Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2005, Page 55
church doctrine advocates balancing the protection of children with the church‘s faith in
repentance and forgiveness. For example, children remain at risk because the church lets a
molester back into the fold if he repents. Moreover, the elders assure him that his crime will
not be reported to the rest of the congregation. That would be a sin according to the
Jehovah‘s Witnesses reading of the Bible. They also believe that if a perpetrator knows his
action will be made public, he‘s not likely to admit his wrongdoing to the elders and be open
to reform. In any case, the church itself rarely punishes abusers, because a finding of guilt
depends on two eyewitnesses or a confession, conditions difficult to meet. And a young child
cannot be his own witness in their judicial process unless he or she is ―mature‖ enough. A
church spokesman stated that if abuse has been ignored, the reason is elders‘ mistakes, not
church policy. (Annmarie Timmins, Concord Monitor, Internet, 11/22/04)
Kabbalah
Group “Controlled” Her
Phiona Davis, who is accused of stabbing her lover Keith Fernandez 58 times and then
killing her great-grandmother, said in court that the Kabbalah group ―controlled‖ her. A
witness testified that Davis chased Fernandez into the street and killed him, with an ―evil
grin on her face.‖ She next reportedly stood outside her grandmother‘s house, which she
had set on fire, and shrieked: ―I am the Messiah‖ and ―burn the demons.‖
The prosecutor said her doctor in 2003 noted Davis, unquestionably a schizophrenic, felt the
church controlled her. Professor Nigel Eastmen said Davis was one of the sickest people he
has ever examined. A jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity and she has been
returned to Broadmoor special hospital where she is being treated. (Alex Peake, Online Sun
[UK], Internet, 9/14/04 Shenai Raif, The Scotsman, Internet, 9/14/04)
Explaining Kabbalah
Scholar Daniel Matt describes Kabbalah as the philosophy of Jewish mysticism. The word
means ―receiving, literally. I think it implies a receptivity, being open to new insights about
God or the nature of reality.‖ Matt recently completed volume two of a projected 12-volume
translation of Kabbalah‘s chief text, the Zohar, a mystical commentary on the first five
books of the Bible.
As to the important Kabbalah concept of Shekinah, Matt says: ―If we are going to say
something about God, then we should balance the traditional, patriarchal, masculine
description with a feminine aspect of God. So Kabbalah would insist that God is equally male
and female. The name they use for the feminine presence of God is Shekinah.‖
Asked what he thinks of Madonna‘s embrace of Kabbalah, Matt said: ―I really think the
study has changed Madonna, it has made her aware that there is something beyond the
material world. When you make it to the height of success, it‘s natural to ask what else is
there.‖ Perhaps, he adds, some people are choosing Kabbalah, rather than Zen spiritualism,
because it does not reject the physical world. It also combines the exotic and familiar in an
appealing way: the exotic aspect is the feminine nature of God the familiar aspect is the
idea of commentaries on the Bible.
Matt warned that studying mysticism can be dangerous, sometimes leading to great
psychological turmoil, and even madness. ―The other kind of danger is a social danger. You
don‘t fit into what‘s going on around you. You might think you have your own pipeline to the
divine. Those dangers are real and one should approach (the study) with a guide or teacher
to ground you in the world — to be in a relationship with someone, to care and love other
people and not sink into the abyss.‖ (Daniel Matt [sic], San Francisco Chronicle, Internet,
10/3/04)
church doctrine advocates balancing the protection of children with the church‘s faith in
repentance and forgiveness. For example, children remain at risk because the church lets a
molester back into the fold if he repents. Moreover, the elders assure him that his crime will
not be reported to the rest of the congregation. That would be a sin according to the
Jehovah‘s Witnesses reading of the Bible. They also believe that if a perpetrator knows his
action will be made public, he‘s not likely to admit his wrongdoing to the elders and be open
to reform. In any case, the church itself rarely punishes abusers, because a finding of guilt
depends on two eyewitnesses or a confession, conditions difficult to meet. And a young child
cannot be his own witness in their judicial process unless he or she is ―mature‖ enough. A
church spokesman stated that if abuse has been ignored, the reason is elders‘ mistakes, not
church policy. (Annmarie Timmins, Concord Monitor, Internet, 11/22/04)
Kabbalah
Group “Controlled” Her
Phiona Davis, who is accused of stabbing her lover Keith Fernandez 58 times and then
killing her great-grandmother, said in court that the Kabbalah group ―controlled‖ her. A
witness testified that Davis chased Fernandez into the street and killed him, with an ―evil
grin on her face.‖ She next reportedly stood outside her grandmother‘s house, which she
had set on fire, and shrieked: ―I am the Messiah‖ and ―burn the demons.‖
The prosecutor said her doctor in 2003 noted Davis, unquestionably a schizophrenic, felt the
church controlled her. Professor Nigel Eastmen said Davis was one of the sickest people he
has ever examined. A jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity and she has been
returned to Broadmoor special hospital where she is being treated. (Alex Peake, Online Sun
[UK], Internet, 9/14/04 Shenai Raif, The Scotsman, Internet, 9/14/04)
Explaining Kabbalah
Scholar Daniel Matt describes Kabbalah as the philosophy of Jewish mysticism. The word
means ―receiving, literally. I think it implies a receptivity, being open to new insights about
God or the nature of reality.‖ Matt recently completed volume two of a projected 12-volume
translation of Kabbalah‘s chief text, the Zohar, a mystical commentary on the first five
books of the Bible.
As to the important Kabbalah concept of Shekinah, Matt says: ―If we are going to say
something about God, then we should balance the traditional, patriarchal, masculine
description with a feminine aspect of God. So Kabbalah would insist that God is equally male
and female. The name they use for the feminine presence of God is Shekinah.‖
Asked what he thinks of Madonna‘s embrace of Kabbalah, Matt said: ―I really think the
study has changed Madonna, it has made her aware that there is something beyond the
material world. When you make it to the height of success, it‘s natural to ask what else is
there.‖ Perhaps, he adds, some people are choosing Kabbalah, rather than Zen spiritualism,
because it does not reject the physical world. It also combines the exotic and familiar in an
appealing way: the exotic aspect is the feminine nature of God the familiar aspect is the
idea of commentaries on the Bible.
Matt warned that studying mysticism can be dangerous, sometimes leading to great
psychological turmoil, and even madness. ―The other kind of danger is a social danger. You
don‘t fit into what‘s going on around you. You might think you have your own pipeline to the
divine. Those dangers are real and one should approach (the study) with a guide or teacher
to ground you in the world — to be in a relationship with someone, to care and love other
people and not sink into the abyss.‖ (Daniel Matt [sic], San Francisco Chronicle, Internet,
10/3/04)
