DOCSLIB.ORG

Multifaceted Stigma and Redemption in the Lives of Gay and Lesbian Jehovah's Witnesses

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Multifaceted Stigma and Redemption in the Lives of Gay and Lesbian Jehovah's Witnesses See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47701965 Inside and Outcast: Multifaceted Stigma and Redemption in the Lives of Gay and Lesbian Jehovah's Witnesses Article in Journal of Homosexuality · November 2010 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2010.517076 · Source: PubMed CITATIONS READS 8 239 2 authors: Janja Lalich Karla McLaren California State University, Chico Emotion Dynamics LLC 23 PUBLICATIONS 50 CITATIONS 5 PUBLICATIONS 10 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out, and Starting Over View project Autism and Disability Rights View project All content following this page was uploaded by Karla McLaren on 05 July 2014. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. This article was downloaded by: [McLaren, Karla] On: 6 November 2010 Access details: Access Details: [subscription number 929204324] Publisher Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37- 41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Homosexuality Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t792306897 Inside and Outcast: Multifaceted Stigma and Redemption in the Lives of Gay and Lesbian Jehovah's Witnesses Janja Lalicha; Karla McLarena a Department of Sociology, California State University, Chico, Chico, California, USA Online publication date: 06 November 2010 To cite this Article Lalich, Janja and McLaren, Karla(2010) 'Inside and Outcast: Multifaceted Stigma and Redemption in the Lives of Gay and Lesbian Jehovah's Witnesses', Journal of Homosexuality, 57: 10, 1303 — 1333 To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2010.517076 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2010.517076 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Journal of Homosexuality, 57:1303–1333, 2010 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0091-8369 print/1540-3602 online DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2010.517076 Inside and Outcast: Multifaceted Stigma and Redemption in the Lives of Gay and Lesbian Jehovah’s Witnesses JANJA LALICH, PhD and KARLA MCLAREN, BA Department of Sociology, California State University, Chico, Chico, California, USA Homosexuality has become a divisive issue in many religions and congregations. Like many other fundamentalist denomina- tions, Jehovah’s Witnesses condemns homosexual acts, thoughts, and feelings. Consequently, gay and lesbian Witnesses experi- ence not just stigmatization and conflict between their sexual and religious identities in the social world, but also a nearly impossible task in their inner world. This inner task adds a new facet to our understanding of stigma (Goffman, 1963). This study explores the written narratives of a subset of gay and lesbian for- mer Jehovah’s Witnesses who were able to comprehend, negotiate, and, in most cases, resolve their multifaceted stigmas and conflicts through struggle, self-determination, and eventually connecting with networks of peers who faced or are facing similar stigmas. This research contributes to other work on the intersection of reli- gion, family, and homosexuality; in particular, the findings have implications for the study of other strict fundamentalist religions. Downloaded By: [McLaren, Karla] At: 18:40 6 November 2010 KEYWORDS coming out, disclosure, Erving Goffman, family conflict, gay identity, homosexuality, identity conflicts, Jehovah’s Witnesses, religious fundamentalism, social networks, stigma This article focuses on the lived experiences of a subset of gay and les- bian Jehovah’s Witnesses who each published his or her own narrative of Earlier versions of this article were presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and the 2006 meeting of the International Cultic Studies Association. The authors thank Miriam Boeri, Andy Dick, Liahna Gordon, Laurie Wermuth, and anonymous reviewers, all of whom provided insightful comments and useful suggestions. Address correspondence to Janja Lalich, Department of Sociology, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929-0445, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 1303 1304 J. Lalich and K. McLaren self-discovery on the Internet. A content analysis of these narratives reveals not only internal anguish and intense confusion brought on by being stig- matized by one’s own religion and family, but also the personal strength and determination found within most of the narrators as they managed to resolve their identity conflicts. Through this process, they found wholeness (even happiness), as well as solidarity and solace among others with similar experiences. In these times, homosexuality has become a divisive issue in many religious denominations (Hartman, 1996). According to one national sur- vey, the belief that it is a sin to engage in homosexual behavior is “more prevalent among people with a high level of religious commitment,” and highly religious people are much more likely to hold negative views of gays and lesbians (PEW Forum on Religious and Public Life, 2003). Research on the relationship between religiosity and prejudicial attitudes toward homo- sexuals has expanded to include many religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism (Ammerman, 1987; Fink & Press, 1999; Hunsberger, 1996; Hunter, 1983; Roof & McKinney, 1987; Thumma, 1991; Wilkinson, 2004). Many Christians defend their homophobic attitudes on biblical grounds (Fulton, Gorsuch, & Maynard, 1999). As a result, numerous gay and lesbian Christians have felt stigmatized by their own religion (Boyd, 1993; Thumma, 1991; White, 1994; Wolkomir, 2006; Yip, 1997). Yet, even amid such widespread religious intolerance, Jehovah’s Witnesses are often considered stricter than most other conservative denom- inations in its attitude toward homosexuality. Primarily, this is due to the requirement that a homosexual Witness (including those who may be ques- tioning their sexuality) must suppress both sexual behavior and sexual feelings. Witnesses are taught that, like smoking, which is also forbid- den, homosexuality is a choice that can be consciously rejected (“Who Is To Blame,” 2002; “You Must Be Holy,” 1976). Unlike some religions where homosexuals are tolerated as long as they remain celibate (Wolkomir, Downloaded By: [McLaren, Karla] At: 18:40 6 November 2010 2006), Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) are expected to reject their internal sexual identities completely (“Who Is to Blame,” 2002). Erving Goffman’s (1963) classic work on stigma proved most useful as an overarching frame through which we analyzed the multifaceted stigma and conflict experienced by the narrators in this study, who proved to be a thrice-stigmatized population. Goffman draws a distinction between the discredited person whose stigma is known (visible, apparent in some way, or previously disclosed) to “normals” (his term for the socially normative or unstigmatized majority) and the discreditable person whose stigma is hidden or undisclosed (p. 42). A discredited person with a discernible stigma must manage tension in the way that wheelchair-bound people must skillfully manage their own and others’ emotions and reactions in order to navigate through the walking world (Cahill & Eggleston, 1994). A discreditable person with a hidden stigma, on the other hand, must manage this information Gay and Lesbian Jehovah’s Witnesses 1305 about themselves in more creative ways so that normals cannot discover any portion of the discredit. In order to explore the types of conflict a discredited or discreditable stigmatized person may face, of particular relevance was Goffman’s “three-fold typology of identity,” wherein he separates the social identity we present to the larger world, the personal identity we present to family and peers, and the ego identity we present internally as our inner, private, “backstage” selves (p. 106). The goal of this article is to not only extend our understanding of Goffman’s (1963) theories of stigma but also to convey the strength and resilience of those who manage to negotiate their way through multiple stig- mas and “come out” the other side with a clear sense of identity. In our examination of the identity dilemma faced by these JWs, we also turned to the literature on the intersection of homosexuality, religion, and family and its relationship to social, emotional, and mental distress. HOMOSEXUALITY, RELIGION, AND FAMILY A growing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements|
    A HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS| W. Michael Ashcraft Routledge 2018 Chapter One: Introduction Douglas Cowan was a young minister in the United Church of Canada. His first parish assignment was to a couple of little towns in southern Alberta, Cardston and Magrath, located in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Cowan did not know much about this area, except that many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or Mormons, lived there. Cardston was the northern limit of Mormon expansion in the 1880s. The first Mormon temple in Canada was built there. When Cowan phoned a denominational official to ask about Cardston’s Mormons, that individual simply said “there are some Mormons there.” In fact, 4000 of the 5000 residents of Cardston were Mormons! Cowan said, “it’s the only place I’ve ever lived where people identify themselves negatively first: ‘Hi, I’m Bob, I’m not Mormon’.”1 Cowan knew nothing about Mormonism, so he went to a Christian bookstore and bought a copy of The God Makers (1984).2 The authors, Ed Decker and Dave Hunt, claimed that they were unveiling Mormonism’s secrets. As Cowan recalled, “I take it [The God Makers] home and I’m in my mother’s kitchen and I’m reading it that afternoon and it’s filled with just the most outlandish things ... I don’t know whether to believe it or not, but I looked up, my Mom says, you know, ‘honey what’s wrong?’ I said, 1 Mom, ‘they’re sending me to Mars.’ But of course I get there and [the Mormons] are just like everybody else… they raise their kids, they farm their crops, they crash their cars.”3 During Cowan’s time in Cardston and Magrath, the locals who were part of the LDS church became his neighbors and friends.
    [Show full text]
  • Bounded Choice Model As an Analytical Tool: a Case Study of Heaven’S Gate [1]
    CULTIC STUDIES REVIEW, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2004 Using the Bounded Choice Model as an Analytical Tool: A Case Study of Heaven’s Gate [1] Janja Lalich, Ph.D. California State University, Chico Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe the “bounded choice” theory and to illustrate how this new model can be used as a tool for examining and analyzing high-demand groups, sometimes called cults. Based on findings from a comparative study of two cultic groups, a social-psychological theory is developed to interpret the behavior of true believers in a closed, charismatic context. Based on textual analysis and interview data, the Heaven’s Gate cult is used to illustrate the conceptual framework, which is comprised of four organizational aspects: charismatic authority, the transcendent belief system, the system of control, and the system of influence. The result of this interactive dynamic is a “self-sealing system,” that is, a social system that is closed to disconfirming evidence and structured in such a way that everything reinforces the system. Drawing on Anthony Giddens’s (1984) theory of structuration, Herbert Simon’s (1955, 1956, 1976) theory of bounded rationality, and Robert Jay Lifton’s (1961) theory of personal closure, “bounded choice” theory helps us understand the seemingly irrational behavior of the most dedicated adherents. The theory attempts to take into account individual choice within the context of an authoritarian, transcendent, closed group. The purpose of this paper is to describe the “bounded choice” theoretical model and to illustrate how this new model can be used as a tool for examining and analyzing high- demand groups or situations, sometimes called cults.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    Naked Witness: A rhetorical analysis of two contradictory presentations of the women of Strong City Julia Campbell-Such A Thesis in The Department of Religion Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (History and Philosophy of Religion) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada September 2010 ©Julia Campbell-Such, 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-71046-3 Our We Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-71046-3 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Nnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Philippine Studies Ateneo De Manila University • Loyola Heights, Quezon City • 1108 Philippines
    philippine studies Ateneo de Manila University • Loyola Heights, Quezon City • 1108 Philippines The New Cult Phenomenon in Philippine Society Gerry M. Lanuza Philippine Studies vol. 47, no. 4 (1999): 492–514 Copyright © Ateneo de Manila University Philippine Studies is published by the Ateneo de Manila University. Contents may not be copied or sent via email or other means to multiple sites and posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s written permission. Users may download and print articles for individual, noncom- mercial use only. However, unless prior permission has been obtained, you may not download an entire issue of a journal, or download multiple copies of articles. Please contact the publisher for any further use of this work at [email protected]. http://www.philippinestudies.net The New Cult Phenomenon in Philippine Society The mass suicide of the members of Heaven's Gate led by Herff Applewhite is a recent reminder that "destructive cultism" is not yet a spent force and that the contemporary history of religions is still replete with horrifying rituals. In the past two decades alone, the fateful end of the members of the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh (Waco, Texas, 19 April 19931,' the Jonestown massacre (Guy- ana, 18 November 1978), and the numerous worldwide deaths of the members of Solar Temple easily come to mind.2 The thirst for self- members of baptized flocks, often turns into a thirst for revenge against incredulous heathens as exemplified by the series of nerve gas attacks recently perpetuated by the Japanese cult, Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) led by its founder, Shoko A~hara.~The list of self- annihilating rituals and terroristic holy wars can go on and on (van der Vyver 199614 Attempts to explain rationally these seemingly irrational behaviors tend to totally reject cults as pure and sophisticated forms of reli- gious charlatanism.
    [Show full text]
  • LITERATURE on NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS in TURKEY and the WEST Süleyman TURAN∗
    Uluslararası Sosyal Aratırmalar Dergisi The Journal of International Social Research Cilt: 6 Sayı: 27 Volume: 6 Issue: 27 Yaz 2013 Summer 2013 www.sosyalarastirmalar.com Issn: 1307-9581 YEN DN HAREKETLERLE LGL TÜRKYE’DEK VE BATI’DAK LTERATÜR LITERATURE ON NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN TURKEY AND THE WEST Süleyman TURAN∗ Öz Yeni dini hareket (YDH)’ler, XX. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında ortaya çıkan dini akımları ifade etmektedir. Genellikle küçük gruplar halinde kalma eiliminde oldukları için bu hareketler yakın döneme kadar ya çok az ilgi görmü ya da hiç ilgi çekmemilerdi. Ancak özellikle görsel ve yazılı medyada çıkan haberler sayesinde insanlar YDH’lerden daha fazla haberdar olmaya balamı ve neticede seküler ve sözde rasyonel toplumlarımızda alternatif dünya görüleri ve yaam biçimleri benimseyen ve sunan az sayıda insanın, görünüte acayip inanç ve uygulamaları insanların ilgi ve merakını cezp etmitir. YDH’leri anlamak ve açıklamak üzere Batı’da çok sayıda bilimsel çalıma kaleme alınmıtır. Ülkemizde ise özellikle son on yılda YDH’ler konusunda birçok aratırmanın ortaya konulduunu görmekteyiz. Bu bibliyografya çalımasının amacı, hem Batı’da hem de ülkemizde ortaya konulan çalımaları tespit ederek, YDH’lere ilgi duyan okuyucu ve aratırmacılara literatür verisi salamak ve yeni aratırmalara kapı aralamaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yeni Dini Hareketler, Dünya Dinleri, Küreselleme, Türkiye. Abstract The term of “new religious movement/s” (NRMs) generally refer to religious trends appeared in second half of 20th century. They generally tend to be so small or last for so short a time that they attracted litle or no attention. Hovewer, yet almost every one has read articles or watch television shows about these groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Deterioration of Religious Liberty in Europe
    105th CONGRESS Printed for the use of the 2nd Session Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe DETERIORATION OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN EUROPE July 22, 1998 Briefing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION (OSCE) The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki process, traces its origin to the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in Finland on August 1, 1975, by the leaders of 33 European countries, the United States and Canada. Since then, its membership has expanded to 55, reflecting the breakup of the Soviet Union, Czechoslova- kia, and Yugoslavia. (The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, has been suspended since 1992, leaving the number of countries fully participating at 54.) As of Janu- ary 1, 1995, the formal name of the Helsinki process was changed to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE is engaged in standard setting in fields including military security, economic and environmental cooperation, and human rights and humanitarian concerns. In addition, it undertakes a variety of preventive diplomacy initiatives designed to prevent, manage and resolve conflict within and among the participating States. The OSCE has its main office in Vienna, Austria, where weekly meetings of permanent representatives are held. In addition, specialized seminars and meetings are convened in various locations and periodic consultations among Senior Officials, Ministers and Heads of State or Government are held. ABOUT THE COMMISSION (CSCE) The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the Helsinki Commission, is a U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • St. Thomas on Deprogramming: Is It Justifiable?
    The Catholic Lawyer Volume 39 Number 2 Volume 39, Summer-Fall 1999 Article 2 Number 2-3 St. Thomas on Deprogramming: Is it Justifiable? Catherine Wong Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/tcl Part of the Catholic Studies Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Catholic Lawyer by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ST. THOMAS ON DEPROGRAMMING: IS IT JUSTIFIABLE? INTRODUCTION The anti-cult movement' began with families' and estab- lished religious groups" response to the significant and alarming rise in the number of new religious cults3 in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.4 The process of deprogramming is 1 The anti-cult movement is a national movement, a response to the "simultane- ous emergence of the array of diverse new religious movements." ANSON D. SHUPE, JR. & DAVID G. BROMLEY, THE NEW VIGILANTES: DEPROGRAMMERS, ANTI-CULTISTS, AND THE NEW RELIGIONS 28 (1980). Shupe and Bromley note that the anti-cult movement is motivated by two distinct ideologies, the secular/rational and the re- ligious/theological. They employ two distinct metaphors to describe the social and psychological threats that cults impose upon individuals. See id. at 59-60. Belief in these differing metaphors led to advocacy of conflicting remedies for the cult prob- lem. See id. at 59. For example, those who believed that cultists were victims of de- ception "duped by virtue of their human weaknesses," rejected deprogramming as a solution.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents
    ICSA Conference Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 26 – June 29, 2008 Handbook Agenda Speakers Table of Contents Talks by Title Abstracts Biographical Sketches Copyright International Cultic Studies Association, 2008 P.O. Box 2265 Bonita Springs, FL 34133 www.icsahome.com [email protected] Views expressed in ICSA publications, conferences, workshops, Web sites, and other communication venues are those of the author(s) or speaker(s) and are not necessarily shared, endorsed, or recommended by ICSA or any of its directors, staff, or advisors. Talks by Title A Causal Model of Some Perceived Socio-Psychological and Academic Factors As Determinants of Cult Membership Among University Students in Southwestern Nigeria Adesoji A. Oni, Ph.D.; Kola Babarinde, Ph.D. A Survey of Legal and Legislative Professionals in Pennsylvania Edward Lottick, M.D. After the Cult: Who Am I? Leona Furnari, M.S.W. [This session is for ex-members only.] An Empirical Examination of Psychological Symptomatology Among Different Coercive Group Types Paul R. Martin, Ph.D.; Nicole Gullekson; Brian Uhlin; Lindsay Orchowski An Investigation into Cult Pseudo-personality and How it Forms Gillie Jenkinson, M.A. Aum Shinrikyo: Its Current Situation- Are they still dangerous? Where are they going? Former and current members on Death Row. What is the government doing? Taro Takimoto, Esq.; Masaki Kito, Esq. Authentic Writing and Cult Recovery Daniel Shaw, LCSW, Moderator; Fred Poole; Marta Szabo Avoiding Legal Entanglements When Writing Takashi Yamaguchi, Esq. Boundaries: Recognition and Repair After Leaving a Destructive Cult Rosanne Henry, M.A., L.P.C. [This session is for ex-members only.] Charisma in Absentia: Comparing Recruitment Session Leadership Strategies of Cults and New Religious Movements Joshua Rosenblum, M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • UPN Alm.Del - Bilag 189 Offentligt
    Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2019-20 UPN Alm.del - Bilag 189 Offentligt $ The Journal of CESNUR $ “People Trapped Inside Shincheonji”: Broadcasting the Darker Side of Deprogramming Raffaella Di Marzio Center for Studies on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience (LIREC) [email protected] ABSTRACT: This article is an in-depth critical examination of the first two episodes of the TV show “People Trapped into Shincheonji” from a psychological perspective. The show was produced by the Christian Korean TV network CBS, which broadcast it in 2017. We see in the show the deprogramming procedure, captured with a hidden camera in Christian counseling centers, conducted with the aim of “rescuing” young women affiliated with Shincheonji, a Christian new religious movement experiencing a sustained growth in South Korea. The episodes are analyzed with reference to the vast literature on deprogramming, and the personal experience of the author, who interviewed a young woman deprogrammed in Italy in the late 1980s. KEYWORDS: Mental Manipulation, Mind Control, Brainwashing, Anti-cult Movements, Margaret Singer, Deprogramming, Shincheonji, Forced Conversion. “People Trapped Inside Shincheonji” The episodes examined in this article are the first two of a series of eight, produced by the Christian Korean TV network CBS and aired in 2017. The aim of the CBS show was to document and, above all, to promote the deprogramming of members of the Church of Shincheonji, as if it were a “good practice.” The “counseling” shown in the episodes, and recorded through hidden cameras, presents all the characteristics of the deprogramming techniques, which were widespread in the United States in the 1970s and 80s (Anthony 1980; Galanter 1993; Hood, Hill and Spilka 2009), during the emerging phase of the anti-cult movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Expert Opinion Introduction We Have Been Requested of an Expert
    Expert Opinion Introduction We have been requested of an expert opinion on the subject whether notions such as “brainwashing,” “mind control,” or “mental slavery,” allegedly used by “cult” to control their “victims,” are generally accepted in the social scientific study of new religious movements. We have prepared this answer to the general question, without entering into the details of any specific case. We are also signatories of a letter written to the Knesset by several international leading scholars of new religious movements, urging members of the Israeli Parliament not to pass a proposed law against “cults” based on notions of mind control we regard as non-scientific.1 The question was debated in depth during the so called “cult wars” of the 1970s and 1980s,2 when a societal reaction developed against the success in the West of new religious movements, either imported from Asia or domestic, labeled as “cults” by their opponents. By the 1990s, the “cult wars” had largely ended in North America, although they continued in certain European countries and elsewhere, including in Israel. We have studied the “cult wars” for decades, and some of us have been active in them. Other have served in institutional capacities dealing with problems of religious liberty involving small and unpopular minorities. In 2011, for example, Massimo Introvigne served as the Representative of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) for combating racism, xenophobia, and intolerance and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions. The Cult Wars; A History In the period from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, dozens of new religious movements appeared in the United States and in Europe, some originating from Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Perspective on Commitment in Grace Gospel Church
    ARRANGED MARRIAGES, BROKEN FAMILIES AND CONCERNED PARENTS: A “BOUNDED CHOICE” PERSPECTIVE ON COMMITMENT IN GRACE GOSPEL CHURCH Submitted by SEAN ALEXANDER JOHN SEMPLE (Student Number: 901356550) In fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF THEOLOGY (Christian Spirituality) School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Supervised by PROF S. RAKOCZY August 2013 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES DECLARATION - PLAGIARISM I, Sean Alexander John Semple declare that (i) The research reported in this dissertation, except where otherwise indicated, is my original work. (ii) This dissertation/thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university (iii) This dissertation/thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. (iv) This dissertation/thesis does not contain other persons’ writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: (a) their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced; (b) where their exact words have been used, their writing has been placed inside quotations marks, and referenced. (v) Where I have reproduced a publication of which I am an author, co- author or editor, I have indicated in detail which part of the publication was actually written by myself alone and have fully referenced such publications (vi) This dissertation/thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the dissertation and in the References sections.
    [Show full text]
  • Does “Mental Slavery” Exist? an Expert Opinion
    $ The Journal of CESNUR $ Does “Mental Slavery” Exist? An Expert Opinion Massimo Introvigne CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) [email protected] Holly Folk Western Washington University [email protected] Liselotte Frisk Dalarna University [email protected] Susan Palmer McGill University, Montreal [email protected] James T. Richardson University of Nevada, Reno [email protected] ABSTRACT: In August 2018, lawyers representing Daniel Ambash requested five leading scholars of new religious movements to prepare an expert opinion on whether something called “mental slavery” is generally recognized as a feature of the controversial new religious movement labeled as “cults” by their opponents. The scholars accepted to prepare an opinion pro bono (i.e. without requesting or accepting any honorary) on the general issue of “mental slavery,” summarizing or reproducing their previous work, without directly addressing the case of Daniel Ambash. Their conclusion was that “mental slavery” is simply used in this context as a synonym for “brainwashing,” and that brainwashing theories have been debunked long ago as pseudo-scientific tools used to limit religious liberty of unpopular minorities and justify the criminal practice of deprogramming. KEYWORDS: Mental Slavery, Mind Control, Brainwashing, Anti-Cult Movements, Margaret Singer, Deprogramming. The Journal of CESNUR, Volume 2, Issue 6, November—December 2018, pages 74—97. © 2018 by CESNUR. All rights reserved. ISSN: 2532-2990 | www.cesnur.net | DOI: 10.26338/tjoc.2018.2.6.6 Does “Mental Slavery” Exist? An Expert Opinion Introduction We have been requested of an expert opinion on the subject whether notions such as “brainwashing,” “mind control,” or “mental slavery,” allegedly used by “cults” to control their “victims,” are generally accepted in the social scientific study of new religious movements.
    [Show full text]