08AR13-36

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Apologia Report 13:36

October 16, 2008

Subject: Cult leader's daughter offers gripping autobiography

In this issue:

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - AMA warns against ayurveda

CHURCH UNIVERSAL AND TRIUMPHANT - autobiography by Elizabeth Clare Prophet's daughter a "page-turning account"

ISLAM - Muslims abandoning faith, "especially in Arab countries"

+ son of Hamas founder turns to Christ in a most vocal way

YOGA - public school fracas in upstate New York

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ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

"Ancient, but How Safe?" by Abby Ellin -- the American infatuation with everything Eastern-mystical received a jolt recently. "A report [1] in the Aug. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly 21 percent of 193 ayurvedic herbal supplements bought online, produced in both India and the United States, contained lead, mercury or arsenic." Ellin explains that "ayurveda [is] a medical system that originated in India thousands of years ago and has gained wide popularity in the United States."

Ellin samples the response. Kevin Casey, "the chief of Banyan Botanicals, a maker of ayurvedic products in Ashland, Ore." merely contends that "people are talking about it and understanding that there is the presence of heavy metals, but it doesn't mean it's toxic or dangerous."

But Robert B. Saper, assistant professor at the Boston University School of Medicine and lead author of the study, disagrees. "Even with relatively low levels of lead in the bloodstream, [Saper] said, 'a person can be relatively asymptomatic but the lead can still impact their I.Q. It can reduce their cognitive function and increase blood pressure.'"

Ellin adds that "the presence of metals in certain ayurvedic products may be intentional. An ancient form of ayurveda called 'rasa shastra' involves fusing organic and mineral compounds - including pearl, gold, diamonds, copper and mercury - into a medicine and then purifying it into what is believed to be a safe and ingestible form. But the rasa shastra products in Dr. Saper's study contained the highest levels of mercury, arsenic and lead - as much as 10,000 times over the recommended limits."

Ayurveda is very popular. "Many Americans get their first taste of ayurveda at spas. A 2006 survey from the International Spa Association reported that about 31 percent of United States spas offer ayurvedic medicine, usually limited to hot oil massages and facials," writes Ellin. New York Times, Sep 18 '08, <www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/fashion/18skin.html>

See also "Applying Science to Alternative Medicine" by William J. Broad, who notes that "More than 80 million adults in the United States are estimated to use some form of alternative medicine.... Now the federal government is working hard to raise the standards of evidence, seeking to distinguish between what is effective, useless and harmful or even dangerous." Broad describes the aims and efforts of theÊNational Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which has a budget of $122 million for this year alone. New York Times, Sep 29 '08, p. D7 <www.tinyurl.com/3rkkql>

For a detailed assessment of ayurveda in Robert Velarde's book, Examining Alternative Medicine, see the chapter on bestselling author Deepak Chopra, who is perhaps the most successful ayurveda salesman in the United States. Get the entire book at no cost here: <www.tinyurl.com/5bnvrk>.

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CHURCH UNIVERSAL AND TRIUMPHANT

Prophet's Daughter: My Life With Elizabeth Clare Prophet Inside the

Church Universal and Triumphant, by Erin Prophet [2] -- a "Page-turning account of growing up at the heart of a fringe religion. The Church Universal and Triumphant, which Prophet estimates to have had 40,000 followers worldwide at its peak, was an offshoot of earlier New Age movements combining Christian teachings, Eastern religious concepts and the channeling of messages from 'ascended masters.' Starting in the early 1970s, the author's mother, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, was at the center of the church and wielded autocratic power over her followers. Best known for ordering hundreds of adherents into underground Montana shelters in preparation for a prophesied nuclear war, the church and the Prophet family were often in the news during the early '90s. Viewed as a spiritual heir-apparent, the author was encouraged to take up her mother's mantle as a seer and visionary; she took on an increasingly active role in the church's decisions, though often behind the scenes. Elizabeth Prophet's control over her daughter's life was complete, even down to how often she spent the night with her husband. Over time, a series of insights into her mother's imperfections, from moral peccadilloes to frail and failing health, opened Prophet's eyes to the inconsistencies in her teachings, leading in the end to the author's independence. Looking back, Prophet dispassionately explores not only the cult but also her role in its day-to-day activities. Her memoir is lucidly written and entirely approachable, providing all the necessary background for understanding the story without belaboring New Age history. The author puts to good use her training as a sociologist in a text that demonstrates close reflection without wandering into self-pity or false excuses. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand how cults operate and view themselves in relation to the world." Kirkus Reviews, 2008 September, #2.

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ISLAM

"Walking Away From Islam" (no byline) -- "Hamas has an image problem, and it's getting worse. It's gotten so bad that the 30 year old son (Mosab Yousef) of one of the Hamas founders (Hassan Yousef) has not only renounced Hamas, but has become a Christian. Mosab is fed up with the terrorism/'destroy Israel' approach the Arab world has embraced over the last sixty years. ...

"Many young Moslems are abandoning Islam. Most do so quietly. In Iran, the clerics that run the country are shocked at secret police reports about a growing number of young Iranians who have, in effect, abandoned Islam. This sort of thing is happening all over the Moslem world, but especially in Arab countries." Brief. Strategy Page (current military news), Sep 2 '08, <www.strategypage.com/htmw/htterr/articles/20080902.aspx>

For a bit more background on Mosab Yousef, see Mark Kelly's story, "Hamas leader's son, now a Christian, says only Gospel can transform Middle East," in the Sep 8 '08 Christian Examiner <www.tinyurl.com/3l44cp>.

The next time you catch the media's focus on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, take notice of details regarding his fanatical adherence to the belief that a Shiite messiah, the Imam Mahdi, will "vanquish oppressors and bring perfection to the world." Scott Peterson, staff writer for The Christian Science Monitor, provides a valuable profile in "What drives Ahmadinejad's combative rhetoric?" (Christian Science Monitor, Sep 23 '08). <www.tinyurl.com/49jbff>

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YOGA

Hindu Press International ran the following item without editorial comment on October 6: "A group of parents and religious leaders in upstate New York want yoga classes out of public schools, saying the instruction violates boundaries between church and state. Two high school teachers began using yoga last year to help students relieve stress before exams. Special education teacher Martha Duchscherer and Spanish teacher Kerry Perretta also were developing a districtwide program. But those plans were halted after parents and others in the community complained students were being indoctrinated in Hindu rites. 'We are not opposed to the benefits. We can understand the benefits. We are opposed to the philosophy behind it and that has its ties in Hinduism and the way they were presenting it,' said the Rev. Colin Lucid of Calvary Baptist Church in Massena.

"The program does not have ulterior motives, Julie Reagan, Massena Board of Education president, said Thursday. 'If the school board felt there was any hidden religious activity behind the motives of our two instructors, we certainly wouldn't allow that,' she said. 'There is absolutely none of that. The teachers are well intended and trying to offer an aspect of fitness in the classroom that relaxes and readies the children for better learning.'

"'It's been a little discouraging that this program has taken on a negative tone,' said Duchscherer, who has taught in the Massena district for 11 years. 'The intention was never to teach religion. ... It was to introduce relaxation techniques.' But Lucid believes the voluntary program causes stress and should be offered as an after-school activity. 'People have made it a religious war, and it's not a religious war. We are basically concerned parents, saying we don't want our children participating in something that could cause them more stress and confusion,' Lucid said.

"Parents in Aspen, Colo., were successful in demanding the removal of yoga in the local curriculum in 2002. In Alabama, religious leaders pushed for a 1993 law prohibiting the teaching of yoga in schools, citing connections between yoga and Hindu religious training." HPI cites an Associated Press story in The Washington Post <www.tinyurl.com/47w75e> as its source.

See also the related discussion on the religion writers' "Get Religion" blog at <www.getreligion.org/?p=3994>.

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Sources, Digital:

1 - <www.tinyurl.com/6gfgp7>

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Sources, Monographs:

2 - Prophet's Daughter: My Life With Elizabeth Clare Prophet Inside the Church Universal and Triumphant, by Erin Prophet (Lyons, 2008, hardcover, 304 pages)

<www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1599214253/apologiareport>

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