I am pleased to announce the beginning of a new non-profit organization, the Open Minds Foundation (OMF). It is based both in the United States as well as the United Kingdom and will be focused […]
Introducing the Open Minds Foundation Read More
I recently read a NY Times book review of AMERICAN HEIRESS: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin and listened to an interview done with the author on NPR. Honestly, I was horrified at his lack of knowledge and understanding about undue influence and disagreed 100% with his conclusions. I felt like I was listening to a “cult apologist”- someone hired by cult groups to defend the group and say they are “fine”- for example, G. Gordon Melton flying to Japan after the sarin gas attacks to defend the Aum Shinrikyo cult. The cult leader, Shoko Asahara, is on death row for being guilty of the terrorist attacks on over five thousand of Japanese citizens.
New Book on Patty Hearst Falls Short of Understanding Undue Influence Read More
Forty years ago, I was deprogrammed from the Moonies and months later I agreed to do involuntary deprogrammings with fellow cult members. During that time, parents had the legal recourse to help their adult children
Important New Model Offers Legal Guidelines for Cases Involving Undue Influence Read More
By now, almost everyone reading has heard the news that Prince has died. Though the exact cause of his death is still unknown, there have been speculations that his beliefs as a Jehovah’s Witness may have played a part. Whether or not the rumors are true, it is a fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to abstain from blood transfusions. If Prince were to have refused treatment and died, he would not be the first to do so as a result of Watchtower doctrine.*
One has to wonder though, how does a person like Prince become a Jehovah’s Witness?
Prince and the Power of Undue Influence Read More
Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the infamous Boston Marathon bombing. As an American citizen and a resident of the Boston area, I feel a great sense of sadness when I think about that horrible
Boston Marathon Bombing: Three Years Later Read More
What can we do to protect the American public from attacks like the one that occurred at the finish line of the Boston Marathon? Some have suggested increasing surveillance—more police and cameras in our nation’s
Protect Americans from Terrorism- Looking Beyond Boston Marathon Bombings Read More
