The CIA both accused the Communists of using brainwashing and tried to make it work for its own purposes. These events had a significant influence on Japan.
Testimonies Global
The “Mind Control Fantasy” in Japan After Aum Shinrikyo. 1. The Academic Study of Aum Shinrikyo
A Japanese scholar reflects on the strange success in Japan of discredited theories about “brainwashing” allegedly practiced by “cults.”
The Ghost of Revisionism: Revisiting the 2000 Buenos Aires Yoga School Case. 3. When Justice Is Put on Trial Again
Following an economic dispute with the School, the woman who debunked the accusations in the 2000 case now claims they were true. Can we believe her?
The Ghost of Revisionism: Revisiting the 2000 Buenos Aires Yoga School Case. 2. The Story of V.L.
The judge’s reconstruction of the experience of a young woman whose father started the case was crucial in his decision to declare the defendants innocent.
The Ghost of Revisionism: Revisiting the 2000 Buenos Aires Yoga School Case. 1. A Momentous Decision
The 25th anniversary of the acquittal of the BAYS defendants deserves celebration, not falsification.
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.