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Controversy

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The day after the Heaven's Gate mass suicide was discovered, anti-cult activist Jorge Erdely accused LLDM of plotting a similar activity which lead into a controversy

Controversy in Mexico

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According to Gordon Melton and David Bromley, the allegations against the Church of planning mass suicide of its members in the wake of the Heaven's Gate mass suicide were "fraudulent."[1] 0n March 27, 1997. Jorge Erdely accused La Luz del Mundo of being a "destructive sect" with the potential for mass suicide on TV Azteca, unleashing a controversy in the Mexican media. Academics, like Patricia Fortuney and a group of academics from Guadalajara, defended the Church by calling for religious tolerance and questioning the methodology of the two non-governmental organizations, the "Departamento de Investigaciones Sobre Abusos Religiosos" and the "Instituto Cristiano de México" lead by Hugo Elizalde and Jorge Erdely, respectively. [2]

Some former members also accused the leader of the Church of sexually abusing them[3][4] and demanded that the Church be stripped of its legal recognition in 1997[5][6] In response, the "Religious Affairs Department" of Mexico's Interior Ministry and a state prosecutor, declined to prosecute based on the statute of limitations. The former members involved had also refused to cooperate with the authorities, saying they were suspicious of the Mexican legal system, claiming that it favored the Church.[7] Lino González, speaking on behalf of the State prosecutor's office in Guadalajara said that he felt that the accusations were unfounded.[8] These accusations were never proven before a court.[9] Anthropologist Carlos Garma Navarro criticized the fact that the accusations were brought before the mass media instead of a judicial court, "because they [the media] cannot operate as an alternative judicial court, and their aim is to maintain and increase their audience." Garma Navarro believes it is very likely that these accusations were made in a "desire for revenge by intolerant extremist groups."[10] He also reported that members of the church were harassed due to their religious affiliation during what they perceived to be a lynching campaign against their leader.[9]

Religion specialist Bernardo Barranco said that the controversy between La Luz del Mundo and Erdely seemed like a religious war which was exploited by the media and their, "fierce struggle for ratings."[11] According to Barranco, there were many doubts regarding the accusations and the academic character Erdely's anti-cult group[12] and that the lack of information and a rigorous treatment of the case, the media judged the permissibility of the religious organization which he bleives to be a dangerous precedent since the media is not qualified to do this.[13] According to journalist Gastón Pardo, the Instituto Cristiano de México is a sect that in 1997 launched a smear campaign in the media against various religious leaders, trying to discredit them with the systematic use of defamation and slander.[14]

Controversy in the United States

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The controversy in Mexico spilled over into the US when María de Lourdes Argüelles, a professor at Claremont Graduate University, led opposition against La Luz del Mundo, which she considered a "destructive sect,"[7] when it was denied a permit to build a church in Ontario, California. She claimed she had seen children and teens, working over night in the site, under precarious conditions.[15] Argüelles claimed her concerns did not stem from religious intolerance but from fear of what she believed was the church's "totalitarian control of powerless people". Ontario officials researched the church and checked with other cities that had Luz del Mundo temples in them and found no problems associated with the Church.[7] The city, due to new zoning issues, denied the permit to the church. La Luz del Mundo then sued the city for denying it use of its own building for services and for violating its civil rights. The case was settled out of court in 2004, with the church being allowed to construct the temple[8] and the city agreeing to pay about $150,000 in cash and fee credits to the church. The case was not taken to the courts, as city officials and attorneys concluded the city would most likely lose the case and would spend far more money than what was settled for.[16]

Wildlife Refuge & Sanctuary Silver Wolf

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In 1998, the Joaquín family purchased a ranch in Seguin, Texas, known as Silver Wolf Ranch. At the time Guadalupe County Sheriff Melvin Harborth deployed a criminal intelligence unit after receiving reports of armed guards in the premises. The sheriff declared that a thorough investigation was carried out but nothing illegal was found, stating that "everybody's got freedom of religion".[8] The ranch was divided into a private and a nonprofit part. The nonprofit part operates as an animal and wildlife refuge[17] and the family has decided to open it to the public, but progress has been delayed due to lack of funds. Bruce Hopkins, a lawyer, said the situation "is a bit troubling" since the public access has been delayed for a long time.[8] Authorities continue to watch the ranch, but so far the owners have not given them "any reason to do anything". Sheriff Arnold Zwicke remarked that "they're good citizens".[8]

The church has stated that voluntary donations do not enrich the family's private holdings. A church lawyer, Maria Elena Castillo, has stated that the ranch benefits the public by rescuing and caring for "doomed or homeless" animals and that "veterinary and children's groups take educational field trips inside the nonprofit zoo".[8] Vapsi Coronado says that the owners have been working with the United States Department of Agriculture since they purchased the ranch in rescuing abused and neglected animals.[18]

Notes

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Citations
  1. ^ Bromley, David G.; Melton, J. Gordon (2002), Cults, religion, and violence, Cambridge University Press, p. 50, ISBN 978-0-521-66898-9
  2. ^ Masferrer Kan, Elio (2004). ¿Es del César o es de Dios? Un modelo antropológico del campo religioso. Plaza y Valdés, CEIICH-UNAM. p. 158-161. ISBN 978-970-722-316-5.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Masferrer K. 2004 158 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ De La Torre, Renée. (2000), Los hijos de la luz: Discurso, identidad y poder en La Luz del Mundo, ITESO, CIESAS, Universida de Guadalajara, p. 19
  5. ^ Garma Navarro, Carlos. 2004. "The Legal Situation of Religious Minorities in Mexico:The Current situation, Problems, and Conflicts." In James T. Richardson (ed) Regulating religion: case studies from around the globe. Springer, 2004
  6. ^ Garma Navarro, Carlos (1999). "La situación legal de las minorías religiosas en México: Balance actual, problemas y conflictos". Alteridades. 9 (018). Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - Iztapalapa: 141–142. ISSN 0188-7017. OCLC 31126010. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference L.A. Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c d e f Bensman, Todd (25 May 2008). "Divine Retreat". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  9. ^ a b Garma Navarro, Carlos (2003). "Problemas éticos en la antropología de la religión". Alteridades. 13 (025). Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - Iztapalapa: 32. ISSN 0188-7017. OCLC 31126010. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  10. ^ Garma Navarro, Carlos (2004). Buscando el espíritu: Pentacostalismo en Iztapalapa y la ciudad de México. Plaza y Valdés. p. 172. ISBN 978-970-722-280-9. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ^ Barranco, Bernardo (29 December 1997). "Balance religioso en 1997". La Jornada. Retrieved 12 January 2013. La polémica, nacida a raíz del suicidio colectivo de la secta La Puerta del Cielo, tiene tintes de guerra religiosa muy bien aprovechada por los medios en su voraz lucha por el rating.
  12. ^ Barranco, Bernardo (29 December 1997). "Balance religioso en 1997". La Jornada. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  13. ^ Barranco, Bernardo (29 December 1997). "Balance religioso en 1997". La Jornada. Retrieved 12 January 2013. Lamentablemente el diferendo se ha prolongado y se ha dejado, y a falta de información y de tratamiento riguroso del caso, han sido los medios los que juzguen, en los hechos, la permisibilidad de la asociación religiosa. Esto crea un precedente francamente peligroso, pues los medios son los menos calificados para hacerlo.
  14. ^ Pardo, Gastón (13 August 2005). "Los responsables están avalados por el gobierno". Voltaire Network. Retrieved 12 January 2013. A lo largo de 1997, una secta denominada Instituto Cristiano de México lanzó ataques en los medios informativos en contra de líderes religiosos, a quienes intentó desacreditar con el empleo sistemático de difamaciones y calumnias.
  15. ^ Masferrer Kan, Elio (2004). ¿Es del César o es de Dios? Un modelo antropológico del campo religioso. Plaza y Valdés, CEIICH-UNAM. p. 153. ISBN 978-970-722-316-5.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference IVDB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Wildlife Refuge & Sanctuary Silver Wolf". GuideStar:Amex-Organization Report. GuideStar. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  18. ^ Monette, Taylor (5 May 2007). "Variety of exotics 'at home' on Silver Wolf Ranch". Country World News. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
References
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