Deprogramming Versus Religious Liberty
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Books religions seeking converts now than there were during earlier periods in U.S. history, Deprogramming versus that the widely feared "cults" have neither large memberships nor impressive recruit- ment and member-retention records, that Religious Liberty effective proselytizing is not the same as "brainwashing," that allegations of "mind control" and "coercive persuasion" have not been scientifically validated, that the new Edd Doerr religions differ widely among themselves, that new religions are not necessarily any more manipulative than older groups Strange Gods: The Great American Cult "new religions" (new, at least, in the United (consider the direct-mail and TV propa- Scare, by David G. Bromley and Anson D. States), or "cults," as they are pejoratively ganda of Oral Roberts and Jerry Falwell, for Shupe, Jr. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1981), 249 referred to, that are allegedly drawing in and instance, and the tactics of revival preach- pp., $13.50. retaining large numbers of young-adult ers), and that "there is no bona fide mental converts through various combinations of health therapy called deprogramming that Violence and Religious Commitment, edited deceit, trickery, "coercive persuasion," works as its practitioners and promoters by Ken Levi (University Park, Pa.: Pennsyl- "brainwashing," hypnosis, "love-bombing," claim.". The authors make a good case that vania State University Press, 1982), 224 pp., isolation, diet, manipulation, overwork, and many horror stories about "brainwashing" $17.50. peer pressure. Some authors, such as Flo and abuse in "cults" by former members and Conway and Jim Siegelman (Snapping: their families stem from an understandable New Religions and Mental Health, edited by America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality desire "to deflect responsibility for joining a Herbert Richardson (Lewiston, N.Y.: Change, Lippincott, 1978), purport to have strange religious group away from them- Edwin Mellen Press, 1980), 232 pp., $11.95. discovered a new ailment, "information selves." disease," characterized by a "snapping" or The anthology Violence and Religious As I was sitting down to review these books sudden personality change, said to be spread Commitment, edited by sociologist Ken the postman delivered a copy of the bill just by "cults" and certain secular "mass Levi, promises more than it delivers. Of very introduced in the Maryland General As- therapies." The major "cults" cited are uneven quality, it is a collection of pieces by sembly to set up procedures for state courts usually the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's sociologists and theologians trying to to appoint a guardian for any person sixteen Unification Church, the Hare Krishna explain the Jonestown massacre. The effort years old or older who "has undergone a movement, the Maharaj Ji's Divine Light fails because the Jonestown event was substantial behavioral change and lacks Mission, the Church of Scientology, the unique and because we still do not know substantial capacity to make independent Children of God, and, after the Guyana what actually happened that day in the and informed decisions or to understand or massacre brought the group to national Guyana jungle. It is not very helpful to control the person's own conduct." The bill attention, the Reverend Jim Jones's Peoples suggest, as editor Levi does, that "cults will is based on the view that strange new "cults" Temple. not practice violent behavior ... unless they are capturing young adults and turning them Parents of young adults "lost" to new also have a set of beliefs that express into helpless zombies by means of "a religions have sometimes hired "depro- hostility to outsiders, that literally encour- systematic course of coercive persuasion." grammers," such as Ted Patrick, who has age homicide or suicide, and that ... portray If the court, with a nod to due process, admitted involvement in more than 1,600 a positive afterlife." determines that the subject of the proceeding deprogrammings, to kidnap and forcibly Herbert Richardson's New Religions has indeed been "brainwashed" and is deconvert their children, on the assumption and Mental Health is a collection of articles incapable of independent judgment, then the that they were seduced into joining and were and reports by U.S. and Canadian research- court may appoint a special guardian and not able to leave the "cults" on their own. ers. It generally supports the conclusions of "set out a program designed to enable the Sometimes relatives and deprogrammers get Bromley and Shupe. While neither Richard- person to make informed and independent local courts to declare "cult" members son and his co-authors nor Bromley and judgments at the end of the period of special incompetent, in what are usually e.r parte Shupe appear to like the new religions and guardianship," with the requirement "that procedures woefully lacking in civil liberties are often critical of some of their methods, the program be conducted under the safeguards, and to place them in the care of they find little to distinguish the new supervision of a psychiatrist, a licensed relatives and deprogrammers, who are religions and their practices from many psychologist, or a licensed certified social rarely, if ever, certified mental-health older, accepted religions and certain of their worker." professionals, for "treatment." practices. Both the Richardson and Brom- This bill is merely one of the latest Much of the popular literature on the ley-Shupe volumes conclude that the anti- developments in the raging controversy over "cult phenomenon" in the 1970s was long on cult movement and the deprogrammers pose "cults." For a decade or so, attention has hearsay, hysteria, and imagination but short more serious threats to First Amendment been drawn to an indeterminate number of of facts and perspective. Two of the three liberties than do the so-called cults. books under review help offset much of the While the two better of these three Edd Doerr, former editor of Church & State nonsense that has found its way into print on books are valuable contributions to our maga:ine, is a member of the e.vecutive this controversy. understanding of the "cult phenomenon," I committee of the National Coalition for Sociologists Bromley and Shupe, in wish they had shown how some of the Public Education and Religious Liberty. Strange Gods, a sober survey of the contro- practices of accepted religious groups are as versy, conclude that there are no more new objectionable as those imputed to "cults" 38 ° °d P and that they had attempted to provide some members continues, with or without the one state and face prosecution in another for guidance for parents who would like to cover of legality provided by guardianship allegedly using rape as a "therapy" in the maintain good relations with adult children or custodianship orders, and legislatures are deprogramming of a young woman accused who have joined other religions. Further, it still considering proposals to set up govern- of having become a lesbian. would be useful to find out what precisely ment commissions to study "cults" or to Books like the Bromley-Shupe and happens to people once they have been provide legislative approval for deprogram- Richardson efforts are a needed corrective deprogrammed. ming. In the past year or so deprogrammers for a lot of the nonsense being published Meanwhile, deprogramming of "cult" have attempted to deconvert a humanist in about new religions. • Of the thirteen chapters, six carry the word humanism—the buzz word that has The Battles of Tim LaHaye replaced communism--in the title, thus emphasizing the extent of l.aHaye'sconcern with this threatening concept. Two other chapters deal with biblical teachings, two with the Moral Majority, one with the brain, Lester A. Kirkendall and two with what readers can do if they agree that humanism is a menace to our way The Battle for the Mind, by Tim LaHaye the UN, education, TV. and most of the of life. other influential things of life ... (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Co., LaHaye defines humanism as "a man- I believe there is yet time for us to 1980), 251 pp., $4.95, paperback. centered philosophy that attempts to solve defeat the humanists and reverse the moral the problems of man and the world inde- decline in our country that has us on a The Battle for the Family, by Tim LaHaye collision course with Sodom and Gomor- pendently of God." He mentions (but does (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Co., rah. I believe God will yet bless this nation not elaborate) the early Greeks and Romans, 1982), 249 pp., $9.95. and give us another revival, which I call citing them as the roots of humanistic Great Awakening II . thinking (p. 27). But God's word goes even Those who read these two books will be This hook is dedicated to explaining further back, and apparently the literal transported into an idyllic future filled with humanism in simple terms, so that the interpretation coming from this source compassion where everyone loves everyone man on the street can both understand its provides the answer to all present-day danger and be motivated to oppose it at the else—so long as Tim I.aHaye's prescription problems. But, if not, LaHaye (with those place it can be defeated—the ballot box. is followed. Of course LaHaye would say deep Christian insights he acknowledges We must remove all humanists from public that he is simply revealing the word of God, having) can tell us how they should be office and replace them with pro-moral with whom he has a direct and exclusive potential leaders. solved. pipeline. Certainly he quotes from the Bible Battle for the Mind is politically when he feels that a quotation will sustain In the succeeding pages, LaHaye's oriented. Thus: him as he develops the "Christian"ethos that definition of humanism "in simple terms" is will assure this idyllic future.