[Very good article, with three inaccuracies: CAN never endorsed forcible deprogramming, and the TIME lawsuit was never appealed, and Jim Jones used flavor-aid] The business of cults The Fairfield County Business Journal
1.5.2000 By Dan Strempel Mention the word "cult" in America and people conjure up images of black smoke billowing from an obscure ranch on a barren Texas plan.

They remember the suicides, violent confirmations and terrorist attacks as news headlines from some far away place, but the truth is most of us have probably come in direct contact with a "fringe"

group and never realized it Cults have thrived over the years by maintaining a strong, albeit lowkey, presence in the community.

"There was always money coming in from god knows where. It never made any sense to me," said Steven Hassan, a former member of the Unification Church who now works as a cult counselor.

Originally organized in Seoul, South Korea, by the Rev Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church came to America in the 1950s. Followers believe Moon is the Messiah sent to restore the Garden of Eden on Earth.

In reality, Moon is closer to Donald Trump - a businessman who thinks he is god on earth.

The Unification Church has established a multi-billion-dollar worldwide empire of businesses, religious and political front organizations. Investigators estimate the church controls more than 300 business in the United States alone.

Although them is no incident that ties the church to destructive groups like the People's Temple (see accompanying article), former members tell stories of the church using mind control tactics and operating outside the law. in fact, the federal government convicted Moon of tax evasion in 1984 and sent him to prison for 13 months.

Money and power Hassan spent 27 months as a "Moonie" in the late 1970s, eventually rising to the position of assistant director. As such, he worked directly with Moon.

"Money and power" were the driving forces behind the church's business dealings, he said.

Hassan described situations where members were forced to work long hours in church-held businesses. "Then (church leaders) would write out the payroll checks and donate them back to the church without the members ever seeing the money," he recalled.

Rev. Fred Miller of the True Light Educational Ministry in Shirley, N.Y., has been studying cults for nearly 20 years. In March, he conducted a workshop on "cult fronts and finances" at a national conference hosted by the Leo J. Ryan Education Foundation of Bridgeport.

Miller claims Moon's purchase of the Washington Times and his funding of the University of Bridgeport are part of a strategy to gain credibility and spread the church's teachings to young people.

Chris Corcoran, director of public affairs for University of Bridgeport, said a group, known as the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), is in partnership with the school.

The PWPA is a non-profit educational organization founded by Moon.

Its stated goal is to support the academic community's role in the pursuit of world peace.

"It is a major donor. Without their funding the university probably would not be running," said Corcoran, who estimates the PWPA has donated $100 million to the school over an eight-year span.

Religious bigotry The University of Bridgeport was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1990 when the PWPA offered financial assistance in exchange for the right to appoint a majority of the university's board of trustees.

William A. Finch - a member of the Ryan Foundation's board of directors - was the university's director of alumni relations at the time of the takeover.

"It really was a shame. The place was going bankrupt and I wanted to pursue an employee buyout, but the support wasn't there," said Finch.

University trustees voted down the church's initial offer but, by 1991, a majority of board members were convinced to approve the deal.

Today, Corcoran said, most trustees are not members of the Unification Church and he flatly denies that Moon has any influence over the university's curriculum.

(The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) continues to monitor the school to make sure standards for curriculum and religious freedom are met.)

"It is sad that organizations like the Ryan group can't see what the Unification Church's money is doing for the university and the local economy. A lot of students that otherwise wouldn't have the chance are going to school. I don't understand what their gripe is other than, basically, being religious bigots," said Corcoran.

Guns and peace If the Unification Church's efforts at the University of Bridgeport are made in the name of world peace, it may be hard for the group to explain one of Its latest ventures.

According to a Washington Post article, the church indirectly owns gun manufacturer Kahr Arms of Blauvelt, N.Y, an operation run by Moon's fourth son, Harvard-educated Kook Jin "Justin" Moon.

Kahr manufactures a line of handguns capable of firing 9 mm and 40caliber bullets. The companys marketing campaign highlights the $750 weapons craftsmanship -the younger Moon holds six patents on its design - and how easy it is to conceal, touting it as "the perfect pocket pistol."

The "Moonie" connection can be traced through a series of affiliated businesses. Kahr Arms' parent, Saeilo Inc., is an affiliate of Saeilo Machinery (USA) Inc. The two companies share an address in Blauvelt, N.Y. Saeilo Machinery is a subsidiary of One Up Enterprises Inc., a holding company for many of the church's businesses.

Responding to written questions for a March 1999 article in the Boston Globe, the 28-year-old Moon wrote, "Like most tools, weapons are neither good nor evil. That is determined by the user and the purpose for which he or she uses the toot ... My father is a clergyman, but that does not mean that my occupation makes a statement about the church."

Deadly doctrines However, such unusual business associations do not begin and end with the Unification Church.

The AUM Shinrikyo is a destructive cult centered in Japan.

In 1995, the "supreme truth," as it is known, was responsible for spreading the deadly nerve gas Sarin in a Tokyo subway station. The attack killed 11 passengers and injured more than 5,000.

Since then the group's leaders have been put on trial, Japanese courts have declared the organization bankrupt and its membership has reportedly dwindled.

But an article published on Sept. 30, 1999, in the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun states that AUM Shinrikyo is still operating in Japan as a volunteer group.

"The cult operates a computer store that generates annual sales of about 7 billion yen, and it apparently has additional sources of revenue," the report said.

Trade secrets Scientology is another group with ambiguous business ties.

In 1991, Time magazine published an article entitled "Scientology:

The Cult of Greed" in which it referred to the church as a "hugely profitable global racket." The church sued Time for libel and lost. The decision was affirmed on appeal.

In 1993, the church went to court to have its scriptures recognized as trade secrets. Today, it collects fees totaling tens of thousands of dollars from its members to read and study the documents.

"Some of your mind-relaxing techniques that come from Scientology are now being used in companies such as IBM," said Miller.

Hassan cautioned business owners to be aware of self-help and motivational consultants who offer to improve their professional lives for a price.

Sterling Management Systems of Glendale, Calif, provides management training and consulting based on the works of Scientology founder L.

Ron Hubbard, marketing its services directly to dentists, chiropractors, accountants and veterinarians across the country.

Hassan described workshops where people are taught new ways to deal with stress and often come out feeling a spiritual high.

"Then they try to get their hooks into people by telling them that the workshop is not enough. If they really want to make money, if they really want to be a success, they will need personal counseling," he said.

A message from the 'UFO Cult' The following e-mail was sent by a Heavens Gate member to a Scientologist. It pertains to the downfall of CAN (see accompanying story) and was written before the 1997 mass suicide of 39 cult members who believed they would be reincarnated inside a spacecraft following the tail of the Hale-Bopp Comet.

E-mail posted at: http://mars.superlink.net/user/mgarde/hgl.htm Subject: Thanks for Actions Against CAN From: "lah" Date: 1996/12/
21 Here's a round of applause to the Church of Scientology for their courageous action against the Cult Awareness Network.

From our point of view, no group was as "off" in their judgment of others as was CAN. No group was as out of place in their condemnation of the innocent as was CAN.

They accused our group of "cult activities" promoting all sort of lies about us. When we asked to speak with them to correct some of their false accusations, they refused to listen. Their only desire was to see our financial records and, ironically, we really have no finances to speak of at all. They exerted no effort to determine the facts even when those who could most accurately provide those facts were literally at their doorstep.

We hope you will continue to advertise on behalf of freedom of thinking for all.

History proves that nearly every conceptual milestone now considered "good" was at one time considered a "cult." In the early inception stages of any significantly updated thinking, it seems that some embodiment of narrow-minded opposition takes it upon themselves to threaten 'its right to exist.

So thanks again from all of us determined to continue the search for Truth through alternate paths. And thanks from those who support the right of others to do so as well.

In Service to the Next Level, The So-Called "UFO Cult"

Educating the public about cults On Nov. 19, 1978, Congressman Leo J. Ryan lay dead on a dusty airstrip near Port Kaituma, Guyana - gunned down by members, of a fanatical cult group known as the People's Temple.

Like many of those involved with the cult, Ryan came to the jungle in search of answers and never returned.

His murder was ordered by the Rev. Jim Jones, the group's charismatic leader, after Ryan visited the Jonestown compound and attempted to liberate members who expressed an interest in leaving.

In the hysteria that swept the compound after Ryan's assassination, Jones assembled his followers and administered cyanide-laced Kool-Aid in a mass suicide-murder ritual.

The following day, 909 believers, including Jones, were found dead in the mud of Jonestown.

Today, the name of the martyred politician lives on in the form of the Leo J. Ryan Education Foundation Inc., a not-for-profit organization in Bridgeport dedicated to cult education.

Founded in November 1998, the foundation works primarily with students, politicians and church leaders to educate them about cult activities.

"We don't go after people's religious beliefs. That's not our purpose. We took at human rights abuses said executive director Julia Bronder.

An eight-member board of directors heads the foundation. Its members include Christians and Jews as well as religious skeptics.

Getting the word out One of the organization's primary functions is to provide information on cult groups to the general public.

Bronder said people often call the foundation requesting information on groups their children or friends have begun to associate with.

"They want to see if we have any complaints about a particular group. Sometimes we know if it's a cult, sometunes we don't, but we give them all the information we have regardless," she said.

The foundation also holds an annual conference with workshops and lectures addressing the impact cult groups have on people and their families.

This year's conference, "Human Rights in the New Millennium," was held in March. About 150 people attended the three-day event at the Holiday Inn Select in Stamford.

Workshop topics covered issues like cults and the Internet, how to help a loved one in a mind-controlling group and discussion of human rights versus religious freedom.

"There is a big misconception. People say, 'I would never join a cult. I'm too intelligent to join a cult.' But many times (cults) are looking to recruit the smartest, most dedicated person." Bronder observed., She is the only paid employee at the foundation. The group's staff and board members are all volunteers and its activities am funded completely by donations.

Ironic twist The Ryan Foundation was formed out of the ashes of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), a Chicago, Ill., group with a 20-year history of anti-cult activism.

Priscilla Coates was executive director of CAN in the 1970s and a volunteer in the organization's final days. Today, she is member of the board of directors at the Ryan Foundation.

"It was always an uphill battle being an education group, when every time you say something, even though you know it's factual, you have to deal with litigation," Coates said.

In the early 1990s, CAN was the defendant in a series of lawsuits filed by The Church of Scientology over the right to attend CAN meetings.

At one point, Coates said there were as many as 50 suits pending against the group she was a defendant in 22 of them.

In 1996, CAN was accused of kidnapping and assault in connection with the deprogramming of a cult member.

CAN advocated the practice of forcible deprogramming, a practice where parents of cult members would hire someone to remove their children from the sect's grip. A deprogrammer would isolate the cult member and scream unpleasant facts about the cult in a manor similar to a military drill sergeant.

CAN lost a $1 million judgment in that case which forced the group into bankruptcy.

Bronder said the Ryan Foundation differs from CAN in that it advocates voluntary exit counseling instead of harsh deprogramming techniques.

In an ironic twist, CAN's name, logo, phone number and other assets were purchased at auction by a new "multi-faith" group claiming to promote religious tolerance.

Both Bronder and Coates claim the new CAN is run by Scientologists, who purchased the group's assets at a bankruptcy auction.

When people search for answers in their lives, the idea of erasing all ties to the past and starting fresh can be very attractive.

This goes a long way towards explaining why normal, everyday people join cults.

"I have never met someone who has knowingly joined a cult. People get involved because they think it's going to help them or the world around them," said cult counselor Steven Hassan.

His new book, "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves," is a guide to helping former cult members move forward after their experiences with such groups.

Hassan discusses how, as a 19-year-old student at Queens College in New York City, he was approached by three attractive women who said they also were students and invited him to dinner.

He had just broken up with his girlfriend and wound up accompanying his new friends to a few weekend workshops - all in the spirit of being "open minded."

"It dawned on me when I was driving with them to an estate in upstate New York owned by the Unification Church. I'd ask them, 'Why are we going there?' They would turn it around on me and say, 'Why, are you afraid?" Hassan recounted.

Cults often recruit on the streets, on college campuses or in airports.

In the digital world, cults use the Internet not only to help with recruiting, but also to give them a more legitimate outward appearance.

What makes a cult a cult?

The word cult is derived from the Latin word "cultis" which denotes anything involving worship.

Most religious historians agree that Christianity itself was considered a cult when it first appeared centuries ago.

The modern Christian definition of cult is any group that deviates.

from biblical teachings. If this was the most accepted definition of a cult, it would eliminate the religious freedom this country was founded on.

Not all cults are religious. Charles Manson had complete control over his "family" without the aid of religious doctrine.

There are a few defining characteristics which separate cults from other organizations people join to worship, conduct business or have fun.

"Money, power and sex are the motivating factors for cults,"

according to Julia Bronder, executive director of the Leo J. Ryan Education Foundation Inc.

She said all cult groups exhibit the following characteristics:

* A pyramid-type structure with all teaching and guidance comingfrom one charismatic leader, * An "us" and "them" mentality toward the outside world.

* Promoting fear around leaving the group.

* Creating social and physical isolation.

* Encouraging secrecy and deception.

Most anti-cult groups also point to the practice of mind-control techniques as distinguishing cults from other social organizations.

Hassan cited psychological experiments which demonstrated that all people have a threshold at which point they will give up their individual judgment in order to conform to a group.

In his experience, Hassan said, cults exploit this theory of conformity by maintaining a three-to-one ratio of members to recruits when trying to indoctrinate someone new to their group.

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