Re: Reachout Trust - Playing up to Racial Bias? -- Spotlight Ministries Debate Forum

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Subject: Re: Reachout Trust - Playing up to Racial Bias?

Author:
Bunsen

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Date Posted: 12:43:20 09/17/04 Fri
In reply to: Donald 's message, "Re: Reachout Trust - Playing up to Racial Bias?" on 08:48:08 09/02/04 Thu

Donald

Its a pity you didn't learn more about CESNUR before thinking you had found some wonderful article with which to attack the Reachout Trust.

It is nothing more than a cult apologist group.

In trying to portray cults merely as "religious alternatives" to Christianity, Instead of recognizing and acknowledging what is bad about such movements - sociologically and/or theologically - they spend time and energy crusading on their behalf, mainly highlighting what he deems to be good about those movements. While ignoring the harm they have done to peoples lives.

Which is probably why at one time the Watchtower organisations (Jehovah's Witnesses) were associated with them. Were due to attend a conference with them and other cults, but when it became known about this "interfaith", among its members, they withdraw their involvement

In its fight against legislation, CESNUR always uses three main arguments:
1.It argues against "brainwashing" theories. Long story short: CESNUR scholars play semantics games in order to deny that some movements use unethical persuasion tactics in recruiting and maintaining members. This issue is addressed

2. It calls into doubt the truthfulness of �apostates� , that is those who have left a cult. Rather than see them merely as ex-members who may or may not speak out against the movements they were involved in, CESNUR considers apostates to be "former members converted into active opponents of the group they have left." . Like many other cult apologists, they essentially call ex-cult members liars.

3. It denounces and dismisses anti-cult organizations as ill-informed. In the process, CESNUR also ignores - wilfully, or from ignorance - the differences between the anti-cult- and counter cult movements.

And maybe here iss another Watchtower link to the "Satanic" side of things.

Both Melton and Introvigne, directors of CESNUR, are members of the The Transylvanian Society of Dracula - an association dedicated to the study of Dracula and vampires. Massimo Introvigne presides over TSD's Italian chapter, and Melton heads the American chapter (which he founded).

Melton also was one of the organizers of "Dracula 97 - The Vampire Event of the Century," at which he appeared dressed as Dracula .

Here is a link to a site about the founder of CESNUR

http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/storia/gb00.htm

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