DID YOU KNOW F.A.C.T. HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?

The F.A.C.T. Youtube channel is all about creating original content and republishing videos about destructive groups, for the purpose of public education and awareness.

Check out our channel at: http://ow.ly/CYiK300MoP0

NEW DOCUMENTARY BEING RELEASED CALLED -- HOLY HELL:

A new film called "Holy Hell", executive produced by Jared Leto, documents a spiritual community named Buddhafield, that was formed in California in the 1980s. Many of its members left feeling abused and exploited in various ways.

Shot over a period of 22 years, the documentary has been put together by Will Allen, a former member of the group, who was the informal house videographer.

A CULT IS ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS FOLLOWING

"The Path", the latest TV show on the subject of cults, deals with a family at the center of a controversial cult struggling with relationships, faith and power.

The show stars Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Michelle Monaghan (True Detective), Emma Greenwell, Rockmond Dunbar. Are you watching it? Let us know your thoughts.

DAVID MISCAVIGE'S FATHER EXPOSES SCIENTOLOGY'S CRUELEST POLICY

"In Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me (St. Martin's Press), Ron Miscavige paints his son — the leader of the Church of Scientology and the successor to founder L. Ron Hubbard — as an abusive tyrant who has transformed a once-useful religion into a cult devoted to worshipping him, squeezing every possible cent out of church members and treating those who devote their lives to the church like sharecroppers whose measly wages will never get them out of debt at the company store — or off the church’s palatial plantation.

And if they do try to leave, the elder Miscavige says, they are typically tracked down and brought back by a combination of force, coercion and psychological intimidation.
For the very few who do manage to escape and forge a new life outside the church, there awaits a special form of punishment: disconnection. That’s the church’s policy of requiring its members to shun family members who dare to leave the church or even criticize it."

THE COST OF SILENCE -- Hare Krishna Child Abuse

Historically, the Hare Krishna Movement has had an unacceptably high tolerance for child abuse. As a consequence, generations of children have suffered. Krishna's Children is a project that attempts to address and raise awareness on this complex and challenging issue.

Please help support this group by watching their video and signing the petition below.

Petition = bit.ly/krishnakids

Wellspring Weekend Recovery Package

WELLSPRING WEEKEND RECOVERY PACKAGE: AUGUST 26, 27, 28, 2016

An Introduction to Recovery
Wellspring is offering a weekend introduction to recovery for survivors of cultic abuse. Generous donors have provided 90% of the funding for this program.

Cost
*3 day package = $350
Fees cover materials and Administration Cost.
Meals and lodging are not included in this package.

Package includes:

Educational Workshops.
DVD’s and Books to take home (educational tools to use in your continued recovery) Handouts for all workshops.
A total of six group sessions with a Cult Recovery Specialist.

Weekend Itinerary:

Friday
10:00 am-12:00pm: Orientation and Opening Session
12:00pm-1:30 pm: Lunch on your own.
1:30pm-3:00 pm: Workshop “The Wave”
3:00 pm-3:30pm: Break
3:30 pm-5:00pm: Workshop Continued
5:00 pm: Free Time Evening Homework

Saturday
10:00am: - 12:00pm: Consultation Group
12:00 pm- 2:00pm: Lunch on your own
2:00pm - 4:00pm: Consultation Group
Evening Homework

Sunday
10:00pm – 12:00pm: A Class Divided
12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch on your own
1:00pm: – 3:00pm: Consultation Group – Closing Thoughts on the Road to Recovery

Additional counseling time and workshops are available upon request (additional fees apply). Extra sessions will need to be scheduled and paid for prior to arrival. Additional workshops and counseling sessions may be scheduled for future weekends.

Groups for the recovery weekend will be kept small. No more than 10 client’s per weekend. Book early to reserve your spot!
*$350 fee is required to reserve your spot for the weekend.*

Deposit must be made no later than August 20, 2016.

For more information, please visit their website.

FROM NPR- RUSSIA TO POSSIBLY BAN JEHOVAH WITNESSES

FROM NPR: Russia's Jehovah's Witnesses Fight 'Extremist' Label, Possible Ban

Russia's top prosecutor is threatening to ban the Jehovah's Witnesses for alleged "extremism."

The religious denomination has faced growing pressure in Russia over the past several years, with church members arrested and confiscations of church property.

Russia is the only country that bans the Jehovah's Witnesses website, according to the church. The ban is based on allegedly extremist content. Regional courts in Russia have also banned more than 30 pieces of the church's literature for the same reason.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

FACT HAS BEEN AWARDED THE PLATINUM LEVEL FROM GUIDESTAR

Guidestar, the first company ever to provide a central source of information on U.S. nonprofits, has recently added a new rating level called 'Platinum'. This is now their highest level possible, and we at FACT are very happy to announce that we've just been awarded it!

From Guidestar to FACT: “Congratulations on achieving a Platinum level with GuideStar. This is a testament to your organization’s commitment to data transparency and integrity within the non-profit sector.” GuideStar also serves to verify that a recipient organization is established and that donated funds go where the donor intended. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GuideStar)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our great Board of Directors, committed hard-working staff members and of course our wonderful supporters, without which we would not be here today to fulfill our important mission.

GET A FREE COPY OF ETHICS and the MODERN GURU with your DONATION

SPRING 2016 FUNDRAISING DRIVE UPDATE:

Our good friends, Steven and Debbie Van Neste, have created a special commemorative edition of their e-magazine called "Ethics and the Modern Guru", in memory of Sharon Stern for our fundraising drive.

It tells the tragic story of what happened to Sharon from the corrupting influence of cult leader Katsura Kan, in addition to other very interesting articles about cults.

If you would like to receive a copy of this enlightening e-magazine, please make a minimum donation of $10, and where it says, "I want my donation to be dedicated:" please type the name "Sharon Stern".

Click here to donate: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fact

Thank you Steven and Debbie for all of your generous hard work to make Sharon's special edition possible.

Mind control: psychological reality or mindless rhetoric?

By Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo
November 2002, Vol 33, No. 10
Print version: page 5

http://www.apa.org/monitor/nov02/pc.aspx

One of the most fascinating sessions at APA's Annual Convention featured presentations by former cult members. (See "Cults of hatred"). Several participants challenged our profession to form a task force on extreme forms of influence, asserting that the underlying issues inform discourses on terrorist recruiting, on destructive cults versus new religious movements, on social-political-"therapy" cults and on human malleability or resiliency when confronted by authority power.

That proposal is intriguing. At one level of concern are academic questions of the validity of the conceptual framework for a psychology of mind control. However, at broader levels, we discover a network of vital questions:

Does exposing the destructive impact of cults challenge the principle of religious freedom of citizens to mindfully join nontraditional religious groups?
When some organizations that promote religious or self-growth agendas become rich enough to wield power to suppress media exposés, influence legal judgments or publicly defame psychology, how can they be challenged?
What is APA's role in establishing principles for treating those who claim to have suffered abuse by cults, for training therapists to do so and for establishing guidelines for expert testimony?

Personal freedoms

A basic value of the profession of psychology is promoting human freedom of responsible action, based on awareness of available behavioral options, and supporting an individual's rights to exercise them. Whatever we mean by "mind control" stands in opposition to this positive value orientation.
Mind control is the process by which individual or collective freedom of choice and action is compromised by agents or agencies that modify or distort perception, motivation, affect, cognition and/or behavioral outcomes. It is neither magical nor mystical, but a process that involves a set of basic social psychological principles.

Conformity, compliance, persuasion, dissonance, reactance, guilt and fear arousal, modeling and identification are some of the staple social influence ingredients well studied in psychological experiments and field studies. In some combinations, they create a powerful crucible of extreme mental and behavioral manipulation when synthesized with several other real-world factors, such as charismatic, authoritarian leaders, dominant ideologies, social isolation, physical debilitation, induced phobias, and extreme threats or promised rewards that are typically deceptively orchestrated, over an extended time period in settings where they are applied intensively.

A body of social science evidence shows that when systematically practiced by state-sanctioned police, military or destructive cults, mind control can induce false confessions, create converts who willingly torture or kill "invented enemies," engage indoctrinated members to work tirelessly, give up their money--and even their lives--for "the cause."

Power struggles

It seems to me that at the heart of the controversy over the existence of mind control is a bias toward believing in the power of people to resist the power of situational forces, a belief in individual will power and faith to overcome all evil adversity. It is Jesus modeling resistance against the temptations of Satan, and not the vulnerability of Adam and Eve to deception. More recently, examples abound that challenge this person-power misattribution.

From the 1930s on, there are many historical instances of state power dominating individual beliefs and values. In Stalin's Moscow show trials, his adversaries publicly confessed to their treasons. Catholic Cardinal Mindzenty similarly gave false confessions favoring his communist captors. During the Korean War, American airmen confessed to engaging in germ warfare after intense indoctrination sessions. The Chinese Thought Reform Program achieved massive societal conversions to new beliefs. It has also been reported that the CIA put into practice nearly 150 projects--collectively termed MKULTRA--to develop various forms of exotic mind control, including the use of LSD and hypnosis. More than 900 U.S. citizens committed suicide or murdered friends and family at the persuasive bidding of their Peoples Temple cult leader, Jim Jones.

The power of social situations to induce "ego alien" behavior over even the best and brightest of people has been demonstrated in a variety of controlled experiments, among them, Stanley Milgram's obedience to authority studies, Albert Bandura's research on dehumanization, my Stanford Prison Experiment and others on deinviduation.

Understanding the dynamics and pervasiveness of situational power is essential to learning how to resist it and to weaken the dominance of the many agents of mind control who ply their trade daily on all of us behind many faces and fronts.

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far during our Spring 2016 donation drive. FACT's mission cannot continue without the generous support of people like you, so again, thank you!

If you have not made your contribution yet, please consider making one now. Our important mission of education and awareness, rescuing victims (like children) from destructive groups, and working to stop these exploitive and abusive groups... none of it can be done without you.

Please Donate Now, and remember your gift is 100% tax-deductible: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fact

How a cult stole my life...

Author Taylor Stevens was raised in a sect where beatings, starvation and sexual abuse were everyday events. Forty years later, can she leave the ‘Children of God’ behind her?

CLICK HERE TO READ

Our FACT Spring 2016 Fundraisier Has Launched!

Dear Friends of FACT,

Today marks the first day of our Spring 2016 donation drive. Due to our current restrained budget we are only able to work on a select amount of victim support cases, especially those which involve the exploitation and abuse of children. With your generous support, we'll be able to accept more cases and help more desperate victims escape their destructive groups and reunite with their families, in addition to:

-Putting destructive groups out of business with the help of investigators, law enforcement and the legal system

-Educating vulnerable students in schools about active destructive groups, including the warning signs of recruitment

-Monitoring and reporting cult group activities to the media to generate awareness and educate the public

-Providing support to families in need who suffer the loss of loved ones to controlling groups

And much more...

Please consider making a donation today and know that 100% of your contribution goes towards FACT's mission. We've been given a gold rating from Guidestar.com for our transparency and accountability as a non-profit, meaning we’re an organization you can trust. Also, please know that your donation is entirely tax-deductible.

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fact

On behalf of suffering cult victims and families everywhere, we cannot thank you enough for your generous support.


Tibor Stern President of FACT

Damaging Experience with Scientology

Check out Janette, a long-time member of our FACT family, talking about her damaging experience with Scientology along with other ex-members for ABC News.

Click here.

THE KATSURA KAN AND NAROPA UNIVERSITY EXPOSE - CONCLUSION

THE KATSURA KAN AND NAROPA UNIVERSITY EXPOSE: (CONCLUSION)

After Sharon Stern’s tragedy, the Stern family tried to bring something positive out from it in an effort to safeguard future students at Naropa University. They reached out to Naropa University asking for a simple meeting on how future tragedies like this could be prevented, with their request being flatly denied. Then, when the Stern family asked for some kind of monetary compensation at least on behalf of the Sharoni Stern Estate, which would then be entirely donated to FACT for the purposes of anti-cult education and awareness, Naropa refused to give a cent.

The Stern family is of course not surprised by Naropa’s lack of cooperation and compassion in the wake of Sharon’s death, as in their opinion Naropa’s well documented history shows a pattern of covering up the exploitation and abuse of students by faculty members. The Stern's believe it is easier for Naropa to just brush things under the rug rather than confront the issues head on and make changes. We at FACT believe this is utterly shameful behavior for any academic institution, let alone one “accredited” in the U.S. for higher education. Moreover, Mr. Stern, the father of Sharon, believes that if the faculty at Naropa had acted appropriately at the time when these abuses were being initiated against his daughter, instead if worrying about their accreditation, she would still be alive today. How this school received their accreditation in the first place with their long documented history of student abuses is truly anyone’s guess.

Regarding Naropa’s infamous ex-teacher, Katsura Kan, his desperate attempts to stall the lawsuit against him (from going to trial) are an exercise in futility. Katsura and all his advisors are delaying the case with the claim that the Sharon Stern Estate has no jurisdiction because the alleged crimes were not committed in Florida. A higher court denied his poor excuse of a claim and booted it back down to the lower court, where the Stern family needs now only to show the evidence proving it, which is abundant.

Katsura’s other claim to stall the lawsuit was that he barely spoke English, which is easily disproved from all the emails he sent to Sharon. Also, on behalf of the Sharon Stern Estate, Mr. Stern believes that Naropa should never have hired a teacher who barely spoke English, and also believes Naropa gave him the authority to teach a destructive life philosophy in their classroom. In Mr. Stern’s opinion, it’s more than a lie from Katsura Kan, it’s an insult to the family and a crime to waste the time and resources of our court system like this. The Sharoni Stern Estate will get to the bottom of this through the active lawsuit.

We hope you found this expose interesting and educational. If you would like to learn more about what happened to Sharon Stern, please read the following articles on this page:

http://www.familiesagainstcultteachings.org/Memorial/

We would like to conclude this expose with a message from our founder:

I, Tibor Stern, father of Sharon Stern, representative of her estate and president of FACT, who is going through so much pain and suffering every minute of the day and night from the loss of my beloved daughter, feel obligated to make sure that no other parents are going to go through this kind of unnecessary tragedy by bringing public education and awareness on this typically overlooked and misunderstood subject. My advice to all parents whose kids are attending or going off to college, please research the school in-depth and especially check out the school for any past complaints. Also, make sure that the sexual harassment law Title IX applies to your child’s institution.

We parents entrust our children blindly to the universities, which is the wrong thing to do. There is evil everywhere, so always be as well-informed as possible. Please contact us if you would like any personal educational material for you and your children, explaining the warning signs of cult recruitment and indoctrination.

Sincerely,

Tibor Stern
President of FACT
(On behalf of the Sharon Stern Estate)