Quoteinyoga She seeks enlightenment from a cult like group or two. I think the important thing is to not hop from one cult to another.
Forum: Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups

Quoteinyoga Yoga by itself is not a cult. Christianity by itself is not a cult. It is only when it is layered with a hidden agenda and the other Singer Criteria for cults that it becomes destructive. As perhaps the most controversial thing I could say, I disagree with the above assessment. I believe that all these ancient religions meld a moral code with a myth system and all these religion
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

I'm in the middle of shooting some videos about recovery, business scams and also doing business trainings. The mental health movement has done a lot for me.
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

QuoteGalakiah I think the real reason they join is because they reach the top of the pile and still feel empty. No billion dollars and amount of fame fills the well inside that, I believe only God can fill but many cults claim that they can fill it as well. Cults are attractive to them because they tell them their lives are meaningless, that the higher cause is the only meaning in their lif
Forum: Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups

QuoteOriginally posted by richardmgreen I've never had contact with deceased people like my grandparents or Shlomo Carlebach, although I've had dreams where I think about them. Once I had a dream about my Uncle Abe where his soul "came to me" right before he died. He was asking for permission to live. Since he was influential in getting me to be involved with orthodoxy
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

As a person with a masters in management, I notice all the scams out there and want to combat them. They fall into certain categories. The Better Business Bureau tracks them and I'm going to do an extensive review of their site. If I perceive that there's an information gap, I'll put up my own site to pick up the slack.
Forum: Multi Level Marketing and Commercial Schemes

Can anyone help me to discriminate between healthy dosages of hatred and hatred that's out of control. I have a bone to pick with the orthodox Jewish establishment. I also believe all this outreach they're doing is going to get them and probably the rest of the Jews in loads of trouble.
Forum: Hate Groups

The ESWA has a branch in New Brunswick at 90 New St. I was there a few times. I had trouble reading what Rick's site said about it until the other day and I can tell you that everything on this site is true. At first they were nice to me. But recently, they pretty much started to try bossing me around. No matter how much I did for them it was never enough. They are a front for
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sounds similar to Patrica Hearst's situation although more severe. Also, I woudn't trust anyone who did anything this radical. In Japan, there was someone who killed, cut up and ate parts of his girlfriend. He wound up in a mental institution not on the electric chair.
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Bringing Eastern religions and their teachings to the West has been a problem. I'm convinced that the best Swamis, gurus, etc, stayed in the East and the ones who were mostly money oriented came here. Any takers on this?
Forum: Abusive and Controlling Relationships

I remember Wilkerson's brother from a movie or book called "The Cross and the Switchblade". has the books posted on the website. I don't know anything further than this but there's a chapter in NJ.
Forum: Hate Groups

One of the guys at the 8th St. Shul kept telling me how much non-orthodox Jews hate the orthodox. Then he tells me how the "sages" told people not to frequent non-orthodox businesses and now it comes out in the open that orthodox people want to force orthdox people to keep orthodoxy. And they wonder why people don't like them. Most Conservative and Reform Jews still don't
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

QuoteOriginally posted by Scott Allen I found the article on Shlomo Carlebach very interesting. I think it says alot about the approach of "Rick Ross". It describes a supposed "paradox" of personality. On the one hand you have an "enlighted" orthodox person who rejects orthodox practice about minimizing social and physical contact with the opposite sex. (R
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteOriginally posted by Jobo Pooks Radio waves would have been called the work of Satan a few hundred years ago. (Richard Green's reply: considering a lot of the trash on TV and radio - and these day's on computers too - you could make a case for it. Note the ultraorthodox part of the site where some "Counsil of Torah Sages" banned use of the internet. Paranoia rea
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Finally at someone admitted that the orthodox would force non-orthodox to keep the Torah according to halacha. And killing people who wouldn't would be next I suppose. So much for the love of God.
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

First of all, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach sought power. I carried his suitcase one time and he had that book in it: "Power, How to Get it, How to Use it" or something like that. One of his followers told me "Maybe the Moshiach (messiah) doesn't ride a white donkey, maybe he rides and El Al airplane". Another time, I was with the Rabbi in Haifa on a Saturday (Shabbes) wh
Forum: Destructive Churches

Rabbi's Heirs Sue For Music Rights By NACHA CATTAN If Shlomo wasn't completely about money, then why are his daughters? Is my analysis wrong? I'm not saying they shouldn't be able to pay their bills. Perhaps the whole Jewish music industry needs to change. Does anyone know about this? FORWARD STAFF The late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was masterful with a guitar and ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The post also mentions people having to have their children deprogrammed from Carlebach movement. Does anyone know anything about this at all?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Soulfarm is a band that started in Israel at Shlomo Carlebach's moshav Meor Modi'im. There has been a debate recently on the site about Shlomo's involvement with women etc.. It's worth checking out.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

At moshiachtalk.com, it was admitted in reply to one of my posts that the orthodox Jews would use coercion in getting other Jews to be orthodox. Give me that ol' time religion, that 'ol time religion. It's good for most of us that we no longer suscribe to this type of belief.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Being a star can be a cathartic experience. The journey to stardom is won and the star looks at himself and realizes that, well, it's not all it's cracked up to be. So he/she tries to find a path in life that adds meaning and depth to a life that can be isolated and shallow. After all, if you're in front of the cameras 12 hrs a day, and you only have a few hours to yoursel
Forum: Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups

Chabad Lubavitch thought everything of their late Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He was the finest rabbi, philosopher, mathematician, doctor, etc.. Now, you can do a lot of research. There's no such thing as one person in any given field being at the top of all fields. People specialize.
Forum: Destructive Churches

I've been in touch with a number of church's including Christ Church in the old city of Jerusalem and ICOC which believe in all that stuff about demonic possessionm, witchcraft.. Basically, they have belief in an outmoded version of Christianity which most Xians don't suscribe to today.
Forum: Destructive Churches

To my way of thinking, we human beings may never know the really deep secrets like how the universe was generated, or was it always here, how human beings arose, etc.. But that's not really the crux of the matter. What really counts is how to live correctly, not get into trouble, etc.. Today, the world is aflame because of the conflicts between different religious groups especially Isl
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Although it was an orthodox synagogue, everyone was welcome. Rabbi Fried never put a trip over on anyone's head which is why I associated with him. But other members of the shul did. There always were people who would call me an "apikorsus" (heretic), try to get me to change the way I lived etc.. I was at the synagogue for about 3 years until I decided to focus on my area in NJ
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Rabbi Fried is another Rabbi Carlebach inspired outreach type. But he really doesn't use the hard sell approach. Actually, he never told me to put on tefillin, wear a yalmulka (except inside the shul which I do anyway as most Jews do), or keep kosher. Like Shlomo or maybe more than Shlomo, he's not pushy. He started the 8th Street Shul project because he wanted an outreach cente
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

When Lubavitch got involved with me because of Hickman, I asked one of the "anti-cult" workers about his fulfilling of Rabbi Schneerson's wishes. He said "... anything that the rebbe would want ..." I think Chabad's idea was that it was ok to follow a leader almost blindly but it had to be the right leader and of course Rabbi Schneerson was that "right leader&
Forum: Destructive Churches

I have a friend who got taken for 3K bucks by Mario Marillo of Faith Fellowship. More on this later. Does anyone else know about this operation?
Forum: Destructive Churches

When I was young, it was almost impossible get find an inroad into the orthodox community where I lived (Long Island, NY). The nearest orthodox communities were in Nassau County about 15 - 20 miles away. Orthodox people didn't really welcome outsiders although my relatives encouraged me to find "my way back". Now outreach is something that everyone and his brother is doin
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I know Dov Shurin, another outreach person, from the old 8th St. Shul which is now defunct. His operation is small but he has a lot of presence because he's a musician with a load of recordings out. Dov is a grandson of the late Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky who was a contemporary and basically a peer of the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. R. Feinstein was considered the greatest exponent of
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"