Acts
of the conference
Cults
and Esotericism:
New
Challenges for Civil Societies in
Organised by the
Arbeitsgruppe Scientology der Behörde für Inneres
der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg
and the
European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on
Sectarianism
28. April 2007 at
the
Handwerkskammer,
Holstenwall 12, 20355 Hamburg
Preamble
This
FECRIS conference, held in the largest and most populated Member State of the
European Union and, up to now, attended by the most important number of
participants, attempted to fulfil a number of requirements:
- as in the preceding
year, mainly to direct attention to the menace to democracy and human
rights,
- to illustrate new
developments in the field of cults,
- to allow speakers
from as many countries as possible to express themselves, with particular
attention to those from Central and
- nevertheless to
concede the hosting country,
- and to demonstrate
the way the cult problem is relevant to national and international
institutions.
It
is evident that a certain amount of compromise was necessary to give everyone a
hearing, but we hope that the participants benefited of information and
acquired ideas to impulse their future work. The interest was high, as proved
by the 140 participants from 22 countries, among them guests from
In
the title of the conference, the expression “Esotericism” appeared for the
first time. The practice of esoteric knowledge which has become more and more
popular and which hitherto was believed to be harmless is dangerous inasmuch as
it can be used as a basis for the totalitarian influence of gurus of all kinds.
In the same way as it has proven false that scientific and technological
progress is a solution to everything, the idea which seems now dominant is that
everything can be tackled in the “spiritual” way, throwing overboard thousands
of years of human experience. A “change of paradigm” in this field would result
in a total loss of reality.
It
is important that national and international institutions become aware that
human rights and democracy are at stake. Civil society too is challenged to
defend itself against totalitarianism.
To
resist cult seduction one has to understand how cults proceed. This is equally
important for the average citizen as for staff in institutions such as public
health, education and law. It is important to detect when cults try to slide
their foot in the door by seemingly harmless offers which will later make it
easier for the introduction of their real goals.
FECRIS wishes to act as an advocate for the victims of
cults and as a warning system, and for this purpose seeks contact with national
and international institutions. A first step after the conference in Hamburg
was the study day organised on the occasion of the INGO session in the Council
of Europe on 28 June 2007 in Strasbourg, on the subject: “Sectarian deviations:
a challenge for democracy and human rights”. (It would have been more
appropriate to use the term : “Cultic deviations”.)
Quite
by chance, just a day later, on
The
texts of the present brochure were, unless noted otherwise, handed to us as
manuscripts by the speakers, free of charge, in order to be published, which we
are very grateful for. We also thank the Arbeitsgruppe Scientology [2] of the Freie und Hansestadt
|
Friedrich Griess President |
Mireille Degen Secretary general |
Contents
Nagel Udo – Senator of the
Interior of the city of
Griess Friedrich – Member of GSK
[4],
BLumenthal Antje – Member of the
Bundestag of the
The public-relations activities of cults
Konovalov Alexander
– Plenipotentiary representative of the President of Russia
in the
General
Preconditions of Appearance of Cultic and Neopagan Practices in Modern Russia [5]
Caberta Ursula – Head of the Working Group Scientology of the Authority of
Internal Affairs,
Activities of the state related to the psycho-market –
example Scientology
FROMM
Rainer – Journalist, scenario writer and film maker,
The Black
Occult Scene of Youngsters: From the “Grufti” Movement to the Nazi Black Metal
TretyakoVA Victoriya –
Honorary lawyer and professor,
MULLER-TULLI
Danièle – President of ASDFI [6],
The Council
of Europe “how it works”
NoWAkowski Piotr
Tomasz – Social pedagogue, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin – Off-Campus Faculty of Social Sciences in Stalowa Wola, Poland
Antisocial
and asocial aspects of cult activity in Poland
LÖFGREN Helena – Ethologist, Sweden
Le COZ Pierre - Professor of
philosophy, Université Aix-Marseille II, member of the
National Consultative Committee of
Ethics, member of GEMPPI [7],
France
Development of coaching in France: a new
opening for cults
DUBROW-MARSHALL Linda - Psychologist, president of
RETIRN [8],
visiting professor at
JOUGLA Jean-Pierre
– Lawyer, member of UNADFI [9]
, France
Why it is extremely
difficult for the Judiciary to understand how cults function?
Analysis based as an example on the Order of the Solar
Temple movement [10]
PO Simonetta – Researcher, former Scientologist, Italy
Scientology:
Front Groups, an Occult System of Recruiting and Infiltration Attempts
KROPVELD Mike –
Executive Director of Info-Cult /
A Comparison
of Different Countries Approaches to Cult-Related Issues
FECRIS is not responsible for the points
of views expressed by the speakers at its conferences.
[1] http://assembly.coe.int/Mainf.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta07/EREC1804.htm
and http://assembly.coe.int/Mainf.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta07/EREC1805.htm
[4] Gesellschaft gegen Sekten- und Kultgefahren, Austria, http://sektinfo.org
[5] As Mr. Konovalov was
prevented to come, his contribution was read by prof. Alexander Dvorkin
[6] Association Suisse de Défense
des Familles et de l'Individu
[7] Groupe d'étude des mouvements
de pensée en vue de la prévention des individus
[8] Re-Entry Therapy,
Information & Referral Network
[9] Union nationale des
Associations de Défense des Familles et de l'Individu victimes de sectes
[10] Ordre du Temple Solaire