The ruling on the “notarized document case” confirms biases against “cults” and the Family Federation by courts that ignore international law.
Massimo Introvigne
Is Yoga Fascist? Why Stewart Home’s “Fascist Yoga” Goes Too Far
The book has value and uncovers some disturbing connections, but ultimately collapses under the weight of its sweeping and unfair generalizations.
A Christmas Meditation: From the Manger to the Colosseum
The same story links the Nativity and the martyrs: those who seek to live according to conscience often face hostility. Support “Bitter Winter,” it is here to help them.
The Committee That Would Be King: South Africa’s CRL Right Commission Threatens Religious Liberty—Again
The Section 22 Committee is a new invention to establish a bureaucratic control of churches.
山上徹也と統一教会：公判、ファクトチェッカー、そしてメディアの空想
安倍晋三元首相の暗殺者をめぐる真相は、メディアが描いてきた反統一教会の物語とはまったく異なるものであることを、ファクトチェックの専門家が明らかにした。
Yamagami and the Unification Church: The Trial, the Fact‑Checker, and the Media Mirage
A specialist in fact-checking demonstrates that the real story of Shinzo Abe’s assassin was very different from the media’s anti-Unification-Church tale.
日本におけるオセロとイアーゴ：なぜ山上は安倍氏を殺したのか
シェイクスピアとヴェルディの物語において、イアーゴはデズデモーナを殺してはいないが、殺人者の心に毒を注いだ。どこか聞き覚えのある話ではないだろうか。
Palmar de Troya: Iglesia Palmariana Opens Its Doors Amid Tragedy
An effort by the movement led by the Swiss Markus Josef Odermatt, who claims to be Pope Peter III, concluded with the mysterious (but probably accidental) death of a baby girl.
Othello and Iago in Japan: Why Yamagami Killed Abe
In Shakespeare’s and Verdi’s story, Iago did not kill Desdemona but poisoned the mind of the assassin. Sounds familiar?
Denmark’s Investigation Ends, Tabloid Is Criticized, but Campaign Against Jehovah’s Witnesses Persists
A careful analysis concluded that the Witnesses do comply with Danish law. The Danish Press Council stated that their critics at “Ekstra Bladet” violated the Press Code.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.