Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006, Page 11
infringement of religious freedom and attacked on the basis that ―such persecution has its
roots in Nazi Germany where the Jews were targeted as ‗cults.‘‖xvi According to this view,
any group that can capture the legal designation of ―religion‖—an ever-expanding
category—would simply not be accountable to parliament. Happily for me, a Jewish Rabbi
retorted that
I would ask you to do all in your power to ensure that an enquiry takes place
and that appropriate legislation be enacted. I do not believe that such
legislation will affect the religious or civil liberties of any honest individual or
religious faith—only those who practice deceit and mind control will be
disadvantaged. Further, to draw a parallel between the suffering of Jews and
others during the Nazi Holocaust and NSW … legislation is not only grotesque
and vulgar but is an indictment against those who enunciate such ideas.xvii
However, despite such support, I was subjected to a considerable campaign of personal
vilification and intimidation by more than one group which became intense when I referred
serious complaints of sexual abuse made by former members of one group to the NSW
police and ended up giving evidence in court on behalf of the prosecution. Ongoing
harassment included the following: spurious allegations made against me anonymous
defamatory letters about me distributed to the media and my parliamentary colleagues
(which I am sure raised a few eyebrows) in a bizarre incident my wedding was invaded by
members of a group I was followed I received veiled threats against myself and my
family and I had one of the most vicious and slanderous dirt sheets imaginable distributed
anonymously over the Internet. Sadly, some of this garbage was also used by political
competitors who selectively distributed adverse publicity based on it to members of my
preselection panel.
While I don‘t blame this incident for having ended my parliamentary career, it certainly
didn‘t help. Unfortunately, I suspect that my experience had a chilling effect on other
potential parliamentary champions. However, the events of 9/11 have heralded a new
consciousness that has dramatically altered the climate in which we can with greater
confidence raise concerns about destructive religious cults. Therefore, we must seek new
parliamentary champions to become policy entrepreneurs in this vital area, and develop a
plan of action to educate them, provide them with specific action plans, encourage them,
support them, and protect them to the best of our abilities.
Research Methodology
It is interesting that when I raised the Kenja issue in state parliament, I relied extensively
on testimonies from former group members and the complaints of family members and
friends of people in the group. As a lawyer, I instinctively adopted the role of advocate,
knowing full well that other parliamentarians would take up the cause of the group
complained about. Indeed, when my speech calling for a select committee of inquiry was
interrupted by a Member of Parliament who was vociferously defending the group, I
suggested in all fairness that she should get herself on the proposed committee. As an
example of my commitment to free speech, I even tabled a pile of letters from members of
the group that contained outrageous attacks upon me personally and that were part of an
orchestrated letter-writing campaign. However, being apprehensive about the nature of the
organisation, I did not seek access to the group itself or personally approach the group for a
response. Although I might have been criticised for this modus operandi, later attacks upon
me by the group revealed my instinctive wisdom in not allowing myself to be compromised
in any way by making personal contact with current group members.
It is fascinating to me how so many so-called social scientists dismiss out of hand the
accounts of leavers or complainants, or apostates, if you want to call them that. Some cults,
sects, and/or new religious movements like to cite sociologists to damn apostate accounts.
infringement of religious freedom and attacked on the basis that ―such persecution has its
roots in Nazi Germany where the Jews were targeted as ‗cults.‘‖xvi According to this view,
any group that can capture the legal designation of ―religion‖—an ever-expanding
category—would simply not be accountable to parliament. Happily for me, a Jewish Rabbi
retorted that
I would ask you to do all in your power to ensure that an enquiry takes place
and that appropriate legislation be enacted. I do not believe that such
legislation will affect the religious or civil liberties of any honest individual or
religious faith—only those who practice deceit and mind control will be
disadvantaged. Further, to draw a parallel between the suffering of Jews and
others during the Nazi Holocaust and NSW … legislation is not only grotesque
and vulgar but is an indictment against those who enunciate such ideas.xvii
However, despite such support, I was subjected to a considerable campaign of personal
vilification and intimidation by more than one group which became intense when I referred
serious complaints of sexual abuse made by former members of one group to the NSW
police and ended up giving evidence in court on behalf of the prosecution. Ongoing
harassment included the following: spurious allegations made against me anonymous
defamatory letters about me distributed to the media and my parliamentary colleagues
(which I am sure raised a few eyebrows) in a bizarre incident my wedding was invaded by
members of a group I was followed I received veiled threats against myself and my
family and I had one of the most vicious and slanderous dirt sheets imaginable distributed
anonymously over the Internet. Sadly, some of this garbage was also used by political
competitors who selectively distributed adverse publicity based on it to members of my
preselection panel.
While I don‘t blame this incident for having ended my parliamentary career, it certainly
didn‘t help. Unfortunately, I suspect that my experience had a chilling effect on other
potential parliamentary champions. However, the events of 9/11 have heralded a new
consciousness that has dramatically altered the climate in which we can with greater
confidence raise concerns about destructive religious cults. Therefore, we must seek new
parliamentary champions to become policy entrepreneurs in this vital area, and develop a
plan of action to educate them, provide them with specific action plans, encourage them,
support them, and protect them to the best of our abilities.
Research Methodology
It is interesting that when I raised the Kenja issue in state parliament, I relied extensively
on testimonies from former group members and the complaints of family members and
friends of people in the group. As a lawyer, I instinctively adopted the role of advocate,
knowing full well that other parliamentarians would take up the cause of the group
complained about. Indeed, when my speech calling for a select committee of inquiry was
interrupted by a Member of Parliament who was vociferously defending the group, I
suggested in all fairness that she should get herself on the proposed committee. As an
example of my commitment to free speech, I even tabled a pile of letters from members of
the group that contained outrageous attacks upon me personally and that were part of an
orchestrated letter-writing campaign. However, being apprehensive about the nature of the
organisation, I did not seek access to the group itself or personally approach the group for a
response. Although I might have been criticised for this modus operandi, later attacks upon
me by the group revealed my instinctive wisdom in not allowing myself to be compromised
in any way by making personal contact with current group members.
It is fascinating to me how so many so-called social scientists dismiss out of hand the
accounts of leavers or complainants, or apostates, if you want to call them that. Some cults,
sects, and/or new religious movements like to cite sociologists to damn apostate accounts.
