The anti-cult movement needed a “legal precedent” to reintroduce the discredited idea that “cults” use “mental manipulation.”
Op-eds Global
“Brainwashing,” Steven Hassan,and the OneTaste Case. 1. Weaponizing Anti-Trafficking Laws
Anti-cultists persuaded prosecutors to reintroduce discredited mental manipulation theories by interpreting anti-prostitution and forced labor statutes.
When Courts Interpret Doctrine: A Japanese Scholar’s Concerns About the Unification Church Decision
An academic who left the church in 1992 denounces the misinterpretation of its theology in the verdict that dissolved the Family Federation.
France, Famille Missionnaire de Notre-Dame: When Ninety Percent Is Not Enough
Despite broad acquittals, the lone conviction for “psychological subjection” risks turning France’s justice system into an arbiter of acceptable spirituality.
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 6. Who Will Protect the Believers?
The court assures us that individual devotees will not be discriminated against. The reality is different.
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 5. Violating International Law
Restricting freedom of religion or belief on the grounds of “social acceptability” and “public welfare” is prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 4. The 2009 “Compliance Declaration”
After 2009, the number of incidents involving alleged improper solicitation of donations dropped to nearly zero. But the court maintains the problem still exists.
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 3. “Spiritual Sales” and Excessive Donations
Ultimately, the reason for the dissolution was the alleged manipulation of donors. Is there really enough evidence that it happened?
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 2. The Ghost of “Brainwashing”
A key theme of the decision is the discredited pseudo-scientific theory that “cults” victimize their members through “mental manipulation.”
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 1. A Caricatural View of the Church
The court reconstructed the theology and practices of the movement founded by Reverend Moon based on selective quotes and hostile sources.