42 ICSA TODAY 40
yet released to the public, names more than 300 specific
members of the clergy as ‘predator priests.’ Individuals named
in the document have protested its release, but last week, a
judge ordered that the report be made public. He called for
‘temporary redactions’ as necessary to protect reputations of
people concerned with their due-process rights. The 900-page
report must be released by August 14. In the meantime, court
documents reveal two short previews. The grand jury wrote
that they aim to ‘shine a light on [the] conduct’ of ‘predator
priests,’ and they say, ‘We, the members of this grand jury, need
you to hear this.’” (National Public Radio, 08/02/18)
The leader of Shambhala Buddhism is undone by abuse
report
“In a shrine on the sixth floor of a Manhattan office building, a
photo of a man in golden robes hangs above an altar. Another
photo of him sits upon a throne. He is the head of one of
the largest Buddhist organizations in the West, Shambhala
International, a network of more than 200 outposts in over
30 countries where thousands come for training in meditation
and mindfulness and some delve into deeper mysteries. The
man is Mipham Rinpoche. He is known as the Sakyong, a
Tibetan word that translates roughly as king, and his students
take vows to follow him that are binding across lifetimes.
These days, they are feeling sad, confused, angry and betrayed.
Late last month, a former Shambhala teacher released a
report alleging that the Sakyong had sexually abused and
exploited some of his most devoted female followers for years.
Women quoted in the report wrote of drunken groping and
forcefully extracted sexual favors. The report said that senior
leaders at Shambhala—an organization whose motto is
‘Making Enlightened Society Possible’—knew of the Sakyong’s
misconduct and covered it up.” (The New York Times, 07/11/18)
Settlement reached in former member’s suit against the
Church of Scientology
“Lawyers for the Church of Scientology and a former member
settled a lawsuit she filed nearly a decade ago, in which she
alleged she was forced to work long hours before she was a
teen and was coerced to have an abortion at age 17, lawyers
for the parties told a judge Monday. Los Angeles Superior
Court Judge Mark Mooney met with the attorneys for the
church and plaintiff Laura Ann DeCrescenzo in chambers,
then announced from the bench that the upcoming Aug.
13 first phase of trial was vacated in light of the settlement.
Lawyers for both sides confirmed outside the courtroom that
a resolution was reached, but they declined further comment.”
(My News LA, 07/23/18)
Shocking video shows pastor beating followers of South
Korean cult
“Shocking footage showing a South Korean pastor beating her
followers and ordering them to beat one another has emerged
as Korean police investigate claims that she ran a cult in Fiji,
forcing people to work without pay and endure violent rituals.
The footage appears to show violent assaults on members
of the South Korean Grace Road Church. Pastor Shin Ok-ju
was arrested last month along with three other church leaders
when they landed at Incheon airport just outside of Seoul.” (The
Guardian, 09/16/18)
New generations sustain South Korean church’s mass
weddings
“On Monday (Aug 27), about 1,000 couples were married at
a ceremony in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul, while another
3,000 couples renewed vows. In all, 64 nationalities were
represented. [Iasmin] Lumibao, 23, is a second-generation
member of the movement, and said times have changed since
her parents married at a mass ceremony in 1992. From the
early 1960s until he died in 2012, the church’s founder and
self-declared messiah, Sun Myung Moon, played matchmaker,
pairing couples who had never met and sometimes did not
even speak the same language. Lumibao’s parents, and those
of her 22-year-old husband from New York, Denthew Learey,
were among those who were complete strangers when Moon,
who said he was chosen by Jesus Christ to establish an ideal
world of peace and harmony, matched them up. ‘It used to be
that we get blessed (with) strangers but now it’s quite different
because we get to make the decision by ourselves, we get to
know the person and if we want to continue we would take the
step and create the future together,’ Lumibao said.” (Channel
NewsAsia, 08/27/18)
Vegan restaurants run by cult leader who “speaks to God”
“A millionaire businesswoman whose followers call her
‘Supreme Master’ is behind a chain of popular vegan cafes,
including four in Germany. No one knows how Ching Hai
amassed her vast fortune. In just four years, vegan restaurant
Loving Hut has opened more than 140 locations in the United
States, Austria, Germany, Australia and South America, which
makes it the biggest vegan chain worldwide. Its founder,
known as Ching Hai, has more than 500,000 followers (by
some counts up to 2 million) who believe she has direct
conversations with God and call her Supreme Master.”
(Deutsche Welle [DW], 08/13/18)
Willow Creek paid $3.25M to settle lawsuits over child sex
abuse by church volunteer
“Willow Creek Community Church agreed to pay more than
$3 million to settle lawsuits over the sexual abuse of two
developmentally disabled boys by a church volunteer, court
records show. The second and largest of the settlements, for
$1.75 million, was made in February, before the Tribune revealed
unrelated claims that the evangelical megachurch’s founder,
the Rev. Bill Hybels, engaged in inappropriate conduct with
women, eventually leading to his early retirement and, this
month, the resignation of the church’s two leading pastors and
its entire board of elders.” (Chicago Tribune, 08/13/18) n
yet released to the public, names more than 300 specific
members of the clergy as ‘predator priests.’ Individuals named
in the document have protested its release, but last week, a
judge ordered that the report be made public. He called for
‘temporary redactions’ as necessary to protect reputations of
people concerned with their due-process rights. The 900-page
report must be released by August 14. In the meantime, court
documents reveal two short previews. The grand jury wrote
that they aim to ‘shine a light on [the] conduct’ of ‘predator
priests,’ and they say, ‘We, the members of this grand jury, need
you to hear this.’” (National Public Radio, 08/02/18)
The leader of Shambhala Buddhism is undone by abuse
report
“In a shrine on the sixth floor of a Manhattan office building, a
photo of a man in golden robes hangs above an altar. Another
photo of him sits upon a throne. He is the head of one of
the largest Buddhist organizations in the West, Shambhala
International, a network of more than 200 outposts in over
30 countries where thousands come for training in meditation
and mindfulness and some delve into deeper mysteries. The
man is Mipham Rinpoche. He is known as the Sakyong, a
Tibetan word that translates roughly as king, and his students
take vows to follow him that are binding across lifetimes.
These days, they are feeling sad, confused, angry and betrayed.
Late last month, a former Shambhala teacher released a
report alleging that the Sakyong had sexually abused and
exploited some of his most devoted female followers for years.
Women quoted in the report wrote of drunken groping and
forcefully extracted sexual favors. The report said that senior
leaders at Shambhala—an organization whose motto is
‘Making Enlightened Society Possible’—knew of the Sakyong’s
misconduct and covered it up.” (The New York Times, 07/11/18)
Settlement reached in former member’s suit against the
Church of Scientology
“Lawyers for the Church of Scientology and a former member
settled a lawsuit she filed nearly a decade ago, in which she
alleged she was forced to work long hours before she was a
teen and was coerced to have an abortion at age 17, lawyers
for the parties told a judge Monday. Los Angeles Superior
Court Judge Mark Mooney met with the attorneys for the
church and plaintiff Laura Ann DeCrescenzo in chambers,
then announced from the bench that the upcoming Aug.
13 first phase of trial was vacated in light of the settlement.
Lawyers for both sides confirmed outside the courtroom that
a resolution was reached, but they declined further comment.”
(My News LA, 07/23/18)
Shocking video shows pastor beating followers of South
Korean cult
“Shocking footage showing a South Korean pastor beating her
followers and ordering them to beat one another has emerged
as Korean police investigate claims that she ran a cult in Fiji,
forcing people to work without pay and endure violent rituals.
The footage appears to show violent assaults on members
of the South Korean Grace Road Church. Pastor Shin Ok-ju
was arrested last month along with three other church leaders
when they landed at Incheon airport just outside of Seoul.” (The
Guardian, 09/16/18)
New generations sustain South Korean church’s mass
weddings
“On Monday (Aug 27), about 1,000 couples were married at
a ceremony in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul, while another
3,000 couples renewed vows. In all, 64 nationalities were
represented. [Iasmin] Lumibao, 23, is a second-generation
member of the movement, and said times have changed since
her parents married at a mass ceremony in 1992. From the
early 1960s until he died in 2012, the church’s founder and
self-declared messiah, Sun Myung Moon, played matchmaker,
pairing couples who had never met and sometimes did not
even speak the same language. Lumibao’s parents, and those
of her 22-year-old husband from New York, Denthew Learey,
were among those who were complete strangers when Moon,
who said he was chosen by Jesus Christ to establish an ideal
world of peace and harmony, matched them up. ‘It used to be
that we get blessed (with) strangers but now it’s quite different
because we get to make the decision by ourselves, we get to
know the person and if we want to continue we would take the
step and create the future together,’ Lumibao said.” (Channel
NewsAsia, 08/27/18)
Vegan restaurants run by cult leader who “speaks to God”
“A millionaire businesswoman whose followers call her
‘Supreme Master’ is behind a chain of popular vegan cafes,
including four in Germany. No one knows how Ching Hai
amassed her vast fortune. In just four years, vegan restaurant
Loving Hut has opened more than 140 locations in the United
States, Austria, Germany, Australia and South America, which
makes it the biggest vegan chain worldwide. Its founder,
known as Ching Hai, has more than 500,000 followers (by
some counts up to 2 million) who believe she has direct
conversations with God and call her Supreme Master.”
(Deutsche Welle [DW], 08/13/18)
Willow Creek paid $3.25M to settle lawsuits over child sex
abuse by church volunteer
“Willow Creek Community Church agreed to pay more than
$3 million to settle lawsuits over the sexual abuse of two
developmentally disabled boys by a church volunteer, court
records show. The second and largest of the settlements, for
$1.75 million, was made in February, before the Tribune revealed
unrelated claims that the evangelical megachurch’s founder,
the Rev. Bill Hybels, engaged in inappropriate conduct with
women, eventually leading to his early retirement and, this
month, the resignation of the church’s two leading pastors and
its entire board of elders.” (Chicago Tribune, 08/13/18) n
