Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005, Page 121
Africa. ―Not a single official went to prison for murdering my family ...The bombing [by
police that set off the conflagration that caused the children‘s deaths] was not bad
judgment. That is murder.‖
In the period before the police raid, MOVE members broadcast political harangues on bull
horns all day and night, threw garbage into their yards, and kept their children naked,
following their back-to-nature philosophy. (Martha T. Moore, USA Today, Internet, 5/12/05
AP in New York Times, Internet, 5/14/05)
Native American Church
Sues Over Peyote Seizure
James ―Flaming Eagle‖ Mooney has sued Utah officials in federal court for searching his
property in 2000 and confiscating thousands of peyote buttons used in religious rituals by
members of the Native American Church. County officials have refused to return the
hallucinogen and other items taken from the church, even though the state‘s Supreme Court
ruled last year that non-American Indian members of the church can use peyote in religious
ceremonies. (AP in New York Times, Internet, 4/28/05)
Oom Yung Do
Martial Arts Schools Called Cult-like
Oom Yung Do, a Chicago-area martial arts school with related facilities in a number of
states, used high-pressure methods to get practitioners to pay a great deal for courses and
products according to some former students. Chicago officials, while prosecuting founder
John C. Kim in the 1990s for skimming millions of dollars from the business and evading
taxes, alleged that the schools, known then in Illinois as Chung Moo Qwan, had a cult-like
atmosphere.
One former student said he was told he was good enough to reach Grandmaster Kim‘s level
of spiritual enlightenment and physical prowess if he paid for higher levels of training. ―I
was literally signing contracts after some of the hardest physical training of my life. Literally
dripping with sweat as I‘m signing across the dotted line. ..Were my endorphins going?
Was I in the right state of mind? I‘m not a psychologist, I can‘t say that.‖ (Chris Ingalls,
KING 5 News, Internet, 2/16/05)
Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA)
Tunnel Allegedly Prepared for End of World
People claiming to be members of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association
(PBMA) have told authorities that the huge tunnel system on Central Negros island they
are building is preparation for the ―end of the world.‖ The diggers are searching the ―Divine
Tunnel‖ for the ―Divine Spirit‖ that would give them the power to heal the sick, according to
one of those arrested, a former Silliman University employee. They were also reportedly
using chemicals to test for the presence of gold and other minerals.
The PBMA ―cult‖ was founded by Ruben Ecleo, Sr., known for his great mystical powers,
who built a family ―kingdom‖ on the small, impoverished island of Dinagat. His brother,
Moises, became governor of Suragao del Norte, and his wife is now a congresswoman from
Surigao del Norte. His son, Reuben, Jr., once mayor of San Jose, has been held in prison
since 2002, suspected of killing his own wife. (Edwin Ambo S. Delilian, Philippine Sun Star,
6/18/05 Philippine Sun Star, Internet, 6/22/05)
Africa. ―Not a single official went to prison for murdering my family ...The bombing [by
police that set off the conflagration that caused the children‘s deaths] was not bad
judgment. That is murder.‖
In the period before the police raid, MOVE members broadcast political harangues on bull
horns all day and night, threw garbage into their yards, and kept their children naked,
following their back-to-nature philosophy. (Martha T. Moore, USA Today, Internet, 5/12/05
AP in New York Times, Internet, 5/14/05)
Native American Church
Sues Over Peyote Seizure
James ―Flaming Eagle‖ Mooney has sued Utah officials in federal court for searching his
property in 2000 and confiscating thousands of peyote buttons used in religious rituals by
members of the Native American Church. County officials have refused to return the
hallucinogen and other items taken from the church, even though the state‘s Supreme Court
ruled last year that non-American Indian members of the church can use peyote in religious
ceremonies. (AP in New York Times, Internet, 4/28/05)
Oom Yung Do
Martial Arts Schools Called Cult-like
Oom Yung Do, a Chicago-area martial arts school with related facilities in a number of
states, used high-pressure methods to get practitioners to pay a great deal for courses and
products according to some former students. Chicago officials, while prosecuting founder
John C. Kim in the 1990s for skimming millions of dollars from the business and evading
taxes, alleged that the schools, known then in Illinois as Chung Moo Qwan, had a cult-like
atmosphere.
One former student said he was told he was good enough to reach Grandmaster Kim‘s level
of spiritual enlightenment and physical prowess if he paid for higher levels of training. ―I
was literally signing contracts after some of the hardest physical training of my life. Literally
dripping with sweat as I‘m signing across the dotted line. ..Were my endorphins going?
Was I in the right state of mind? I‘m not a psychologist, I can‘t say that.‖ (Chris Ingalls,
KING 5 News, Internet, 2/16/05)
Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA)
Tunnel Allegedly Prepared for End of World
People claiming to be members of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association
(PBMA) have told authorities that the huge tunnel system on Central Negros island they
are building is preparation for the ―end of the world.‖ The diggers are searching the ―Divine
Tunnel‖ for the ―Divine Spirit‖ that would give them the power to heal the sick, according to
one of those arrested, a former Silliman University employee. They were also reportedly
using chemicals to test for the presence of gold and other minerals.
The PBMA ―cult‖ was founded by Ruben Ecleo, Sr., known for his great mystical powers,
who built a family ―kingdom‖ on the small, impoverished island of Dinagat. His brother,
Moises, became governor of Suragao del Norte, and his wife is now a congresswoman from
Surigao del Norte. His son, Reuben, Jr., once mayor of San Jose, has been held in prison
since 2002, suspected of killing his own wife. (Edwin Ambo S. Delilian, Philippine Sun Star,
6/18/05 Philippine Sun Star, Internet, 6/22/05)
