Old and accepted meanings of words and names can change almost undetected. The name 'Christian' has been, over generations, a clear description of faith. However, at some time during the late 1960s and early 1970s, while I was looking in another direction it changed. I suddenly learned that 'Christian 'was being used to deceive and recruit slaves for cults.
Around that time, just before disaster struck my family, I was working in Durham and every day I used to walk down into the lovely old town towards the river. A clear memory of lunchtime in Durham is imprinted on my mind. Often I would meet the unforgettable Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsay, who, now retired and living in Durham, would be taking his daily walk. 0n some days a young woman stood at the end of the Elvet Bridge. She talked to lunchtime shoppers and one day she caught my eye. 'Chinese' I thought as she approached and told me that she was a Christian and worked for a church. I listened to her plausible story and gave her a pound for her magazine. This happened several times and she quickly became aware that I was a good listener and also good for a pound on most days. Some time later, when I needed help and joined FAIR in the north of England, I was told that this young woman was a 'Moonie'. As the name 'Moonie' (member of The Unification Church) was explained to me, l realized that I had experienced my first cult encounter. The name of the organization has changed more than once over the years, but little else has changed, except it has grown in power and wealth for its leader and his family. When I recall the friendly people in Durham City who used to stop and listen to that
Moonie girl I wonder if others, like me, thought they were helping a real Christian church in some unknown place far away. Later, as I became more aware, I wondered if she was hungry while collecting money for her greedy master Sun Myung Moon? In retrospect it might have been better to give her some sandwiches rather than money?
Other well-intentioned people who spoke to her and bought the magazine were as ignorant as I but she was a charming and lovely young person and it was almost impossible to walk by.
That was the beginning of my cult education and the shocking discovery that 'Christian' can be, and is, used as a front for much unholy and sinister activity.
There has been a steady growth of extreme evangelical Christianity and some dreadful and sinister things are perpetrated under that banner. When driving through the east end of London I observe many and varied names of Christian churches. Often I silently ponder the plight of the 'witch-children' who might be taken into those churches by their parents. FAIR learned of the problem of 'witch-children' some years ago, from Dr. Richard Hoskins of Kings College London.
Often these churches are not conventional church buildings but strange and varied huts and halls with incomprehensible names. Then I recall once more and, with great sorrow and pain, the tiny helpless girl Victoria Climbie. It is known that little Victoria, prior to her death, was taken into a church where, apparently, no one helped her.
Also, never to be forgotten, the headless and limbless body of the little black boy found floating in the Thames. Eventually, the police gave him the name Adam, before burying what was left of his small body in a dignified ceremony. It is now known that many helpless children, 'trafficked' into London and other cities of the UK and Europe, are the victims of dangerous belief systems. Yet still, I have not heard of a Government report into these beliefs, or into the churches promoting them. So Church and State are disturbingly silent. But I am prepared to believe that someone, somewhere might be looking into it and I shall be delighted when that eventually happens.
But meanwhile, I am compelled to ask: “Why and how long must we wait?” There are many members of African Churches who are inculcated with rigid beliefs in witchcraft and they also believe that this phenomenon originates within their own children. These families are terrified by their ministers and they stand by while allowing their children to be tortured in the quest for a cure. As this terrible spectacle has been televised, at least twice to my knowledge, I have to ask: “Does anyone know or care about these helpless children?”
One Sunday morning, a television discussion program was playing in the background. Half listening, I heard the voice of the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, speaking quite forcefully. I listened more carefully and I heard him say that restrictions should be introduced to control Islamic immi-gration. He then added that Christian immigrants should be welcomed. (Not a literal explanation but my memory of his words.) Did he mean ANY Christian immigrants? It was obvi-ous that the dangers of his statements were not clear to him but they were very clear to me. How many clergy, politicians, im-portant people are there who do not see or even look for the dangers now concealed within the label 'Christian'?
This is the chapter 22 of the book “Cults – Who is Vulnerable?” by Audrey Chaytor, Trustee of The Family Survival Trust, the UK, and will be published in instalments on Facts.org.cn.
About the Author:
Audrey Chaytor, who from October 2007 until January 2011 was Chief Executive of The Family Survival Trust, has over thirty years’ experience of listening to, supporting, advising and helping victims of cults, their families, friends and associates. She remains a Trustee to this day. The late John Bazlinton, who was until his death in 2008 also a Trustee, often asked Audrey to write something down to preserve her years of experience. She had been at work on the project since 2009, and in 2011 finished the draft of her work, which she called “Cults – Who is Vulnerable?”. This is a synopsis of the first third of the book, section by section, in order to give a detailed idea of what it covers.
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