14 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 1, No. 1, 2010
catalyst for the dissolution of patriarchal bonds,
charismatic authority, group coherence, and,
most importantly, members’ silence.
The history of the group begins in the early part
of the 1930s, when a man by the name of Alfred
J. Parker living in Vancouver believed that he
had a mission in life that he needed to share with
the world. He wanted to “blend…, unite…, and
thus balance… [the beliefs and principles of
Eastern and Western thought] through
understanding, [so that the merging of the two
worldviews] … would provide the world with a
perfect religion, a philosophy of life in its
entirety” (Kabalarian Philosophy, “History...”
2009). This altruistic statement marked the
foundation of the group called the Kabalarian
Philosophy, which, over its eighty-year-long
history, has had only two leaders: Alfred Parker
and his successor, Ivon Shearing.
With representatives across western Canada and
in parts of Europe, the Kabalarian Philosophy
draws on the Eastern and Western religious and
philosophical principles that Parker discovered
and that Shearing continued to interpret but
there exists a dark underside to the application
of these teachings. According to the testimony
presented during a criminal trial in 1997, the
unique worldview purported by Shearing was a
means of manipulating and exploiting the female
members of the group. This exploitation
involved multiple sexual offenses, including
rape and sexual assault. What surfaced during
Shearing’s trial was that he was able to engage
in his criminal behavior by using his charismatic
authority and spiritual teachings to exploit his
female members’ devotion, confusion, and fear.
His defense against the multiple sexually based
charges was that his actions were theologically
justifiable—a position that was publicly
contentious and unconvincing to a jury (and
many of his most dedicated followers), given his
conviction on multiple charges.
The Trial Transcripts: An Overview
On January 14, 1997, Ivon Shearing was
indicted on twenty criminal counts, including six
gross indecency charges, five indecent assault
charges, five sexual assault charges, one count
of “hav[ing] sexual intercourse with a female
person … who was not his wife and who was
under the age of fourteen” (Indictment, R. v.
Shearing, 1997:2) and three counts of rape.
Beginning on September 15, 1997, the trial
spanned two months included the testimony of
thirteen witnesses for the accused and thirteen
for the defense and concluded when the jury
reached a verdict on November 17, 1997. It was
a case that drew considerable attention in British
Columbia, Canada, but made only brief
headlines elsewhere in the country. When the
Notice of Appeal was delivered January 16,
1998, the media paid little attention to the new
development, writing the occasional piece that
seemed to suffice to apprise the public of
Shearing’s actions. Certainly, the case did not
create a long-lasting media frenzy.
Overall, out of the thirteen witnesses for the
prosecution (referred to as the Crown in the
internal citations), eleven of the women had had
sexual contact with Shearing. These women had
also been members of the group for a significant
period of their lives. Witness #3 was a member
of the Kabalarians for twenty-nine years, joining
at the age of nine and leaving the Kabalarians at
the age of thirty-eight. Witness #4 was a
member for eighteen years, joining at the age of
twenty and leaving when she, too, was thirty-
eight. Witness #5 joined the Kabalarians with
her family at the age of five and a half, and left
at the age of forty-two, making her a member for
thirty-seven years. Witness #6 had a twelve-year
membership, joining at the age of eighteen and
leaving at the age of thirty. Witness #7 joined
the movement at the age of seven with her
family, left at the age of thirty-two, and had been
a member of the Kabalarian Philosophy for
twenty-five years. Witness #8, who had the
shortest membership period—ten years—joined
with her family at the age of ten and left at the
age of twenty. Witness #9, a seventeen-year
member, joined the movement with her family
when she was eight years old and left when she
was twenty-five years old. Witness #10, the
witness with the longest membership, was born
into the movement, and left forty-six years later.
The last witness to testify for the prosecution
was a twenty-year member, who was also born
into the movement, but left it when she was
twenty. While these numbers indicate a low
attrition rate, they also seem to indicate
catalyst for the dissolution of patriarchal bonds,
charismatic authority, group coherence, and,
most importantly, members’ silence.
The history of the group begins in the early part
of the 1930s, when a man by the name of Alfred
J. Parker living in Vancouver believed that he
had a mission in life that he needed to share with
the world. He wanted to “blend…, unite…, and
thus balance… [the beliefs and principles of
Eastern and Western thought] through
understanding, [so that the merging of the two
worldviews] … would provide the world with a
perfect religion, a philosophy of life in its
entirety” (Kabalarian Philosophy, “History...”
2009). This altruistic statement marked the
foundation of the group called the Kabalarian
Philosophy, which, over its eighty-year-long
history, has had only two leaders: Alfred Parker
and his successor, Ivon Shearing.
With representatives across western Canada and
in parts of Europe, the Kabalarian Philosophy
draws on the Eastern and Western religious and
philosophical principles that Parker discovered
and that Shearing continued to interpret but
there exists a dark underside to the application
of these teachings. According to the testimony
presented during a criminal trial in 1997, the
unique worldview purported by Shearing was a
means of manipulating and exploiting the female
members of the group. This exploitation
involved multiple sexual offenses, including
rape and sexual assault. What surfaced during
Shearing’s trial was that he was able to engage
in his criminal behavior by using his charismatic
authority and spiritual teachings to exploit his
female members’ devotion, confusion, and fear.
His defense against the multiple sexually based
charges was that his actions were theologically
justifiable—a position that was publicly
contentious and unconvincing to a jury (and
many of his most dedicated followers), given his
conviction on multiple charges.
The Trial Transcripts: An Overview
On January 14, 1997, Ivon Shearing was
indicted on twenty criminal counts, including six
gross indecency charges, five indecent assault
charges, five sexual assault charges, one count
of “hav[ing] sexual intercourse with a female
person … who was not his wife and who was
under the age of fourteen” (Indictment, R. v.
Shearing, 1997:2) and three counts of rape.
Beginning on September 15, 1997, the trial
spanned two months included the testimony of
thirteen witnesses for the accused and thirteen
for the defense and concluded when the jury
reached a verdict on November 17, 1997. It was
a case that drew considerable attention in British
Columbia, Canada, but made only brief
headlines elsewhere in the country. When the
Notice of Appeal was delivered January 16,
1998, the media paid little attention to the new
development, writing the occasional piece that
seemed to suffice to apprise the public of
Shearing’s actions. Certainly, the case did not
create a long-lasting media frenzy.
Overall, out of the thirteen witnesses for the
prosecution (referred to as the Crown in the
internal citations), eleven of the women had had
sexual contact with Shearing. These women had
also been members of the group for a significant
period of their lives. Witness #3 was a member
of the Kabalarians for twenty-nine years, joining
at the age of nine and leaving the Kabalarians at
the age of thirty-eight. Witness #4 was a
member for eighteen years, joining at the age of
twenty and leaving when she, too, was thirty-
eight. Witness #5 joined the Kabalarians with
her family at the age of five and a half, and left
at the age of forty-two, making her a member for
thirty-seven years. Witness #6 had a twelve-year
membership, joining at the age of eighteen and
leaving at the age of thirty. Witness #7 joined
the movement at the age of seven with her
family, left at the age of thirty-two, and had been
a member of the Kabalarian Philosophy for
twenty-five years. Witness #8, who had the
shortest membership period—ten years—joined
with her family at the age of ten and left at the
age of twenty. Witness #9, a seventeen-year
member, joined the movement with her family
when she was eight years old and left when she
was twenty-five years old. Witness #10, the
witness with the longest membership, was born
into the movement, and left forty-six years later.
The last witness to testify for the prosecution
was a twenty-year member, who was also born
into the movement, but left it when she was
twenty. While these numbers indicate a low
attrition rate, they also seem to indicate
