AndersonsInfo

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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  AndersonsInfo

  Hi Vintage. Thank you for announcing our efforts to help send a delegate to the O.S.C.E Conference in Warsaw, Poland. However, I think it would have been more appropriate if you had started another subject on this discussion board about the GoFundMe account I started for folks to post their opinion on other than this one that never seems to end about the shenanigans of, and controversies respecting Lloyd Evans.

  Overall, what you said about our efforts in regard to the O.S.C. E Conference on Human Rights, was correct other than this one where you said, "Your donation will benefit Barbara Anderson."

  I have no idea why you said this because on the GoFundMe page it states, "Barbara Anderson is organizing this fundraiser," not in any way benefitting from this fundraiser.

  In fact, we funded $1,500.00 to this cause because there was an immediate need to help with expenses so the “Delegate” speaker,” Ergali Abishev, could get to the O.S.C.E. Conference.

  After we wired the money, we hoped that by starting a Go Fund Me page, other XJWs would contribute too and we would be reimbursed $1,300.00 after our donation of $200.00 was tallied in the total contributed to the GoFundMe account. I also have in hand a donation of $250.00 that was sent by mail to us for this endeavor which will be added to the amount on the GoFundMe page.

  This cause is not a waste of donations by giving money to a so-called XJW activist. Be assured that what was accomplished in this campaign to inform the European political world of the harm that Watchtower has done and is continuing to do to its members because of their harmful policies and practices in the realm of human rights and child sexual abuse has been extraordinary. Soon we will publish an article respecting the interesting outcome of Ergali’s “speech," and also about his involvement in four recent human rights lawsuits filed against the Watchtower in Kazakhstan that were won. In the past, lawsuits like these were always won by the Watchtower in this part of the world.

  Ergali is a young man with a family yet he borrowed thousands of dollars from banks to pay court costs and to bring in experienced attorneys, etc. That’s the reason we are leaving the GoFundMe page up for a little while to see if XJWs in our part of the world would like to help with the ongoing expenses connected with Ergali’s determination to expose the WT’s political involvement with an organization that is similar to the United Nations and in some cases in the past replaced the United Nations role.

  I think you'll like to know that one contributor to the GoFundMe account left this message on the page:

  • JAMES HILL

  $1,715

  I heard Barbara Anderson's explanation on Six Screens of The Watchtower and realized how important this is.

  Here's the link to the Fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sending-a-delegate-to-the-un-conference-in-warsaw

  Please go to my website to read more about Ergali's activist work in Eastern Europe: https://watchtowerdocuments.org/raising-funds-to-support-osce/
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  5

  Washington State-Spokesman-Review article: The Silent Witnesses

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/02/the-silent-witnesses-jehovahs-witnesses-covered-up/.

  the silent witnesses: jehovah’s witnesses covered up child sexual abuse in washington state for decades, lawsuit alleges.

  sun., oct. 2, 2022. by wilson criscioneinvestigatewest.

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  AndersonsInfo

  https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/02/the-silent-witnesses-jehovahs-witnesses-covered-up/
  

  
  

  The Silent Witnesses: Jehovah’s Witnesses covered up child sexual abuse in Washington state for decades, lawsuit alleges

  Sun., Oct. 2, 2022

  By Wilson CriscioneInvestigateWest

  They were in the Bible study room when Deryk Terril, a shy 11-year-old with shaggy hair in 1976, found the courage to finally say something: An elder at a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation in Spokane had been molesting him for years, Terril, now 57, recounts in a lawsuit filed in August.

  He says he told a church leader he trusted to protect him.

  Instead, the church leader got angry and told Terril they could do nothing about it without a second witness, Terril says. Police weren’t notified, he says, nor were his parents. The church allowed the alleged abuser, John Earl Jones, to continue spending time with Terril, and he molested the boy for years after, court documents say.

  Around the same time, the mother of another boy in the congregation, Daniel Enholm, reported to the church that Jones had touched her son, too. Again, the other church leaders failed to act, allowing Jones to be around the boys, the lawsuit says.

  In the years after that, more boys came forward saying Jones sexually abused them, according to Terril and Enholm. Still, they say, church officials never alerted police.

  Jones abused at least two more children in the following decades, court records show, before spending 16 years in a California prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14. “It could have been prevented if somebody had called the police (back in the ’70s),” Enholm tells InvestigateWest.

  Jones, now 72, has since been released from prison. InvestigateWest’s attempts to reach him for this story were unsuccessful. READ MORE:

  https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/02/the-silent-witnesses-jehovahs-witnesses-covered-up/
  
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  7

  Newspaper Article about JWs resuming door knocking

  by fred1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from the houston chronicle.

  isn't it wonderful how jws don't judge anyone and love everyone?.

  jehovah’s witnesses have restarted their door-to-door ministry after more than two and a half years on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, reviving a religious practice that the faith considers crucial and cherished.. from coast to coast, members of the christian denomination fanned out in cities and towns thursday to share literature and converse about god for the first time since march 2020.. in the jamaica plain neighborhood on the south side of boston, dan and carrie sideris spent a balmy morning walking around knocking on doors and ringing bells.

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  AndersonsInfo

  This article is an "Advertorial." I wrote about this type of news release at:

  https://watchtowerdocuments.org/what-is-an-advertorial/

  Here's part of the article:

  "What is an advertorial?"

  "It’s the name for a paid advertisement that turns up in the media, i.e. websites, magazines, or newspapers written by a staff writer or generally by the one who paid for it to be published. This is a common practice as publishers use different ways of generating revenue to stay afloat financially.

  "The style and form of an advertorial is of an editorial that appears to feature newsworthy and relevant information, but remember it’s really a paid ad. Is this ethical? The experts say if it looks like an editorial but is really promoting, plugging, or advocating something such as a product or service then it’s not ethical.

  "Robert Hendriks is the U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW’s) and a master at producing advertorials that look like newspaper editorials. Here is a recent advertorial (Nov. 16, 2021) that JW’s are paying for to promote their religion." READ MORE:

  https://watchtowerdocuments.org/what-is-an-advertorial/
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  6

  Damned if you do, damned if you don't - Religious Shunning and the Free Exercise Clause

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  damned if you do, damned if you don't: religious shunning and the free exercise clause.

  https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=3827&context=penn_law_review.

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  AndersonsInfo

  DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON'T: RELIGIOUS SHUNNING AND THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE

  https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=3827&context=penn_law_review
  
  
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  14

  Watchtower Bible And Tract Society Urging Town Of Ramapo To Act On Its Application In Timely Manner

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://rcbizjournal.com/2022/03/22/watchtower-urging-ramapo-to-act-on-its-application/?fbclid=iwar2akhf6eq1rrmhihrz4fqdqmf99l_jmkh7pcx70p6olunqfrvuspomer-e. by tina traster.

  march 22, 2022. over the past eight months, the watchtower bible and tract society has reviewed public and other comments on its proposed development for 155 sterling mine road in ramapo and has revised its plans.. on monday, the applicant was prepared to present its feis (final environmental impact statement) and hoped the ramapo town board would accept its submission as “final,” to move on to review by the rockland county planning department.. instead, the board deferred making decisions, seemingly because they did not have enough time to review some newly submitted documents by the activist group rosa.. “we’re asking the board to take action on the ‘feis’,” said attorney ira emanuel.

  “if you don’t like it, change it.

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  AndersonsInfo

  Regarding the question, "Who is ROSA?" see:

  https://rosa4rockland.org/rosa-101/
  
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  14

  Watchtower Bible And Tract Society Urging Town Of Ramapo To Act On Its Application In Timely Manner

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://rcbizjournal.com/2022/03/22/watchtower-urging-ramapo-to-act-on-its-application/?fbclid=iwar2akhf6eq1rrmhihrz4fqdqmf99l_jmkh7pcx70p6olunqfrvuspomer-e. by tina traster.

  march 22, 2022. over the past eight months, the watchtower bible and tract society has reviewed public and other comments on its proposed development for 155 sterling mine road in ramapo and has revised its plans.. on monday, the applicant was prepared to present its feis (final environmental impact statement) and hoped the ramapo town board would accept its submission as “final,” to move on to review by the rockland county planning department.. instead, the board deferred making decisions, seemingly because they did not have enough time to review some newly submitted documents by the activist group rosa.. “we’re asking the board to take action on the ‘feis’,” said attorney ira emanuel.

  “if you don’t like it, change it.

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  AndersonsInfo

  https://rcbizjournal.com/2022/03/22/watchtower-urging-ramapo-to-act-on-its-application/?fbclid=IwAR2AkHf6Eq1RRMhIHRz4fqDqmf99l_JmkH7Pcx70p6OLUnqFrvUspomer-E

  By Tina Traster

  March 22, 2022

  Over the past eight months, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has reviewed public and other comments on its proposed development for 155 Sterling Mine Road in Ramapo and has revised its plans.

  On Monday, the applicant was prepared to present its FEIS (Final Environmental Impact Statement) and hoped the Ramapo Town Board would accept its submission as “final,” to move on to review by the Rockland County Planning Department.

  Instead, the board deferred making decisions, seemingly because they did not have enough time to review some newly submitted documents by the activist group ROSA.

  “We’re asking the board to take action on the ‘FEIS’,” said Attorney Ira Emanuel. “If you don’t like it, change it. Do it. We want to move the process forward. We need finality.”

  The project architect echoed Emanuel’s frustrations.

  “We’ve put in 600-man hours for this review,” said Keith Cady, the project’s architect. “We hope we’ve addressed all the issues. We want to move forward to respond to questions.”

  The town will hold another public hearing Wednesday, March 23, to consider acceptance of the FEIS.

  The 1.7 million square-foot project, known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, is slated for 155 Sterling Mine Road in largely Ramapo and partly in Tuxedo in Orange County. Of the 249 acres, 242 are located in Ramapo; the balance is in Tuxedo.

  The religious order, known as the Worldwide Order of Special Full Time Servants of Jehovah’s Witnesses, is hoping to build an A/V production center with audio and video production studios and facilities to support operations of the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The facilities include offices, maintenance and set production workshops, and a central chilled/hot water plant with geothermal heat recovery system. Accommodations for resident staff include 645 residential units (545 one-bedroom and 100 studio units), dining/assembly spaces, recreation/wellness/fitness facilities, and a clinic.

  The project also includes a Visitors Center, which would welcome the public to the campus and offer Bible-related exhibits as well as exhibits on the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

  The proposal would rezone the portion of the project site within the Town of Ramapo to a new MU-3 Mixed-Use Zoning District to permit the applicant to develop an integrated residential and commercial campus.

  The Ramapo portion of the project site was previously subdivided into 293 lots for the “Sterling Mine Road Active Adult Community,” which was commonly known as the “Lorterdan Project.” No physical improvements were made to the property following the subdivision approval.

  However, the proposal requires an amendment to Ramapo’s 2004 Comprehensive Plan to remove references to the former Lorterdan development because it is not consistent with the previous Lorterdan plan and the zoning recommendations that would have implemented that development.

  In response to concerns over the scope of the project, the applicant has proposed building heights up to 75 feet in exchange for designating half of the acreage as preserved open space. Currently, the proposed MU3 district allows for building heights up to 45 feet. The applicant said that because of the topography, 75 feet buildings would appear smaller than the 45-foot buildings.

  The applicant is also seeking inclusion of a “Conceptual Development Special Permit (CDSP)” which would ensure that the concept isn’t fundamentally altered from its original plan when the final site approval is completed. Essentially such a permit plan would limit the planning board’s powers.

  Also, Watchtower is hoping to sweeten its application by asking the town to only allow MU-3 uses in parcels that exceed 200 acres. This would preclude a subdivision of its site, which the applicant presumably views as an incentive to the town.

  The religious order purchased the land in 2009 for $11.5 million.

  The project site is heavily forested with native tree growth and large granite bedrock outcroppings and wetlands, according to DEIS. Of the 249-acre site, approximately 9.3 acres (3.7 percent) are wetlands and approximately 12 acres (4.8 percent) are bedrock outcroppings.

  Following the May 26 public hearing, the applicant acquired a .15-acre easement in the Town of Tuxedo to improve access to the project site. At the request of the Tuxedo Planning Board and the Orange County Department of Public Works, and as part of a separate project, Watchtower will abandon the existing dirt driveway that provides direct access to the site and construct a four-way intersection with Eagle Valley Road, Sterlington Road, and Sterling Mine Road. Access to the site would be gained via an easement from Sterlington Road, which also provides access to the existing Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate and St. Joseph’s Adult Care Home.

  The town will consider necessary changes to the Comprehensive Plan and the Watchtower’s proposed zoning amendments at an April 27 public hearing.

  
  
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  16

  Article: Jehovah's Witnesses elders guilty of failure to report sexual abuse of 6-year-old girl

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  mchenry county, woodstock, il .

  northwest herald, shaw local news.

  breaking news - read below full article - (article was blocked unless the reader has a subscription.

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  AndersonsInfo

  McHenry County, Woodstock, IL

  Northwest Herald, Shaw Local News

  
  

  BREAKING NEWS - READ BELOW FULL ARTICLE - (Article was blocked unless the reader has a subscription. However, we were able to find a way to bypass the block.)

  
  

  https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/news/2022/03/19/jehovahs-witnesses-elders-guilty-of-failure-to-report-sexual-abuse-of-6-year-old-child-mchenry-county-judge/?fbclid=IwAR0XZJhmyUQzwEp7L7FZTnmUyKTk5RlRe_ZqG77y-jZiaUvR0J_44CilNOA
  

  
  

  HERE'S THE FULL ARTICLE IN SHAW LOCAL NEWS:

  Jehovah’s Witnesses elders guilty of failing to report sexual abuse of a 6-year-old child: McHenry County judge

  
  

  Elders face up to one year of jail time at sentencing March 25

  
  

  By Amanda Marrazzo

  March 18, 2022 at 9:19 pm CDT

  
  

  McHenry County State's Attorney's Office prosecutor Ashur Youash speaks during a hearing for defendants Colin Scott, left, and Michael Penkava, center, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, at the Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center in Woodstock. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

  
  

  A McHenry County judge ruled Friday that two Jehovah’s Witnesses elders are guilty of “knowingly and willingly” failing to report to authorities in 2006 that a 6-year-old child in their church was being sexually assaulted by a congregant.

  
  

  Not reporting the sexual abuse permitted the abuse to go on for another 12 years.

  
  

  The ruling follows two years of hearings and a bench trial before McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt in a case stemming from the 2019 conviction of Arturo Hernandez-Pedraza.

  
  

  Hernandez-Pedraza, 44, a church congregant, was convicted of sexual assault and other crimes related to the girl’s ongoing sexual abuse. Neither police nor the Department of Children and Family Services were notified until the victim was 18 years old, when she told church elders that the abuse continued.

  
  

  The girl endured countless sexual assaults and death threats by her abuser throughout her childhood, according to trial testimony. Hernandez-Pedraza is serving 45 years in prison.

  
  

  On Friday, the church elders, Michael Penkava, 72, and Colin Scott, 88, were found guilty of Class A criminal misdemeanor for violating provisions of the state’s mandatory reporter law. They each face up to one year in jail when sentenced March 25.

  
  

  Defense attorneys argued that the elders were not mandated reporters. They maintained that Hernandez-Pedraza’s confession, as well as statements made by the child and another church member, were protected under clergy-penitent privilege.

  
  

  Anything they heard related to the child’s abuse fell under the protection of the confessional process, in the same way a confession made inside a confessional booth in the Roman Catholic Church would, defense attorneys maintained. Gerhardt considered the child’s and the other church member’s statements in his ruling but not the confession made by Hernandez-Pedraza.

  
  

  Rather than call authorities, Penkava, as he was trained to do as a church elder, said he sought the advice of attorneys at the Jehovah’s Witnesses world headquarters in New York. The abuse was handled through “spiritual guidance,” as was directed by the Jehovah’s Witnesses attorneys.

  
  

  Scott, who participated in the bench trial via Zoom and did not testify, was part of the three-person judicial committee formed the day after Penkava learned of the abuse. His attorney, Terry Ekl, said he was not part of the decision to not call police.

  
  

  Scott became involved in the days that followed and participated in “spiritual guidance.”

  
  

  Under questioning Friday by McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally, Penkava testified that he made the phone call to headquarters but did not know who he spoke to or what their qualifications were as an attorney. But, he said, this person advised that he was not required to report the abuse and he trusted that advice, he said.

  
  

  In closing arguments, Kenneally said under Illinois law Penkava and Scott are mandated reporters despite their claims they are not.

  This case is the reason for which the statute was written, “to stop this in 2006,” Kenneally said.

  
  

  It was “extremely irresponsible” of Penkava to take advice regarding the protection of a 6-year-old child from someone over the phone, in another state, not even knowing who he was talking to or what their qualifications were, Kenneally said.

  
  

  “It was ignorance born out of carelessness, their own recklessness and stupidity,” Kenneally said.

  
  

  If they decide to put themselves in charge of the well-being of a 6-year-old child, “then they better act responsibly,” he said.

  
  

  “The purpose of the clergy-penitent [privilege] is to shield the flock and not protect the devil,” Kenneally said, adding that what they did protected Hernandez-Pedraza.

  
  

  The girl and the other church member “already paid the price for [Penkava and Scott] not following the law; now it’s their turn,” Kenneally said.

  
  

  Assistant State’s Attorney Ashur Youash said the elders knew the girl was an abused child and their defense “went from privilege to bad legal advice.”

  
  

  He said the mandatory reporting statute is not to protect the church but “to protect a child, to protect an abused child. How absurd would it be to allow a church to cloak itself and avoid state law?” Youash said.

  
  

  In his ruling, Gerhardt said Penkava’s testimony “was not credible” and ruled that the elders are considered mandated reporters.

  
  

  “The defendants had an obligation to report [the abuse] whether or not clergy-penitent privilege trumped that,” Gerhardt said. “The defendants chose not to contact DCFS knowingly and willingly.”

  
  
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  8

  Article: Judge: Jehovah’s Witness Parodies Are Fair Use. Watch Tower: So What?

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://torrentfreak.com/judge-jehovahs-witness-parodies-are-fair-use-watch-tower-so-what-220220/.

  february 21, 2022 by andy maxwell.

  in 2018, watch tower filed for a dmca subpoena that would've required youtube to hand over the identity of an animator who parodied the religious group in his videos.

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  AndersonsInfo

  https://torrentfreak.com/judge-jehovahs-witness-parodies-are-fair-use-watch-tower-so-what-220220/

  February 21, 2022 by Andy Maxwell

  In 2018, Watch Tower filed for a DMCA subpoena that would've required YouTube to hand over the identity of an animator who parodied the religious group in his videos. When that stalled, Watch Tower filed a copyright lawsuit. Citing fair use, a judge has now ruled that the subpoena will not be granted. Surprisingly, Watch Tower is pressing ahead with its copyright lawsuit regardless.

  Depending on opinion, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the supervising body and publisher for the Jehovah’s Witness religious group, either doesn’t like criticism, dislikes copyright infringement, or hates both.

  Since cracking down on the former is all but impossible, Watch Tower keeps an eye out for people who criticize the religion by leveraging its own copyrighted material, such as videos or songs, against it.

  This means that opposing opinions become somewhat of a footnote when the group launches copyright infringement action. Read More:

  https://torrentfreak.com/judge-jehovahs-witness-parodies-are-fair-use-watch-tower-so-what-220220/
  
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  18

  Article to discuss or argue over: Buddha, Abraham, Jesus and Muhammed: Larger-than-life historic figures or largely legends?

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've posted a link to an article that contains important food for thought.

  as we search for information to free our minds and hearts of cult-like thinking which entails being able to critically think, we need to ponder research that is available to help us to make important decisions.

  we need to allow ourselves to consider other possibilities, something that jw’s are discouraged from doing.

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  AndersonsInfo

  I've posted a link to an article that contains important food for thought. As we search for information to free our minds and hearts of cult-like thinking which entails being able to critically think, we need to ponder research that is available to help us to make important decisions. We need to allow ourselves to consider other possibilities, something that JW’s are discouraged from doing. Life is an adventure, not just a journey. There’s so much to learn, so much to think about and just when we settle on an idea, etc., something more on the subject pops up and reevaluation begins again. That’s the exciting part of being FREE from mind manipulation by anyone. “You are the master of your destiny”

  Please understand that in no way am I endeavoring to influence the reader to accept or deny religion, but only to broaden out our worldview. However, as we continue our still-healing journey, we should always acknowledge individual variation that is typical of all humankind and be respectful of others with a view to doing our best to make the world a better or nicer place to live in.

  https://www.alternet.org/2021/12/did-jesus-exist/
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  Article: How the pandemic in France has led to an explosion in number of sectss

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.thelocal.fr/20211201/france-gives-e1m-to-anti-cults-watchdog-after-huge-increase-in-sects-during-pandemic/.

  the french government has increased its budget to monitor cults by tenfold after at least 500 religious sects considered potentially dangerous sprung up during the pandemic.. for almost 30 years the french government has had a watchdog dedicated to monitoring religious cults, but now its budget has been increased tenfold to €1 million a year over years about pandemic-related sects.. speaking on franceinfo in april, citizenship minister marlène schiappa said that the pandemic had led to the emergence of some 500 sectes (religious cults) that could pose a danger to society.. in french, culte refers to a religion.

  a secte or dérive secte (literally a ‘sectarian aberration’) is a more official way to refer to a cult in the english sense of the word.

• 

  AndersonsInfo

  https://www.thelocal.fr/20211201/france-gives-e1m-to-anti-cults-watchdog-after-huge-increase-in-sects-during-pandemic/

  The French government has increased its budget to monitor cults by tenfold after at least 500 religious sects considered potentially dangerous sprung up during the pandemic.
  

  For almost 30 years the French government has had a watchdog dedicated to monitoring religious cults, but now its budget has been increased tenfold to €1 million a year over years about pandemic-related sects.

  Speaking on FranceInfo in April, citizenship minister Marlène Schiappa said that the pandemic had led to the emergence of some 500 sectes (religious cults) that could pose a danger to society.

  In French, culte refers to a religion. A secte or dérive secte (literally a ‘sectarian aberration’) is a more official way to refer to a cult in the English sense of the word.

  “You have new gurus who are using the pandemic to preach practices of ‘well-being'”, she said, but are really practicing “psychological subjugation and efforts to take money and goods.”

  “Women are disproportionately targeted by cults because there is sexual predation too and because they are more likely to be in precarious situations.”

  She also revealed that yoga and meditation groups are fastest-growing methods by which people are being lured into cult activity.

  READ MORE - Click on the link above to read this:

  The most recent nationwide report from Miviludes, published in July, revealed a number of findings.

  The organization recognized Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientologists, Neo-Shamans, some evangelist protestant groups, some Christian groups, a selection of Christian and Islamic groups, mediums, personal development specialists, multi-level marketers, and even alternative medicine practitioners as belonging to sects.