Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sphinx.UChicago.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!k111 From: k111@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Peter Kim) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Deprogramming Message-ID: <658@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> Date: Thu, 13-Jun-85 01:04:31 EDT Article-I.D.: sphinx.658 Posted: Thu Jun 13 01:04:31 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 13-Jun-85 23:51:21 EDT Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center Lines: 26 Few months ago, a friend of mine was taken by her parents to a deprogrammer. She received "treatment" for about two weeks, somewhere in Wisconsin. When she came back, not only she stopped going to the church she had been going for about five years, but also she started telling people how bad the church is. Although I realize how a person may misunderstand the church and that her charges against the church is not groundless, several things about deprogamming greatly disturb me. First, I used to think that the deprogramming techniques were applied only to those who had been deceived into cults like the Moonies. I do not think, however, the church she had been attending is a cult. Who will decide what is a cult? How easy and dangerous to call a church a cult, only because the members of the church are far more dedicated to God than the members in other churches! Second, is it ethical, or even legal, to take a person to a deprogrammer against his or her will? In the case of my friend, she says that she agreed with her parents to see a deprogrammer. However, I have heard the cases in which some people were taken to deprogrammers against their wills. Having been a close friend of hers and having attended the church, I am deeply troubled that her parents might have made a terrible mistake and that, because she is making accusations against the church, some people, who otherwise might have decided to study the Bible in the church, may decide agianst the idea; she may be doing things aginst God's will.