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	Cult apologist - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		A cult apologist is a term to describe a scholar of cults and/or new religious movements perceived as responding to the movements they study with advocacy instead of with neutral scholarship.
		The words apologist derive from the Greek apologia (Greek: Ἀπολογία), meaning the defense of a position against an attack (and not from the English word apology, which is exclusively understood as a defensive plea for forgiveness for an action that is open to blame).
		The expression cult apologist may derive from a related neologism that was coined by the evangelical Christian countercult movement writer Walter Martin.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Cult_apologist (1405 words)

	Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Cults are defined as groups which exploit and abuse their members; are often centered around an unreliable charismatic leader; and may use deceitful ways of recruiting and retaining members.
		Most opponents of cults share the belief that the public should be warned about the actions of such groups and that current members should be as well fully informed on the negative sides of their group so that they can make an informed choice about staying or leaving.
		Alleged cults and new religions have seized upon the hostile acts of their former members and cited them as examples of persecution and bigotry by these former members.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Anti-cult_movement (4898 words)

	Encyclopedia: Cult apologist
		In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream.
		In religion and sociology, a cult is a group with a religious or philosophical identity, often existing on the margins of society.
		Some groups, particularly those labeled by others as cults, view the designation as insensitive, and feel persecuted by their opponents whom they often believe to be part of the "anti-cult movement", the existence of which is disputed.
	www.nationmaster.com /encyclopedia/Cult-apologist (1040 words)

	Apologetics research resources on religious cults and sects - What You Should Know About Pro-Cult Apologists
		Cult apologists and their organizations are marketing themselves to governments and government organizations by offering their advice and/or by positioning themselves as watchdogs for religious freedom.
		Not all cult apologists are such blatant liars or have such a poor grasp of facts, but many misrepresent important issues, such as the status of brainwashing theories, the veracity of apostate testimony, or the expertise of anticult- and countercult professionals.
		Cult apologists don't like the word "cult." They say that the word has taken on negative connotations, and claim it is generally used pejoratively.
	www.xs4all.nl /~ahein/c11.html (1806 words)

	Cult Apologists : What you should know about cult defenders - religious cults, sects and movements
		Some cult apologists and their supporters (including, sadly, a handful of Christians (7)), spend much time and energy attacking the very term "cult apologist." It is telling that, for the most part, they refuse to deal with the very serious issues surrounding cult apologists.
		Cult apologists chide or attack the counter-cult movement, which largely consists of Christian ministries, for believing it alone - using the Bible as its standard - can determine what does and does not constitute religious truth in general, and Scriptural orthodoxy (as apposed to heresy) in particular.
		Not all cult apologists are such blatant liars or have such a poor grasp of facts, but the record shows that most of them misrepresent important issues in their eagerness to defend cults.
	www.apologeticsindex.org /c11.html (5785 words)

	Cult News.com: "Cult apologist" offers explanations about Elizabeth Smart
		In 1993 Ammerman claimed within a published report that the FBI was negligent because they didn't listen to her fellow apologists James Tabor and Phillip Arnold.
		This is not unlike what happened to cult kidnap victim Patty Hearst in 1974, when she was first confined within a closet by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
		A cursory review of other cult victims in groups like Jim Jones' Peoples Temple, Solar Temple, Aum of Japan and "Heaven's Gate," demonstrates a diversity of backgrounds and frequently that personal histories are not in harmony with the cult's beliefs.
	www.cultnews.com /archives/000018.html (888 words)

	[No title]
		In general, cult apologists are people who are not cult members, but who support cults and defend their unethical activities.
		The most reliable cult apologists are also invited to make affidavits in court cases, or provide support when the cult is under attack by the government, the press and the courts.
		One big difference between cults and "harmless" groups is that cults attempt to change the personality of their followers into one designated target personality, usually similar to the one of their leader.
	home.snafu.de /tilman/faq-you/cult.apologists.txt (12740 words)

	Cult of Apollo - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Cult of Apollo (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		His chief cult centres were his supposed birthplace on the island of Delos, in the Cyclades, and Delphi.
		The paean dance of healing which is particularly known from the Hyakinthia festival at Amyklai (Sparta) is closely identified with the Apollo cult.
		This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.
	encyclopedia.farlex.com /Cult+of+Apollo (538 words)

	Cornerstone Magazine - The Voice of Jesus People USA
		While we might contest the overly broad net that Hein casts with his particular use of the term "cult," the notion of a religious adherent defending his or her adherence is not a part of the debate I am seeking to unpack.
		A cult apologist is someone who consistently or primarily defends the teachings and/or actions of one or more movements considered to be cults—as defined sociologically or theologically.
		Following from that, as so many "cult apologists" have stated in the past, defending the right of a group to its religious beliefs and practices is not the same, and ought not be confused with, defending the "rightness" of those beliefs or practices.
	www.cornerstonemag.com /cart/txt/cowanSSR02.htm (3043 words)

	RECLAIM - about us (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		I have heard cult apologist claim that based on this definition, Jesus was himself a cult leader.
		A cult is a group of any size which systematically uses coercive thought reform techniques to effect behavior control and personality changes of subjects within a authoritarian constructed and managed environment.
		The current effort by cult apologists to deny thought reform exists is linked to earlier protective stances in which they attempted to deny deceptive recruitment practices; deny the massive social, psychological, financial, spiritual, and other controls wielded by cult leaders; and thus dismiss their often destructive consequences.
	www.reclaim.org /main/whatisacult.html (1866 words)

	J. Gordon Melton : Why he is considered a cult apologist - religious cults and sects
		This Methodist minister (ordained elder in the United Methodist Church) is seen by many Christian and secular apologists and counter-cult professionals as a cult apologist.
		For another, cults are not 'attacked' by "attributing to all of them the faults and excesses of any one of them." Rather, they are evaluated on their invidual sociological characteristics and/or theological claims (see, for example, the work of these organizations).
		Another claim by the AUM apologists is that the trip to Japan was initiated and financed by AUM 'dissidents,' shocked by the acts of their leaders.
	www.apologeticsindex.org /m06.html (3056 words)

	Reference.com/Encyclopedia/Anti-cult movement
		The cult controversies in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in growing interest in scholarly research on alternative religions and the creation of academic organizations for their study.
		Opponents of the view that cults are rarely harmless and that apostates testimonies cannot be relied upon are the scholars David C. Lane, Benjamin Zablocki, and Stephen A. Kent.
		According to this theory, some followers of "cults" are held there by some psychological phenomenon, not fully explained by modern psychology but presumably similar to hypnosis, which impairs their judgement regarding the cult.
	www.reference.com /browse/wiki/Anti-cult_movement (3052 words)

	Cult News.com: Cult apologist proclaims Raelians "world's largest UFO religion"
		Cult apologist Susan Palmer likes to call the controversial "Raelians" her "friends," and proclaims that they are now the "world’s largest UFO religion," within an article run by Trinity College's online newsletter.
		She is a self-professed "cult lover" who has been paid by such groups to defend them in court.
		Palmer has pronounced the group "benign" and she is invested in that position, despite serious allegations of sexual abuse and various investigations still pending in France.
	www.cultnews.com /archives/000527.html (443 words)

	Cult News.com: Cult apologist dead
		However, Hadden can instead easily be seen as a "cult apologist" who focused much of his energy in later life on defending groups called "cults."
		Hadden's website, which the AP refers to as a "comprehensive" resource about "religious movements," was actually a part of the professor's ongoing effort to defend "cults" and discredit their critics.
		The AP claims Hadden believed in "tolerance and freedom," but he was often intolerant of former cult members that exposed abuses and his confidential memo does not seem to encourage freedom of expression, at least not for those who disagreed with his views.
	www.cultnews.com /archives/000114.html (422 words)

	Cornerstone Magazine - The Voice of Jesus People USA
		It was also widely believed that sociologists as a group were cult apologists as opposed to psychologists who like Margaret Singer generally supported the critics of New Religions.
		Evangelical writers on the cults have not been informed enough on public policy issues, and frequently on their own theological heritage, to serve as a public spokesperson on issues as they came and went.
		If cults are merely a few small groups on the fringe of the religious community, groups whose religious credentials are even in question, then anything we have to say about them has little relevance to the future thrusts of ecclesiastical programming.
	www.cornerstonemag.com /cart/txt/melton-emnr.htm (6490 words)

	Joe Blanchette: Cult Apologist \| Friend's Compassionate Deconstruction Of Black Sheep Ministry's Deluded Argument \| BSM ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Indeed it was their contention that the followers of the Nazarene were more than what we would now define as a negative cult, but were instead the much greater disavowal of blasphemers which in their society was not merely bad taste or judgement, but was a sin, and against the law punishable by death.
		One if the issues revolving around defining a cult is the tendency for individuals seek some specific psychological marker or trigger that can easily determine an uncertain cult from a beneficial one, when in reality their are no objective or quantifiable determinations that can make such a determination.
		There is a plethora of groups and organizations that cater to individuals who have determined their victimization by one cult or another (religious or secular), but from a measurable psychological perspective these individuals tend to be a small minority, and show no more emotional damage than that of an intimate relationship that has become problematic.
	www.singingmountain.org /y2005jun1.html (4867 words)

	Why J. Gordon Melton is considered a cult apologist - Apologetics research resources on religious cults and sects
		It certainly appears that Melton's "missiological" interest generally works in favor of the cults, many of which use his works in their crusades against the anticult and countercult movements.
		But cults are not 'attacked' by "attributing to all of them the faults and excesses of any one of them." Rather, they are evaluated on their invidual sociological characteristics and/or theological claims (see, for example, the work of these organizations).
		But having cults determine who is or is not a religion expert is like having President Bill Clinton define what is or is not a lie.
	www.xs4all.nl /~ahein/m06.html (2438 words)

	Wikinfo \| Anti-cult movement
		Various groups frequently accused of being cults often claim that they are being persecuted by a number of individuals, groups, and organizations that are specifically dedicated to eradicating them.
		Opponents and critics of purported cults state that the term "anti-cult movement" is an attempt to create a grand conspiracy theory, which suggests that there is a vast, organized network of individuals and groups who are dedicated to wiping out these organizations solely because they are considered cults.
		Scholarly cooperation between these anti cult-activists and cult apologists seems to be virtualy non-existent.
	www.wikinfo.org /wiki.php?title=Anti-cult_movement (396 words)

	Rev. Clete Hux, ARC Counter-Cult Apologist - Apologetics Resource Center (ARC)
		He works with churches and individuals in providing a defense for a witness to the mission field of the cults, which has become the largest yet least evangelized mission field in the world.
		Author of numerous articles about cults and new religious trends; has appeared as an expert commentator for print, radio, television, and internet media, locally, nationally, and internationally.
		Panel speaker on the Word-Faith Movement at the Philadelphia Conference on Cults, the Occult and the Word-Faith Movement sponsored by Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR), Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, and Eastern Christian Outreach.
	www.arcapologetics.org /hux.htm (818 words)

	The Secret Story of a Cult Apologist
		In the meantime, while waiting for the Kingdom to come, this organization is happy to work together with the US "New Right" around the world and around the clock.
		Often accused of being a cult, T.F.P. in 1985 started promoting the notions that CESNUR currently promotes - that there is a worldwide "anti-cult conspiracy", manipulated by "psychiatrists and Communists".
		T.F.P. is accused of being a "brainwashing cult"
	www.kelebekler.com /cesnur/storia/gb00.htm (355 words)

	We too have just gone into deprogramming
		CESNUR presents what many people call "cults" as "ideas": what matters is not this or that of group of real people, with their real human relations, but the "idea" of, say reincarnation.
		Those who follow the "cult" debate will not have failed to notice how cult apologists are generally extreme conservatives, yet tend to use a very liberal language when "defending religious freedom." Language as well as law may be set to any purpose.
		Massimo Introvigne continues acting as a cult apologist, but his lawyer seems to be taking life more easily: I have not heard from her for several months.
	www.kelebekler.com /cesnur/txt/dep-gb.htm (3277 words)

	Is Dick Anthony a full-time professional "cult apologist"?
		Apparently "cult apologists" are concerned about the Elizabeth Smart case.
		Veteran cult defenders James Richardson, H. Newton Malony and Nancy Ammerman, have all been quoted concerning the case.
		His work on "legal cases," is as an "expert" hired by "cults," or somehow as a "expert witness" in a related area of interest.
	www.rickross.com /reference/apologist/apologist44.html (2004 words)

	Open Directory - Society: Religion and Spirituality: Opposing Views: Cults (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Cult Apologist FAQ - Exposing the cults' willing defenders, their "arguments," and investigating their motives.
		Cult Information Centre - An educational charity providing advice and information for victims of cults, their families and friends, researchers and the media.
		Traumatic Abuse in Cults - An essay by Daniel Shaw, CSW, psychoanalyst and psychotherapist.
	dmoz.org /Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Opposing_Views/Cults (951 words)

	Waldorf Critics Archive 0302 (February, 2003)
		The AP says the professor's "work promoted religious tolerance." However, Hadden can instead easily be seen as a "cult apologist" who focused much of his energy in later life on defending groups called "cults." Hadden worked closely with Rev. Moon's Unification Church and was recommended as an expert by Scientology.
		However, Hadden insisted that such groups not be called "cults," but instead "new religious movements." A confidential memo written by Hadden during 1989 and later made public revealed a network of academics, scholars and related operatives who sought to neutralize and/or discredit criticism of cults.
		All were in the cult of CUT and Talita taught at one of these so-called "Montessori" schools, which have a different name; Montessori International.
	www.waldorfcritics.com /active/archives/WCA0302.html (17819 words)

	Is Catherine Wessinger a Cult Apologist?
		Wessinger largely in connection with the cult "Heavens Gate" and were posted publicly at a Web site known as the "Nurel Home Page".
		Wessinger views regarding well-documented cults and related tragedies--it can easily be concluded that she is not an objective researcher or religious observer.
		Wessinger seems to be apologizing for cult groups by attempting to rationalize their control and destructive behavior within what appears to be a rather contrived religious framework.
	www.rickross.com /reference/apologist/apologist22.html (599 words)

	Ma Jaya & Kashi Ashram - Remarks
		WHY J. Dr. Gordon Melton, chief academic defender of Kashi Ashram, is generally known in legal circles as a cult apologist and was hired by the Kashi cult to write a favorable study.
		Chosen by Kashi to champion their case in court and in the press, Dr. Melton makes most of his money writing pseudo scholarly books on vampires.
		Why J. Gordon Melton is considered a cult apologist
	www.kashiashram.com /remarks2.html (160 words)

	K. Craig Branch, ARC Director - Apologetics Resource Center (ARC)
		Served for many years on the Board of Directors of Evangelical Ministries to New Religions, a consortium of many counter-cult ministries in the U.S. Serves for many years on the Board of Wellspring Retreat Center, the only rehabilitation facility for victims of cult abuse.
		Served as chair of the clergy relations committee of the American Family Foundation, an ecumenical and secular academic organization dealing with cults.
		Co-authored the book Thieves of Innocence with John Weldon, and John Ankerberg dealing with New Age in education, published by Harvest House in 1992.
	www.arcapologetics.org /branch.htm (369 words)

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