Can anyone document that Dr. Phil actually took EST? Where is that dcoumented?
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

You are sounding like someone unwilling to read both sides. Moring Star includes "Champions for Christ" See This organization has drawn some bad press and controvesy. See
Forum: Destructive Churches

Virtually every controversial church criticized for its practices will respond that it is "in NO way teaching or preaching anything unbiblical." And the same defense has been used historically by groups from the Waco Davidians to the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. KAnn admits that Morning Star has leaders once connected to Maranatha. Maranatha was called "cult like"
Forum: Destructive Churches

The "Kabbalah Center" run by Philip Berg has a section within the database. See
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Morning Star International is associated with a controversial organization called "Champions for Christ" See Key people in the organization have a background with "Maranatha Ministries." See Certain "discipleship training" techniques and approaches used by these groups have been criticized.
Forum: Destructive Churches

Companies that have offered Landmark courses to their employees have often come under severe criticism and at times have been sued. Employees often don't appreciate having a philosophy imposed upon them within a course format through the workplace. Obviously, each person has his or her own personal philosophy and/or religion, which is a private matter. Landmark is simply the philos
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Anyone interested in Landmark should research this privately owned for-profit company founded by Werner Erhard and now run by his brother Landmark, previously known as EST, has a deeply troubled history of bad press, complaints and repeated lawsuits for personal injury. See the following sections within the Institute database. Constant complaints come in to The Ross Institute abo
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Anyone who is considering Landmark courses or dealing with its influence, should research this privately owned for-profit company founded by Werner Erhard and now run by his brother quite carefully. There are clear and evident reasons why Landmark receives so much negative attention. Landmark, previously known as EST, has a deeply troubled history of bad press, complaints and repeated lawsu
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Anyone interested in taking Landmark courses should research this privately owned for-profit company founded by Werner Erhard and now run by his brother, quite carefully before becoming involved. Landmark, previously known as EST, has a deeply troubled history of bad press, complaints and repeated lawsuits for personal injury. See the following sections within the Institute database.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Azusa has made the same point again and again and again. Walter Martin (now deceased) and Dave Hunt are both clearly coming from a Evangelical Christian religious perspective based upon their beliefs and offering up their theology. Martin and Hunt are certainly entitled to believe what they want, but that doesn't objectively make Roman Catholicism a "cult." And Catholic ba
Forum: Destructive Churches

The above link is to a list within "Biblical Discernment Ministries" This is a list largely compiled based upon theological and not objective criteria. That is, regarding the behavior of the group, as previously linked and explained. For example; Roman Catholicsim, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, the Masons, Unitarians, Seventh Day Adventists and Unity School of Christian
Forum: Destructive Churches

Again, you are clearly not defining the word "cult" objectively, but rather based largely upon a theological premise. Your definition would also put Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and/or any religion other than your own faith, in the "cult" category. To see a more objective definition based upon behavior rather than belief that also explains the differences between a benign cu
Forum: Destructive Churches

Based upon any objective criteria neither the Assemblies of God or the Roman Catholic Church can be considered a "cult." See Based upon the criteria offered by "azuza" Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and/or any religion that does not subscribe to certain stated doctrines would be a "cult." This is obviously not true. The criteria most often used to define destr
Forum: Destructive Churches

The most recent cycle of anti-Jewish violence and unrest in Europe will likely pass. I like to think that Europeans in particular have learned from the Holocaust and certainly the majority oppose such actions. Israel is of course always there as a last option for safety to any Jew under the law of return.
Forum: Hate Groups

Complaints keep coming in from India, where the group is controversial and many Hindus have denounced it. Any meaningful study or research about the group reveals this. Obviously Zardoz is a Krishna devotee and/or apologist. But Zardoz cannot change the historical facts about the organization, which include sexual abuse of children, murder, racketeering convictions etc. See the above
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Free speech works both ways. People have the right to spew hate and others have the right to call it hate. But hate crimes are criminal. See
Forum: Hate Groups

For those who have not read much about Krishna and don't know about the controversy surrounding this organization, which is often called a "cult," see the following links: Hindus have rejected Krishna as even connected to the historical practice of Hinduism. See
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There is no "Jewish version" of history. There is just history, which records the gas chambers and mass murder of 6 million Jews through the Holocaust. Your baseless and bizarre denials don't change that. These same claims were proven false during the previously cited court case of David Irving. He made the same argument. See links in previous post to relevant articles.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Irving case cited previously was right on point and spercifically responded to your argument. Irving argued that the Holocaust was not as recorded historically. He sued a Jewish scholar for libel/slander who said he was an anti-Semitic hate monger spreading false and/or misleading information. Irving had his day in court and lost. The case was definitive, whether you wish to accept t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"Hengist" proves that there are people out ther "still crazy after all these years" about the Holocaust. So-called "historian" and Holocaust denial author David Irving is the definitive case study regarding this subject. Irving lost a lawsuit regarding his theories and failed to prove his claims about the Holocaust in a British courtroom. See Kevin McDo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

For anyone who thinks that denial of the Holocaust is just too ridiculous, check this guy out. The denial factor within this nut obviously runs deep. It's chilling to think how many more are out there just like him. When the denial goes this deep people are often capable of doing almost anything.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The six links I offered that "Skeptikk" refers to in his last post were actually to a wide array of reference material. Only one, regarding a working definition for the word "cult," was written by me. The Ross Institute database contains thousands of articles and documents, and very few were written by me. My writings are on the Op/Ed weblog CultNews.com. Sterling
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Obvviously not all "cults" or education, persuasion or thought reform ("mind control") programs are the same. See the following links: "Skeptikk" doesn't seem that skeptical about Sterling. His real beef seems to be criticism about that group within this forum and site. See To better understand what's often wrong with groups like St
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Here we go again. This is really the worldview of an anti-government conspiracy nut. There is actually a section about such folks. See Some form "militia" groups.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

As long as groups or individuals simply express their hate without violence and don't break the law they are within their protected right of free expression within the US. But when they break the law that's another issue. See The Aryan Nations is an example of a violent hate group. See
Forum: Hate Groups

Yea right, everyone is involved in a conspiracy except you and me and I'm not so sure about you.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Right. And everyone is involved in some conspiracy.
Forum: Large Group Awareness Training, "Human Potential"

Yea right, everyone is involved in some conspiracy except you an me and I'm not so sure about you.
Forum: Terrorist and Extremist Groups

According to the above writer historians and history are somehow a "cult." This is a ridiculous concept. The Nazi murder of millions of Jews during World War II is simply part of history. Six million died and the documentation to substantiate this historical fact is overwhelming. Those who deny such an obvious fact of history, most often are anti-Semites. One example of anti
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Obviously the bad press Scientology often receives has hurt the organization and they don't like it. Evidence of this is the lawsuits they have filed against those that expose them and various harassment campaigns against reporters, dissidents and sources used by news publications. See If people speaking out and bad press didn't affect Scientology negatively, its founder L. Ro
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families