Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 75
estimated 1,600 members still believe strongly in him and that their number is not
declining.
Bay County Boot Camp
In the wake of the death of a 14-year-old at the Bay County facility, the Florida legislature
has moved to close the state‘s juvenile boot camps and replace them with four Sheriff‘s
Training and Respect programs, in which guards would be prohibited from using
psychological intimidation or physical force. Despite videotape showing guards punching and
kicking Martin Lee Anderson, a coroner ruled that he died of sickle cell trait, a finding that
has been questioned by the boy‘s family and Gov. Jeb Bush. Regulations for the new
facilities demand that direct-care staff complete 200 hours of training in child abuse laws
and emergency procedures.
Beasts of Satan
Five members of the Beasts of Satan rock band, in Italy, have been sentenced to long
prison terms for killing several people in ritual murders in 1998 and 2004.
Benny Hinn
The $100,000 collected from the estimated 370,000 Fijians who attended Benny Hinn‟s
Miracle Crusade over three days at the National Stadium will be used to pay for the bus
transportation many used to get to the event, according to organizers. A Baptist minister
critical of the Crusade said: "Now I'm not saying that people who went on stage were lying
about being healed but I believe that they were deceived into thinking that was the case.‖
Wealthy American evangelist Benny Hinn drew large audiences — including the president
and leaders of the opposition party — for his faith healing crusade in Fiji despite some local
criticism that he is a fraud.
The Body/Attleboro Cult
Jacques Robidoux, former member of the Attleboro (MA) religious cult known as The
Body, sentenced to life imprisonment for starving his son to death on God‘s command, has
been refused a new trial. He claimed he was brainwashed by the group.
Boston Church of Christ/LaRouche Youth Movement
Stimulated by the campus activities of high-pressure organizations like the Boston Church
of Christ and the LaRouche Youth Movement, officials at Boston area colleges think they
might well do more to educate students about the dangers such groups pose. The head of
Emerson College‘s Center for Spiritual Life says students are too sophisticated to join
LaRouche, but also that ―It‘s always a lurking kind of danger, I admit that.‖
Bountiful/Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The ruling Liberal Party government and the opposition New Democrats in British Columbia
have joined in saying they want to help women, especially those brought in from the U.S.,
escape from the polygamous British Columbia commune of Bountiful, a 1947 offshoot of
the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A local member of
the provincial parliament says: ―There‘s the beginning of a kind of critical mass of interest
and also the beginning of discourse between governments, municipal, provincial and
federal, and between political parties.‖
Brethren
Sam Hunsaker, of Lawrence, KS, says he received a letter from his daughter saying she had
joined The Brethren, also known as the Garbage Eaters. She wrote: ―God has been
estimated 1,600 members still believe strongly in him and that their number is not
declining.
Bay County Boot Camp
In the wake of the death of a 14-year-old at the Bay County facility, the Florida legislature
has moved to close the state‘s juvenile boot camps and replace them with four Sheriff‘s
Training and Respect programs, in which guards would be prohibited from using
psychological intimidation or physical force. Despite videotape showing guards punching and
kicking Martin Lee Anderson, a coroner ruled that he died of sickle cell trait, a finding that
has been questioned by the boy‘s family and Gov. Jeb Bush. Regulations for the new
facilities demand that direct-care staff complete 200 hours of training in child abuse laws
and emergency procedures.
Beasts of Satan
Five members of the Beasts of Satan rock band, in Italy, have been sentenced to long
prison terms for killing several people in ritual murders in 1998 and 2004.
Benny Hinn
The $100,000 collected from the estimated 370,000 Fijians who attended Benny Hinn‟s
Miracle Crusade over three days at the National Stadium will be used to pay for the bus
transportation many used to get to the event, according to organizers. A Baptist minister
critical of the Crusade said: "Now I'm not saying that people who went on stage were lying
about being healed but I believe that they were deceived into thinking that was the case.‖
Wealthy American evangelist Benny Hinn drew large audiences — including the president
and leaders of the opposition party — for his faith healing crusade in Fiji despite some local
criticism that he is a fraud.
The Body/Attleboro Cult
Jacques Robidoux, former member of the Attleboro (MA) religious cult known as The
Body, sentenced to life imprisonment for starving his son to death on God‘s command, has
been refused a new trial. He claimed he was brainwashed by the group.
Boston Church of Christ/LaRouche Youth Movement
Stimulated by the campus activities of high-pressure organizations like the Boston Church
of Christ and the LaRouche Youth Movement, officials at Boston area colleges think they
might well do more to educate students about the dangers such groups pose. The head of
Emerson College‘s Center for Spiritual Life says students are too sophisticated to join
LaRouche, but also that ―It‘s always a lurking kind of danger, I admit that.‖
Bountiful/Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The ruling Liberal Party government and the opposition New Democrats in British Columbia
have joined in saying they want to help women, especially those brought in from the U.S.,
escape from the polygamous British Columbia commune of Bountiful, a 1947 offshoot of
the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A local member of
the provincial parliament says: ―There‘s the beginning of a kind of critical mass of interest
and also the beginning of discourse between governments, municipal, provincial and
federal, and between political parties.‖
Brethren
Sam Hunsaker, of Lawrence, KS, says he received a letter from his daughter saying she had
joined The Brethren, also known as the Garbage Eaters. She wrote: ―God has been
