About a year ago my Dad started acting really different. He had been interested in Zen Buddhism, but he doesn't do that anymore. Instead, he started being EXTREMELY anti-religion and anti-government, and getting involved in really silly "get-rich-quick" schemes, like cheating at poker for a living and pyramid schemes. He's a very successful person, and it seemed really bizarre that he'd be acting so driven to engage in these things I've told him all along were at best, foolish, and at worse, scams.

The past 6 months, things have been getting a lot worse--now he raves on and on about all these things and won't listen to you, and if you try to point out fallacies he becomes extremely angry. My Mom started to get worried about him too--he looks ill, and won't sit down, he just paces & raves.

My Mom told me about a year ago he'd started to get these books in the mail that had his name on them, and he wouldn't let anyone else look at, and she thought the books had something to do with his unpleasant behavior. He talks about things he read in "a book", but won't tell you WHAT book--it's stuff about how the government's lying to you and steals, and how soon people are gonna be fed up with it and do something. Recently I found out he took a lot of money out of the bank and hid it somewhere, and started talking about going to meet some people nobody knows who they are. Finally my Mom sneaked a peek at one of the books, called "The Nouveau Tech Society Secrets", so that I could find out about them online.

From what it looks like it's some kind of anto-religion/anti-government quasi Objectivist cult/scam. The scam elements are they send people "personalized" letters inviting them to join, then later on, if you bite, they offer to send you books at $140 each and more. One of them is this "How to Win at Poker" book. The whole "company" was founded by a gentlemen named "Dr. Wallace Ward" or "Dr. Frank Wallace", and is extremely shady, and have been mentioned on a lot of scam websites. But I read some of the documents they have on their website www.neo-tech.com and I started to get scared. A lot of it sounds exactly like what my Dad has been saying.

My Mom brought all this up to him, and he became really angry and told her to leave and never come back (they don't live together, but it's still totally unlike him to say something like that).

Is this a cult? If so, what can I do? I have no idea what to do, and my Dad is extremely stubborn at the best of times and would NEVER talk to a counselor. He doesn't even really have any close friends anymore except my Mom & me I could ask to approach him. Sorry this is so long, but I am at a total loss as to what to do for the first time ever.

Thank you,

A-

One of my acquaintances is very involved in this. He's also involved in a lot of MLM-type stuff and used to be involved with the Church of Satan. Not sure if they're all connected, but I think Neo-Tek and Church of Satan are somehow connected.

Neo-Tek also borrows a lot of their ideas from Ayn Rand, although they have no official connection to her organization.

This sucks. Perhaps what you can do for now is to prevent your dad from buying more books from those guys -- if he wants to read any new books, try to borrow them from somewhere.

I've read all sorts of emails about how people got the invitation and thought the nouveau tech society is a scam but have not heard from anyone who actually got the book and told about what is inside the 1000 page book. So, it's a scam, what is inside the book [/color:52f232104c]

I have read Neo-Tech literature. It proports to enlighten individuals to the "ruts" we get stuck. And, it is objectivist-based not Satanic or linked to Church of Satan.

It identifies various forms of mystical thinking--thoughts and "rules" that are based on "ideology", "myths" or "external authorities" that go unquestioned.

It forces the reader to think about why they do not ask why and why their life is being governed by unquestioned forces or individuals--sometimes invisible "gods" or "they". It also opens the mind of reader to explore avenues they may not have considered--an alternative source of income, or starting a business vs. remaining tied to hours for dollars income.

It isn't a cult in the typical sense that one follows the blind guidelines and dictates of a cult leader, but as one reader described in a letter to Neo-Tech, they realized they were making it an external authority by NOT using their own mind and critical-thinking faculties to examine issues based on fact and stats.

It seems like your dad is discovering his full "powers" and puts everything in suspect category. And, he is expanding his horizons--upsetting the equilibrium that everyone has come to "expect" from him over the years.

Most persons don't question "why" hence the reason there are cult groups and dominating leaders.

At a point, your father will also begin to question Neo-Tech and be less "dogmatic".

These Neo-Tech people are a bunch of liars. Check out some of the lies these folks have been telling.

Is there anyway to get a refund for these books? I was stupid enough to buy one of these books, and I want my money back. I wish I would have saw this thread earlier.