Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005, Page 52
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)
How Abductees Were Conditioned to Become Killers
Forcing them to kill other abducted children, or be killed themselves, served effectively to
gain the loyalty of thousands of young people kidnapped during the last 18 years by the
Lord’s Resistance Army of Joseph Kony, in northern Uganda. The results of the LRA
experience [detailed here through interviews with the victims and first hand observations]
have been psychologically devastating and often physically ruinous. (Melanie Thernstrom,
New York Times Magazine, Internet, 5/8/05)
Manson Family
Atkins again Refused Parole
Former Charles Manson follower Susan Atkins‘ eleventh parole appeal has been denied by
the California Board of Prison Terms, which said that she will not be allowed to appeal again
until 2009. Atkins, a member of the Manson Family cult, took part in the 1969 murders of
actress Sharon Tate and four others. A spokesman said the board cited the ―gravity‖ of the
crime and the ―cruel and callous manner in which it was carried out‖ as reasons for the
denial. (AP in San Diego-Tribune, Internet, 6/1/05)
Mujahedin Khalq (MEK)
Cult-like Commune of Iranian Exiles in Iraq
The Mujahedin Khalq (―People‘s Holy Warriors‖) settlement in Iraq, peopled by Iranian
exiles who hope to overthrow the Teheran government, is ―a deeply paranoid cult guilty of
imprisoning and brainwashing new recruits,‖ according to detractors and former members.
―The sense of being on the front lines in the fight against an evil foe fuels an obsessive level
of commitment that MEK cadres and leaders say is vital to their cause.‖
In order to focus on the struggle, married residents of the well-developed town must
divorce and remain celibate. Children were sent out of the commune shortly after the 1991
Persian Gulf War. The language people use indicates a high degree of political
indoctrination. The more than 400 who have defected in recent years are called ―quitters,
too weak to pay the price.‖
Although Shiite religious observance is mandatory, MEK is wholeheartedly feminist. Pictures
of leaders Maryam and Massoud Rajavi are everywhere, and Maryam‘s sayings and ideas
are cited in a way reminiscent of Maoist China. Communication with the outside world is
passed first through the leadership. (Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, Internet, 3/19/05)
Nashville Church/International Churches of Christ
Cult-like Tactics Alleged
Two former members of The Nashville Church, an affiliate of the International
Churches of Christ, have sued the organization in Williamson County Chancery Court
claiming the church uses cult-like tactics, manipulation, peer pressure, and guilt to force
members into tithing and making other financial donations. Seventeen-year members Jack
and Kay Pelham want to recover over $93,000 in tithings and offerings. The ICC, which has
congregations around the U.S. and internationally, has on a number of occasions been
accused of cultic practices, including the micro-management of members‘ lives. (Mitchel
Kline, The Tennessean, Internet, 6/22/05)

Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005, Page 53
Néo-Phare
Guru Sentenced to Three Years for Manipulating Troubled People
Arnaud Mussy, guru of the apocalyptic Néo-Phare cult, has been sentenced to three
years in prison, under a law passed in 2001, for the physical and psychological subjection of
several followers, one of whom committed suicide (while six others attempted suicide). The
prosecution argues that the unrepentant Mussy‘s control techniques interfered with his
victims thought processes and altered their judgment. (Tageblatt, Luxembourg, Internet,
6/7/05)
New Gnostic Church
Controlling Leader Investigated for Sex Abuse
New Gnostic Church leader James King, who uses his ―process‖ to help recruits deal with
life crises, is being investigated by the King County (WA) Sheriff‘s office for allegedly having
sex with a minor, and by the state Department of Health for allegedly violating state
medical regulations. The church, which has no formal meeting place, has perhaps 100
members and the goal of creating heaven on earth using methods, according to former
members, derived from self-empowerment movements and Scientology.
Some former members call the church a cult and say King brainwashed them. They agreed
to the ―process‖ because it helped them clean up their mental ―garbage,‖ and deal with
―issues.‖ In return, they gave King money and their trust. A couple who were members tell
how, when King persuaded their daughter to marry him (although he already had a wife and
mistress), they arranged for her to be ―deprogrammed‖ by a cult expert and then contacted
authorities.
Recruits, drawn by word of mouth from members, include starving artists, strippers, small-
business owners, and Microsoft employees. Applicants pay from $500 to $2000 for a week
at King‘s rural retreat and spend a series of 12-hour ―processing‖ sessions with him dealing
with their problems. At one point he asks them to put their hands in his hands and says,
―Thank you.‖ This is repeated every few seconds for up to ten minutes, a process described
by experts as a way to create a hypnotic bond with a leader. Former members report
disorientation during this processing.
Some former members say they had sex with King while being initiated. ―He told me I had
issues with sex and that I was sending him sexual energy,‖ says one. ―He said, ‗You want to
fuck like you‘ve never wanted to fuck before.‘ I wasn‘t attracted to him. Then he told me
that the way to get clear of them [issues] was to have sex with him, since he had no issues
with sex.‖ The now-17-year-old whose member parents sent her to King at the age of 13,
when she seemed suicidal, reports that he persuaded her to deal with her self-reported
sexual issues by having sex with both him and his mistress. ―I‘d been raised to respect him.
He‘s fully god-realized. I took it as truth. He was more like a priest than a counselor.‖
The former members say they depended greatly on King, phoning him at any time for
advice. Sometimes he held virtual sessions with them in Internet chat rooms and
sometimes he communicated with them via instant messaging, thus developing a
supplicant-master relationship typical of cults, according to experts. And they tithed up to
10 percent of their income. He also involved many of them in investment schemes and
multi-level marketing scams in which they invested a great deal with him and received
nothing in return.
The state Health Department investigation stems from insurance claims made by King‘s
mistress, a chiropractor, for chiropractic work done on members by the unlicensed King.
(Philip Dawdy, Seattle Weekly, Internet, 5/4/05)