Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 45
Slovakia Looks into Unification Church and Scientology
Last year, the Slovakian secret service looked into the activities of the Church of
Scientology and the Unification Church. It found a strong Scientology organization,
including centers in the northern city of Martin and in the capital, Bratislava, as well as
―citizens associations,‖ language schools, and private enterprises. The ―Moonies‖
concentrate on youth activities, and are involved in primary and high schools. (Novy Cas,
5/30/02)
House of Prayer
Defendants Waive Right to Counsel and Refuse Prosecution Deal
Eleven members of Atlanta‘s House of Prayer have refused a prosecution deal to serve
five years‘ probation instead of going to trial on charges of cruelty to children and
aggravated assault that could lead to many years in prison. They also refused the
assistance of court-appointed lawyers, saying that they would defend themselves.
The charges stem from a February 2001 incident in which two boys were held in the air and
whipped by adults at the direction of church leader the Rev. Arthur Allen, leaving wounds on
their torsos, according to a 14-count indictment. The boys' parents are among the 11
charged. The church believes adamantly in corporal punishment.] (Jill Young Miller, Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, Internet, 6/25/02)
Humana (Tvind)
Reclusive Humana Founder Arrested
The FBI in February arrested Moses Amdi Peterson on charges of tax fraud and
embezzlement of millions of dollars from a vast international network of charities and for-
profit companies apparently controlled by the Humana (or Tvind) organization, which he
founded. Peterson was awaiting extradition to Denmark as of this report.
His arrest is part of an international tale of charity and profit that involves a group of
activists so secretive and dedicated that some governments have classified them as a cult.
''They are in operation all over Europe and they are very active in the U.S., especially on the
East Coast,'' said Poul Gode, a deputy prosecutor in Denmark's Division of Serious Economic
Crimes, part of the Justice Ministry.
Operational Model
The Humana-linked organization Planet Aid is headquartered in the Boston suburb of
Holliston. Rural Williamstown, in the west of the state, has for some time been the site of a
campus that launches volunteers all over the world.
In 2000, three years after the organization began scattering its clothes collection containers
across New England, Planet Aid brought in more than $3.6 million in clothes and cash, much
of it from people who had been told in a brochure that half of their used clothes would be
donated to the needy in Africa. But almost none of the clothes donated to Planet Aid are
given away, and only about 6 percent of the money the group raises is spent on charity, a
Planet Aid official acknowledged.
It was not the first time that activists behind Planet Aid have been questioned about how
much they donate to the poor. Unbeknownst to authorities in Boston, the British
government took a recycled clothes operation run by Humana People to People, Planet Aid's
parent organization, into receivership in 1998, after investigators could not determine what
had happened to money from the clothing sales. And elsewhere, Humana's recycled
clothing operations in France and the Netherlands were reclassified as commercial
businesses, according to a prosecutor in Europe.
Slovakia Looks into Unification Church and Scientology
Last year, the Slovakian secret service looked into the activities of the Church of
Scientology and the Unification Church. It found a strong Scientology organization,
including centers in the northern city of Martin and in the capital, Bratislava, as well as
―citizens associations,‖ language schools, and private enterprises. The ―Moonies‖
concentrate on youth activities, and are involved in primary and high schools. (Novy Cas,
5/30/02)
House of Prayer
Defendants Waive Right to Counsel and Refuse Prosecution Deal
Eleven members of Atlanta‘s House of Prayer have refused a prosecution deal to serve
five years‘ probation instead of going to trial on charges of cruelty to children and
aggravated assault that could lead to many years in prison. They also refused the
assistance of court-appointed lawyers, saying that they would defend themselves.
The charges stem from a February 2001 incident in which two boys were held in the air and
whipped by adults at the direction of church leader the Rev. Arthur Allen, leaving wounds on
their torsos, according to a 14-count indictment. The boys' parents are among the 11
charged. The church believes adamantly in corporal punishment.] (Jill Young Miller, Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, Internet, 6/25/02)
Humana (Tvind)
Reclusive Humana Founder Arrested
The FBI in February arrested Moses Amdi Peterson on charges of tax fraud and
embezzlement of millions of dollars from a vast international network of charities and for-
profit companies apparently controlled by the Humana (or Tvind) organization, which he
founded. Peterson was awaiting extradition to Denmark as of this report.
His arrest is part of an international tale of charity and profit that involves a group of
activists so secretive and dedicated that some governments have classified them as a cult.
''They are in operation all over Europe and they are very active in the U.S., especially on the
East Coast,'' said Poul Gode, a deputy prosecutor in Denmark's Division of Serious Economic
Crimes, part of the Justice Ministry.
Operational Model
The Humana-linked organization Planet Aid is headquartered in the Boston suburb of
Holliston. Rural Williamstown, in the west of the state, has for some time been the site of a
campus that launches volunteers all over the world.
In 2000, three years after the organization began scattering its clothes collection containers
across New England, Planet Aid brought in more than $3.6 million in clothes and cash, much
of it from people who had been told in a brochure that half of their used clothes would be
donated to the needy in Africa. But almost none of the clothes donated to Planet Aid are
given away, and only about 6 percent of the money the group raises is spent on charity, a
Planet Aid official acknowledged.
It was not the first time that activists behind Planet Aid have been questioned about how
much they donate to the poor. Unbeknownst to authorities in Boston, the British
government took a recycled clothes operation run by Humana People to People, Planet Aid's
parent organization, into receivership in 1998, after investigators could not determine what
had happened to money from the clothing sales. And elsewhere, Humana's recycled
clothing operations in France and the Netherlands were reclassified as commercial
businesses, according to a prosecutor in Europe.
