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Stand Up for Religious Freedom
--An Appeal from The FamilyMOST COUNTRIES TODAY are signatories of documents in which they have pledged to upholdand defend the religious freedom of their citizens. However, in recent years we have witnessedfirsthand a dangerous shift towards state-sanctioned religious discrimination and outrightrepression and persecution in a number of professedly democratic countries. Nationalconstitutions and laws, as well as international edicts of tolerance and religious liberty such as theUnited Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the Declaration on theElimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981)are increasingly violated at the behest of anti-religious forces.For example, many astute observers in the United States have denounced what they see as asystematic undermining of religious faith and practices. In recent years anti-religious forces havesuccessfully goaded the courts to not only banish Bible reading and prayer from public schools,but they've even made it illegal to sing Christmas carols, to display nativity scenes on schoolproperties, for school teachers to wear a cross on a necklace, to bring a Bible to school, etc.A glaring and highly publicized example of religious repression in the U.S. is the federalgovernment's ruthless assault against the Branch Davidian group near Waco, Texas. We decrythe brutal manner in which David Koresh and his followers were handled. The Waco debacle wasan affront to the Constitution of the United States and a mockery of America's professed religiousfreedom. We believe that the Davidian holocaust should serve as a poignant wake-up call to allthose who cherish religious freedom.The Anti-Religious MovementOF PARTICULAR CONCERN to believers of all faiths is the involvement in the Waco tragedy of an organization of professional "faith-breakers" known as the Cult Awareness Network (CAN).Prior to the initial assault by the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) on the BranchDavidians, as well as during the ensuing 51-day siege, the government received what they wereled to believe was "expert" advice from CAN deprogrammers."Deprogramming" is a euphemism for using force to make someone change his or her beliefs.The typical deprogramming is initiated (or at least sponsored by) relatives who have beenconvinced by mercenary members and affiliates of anti-religious groups, such as CAN, that their "child" (invariably an adult of legal age) is somehow in danger by being a member of the religiousgroup he has joined. After extracting an exorbitant sum of money from the relatives, thedeprogrammers forcibly abduct their prey from his church or religious fellowship, and spirit himaway to closed quarters where the hapless believer is detained while the deprogrammers (or "exitcounsellors," as they now prefer to call themselves) harangue, harass, and assault their victimwith a barrage of anti-religious propaganda, false accusations and threats, virtually browbeatinghim to a mental and spiritual pulp, in order to make him renounce his faith.The book Let Our Children Go! (1976) by Ted Patrick, the originator of "deprogramming" in theU.S., frankly admits that deprogramming involves "kidnapping at the very least, quite oftenassault and battery, almost invariably conspiracy to commit a crime and illegal restraint."CAN is only one arm of an international network of similar groups bent on generating prejudiceand intolerance against a wide array of religions. Its counterparts in other countries include FAIR(Family Action Information Rescue) and the Cult Information Centre in the U.K., ADFI (theAssociation for the Defense of the Family and Individual) in France, and Pro Juventud in Spain, toname but a few. Together, these and other so-called anti-cult organizations form what academicsand legal experts have termed the "Anti-Cult Movement" (ACM), also known as the "Anti-
 
Religious Movement" (ARM). The ARM is publicly committed to the total dissolution anddestruction of various religious groups.It must be emphasized that CAN and its cohorts are not merely anti-"cult" organizations as theyprofess to be, but are, in every sense of the word, anti-religious organizations. Not only haveminority religions or new religious movements been targeted by CAN deprogrammers, butmembers of many mainstream Christian denominations—including Catholics, Baptists,Episcopalians and Greek Orthodox—have also fallen prey to these present-day inquisitors, ashave Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others.The ARM: A Symptom of a Much More Serious DiseaseWHILE WE DEPLORE the faith-destroying activities of the ARM, a greater cause for alarm is thegrowing anti-religious sentiment currently being encouraged in society at large. Those whoregulate the streams of information which mold much of the populace's opinions and attitudes—namely the media magnates, entertainment moguls and educational authorities—have becomeincreasingly irreverent in their portrayal of all things religious.We believe that the blatant anti-religious bias of America's major television networks, moviestudios and news magazines provides convincing evidence that a determined effort is underway—not only in the U.S., but worldwide—to erode and overthrow the fundamental spiritual valueswhich we hold most dear—spiritual values which we believe are the world's only hope of salvation.In his book, Free Speech or Propaganda?—How the Media Distorts the Truth (1990), MarlinMaddoux accurately describes the anti-religious slant of the programs broadcast by the massmedia manipulators of Hollywood and New York:"I don't think most Americans have yet fully grasped the awesome power of persuasion held bythe people who skillfully use television. Nor do they understand that this power is beingsystematically used to undermine the religious faith of the people. . . . Religiously motivatedcharacters are likely to be [portrayed as] neurotics for whom religion is a form of sickness."We believe that an ungodly agenda is being pursued by an elite clique of individuals to not only"de-Christianize" the West, but to undermine all religions. Furthermore, we see this erosion of spiritual values as a fulfillment of Biblical predictions that just prior to Jesus' Second Coming, theworld will experience an unprecedented apostasy. The prophets of the Bible warn that Mankindwill ultimately fall under the dominion of a ruthless anti-Christ New World Order which willseverely persecute all who refuse to renounce their faith and embrace the new state-sponsoredcreed. Citizens of this rapidly rising One World Government will be required to worship itsdemagogic dictator, a vile oppressor described in the Bible as "the Beast!" (See Revelationchapter 13.)It's Time to Unite and Stand Up for Your Religious RightsAS GODLY VALUES and religious practices are cast aside (and in some cases, actually bannedby secular humanist forces), and the shadows of anti-God darkness deepen across the globe, webeseech all people of faith to join us in resisting the anti-religious forces that would try to rob usall of our faith.We believe it is time for believers in God to look beyond their doctrinal differences and stand upcourageously and unitedly in the face of a common enemy—the anti-God forces which areworking overtime to deprive us all of our religious freedom!State-sponsored religious bigotry, anti-religious legislation, faith-denigrating media hype,deprogramming, psychiatric testimony being used against religion in courts of law, civil authorities
 
being misinformed about and prejudiced against religious fellowships by anti-religious hategroups; all of these ills are rampant today and constitute a genuine threat to followers of Godthroughout the world.If people of faith stand idly by and ignore the violation of the religious rights of others today, whatguarantee do they have that their own religious liberties will not be targeted tomorrow? Californiapsychiatrist Lee Coleman, in Cults, Culture and the Law (eds Robbins, Shepherd and McBride,1985) warns, "If bigotry triumphs, as it did in Nazi Germany and could here [in America] too, it willbe because not enough of us thought clearly and spoke out courageously."Let us all lay aside our doctrinal differences in order to unite together with all believers in Godwho are willing to resist the forces that would rob us all of our faith and freedoms. Please contactus today and let's see what we can do together to maintain our God-given right to follow our faith!May God bless and keep you free to love and serve Him forever!In His Love,The FamilyEveryone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shallinclude freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief inworship, observance, practice and teaching.No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religionor belief of his choice. (The United Nation's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights(1976), Article 18, parts 2 & 3.)If you would like more information, please write us today at the following address. If you wish toknow more about the religious persecution we and others have undergone, please request thelatest issue of our publication, the PEN (Persecution Endtime News). Or if you would like to shareinformation with us regarding how, when and where members of your faith have beendiscriminated against, oppressed or persecuted for their beliefs in recent times, we would beinterested in hearing from you.==========#==========#==========#==========What Is The Family?The Family is an international fellowship of independent Christian communities. Although wecome from a wide array of races, colors and creeds, we are united in a firm belief that God's Loveis the solution to the problems that are currently wracking Mankind and our war-weary planet. Wehave members in over 50 countries. Our current full-time membership numbers 3,000 adults andtheir 6,000 children, as well as over 20,000 associates.We trace our origins to 1968, when our founder, David Berg (whom we often refer to as Father David), began sharing the good news of God's Love with the disillusioned youth of America'shippie counterculture. As a result, many young people made the wonderful discovery that God isnot merely a distant and impersonal Supreme Being, but that He is a loving and concerned Godwith whom they could have a personal relationship, whose power was able to deliver them fromtheir problems, whose peace could ease their troubled minds, and whose Love could motivatethem to do their best to help their fellow man.When a number of dedicated young people chose to work with Father David to share the goodnews of God's Love with others, the fledgling group grew into a movement that became known asThe Children of God (COG), a name given by the media.
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