The 25th anniversary of the acquittal of the BAYS defendants deserves celebration, not falsification.
Testimonies Global
UPF Japan vs. Eight Suzuki: A Defamation Appeal in the Shadow of Abe’s Assassination
The attorney for UPF explains why the first-degree verdict in favor of the notorious anti-cult journalist was wrong.
Religion, Esotericism, and Suicide. 5. Jon Nödtveidt and the Misanthropic Luciferian Order
The “anti-cosmic” Satanism of some Black and Death Metal bands hates everything and everybody. Suicide is a logical consequence.
Religion, Esotericism, and Suicide. 4. New Religious Movements Mass Suicides (and Homicides)
The “cult” rhetoric obscures what happened in Jonestown, the Solar Temple, Heaven’s Gate, and Kanungu—and why.
Religion, Esotericism, and Suicide. 3. Jain Sallekhana, Buddhist Self-Immolation, Islamic Suicide Terrorism
While Jains seek spiritual liberation at the end of life, Buddhist self-immolation and Muslim suicidal bombing are different forms of politico-religious actions.
Religion, Esotericism, and Suicide. 2. Masada Jews and Hindu Widows
Two very different cases of self-immolation: Jewish warriors at Masada, Indian women in the Sati ritual.
Religion, Esotericism, and Suicide. 1. Religions Against Suicide
Almost all religions condemn suicide. Why, then, does “ritual” suicide also exist?
Russia: A Letter from Vissarion
The leader of the Church of Last Testament, sentenced to twelve years in a penal colony, managed to smuggle a letter out of his jail. It is his version of what happened.
Putin’s Global Casting Call: How Slave Soldiers Ended Up on the Russian Front
Recruited in their countries and told they will work in construction or domestic security, deceived immigrants from Africa and Asia are compelled to fight in the Ukrainian War.
The Anti-Unification Church Movement in Japan. 3. Why the Dissolution Order Now
Causes include the lack of scholars sympathetic to new religious movements and the post-Cold War political situation.