Four UN Special Rapporteurs warn: the dissolution of the Unification Church and the anti-cult propaganda in schools violate international law.
From the World
A Modern Léo Taxil: Stephen Kent and Satanism. 3. Scholars Strike Back
Leading experts on the Satanism scare, David Frankfurter and Jean La Fontaine, debunked Kent’s theories. His rejoinder was not persuasive.
A Modern Léo Taxil: Stephen Kent and Satanism. 2. Digging for Demons
The anti-cult sociologist really believed that Satanic “human sacrifices” happened in Canada. But he admitted that he “never once came across a body.”
A Modern Léo Taxil: Stephen Kent and Satanism. 1: The Shadow of Taxil
The most famous anti-Masonic hoax is a cautionary tale to keep in mind when examining claims by anti-cult scholars about Satanic or “cultic” abuse.
The Secular Storm: The Strange Japanese Antipathy Towards Religion
Ian Reader and Clark Chilson’s “On Being Nonreligious in Contemporary Japan” is required reading for understanding what’s going on in Japan.
“We Exist, But We Cannot Say We Are Christians”: An Interview with an Afghan Christian
Via WhatsApp, an Afghan Christian shares his experience of living under Taliban rule. We have verified his story, although we protect him with a pseudonym.
The “Mind Control Fantasy” in Japan After Aum Shinrikyo. 5. Misunderstanding Deprogramming
The Aum case proved that the “anti-cult measures” based on deprogramming methods did not work, and ended up adding fuel to the fire.
Seoul’s New Inquisition: The Jailing of Pastor Son and Korea’s War on Churches
When governments start jailing pastors for preaching values, the line between democracy and despotism begins to blur.
The “Mind Control Fantasy” in Japan After Aum Shinrikyo. 4. The Anti-Cult Movement
Deprogramming continued in Japan after it was banned in the West. Lawyers and left-wing activists supported it.
The “Mind Control Fantasy” in Japan After Aum Shinrikyo. 3. Aum’s “Mind Control” Dreams
Influenced by MK Ultra, Aum Shinrikyo believed that “mind control” existed and tried to use it on its followers—without success.