Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 7, No. 3, 2008, Page 71
Proliferating heavily armed gangs in the U.S., run like military units and corporations, are
forging alliances among themselves, and with overseas gangs, to conduct a variety of
illegal activities, including prostitution, and the drug and arms trades. Large street gangs
use violence and extortion to ensure that members adhere to the gang‘s code of conduct
and to prevent them from leaving.
A Moscow court has found Grigory Grabovoi guilty of swindling followers and customers
out of money and property ―using methods of psychological pressure‖ and sentenced him to
11 years in prison. He promised victims he would resurrect the dead, including children who
died in the Beslan School terrorist attack. His wife denies he ever made such promises. A
70-year-old retired follower said, ―Once he put his name down for the presidential elections,
a criminal case was immediately started against him.‖
Under pressure from the Hindu Council UK and the Hindu Forum of Britain, the Krishna
Avanti School, which receives some government funding and is scheduled to open in London
in the fall of 2008, has modified its admission standards to include Hindu children who do
not practice the Hare Krishna variant of the religion.
Zacharyah ben Ya‘aqov, head of The Truth After Knowledge, one of a number of Hebrew
Israelite groups in large American cities, describes the activities of the more radical
branches of the movement as ―evangelical terrorizing.‖ He says leaders in these violently
anti-white groups brainwash new recruits and employ ―fear tactics to break you down.‖
An Alberta Court of Queen‘s Bench justice has, on appeal, dismissed most of the claims of
Lawrence Hughes, representing himself, who argued that the Watchtower Bible and Tract
Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) and two of its lawyers were responsible for his teenage
daughter‘s ―wrongful death.‖ He claims they misinformed her about the nature of her
medical treatment. Under a protective court order, and against her will, physicians
transfused her with blood to treat her ultimately fatal leukemia. ―She was under tremendous
pressure [not to accept transfusions],‖ Hughes said. He initially agreed with the rest of his
family in opposing transfusions, following their Jehovah‘s Witnesses faith, but broke with
them when it seemed to him that the procedure might help save her life. Consequently, his
wife divorced him and the Witnesses shunned him.
A court in Seoul in August sentenced Jung Myung-seok, the leader of Jesus Morning
Star to six years in jail for raping female followers. Former members say attractive young
women were presented to Jung as ―gifts,‖ and that he forced them into sex as part of a
purification ritual. The group, founded in 1980, expanded to Japan as Setsuri.
Todd Bentley is a ―32-year-old, heavily tattooed, body-pierced, shaved-head Canadian
preacher‖ who for more than 100 days recently led a ―supernatural healing revival‖ in
central Florida that drew crowds of more than 10,000 from around the world. Many of the
numerous church pastors who attended believed Bentley when he said he‘s spoken with the
Apostle Paul in heaven and that the saint looks ―very Jewish.‖ Bentley prophesies that
Joel’s Army — he is one of several independent leaders of the broad movement — will
become a military force of young people with a divine mandate, at Armageddon, to
physically impose Christian ―dominion‖ on non-believers. Although not violent now,
Christian Right observers say, ―The pitch and intensity of the military rhetoric of this branch
of the global Dominionist movement‖ — some of the pastors dress in camouflage, and are
addressed by congregants as commander — ―has substantially increased since the
beginning of 2008. One can only wonder how long before this transforms into real warfare
with actual warriors.‖ For now, the movement‘s main strategy is to take over Pentecostal
and other churches. The Assemblies of God, the world‘s largest Pentecostal denomination, is
concerned about the authoritarian quality of Bentley‘s teachings.
Proliferating heavily armed gangs in the U.S., run like military units and corporations, are
forging alliances among themselves, and with overseas gangs, to conduct a variety of
illegal activities, including prostitution, and the drug and arms trades. Large street gangs
use violence and extortion to ensure that members adhere to the gang‘s code of conduct
and to prevent them from leaving.
A Moscow court has found Grigory Grabovoi guilty of swindling followers and customers
out of money and property ―using methods of psychological pressure‖ and sentenced him to
11 years in prison. He promised victims he would resurrect the dead, including children who
died in the Beslan School terrorist attack. His wife denies he ever made such promises. A
70-year-old retired follower said, ―Once he put his name down for the presidential elections,
a criminal case was immediately started against him.‖
Under pressure from the Hindu Council UK and the Hindu Forum of Britain, the Krishna
Avanti School, which receives some government funding and is scheduled to open in London
in the fall of 2008, has modified its admission standards to include Hindu children who do
not practice the Hare Krishna variant of the religion.
Zacharyah ben Ya‘aqov, head of The Truth After Knowledge, one of a number of Hebrew
Israelite groups in large American cities, describes the activities of the more radical
branches of the movement as ―evangelical terrorizing.‖ He says leaders in these violently
anti-white groups brainwash new recruits and employ ―fear tactics to break you down.‖
An Alberta Court of Queen‘s Bench justice has, on appeal, dismissed most of the claims of
Lawrence Hughes, representing himself, who argued that the Watchtower Bible and Tract
Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) and two of its lawyers were responsible for his teenage
daughter‘s ―wrongful death.‖ He claims they misinformed her about the nature of her
medical treatment. Under a protective court order, and against her will, physicians
transfused her with blood to treat her ultimately fatal leukemia. ―She was under tremendous
pressure [not to accept transfusions],‖ Hughes said. He initially agreed with the rest of his
family in opposing transfusions, following their Jehovah‘s Witnesses faith, but broke with
them when it seemed to him that the procedure might help save her life. Consequently, his
wife divorced him and the Witnesses shunned him.
A court in Seoul in August sentenced Jung Myung-seok, the leader of Jesus Morning
Star to six years in jail for raping female followers. Former members say attractive young
women were presented to Jung as ―gifts,‖ and that he forced them into sex as part of a
purification ritual. The group, founded in 1980, expanded to Japan as Setsuri.
Todd Bentley is a ―32-year-old, heavily tattooed, body-pierced, shaved-head Canadian
preacher‖ who for more than 100 days recently led a ―supernatural healing revival‖ in
central Florida that drew crowds of more than 10,000 from around the world. Many of the
numerous church pastors who attended believed Bentley when he said he‘s spoken with the
Apostle Paul in heaven and that the saint looks ―very Jewish.‖ Bentley prophesies that
Joel’s Army — he is one of several independent leaders of the broad movement — will
become a military force of young people with a divine mandate, at Armageddon, to
physically impose Christian ―dominion‖ on non-believers. Although not violent now,
Christian Right observers say, ―The pitch and intensity of the military rhetoric of this branch
of the global Dominionist movement‖ — some of the pastors dress in camouflage, and are
addressed by congregants as commander — ―has substantially increased since the
beginning of 2008. One can only wonder how long before this transforms into real warfare
with actual warriors.‖ For now, the movement‘s main strategy is to take over Pentecostal
and other churches. The Assemblies of God, the world‘s largest Pentecostal denomination, is
concerned about the authoritarian quality of Bentley‘s teachings.
