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Controversy

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Controversy in Mexico

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In 1997, in the wake of the Heaven's Gate mass suicide, Jorge Erdely went on National Mexican TV and accused the LDM Church of having the potential to commit mass suicide. These accusations were supported by his anti-cult organization, the "Instituto Cristiano Mexicano" and another NGO group led by Elizade, the "Departamento de Investigaciones Sobre Abusos Religiosos." This led to a controversy where some former members of the Church also claimed to have been sexually abused by Joaquin Flores and demanded that the Church lose it's official registration with the government.[1] One member, Moses Padilla, was attacked by what he claimed was a group of police and church members in an attempt to silence him. Padilla also accused the church's leader of having abused him at a younger age. Dissidents were uncooperative, according to authorities, and they were also suspicious of the Mexican legal system claiming that it favored the Church. After four individuals initiated a formal investigation through the Religious Affairs Department of Mexico's Interior Ministry and a state prosecutor, Mexican authorities said that investigation wouldn't go forward due to the statute of limitations.[2][3]

Several Mexican scholars and intellectuals defended the Church against the accusations calling for religious tolerance.[4] A state prosecutor stated his belief that the accusations were unfounded.[5] Gordon Melton and David Bromley say that the suicide accusations were fraudulent and brought on by ideological enemies.[6] The church pointed out that none of the accusations were ever presented to the courts and that Padilla probably orchastrated his attack to validate his accusations against the church.[2]La Luz del Mundo Church was investigated, and the charges against it were refuted by the Mexican Commission on Human Rights.[7] Anthropologist Carlos Garma Navarro said that the accusations were never proven by the police.[8] He also questioned the motives and methods used by the Church's accusers stating that it is possible that these actions may have stemmed from intolerant groups seeking revenge and that some researchers who supported the accusations may have been manipulated. 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][8] Others questioned Erdely's academic integrity, and that of his anti-cult group. Religion specialist Bernardo Barranco believes that this was more of a religious "war" exploited by the media for the sake of increasing ratings[10] and thus the media was the one who, while not being qualified, judged the permissibility of the accusations.[11] Barranco said that there were doubts regarding the accusations and the academic integrety of Erdely and his anti-cult group.[12] Journalist Gastón Pardo believes that Erdely's Instituto Cristiano de México is a sect that in 1997 launched a smear campaign in the media against various religious leaders to discredit them with the systematic use of defamation and slander.[13]

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,"[2] 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.[14] 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.[2] 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[5] 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.[15]

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".[5] The ranch was divided into a private and a nonprofit part. The nonprofit part operates as an animal and wildlife refuge[16] 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.[5] 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".[5]

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".[5] 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.[17]

Notes

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Citations
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference L.A. Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Church denies knife connection was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Bensman, Todd (25 May 2008). "Divine Retreat". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  6. ^ Bromley, David G.; Melton, J. Gordon (2002), Cults, religion, and violence, Cambridge University Press, p. 50, ISBN 978-0-521-66898-9
  7. ^ Mancilla, Alma (2004). "La construcción del discurso intersubjetivo en la sociología de la religión: el caso de la Nueva Era". Ciencia Ergo Sum. 11 (1). Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México: 44–45. ISSN 1405-0269. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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)
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Barranco, Bernardo (29 December 1997). "Balance religioso en 1997". La Jornada. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference IVDB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Wildlife Refuge & Sanctuary Silver Wolf". GuideStar:Amex-Organization Report. GuideStar. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  17. ^ 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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