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The French are Determined to put an end to Cults

The new legislation has provisions for punishing psychological persuasion and to dissolve groups that commit illegal acts.

PARIS- Eighty-eight members of an American cult died by suicide after a confrontation with the police in Waco (Texas) in 1993; 71 followers of the Solar Temple cult perished in five "group suicides" organized between 1994 and 1997 in Switzerland, France and Canada; 11 deaths and 5,000 wounded in a gas attack on a Tokyo metro by the Aum cult. The list of criminal acts committed by some cults alarmed worldwide public opinion.

In France, the debate about the so-called "cultic movements" began several years ago and several organizations were brought to court.

The initiative intends to lead the forefront for Western Europe. Together with Germany and Spain, France has been one of the few countries of the EU to react vigorously to detain this phenomenon.

The bill, presented by the conservative Senator, Nicholas About, and the Socialist Deputy, Catherine Picard, was approved unanimously by the parliamentary groups. It was a synthesis of several legislative texts that had been presented to parliament with the same objective.

The text "tends to reinforce the prevention and repression of cultic movements." It will empower the courts to dissolve cults that have been found guilty of harm done to persons by the illegal exercise of medicine, deceptive publicity or fraud. It will also apply a sentence of three years of prison and a fine of 2,5 million francs (more than 300,000 dollars) for the "fraudulent abuse of the state of ignorance or weakness."

This crime consists of the repression of a vulnerable person (such as minors, handicapped or those who are in a state of psychological or physical subjection) who is induced to commit "a dangerously harmful act or abstention".

Originally, the intent was to condemn "mental manipulation", but during the parliamentary discussion, the text was changed for a less explicit definition. This was because it ran the risk of "opposing fundamental freedoms", according to the words of the Minister of Justice, Maylise Lebranchu.

Nearly 170 Cults and over 100,000 Followers

The first study regarding cults in France was carried out at the request of the Government in 1985 by Alain Vivien. But 10 years later, the National Assembly still lamented that the measures foreseen by the expert had not been applied.

"Cults continue to prosper and exploit, to their own advantage, and in their growth in our society, they have caused the fall of several people, who were willing to allow themselves to be deceived by the apparent spirituality of a discussion that leads them to believe that they have the answer to their hopes", pointed out the report.

The members of parliament composed a list in this report of around 170 organizations of this kind. From the Center of Gnostic Studies (with less than 50 members) to the Jehovah's Witnesses (more than 130,000 members), the document includes such famous cults as Scientology or the Hare Krishna, but also other religious or laical movements (Mormons, humanists) that in other countries are not considered as such.

The Gallic Service of Investigations (DCRG) carried out a detailed analysis of this phenomenon, defining the cult according to its supposed degree of dangerousness. The organism must simply meet one of ten criteria established - mental destabilization, exorbitant financial requirements, rupture with original environment, aggressions to physical integrity, isolation of children, antisocial discourse, disturbance of public order, judicial problems, diversion of financial circuits, infiltration of public powers - to be considered a "cultic movement".

Although it is difficult to give a precise figure (since it is difficult to distinguish between a true member, an occasional disciple or a simple sympathizer), it is estimated that in France the members, at least occasional ones, would be about 160 thousand, and the sympathizers about 100,000.

In its fight against cults, the Government created in 1996 an Interministerial Observatory regarding Cults, replaced in 1998 by the Interministerial Mission to Combat Cults (MILS). At the same time, the Ministers of Justice and the Interior elaborated pamphlets to reinforce the struggle against these groups, while the Ministry of Education initiated preventative tasks.

Financial Interests

Two years ago, the National Assembly adopted a second report, "Cults and Money", in which it denounced the "true motivation of many of these movements."

"Beyond a discussion of esoteric or religious inspiration, the cultic phenomenon rests on an organization intended to ensure the opacity and the profit of its activities. This has allowed it to acquire an important economic and financial standing, which rests on the very widespread practice of fraud", affirms the document.

Taking advantage of the laxity of countries like the United States, the majority of the cults present in France have their headquarters outside the country. Scientology is the most well known of these due to the notoriety of several of its members (many actors from Hollywood). Japan, India, Brazil and some European countries such as Austria, the Lower Countries, or Belgium as well serve as a residence for several cults. Others, due to the advantage of their tax systems (Luxembourg, Sweden), also attract these organizations.

"Repressive Hysteria"

The severity of the French police has been described as "repressive hysteria" by the cults. To defend themselves, they have gone to international organisms such as the UN or the European Court of Human Rights, to condemn France for opposing the freedom of belief, thought or association.

Up until this point, they have only obtained the support of the International Federation of Human Rights of Helsinki, an NGO affiliated to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), often considered as the representative for the United States in Europe.

"Legislation against cults cannot be prohibited in the name of human rights.

Ecclesiastical Concerns

PARIS-The new law against cults approved in France has not only these movements themselves concerned, but also the traditional churches. Cardinal Bille, president of the Gallic Episcopal Conference and Pastor Clermont, of the Protestant Federation, sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, in which they manifested their reservations respecting the About-Picard bill.

The religious representatives fear that, in the long term, their own practices can fall under this law.

"What will the judge think about the life of the congregation and its requirements (vows of obedience and chastity, fasting, isolation from society)? The person who has chosen this can appear to be manipulated and his consent would lack value", said Monsignor Vernette of the Episcopal Conference.

"Irreproachable Protestants have been subject to such offensive measures. Some municipalities have denied them the use of a ballroom or to subsidize "classic" activities because the word "evangelical" appears to them to be suspicious", commented Pastor Clermont.

"Survey reveals ample support for the proposition of a group of Congressmen-

The Majority supports the shutdown of cults considered dangerous"

by Fernando Marambio ("Diario Las Ultimas Noticias," Santiago, Chile, April 8, 2001)

81.1% approve the shutdown of these groups, 75.6% say that this would not be a symptom of intolerance and 61.1% think that the clause would not oppose the Law of Equality of Worship

The parliamentary proposal seeking to ban the functioning of 20 cults accused of assaulting their members, and some of them of immoral sexual practices, received wide support from the citizenry.

People think that a ban of this kind is an affair pertaining to the public realm and not intolerance, and as such would not contradict freedom of religion. Nevertheless, nearly 50% of people believe that the government will not end up shutting down these groups.

This is evidenced in the survey carried out this week by "Ultimas Noticias" which spoke with 650 people who previously declared that they were aware of the controversy aroused by the request to shut down these groups. This initiative was set forth by a group of Deputies who investigated the supposed dangerous cults after the case of a young woman who was induced to abandon her home to be married to a polygamous guru in Spain.

An interesting aspect of the survey is that Chileans believe that sexual conduct within a cult does not pertain to the realm of individual privacy and that the State should repress them if they are considered immoral.

On the other hand, parents manifested a very strong rejection to the idea of their children joining a cult, since they affirmed that the recruiting of its members was carried out by deceptive means. Meanwhile they did a "mea culpa" in recognizing that part of the responsibility of the disorientation of their children was theirs.

In general, the toughest group against cults was women and the least rigid was young people.

According to the sampling, 81.1% of those surveyed affirmed to be favorable to the shutting down of cults with reprehensible behavior. Women proved to be more convinced of this point, and 82.4% were inclined to shutting down these communities, surpassing men by almost 3 percent.

Amongst socioeconomic groups, the most convinced in favor of shutting down the cults was the middle class, in which 82.2% of those surveyed went in that direction. As far as age, people between 36 and 45 made known their fervor in supporting this request, reaching 88.5%.

The other side was represented by those surveyed amongst the upper class and those from 21 to 25 years of age, which displayed respectively 25.3% and 26.8% rejection of this proposal, manifesting their less conservative nature.

Public good vs. intolerance

75.6% affirmed that in their opinion, the shutting down of the cults would respond to seeking the "public good" and not intolerance towards non-traditional religious groups. Those who mostly supported this position were women, 80.9%, surpassing men by 11%.

The upper class segment was the group that pointed more to the possibility of the motivation being intolerance. (31.3% of its members see it this way).

As far as the older group, there is an increase in the acceptance of the parliamentary motion seeking to put an end to cults. While the support of the initiative amongst those over 46 reaches 85.3%, it lowers to 65.5% in the case of youngsters between 18 and 25 years.

Despite the massive rejection of cults, for 38.9% of those surveyed, the possibility of terminating these organizations can redound to an assault against the freedom of worship.

Those who most insisted in this were men (41.2%), persons from lower social strata (41%) and those between 18 and 25 years of age (47.9%). As such, the profile of those that don't consider that it would be negative corresponds to women (36.8%), members of high class (34.9%) and those over 46 years of age (32.1%).

63% of those surveyed considered it the "duty of State" to intervene in cults that patronize sexual behavior considered immoral amongst their members, named "holy prostitution" by the members of parliament that investigated the phenomenon. The petitions for control were concentrated amongst the women, with 69.6% in favor of intervention, far from the 55.8% indicated by men.

The lower strata was the socioeconomic segment most convinced that the State cannot accept the "free sex" in cults (66.3% request intervention). The upper class was 11% lower on this point, traditionally reticent towards government control.

Once again, the curve descended amongst age groups. 76.3% of those over 46 required that the state curb non-traditional sexual behavior in groups. This figure lowers to 54.2% amongst youth of the same opinion.

My Kid? No way

Where the opinions start to balance out is when those surveyed were asked if they would allow one of their children to join one of these groups:<87:6% were opposed. On this item, the differences in responses between sex and social groups is very small.

In contrast, 29.2% of women believe that people who join these groups do so of their own free will, 28.9% of the upper class and 39.4% of those from 18 to 15 years of age.

The parents were willing to take responsibility for having generated the conditions that led to their children joining cults, since 87.6% admitted that they would also bear the blame for not adequately guiding their minors.

In any case, 77.7% of parents say that, if necessary, the authorities will assist in getting their children out of these cults. The groups that showed the greatest tendency of soliciting help were women (80.9%), middle class (80.1%) and adults between 36 and 45 years of age (86.5%).

Commentary:

Pedro Zabala, president of the Christian Confraternity of Churches

"Control is negative for freedom"

Much care must be taken in dealing with the topic, proposed the president of the Christian Confraternity of Churches, Pedro Zabala, since as he affirmed, "not all cults are harmful". At the same time, he warned that the way to avoid dangerous groups is not to increase control, since this could endanger freedom of religion, which is guaranteed by legislation and which concerns the Protestant world very much.

Zabala, a Lutheran theologian, asserted that the ideal is to create dialogue between representatives of diverse persuasions, to face the phenomenon in a deeper way, and not to lament in the future possible harm done to persons that subscribe to these groups.

-Do you view the term "cult" as pejorative?

-Of course.In the past, evangelicals suffered unjust attacks from people who had catalogued us as cults, as a way of attacking us.

-But here groups are being questioned that offend people's dignity and liberty

-We must be careful, because not every cult is the same.

So how then do we identify those who cause harm to their followers?

-We propose that in the future the name "new religious movements" be established for these groups that arise. That way they won't be labeled by calling them cults.

Is it possible to tighten controls on these types of groups?

-I don't think so. We are free citizens and we can't have this kind of offense.< Any kind of control can be fatal, a true retrocession.We must maintain the freedom of worship, avoiding that any other entity questions that for any reason.

-But you believe that the authorities should just do nothing when faced with abuses?

-No, because the Department of Justice can revoke legal status, besides applying penal punishment for immoral behavior, or outright abuses.

-What solution do you propose?

-We must divulge our ideas to the youth, so that they are not misled. We must focus on a serious dialogue between experts, to determine how to combat this worrisome phenomenon. The answer is to devote ourselves to education, not to repression.

Alfredo Soiza, Episcopal Delegate for Ecumenism and cults

"The Law of Worship is a Mixed Bag"

The Episcopal Delegate for Ecumenism and Cults of the Archbishopric of Santiago, the priest Alfredo Soiza, sees little possibility for combating cults by legal means. For him the legislation guaranteeing freedom of worship establishes a series of difficulties for the regulating of actions of some of these groups that he describes as "pseudo religious".

For Soiza, who has worked on this subject for over 15 years, boundaries cannot be established on the actions of these entities without taking away the freedom of belief consecrated in the new Law of Worship, by which these groups can allege that intervention is illegal.

-How to put a stop to groups that could abuse their members?

-The truth is that in all this the law of worship has functioned as a mixed bag.

-What then?

-The law does not permit regulation, and there we arrive at a sensitive point, because it may lead to the appearance of more cults in the future.

-What's happening with the controls of the Department of Justice?

-When a group requests legal recognition, it present a request in which it outlines its goals, inspiration, principles. Nevertheless, we all know that much slips by on paper. Besides, an investigation cannot be carried out unless a concerned party files a complaint.

-Have you discussed this topic with other denominations?

-We have been in touch with evangelical pastors. We are concerned because abuses against people exist, caused by individuals who impose their charisma and use the scriptures for their own ends.

-Will you take measures conjointly?

-I couldn't say. The Catholic Church is very concerned in taking adequate measures to ensure that abuses are not repeated through education and prevention, especially amongst young people, who are more likely to fall.

UDI Deputy Gonzalo Ibanez

"Denounces that a Witch Hunt will be caused"

At the end of April, the report of the investigative commission of the Lower Chamber of Parliament that inquired into the associations of religious or philosophical nature that, for different reasons, could be involved in illegal activities and immoral behavior.

Thus maintained Deputy Gonzalo Ibanez (UDI party), who is in disagreement and upset with his colleagues Alberto Espina (RN), Fanny Pollarolo and Felipe Letelier (both PS) for giving information that they have collected in this case to the Department of Justice to request that the legal status of these groups be canceled.

-Why are you so upset?

-They were very rushed and skipped steps, since the agreement of the commission hasn't been drafted yet which has to be voted on by the Chamber of Deputies and will determine how to proceed.

-But if a member of parliament, as any citizen, has knowledge of illegal actions he must place them at the disposition of the law?

-Yes, that is true. But in this case, the possible knowledge is furnished by the antecedents that have been collected by the commission. These have to be presented to the House so that decisions may be adopted in each case. Skipping this stage can provoke public alarm and an atmosphere of a witch hunt that is not a good idea to incite.

-What can be decided in this case?

-The State's Security Council can be advised to adopt measures against cults, or the Department of Justice to better control this type of situation. But the legislative capacity of the Chamber of Deputies should not be confused with the work carried out by the police or the Judiciary.< Legislators can only control organisms and public officials as far as knowing how adequate they are in the carrying out of the law.

-Could the Government be request to shut down these cults?

-Yes, we could advise this, but the Chamber of Deputies would have to be in agreement.

-How many groups of this kind are there?

-We had access to information on several of these groups, but we don't have a register of them.

Humberto Lagos, expert on cults

"Let's not wait for a mass suicide"

Psychologist and cult expert, Humberto Lagos, gave a message to parents to be alert to the behavior of their young people. For him, the investigation by the Chamber of Deputies is an important milestone and not persecution of religious groups.

He affirmed that it is necessary to end the possible abuses of some cults "before we have to lament mass suicides as in other countries."

-What are the main errors in the way that the subject of cults has been handled?

-The Chilean people are very ignorant along these lines.

-Do you think the response has been passive?

-I would like to think that every effort was made with the investigation, but it is not yet the case. A greater education of the people is necessary before we have to lament mass suicides as in other countries.

-What cults are the most dangerous for Chilean society?

-Experience tells us that we must be alert, especially with satanic cults that often attract unstable youths, emotional, without work or suffering family problems.

-And what's happening with the Jehovah's Witnesses?

-No, they do not commit atrocities. They are strict and cult-like, but they don't denigrate people. In any case, the results of the Commission of the Chamber of Deputies investigating this topic will be ready on Monday, which will conclude a process of fact finding that has been extremely important in our country.

SPECIAL REPORT FROM WRNS--Pt. 2-Chile-Parlimentary commision-20 cults under investigation/French anti-religious legislative model under consideration

A LAW WAS APPROVED BY PARLIAMENT