An Analysis of Struggles for Religious Freedom in The European Arena

An Analysis of Struggles for Religious Freedom in The European Arena

Introduction

In the past eighteen months, investigative commissions, parliamentary discussions, and/or national police inquiries have been held into the activities of "cults" in at least nine countries that we know of: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, Germany, Ukraine, Russia and the Czech Republic. In addition, a European Parliament Report on Cults is being prepared, and the Council of Europe is discussing the drafting of anti-cult laws. Legislative changes that have been proposed would seriously restrict the rights and liberties of minority religious groups.

Europe does not have a great history of religious tolerance, and that we are seeing our religious rights eroded in this manner does not come as a surprise.

In this paper, we will describe the deterioration of religious rights in Europe and the avenues through which this is coming to pass. We will also describe how this has affected our members, as we, The Family, have been one of the groups to experience direct persecution, including armed raids against our communities and the seizure of our children (who were subsequently returned).

PREJUDICE AGAINST MINORITY RELIGIONS

Cult or religion?

Media influences public opinion; anti-cultists express their views; and mainstream religions anxiously view the activities of groups that could be seen as their competitors. As a result, minority religions find themselves with a pejorative "cult" or "sect" label. Such a label does not acknowledge the history of religion. The Jewish people were a sect 5000 years ago when they were expelled from Egypt. They were again a sect or cult when the Moors were in Spain. Christians were a sect in the first centuries of our era. The Protestants were a sect when Luther broke with the Church. Every new religion has been a sect in its origin. The word cult or sect has always had a derogatory connotation and has been used by the mainstream religions to disqualify minority groups.

Government commissions now make indiscriminate judgements against what they term "harmful sectarian organisations." By this very definition, there is no appreciation for the vast differences existing in the spectrum of non-traditional religions, which range from Catholic orders, to New Age groups, to non-orthodox Christians such as The Family.

An anecdotal example of sweeping insinuations made against non-traditional religions can be found in a United Kingdom Passport Agency booklet of Essential Information about travelling abroad. Under the heading "If you get into difficulties," the British traveller is warned about cults:

Many of the new religious movements or cults approach travellers abroad without revealing their true identity. Be wary of people who offer friendship or hospitality or invite you to meetings or lectures. … If you need help to `escape’ telephone the local police or a British consulate.

Cults as a security issue

Some take the alleged dangers of new religious movements even more seriously. In September 1996, the London-based Institute for European Defense and Strategic Studies published a booklet regarding the Prophets of Doom—The Security Threat of Religious Cults. The publication proposes that cults are more dangerous than terrorists because of their irrational dedication and unreasonable aims and beliefs. One recommendation given in the book states,

Security forces of democracies should devote resources to collecting intelligence on subversive, anti-social and potentially violent groups, and where appropriate, be prepared to act pre-emptively against them to protect both innocent cult member and the general public from harm. In extreme cases it may be necessary to proscribe certain cults rather than prosecute only those guilty parties against whom there is sufficient evidence and thereby allow survivors to re-group again.

If such a recommendation was implemented, who would decide which are the cults to be forbidden?--And indeed, what is a "cult"? In some countries, any persuasion that is not of the traditional national religion will be classified as a cult.

To the best of our knowledge, there exists no statistical or empirical research to show that per capita, members of minority religious groups are more likely than the general public to commit anti-social acts or to commit violence against themselves, their children or outsiders. Neither do statistics show that the incidence of suicide amongst religious believers is higher than amongst the general population. To the contrary, objective researchers have found that membership in an alternative religion can be beneficial to the participant’s psychological and emotional health.

Prejudice against non-traditional religions also discounts the good such groups contribute to society. Many religious believers engage in altruistic charitable activities.

Brainwashing

One of the main claims made against new religious movements is that they brainwash their followers. Academic and judicial opinion has repeatedly discounted this theory. In 1993, the Argentine Federal Court of Appeals stated,

In spite of efforts made during the Cold War by Communist countries in conflict-according to compiled information-no progress was made in the conversion of captured prisoners, even though they disposed of every means of coercive power. Therefore, this theory [of brainwashing] is not backed up by the scientific community and nowadays is considered as a metaphor to disqualify religious movements considered deviant.

Eileen Barker of the London School of Economics told the Russian parliament in 1995,

One of the arguments that one sometimes hears is that new religions take away from others their right to think, their free choice. That they have been "brainwashed" is an argument. It’s said they have been subjected to the irresistible and irreversible process of mind control. There is absolutely no scientific evidence whatsoever that this is the case. Scholars have found no techniques or processes that are not found in ordinary society. The evidence of so called "experts" who testified to a "brainwashing" thesis has been discredited and their evidence is now disallowed in the United States courts.

Certainly some of the new religions use pressure and exhort as much influence as they can and many of them would wish that they could "brainwash". But they are not as effective in either gaining or keeping members as the traditional religions people are born into. It is not true that there are irresistible techniques, most people do resist and most people that join New Religious Movements actually leave of their own free will, the turnover rate is very high indeed. … It may be psychologically comforting to blame a new religion, but the evidence is that individuals retain some of their critical facilities and must accept responsibility for their actions.

Dr. Massimo Introvigne and Dr. J. Gordon Melton of CESNUR reached similar conclusions:

It should also be noted that in the early 1980’s, social scientists examined and thoroughly debated the issue of "brainwashing" (also known as "mind manipulation" or "mind control") as it related to new religious movements and found that there was no acceptable scientific evidence of the existence of such a phenomenon. Both the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association adopted an official position as friend of the court on that issue and as a result, both American and British courts have, by precept and practice, excluded expert testimony concerning "brainwashing" from the legal process.

Child abuse

If somebody is determined to hinder the working of a religious community, then if all else fails, accusations of child abuse are almost certain to get a reaction from the authorities. Where children are truly being abused or neglected, the authorities should most certainly intervene. Unfortunately, the accusations are often malicious and unfounded. Members of The Family have been particularly victimised in this way. Three hundred and twenty-six of our children were taken into state custody following armed raids in Spain, Argentina, Australia and France. After extensive physical, psychological and educational testing, no evidence of abuse was found. Each child was returned to the care of his or her parents in The Family. The trauma inflicted on the children by these incidents cannot be understated. From nursing babies to teenagers, they suffered the fright of armed invasions into their homes; sudden enforced separation from their parents, brothers, sisters and friends; to be cast into an unfamiliar environment; and then having to undergo intrusive and unpleasant examinations.

Lest there should be any doubt that the raids were uncalled for, in addition to the children taken into government custody, several hundred other children of Family members have been examined by doctors, psychologists and educators, court-appointed or privately. The results have shown conclusively that Family members take excellent care of their children. Altogether, approximately one out of every ten children in The Family have been examined. Each child removed for examination has been returned to his parents. Each child examined in his home environment has been allowed to remain with his parents. This evidence speaks for itself.

The Next Step: Legislation

With public opinion being influenced against non-conventional religions; with accusations of brainwashing, child abuse and violence flying around, it is only natural that legal remedies should be considered. Some governments are stedfast in the view that existing legislation is sufficient, that crimes are adequately addressed in current penal law.

However other governments are being pressured to adopt new legislation that will single out new religious movements. Some hold the view that existing criminal law is not sufficient to control the members of sects. If this new type of legislation is enacted, the religious affiliation of alleged offenders would become an issue. This can only lead to further prejudice and bigotry.

Academics appeal for tolerance

Massimo Introvigne, of CESNUR in Torino, Italy, and J. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of American Religions, USA, expresses the situation thus:

We respectfully direct the attention of the European Parliament to the fact that the notion of "totalitarian sect" or "destructive cult" is not a scholarly acceptable concept, and is unanimously rejected by the international community of sociologists and historians. Whilst it is true that a tiny minority of the hundreds of new religious movements active in Europe have been responsible for common crimes that should not be condoned, any generalisation will violate the basic rights of religious freedom and threaten all religions, old and new, generate unnecessary suffering for the innocent and offer the European Parliament’s undeserved support to anti-cult movements that have a well-known agenda of bigotry and hate.

Who, in fact, will define what is a "cult" or "totalitarian sect" and what is a legitimate religion? We urge the European Parliament not to take any action on this extremely delicate subject without hearing the advice of experts recognised by the international academic community of the sociology and history of religions and of their professional associations (which must not be confused with the anti-cult movement).

LEGISLATIVE ACTION IN WESTERN EUROPE AIMED AT NEWER RELIGIONS

Now we will summarise the events that indicate the trend in Western Europe towards greater control of minority religions and the actions already being taken in this regard.

European Parliament

The Parliament has voted to investigate cults in Europe. The task of preparing a report has been entrusted to the Committee on Civil Liberties. The committee will appoint one or two reporters who will prepare a European Parliament Report on Cults. The Report will then be approved by the Committee and by the Parliament in plenary session, possibly with amendments. There is a minority in the Committee who will react against any anti-cult proposal.

Council of Europe

In spring of 1997, the Council of Europe appointed a commission of MPs and experts to discuss the issue of laws to be passed against cults, in particular against brainwashing, with the general principle that cults engage in brainwashing across the board.

The Council also adopted a resolution calling for strong anti-cult laws, presented by the Romanian socialist group and seconded by Belarus and French representatives.

International Intelligence Seminar

In December 1996, intelligence services from twelve Western European states attended an international seminar on "harmful sectarian organisations" organised by the Security, a department of the Belgium federal government.

France

A Parliamentary Commission, composed of members of the parliament, held a number of hearings, but notably excluded any scholars as witnesses. Its report, Cults in France, was issued on January 10, 1996. It includes a laundry list of 172 allegedly dangerous cults. It does not recommend new legislation but recommends a number of administrative actions (now being taken) and the establishment of a national Observatory of Cults (now established). Although not technically a source of law, the report has already been quoted as authoritative in court decisions and has been circulated to other governments. Recently the French government has taken action against Scientology and a small Christian group.

The French report is very critical of The Family. The Commission did not give us a chance to speak and defend ourselves; in fact we were not interviewed at all. Due to the publicity given to the Commission’s report, our members report their work in France has been hindered as public opinion has been turned against them.

That we have still members in France may come as a surprise, considering the events of 1993:

From 1991 to 1993, French police conducted a secret but extensive investigation of The Family, code-named Operation Moses. They were supplied disinformation about The Family by a French anti-cult organisation, the Association for the Defense of The Family and Individual (ADFI), together with a handful of disgruntled ex-members who had also tried to cause us problems in other countries.

On June 9, 1993, at 6:00 a.m., two hundred heavily armed police staged paramilitary-style raids on two Family communities in Eguilles and Lyon injuring and brutalising some Family members (none of whom resisted arrest). Authorities arrested 22 adults and placed 80 children in state custody. Family members were accused of child abuse, child prostitution and lack of medical and physical care for their children.

Police searched The Family residences for 10 hours, and found no evidence of wrongdoing. Court-appointed doctors thoroughly examined all the children, but detected no signs of neglect or abuse.

Authorities released all the adults after 48 hours for lack of evidence. On June 16, all 33 children in Lyon were returned to their parents. On July 29, after 51 days of separation, the children from the Eguilles community were also released to their parents.

On September 17, a family from the Lyon Family community was summoned before the minors judge. After reading court-ordered psychiatric reports of their children, Judge Penaud stated:

I am satisfied with the psychiatric reports. This court no longer sees the need for any further inquiry or involvement in the case.

The remaining families from the Lyon community have also been summoned before minors’ judges and their cases dismissed.

A provisional ruling by Judge Permingeat of the Minors Court of Aix-en-Provence (for the Eguilles community) stated that The Family children had not suffered any abuse, but required them to engage in court-supervised weekly "socialisation activities" for a 12-month period, paid for by the State. The parents remained free to continue their missionary activities and educate their children at home. This 12-month period has since been completed and no further court-appointed activities were imposed.

Meanwhile, a four-year criminal investigation aimed at adult members of the communities who face charges of "incitement of minors to debauchery," has produced no evidence to support the charge. No hearings have been called, and it appears that the case will be closed before it goes to court. In July 1994, the judge responsible for the investigation, Judge Serge Mackowiak, of the Aix-en-Provence court, lifted court restrictions preventing those indicted from leaving France. The investigation itself remains open pending a final ruling by the court.

It should be noted that the French Commission of Enquiry chose to ignore the findings of the French judiciary regarding the children of Family members.

Germany

A parliamentary commission has been established including experts appointed by the different political parties. They are conducting hearings with a large number of religious movements. There is an anti-cult majority.

Apparently several academics testified about The Family, both for and against, but we were not given an opportunity to speak for ourselves.

In a separate meeting, the German government decided to formally investigate the Church of Scientology without the approval of the commission. Last year, the state of Bavaria in Germany passed a law forcing all public servants at all levels to swear under oath that they do not belong to the Scientologists. Then in June 1997, Germany placed the Church of Scientology "under nation-wide observation by federal and state anti-extremist watchdogs on suspicion of anti-democratic intent." According to news reports, "Interior Minister Manfred Kanther said Germany would do all in its power during a year-long observation to assess whether the group, which Germany does not recognise as a religion, could be classified as anti-constitutional."

Belgium

A parliamentary commission interviewed scholars, anti-cultists, and religious movements and then released a lengthy report at the end of April 1997.

The report names 187 groups as cults, including Catholic groups such as Opus Dei and The Work, which apparently instigated a protest from the Vatican. Other groups listed were more mainstream Protestant denominations such as the Assemblies of God, as well as Buddhist mainstream groups. Jewish groups were also attacked, in particular the Hasidic Jews.

At the end of the report the commission made recommendations to various relevant authorities. The report chastised the police and security forces for not taking the alleged threat of sects more seriously, and lamented the lack of a centrally organised cell who would be more aware of the sects’ criminal activities. Financial administration, banks and social administrations are criticised for lack of vigilance concerning sects due to "respect for constitutional liberties."

The commission then made recommendations to remedy what they perceive as lacks in the present legal and administrative systems. They also asked the Belgian government to push for greater inter-European communications and co-operation on the sect issues, including within EURPOL. They proposed a media campaign to inform the public about sects, and that information on this should be included in school and university curriculums. They also gave suggestions for laws regarding "handling of psychological obligation" that seem to mean that convincing somebody of something that cannot be proved (which most religious beliefs could be categorised as) could become a punishable offence.

Brainwashing was one of the main focuses in the report, and a clever anti-brainwashing law is being drafted in Belgium.

The Family is mentioned in several places in the report. Evidence was given about The Family, and several Family members testified before the commission. We also submitted a prepared statement. Several Family communities in Belgium have since received visits from the authorities, although the report quoted the public prosecutor of Brussels stating that

Moreover, Belgian judicial authorities have known of accusations levelled in other countries against the secte of the `COG’ now known as La Famille. However, no infraction was discovered in Belgium.

Switzerland

Following an intensive anti-cult campaign in February 1997, the Canton of Geneva released a report written after interviews with different individuals. The report advocates new legislation against mind control and against hiring members of "dangerous cults" as government officers. The Canton of Geneva alone may not legislate on these matters; once approved by the Canton the report will go to the national parliament where Geneva will introduce legislation.

According to published reports, the head of police in Geneva wants the government to have the power to take children away from sects "where they may be in danger of being brainwashed by their parents," as well as the power to control sects’ finances.

Britain

Until now, the British government has held that existing legislation is sufficient to control the actions of members of NRMs on the same basis as it affects other members of the public. However the government is under constant pressure from both left and right to introduce new laws using the discredited brainwashing models as their justification.

The British tabloid press continues to publish sensational anti-cult stories, which are then often repeated in other countries. Public opinion is naturally influenced.

Media sensationalisation of a report on The Family compiled by the Metropolitan Police Department of Scotland Yard is an example in point. Although Scotland Yard stated that the report was confidential, alleged excerpts of it were quoted in tabloid newspapers in an apparent attempt to influence the judge presiding over a long-running custody case involving the child of a Family member. (The case was eventually resolved in favour of The Family member who retained custody of her child.) Detective Chief Inspector Jim Reynolds of Scotland Yard stated in a press release,

In spite of repeated investigations no successful prosecutions for criminal offences have been brought against them [Children of God].

It should be noted that in the three years following the existence of this report becoming known, neither the British police nor social services have taken any action against Family communities in the British Isles, which can be safely taken as a sign that they have found no cause for alarm.

Sweden

In Sweden a conference was held several years ago under the auspices of the Social Services Department in Uppsala. Their conclusion seemed to be that bringing up a child in a family or community with strongly held religious beliefs, strong enough to actually affect the education and environment of the child, is an infringement on the rights of that child.

This attitude has touched the lives of our members. In February 1994, acting on a complaint by a municipal councillor who voiced suspicions that "minors are being treated in such a way that there is danger to their health and development," the Social Services department of Valbo, Sweden, began an investigation of The Family community located at Gavle.

The investigation lasted three months and was closed on May 9, 1994. No evidence had been found of any abuse of children, and school health services and the child-health station did not report any concern regarding the children’s well being. No cause for intervention by the Social Services was found. Yet again, misgivings about the care of children in Family communities were proven to be unfounded.

Spain

The Catalan parliament is apparently working on a bill against "the 2,000 most dangerous sects."

It was in Barcelona in the province of Catalonia that Family communities experienced the first of a series of "raids" in Europe. In July 1990, regional authorities in Barcelona, Spain, raided a Family Community and forcibly apprehended 21 of our members’ children, one as young as 8 months old. They claimed that the children were abused and in need of state care. At the same time, the parents of the children were charged with illegal association, operating an illegal school, inflicting mental damage on their children and fraud.

Although no evidence of any kind of abuse was found, the children were forced to remain against their will in state custody for nearly 12 months.

For the next two years, government agencies, aided and abetted by anti-cult groups such as Pro-Juventud and CROAS were unrelenting in their efforts to discredit The Family. The Family was also the object of vicious disinformation campaigns in the media.

In spite of this, in May 1992, the provincial court ruled that there was no evidence that abuse had occurred and the children were returned to the care of their parents. In their ruling, Judges Adolfo Fernandez Oubiña, Jesus I. Perez Burred and Jose Ma. Bachs Estany seemed to question the competence and motives of the welfare agencies that had originally apprehended the children. The judges also alluded to the government action being reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition and the concentration camps of those former empires that ceased to be so when human dignity brought down the Berlin Wall.

The Catalonian government appealed the provincial court’s ruling. The case then went before the Spanish Constitutional Court which, on October 3, 1994, upheld the original verdict, exonerating Family members and returning the children to their parents.

In a second case involving criminal charges, the parents were acquitted of all charges. The District Attorney then filed an appeal. On October 30, 1994, the Supreme Court of Spain rejected the appeal and maintained the innocence of the accused Family members, stating that

Not a single element is found that could allow us to declare the existence of any intention to hurt their children or the other children of the community.

Despite this repeated exoneration of Family members, the police force of Catalonia circulated information to the police authorities of France and Argentina that contributed to the subsequent raids against Family communities in those countries. The newspaper Avui reported on June 11, 1993,

PARIS.- The French police carried out a vast operation against the COG on Wednesday night, in twelve different locations across the country.. … The operation carried out in Catalonia [Barcelona] has been one of the reference points that the French police has used to carry out their operation. These last years the French Gendarmerie and the Catalan police have kept frequent contacts about this subject. … Since July 1990 the Catalan police and members of the DA office have travelled around Europe giving explanations in detail of the operation and answering questions from their colleagues.

The Nou Diari De Barcelona reported similar involvement with Argentine authorities.

Sources close to the investigation have stated that the materials seized during the raid [in Barcelona] was handed over to the different police corps worldwide that were interested in persecuting the sect. The French and Argentine police were among these, and they studied the material before their operations.

It should be noted that the investigations in France and Argentina yielded the same results as in Spain: That children in Family communities had not been abused and were well-cared for. The children were again returned to their parents, but only after suffering tremendously during the armed raids and subsequent imprisonment.

Italy

The government has been under pressure to re-enact laws introduced under Mussolini’s Fascist regime of `plagio’ (brainwashing). Dr. Massimo Introvigne of CESNUR International explained,

The crime of "plagio" (or brainwashing) was created by the fascist regime and stricken from the Criminal code many years ago (in 1981) by the Constitutional Court as being against the democratic constitution of Italy.

STRUGGLES FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE FORMER SOVIET BLOC

Religious liberty faces several different challenges in the former Communist bloc: There are the constitutional laws that are being revised; there are restrictive laws passed by local authorities; and then there are laws that cover the freedom of movement of nationals or foreigners, which can have serious repercussions for believers.

In much of this part of Europe and Asia (we include here Kazakhstan), we have observed that it is the traditional churches that are agitating the most for changes in the laws. This is a sad development considering that the type of restrictions they wish to impose on new religions today will most likely be used against them in the future. It has been said that anti-religious laws will be very swiftly and easily adopted in Eastern Europe, because of the nature of the governments there, who have little if any experience in religious pluralism.

The laws being discussed or implemented are generally in the direction of controlling religious groups, often by imposing registration requirements in order to function legitimately. Possibilities of registration are being limited to older established groups (as in Russia, at least 15 years) and/or groups with a large membership. This precludes the possibility of registering for many of the new churches, home-grown or inspired by foreign missionaries, as previous restrictions by communist regimes were only lifted around 1990.

We, as The Family, are not attempting to register in these countries. One important reason for this policy is that we, along with many others, believe the political and social conditions are not stable. Although some of the present governments may be tolerant of religion, there are no guarantees that future governments will be so lenient; and if anything, there are indications that they will not be. Thinking back to what happened in the 1917 communist revolution is sufficient warning of what the future may yet hold.

Russia

In June and July this year, the Russian Duma passed three readings of new legislation that will drastically limit religious freedom. The bill passed overwhelmingly in both the lower and upper houses and was then given to President Boris Yeltsin for his ratification. At the time of this writing in July 1997, President Yeltsin has refused to sign the legislation and returned it to the Duma for revisions.

The fight over religious freedom in Russia began in earnest when the country was still a Soviet republic. A law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations passed in October 1990 was widely hailed for its reversal of the repressive policies of the atheistic Soviet state, but in 1992, shortly after the law came fully into force, critics began attacking its lenience toward foreign and "non-traditional" denominations. Since then the Orthodox Church and other parties have lobbied heavily for an amendment to these laws. Different revisions have already been discussed several times in the Duma. In April 1995, the Duma passed an amendment that forbade the formation and activities of religious groups that "threaten national security and social order … use means of persuasion … prevent children from getting an adequate education … or break any other laws."

President Yeltsin did not ratify the amendments. Since then there have been further rounds of discussion and revisions and the latest reading of the bill in June 1997 was no surprise. The legislation would have made it obligatory for all religious organisations to register; and without registration, they would not be allowed to own property, publish literature or worship in public places. Registration would only be open to religious groups who have existed for at least 15 years, which is virtually impossible for all but the traditional religions considering that communist restrictions only ended in 1990. The new law would also permit the government to set up structures to specifically deal with and regulate the activities of religious groups, which the present constitution does not allow.

An international outcry, including an appeal from the Pope, gave witness to widespread concern about the legislation that would effectively signal a return to religious controls of Soviet days. President Yeltsin explained his decision to veto the law thus:

… Many provisions of the law infringe on constitutional rights and freedoms of individuals and citizens, establish inequality between different confessions, and violate Russia’s international obligations.

The President has acknowledged the controversy over the bill, which had received strong backing from the Orthodox Church and the communist contingent in Parliament. He asked parliament members to support his decision:

We cannot have a democratic society if we violate the constitution and fail to defend the interests of any minority of our citizens.

However, the controversy continues. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has since warned of civil discord if President Yeltsin continues his opposition to the bill:

A final rejection of the law on the freedom of worship might lead to tension between the authorities and the majority of the people in Russia—which would seriously complicate the movement of our society toward peace and concord.

Even if President Yeltsin vetoes the bill, parliament can override him. His only option in that case would be an appeal to Russia’s constitutional court.

Meanwhile, in the past couple of years, local authorities around Russia have been passing laws forbidding any foreign missionary activities, even though these laws contradict the present Russian constitution. At least 15 Russian cities have forbidden any foreign missionary activities, and more cities are trying to get similar laws passed.

General Lebed, presidential hopeful of the 1996 elections and possible future contender, summed up the conservative sentiments in Russia: He "pledged to ban religious sects," and was quoted as saying, "There is no place for them [foreign sects] on our land. They should be outlawed. We have three officially recognised religions: Orthodoxy, Islam and Buddhism." (He later back-pedalled on this and added the Jews to the list of recognised religions.)

Tax laws are another tool being used against religious groups. While the government sincerely wants to discover those who are evading payment of lawful taxes, it seems this "tax crackdown" is also subject to misuse by local officials who wish to interfere with religious groups. As an example: In late 1996, a small meeting by a religious group in Petersburg was raided by the authorities ostensibly on the pretext of tax offences. Apparently the apartment was searched without a warrant and students were threatened with imprisonment. In another incident, an American missionary is facing a possible prison term of eight years for alleged tax offences.

Yet another serious challenge in Russia is the revival of the practice of imposing psychiatric treatment on religious adherents. In June 1997, a conference was held in Moscovskiy Gosudarstvennyi Universitet (in Moscow) on the subject of the "Gospel in the Context of World Culture." This brought together psychiatrists who believe in the brainwashing model and who apparently wish to unite against religious groups. According to our information, a speaker from the Institute of Psychiatry proposed that a mass media campaign should be embarked on against new religious movements, and that afterwards the "sect victims" should be taken to secluded monasteries of the Orthodox Church. He said that by the orders of the central Moscow Health Office, "rehabilitation process of the victims of the totalitarian sect" has already been set up in a Psychiatry Hospital # 8.

Belorussia

Sometime during the last year, a strict law was passed in Belorussia restricting the activities of foreign religions. (We do not know the details.) The president of Belarus has also imposed tough restrictions on travel. Under the new rules, apparently no Belarus citizen can travel abroad without government permission, nor can foreigners enter the country without undergoing inspections.

Ukraine

In May 1997, the President of Ukraine called an urgent conference in response to some complaints from the Orthodox church, who have asked for a ban on all foreign missionary movements’ activities in the country, putting all different NRMs and non-Orthodox religions in the same category. The conference was followed by a discussion in Parliament, who decided not to proceed with legislation, taking the view that members of NRMs should be treated on an equal basis as the rest of society.

An anti-cult group known as "Salvation" is in the process of trying to revive a law that says that religious groups that cause psychological damage can be forbidden. This law was used against the White Brethren and is now being used in a court case against a religious group in Dneperpetrovsk. If parliament approves the reactivation of this law, it will affect all of the smaller religious groups in the Ukraine.

A Parliamentary Commission will also consider the question of brainwashing over the coming months and whether legislation is needed.

Kazakhstan

Religious sentiments and tensions are rising in Kazakhstan. There are continuing tensions between the Orthodox Church and other religious groups. The Archbishop of Kazakhstan recently issued a general call to arms against all missionaries and religious groups outside of the Orthodox Church and Islam, and stated that they expect full government co-operation. On a different front, there have been incidents of violence between Christians and Muslims due to the churches wanting to convert Muslims. There have been instances in smaller villages of Kazakhs who converted to Christianity being killed by Muslim Kazakhs.

In June 1997 the Kazakh parliament passed a new law which forbad the establishment "of a religious or social organisation whose activities are related with any kind of violence or damage the health of citizens or instigate people to renounce the execution of their obligations as citizens." Offenders can receive heavy fines and/or be sentenced to hard labour and prison terms. The vague wording could be used to include a lot of activities, and "mental health" damage, such as through religious conversion, could be construed to be within the scope of this law.

Religious organisations are already required to register, and religious activities are prohibited from public buildings, orphanages, schools, etc. The cabinet of ministers is apparently working on decrees that will involve regulation and accreditation of foreign missionaries, religious groups and their activities in Kazakhstan. A government official remarked that to those in power, the ideology of religious groups that are not communist is more dangerous to the country than armed weapons.

Poland

Poland has seen a relentless "anti-cult" media campaign for the past several years. At some periods there has been a negative article per day! This has set the mood in the country to be very much against smaller religious groups. When the Ministry of Interior issued its yearly statement at the beginning of 1996, it stated that "the influx of sects is one of the greatest internal dangers to society." Three main sects referred to were The Unification Church, Hare Krishnas and The Family.

There have been parliamentary discussions about restricting religious freedom for NRMs, but so far this has not happened.

In October 1996, a new law was passed stating that NRMs cannot register as a religious group unless they can show 500 members and prove that they have a history of 100 years of religious activity. This also applies to already registered NRM groups, and if they cannot comply with this, their registration is revoked.

In May of this year we heard about a national investigation into sects conducted by the police authorities.

Bulgaria

Since the constitution was revised in favour of religious freedom at the time of the fall of communism, regional legislation has whittled away at the newly gained freedoms. The mayors of some towns have forbidden the use of municipal properties to any religious groups other than the traditional ones, and some towns have gone as far as passing laws forbidding the activities of any non-Orthodox religious groups. Now the government has enacted laws that require religious organisations to have government approval to operate in Bulgaria. The Government Bureau for Religious Affairs that decides which religions may be registered is comprised mostly of individuals known to be prejudiced against new religions. Evangelical and other Protestant churches have already been denied registration.

Official persecution of Christians continues to rise. Police, supported by secret service agents, have raided the houses of foreign missionary workers and Bulgarian pastors. In one incident in the Bulgarian town of Veliko Turnovo, 250 kilometers east of Sofia, a Bulgarian pastor leading the Evangelical congregation "Revival" was briefly arrested and fined. Police officials confiscated Bibles, other Christian literature and video and audio cassettes. Christians have received death threats, and prayer halls throughout the country have been destroyed by nationalists supported by police and local officials. A Bible school run by the Word of Life congregation was closed down by secret service agents in co-operation with an anti terrorist squad of the police. An evangelical meeting held in May this year was disrupted by bomb threats.

Media harassment of non-Orthodox Christians has continued unabated for several years now, apparently with official backing, which has resulted in strong public sentiments against minority religious groups.

Romania

The Patriarch of the Orthodox Church has spoken about the need to resist new religions that he described as invading the country. This was illustrated last year when the Jehovah’s Witnesses planned a major conference of 40,000 members. The Orthodox Church organised a demonstration against the conference that resulted in heightened anti-NRM feelings in the country.

We have heard that the Romanian parliament will be discussing legislation similar to that which has been proposed in Russia, and that this may be enacted later in 1997.

Hungary

In 1993, the Hungarian parliament discussed legislation that would make it impossible for religious groups with less than 10,000 members or less than 100 years old to be able to obtain the status of "Church"; and would also impose stricter registration of religious groups. Would-be churches would have to provide the registration courts with a summary of their religious teachings, and those teachings may not offend "generally accepted moral values." Protests that the law is "more repressive than under the Communists" and would discriminate against small religious communities were backed by a 60,000 signature petition. (We do not know in what form this legislation came into law.)

Lithuania

A "Law of the Religious Associations to the Lithuanian Republic" has been proposed which will recognise only nine traditional religious associations. Other religious associations would be forced to apply for state recognition, which will give the State a great amount of power in classifying religions and could allow for legal religious discrimination. (We do not know if this law has been ratified.)

TARGETING NEW RELIGIONS: WHO IS TO BLAME?

Clearly we are witnessing a decline in tolerance for religious plurality. Governments are considering or enacting laws that deny fundamental religious freedoms, even those enshrined in international agreements. In general, the public and members of traditional religions are supporting these changes.

We surmise that there are many well-meaning people who sincerely believe that the smaller non-traditional religions that have multiplied so rapidly in the past thirty years are dangerous to themselves and to society. A growing body of scholars and social scientists realise that this is not the case; and that while members of new religions are not faultless and some undoubtedly have committed criminal acts, the same holds true for members of the traditional religions and of non-religious people. Whether it is sin, moral outrage, or criminal act -- no grouping in society, religious or otherwise, can claim complete innocence. Some new religious movements have gone wrong, such as the tragic suicides by the members of Heaven’s Gate and Solar Temple. But it is wrong to judge all religious groups on the basis of those few. The Dutch Government Study of New Religious Movements concluded that

In general, new religious movements are no real threat to mental public health. … [and that] No proof has come up...that new religious movements would have a serious pathogenic impact on their members.

When you consider rising crime rates; when you consider that more than one in nine West European children live in single-parent families; that a quarter of all pregnancies worldwide end in abortion (some 33 million foetuses are legally aborted each year); that the world spends about $900,000 a minute on military equipment while the lives of three million children a year could be so easily saved by six cents worth of Vitamin A; that suicide is usually listed among the top 10 causes of death in nations that report it and mental health problems make up 8.1 percent of the "global burden of disease"; and that an estimated 197 million have died in wars since 1914, then the issue of problems caused by a handful of religionists comes into a different perspective.

As British sociologist Eileen Barker pointed out:

When reporting some bad news or malpractice concerning an NRM, the story is often presented in such a way as to suggest that the occurrence is more typical of NRMs than it would be of the rest of society. If, for example, a member of an NRM commits suicide, attention is almost certain to be drawn to his or her affiliation to the movement, with the implication that the movement was responsible for the suicide. If, on the other hand, Methodists or Anglicans commit suicide, it is most unlikely that their religious identity will be mentioned.

Why then are new religious movements being targeted? There seem to be several main sources that are perpetuating the myths of the dangers of small religions:

ANTI-CULT AND ANTI-RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT

An international network of organisations is operating in numerous countries under different guises and names and often posing as "impartial" information agencies. These groups are collectively known as the Anti-Cult Movement (ACM). Spearheaded by the now defunct U.S.-based Cult Awareness Network (CAN), this movement also includes the French Association for the Defense of The Family and the Individual (ADFI), the Dialogue Centre in Denmark, FAIR, and Cult Information Centre (CIC) in England. These groups have attacked a variety of Christian and other religious groups.

In the past years the ACM has been responsible for the illegal abduction and "deprogramming" of individuals of all religious faiths, including members of The Family. In 1993, one such "deprogrammer," Galen Kelly, a former employee of CAN, was sentenced to seven and one-half years in an American prison for the forcible abduction and attempted deprogramming of a young woman. At his trial, Kelly testified that he had conducted at least 30 to 40 deprogrammings.

Recent criminal convictions against several key CAN members in American courts for kidnapping have resulted in its bankruptcy, although comparable organisations in Europe continue their activities.

The ACM has been able to use the tragic suicides by Solar Temple and Heaven’s Gate members to their advantage. Where the traditional churches cannot push out other smaller Christian groups by levelling accusations of evangelism, they are taking the back door, standing alongside the ACM, stating that these smaller groups are cults and have the potential to be "Solar Temple or Heaven’s Gate people" and are also destructive and detrimental to society.

The ACM is fast gaining strength in Eastern Europe. New centres with names such as "The Centre of Apologetical Research" have opened in various locations, from as far away as Petersburg, Russia, over to Kazakhstan. Stories about new religious movements, many times factually incorrect, are being spread from West to East.

The ACM is not for the most part openly anti-Christian, but to many of its members, Jesus is just another leader of a "destructive cult." In January 1994, Keith Epstein, a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper (Ohio, USA) asked CAN executive director Cynthia Kisser what she would do if Jesus Christ walked the earth today. Her reply:

If He were alive, now, we’d take an interest in Him because of the great controversy surrounding His fringe activities. We’d ask Him for the same information we seek from cults today—financial data, information on His practices and so on. We’d try to see if there was abuse, unethical behaviour or deceptive practices. And I’d send whatever we could find to reporters.

ACM groups in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe tend to function with the backing, albeit unofficial, of the Orthodox Church. Earlier this year a social committee in Russia filed a civil libel suit against Alexander Dvorkin, a Russian/American, who had published a brochure in 1995 that contained allegations against a number of small non-traditional religious movements. The case went to court in April 1997. It involved a host of international experts on both sides. Only one Russian academic testified on Dvorkin’s behalf, a psychiatrist famous for his re-invention of the term "quasi-religious delusions" that used to be widely used by the Soviet punitive psychiatry against religious dissidents. The case came unexpectedly to a close in May when the judge cut off all witnesses. The ruling was to deny the plaintiffs their suit. The reason has not yet been given and it may have been on a technicality. The verdict was not a surprise as Dvorkin had published his brochure with the backing of the Department of Education of the Orthodox Church and it was unlikely the judge would rule against them.

MEDIA

From individual articles to ongoing campaigns such as we have observed in Poland, the media contributes a great deal to anti-religious sentiments. Irresponsible sections of the media, particularly the tabloid press, know very well that sensationalism sells papers. Headline stories about alleged sexual abuse cater to a voyeuristic appetite in the public and can successfully increase their circulation. Such reports are rarely factual or properly researched. It would seem that serious television, radio or newspaper reporters would have higher journalistic ethics but we have observed that there is a certain "media correctness" in reporting negatively on religious movements. In our experience, even when errors are pointed out, it is rare that rebuttals or factual corrections are published.

EX-MEMBERS

It is not unusual for members who leave a religion to make outlandish claims about what took place during their membership as a means of justifying their own departure. This, coupled with a type of bitterness that is analogous to that experienced by an unhappy divorcee, results in acrimonious accusations. Objective psychologists are aware of this, and the academic community has deemed ex-member testimony to be highly suspect as a result.

Given the realities of social psychology, particularly the felt need of the ex-member to justify previous behaviour with a rationale that exempts him or her from personal responsibility, most researchers agree that testimonies of ex-members as to the causes of their behaviour are extremely suspect and should not be presented with the aura of scientific evidence.

In the experience of our movement, out of 34,000 former members who have left our fellowship, there has only been a handful who left with animosity. However those few individuals have been particularly vociferous. The media has often repeated their same stories, creating an impression that many of our ex-members are overtly critical, which is not the case. This is another example of how the media generally lacks objectivity but perpetuates negative impressions of new religious groups.

FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

History reveals that for many centuries, sinister forces have been consistently, sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly, working towards the dechristianisation of society in general. Like many other believers, we are alarmed at how swiftly this propaganda campaign against Christian values and morals is growing in present-day society. We have been ushered into an age where even the word "Christian" is often disparagingly used to describe someone who is narrow-minded, unenlightened, unintelligent, and potentially dangerous to himself and others. On the other hand, the champions of abortion, homosexuality, self-gratification, the unbridled pursuit of financial gain, secular humanism, etc., are increasingly considered to be morally, socially and politically correct role models for the next generation.

We see this erosion of spiritual values as a fulfilment of biblical predictions that just prior to Jesus’ Second Coming, the world will experience an unprecedented apostasy. The prophets of the Bible warn that mankind will ultimately fall under the dominion of a ruthless anti-God New World Order that will severely persecute all who refuse to renounce their faith and embrace the new state-sponsored creed. Citizens of this rapidly rising one world government will be required to worship its demagogic dictator, described in the Bible as "the Beast." (See Revelation, chapter 13.)

From a Christian perspective, perhaps one of the greatest tragedies in the ongoing fight for religious freedom is the involvement of other Christians, who do not agree that minority groups deserve the same rights to freedom of religion as the established church. Within the wide body of Christian believers worldwide, there are many strong contrasts in beliefs. If a Roman Catholic, an Evangelical Protestant, and a Russian Orthodox stood side-by-side, they would have many differences between themselves. Add to the crowd a non-conformist Christian, such as a member of The Family, and there would be yet more differences. But if we all love and worship Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and sole Saviour for mankind; if we accept the Holy Bible as the inspired and irrevocable Word of God, then should we not stand together and support each other in a world that is becoming ever-more anti-Christian in its outlook?

FREEDOM OF RELIGION: TO UPHOLD OR DISREGARD

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance"—Article 18, Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We read in the Gospels the words spoken by Jesus Christ that, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (The Bible—Matthew 4:4). In these simple words, He taught us a great truth. Just as physical food is essential for life, so are we each endowed with a spiritual hunger, a desire and a need to find eternal truth, to find meaning to our lives and a purpose to our existence.

That international treaties declare freedom of religion to be a fundamental human right is a reflection of this spiritual consciousness.

Imposing limits on religious freedom will not put an end to religion, whether mainstream traditionalism or unconventional minority beliefs. The hunger in our hearts is too great and must be satisfied with more than this material world has to offer. But imposing restrictions will make life more difficult for countless believers of every faith. In place of tolerance, we will experience increased bigotry; and bigotry will turn to persecution.

May God in His mercy grant that more people would realise and understand the significance of today’s events in Europe.