http://forum.rickross.com/list.php?13 EN Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0100 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0100 Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups Phorum 5.1.25 60 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78850#msg-78850 corboy
[quote]By CARYN ROUSSEAU, Associated Press Writer Caryn Rousseau, Associated Press Writer � 7 mins ago

CHICAGO � Oprah Winfrey was set to announce Friday that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air.

Winfrey planned to announce the final date for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during a live broadcast, according to her production company, Harpo Productions Inc. She said at the beginning of the show that she had some news to share and that she would discuss it at the end of the show.

A Harpo spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday on Winfrey's plans except to say that "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which has seen ratings slip 7 percent from a year ago, will not move to cable television.

Winfrey, 55, is widely expected to start up a new talk show on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a much-delayed joint venture with Discovery Communications Inc. that is projected to debut in 2011. OWN is to replace the Discovery Health Channel and will debut in some 74 million homes. An OWN spokeswoman declined comment Thursday.

CBS Television Distribution, which distributes "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to more than 200 U.S. markets, held out hope it could continue doing business with Winfrey, perhaps producing a new show out of its studios in Los Angeles.

"We know that anything she turns her hand to will be a great success," the CBS Corp. unit said in a statement. "We look forward to working with her for the next several years, and hopefully afterwards as well."

Many fans heading into Harpo Studios on Friday morning seemed to support Winfrey's decision to end the show.

"You always want to end a show when people want more � and not when people are sick of watching you," said Rebecca Switaj, 31, of Chicago.

Said Sandra Donaldson, 59, of Indianapolis: "It's time to elevate to something new. Whatever she does is going to be a blessing. It's going to be rewarding and eye-opening. Her name alone opens doors."

Once a local Chicago morning program, the production evolved into television's top-rated talk show for more than two decades, airing in 145 countries worldwide and watched by an estimated 42 million viewers a week in the U.S. alone.

"Oprah Winfrey is in a category of her own," said Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University. "This is a great American story and like any great American story it's supersized."

Fans expressed hope that Winfrey would announce another project on Friday.

"Oprah, she impacts everybody, her life, the way she gives," Shawana Fletcher, 29, of Chicago, said outside Harpo Studios. "I hope she's not totally done. That's what we're praying."

Winfrey's 24th season opened this year with a bang, as she drew more than 20,000 fans to Chicago's Magnificent Mile for a block party with the Black Eyed Peas. She followed with a series of blockbuster interviews � Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, singer Whitney Houston and ESPN's Erin Andrews, and just this week, former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

As a newcomer, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" chipped away at talk-show king Phil Donahue's dominance. Later, it turned to inspiration. The show's coverage ranged from interviews with the world's celebrities to an honest discussion about Winfrey's weight struggles.

"As the show evolved, it really kind of dressed up the neighborhood of the daytime talk show," Thompson said.

In 1986, pianist-showman Liberace gave his final TV interview to Winfrey, just six weeks before he died. In a 1993 prime-time special, Michael Jackson revealed he suffered from a skin condition that produces depigmentation. Tom Cruise enthusiastically declared his affection for the much-younger Katie Holmes on the program in 2005 � and jumped on the couch to prove it.

In 2004, Winfrey unveiled her most famous giveaway, when nearly 300 members of the studio audience opened a gift box to find the keys to a new car inside. The stunt became a classic show moment as much for Winfrey's reaction � "You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car!" � as its $7 million price tag.

The show also became a launching pad for Oprah's Book Club, which then launched best-sellers. The titles ranged from "Song of Solomon" and "Paradise" by Toni Morrison to Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone" and Elie Wiesel's "Night."

For others, the selection backfired. "A Million Little Pieces" exploded in sales after Winfrey chose the James Frey memoir in fall 2005. Soon after, it was revealed as a fabricated tale of addiction and recovery, and Winfrey later chewed out Frey on her show.

"I call her `Queen of the New Consciousness' because she did so many things to change lives, the books that she promoted," said hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

The loss of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would be a blow to CBS Corp., which earns a percentage of hefty licensing fees from TV stations that use it � largely ABC affiliates. CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves told analysts two weeks ago that the contract with the show runs through most of 2011 and "if there's a negative impact, it wouldn't hit us until '12."

"Oprah's been a force of media and there's really no person you can look to out there who you could say, `That's the heir apparent,'" said Larry Gerbrandt, an analyst for Media Valuation Partners in Los Angeles. Gerbrandt noted many stations build their schedules around Winfrey's show.

"It's a big loss, but not as huge as it would have been 10 years ago," he said. "However, it still commands the biggest audience and ABC station competitors are licking their chops."

Talk of the show's end often has accompanied Winfrey's contract negotiations. Before signing her current contract in 2004, she talked about quitting after the 2005-2006 season. As far back as 1995, she called continuing "a difficult and important decision."

Winfrey started her broadcasting career in Nashville, Tenn., and Baltimore, Md., before relocating to Chicago in 1984 to host WLS-TV's morning talk show "A.M. Chicago" � which became "The Oprah Winfrey Show" one year later. She set up Harpo the following year and her talk show went into syndication.

Powered by the show's staggering success, Winfrey built a media empire. Harpo Studios produces shows hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw and celebrity chef Rachael Ray. O, The Oprah Magazine was the nation's 7th most popular magazine in the first half of 2009.

"I came from nothing," Winfrey wrote in the 1998 book "Journey to Beloved." "No power. No money. Not even my thoughts were my own. I had no free will. No voice. Now, I have the freedom, power, and will to speak to millions every day � having come from nowhere."

Earlier this year, Forbes scored Winfrey's net worth at $2.7 billion.

___

AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

The Oprah Winfrey Show: http://www.oprah.com/index

[/quote]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78850#msg-78850 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78680#msg-78680 shakti
Also, he has claimed that "HIV doesn't cause AIDS", which is a dangerous and foolhardy position to take. It's a disgrace that he is aired on PBS during pledge drives.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78680#msg-78680 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:42:30 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78629#msg-78629 Sparky
The link I posted used to work...blame it on the internet or someone not paying their bandwidth fees...not me. I always check the links I post FROM the posting.

As far as the 'quack' Gary Null goes, I am not a fan and believe he is a crass and callous villian out to line his own pockets at the expense of the grieving.

My two cents, not the thoughts of the RickRoss community (and clearly not worth anything to the masses).]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78629#msg-78629 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:30:43 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78627#msg-78627 midwest.momma
I do have to chime in on the vaccination controversy, however. I am a mercury-poisoned person and mercury poisoning symptoms mimic autism. I believe people have confused a [i]symptom[/i] with a genetic problem.

My mercury poisoning mainly came from amalgams (so-called silver dental fillings), but I had been exposed to small quantities of mercury throughout my life--vaccinations, Rho-Gam shots, living one - block up from a coal burning power plant, and who knows what else. I believe it was a cumulative affect that broke my immune system after so many years of constant assault.

Gary Null has a series of videos up on youtube on vaccines. He calls his documentary "Vaccine Nation". He was the one who first talked about mercury poisoning from amalgams. Regretfully, I didn't believe him. It took two different sources before I began doing my own research and discovered I had 90% of the symptoms.
In this series of ten videos (ten minutes each), he explores the vaccines' history. He has lined up medical professionals who have seen the effects of vaccines on healthy people. He highlights a young man whose baby died from vaccines, and was charged with shaken baby syndrome. He was innocent of the charge, but no one would listen, so he began writing letters to anyone with an "M.D" next to their name. They took a look at his case, and found that the vaccine his baby had been given was a "hot lot" that had shown adverse affects to others, as well. He won a new day in court and was declared innocent.

I think everyone should have access to information regarding the adverse affects of vaccines before submitting to them. And it's not just the thimerasol (mercury) in them that's the issue--people were still having reactions even after it was taken out. There's something in them that is causing people's immune systems to go haywire.

Just my two cents.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78627#msg-78627 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:07:39 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78626#msg-78626 midwest.momma Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,78626#msg-78626 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:39:40 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,78176,78176#msg-78176 thewatcher
www.thechurchatrockhill.com

Leader-Johnny Earl Miller

Affiliation-Body of Christ

Location-196 Grayson Rd Rock Hill, SC 29732


(Gal. 1:8-9)
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary
to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

Christians we are commanded to be able to give answers to everyone (1 Pet. 3:15) and to contend for the faith that was delivered by the apostles (Jude 4). If we do not fight for the faith, the faith will be lost. If we do not expose the errors of the cults then the cults will move unchecked in the world and lead even more into eternal destruction.

To do anything other than warn people about this group would be unloving.



I visited this church several times and this is my viewpoint:

Usually there are 2 services weekly. Sunday service usually starts in the afternoon and lasts for up to 4 hours. Church serives start at 12:30 almost the same time as the church Johnny Miller found the "The Body of Christ" in California led by the controversial leader Lacy Hawkins. Most members stay to have a "free dinner after the service". There is no written program; the leader claims that "the Spirit will lead the service" It consists of singing, confessional testimonies and very long sermons by the leader. The leader's sermons usually rallies around "submission to God's order." He also spends substantial amounts of time talking about his personal testimony.

This group openly and proudly proclaims that they "are not a part of a denomination,". This religious group dedicated members are under submission to Johnny Miller. He claims affiliation with other "Ministries in this Body." Some include assemblies in Kansas , Arkansas , and the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. This Church is a small group of people mostly made up of young adults(we will cover why this group is made up with predominately young adults at a later date). Group Leader Johnny Miller found "The Body" through Lacy Hawkins church in California(Cult expert Rick Ross comments "Lacy Hawkins' group is one of the worst groups I've dealt with and I've been around," said Ross,.


Lacey Hawkins was even shot by a ex-member of his church

please see the link for details http://www.rickross.com/reference/lacey_hawkins/lacey_hawkins1.html


Also see this link about a former member account of Lacey Hawkins and the "Body of Christ

http://www.rickross.com/reference/lacey_hawkins/lacey_hawkins2.html


Check out this link to Lacey Hawkin's Church website section lies/rumors

http://www.generalassemblychurches.com/persecution_today.htm


Lacy Hawkins is considered by many of the leaders to be extremely radical in his teachings and is always in controversy with leaders in his affiliation. There is no central headquarters and no general organization by-laws are established for this affiliation.



Now let's focus on the founder of "The Body of Christ" William Sowders


Which The Church at Rock hill claims to be their forefather see the link to read
http://www.thechurchatrockhill.com/AboutUs.htm



These paragraphs are from William Sowders own biography

Sowders here claims he was called away up into heaven BEFORE HE WAS SAVED!

"The next time I was caught away against a beautiful ceiling. It was just marble. I was pressed against it so hard my head was to one side, laying over against it. That was when Jesus talked to me and gave me a chance to talk to him. He told me the time had come for me to go into the ministry. He wanted me to sell out and go. I had been studying for two years -- lying on my back and studying day and night, praying and reading my Bible. Awake, and not able to sleep, I would thank God that I couldn't sleep. I was so hungry to study the things of God. When he said it was time for me to get ready to go I said, "What about Bertha?" (That was my wife.) He said, "I will have Bertha ready when I get you ready." His voice wasn't tender. He just spoke so positive. I said, "What about my nets?" See, I was a big fisherman. He said, "Time is too short to bother about nets." Every time he spoke to me he cut me off. "Where shall I go, Lord. I want to be led of you. I don't want to go around blindfolded, but I want to know what I am doing. If I go into the work I want to be led of you, going where you want me to go." Some of the things he told me I said, "Shall I tell others this, Lord?" "No!" "Lord, what about your coming?"; and he told me. "Shall I tell the people?" "Tell nobody!" And let me tell you one thing. That is one thing I never did tell. I tell you the Lord pinned that into me so tight; so perfect; and I won't tell anyone. He made me forget it for awhile, and recently it has come back to me" (William Sowders)."

This demonstrates how Sowders easily perverts the Word of God. Why would Jesus tell us in Matthew 24 he was coming back after the tribulation of those days and the Sowders gets a revelation this is false, he is coming back before the tribulation of those days. Why would Jesus give Sowders something different then he gave the Apostles?



More from William Sowders own biography

The Sowder doctrine of living forever will be discussed below.

"When I first started out back there (in Evansville), Sister McPherson was an outstanding feature among the women preachers. She was holding meetings that stirred the entire United States. I had her to hold me a meeting one time. I wondered, if God did not call women to preach, why was that woman having such success? Then, here comes another woman along, and I watched her work. I read after her; read some of her writings. Again, I thought, "Lord, You have called women to preach." I have heard women say, "God has called me to preach." But I was in doubt about it. God all the time was telling me that the women would find their place. There was another one. I had her to hold me a meeting. I have seen her walk right up to people with large goiters on their neck, and that goiter vanish. Big goiters vanished right under her hand. I have seen people all crippled up with rheumatism; and this one particular man lived right across the street from me. He was helpless. That man got on the platform and let this woman pray for him, and his hands flew open and his legs limbered, and he ran and shouted and had a big time. There was a woman all twisted up with rheumatism. This woman laid her hands on that afflicted woman, and she ran up and down the aisles and had a big time. I said, "Lord, you are in that. Men are not doing these things. Why do you let women do it? And the Lord said: "I am giving it to the women because men have put them under their feet. I am letting women have it to prove to the men that I will honor women as well as I will honor men." That is very reasonable, isn't it? I thought, "Amen, Lord, if that be the case surely then women will have a place in the church." And I saw women put on white dresses and tried to do like these other women did. But they couldn't do it, but just the women that God ordained to do that. Well, I began to watch, then, praying much and reading the word of God; and I saw plainly that God actually calls women to the ministry and makes preachers of them. In all my ministry women have been used to a better advantage as a general thing than men" (William Sowders).

Women preachers? This is one more evidence the voice he was hearing and calling it God was not God! God does not contradict himself and not permit women as priest in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament permit them the priesthood. The idea that God would give some women the right to preach because some of them had been put under the feet of men, is not found in the Word of God anywhere. This is a made-up doctrine. There are no qualifications for a woman preacher in the New Testament. A women under subjection to her husband is not being put under his feet. The fact is, Sowder allowed women preachers because it made him have larger crowds at his meetings.


One of the Sowder's doctrines was that the devil was not a real spirit, he was not Lucifer, but rather the devil was the carnal mind of man. Because of this doctrine anyone who spoke against the devil such as saying "I hate the devil" was speaking from a carnal mind and this did not show the love of God.

Sowders is dead! His many false doctrines continue to be preached as restored revelations. There are many churches still in bondage to the lies he taught.



Cult Characteristics of The Church at Rock Hill

Johnny Miller is a individual whose narcissism is so extreme and grandiose
that he exist in a land of splendid isolation; In which the creation of the
grandiose behavior takes precedence over moral or interpersonal
commitments.

I personally guarantee you there is no way to hold Johnny Miller
accountable because of the hierarchy structure of the church (because a
hierarchy structure does not exist within the Church at Rock Hill).

Members are not allowed to marry outside of the "Body of Christ" or The
Church at Rock Hill if they do the person is excommunicated and
spiritually condemned.

Before you join "The Body of Christ" are you prepared not to walk your
daughter down the aisle on her wedding day ? Johnny Miller is he has already done so without any remorse.


Members believe that the devil does not exist.

You are told that everything they believe comes directly from the Bible
(not true because they believe William Sowders imparted them with the
truth).

Members are pressured to befriend their "church family".

Members do not believe in the celebration of Christmas.

Members are taught they are to attain perfection (good luck)

Some church services no sermon is giving but members are encouraged to give testimonies


So do you think your in a Cult here is a test you can take online to help you find out.
http://www.gospelassemblyfree.com/facts/questionaire.htm
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View my complete profile]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,78176,78176#msg-78176 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:08:49 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,77900#msg-77900 Kaleidoscope
FDA Document: "RE: Unapproved/Uncleared/Unauthorized Products Related to the H1N1 Flu Virus; and
Notice of Potential Illegal Marketing of Products to Prevent, Treat or Cure the H1N1 Virus"
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm186837.htm

[b]The wild Weil world of woo[/b]
http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/2009/10/andrew_weil_its_just_my_nature.php

(Bonus info, where Weil is defended by Mike Adams of Natural News, invoking Hitler in the process:
[b]Mike Adams evaporates yet another of my irony meters, this time about Dr. Andrew Weil[/b]
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/10/mike_adams_evaporates_yet_another_of_my.php)]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,77900#msg-77900 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:10:15 +0100 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77759,77829#msg-77829 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://gawker.com/5387366/oprah-gurus-deadly-sweat-lodge-involved-induced-vomiting-vomit-everywhere]Oprah Guru's Deadly Sweat Lodge Involved Induced Vomiting, 'Vomit Everywhere'[/url]
[quote][b]Oprah Guru's Deadly Sweat Lodge Involved Induced Vomiting, 'Vomit Everywhere'[/b]

So, that horrifying sweat lodge where Oprah-endorsed guru James Arthur Ray may or may not have inadvertently killed three people? NYT has some new eye witness reports, and they're as scary, icky, and infuriatingly New-Agey as you thought.

Texas orthodontist Beverley Bunn told The New York Times that the sweat ceremony was the rebirth phase of a "vision quest." Much like an actual birth, disgusting things spewed from everyone's orifices and a lot of pain was involved: "There were people throwing up everywhere" based on the kinda-bulimic advice that vomiting "was good for you, that you are purging what your body doesn't want, what it doesn't need." Apparently the body doesn't need consciousness, either, because at least three vision quest-ers passed out during the session, Bunn and others claim. When horrified participants yelled for help, Ray said he would "deal" with it later.

The experience cost $9,695. And, as if paying money to be trapped in a coal-heated, plastic-wrapped, life-threatening wigwam in the middle of the desert with 50 fellow "spiritual warriors," then watching them die before your very eyes, weren't bad enough, James Arthur Ray is apparently not letting up on his New Age bullshit: He brought a "channeler" into a conference call with the likely PTSD-ridden sweat lodge participants. She explained that the spiritual warriors' deceased peers were not, in fact, the victims of homicide�rather, they had powerful out-of-body experiences and it was "so much fun" that they decided not to come back. Seriously, could you even invent a more tasteless line of reasoning for the future Law & Order episode this is clearly about to become?

Local police are investigating the deaths as homicides, but despite the surviving warriors' most obvious wishes, James Arthur Ray has not been charged.[/quote]

I can't for the life of me figure out why Ray is still featured on Oprah's website:

[img]http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1552/picture5be.png[/img]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77759,77829#msg-77829 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:56:32 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,77763#msg-77763 Kaleidoscope [url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8866956]Somers' New Target: Conventional Cancer Treatment - ABC News[/url]

This article is quite long; I won't copy/paste it here, but here is how it begins:
[quote]EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional series examining their use and potential risks.[/quote]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,77763#msg-77763 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:49:25 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,77762#msg-77762 Kaleidoscope [url=http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/02/andrew_wakefield_autism_vaccin.php]Andrew Wakefield, Autism, Vaccines, and Science Journals[/url]

More of Oprah misleading public health opinion:
[url=http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/05/proof_that_oprah_winfrey_is_utterly_beyo.php]Proof that Oprah Winfrey is Utterly Beyond Redemption - Respectful Insolence[/url]
[quote]Sitting in my e-mail in box this morning were lots of your e-mails warning me about a bit of news that shows definitively that Oprah Winfrey is beyond redemption, at least when it comes to any sort of medicine or science (not nice, given that I hadn't even had my morning coffee yet).

The reason? Jenny McCarthy has inked a deal with Winfrey's Harpo Studios to develop a syndicated talk show and other media projects, including a blog, which has already started dishing out the stupid, albeit (thus far) not about vaccines and autism. Apparently sensing that her advocacy of the New Age woo known as The Secret was not enough, Oprah appears to have decided that anti-vaccine quackery sells, and she doesn't care whom it kills as long as she can make some money at it. Given that Oprah is now giving a major platform to Jenny McCarthy to spread her quackery, I now say that, along with Jenny McCarthy, Oprah should get some of the blame when the inevitable outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases increase beyond where they already are, thanks to McCarthy's "efforts." After all, she is now supporting the pro-disease movement.

Remind me again: Why does anyone respect or admire Oprah?[/quote]
Also,
[url=http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/06/oprah_and_chopra_sittin_in_a_tree.php]Oprah and Chopra - Respecful Insolence[/url]

And from Salon,
[url=http://www.salon.com/env/vital_signs/2009/05/15/oprah_winfrey_health/index.html]Oprah's Bad Medicine[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,77762#msg-77762 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:02:54 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77759,77759#msg-77759 Kaleidoscope The Sunday Times
by Tony Allen-Mills, October 18, 2009
[quote]A BIZARRE tragedy at a spiritual retreat in the Arizona desert has caused new embarrassment for Oprah Winfrey, the American television titan whose enthusiasm for alternative health and lifestyle choices has drawn mounting criticism this year.


The deaths of two participants at a Native American-style �cleansing� ceremony in a sauna-like �sweat lodge� earlier this month are being treated by police as possible homicides. The victims were attending a �spiritual warrior� retreat organised by James Arthur Ray, a motivational speaker and author who has appeared at least twice on Winfrey�s hugely popular chat show.

Winfrey had no connection with the retreat � from which 19 other participants were taken to hospital � but the billionaire entertainer has been fighting off persistent allegations this year that her media empire provides a platform to questionable self-help gurus who promote ideas that many experts consider dangerous.

The tragedy at Angel Valley, a new age retreat near the resort town of Sedona, has ignited a debate about claims made by self-proclaimed mystics, healers, vision quest guides, sacred therapists, spiritual mediums and guardians of all manner of metaphysical secrets that supposedly possess the power to unleash the inner you.

It has also outraged many Native Americans, who complained last week that tribal traditions were being hijacked by quacks, charlatans and what one tribal leader described as �imitation Indians�.

Participants in the programme paid almost $10,000 (�6,100) each to join what Ray had promised would be a �heroic quest for higher consciousness�. According to police reports, up to 60 people attended the five-day retreat, the culmination of which was a 36-hour fast followed by the sweat lodge ceremony.

Exactly what went wrong is unclear. The �lodge� was in reality a makeshift wood and plastic tarpaulin tent. Less than 5ft tall, the structure may have become intolerably hot once all the participants were crouching inside.

Police are also investigating reports that they may have been stretched beyond reasonable endurance. In a series of posts to his Twitter account before and during the retreat, Ray referred to �conquering death� and declared: �The Toltecs practise an �awareness of impending death�. Makes every moment precious when you know it could be your last.�

Sedona police said the deaths of Kirby Brown, a 38-year-old painter from New York, and James Shore, 40, an internet marketing executive from Milwaukee, were being treated as possible homicides, �although whether or not we can prove a criminal case has yet to be determined�.

Ray declined to be interviewed by police immediately after the tragedy. His spokesman said last week: �We have one goal and that is to find out what happened so it never happens again.�

Ray first came to public attention espousing a theory he called �harmonic wealth� � a feelgood philosophy that emphasises the power of positive thinking in achieving success. His website boasts of his appearances with Winfrey, who first invited him to discuss The Secret, a bestselling 2007 self-help book by Rhonda Byrne that critics warned might discourage readers from seeking professional assistance for their problems.

Professor John Norcross, a psychologist, said The Secret�s assertions �go beyond the ordinary over-promises of most self-help books into a danger realm�. That did not stop Winfrey praising it on a second programme and inviting Ray back for more chat about �accelerating the release of your limitations�.

Nor was Winfrey contrite when Newsweek magazine published a cover story this year accusing several of her guests of peddling bad medical advice. �Some of the many experts who cross her stage offer interesting and useful information,� said Newsweek. �Others gush nonsense. Oprah, who holds her guests up as prophets, can�t seem to tell the difference.�

Among Winfrey favourites who have been heavily criticised are Suzanne Somers, a 62-year-old actress whose quest for eternal youth involves daily injections of oestrogen into her vagina. �Many people write Suzanne off as a quackadoo,� said Winfrey, �but she might just be a pioneer.�

Doctors were also infuriated when Jenny McCarthy, a former Playboy model and the girlfriend of actor Jim Carrey appeared to warn against the MMR vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. Convinced that her son�s autism was caused by MMR, McCarthy referred to �the autism shot� and dismissed a statement from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that scientists have found no connection. �My science is named Evan [her son],� she said.

Winfrey was further embarrassed when a series of memoirs she had promoted turned out to have been bogus. James Frey admitted to fabricating portions of A Million Little Pieces, his account of recovery from supposed drug addiction; Angel at the Fence, an account of Holocaust survival � described by Winfrey as �the greatest single love story we�ve ever told on the air� � also proved to be fiction.

Winfrey had no comment on the spiritual warrior case last week. In response to Newsweek�s criticisms last summer she had said: �I trust the viewers and I know they are smart and discerning enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for them.�[/quote]

[i](Yes, I know The Anticult is on top of this. This is cross-posting for Oprah's "celebrity" angle)[/i]
[url=http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,77450,page=1]James Arthur Ray - Rick Ross Forum[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77759,77759#msg-77759 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:43:56 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77182,77190#msg-77190 Kaleidoscope [url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-27/travoltas-scientology-turning-point/full/]Daily Beast: Travolta's Scientology Turning Point?[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77182,77190#msg-77190 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:09:16 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77182,77182#msg-77182 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-27/travoltas-scientology-turning-point/]Travolta's Scientology Turning Point? Page 1[/url]
[url=http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-27/travoltas-scientology-turning-point/2/]Travolta's Scientology Turning Point? Page 2[/url]


by Kim Masters
The actor�s public acknowledgement that his son, who died in January, was autistic has former Scientologists convinced that he will leave the church�which they say has little tolerance for chronic conditions.

When John Travolta took the witness stand last week and testified that his late son, Jett, was autistic, it came as a grim relief to some former Scientologists.

�Wasn�t that amazing?� said a fallen-away church member after Travolta appeared in an extortion case that followed the death of his 16-year-old son last January. �I thought, �Good for him.� He denied it for years. It�s really important that he says it.�

When Jett died after suffering a seizure, some former Scientologists pointed the finger at the church. Until now, his parents had said their son�s illness was a syndrome caused by exposure to chemicals. Some ex-Scientologists�apostates, as the church would have it�believe Jett may have been deprived of appropriate treatment for years because of the church�s teachings. And they think that if Travolta comes to terms with his son�s diagnosis, the church eventually will lose one of its most high-profile members.

�My hope for him is that he starts looking� at what really happened, says Tory Christman, an outspoken Scientology critic who left after more than 30 years in the organization. At one time, Christman says she helped train Travolta in Scientology. Now she believes that if he weighs the facts, �he�ll reach the right decision... And he�s a guy who could really make a difference.�

Travolta�s spokesman declined to comment. Tommy Davis, a spokesman for Scientology, denounced Christman and other former Scientologists who are critical of the church as �liars,� adding, �It�s a horrific, horrific thing for these people to take the tragic death of a young boy and try to turn it on his parents� religion.�

Davis has said repeatedly that Scientology accepts treatment of and medication for physical illnesses. But Christman, who is epileptic, says the institution has little tolerance for chronic conditions. In Scientology, she says, such illnesses are seen as the product of �covert hostility� and a failure to follow church procedures. Christman says she kept her epilepsy as much to herself as possible when she was still in the church because otherwise she would have been �considered degraded.�

Christman says Scientology pushed her to stop her medication and use vitamins and supplements instead. The first time she cut back on her medications, she had a grand mal seizure in her bathroom and knocked out her front teeth. She says she resumed her medication but tried to stop again in the face of continued objections from the church�and again faced disastrous results. Though the church eventually backed down, she says she doesn�t think her victory was widespread or lasting. �I fought �em all the way,� she says. But her actions only �fixed it for me and a bunch of other people who were there at that time,� she says.

Davis denies that chronic illness creates a stigma in Scientology and that Christman was ever pressured to stop her medication. As for her description of Scientology�s position on chronic illness, he says, �We could pick and choose isolated sentences, phrases from L. Ron Hubbard�s books and make them sound weird, and I�m not going to go there.� He does acknowledge that in Scientology, �We consider that you alone are responsible for the condition that you�re in.� But he also insists that the church requires members to seek treatment from doctors for �physical� illnesses.

Former Scientologists say autism would have created issues in Scientology not only because it�s chronic and not obviously �physical� but because it is often assessed by psychologists and treated with the types of mood-stabilizing drugs that Scientology opposes. Jett�s mother, Kelly Preston, has acted as a spokeswoman for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a Scientology offshoot dedicated to waging war on psychiatry and the use of psychiatric drugs. (The group�s homepage is illustrated with a cell door labeled �Psychiatry� An Industry of Death.� While the group�s Web site refers to autism as a �physical handicap,� Scientology has battled the use of medications for conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. (Davis does not acknowledge that these conditions exist.)

Travolta and his wife long said publicly that their son suffered from Kawasaki disease, a rare condition that causes arterial inflammation. �With my son I was obsessive about cleaning�his space being clean, so we constantly had the carpets cleaned,� Travolta told CNN in 2001. �And I think, between him, the fumes and walking around, maybe picking up pieces or something, he got...Kawasaki syndrome.�

A couple of years later, Preston recounted a similar story to Montel Williams, adding, �We don�t have any chemicals in the house. We�re 90 percent organic, though there�s some canned foods, a little bit of junk food here and there.� She credited a Scientology detoxification program with improving Jett�s condition.

But to many observers, Jett�s autism seemed obvious. And John Travolta�s brother, Joey, has worked with autistic children and produced a documentary about the syndrome. Joey Travolta has never indicated that his involvement with autism was linked to his nephew�s condition, but soon after Jett�s death, the London Mirror reported that Joey frequently argued with his brother about Jett�s diagnosis. (Joey Travolta did not respond to an inquiry from The Daily Beast.)

It does not appear that Jett received the early intervention recommended for autistic children. But perhaps he was, at some point, given medication. After his death, a Travolta family lawyer told the Web site TMZ.com that Jett had taken the anti-seizure and mood-stabilizing medication Depakote for several years and had found it effective in reducing the frequency of his seizures from about once in four days to once in three weeks. But the attorney said the medication was discontinued (in consultation with neurosurgeons) because it had stopped working.

I asked James McCracken, a professor of child psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine, about protocols for treating seizures in autistic children. (McCracken spoke in general terms, not specifically about any individual.) He said patients don�t ordinarily build up a tolerance for Depakote, so the medication doesn�t usually lose effectiveness. If the medication did not work, a doctor would generally try another. �Typically a neurologist would cycle through two, three, four anticonvulsants and then start working with combinations of them� to control seizures, he said.

Former Scientologist Claire Headley was raised in Scientology and worked in its internal affairs office from the time she was 16 until she left the organization five years ago. (She is now suing for labor law violations, alleging that she was paid $46 a week.) In her experience, she says, the church opposed the use of any medication considered to be a psychiatric drug. She says that as far as she knows, the only approved approaches to Jett�s issues were �assists and objective processing.� Objective processing, according to Headley, involves trying to put individuals �in touch with their environment�like, �Look at that wall. Thank you. Turn around. Thank you. Put your hands against mine.� �

Assists are meant �to get somebody in communication with their body,� she says. �Like a touch assist��Feel my finger. Feel my finger��all over a person�s body.� That is similar to the process Travolta himself performed on director Randal Kleiser when they were working on the 1978 film Grease. After Kleiser cut his foot and developed a fever, �John came to my trailer to do a healing,� he told Entertainment Weekly. �He took his finger and pushed it into my arm and said, �Do you feel my finger? � and I said �Yes,� and then he�d move it an inch and say, �Do you feel my finger? � He did this for about an hour. Here was the star of the movie helping me, so I didn�t criticize. The next day, though, my fever was gone.�

Clearly, Travolta is devastated that he could not save the son to whom he was, by all accounts, devoted. But Tory Christman says she believes that he has an opportunity to save others. �I feel really bad for him,� she says. �But I just don�t want him to be used by the church. It�s horrible he lost his son but�change something. He�s a guy who could really make a difference.�

But Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis calls Christman�s comments �disgusting,� adding, �This religion is utterly and completely about helping. It�s just insane to think that Scientology would be a factor in somebody not getting all the help they need.�

[url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/404/](Original link)[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,77182,77182#msg-77182 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:50:41 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76970,76970#msg-76970 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/cartwright-lends-voice-to-fairmont-performance-307955.html]Dayton Daily News[/url]

Although it isn't a surprise when TV's Bart Simpson does appearances to boost Scientology, it is a little unsettling that a TV news anchor should have the poor judgment to shill for the group. Pete Scalia narrated a [i]children's performance[/i] of L. Ron Hubbard�s 1940 fantasy tale �If I Were You.�

Mr Scalia should be aware of how Nancy Cartwright's appeal to children can be a dangerous indoctrination tool.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76970,76970#msg-76970 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:28:46 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76968,76969#msg-76969 Kaleidoscope
[img]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7453/picture4wc.png[/img]


[url=http://perezhilton.com/2009-09-18-will-smith-gifts-scientology-with-big]Will Smith Gifts Scientology With Big $$$$; by Perez Hilton[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76968,76969#msg-76969 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:01:21 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76968,76968#msg-76968 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/will-smith-scientology-donation-able-international-world-literacy-crusade/]Will Smith Gives $70,000 to Scientology Groups, Exclusive; by Roger Friedman[/url]

Mr Friedman, while writing for the NY Post, pointed out that the Volunteer Ministers that worked at Ground Zero were actually a Scientology recruitment group. The Scientology Volunteer ministers provided sham medical assistance, interfered with rescue efforts, and caused several rescue workers to disconnect from their families.

([url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Medical]Wikipedia Entry for Downtown Medical[/url]
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_Volunteer_Ministers]Wikipedia Entry for Scientology Volunteer Ministers[/url])]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76968,76968#msg-76968 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:52:59 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76948#msg-76948 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/stats/by-name/c/claudia-lonow.html]Scientology Service Completion, Claudia Lonow[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76948#msg-76948 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:22:27 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,61002,76919#msg-76919 Kaleidoscope
by Bruce Wilson on the Huffington Post Sept 14

[url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-wilson/palin-pastors-re-educatio_b_283230.html]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-wilson/palin-pastors-re-educatio_b_283230.html[/url]

"Last fall, when asked by a Religion News Service reporter about his ministry's ties to Sarah Palin's most important church, the Wasilla Assembly of God, Joyner sought to downplay the connection stating, "I would be honored to be connected, but we are not that I know of. It is very likely that her church has read our stuff and I think some of our folks have been up and spoken to her church. It would be a very loose, distant association."

But Morningstar Ministries is in fact closely tied to the Wasilla church, whose head pastor Ed Kalnins, along with Kenyan evangelist Thomas Muthee, anointed and blessed Sarah Palin against the "spirit of witchcraft" in an October 2005 ceremony at the church, shortly before Palin launched her bid to become Alaska governor."]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,61002,76919#msg-76919 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:18:01 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76812,76812#msg-76812 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://www.loadedgunboston.com/2009/09/production-for-tom-cruises-wichita-film.html]Production for Tom Cruise's "Wichita" Film Heats Up[/url]

They will then film in Bridgewater on September 24 at 3PM, as reported by The Enterprise. The location is owned by the Haseotes family of the Cumberland Farms corporation.

[url=http://www.enterprisenews.com/entertainment/x1035827235/Tom-Cruise-Cameron-Diaz-coming-to-Bridgewater-to-film-movie]Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz Coming to Bridgewater to Film Movie[/url]

Members of the police and fire departments will have a chance to work as extras in the movie, according to the article. This is perfectly in line with Cruise endearing himself to NYFD after 9/11, causing a huge political flap in the process.

Amusingly, Cruise will be playing a secret agent.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76812,76812#msg-76812 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:08:54 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76618#msg-76618 Kaleidoscope
[b]Radar Report: Hollywood Rumors, Gossip and Lawsuits Waiting to Happen[/b]
12/14/99
DHARMA DOESN'T HAVE VERY GOOD KARMA
From this moment on, Jenna Elfman shall be known as the Grinch who stole Christmas. During the last holiday season, the Dharma & Greg star refused to take part in a celebrity autograph auction for an organization that raised money for the care of children with HIV. As a brainwashed devotee of The Church of Scientology, the bah-humbugy Elfman stated that she couldn't support any organization that raised money for AIDS research or relief because [b]"AIDS is a state of mind, not a disease."[/b] Get over it! They're babies, for Buddha's sake!! (or should we say "for Xenu's sake" -- in honor of her wacky alien leader/god?).

Ironically, Scientology megacelebs Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and John Travolta all donated autographs for the same auction. One word of advice, Jenna: Watch out for the ghost of Christmas past.

http://web.archive.org/web/20010214023741/http://www.dailyradar.com/columns/showbiz_column_39.html

Seems to me like this warrants massive protests.


For cross-referencing purposes, here is the original of the MSNBC article where our very own Rick Ross weighed in:
[url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6908975/]Scientologist Elfman Wants to "Clear the Planet"[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76618#msg-76618 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:49:52 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76541,76568#msg-76568 The Anticult
Eckhart Tolle "advaita" http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?6,54633

Its too bad that Jim Carey appears to be going into the New Wage self-help business, since his movies are not working out.

His wife Jenny McCarthy is pretty much the only celebrity follower of Byron Katie, who is peddling the same stuff, but in a much more manipulative way. They are deeply involved in this business,and its BUSINESS.

Twitter from Jenny McCarthy http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,12906,73120#msg-73120

Byron Katie blaming Jenny McCarthy http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,12906,73111#msg-73111]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76541,76568#msg-76568 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:29:47 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76567#msg-76567 The Anticult
But her comments are not that well known at this point.
If she really did say that about AIDS as reported, the AIDS activists should make some protests, if they know about it.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76567#msg-76567 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:10:09 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76563#msg-76563 Sparky
Not funny and not interesting. The critics are already assuming this will not run a full season.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76563#msg-76563 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:36:55 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76557#msg-76557 Kaleidoscope
Jenna Elfman is a controversial choice due to her many connections to the sect.

In 2008 she was [url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/04/09/Bush-signs-prisoners-Second-Chance-act/UPI-14341207778165/]present[/url] as George Bush signed the [url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:H.R.1593:]Second Chance Act[/url], one which is amusingly named after the Scientology [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purification_Rundown]Second Chance drug rehab method[/url]. Second Chance ran into some trouble, notably in [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0-80VzZZa8]New Mexico[/url] (also [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkFGH6ysmz0]here[/url]), but Ms. Elfman won't let those little details trouble her.

Recently in a public dust-up, she screamed [url=http://deceiver.com/2008/10/30/jenna-elfman-would-like-you-to-know-something/]"Have you raped a baby!?!"[/url] to express her displeasure at a passerby's anti-Scientology statement.

And of course, The Daily Radar quoted her as saying [url=http://www.scientology-kills.org/celebrities/elfman.htm]"AIDS is a state of mind, not a disease"[/url] when demurring to participate in an AIDS fundraiser. Scientology, of course, considers homosexuality a mental "aberration."

In 2005, she was present at the gala [url=http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=3137&IssueNum=136]LA opening of[/url] the Scientology museum Psychiatry: An Industry of Death.

It is puzzling that she is still welcome in the mainstream entertainment industry.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76557,76557#msg-76557 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:06:52 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76541,76544#msg-76544 Kaleidoscope
Boy, [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0&feature=PlayList&p=965027F2FB7DC33E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5]Tom Cruise[/url] should sue for copyright infringement.[/b]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76541,76544#msg-76544 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:02:21 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76541,76541#msg-76541 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/06/jim-carrey-and-friends-hollywood-lose-your-mind.html]LA Times[/url]

[url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-11/jim-carrey-almighty/]The Daily Beast[/url]

[url=http://www.jimcarreyonline.com/recent/news.php?id=1341]Jim Carrey's Website[/url]

[b]Funny, because he has been known to be skeptical in the past[/b]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC-fNKgRbTs]Jim Carrey Discusses Scientology[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,76541,76541#msg-76541 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:41:54 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,37044,76538#msg-76538 Kaleidoscope
[url=http://glosslip.com/2009/09/02/john-travolta-and-kelly-preston-what-will-their-future-hold/]John Travolta and Kelly Preston, What Will Their Future Hold?[/url]

JT's brother Joey always held that Jett was autistic

[url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/01/john-travolta-1.html]LA Times[/url]

and even produced a film about autism

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYu-s8VVCKk]Normal People Scare Me[/url]]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,37044,76538#msg-76538 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:54:25 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,73158#msg-73158 Sparky Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,73158#msg-73158 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:08:25 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,72902#msg-72902 Hope
No - you're "two cents" isn't that unpopular. There is a lot of gray area between Oprah-style thinking and science. I've worked in the medical field since 1986 and know many doctors who will not get their kids vaccinated. There is also a lot more scientific research that just isn't published by the big journals for political reasons. That is changing as more journals become open-source and not peer-reviewed. I used to transcribe research reports for a big NYC oncology research team and it was amazing what wasn't published and why - something like being the kid who was last to be picked for sports teams in high school. This type of stuff happens in conventional as well as so-called alternative medicine.

The thing is, the games that go on in medicine drive people to gurus like Oprah (or, with me, to a really sociopathic naturopath). In between pharmaceuticals and Noni juice there is biochemistry, which doesn't have an agenda.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,72902#msg-72902 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:30:02 +0200 http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,72823#msg-72823 yasmin As some one recently pointed out to me every small voice counts, so here goes.While most of Oprahs' beliefs leave me cold, I am actually grateful that she has been willing to bring the autism causation discussion more into the mainstream.

Like any medical intervention, vaccines carry both advantages and the risk of side effects. Rather like eating peanut butter. For most people a wonderful nutritious food and a good source of protien.
But for those allergic to it, peanut butter , a nice non toxic substance, can be lethally dangerous.
By the way, historically thalidomide tested as non toxic. In fact one of the reasons it was given to pregnant women for nausea was because it was actually described as being so non toxic it was almost impossible to overdose on it.

There are two cases recently in which the U.S. vaccine board agreed to compensate for vaccine injury resulting in autism.
Hannah Poling, the daughter of a neurologist, whose underlying mitochondrial disorder was aggravated by 9 vaccines on one day.She regressed following this,and now has a diagnosis of autism.
The one study done in Portugal looking at mitochondria disorder seemed to suggest mitochondrial disorder may be much more common in children with regressive autism.
Bradley Banks, who had seizures immediately following his MMR ( I think?it was the MMR)
his parents took him into the ER and they did an MRI which showed the damage caused, and he got dignosed with vaccine induced encephalopathy.He is on the autism spectrum PPD NOS.
( Interesting peer reviewed journal article: you can find it on google scholar:
Encephalopathy Followed By Permanent Brain Injury or Death Associated with Further Attenuated Measles Vaccine: a review of the claims submitted to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.)

There is still so much more to learn about vaccines. Most of us who are now adults grew up on a schedule of about 10 vaccines before the age of 5.In the later 1980's this changed and babies in the US now get around 36, starting with one on the day of birth.

We still don't know a lot about autism. We know that it is not purely genetic: identical twin studies have 60% concordance for severe autism ( 90% for aspergers) which mean autism is a genetic susceptibility with an environmental trigger.
Other studies have suggested relationships with mercury in the air, maternal intake of valproic acid, and maternal intake of thalidomide as being risk factors.
Some people hypothesize/some genetic studies seem to support that some of these children may have a glutathione transport problem menaing they are more susceptible to problems with handling heavy metals.it is possible for these chidlren that a shot containing aluminium on the day of birth (Hep B) , or flu shots containing thimerosal could be contraindicated.
Other kids may react to the adjunctants added to vaccines to stimulate the immune system; kids with a family history of autoimmune dysfunction have, depending on the problem, an autism rate of 1 in 12.The MMR insert suggests it not be given to people with immune system dysfunction, as it contains live viruses that they may not be able to tolerate.
Like peanut butter, vaccines are safe and protective for many people. But it is also important in my opinion for a compassionate nation to work to identify who is an risk of brain damage,and help them too. And at least with Oprah bringing the issue more to the forefront, perhaps more funding for studies designed to identify the probably mutiple causes of autism,and to also focus on how to make vaccines safer for the minority to whom they may be dangerous.
Thats my (probably unpopular) two cents worth.]]> Celebrities associated with "cult-like" groups http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?13,56220,72823#msg-72823 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:49:10 +0200