Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1995, page 58
subject. The other contributors include Jean Diwo (“Reflections of a Man of Letters”), Alain
Vivien (“Reflections of a Public Official”), Michel Monroy (“Reflections of a Doctor”), and
Jacques Trouslard (“Reflections of a Roman Catholic Priest”). Besides individually authored
chapters, collectively, they wrote chapters on cults and power, and cults and money. This
book is a shining example to support their conviction that “the better we know them [the
cults], the better we will be able to defend ourselves against them, in France and in the
world.” Whether readers start out with little knowledge of the subject or with some
generalized knowledge, they will be drawn along by each of these writers, and will soon
realize that there are indeed multiple aspects to be considered about this multifaceted and
multifarious subject. If readers already have a good background, they will be saying “Aha!”
at every turn, because of the obvious sincerity and convictions of these writers.
Definitions of terms are well done, and are not at all arbitrary. They discuss totalist
systems relevant current social crises issues related to physical health, as well as current
and potential mental health and preferred psychological assistance for victims. Father
Trouslard quotes Pope John-Paul II: “We may risk having only a limited understanding of
the problem, but we must not remain silent.”
The authors concur that cults offer religious solace only as a mask and a tool:
The religious mask, along with the health mask, is used most frequently in a
fraudulent manner to attract and trap persons who are dedicated to the ideal and to
faith or a spiritual goal. It is a matter of public health and assistance to raise these
issues to anyone who might be at risk of the fraud involved, whether it be
intellectual, psychological, or financial. (p. 24)
Father Trouslard continues:
Every authentic religion includes the following characteristics: a sentiment of
sacredness a conscious intellectual response to the experience of the sacred faith,
an elaboration of such response in the form of belief a moral component and a
ritual in accord with this perception of the sacred a community of perceptions,
significance, and values.
Faith requires free and responsible action always in accordance with reason. Cults
use indoctrination (domination) techniques that anesthetize the free and critical
thinking abilities of their members and extinguish previous values which they
attribute to faults in the name of the church --most often, the Christian church.
Under this cover are hidden pseudocatholic, pseudoprotestant, or pseudo-orthodox
cults [and let us not forget to mention pseudo-Eastern groups]. (p. 24)
The section “Cults and Power” shows that as “new religions,” cults push the idea that they
are constantly “victims of calumny.” A number of these groups (possibly 30 or more,
according to some sources) have banded together for “protection.” Described as an
“international federation of minority religions and philosophies,” this effort was launched by
a major “scientific” group. FIREPHIM is the French acronym for the federation, which has
mounted a number of protests and demonstrations in France, but keeps a low profile
worldwide. The book describes how the French terrain is prepared by the cults to extend
their power, often using alternative names, in a variety of areas and contexts.
On the political level, with some parties being especially vulnerable --for example,
the National Front in France has long had connections with the Moonies. Legislators
are pressed to give many and fulsome endorsements, often lured by offers of trips
and free studies. Also, rightist universities tend to get their colleagues to organize
meetings to accredit the authenticity of this or that pseudoreligious or
pseudosociological “research.”
subject. The other contributors include Jean Diwo (“Reflections of a Man of Letters”), Alain
Vivien (“Reflections of a Public Official”), Michel Monroy (“Reflections of a Doctor”), and
Jacques Trouslard (“Reflections of a Roman Catholic Priest”). Besides individually authored
chapters, collectively, they wrote chapters on cults and power, and cults and money. This
book is a shining example to support their conviction that “the better we know them [the
cults], the better we will be able to defend ourselves against them, in France and in the
world.” Whether readers start out with little knowledge of the subject or with some
generalized knowledge, they will be drawn along by each of these writers, and will soon
realize that there are indeed multiple aspects to be considered about this multifaceted and
multifarious subject. If readers already have a good background, they will be saying “Aha!”
at every turn, because of the obvious sincerity and convictions of these writers.
Definitions of terms are well done, and are not at all arbitrary. They discuss totalist
systems relevant current social crises issues related to physical health, as well as current
and potential mental health and preferred psychological assistance for victims. Father
Trouslard quotes Pope John-Paul II: “We may risk having only a limited understanding of
the problem, but we must not remain silent.”
The authors concur that cults offer religious solace only as a mask and a tool:
The religious mask, along with the health mask, is used most frequently in a
fraudulent manner to attract and trap persons who are dedicated to the ideal and to
faith or a spiritual goal. It is a matter of public health and assistance to raise these
issues to anyone who might be at risk of the fraud involved, whether it be
intellectual, psychological, or financial. (p. 24)
Father Trouslard continues:
Every authentic religion includes the following characteristics: a sentiment of
sacredness a conscious intellectual response to the experience of the sacred faith,
an elaboration of such response in the form of belief a moral component and a
ritual in accord with this perception of the sacred a community of perceptions,
significance, and values.
Faith requires free and responsible action always in accordance with reason. Cults
use indoctrination (domination) techniques that anesthetize the free and critical
thinking abilities of their members and extinguish previous values which they
attribute to faults in the name of the church --most often, the Christian church.
Under this cover are hidden pseudocatholic, pseudoprotestant, or pseudo-orthodox
cults [and let us not forget to mention pseudo-Eastern groups]. (p. 24)
The section “Cults and Power” shows that as “new religions,” cults push the idea that they
are constantly “victims of calumny.” A number of these groups (possibly 30 or more,
according to some sources) have banded together for “protection.” Described as an
“international federation of minority religions and philosophies,” this effort was launched by
a major “scientific” group. FIREPHIM is the French acronym for the federation, which has
mounted a number of protests and demonstrations in France, but keeps a low profile
worldwide. The book describes how the French terrain is prepared by the cults to extend
their power, often using alternative names, in a variety of areas and contexts.
On the political level, with some parties being especially vulnerable --for example,
the National Front in France has long had connections with the Moonies. Legislators
are pressed to give many and fulsome endorsements, often lured by offers of trips
and free studies. Also, rightist universities tend to get their colleagues to organize
meetings to accredit the authenticity of this or that pseudoreligious or
pseudosociological “research.”
