Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005, Page 105
News Items
Batch 1
Alpha Iota Omega/Maranatha
Concerned by Descendant of Maranatha Christian Church
Darrell Lucas, a former member of the now-disbanded Waymaker Christian Fellowship at the
University of North Carolina (UNC), which he says caused him to ―lose my humanity,‖
alleges that the three-member Alpha Iota Omega (AIO) fraternity at UNC is connected to
former leaders of the Maranatha Christian Church, which disbanded in the late 1980s
following criticism for cult-like practices. (Emil Steel, Daily Tar Heel, Internet, 3/9/05)
Aum Shinrikyo (Aleph)
Daughters Call for Reevaluation of Guru
The daughters of former Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara, who has been sentenced to
death for his leading role the 1995 Tokyo subway poison gas attacks, say authorities should
review his mental and physical health as he awaits a decision on his appeal, after nearly ten
years in custody. The women said their father was wearing diapers and sitting in a
wheelchair when they recently saw him behind a celluloid partition in prison. Said one: ―Can
a person who cannot recognize his own daughters understand what is going on in court?‖
(AFP in Hindustan Times, Internet, 3/16/05)
Facilities Inspected
The Justice Ministry‘s Public Security Investigation Agency inspected 39 Aum Shinrikyo
facilities in 2004 under a law that allows the agency to monitor any organization that has
committed ―indiscriminate mass murder in the past.‖ (Kyodo News Service in Japan Today,
Internet, 4/22/05)
Arrested for Sending Followers to Other Companies
Three Aum Shinrikyo members and a computer company executive were arrested for
allegedly sending several Aum followers to fill jobs in companies unrelated to Aum without
first receiving permission from the health, labor, and welfare minister, thus violating the
employment security law. Those charged, who reportedly believed that potential employers
might be hesitant to hire Aum followers, told the job applicants to identify themselves only as
employees of the computer executive‘s company. (Kyodo News Service in Yahoo! Asia News,
Internet, 5/26/05)
Members Complain of Image
Some Aum Shinrikyo members complain that people think of the group only in terms of
the 1996 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway. Says one: ―We are not recognized for our
teachings.‖ He adds that hardly one percent of members were involved in the attacks, and
that only a handful believed in the doctrine that condoned murder. ―No matter how much
we explain or tell the public, they will always link us to the sarin gassing and not see us as a
group whose foundation lies in the tenets of ancient Buddhism and yoga.‖ (Kyodo News
Service, Internet, 3/14/05)
Bountiful Polygamous Community
Call to Expel Group that Banishes Boys and “Traffics” in Girls
―Horrifying, that boys — like male animals exiled from the pride because they threaten the
alpha male— are dumped on city streets and left to fend for themselves [by the Bountiful
News Items
Batch 1
Alpha Iota Omega/Maranatha
Concerned by Descendant of Maranatha Christian Church
Darrell Lucas, a former member of the now-disbanded Waymaker Christian Fellowship at the
University of North Carolina (UNC), which he says caused him to ―lose my humanity,‖
alleges that the three-member Alpha Iota Omega (AIO) fraternity at UNC is connected to
former leaders of the Maranatha Christian Church, which disbanded in the late 1980s
following criticism for cult-like practices. (Emil Steel, Daily Tar Heel, Internet, 3/9/05)
Aum Shinrikyo (Aleph)
Daughters Call for Reevaluation of Guru
The daughters of former Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara, who has been sentenced to
death for his leading role the 1995 Tokyo subway poison gas attacks, say authorities should
review his mental and physical health as he awaits a decision on his appeal, after nearly ten
years in custody. The women said their father was wearing diapers and sitting in a
wheelchair when they recently saw him behind a celluloid partition in prison. Said one: ―Can
a person who cannot recognize his own daughters understand what is going on in court?‖
(AFP in Hindustan Times, Internet, 3/16/05)
Facilities Inspected
The Justice Ministry‘s Public Security Investigation Agency inspected 39 Aum Shinrikyo
facilities in 2004 under a law that allows the agency to monitor any organization that has
committed ―indiscriminate mass murder in the past.‖ (Kyodo News Service in Japan Today,
Internet, 4/22/05)
Arrested for Sending Followers to Other Companies
Three Aum Shinrikyo members and a computer company executive were arrested for
allegedly sending several Aum followers to fill jobs in companies unrelated to Aum without
first receiving permission from the health, labor, and welfare minister, thus violating the
employment security law. Those charged, who reportedly believed that potential employers
might be hesitant to hire Aum followers, told the job applicants to identify themselves only as
employees of the computer executive‘s company. (Kyodo News Service in Yahoo! Asia News,
Internet, 5/26/05)
Members Complain of Image
Some Aum Shinrikyo members complain that people think of the group only in terms of
the 1996 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway. Says one: ―We are not recognized for our
teachings.‖ He adds that hardly one percent of members were involved in the attacks, and
that only a handful believed in the doctrine that condoned murder. ―No matter how much
we explain or tell the public, they will always link us to the sarin gassing and not see us as a
group whose foundation lies in the tenets of ancient Buddhism and yoga.‖ (Kyodo News
Service, Internet, 3/14/05)
Bountiful Polygamous Community
Call to Expel Group that Banishes Boys and “Traffics” in Girls
―Horrifying, that boys — like male animals exiled from the pride because they threaten the
alpha male— are dumped on city streets and left to fend for themselves [by the Bountiful
