Open Letter to Madonna
Freedom of Mind Resource Center, Inc.
Steven Alan Hassan M.Ed, LMHC, NCC
PO Box 45223 Somerville, Massachusetts 02145
www.freedomofmind.com center@freedomofmind.com
May 27, 2004
Dear Madonna,
In this post 9/11 world we live in, it is especially important
to make intelligent, responsible distinctions between healthy
and unhealthy religious groups. It seems to me that the three
major Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam each
have individuals who are perverting them to their own political,
financial, and egotistical needs.* The great commandments of LOVE-
“Love God with all your heart mind and strength” and
“love your neighbor as you love yourself” - have become
twisted to focus on fear, hatred, guilt, greed and fame. The essence
of these religious traditions teach us to exercise our free will,
that we were intentionally created by God to have choices, and
not made to be merely programmed robots. I believe that any group
that uses deception and methods of mental and physical manipulation
to turn people into dependent and obedient slaves is not following
the essence of these great faiths.
When I saw a news photo of you wearing a tee-shirt that said “Cult
Member” as you left the Kabbalah Learning Centre (KLC) in
Los Angeles, I decided to write this open letter to you. It saddens
me to see you mock the suffering of countless numbers of people
who have unwittingly been recruited into destructive cults. I
am one of those people who dropped out of college, donated my
bank account and thought that I was following God’s chosen
representative on earth, Sun Myung Moon. In the 1970’s,
I too mocked and made fun of my family and friends as well as
the media! How could they ever think that I was in a cult? I “knew”
that I was following God’s Will. The group turned me into
a clone of its leader and I became arrogant and elitist. I was
indoctrinated to think from only within the narrow confines of
Moon’s messianic delusion called the “Divine Principle.”
I was taught thought-stopping to eradicate “negativity”
which included doubts and questions about many things. I was programmed
with phobias that if I ever left the group, I would be possessed
by evil spirits, like in the Exorcist movie. Do you really believe
that paying KLC $26 for a piece of red string to put on your wrist
will protect you from the “Evil Eye?”
I want you to understand that I am not criticizing Kabbalah. I
belong to a Temple that regularly holds kabbalat Shabbat services
(http://tbzbrookline.org
)
I am expressing my specific concerns about the Kabbalah Learning
Centre’s leaders and its policies. I am concerned that the
public is getting wrong ideas about Jewish mysticism if they rely
solely on the KLC. There are many credible rabbis to learn from
if you sincerely wish to study Kabbalah. Start by reading books
about Kabbalah written by scholars Gershom Scholem, Daniel Matt,
or Rabbi Arthur Green, dean at Hebrew College (http://hebrewcollege.edu).
Don’t you realize that you have a large responsibility to
your fans and to the general public? Why don’t you take
the time to sit down and read the many articles written about
Berg and his group? Why not speak with former member to hear about
their experiences? I have counseled two individuals from the LA
group and talked with many more who have contacted me. Why don’t
you read about cults? Mind control? I have a lot of material online
at my freedomofmind.com web site.
Please. Madonna. Wake up and think about the controversies that
have followed Berg since he morphed from an insurance salesman
to the self proclaimed title of “World’s Foremost
Kabbalist.” Just this claim would be a tip off that he has
a huge ego–the opposite of the humility that true teachers
of Jewish mysticism exude. Investigate the source of his Kabbalah
knowledge. I have been told that Kabbalists in Israel (and around
the world) scoff at Berg’s claims.
As you begin your new world tour, please reconsider endorsing
the Kabbalah Learning Centre and direct people who are interested
in Kabbalah to legitimate sources of study and practice.
Sincerely,
Steven Alan Hassan M.Ed., LMHC, NCC
*Of course, other religions have people perverting their teachings
too.