LinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterAmazonAmazonYouTubeVimeoRedditRss

Blog

Scripted Violence, Conspiracy Theories and Concerns

2018-12-16T19:01:27+00:00December 6th, 2018|Blog|

It has been several weeks since Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue in his hateful, rage-filled attack against Jews. This week, I had the opportunity to interview Chip Berlet, an investigative journalist, research analyst and scholar of right-wing movements. I had been wanting to interview him so he could explain the concept of scripted violence. This seems to be exactly what took place with Bowers. He had been influenced to hate and fear Jewish people to the point that he acted out and committed a terrorist act. I also wanted to ask Chip about the Protocols of [...]

Highlights from my EXJW Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything)

2018-12-16T19:12:23+00:00November 29th, 2018|Blog|

Top Ten Questions & Answers On Monday, November 19, 2018, I participated in my first ever AMA (Ask Me Anything) for r/exjw on Reddit to an overwhelming response. Reddit users interviewed me by posting questions which I then answered on the Reddit forum. I want to thank Kimmy O'Donnell who helped arrange it and everyone for their support and contributions. My opening post directed the discussion, "Good morning. I will be available for the next 24 hours to answer your questions. We can discuss the Jehovah's Witnesses and how they fit my BITE model, how to help family and [...]

What is a Cult? Whiteboard Animation Explaining the BITE Model

2018-12-16T19:12:28+00:00November 22nd, 2018|Blog|

BITE Model Since my deprogramming from the Moon cult in 1976, I have come to learn of countless thousands of groups that I have never heard of before. Are they cults? Do they use mind control? Is it brainwashing? I have also been asked to comment on destructive family systems and controlling relationships. Over the decades of research, my way of systematizing a method to evaluate a weird group with crazy beliefs from a destructive one has come to be grounded in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It seems to me that while there are countries, [...]

A Call to Action for All Who Have Suffered from Mind Control!

2018-12-16T20:47:32+00:00November 15th, 2018|Blog|

The Age of Influence I believe that we are no longer living merely in the "Age of Information" but the "Age of Influence." Information has long been collected, legally and illegally about billions of people, building very sophisticated profiles. With such a persona or profile, influence can be very efficiently used to manipulate people's minds and behavior. In the past forty years that I have been studying cult mind control techniques and patterns, in this digital age, I see "influence" developing at a high velocity. For example, the Chinese government, along with every country with a top-down control of [...]

Questionable Legislation Sponsored to Make Pyramid Schemes Legal

2018-12-16T19:44:29+00:00November 8th, 2018|Blog|

Multi-Level Marketing Scams Have you ever been approached to learn about a great "business opportunity"? I have been. Over and over again. For more than forty years! The names of the groups change but they are all pretty much the same. I have also been asked to help a family member or friend caught up in a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scam. MLMs are pyramid schemes that focus on recruiting others to recruit others and statistics show that 99% of people involved lose money. Warning, you can't make millions of dollars part-time. Common sense, yes? However, recruiters are very convincing. [...]

Ideas for Combating Hate Speech and Violence

2018-12-13T20:41:31+00:00October 29th, 2018|Blog|

The massacre of 11 innocent Jews in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last Sabbath by a hateful, disturbed man is a wake-up call for everyone who loves freedom. I attended my own synagogue that morning and experienced a wonderful Bar Mitzvah where the dvar, taught by the thirteen-year-old, was about intelligent disobedience and how Abraham had failed his test by God when agreeing to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Instead of Abraham using his critical thinking skills and following his heart and his conscience, he was prepared to offer his son as a sacrifice because God [...]

The Attempt to Redefine Religious Freedom

2018-12-15T19:47:51+00:00October 25th, 2018|Blog|

This week's blog is an effort to make people aware of a concerted effort to move the United States away from the Founding Fathers' plan in the Constitution. They wanted a solid foundational commitment for a clear separation of Church and State. However, we are currently seeing a trend towards giving rights to religious corporations that may impinge on the rights of others. Meanwhile, some powerful elements of the Christian Right are engaged in a well-funded effort to move us away from a democracy to a theocracy. This week, I had the good fortune to do a video interview [...]

Time to Abolish the Statutes of Limitation for Child Sexual Abuse!

2018-12-16T19:40:23+00:00October 18th, 2018|Blog|

"Children's Rights are Human Rights" is the first thing you see when visiting the CHILD USA website. CHILD USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank dedicated to protecting kids and preventing abuse. Its two founders are law professor and author Marci Hamilton and Dr. Rita Swan. Both are dedicated to ensuring children receive proper medical treatment (but do not provide direct services). Marci is the Founder and CEO of CHILD USA, which is the successor organization to Rita Swan’s CHILD Inc. I have had the opportunity to meet and know both of these extraordinary activists through my involvement on the advisory [...]

Malice Found by Jury in Montana Watchtower Society Sex Abuse Case

2018-12-16T20:47:55+00:00October 11th, 2018|Blog, News and Updates|

The huge decline in membership due to critical information on the Internet, as well as lawsuits, are forcing leadership of older established clergy organizations, like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, to try to find ways to cope. In the case of Watchtower, documents listing predators have been leaked. Also, in the case of the LDS Church, documents are being leaked and put online. Long term dedicated members are realizing that they have been systematically lied to about the actual goings, causing large scale defections. Psychologist John Dehlin was excommunicated from the Mormon Church for speaking out about a need to change their policy [...]

Trauma Trigger Alert for Sexual Abuse Survivors! Cosby Conviction, Kavanaugh Hearing and Trump

2018-12-15T19:48:47+00:00October 4th, 2018|Blog|

Donald Trump holds a “Make America Great Again” rally in Mississippi and mocks Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images On October 2nd, 2018, at a political rally, the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, mocked Christine Blasey Ford's testimony of her sexual assault while in high school. As I watched the video of Trump, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt for all of the women who have even been assaulted and were afraid to speak about it. I felt for all the people who spoke about it [...]