behavior toward the cult is a kind of "kin-hatred" by Japanese people "who, like current Aum members, neither regret nor even know about their past." However, when Judge Kaoru Kanayama asked him about his feeling toward the victims of his alleged crimes, Niimi declined to comment, saying he would tell the whole truth in his next hearing. Niimi stands accused of involvement in several murder cases, including the deadly nerve gas attack on Tokyo subway system in 1995. However, he has maintained silence about those and other incidents allegedly committed by cult members, as well as his faith to Aum founder Shoko Asahara. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 7. Highlights of the legislation Japan Times, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/news11-99/news.html#story2 The first of two bills aimed at curbing the activities of Aum Shinrikyo imposes controls on groups whose members have carried out or attempted indiscriminate mass murder. The following conditions apply to the bill: 1) The legislation targets any group whose members have carried out or attempted indiscriminate mass murder in the past 10 years. The group also must have a leader who holds strong influence on the members, the same members as when the crime was committed, or a platform that approves of murder. 2) The Public Security Examination Commission, an extra-ministerial board of the Justice Ministry, can place any such group under surveillance by the Public Security Investigation Agency for up to three years. 3) Every three months during this period, the targeted group must provide the agency's director general with information about its members as well as the nature of its activities. 4) If necessary, agency officials will be allowed to enter the group's facilities to carry out further inspections. 5) If the group is found to have engaged in further acts of murder, assault or other illegal activities, the commission can stop it from obtaining or using any land or facilities for its activities for up to six months. The second bill aims to facilitate the seizure of assets from a bankrupt group: 1) This bill applies to any bankrupt group or its affiliated companies, groups and individuals placed under surveillance. 2) A court-appointed trustee will be allowed to request that the group return assets it held before it went bankrupt. 3) The trustee will be able to ask the director general of the Public Security Investigation Agency to provide information on the targeted group's assets. [...entire item...] === Falun Gong 8. Mass trials of Falun gong members expected after UN chief's departure Yahoo! Asia/AFP, Nov. 18, 1999 http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/asia/afp/article.html ?s=asia/headlines/991118/asia/afp/Mass_trials_of_Falungong_members _expected_after_UN_chief_s_departure.html Hundreds of believers of the banned Falungong spiritual group will be prosecuted following UN chief Kofi Annan's visit to China, with the trial of a key member expected Sunday, a rights group said. (...) His visit has delayed the trials of 300 practitioners facing prison terms for refusing to give up their faith and up to 1,000 others expected to be sent to labour camps, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China said Thursday. (...) Many more trials will be conducted in the coming month, the centre said, adding they have learned of a secret state document which asks various provinces to complete prosecutions of Falungong members before the Macau handover on December 20. (...) The centre estimates more than 1,000 people have already been sent to 300 labour camps in the country. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 9. China to try Falun Gong leaders, frees HK members AOL/Reuters, Nov. 18, 1999 http://my.aol.com/news/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=01&id=1999111808356850 China is to begin trying about 300 leaders of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement just days after a visit by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to Beijing, a Hong Kong human rights group said on Thursday. A court in Chongqing city in the western province of Sichuan would try Gu Zhiyi on Sunday, the start of a series of trials across the nation, the Information Centre of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China said in a statement. (...) Meanwhile, a local Falun Gong member told Reuters most of the five Hong Kong practitioners who were detained by Chinese police in Beijing on Wednesday had been released and were now returning to Hong Kong, due for arrival later on Thursday. The five, including a child, were rounded up when they tried to unfurl a Falun Gong banner in Beijing. Falun Gong, outlawed in China, is legal in the territory which retains a high degree of autonomy. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 10. Falun Gong adherent gets aylum in S.F. San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/11/17/MN1958.DTL Zhung, an attractive, earnest, spirited woman in her 30s, is believed to be the first adherent of the banned Chinese Buddhist sect Falun Gong to be granted political asylum by a San Francisco immigration judge. She came to The Chronicle last week, warily. The agreement was no last name and no photographs, nor could her hometown in China be revealed, except to say it is in the north. There, she left a husband, child and mother. ("We could only afford to have one person escape.'') She is concerned about the reaction of Chinese officials on both continents. China is "deeply resentful'' about the ruling in Zhung's favor and a similar case on the East Coast. A spokesman at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco said his government has the support of the people in its crackdown on this "criminal organization.'' (The consulate's response to a recent Chronicle editorial on Falun Gong is in Letters to the Editor, page A26.) [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 11. Falun Gong San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 17, 1999 (Letter to the Editor) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/11/17/ED40629.DTL Editor -- The recent editorial "True-to-Form China'' (Chronicle, November 10) irresponsibly accused the Chinese government of cracking down on Falun Gong illegal activities and a continuing history of ``oppression and brutality.'' The facts speak otherwise. Falun Gong is not a religion at all. There is plenty of evidence to prove that Falun Gong is no ordinary organization, but an anti-science, anti-humanity and anti-society cult. (...) No responsible government will ever allow such cults to harm people's safety and social stability. China is a country ruled according to law, and her laws not only protect the freedoms of association, speech, assembly and religious belief of its citizens, but also brook no abuses of these freedoms by anyone. The Chinese government handles the Falun Gong issue according to law, by doing so to protect the basic human rights and freedoms of citizens and to safeguard China's constitution and laws. In this issue, we firmly oppose any irresponsible remarks on and interference in China's internal affairs. OU QIAN Spokeswoman Office of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China San Francisco [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 12. Beijing reassures UN leader about sect Chicago Sun-Times, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/china17.html UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that China's explanation of its prohibition of the Falun Gong sect gave him a "better understanding" of the government crackdown. (...) Annan, who earlier expressed concern about the government's campaign, said Tang gave him "a full explanation as to how the government sees the group" and that he now has "a better understanding" of the issues involved. "In dealing with this issue, the fundamental rights of citizens will be respected, and some of the actions they are taking are for the protection of individuals," Annan said. (...) Falun Gong members have complained of police beatings, illegal detentions and imprisonment in labor camps without trial and have repeatedly appealed for Annan's help. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi reiterated that Chinese policy aims to punish "criminals who mastermind and calculate the criminal activities" and not ordinary Falun Gong followers. Sun denied that any persecution is taking place. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 13. Members of banned sect protest, arrests reported in China San Francisco Gate, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/ news/archive/1999/11/17/international0430EST0516.DTL Gathering furtively before police could catch them, several members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement staged a brief protest today in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. In the latest act of defiance against the government's four-month campaign to vanquish the group, four women, a man and a young child performed slow meditation exercises on the vast square's pavement. Plainclothes and uniformed police quickly hustled them into a van and drove them away. "We appeal to international society and to kind people who uphold justice to support Falun Gong believers who have been persecuted ruthlessly,'' a member of the movement who watched but did not take part in the demonstration said in a written appeal handed to a foreign reporter. (...) The written appeal by the Falun Gong member, who did not give his name, said fellow adherents were leaving their homes and jobs, sometimes walking or bicycling from distant cities, in their quest to defend the movement. It said members were living in an "environment of absolute terror.'' [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Scientology 14. Foe of Scientology plans move to area St. Petersburg Times, Nov. 16, 1999 http://www.sptimes.com/News/111699/NorthPinellas/Foe_of_Scientology_pl.shtml The Church of Scientology came to court Monday hoping its No. 1 enemy, Robert S. Minton, would never again be allowed near church properties in Clearwater. Instead, church officials learned that Minton, a 53-year-old New England millionaire, plans to be much too close for their comfort. Clearwater lawyer Denis de Vlaming told Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Thomas E. Penick Jr. that Minton has purchased a building next to the Clearwater Bank Building on Cleveland Street, one of Scientology's signature properties downtown. Later, de Vlaming clarified, saying Minton will not be closing on the building for a few weeks. Either way, Minton wants to use the building as a headquarters for a new, anti-Scientology organization named after Lisa McPherson, the church member who died in 1995 while under the care of Scientology staffers. Minton also plans to live in the building, de Vlaming said. (...) The plans came to light during a hearing on whether a temporary restraining order against Minton should be made permanent. The church secured the order Nov. 4, three days after Minton was arrested for misdemeanor battery, accused of striking church staffer Richard W. Howd. (...) Under the temporary restraining order, Minton must remain 150 yards from the Fort Harrison Hotel, the Clearwater Bank Building, which houses offices and dining areas, and 15 other local Scientology properties. (...) Minton, a retired investment banker, has spent about $2.5-million to finance Scientology's critics and those who are in litigation against the church. He says Scientology abuses its members and critics. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] * As is its practice, the Church of Scientology is conducting an ongoing harassment campaign against Bob Minton and other critics. For documentation, see: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/s04.html#cosharass 15. State vs. Scientology Sindelfinger Zeitung (Germany) Translation: CISAR http://cisar.org/991117b.htm This Wednesday the conflict between the administrative presidium and a Scientology organization will begin anew before the Stuttgart Administrative Court. The Stuttgart Dianetics sect branch is to lose its association status. The behavior of Dianetics Stuttgart has been a thorn in the side of the authorities since 1994. The Scientology branch has been operating a brisk commercial business under the auspices of a registered association, according to the administrative presidium ["Regierungspraesidium"]. The association articles and the general meetings were said by the speaker of the administrative presidium to be "pseudo-meetings" throughout. As a result, its association privileges must be taken away. Dianetics Stuttgart was said to be striving for commercial advantage in its so-called "auditing" and training its auditors. In early 1996, for instance, about twelve hours of auditing cost 8,652 marks ($6,575). At that time the Scientology Academy was offering Grades 0 through IV at 18,400 marks ($14,000). The administrative presidium estimated the annual intake of Dianetics Stuttgart to be 2 to 3 million marks. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Hate Groups 16. Pastor Who Takes Pride in Hate Traces the Emotion to Bible Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 1999 http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/19991116/t000104294.html From his perch on a cracked sidewalk, the Rev. Fred Phelps looked upon his handiwork and found it was good. (...) The 69-year-old Baptist pastor from Topeka said little, but the placards he held aloft succinctly conveyed the three-word credo of his ministry: "God hates fags." Phelps is a man out of his time, a Bible-spouting fundamentalist at play in the field of 20th-century media manipulation. A preacher whose following amounts to little more than his extended family, Phelps leads an anti-homosexual ministry across the United States, a land he calls a modern Sodom. Gay activists have reviled him for years, but it is only in recent weeks that Phelps made an impact on the roiling national debate over religion and homosexual rights. It came as Phelps suddenly expanded his withering attacks on gays to target some of the religious right's most influential evangelists -- Falwell, James Dobson and Pat Robertson -- for their controversial public campaign to seek dialogues with homosexuals and convert them to heterosexuality. (...) Even amid the byzantine underground culture of American hate groups, Phelps' roving ministry stands apart. He makes no effort to expand his flock, a small tribe of a few dozen relatives and hangers-on. He echoes the apocalyptic ravings of survivalists, but forbids his congregation to stockpile guns. "He's with the nuts and flakes," says Joe Roy, director of intelligence for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate watchdog group. (...) Phelps' greatest danger, in the eyes of Christian groups, is his ability to freeload on media coverage. "People see his offensive signs and they think that's the face of Christianity," said Amy Tracy, a spokeswoman for Dobson's Focus on the Family, who says she is a converted lesbian. Falwell contends that Phelps "needs to be taken seriously. I can understand why gays and lesbians would be afraid of him." But gay activists complain that Falwell and Dobson take private delight in Phelps' attacks because they end up appearing more sympathetic each time he lambastes them. "Phelps is Falwell and Dobson without the nice wrappings," said David Smith, a spokesman with the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights group in Washington. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 17. Supremacist testifies for L.A. shootings grand jury Seatlle Post-Intelligencer/AP, Nov. 18, 1999 http://www.seattlep-i.com/local/butl18.shtml (...) Richard Butler, 81, founder and head of the Aryan Nations church in Hayden Lake, Idaho, was ordered to travel to Los Angeles at taxpayers' expense to testify behind close doors on Nov. 10, The Spokesman-Review reported. The focus of the investigation is Buford O. Furrow Jr., 37, a former Aryan Nations security guard who most recently lived near Olympia. FBI agents served Butler with a subpoena last month, and the FBI is also looking for other people who may have known Furrow while he was at the Aryan Nations compound in 1995, The Spokesman-Review reported. (...) Butler said he was questioned by assistant U.S. attorney Michael Gennaco about Christian Identity beliefs, which hold that white people are the true children of God, the real Israelites. "Apparently, they just wanted me to explain my Christian beliefs," he said. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 18. Amazon.com Stops German Mein Kampf Sales Excite/Reuters, Nov. 18, 1999 http://news.excite.com/news/r/991118/17/net-amazon-meinkampf Online retail pioneer Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN.O) said on Thursday it will stop selling Adolf Hitler's prison-penned manifesto "Mein Kampf" in Germany, but two major rivals said they had no plans to follow suit. Citing German laws prohibiting sales of hate literature and under pressure from the Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, Amazon will restrict sales of the hate-filled book. "We're not shipping it into Germany. It's still available at our Web site and can be shipped elsewhere," Amazon spokesman Bill Curry said. But rivals Barnesandnoble.com Inc. (BNBN.O) and Borders Group Inc. (BGP.N) will continue -- at least for now -- to ship the heavily anti-Semitic book, which Hitler wrote in prison years before he led the Nazi party to power in 1933. The book's English version was among Amazon's most popular titles in Germany. The Wiesenthal Center filed legal complaints against Amazon and other Web-based book sellers in August. "It's clear that the German-language version is banned in Germany. It's less clear about the English version and we thought that given that uncertainty the prudent thing was to stop shipping it into Germany," Curry added. (...) Seattle-based Amazon also said it would stop computer generated e-mail marketing of other anti-Semitic books to Mein Kampf buyers, a technique used to induce customers to make similar purchases. (...) Amazon.com does not disclose data on individual book sales or provide country-by-country figures. But in September the Web site listed Mein Kampf as No.2 on its "uniquely best selling" list in Germany, suggesting the book is much more popular in Germany than among other Amazon customers. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Shakty Pat Guru Foundation 19. Cultists say mummified man still lives Mainichi Daily News (Japan), Nov. 16, 1999 http://www.mainichi.co.jp/english/news/news06.html Police on Monday began an autopsy on a 66-year-old man who was found mummified last week in a hotel here, despite adamant protests to call off the examination from cultists who insist the man is still alive. (...) Kobayshi had been hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage, but his cultist son obtained a discharge for him midway through the treatment. Acolytes of Shakty Pat Guru Foundation (SPGF), a philosophy seminar group connected to the self-enlightenment cult known as Life Space, have told police officials that Kobayashi was recovering from treatment performed by the group's guru, Shakty Pat, whose real name is Koji Takahashi. The followers say that conducting an autopsy on Kobayashi would result in his death. According to police, two SPGF members and Kobayashi's 31-year-old son, whose given name has been withheld, entered the Narita Police Station at around 8:30 a.m. and told police to "understand that Kobayashi is still alive." (...) Earlier on Sunday morning, 10 other cult members arrived at the Chiba precinct, insisting Kobayshi was still alive and that they be permitted to meet with him. They warned police that Kobayashi would die if the autopsy was conducted, but left after police turned down their request. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Breatharianism 20. Breatharians found guilty of manslaughter Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Nov. 19, 1999 http://www.abc.net.au/news/newslink/weekly/newsnat-19nov1999-70.htm A husband and wife on trial for the manslaughter of a woman under their care during a 21-day meditation diet have been found guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane. Jim Pesnak, 60, and his 63-year-old wife Eugenia, of Ormiston east of Brisbane, were looking after the 53-year-old Melbourne woman who was taking part in the teachings of "breatharianism". She was undergoing a 21-day cult cleansing diet, which meant no food and only orange juice for the last two weeks. The court was told she became ill after about six days and was experiencing right sided weakness, had difficulty mobilising and speaking. The court was told the Pesnaks rang a doctor, who had undergone the diet as a breatharian, for advice but did not ring an ambulance until the 11th day when she had trouble breathing. The couple both pleaded not guilty to the charge. [...entire item...] === Mormonism 21. Couple want LDS suit dismissed Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 16, 1999 http://www.sltrib.com/1999/nov/11161999/utah/47668.htm LDS Church critics Jerald and Sandra Tanner are asking a federal court judge to dismiss a lawsuit claiming they violated copyright laws by posting parts of a Mormon Church handbook on the Internet. Their attorney, Brian Barnard, said the lawsuit should be dismissed because the church has never claimed it has a copyright on the 17 pages of the Church Handbook of Instructions that the couple posted on their Web site. "If there is a copyright somewhere [on the material], then we do not know about it yet," said Barnard. Instead, according to Barnard, the church in its court filings has indicated the handbook is a compilation of earlier works. International Reserve Inc., the corporation that holds the church's intellectual-property assets, sued the Tanners in early October for posting the materials that describe church disciplinary procedures. IRI and the Tanners' attorney are scheduled to argue the issue Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell. [...entire item...] 22. Family Conference Stumbles Over LDS Participation Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 15, 1999 http://www.sltrib.com/1999/nov/11151999/nation_w/47388.htm Speakers at the opening ceremony of the World Congress of Families II here Sunday mentioned repeatedly how the concern for the natural family transcends culture, language and religion. They pointed to the extraordinary alliance the group has built among Roman Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Jews and Muslims. Behind the scenes, however, organizers have had to defend the participation of some of its partners -- particularly members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 23. Popular LDS Genealogy Web Site Is Adding 240 Million More Names Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 16, 1999 http://www.sltrib.com/1999/nov/11161999/utah/47672.htm Already the world's most extensive online genealogical collection, the LDS Church's 6-month-old, runaway Internet hit "FamilySearch" is about to get much bigger. Next Monday, 240 million new names will be added to the popular Web site at www.familysearch.org, giving cyber-genealogists access to more than 640 million records in all. The boost of nearly 40 percent in FamilySearch's archives is the largest single upgrade to the site since its launch last May. Site designers originally forecast 1 million "hits," or Web page accesses per day. However, in its first five days alone, FamilySearch recorded more than 120 million. Since then it has had more than 1.5 billion hits, averaging 7.5 million to 10 million daily in recent weeks. (...) "Church President Gordon B. Hinckley indicated that the launch of the site . . . was just a beginning," Christoffersen said. "With this upgrade we are making good on that promise and have extended the reach of the service to an even larger international audience." (...) Family history has been a Mormon priority since the church's earliest days. The church officially began compiling genealogical records in 1984, primarily using the information in LDS temple ordinances such as baptisms for the dead, eternal marriages and heavenly family sealings. Today, the church maintains records of more than 2 billion people, safeguarding the information on millions of rolls of microfilm stored in granite vaults inside Little Cottonwood Canyon south of Salt Lake City. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Other News 24. Freemasons Set to Reveal Secrets on Internet Excite/Reuters, Nov. 19, 1999 http://news.excite.com/news/r/991119/09/net-freemasons-secrets A group of British freemasons -- a secretive society famed for its men-only membership and behind-the-scenes influence -- is set to reveal the world of the secret handshake on the Internet. (...) They hope that by selling a video of their meetings they will help rid the organization of its reputation for secrecy and unusual traditions. (...) "We're in the process of dispelling all the myths and misconceptions surrounding our organization. The film removes the veil of secrecy which is said to exist around freemasonry." The Bradford Web site also has interviews with freemasons and answers some of the questions frequently asked about the secrecy of the organization. Surfers can visit the Web site at www.wrprovince.co.uk. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 25. Patriarch Accuses Missionaries AOL/AP, Nov. 15, 1999 http://my.aol.com/news/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=01&id=1999111701173519 Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexy II accused foreign missionaries on Wednesday of feeding psychedelic drugs to young people as a tool for winning converts, a news agency reported. Alexy II frequently speaks out against foreign missionaries in Russia, who he feels are winning souls from his traditional flock of followers. The patriarch, speaking at a congress for Orthodox missionaries, said their main task should be countering the work of missionaries from other faiths. "I am convinced that foreign missionaries who arrive in this country are anxious to divide Russians,'' the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted him as saying. In his comment about psychedelic drugs, the news agency quoted him as saying foreign missionaries "often'' use the substances as recruiting tools. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 26. Massachusetts high court throws out abuse finding against minister CNN/AP, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/17/bc.ministerspanking.ap/index.html The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court dismissed a child abuse charge against a minister who spanked his son, ruling Wednesday that child welfare officials provided inadequate evidence. Donald Cobble, a minister from Woburn, said he spanked his 12-year-old son once to twice a month with the end of a leather belt to instill discipline. The Department of Social Services filed an abuse finding against Cobble but offered to drop the charge if he agreed to stop spanking. He refused. Lawyers for the state argued the spanking raised "substantial risk of physical injury" to the boy. (...) Cobble's attorney, Chester Darling, said he he wasn't surprised the court chose to avoid the question of religious freedom and simply address whether there was enough evidence for an abuse finding. "Any court will avoid the constitutional issues if it can be reversed on other grounds, which they did here," he said. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 27. Evangelist says Y2K isn't a big problem Alabama Live, Nov. 14, 1999 http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/Nov1999/14-e272677b.html TV evangelist Garner Ted Armstrong assured about 200 followers Saturday that Y2K is nothing to be worried about, unless people panic. "Y2K is not significant at all from a biblical standpoint," said Armstrong, president of the Intercontinental Church of God denomination. He spoke in a meeting room at the Birmingham Marriott Hotel. (...) Armstrong said that in the 1960s he predicted the reunification of Germany and the unification of Europe. "It has come to pass," he said. "It took a lot longer than I thought it would." Although Armstrong stresses biblical prophecy, he said it is dangerous for people to think they need to do anything to try to bring about fulfillment of prophecy. God can do it himself, Armstrong said. "Anyone who would try to precipitate any prophecy in the Bible has got to be crazy," he said. Armstrong is the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, who founded the 80,000-member Worldwide Church of God in 1934. It started as the Radio Church of God, with the first broadcast of "The World Tomorrow." The elder Armstrong died in 1986 at age 93 and new leadership steered the denomination away from controversial theology. The Worldwide Church of God is now considered a mainstream evangelical Christian denomination, similar to other Pentecostals. Garner Ted Armstrong had been the heir apparent to his father until an internal power struggle between the younger Armstrong and his father's chief aide in 1978 prompted the elder Armstrong to excommunicate his son. Since starting the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association in 1979, he has traveled the country as a lecturer and has a TV program on WGN. His denomination has about 100 affiliated congregations across the country that play videos of his sermons in their services, he said. Armstrong, who will be 70 in February, said he still feels the shadow of his famous radio pioneer father. "One of these days people will stop identifying me as Herbert W. Armstrong's son," he said. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 28. New score just in: Organized religion 9, Others 1. Detroit News, Nov. 17, 1999 http://detnews.com/1999/religion/9911/17/11170255.htm One out of every nine Americans does not belong to any organized religion. People who answer "none" when asked their religious preference tend to be male, young, urban and single, according to a four-year study of the religious orientation of adult residents of the United States conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University. At least 24 million American adults do not belong to any organized religious institution, making them second in number only to Roman Catholics if they were counted as a specific religious group. "One of the basic facets to being non-aligned with a religion is that you do not want restrictions imposed upon you," said Ronald Barrier, spokesman for the 2,500-member American Atheists Inc., an advocacy group founded 36 years ago by Madalyn Murray O'Hair. "We are more open, more accepting." (...) "We have a wave of spiritualism going through America right now, especially among younger people," said William J. Murray, a Washington, D.C., religious activist who campaigns to return prayer to the public schools. "They identify with angels, say they believe in a superior being, but will not attach themselves to a specific denomination or creed." Murray, perhaps best known as O'Hair's son who in 1980 rejected the atheism of his youth to become a devout Southern Baptist, said television and other entertainment media have promoted vague notions of the supernatural without upholding specific organized religions. "Now it's become almost a fad to believe in supernatural forces without attaching any explanation to them," he said. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 29. Catholic bishops vote to certify theologians San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 18, 1999 http://www7.mercurycenter.com/premium/nation/docs/bishops18.htm The nation's Roman Catholic bishops voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to require theology professors at Catholic colleges and universities to obtain certification from their bishops declaring that what they teach is "authentic Catholic doctrine.'' The requirement that theologians obtain a mandatum, or mandate, emerged at the meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops as the most controversial element in a broad statement about what the relations should be between the church and America's more than 230 Catholic institutions of higher education. (...) Although supporters of the document said they believed that it would not be unnecessarily intrusive, it appears likely to generate tension at many Catholic universities, which enroll about 670,000 students. Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee warned that the document, if implemented, would be "a pastoral disaster for the church.'' (...) The document has already generated controversy. "It really is redefining the relationship of Catholic universities and colleges to the church to say that theologians must request a mandate from the bishop which, once given, can be withdrawn,'' said the Rev. Thomas Rausch, chair of the theological studies department at Loyola Marymount University, in Los Angeles. "Many Catholic educators are worried that this will compromise the academic integrity of the institutions and the freedom of inquiry of those teaching theology.'' [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Noted 30. A Question of Right and Wrong Los Angeles Times, Nov. 17, 1999 http://www.latimes.com/news/state/19991117/t000104803.html A growing number of the country's school districts--including Los Angeles Unified--have decided that topics such as ethics and character development deserve a place in the curriculum alongside English and math. (...) Students across the nation are increasingly being taught that their actions have consequences--not only for them, but often for others. The Los Angeles Unified School District has waded into the potentially dicey political and religious waters of trying to instill character by launching the pilot course that aims to blend old-fashioned core values and civic virtues with career planning. By June, Life Skills, which was intended to replace the district's 20-year-old virtues-free Education Career Planning program, will be mandatory for all ninth-graders. (...) Steering clear of religious doctrines, topics include student life, self-identity, relationships and community. (...) To be sure, there are plenty of teachers and administrators who regard the subject as distressingly "touchy-feely." Others dismiss the character movement as just another educational fad. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] 31. Cal Thomas: Faith and persecution Nando Times, Nov. 18, 1999 (Column) http://www2.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,500058480-500096332-500381111-0,00.html (...) There has been a lot of talk like this lately. Christians and their "values" aren't getting the respect they deserve from non-Christians. In fact, say many on what the press calls the Religious Right, they are being persecuted for their beliefs. The direct-mail fund-raising letters from various TV ministers and some who are ministerial wannabes speak of "religious persecution!" complete with appropriate exclamation points. They cite the religious connections in the Columbine High School killings of last spring and the Fort Worth church shooting this fall. They ask for money to fight this "persecution," though specifics are often lacking beyond "restoring" prayer and Bible reading to public schools or hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms. (...) The presumption is that non-Christians are supposed to accept the Christian agenda and beliefs without question. Christians are surprised and offended that anyone would oppose their beliefs and tactics, because they claim to be right. When they are killed for their faith, they suggest that this is unnatural and unprecedented and that government should classify this extreme form of persecution as a hate crime. Two things. First, many in the world being beheaded, stoned, flogged and imprisoned for their faith might gladly exchange such real persecution for the mostly mere inconveniences experienced by American Christians. Second, isn't it curious that people who claim to believe what the Bible says think it unusual, or even outrageous, that they would be subjected to persecution for their faith? The prosperity gospel they can handle. The persecution gospel they'd rather avoid. Here is what their leader said about persecution: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds b2a of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). The key word here is "falsely." If one is persecuted for being a jerk, he deserves what he gets. (...) So, lighten up, Christians, and get about the business of doing the things that will bring real persecution. You're not being fed to the lions, but you are being fed a lot of baloney by some of your leaders who, frankly, don't know what they're talking about when it comes to real persecution. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Interfaith / Interdenominational 32. Leaders debate the changes that religious diversity brings to the millennium Star-Telegram, Nov. 14, 1999 http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:RELIGION12/1:RELIGION12111499.html On the eve of the third millennium of Christianity, 1,000 church leaders from dozens of denominations are meeting this week in Cleveland to wrestle with America's growing religious diversity and to explore how Americans' spiritual yearnings may change their churches. Rising sales of inspirational books and music -- and growing interest in spiritual subjects from angels to meditation techniques -- indicate that Americans' interest in spirituality is soaring. But America is becoming so spiritually and culturally diverse that some leaders of traditional churches are struggling to cope with the changing landscape. During the 50th anniversary convention of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA -- a group representing 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches -- the Cleveland Convention Center has buzzed with questions about the future. (...) One of the few formal statements issued by the Council this week is an 18-page policy statement condemning ethnic and racial bias and recommitting the council to defend religious freedom for all. (...) While traditional faiths were welcomed by the Council, the group's leaders still are struggling to come to terms with the trend among some Americans to move away from congregations entirely and, instead, search for more self-centered spiritual enlightenment. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] === Film 33. Film Review: 'Omega Code' a mega disaster Excite/U-Wire, Nov. 17, 1999 http://news.excite.com/news/uw/991117/entertainment-film-262 "The Omega Code" is a disaster. The only reason this movie ever made it to the big screen is because the Trinity Broadcasting Network funded millions of dollars. (...) "The Omega Code" has a cultic feel because it shows that people are willing to believe in anything, however ridiculous. It also contains many abrupt transitions. (...) It is as if no scientific methods or research matters for this movie. [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] * Indeed, the so-called "Bible Codes," one of many heresies and aberrancies promoted by TBN, have been thoroughly discounted. http://www.apologeticsindex.org/b00.html#biblecodes 34. 'Jesus in love' film backed by Vatican The Times, Nov. 18, 1999 http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/timfgneur01004.html?999 An Italian film that shows Jesus in love has won the surprise backing of the Vatican. Alarmed officials had asked for an advance viewing of the film, to be broadcast on Italian television in the run up to Christmas. But yesterday Cardinal Poupard, the Vatican's head of culture, said it would be shown as part of a two-week Vatican film festival starting next weekend. He said the films had been chosen because they dealt with "moral and spiritual values". (...) The most controversial scene suggests an amorous relationship between Jesus and Mary, the sister of Martha, whose house at Bethany Jesus visited shortly before his arrest and crucifixion. (...) Ettore Bernabei, the producer, told Corriere della Sera that the film was aimed "above all" at non-believers but it was "essentially faithful to the Gospels". Mr Young said that in showing the "human side" of Jesus, he hoped to convey his appeal in "immediate and up- to-date language . . . I did not set out to make a traditional film". [...more...] [Need the full story? Read this] |