Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 6, 2006, Page 40
independent of the cult and her family, but cannot realize her wish under the existing
guardian,‖ who is her father‘s defense counsel.
The Japanese Supreme Court has denied former Aum Shinrikyo (Aleph) member Noboru
Nakamura‘s appeal of his life sentence for murder in connection with the Aum gas attack on
the Tokyo subway in 1994. He was convicted in 2001, saying he was only a lookout and
didn‘t intend to kill anyone. ..Japanese security officers inspected 25 Aum Shinrikyo
facilities across the country the day after leader Shoko Asahara’s death sentence was
―finalized.‖ They were checking for ―dangerous moves among cult members.‖ An official said
the finalization may prompt some members to kill themselves when the sentence is carried
out. Aum‘s financial resources include: donations from followers who live in their own
homes wages earned by members who live communally and payment for public lectures. .
.Aum got away with numerous crimes between 1989 and 1995, even before the infamous
attack on the Toyo subway, thanks to authorities‘ failure to investigate or share information
and to heed warning signs. The earlier crimes, which gave the group the sense that it could
do whatever it liked, included: narcotics manufacture and sales arms smuggling medical
fraud and malpractice child abuse forgery copyright infringement consumer fraud land
fraud perjury intimidation harboring fugitives extortion burglary assault kidnapping
attempted murder and murder. ..The Aum faction led by Fumihiro Joyu wants to stop
payments to Asahara‘s wife, now out of prison and living with their daughters, but this idea
is opposed by a faction loyal to the imprisoned guru, known [more commonly now by his
original name] as Chuzo Matsumoto.
Ayurveda
The practice of Ayurveda, a traditional way of living healthfully that has been developed
over the centuries in India, is now among the alternative or complimentary approaches to
medical treatment in the U.S. ―We are just beginning to understand as consumers what it
is,‖ says Dr. Brent A. Bauer, director for complementary and integrative medicine at the
Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN. Ayurveda employs a traditional ―science‖ — one with strong
spiritual elements — to select and eat the correct foods for one‘s age, body type,
temperament, and profession.
Baptist Foundation of Arizona
Two former executives of the defunct Baptist Foundation of Arizona have been convicted
of perpetrating what has been called the largest fraud ever aimed at a religious group. They
took $585 million over several decades from 11,000 investors nationwide whom they
recruited in Southern Baptist churches and through Bible-quoting salesmen. The Ponzi
scheme promised that the money people invested would help Southern Baptist causes while
providing above-market returns. The accounting firm Arthur Anderson, which collapsed in
the Enron debacle, agreed in 2002 to pay Arizona $217 million to settle a lawsuit over its
work for the Baptist foundation.
Bikram Choudhury Yoga (Yoga College of India)
Bikram Choudhury Yoga, operated in Los Angeles by the wealthy Indian guru Bikram
Choudhury, popularizer of ―hot yoga‖ in America, has agreed to pay $8,000 in fines and
penalties for operating without a fire permit, failing to provide required customer parking,
and running a studio without a certificate of occupancy.
Black Magic
Slovak police commandoes in August freed a Hungarian woman from a Slovak extremist
black magic sect. She had been living in Florida with her husband when she went to
Slovakia to visit an herbal healer living near the town of Kralovsky Chimec, a person with
independent of the cult and her family, but cannot realize her wish under the existing
guardian,‖ who is her father‘s defense counsel.
The Japanese Supreme Court has denied former Aum Shinrikyo (Aleph) member Noboru
Nakamura‘s appeal of his life sentence for murder in connection with the Aum gas attack on
the Tokyo subway in 1994. He was convicted in 2001, saying he was only a lookout and
didn‘t intend to kill anyone. ..Japanese security officers inspected 25 Aum Shinrikyo
facilities across the country the day after leader Shoko Asahara’s death sentence was
―finalized.‖ They were checking for ―dangerous moves among cult members.‖ An official said
the finalization may prompt some members to kill themselves when the sentence is carried
out. Aum‘s financial resources include: donations from followers who live in their own
homes wages earned by members who live communally and payment for public lectures. .
.Aum got away with numerous crimes between 1989 and 1995, even before the infamous
attack on the Toyo subway, thanks to authorities‘ failure to investigate or share information
and to heed warning signs. The earlier crimes, which gave the group the sense that it could
do whatever it liked, included: narcotics manufacture and sales arms smuggling medical
fraud and malpractice child abuse forgery copyright infringement consumer fraud land
fraud perjury intimidation harboring fugitives extortion burglary assault kidnapping
attempted murder and murder. ..The Aum faction led by Fumihiro Joyu wants to stop
payments to Asahara‘s wife, now out of prison and living with their daughters, but this idea
is opposed by a faction loyal to the imprisoned guru, known [more commonly now by his
original name] as Chuzo Matsumoto.
Ayurveda
The practice of Ayurveda, a traditional way of living healthfully that has been developed
over the centuries in India, is now among the alternative or complimentary approaches to
medical treatment in the U.S. ―We are just beginning to understand as consumers what it
is,‖ says Dr. Brent A. Bauer, director for complementary and integrative medicine at the
Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN. Ayurveda employs a traditional ―science‖ — one with strong
spiritual elements — to select and eat the correct foods for one‘s age, body type,
temperament, and profession.
Baptist Foundation of Arizona
Two former executives of the defunct Baptist Foundation of Arizona have been convicted
of perpetrating what has been called the largest fraud ever aimed at a religious group. They
took $585 million over several decades from 11,000 investors nationwide whom they
recruited in Southern Baptist churches and through Bible-quoting salesmen. The Ponzi
scheme promised that the money people invested would help Southern Baptist causes while
providing above-market returns. The accounting firm Arthur Anderson, which collapsed in
the Enron debacle, agreed in 2002 to pay Arizona $217 million to settle a lawsuit over its
work for the Baptist foundation.
Bikram Choudhury Yoga (Yoga College of India)
Bikram Choudhury Yoga, operated in Los Angeles by the wealthy Indian guru Bikram
Choudhury, popularizer of ―hot yoga‖ in America, has agreed to pay $8,000 in fines and
penalties for operating without a fire permit, failing to provide required customer parking,
and running a studio without a certificate of occupancy.
Black Magic
Slovak police commandoes in August freed a Hungarian woman from a Slovak extremist
black magic sect. She had been living in Florida with her husband when she went to
Slovakia to visit an herbal healer living near the town of Kralovsky Chimec, a person with
