Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2003, Page 43
News Summaries
Attleboro Sect (The Body)
Mother Accused of Murder Finally Speaks
A mother accused of starving her son to death when she was a member of a small
Attleboro, MA, Christian sect has for the first time made a statement about her experience.
Karen Robidoux, whose husband Jacques is serving life imprisonment for the crime of
allowing their child to starve to death, said of her involvement in the death:
―My inner feeling that I want to express to the world is that I know that I did all that was in
my power and ability to stop what was happening to Sam. Those who controlled the group
made my efforts impossible and created this tragic result." Her trial date has been
postponed to allow for court-ordered evaluation of her ability to take the stand.
Robidoux‘s attorney, Joe Krowski, says that he is not trying to make his client appear to be
a ‖victim‖ when he asserts that she was in no way responsible for the death — solid food
was withheld from her infant following a ―revelation‖ from God. He and other observers
believe that she was duped and manipulated into acquiescing. (Alison Bologna, News
Channel 10, Internet 8/4/03)
Aum Shinrikyo
Doctor Sentenced to Death
Tomamasa Nakagawa, a physician and former senior leader of Aum Shinrikyo, has been
sentenced to death for helping make the sarin gas used in the 1995 attack on the Tokyo
subway. He is the tenth Aum member to be sentenced to death. Aum once claimed 30,000
members but now, under the new name Aleph, has about 1,000. (AAP, Internet, 10/29/03)
Ex-Follower Assesses Asahara
Ikuo Hayashi, a physician and former Aum member now serving a life sentence in prison,
has written an analysis of leader Shoko Asahara saying the guru ―suffered from a
narcissistic obsession,‖ and that ―several traumatic setbacks led him to nurse wild,
destructive ambitions.‖
Asahara, born into a poor family, was sent to live with relatives when he was five and then
to a boarding school for the blind when he was six. He told Hayashi that he cried every
night for fear of dying in his sleep, and that most of his days were filled with tears. Hayashi
believes that some unresolved ―grief‖ that Asahara experienced in the school‘s closed
society festered and became a part of his psychology.
But since he was not totally blind, his limited sight, physical strength, and quick mind gave
him a feeling of power over the others, says Hayashi, and the ability to control others fed
his already inflated ego. This developed Asahara‘s conviction that he was a ―special being.‖
After being arrested at age 27 for running a pharmacy that produced and sold fake
medication, Asahara joined the Agonshu sect and learned how to run a spiritual movement
and attract followers. Next he opened a yoga studio where he preached the mantra, ―To
hold spiritual powers through endless spiritual training.‖ Soon, says Hayashi, Asahara
envisioned leading an elite group in a terrorist campaign to take over Japan.
According to Hayashi, Asahara cited sacred texts that sanctioned murder in the pursuit of
enlightenment. The guru ruled by fear, and disobedient followers were killed. Hayashi says
he joined Aum to achieve ‗virtue‘ and to do good and that he was taken in by Asahara‘s
spiritual leadership and blinded by his charisma, which together destroyed Hayashi‘s ego.
News Summaries
Attleboro Sect (The Body)
Mother Accused of Murder Finally Speaks
A mother accused of starving her son to death when she was a member of a small
Attleboro, MA, Christian sect has for the first time made a statement about her experience.
Karen Robidoux, whose husband Jacques is serving life imprisonment for the crime of
allowing their child to starve to death, said of her involvement in the death:
―My inner feeling that I want to express to the world is that I know that I did all that was in
my power and ability to stop what was happening to Sam. Those who controlled the group
made my efforts impossible and created this tragic result." Her trial date has been
postponed to allow for court-ordered evaluation of her ability to take the stand.
Robidoux‘s attorney, Joe Krowski, says that he is not trying to make his client appear to be
a ‖victim‖ when he asserts that she was in no way responsible for the death — solid food
was withheld from her infant following a ―revelation‖ from God. He and other observers
believe that she was duped and manipulated into acquiescing. (Alison Bologna, News
Channel 10, Internet 8/4/03)
Aum Shinrikyo
Doctor Sentenced to Death
Tomamasa Nakagawa, a physician and former senior leader of Aum Shinrikyo, has been
sentenced to death for helping make the sarin gas used in the 1995 attack on the Tokyo
subway. He is the tenth Aum member to be sentenced to death. Aum once claimed 30,000
members but now, under the new name Aleph, has about 1,000. (AAP, Internet, 10/29/03)
Ex-Follower Assesses Asahara
Ikuo Hayashi, a physician and former Aum member now serving a life sentence in prison,
has written an analysis of leader Shoko Asahara saying the guru ―suffered from a
narcissistic obsession,‖ and that ―several traumatic setbacks led him to nurse wild,
destructive ambitions.‖
Asahara, born into a poor family, was sent to live with relatives when he was five and then
to a boarding school for the blind when he was six. He told Hayashi that he cried every
night for fear of dying in his sleep, and that most of his days were filled with tears. Hayashi
believes that some unresolved ―grief‖ that Asahara experienced in the school‘s closed
society festered and became a part of his psychology.
But since he was not totally blind, his limited sight, physical strength, and quick mind gave
him a feeling of power over the others, says Hayashi, and the ability to control others fed
his already inflated ego. This developed Asahara‘s conviction that he was a ―special being.‖
After being arrested at age 27 for running a pharmacy that produced and sold fake
medication, Asahara joined the Agonshu sect and learned how to run a spiritual movement
and attract followers. Next he opened a yoga studio where he preached the mantra, ―To
hold spiritual powers through endless spiritual training.‖ Soon, says Hayashi, Asahara
envisioned leading an elite group in a terrorist campaign to take over Japan.
According to Hayashi, Asahara cited sacred texts that sanctioned murder in the pursuit of
enlightenment. The guru ruled by fear, and disobedient followers were killed. Hayashi says
he joined Aum to achieve ‗virtue‘ and to do good and that he was taken in by Asahara‘s
spiritual leadership and blinded by his charisma, which together destroyed Hayashi‘s ego.
