Human damage caused by religious cult practices

Punishment of the wicked in colonial times

Carol Forsloff---In 2013 a couple in the State of Washington, Carri and Larry Williams, were found guilty of abusing two of their adopted children so severely that one of them died, as religious cults continue to cause “human damage, that  Bishop Georges Pontier, president of the French bishops,’ and others have observed needs the attention of faith groups and secular people as well.

At a conference Pontier issued a public statement in response to calls for recognition of the “human damage” that has been caused by various religious groups. A group of approximately 40 people addressed the bishops at a recent meeting to discuss the impact of spiritual abuse that has caused problems ranging from depression to suicide to death.

14 spiritual communities were underlined as being cult-like in their practices, referencing specifically some of the abuse that is being criticized by ecclesiastical leaders. Only five of these groups have been chastised or disciplined by the principle religious authorities.

Pontier said not to condemn everyone in some of these cults just because of the behavior of some of the individuals in those groups, as he underlined the need for religious freedom.

While many Christians hear mostly about religious cults and abusive practices in the United States, the problem is worldwide. A sadistic cult leader in Israel was recently found guilty of sexually abusing women and children and sentenced to 26 years by a Jewish court.

The secular community, or popular view, is said to define as a cult, "a religious or semi-religious sect whose members are controlled almost entirely by a single individual or by an organization" that requires total commitment from its followers, often with emotional coercion  But the Evangelical Christian groups maintain it is any group that deviates from Biblical teachings specifically that "deny or distort fundamental Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ and salvation by grace through faith alone."  Examples the source of this information claims to be among these "cults" include Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Mormons, and members of the Unity Church of Christ."

The recent concern about the human damage from religious cults, however, appear to be those involving coercion and specific practices that are particular hurtful to the mind and body.

Abusive practices by extremist groups continue to plague the world's religious communities, even as the mainstream groups condemn them.

Hindus allowed to worship in historical temple in Peshawar

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) last week allowed Hindus to worship at the historical temple of Gorgathri, a site of archeological interest that is protected by the government. Hearing the case filed by a Hindu woman named Phool Vatte, the court ordered proper security at the temple and freedom of worship at the temple for the Hindu community. The court maintained the governmental control of the temple, which is currently being taken care of by the provincial department of archeology.

A lower court had earlier rejected the claim of the applicant to the temple’s control. By granting permission to worship, the Peshawar High Court has set a good example of freedom for minorities in practicing their religious rights without state intervention or coercion. Thus, hope for living without oppression for being non-Muslim in the province has been boosted by the judiciary, which in cases of blasphemy in Punjab province had become a disappointment for Christians.

Hindu and Sikh minorities inhabit many different places throughout Pakistan. In and around Peshawar, they have been concerned about the preservation of their places of worship for many years. One such case came to public attention in 2003 when the Balmiki temple in the Kalibari area of Peshawar faced the threat of demolition by the Pakistan army, which planned to daze the temple and the nearby buildings occupied by Hindu residents and erect a shopping center in their stead. The Hindu community firmly resisted this advance of the military against their traditional place of worship.

In a recent instance of concern for the Sikh community in Lahore (Punjab), Sikhs were barred from entering their own temple by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) after it was talked into doing so by a fundamentalist Muslim group. The Sikh community then feared that ETPB was planning to occupy places of worship of the Sikh community throughout the country.

Despite the constitutional assurance of freedom of religion for minorities, the ground reality has been shadowy for many non-Muslim communities in Pakistan. What is needed urgently is fresh legislature that prohibits any governmental or private transgression of boundaries of worship places sacred to people of different religious faiths.

Religious freedom restricted in 1/3 of the world

[caption id="attachment_7745" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jew, Catholic nun and Muslim on World Religion Day"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff - While most Americans continue to reinforce the concept of religious freedom and the First Amendment rights of the Constitution, across the rest of the world religious tolerance and freedom have actually declined.

The Pew Forum conducted a three-year study on religious restrictions around the world.   The organization’s research found that 6.9 billion people or nearly a third of the world’s population live in countries where government policies on religion or social hostilities involving religion have increased substantially during the period 2006 -2009.

Illustrations of this growing trend are reflected in government and social policies that have developed in Denmark and France.  France has restricted Muslim women from wearing the burka and school children from wearing clothing that displays religious symbols.  French conservatives view the increasing multiculturalism of France to be a threat to the French way of life.  They point to a major difference in assimilation of Muslims in France and African Americans in the United States and that a lack of shared culture, language and religious belief is largely responsible for the problems France is experiencing with respect to dealing with immigrant groups.

White separatists and right-wing groups have found fertile ground in the stresses of assimilation. Dr. Orly Taitz is specifically directing Europe’s struggles with Muslim groups and tying this to America’s policies with the Middle East while targeting President Barack Obama as being sympathetic to the Muslim causes due to his father’s religious affiliation with Islam.  She uses Denmark’s growing restrictions on Muslims as an example of the risks America faces if it continues to court Middle Eastern favor.

Recently England has faced riots in many sections of its major cities that the media has observed comes primarily from the youth in impoverished areas.  Like Denmark and France, new immigrant youth find it difficult to find jobs in a recession, and many of these same youth do not wish to comply with new traditions in order to assimilate.  US News and World Report pointed out in 2006 the growing problem Europe faces with respect to its immigrant population and the children of those immigrants and wrote:     "Europeans are uncomfortable with Islam, and they see it as an alien body in their midst. ... Europe's got a huge problem, and they're just getting their minds around it now."

These cultural pressures in the middle of economic strife and competition are, according to experts, at the heart of the tensions among population groups, a tension that will likely grow and produce the right wing political growth, religious restrictions and community violence in response.