The University of York Christian Union (UYCU) have said they are taking "active measures" to counter the influence of the 'cult' reportedly operating on campus. They believe the group, known as 'The Church with No Name' or 'The Wandering Church', has converted at least one student already...

...The University Chaplaincy has warned that the group is a "dangerous fundamentalist group that take over a person's life in a cloak of authoritarian teachings, and encourage separation from all who do not agree, family included."

The group have been known to infiltrate church group meetings...

There are approximately 5,000 cults in the U.S., and they - and their members - may be surprisingly close to home. This is the message behind the new documentary Join Us, which opened to rave reviews at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival. The topic and the positive press are familiar territory for filmmaker Ondi Timoner...

...Join Us follows four families attempting to rebuild their lives after leaving a South Carolina cult, Mountain Rock Church, led by Pastor Raimund Melz and his wife, Deborah. The documentary takes viewers directly into the only accredited residential treatment facility in the U.S. for cult victims, the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center in Albany, Ohio...

EUGENE, OREGON — On June 18, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court brought an end to The Local Church's six–year, $136 million legal battle against Harvest House Publishers and authors John Ankerberg and John Weldon. The Local Church was appealing a January 2006 Texas appellate court ruling in favor of Harvest House. After the appellate decision, The Local Church requested a rehearing, which was denied. The Texas Supreme Court also rejected the case twice.

The Local Church complained that the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions defamed them by accusing them (and all the other groups in the book) of crimes such as...

...Harvest House and its authors have issued a corporate statement that comments on several key underlying issues of this case...

...The Local Church and its publishing arm, Living Stream Ministry, alleged they had been wrongly accused of criminal conduct in Ankerberg and Weldon's book Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions...

...A Summary of the Case

The Local Church crafted its case...and attempted to make those words part of the authors' definition of the word cult. Armed with this altered meaning of the term cult, they then constructed faulty arguments to support their claim that they had been defamed...

...Though The Local Church says otherwise, we believe the underlying issue in this lawsuit has always been that they do not like being called a cult theologically. In fact, they have a long history of attempting to silence those who question their orthodoxy. And it's tragic when the legal system is used to create a climate of fear that shackles people from speaking their spiritual convictions.

Our hope is that the courts' rulings will embolden Christian authors to continue to write responsibly about controversial groups and topics...

A FRINGE religious sect, which has reportedly brainwashed young women for sex with a messianic South Korean leader, has been accused of recruiting potential members through a soccer team based at Sydney University.

The Global Association of Culture and Peace, a social group started by the controversial Providence church, has also run dancing and modelling activities to attract students in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and other cities...

...A pamphlet from the Interfaith Center stated that the groups tend to recruit students who are new to campus, missing their home, feeling unloved, overwhelmed, hopeless, lonely, hurting, looking for a friend or struggling academically...

...Preventing students from joining these groups is important because it is not easy to leave, Langworthy said...

...Interfaith, Langworthy said, tries to help inform students about high-pressure groups on campus so that they don't get tricked into joining a group that they are not informed about...

A religious group hosts an on-campus fashion show, an event that could be linked to a web that includes Interpol, South Korea and alleged rape...

...recently held an event at UCSD...

...The group, known as the Global Association of Culture and Peace, was established by 61-year-old South Korean national Jung Myung Seok, who also goes by the name Joshua Jung. The group, widely regarded by international press as a cult, also goes by several other names, including JMS, Providence, Setsuri and the Bright Smile Movement...

KIRTLAND, Ohio - Ohio executed a religious cult leader Tuesday for the murder of a family of five followers who were taken one at a time to a barn, bound and shot to death. The youngest was a girl just 7 years old.

Jeffrey Lundgren, 56, died by injection at 10:26 a.m. at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility for the deaths of the Avery family...

Cult leaders exert huge power over often-vulnerable members. We examine three cases where that power extended to death: in 1978, Jim Jones forced almost 1,000 followers from his People's Temple to commit suicide by ingesting cyanide; in 1995, 12 people died and 5,000 were affected by the nerve gas Sarin, released by the Aum Shinriyko cult in the Tokyo subway; and in 1994, 53 mysterious deaths of members of an obscure cult, the Order of the Solar Temple, were discovered in Switzerland and Canada.

When does a belief in God become a tool of manipulation? Paula hasn't seen her daughter since she joined a sect, and fears she was brainwashed. Then, how are the two teens who fled a polygamist cult?

Columbus, Ohio (AP) --

A religious cult leader convicted of killing a family of five in 1989, which he referred to as "pruning the vineyard," will be executed on Oct. 10, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Jeffrey Lundgren, 56, was convicted of shooting to death a man, his wife and his three daughters who had moved from Missouri in 1987 to follow Lundgren's teachings...

Recruiters for a cult headed by a fugitive wanted by Interpol have been targeting elite students at over 50 universities nationwide, sources say.

The universities rank among the country's most prestigious, and include the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Waseda University, according to those who quit the "Setsuri" (providence) cult and their lawyers...

...Universities so far have done little to guard students from cults for fear of infringing freedom of religion...

A group of lawyers is considering filing a criminal complaint with police accusing leaders of a cult of raping female followers.

Hiroshi Watanabe, head of the lawyers' group, said at a news conference Saturday they are considering filing charges against Jung Myung Seok, founder of the South Korean group JMS, and the leader of a Japanese arm of the cult called Setsuri (Providence).

South Korean authorities have put Jung, 61, on an international wanted list on rape charges...

The Government has ordered a crackdown on a religious sect in Nyandarua District, which has predicted the end of the world on September 12.

The sect has subsequently urged its members to sell their property in readiness for the end of the world. District Commissioner Khamasi Shivogo said the activities of the "House of Yahweh" sect were illegal and could cause a breach of peace.

"I have directed chiefs and their assistants to monitor the organisation," said Shivogo...

Polygamists, former members speak out at Denver meetings

...They came to participate in the 2006 conference of the International Cultic Studies Association, a group of academics, therapists and former cult members, being held over three days at a hotel near Denver...

...Cults are generally considered authoritarian, closed groups that exploit their members...

A 25-year-old research and education foundation that studies cultic phenomena is meeting this weekend...

...the International Cultic Studies Association conference...

...She is among about 200 people signed up to learn the latest about cult and hate groups from a list of experts that includes police, former cult members and therapists...

...It also offers help to people who want to escape abusive groups and situations. The group is not interested in labeling all organizations and religions cults, Langone said.

But it does track groups that consistently abuse and bully its members.

"It isn't about religion but about control," Langone said. "It's about person A deceiving and lying to person B to control them."...

...Mansfield also will discuss the activities of various cult groups in Colorado and the United States...

At college, students are approached by several groups: fraternities, sororities, intramural teams, clubs and organizations that want students to participate in their group.

Some of these groups depend on free choice while others are more persistent. Purdue University has recently published an article about identifying and dealing with those more persistent or high-pressure groups on and around campus.

Jan Arnett, dean of students, pointed to an article prepared by Purdue University's religious leaders that identified the characteristics of a high-pressure group...

... While high-pressure groups remain a problem around the ISU campus, they have not become more of a problem than before...

... Students concerned about a group they may be a part of or have been approached by can seek help with campus minstries, administrators, or any number of staff they feel comfortable with and trust.

For more information, students can contact the Dean of Students' Office...

The Rev. James Howard could remember it all like it was yesterday...

Our youth face many challenges in today's world. Some, such as peer pressure, sexual activity, drugs and alcohol, are obvious and are being confronted by individuals, organizations and even governments every day. Others, as pervasive and destructive, but less obvious, are not dealt with at all. On Nov. 13, at 4 p.m., at The First Congregational Church of Marshfield, 1981 Ocean St., the Rev. Robert Pardon will present a seminar for youth and concerned adults that will address just such an issue, cults and their subtle luring of our youth. All are welcome to attend...

...How can a parent tell if their child is simply going through a phase or if they're mixed up in something more serious? Therapist Steven Hassan, a former cult leader, offered advice...

College students recently delivered from the womb of adolescence have often found themselves prey for obsessive and potentially dangerous organizations.

A council of concerned Ohio State faculty members inspired by this vulnerability initiated the drafting of a brochure titled "Protect Yourself from High Pressure Groups."

Matthew Couch, assistant director of the Ohio Union and a council member, said colleagues at other universities having developed a similar brochure prompted this effort in 2002...

..."A group of us got together to talk about what we mean by a cult, what constitutes a cult and what kind of advice can we give," Douce said...

Dr. Louise Douce, director of Counseling and Consultation Services...

...Douce said college campuses tend to be popular targets for high-pressure groups.

"College can be very lonely; sometimes you feel isolated and everybody else is having fun and everybody else is connected and your not. And so when a a group comes with this emotional intensity and emotional intimacy it just sucks you right in," Douce said. "The pressure, the loneliness and the process of solidifying your value system are what makes students good targets."...

...Couch said there was some concern at the time about the controversial International Churches of Christ being on campus...

...Couch said. "I would recommend to any college student on any campus that they research an organization before committing to it and that they become knowledgeable about the tactics of high-pressure groups."...

On an administrative level, the issue of high-pressure groups is a tricky one: Universities must deal with balancing an organization's right to express its beliefs with a student's right to be safe.

Rutgers College senior Dan Gaztambide had an experience with a high-pressure group two years ago, which he said cut him off from his family and friends...

...Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory S. Blimling said the situation was partially in the hands of the University as well as with students...

...The University can, however, deal with groups that aren't following certain rules...

..."Go talk to somebody, whether it's a campus minister, a counselor, a university administrator, faculty or even your parents," he said. "Talk about your experience and get outside feedback."...

...Second, Cebulka said, is to do your research.

"Do searches, not just a group's site, but other places," he said. "[Find out] what the history has been. See if other universities have had trouble with the group."...

...For any student who may be in a high pressure group, Gaztambide believes it is important to get out as soon as possible.

CultsOnCampus.com has numerous postings about cult activities around USC and other California universities...

---

• October 20, 2005 Cults are on campus, Letters, Daily Trojan, Marisa Ligons, Senior, Religion, History, University of Southern California

  I found it interesting in the article published about how USC shouldn't be worried about cults on campus, yet there are definitely cults on this campus ("Web site aims to warn others about cults," Oct. 4).

  I am not talking about the traditional thinking of a "sacrifice your babies and vulcan mind-meld" type of cult, but definitely high pressure groups which can be categorized as cults for the abuse in which they make their members constantly endure.

  As a former member of the International Churches of Christ, I found it laughable that you quoted their leadership, when perhaps they are the worst of all groups on the USC campus...

---

• October 11, 2005 Cults must be covered, Letters, Daily Trojan, Megan Singer, Junior, Sociology, Psychology, University of Southern California

  Guensie Grecy's article, "Web site aims to warn others about cults" (Oct. 4) is intriguing.

  ...Perhaps Grecy could have educated people to the psychological effects leaving a cult has on those who found the courage and strength to leave? The entirety of the issue of cults on campus must be addressed...

When Rutgers College senior Dan Gaztambide left his native Puerto Rico for Rutgers more than two years ago, one of his goals - like many first-year students - was to find a place to fit in.

What he found, however, wasn't just a typical campus organization. Gaztambide believes the group he joined - which he declined to name - was a high-pressure group...

...According to Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory S. Blimling, high-pressure groups are one of the most dangerous threats to a student's well-being, especially in the first year at college...

...Regina Navickas, a University College senior, didn't fall into that trap because, she believes she was older and had more experience to draw on when approached by a group. Instead, it was a sense of openness that drew her in...

..."I don't think there's a college campus in the United States that hasn't had to deal with these groups," Blimling said. "They are either at the University or on the periphery of the University, trying to recruit students. I don't know how many there are, but with as diverse a community as we have at Rutgers, there are certainly a number of them."...

...Gaztambide, on the other hand, struggled with the aftereffects for almost two years...

..."The important thing is that anyone can fall into these groups," Navickas said. "You might say, 'Oh my God, I'm an idiot,' but you're not. You're just a human being who wants to belong."...

...Bill and Patsy Freeman, leaders of the group, purchased three houses surrounding Whitworth...

...Ex-members of the Freemans' group have accused the couple of arranging marriages, controlling contact with family members outside of the group, tearing apart families and encouraging members to donate large amounts of their incomes to the Freemans, according to the Spokesman-Review...

...After hearing various reports of the nature and past actions of the Freeman's group, Whitworth administrators felt it was necessary to let students know.

Whitworth administrators sent out a campus-wide e-mail on Feb. 4 of this year after receiving numerous warnings from people associated with the Freeman's history. The purpose of the e-mail was to inform students of the situation and the calls Whitworth had been receiving from those knowledgeable of the Freeman's past...

...not everyone associated with the Freemans seems to share that view....

...What's the status of so-called cults today?...

Dr. Phil goes inside a religious sect where young girls are reportedly forced to marry men three times their age and bear as many children as possible. On the verge of becoming child brides, two teens escaped...

(Click on the link above then scroll down.)

via the Wayback Machine

A church affiliated with the University of Toledo is raising questions and controversy. University Bible Fellowship operates near the University of Toledo campus. Church members say it's a non-denominational evangelical church that tries to teach college students the bible.

Former members Fox Toledo talked to say it is more serious than that. They claim that the church practices mind control and is a cult. Desiree Ray was a member for ten years. She says, "They let you feel guilty about your life and tell you that you will not know God unless you are in UBF."...