A Rocha. "A Rocha is an international Christian organization which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education and community-based conservation projects."
Abortion.
There is probably no greater danger to New Zealanders than abortion. The physical
danger to babies is obvious - abortion stops a beating heart. Abortion claims
the lives of almost one quarter of all New Zealand babies. The New Zealand rate
has been as high as 248 abortions per 1,000 pregnancies (330 abortions for 1,000
live births) in 2003. There were 15,863 abortions in New Zealand in 2011. Some more figures are included in the Election
Results PDF (69KB). Abortion also presents a physical risk to the mother
- for example, abortion has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.
Quite apart from the physical danger to babies and mothers, it is staggering
the amount of deception
involved with convincing young women that abortion is the answer to dealing
with the life growing within them. Some examples include telling them that a
baby is not really living until it is born, implying that the abortion will
somehow solve all the mother's (and family's) problems, and omitting to mention
that the mother will very likely live with huge guilt for killing her baby.
For information on the illegality of most abortions in New Zealand (perhaps
as many as 98% of them) read the articles at Abortion
Law, which points out that the primary position of New Zealand law is that abortion is a serious crime and is unlawful.
Abraham's Group. Submissions
for this listing are now being accepted - if you wrote recently please
write again. Please see the Contact page.
Acupressure.New
Age practice. Similar to acupuncture but
using manual pressure instead of needles.
Acupuncture.New Age practice. Fine stainless steel needles are
inserted into a patient's body at particular supposedly significant points.
Practitioners are divided into two groups - those utilising it as part of traditional
Chinese medicine, and those who practice it purely for pain relief. The effects
of acupuncture vary, and are often not reproducible - one NZ Cult List reader
has pointed out "acupuncture seems to work on a case by case basis".
For this and other reasons, the power of suggestion, the placebo
effect and other mechanisms cannot be ruled out as possible causes if
any pain-reducing effect or healing is actually produced by a particular acupuncture
session. See Quackwatch's acupuncture
feature for more information on acupuncture, including the medical dangers.
Aetherius Society. Founded
in 1955 by George King, a (deceased) London
former taxi driver and very probable con man. The group was probably
started as a con (Mr King quitting his taxi driving to start the Society)
but is now self-sustaining, and has about 650 members worldwide. George
King claimed to have communicated with space aliens, including physical
contact with one who supposedly incarnated as Jesus and is now living
on Venus (in the etheric plane), and another who was supposed to have
incarnated as Buddha and is now living in a city floating over the Gobi
Desert (in the etheric plane, where it has allegedly been for hundreds
of thousands of years). As a religion it's a strange mix of Eastern (eg,
chanting, karma, reincarnation, yoga)
and science fiction (eg, extra-terrestrials, telepathy, UFOs). Main practices
include praying into boxes - said to be "radionic devices" -
which allow later release of hundreds of hours of "prayer power" all
at once. Aetherious Society members believe this can stop wars and natural
disasters. For another UFO religion see Raëlians (another
group almost certainly started as a scam and is now self-sustaining).
Submissions for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact page.
Aglow International. Formerly
called Women's Aglow Fellowship. A Christian church-connected
women's fellowship group, it is one of the largest women's associations
in the world, and is present in over 170 countries. See Wikipedia's Aglow
International article for more information.
Ahnsahnghong, Ahn Sahng-Hong. Deceased
Korean founder of the Church of God, World Mission
Society. He qualifies as a false prophet, since he "predicted the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in both 1967 and 1988." (Apologetics Index.)
Aikido.
A Japanese martial art specialising in using
an aggressor's momentum against him (or her!). Aikido's founder, Morihei Ueshiba,
was born in Japan on 14 December 1883. He received certificates of mastery in
several styles of jujitsu, fencing, and spear fighting. Combining his martial
training with his religious and political ideologies, he created the modern
martial art of Aikido, naming it "Aikido" in 1942 (before that it
was called "aikibudo" and "aikinomichi"). The religious
side of Aikido is particularly important. However, from the Aikido FAQ history
page we have the following comment:
"Despite what many people think or claim, there is no unified
philosophy of Aikido. What there is, instead, is a disorganized and only partially
coherent collection of religious, ethical, and metaphysical beliefs which are
only more or less shared by Aikidoists, and which are either transmitted by
word of mouth or found in scattered publications about Aikido. ... At the core
of almost all philosophical interpretations of Aikido, however, we may identify
at least two fundamental threads: (1) A commitment to peaceful resolution of
conflict whenever possible. (2) A commitment to self-improvement through Aikido
training."
The commitment to peaceful resolution has been suggested (slightly tongue in
cheek) as the reason why there are no Aikido competitions - both competitors
in a round would simply wait for the other to start something. Good on them,
too. Aikido is rated Caution here because of the importance of its religious
side. That possibly strong religious aspect (dependent on branch?) is something
for Christians to be wary of if getting involved, but does not necessarily mean
Aikido is something to be avoided by all Christians. However, it may be something
best completely avoided for some Christians.
Al-Anon. "To
help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living
with the problem drinking of a relative or friend, ... adapted from Alcoholics
Anonymous and is based upon the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and
Twelve Concepts of Service." For more information, visit the Al-Anon
web site.
Alcoholics Anonymous. Perhaps
best explained by this blurb from their own web site:
"Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women
who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they
may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There
are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through
our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination,
politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any
controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose
is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."
Allah. Supreme deity of Islam.
The name literally means "the God".
Alpha Course. An
introductory course for Christianity started by Rev Charles Marnham of
Holy Trinity Brompton, an Anglican church in London, England, as a course
for church members on the basics of Christianity. In 1990 Nicky Gumbel
took over running it, and he revised and expanded the course. The course
has spread around the world and is quite popular, no doubt because food
is an important part. The name comes from alpha, the first letter
of the Greek alphabet. Concern has been raised about the course due to
the close association of Holy Trinity Brompton with the Holy
Laughter Movement. Some argue that the Alpha Course teaches experiential
Christianity at the expense of repentance or at the expense of biblical
revelation, and that it gives undue prominence to the Holy Spirit while
relegating the Father and Jesus Christ to the background. For these reasons
it may not suit all churches - apparently the course Christianity
Explored attempts to deal with these perceived failings in the
Alpha Course so may suit some churches better. Please see the Contact page.
Ambrotose. Scam,
pure and simple. Main product of the American-based Mannatech company.
For nutritional value the New Zealand Herald compared the product
to Coca Cola. (All sweetened soft drinks contain sucrose or high-fructose
corn syrup, which the human body absorbs as glucose and fructose, of
which glucose is a glyconutrient. Also, lactose in milk is broken
down into glucose and galactose, both of which are glyconutrients.
The human body can make the other glyconutrients from those it has available.)
Ambrotose is given a Caution rating here because it is only likely
to serious harm your wallet. However, cancer sufferers are given false
hope by the ridiculous claims made by many of those who sell the stuff.
AMORC. Cult.
Acronym for Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis ("of the Rosy Cross").
Otherwise known as Rosicrucianism. New age and occult practices.
Leading tract is Mastery of Life.
Amway. Considered
by many to be a business
cult due to practices such as deceptive recruitment. Many of Amway's
products are supposed to be quite good, although not necessarily good
value for money - it still pays to shop around. Submissions for this
listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact page.
Anchor Stone International. Represented
in New Zealand by Ross Patterson, Anchor
Stone International is an organisation promoting the false discoveries
of Ron
Wyatt, including the claim for a particular site in Turkey being
Noah's Ark.
In 1992 Answers in Genesis investigated the evidence and thoroughly refuted
any idea that the site is or ever was Noah's Ark. See Ross
Patterson's listing for details. With evidence so readily available
disproving that the site is Noah's Ark, it is the position of the New
Zealand Cult List that anyone
who still promotes the false Ron Wyatt Ark site and its associated false
evidence is either willfully ignorant or is deliberately deceiving. Like Ron Wyatt, Anchor Stone International hasn't been given a Danger rating because their claims are not likely to do any damage other than to people's
wallets.
Aotearoa Ploughshares. A Christian
group, possibly a sect, that focuses on peace. Came to notoriety in April
2008 when three of their members (apparently acting on their own behalf)
ironically mounted an attack on the Waihopai Spy Base, resulting in a
deflated dome over one of the two satellite dishes. In March 2010 they
were found
not guilty by a jury because they claimed that their actions were
for the greater good, saving lives in Iraq. They did not have to pay
the approximately $1 million in damages they caused. In October 2010
the government brought
a civil case against them for a total approaching one
and a quarter million dollars. The case has resulted in a law
change, so it shouldn't happen again.
Applied Kinesiology. Alternative
pseudo-medical practice, associated with chiropractic.
A 1993 survey showed 72% of New Zealand chiropractors used applied kinesiology.
See this Applied
Kinesiology article on the Quackwatch web
site for more information.
Applied Scholastics. Front
group for the dangerous Scientology cult.
Argyria. A
side effect of colloidal silver ingestion
where a person's skin turns a blue-black colour.
Armstrong, Garner Ted. Garner
Ted Armstrong died on 15 September 2003 age 73. Youngest child of Herbert
W Armstrong, father of Mark, David, and Matthew. Expected to succeed
his father as leader of the Worldwide Church of
God, Garner Armstrong fell from grace ("accused of improprieties"),
being disfellowshipped several times from 1966 to 1978. In 1978 he formed
the Church of God International, which in turn
had many breakaway groups, especially in the early 1990s when the Worldwide
Church of God was reforming. In 1995 Garner Ted Armstrong quit the CoGI
after he was accused of sexually harassing a female nurse - a charge
he denied. He went on to organize the Garner Ted
Armstrong Evangelical Association (GTAEA). From this sprung the Intercontinental
Church of God in 1998. Mr Armstrong has been assigned a Danger rating
because of his teachings, not because of any danger he personally posed
to anyone.
Armstrong, Herbert W. Herbert
W Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God (a
former cult, originally named the Radio Church of God). Born in Des Moines,
Iowa on 31 July, 1892. Dropped out of high school supposedly following
his uncle's advice that only people without ambition needed education
(things were very different back then). In Oregon in the 1920s he accepted
Jesus Christ as his saviour and in the 1930s started a radio show and
a magazine - The Plain Truth.
In 1947 he moved to southern California and started training leaders
and led the Worldwide Church of God through rapid expansion in the 1950s
and 1960s. Said to have visited Auckland around 1980. Herbert Armstrong
died in 1986 aged 93, opening the path for God to work to reform the
group. He is assigned a Danger rating for his teachings, and for
founding and encouraging a cult.
Arnott, John. Pastor
of Toronto Airport Vineyard Fellowship, a branch which was expelled from
the Vineyard Movement for its Holy Laughter Movement activities,
which John Arnott was instrumental for introducing. (Hence why HLM is
sometimes called the Toronto Movement.) Quote
John Arnott, referring to his methodology for spreading HLM:
Another thing that hinders is people pray all the time.
Praying in English or even praying in tongues. Mention the Holy Spirit
and they start praying in tongues, you know. Our experience is that that
will hinder substantially your ability to receive. And so I say to people,
`Look don't pray.'
Compare this to 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - "pray continually".
Art of Living Coalition. New
Age group (and possible cult) founded by [Ms] Frankie Lee Slater. It
is not thought to be in New Zealand at present. Also see Art of Living
Foundation (immediately below).
Art of Living Foundation. New
Age group (and possible cult) started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is
present in New Zealand. A former member says "AoL people act
like any other cult, and spiritual, emotional and mental abuse is rife!"
and has recommended artoflivingfree.blogspot.com as
being very helpful in their recovery from being in the group. It is described
thus:
This blog was created with the sole purpose of providing
former Art of Living members and currently doubting ones a space for
healing, finding answers, understanding processes that we went through
as active members and as "drop-outs", sharing, supporting each
other, with understanding, compassion, and above all, freedom and forgiveness.
Ascension Meditation. A
particular form of Eastern/New Age meditation.
Association For Better Living And Education.Scientology front group led in NZ by Kevin Owen.
Astral Travel.New
Age and occult practice involving projecting
the mind elsewhere while in a state of altered consciousness through meditation.
Astrology. The occult belief
system that the position and motion of the stars and planets - especially
when we were born - affect our daily lives. Something for Christians
to completely avoid. MM Outreach Inc has a useful article: Astrology:
A Christian Analysis. Also see horoscopes.
Atheism.
Atheism is a false worldview, at the heart of which is the philosophical viewpoint there is no God (or gods). This viewpoint can be considered a religious belief because of two things:
It says something about the existence of God - a religious statement.
The atheist must believe there is no God; they cannot know there is no God. This is because knowing there is no God is a universal negative; to do so would require omniscience. The atheist would basically have to be God to know there is no God.
Therefore atheism is a belief ultimately based on a philosophical viewpoint, not on any evidence that God does not exist. Because of the faith required to hold that philosophical viewpoint, atheism has belief at its core, and atheists absolutely require faith to hold their belief. Atheists generally don't like to have it pointed out to them that their atheism is faith based and will often strongly deny it, even when it's clearly explained. This is reflected in the book title You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think. Atheism takes more misguided faith than they care to admit, and more faith than it takes to believe that God does exist, as is made clear in the book I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Quite simply, Christianity is far more rational than atheism. The book Christianity for Skeptics puts atheism in perspective:
Atheism is a journey without a destiny, a body without a soul, a religion without reason, life without meaning, a faith without hope, and a universe without God.
Apart from just being a false religious worldview, atheism can also at times be considered a false religion, especially when it takes the form of vehement antitheism. There are several varieties or degrees of atheism, which lie outside the scope of this listing. Atheism is
also listed in the Glossary. See CARM's
Atheism section for more information, including several videos, or Randy
Bailey's story of abandoning atheism to accept Jesus Christ as his saviour. He writes:
The greatest truth that I have learned since I have "come home" again, is that all of the arguments and debates in defense of an atheistic worldview exist for one sole purpose: justification of sin. The reality is that, although I wanted to present my atheism as the result of learned, intellectual inquiry, the reality was that I - just as all atheists do - was defending my choice of refusing God and living a sinful lifestyle.
Auriculotherapy.New
Age practice. A form of acupuncture where needles are stuck into
the outer ear.
Austen, Jill. Jill
Austen (deceased 9 January 2009) was a false prophet (false prophetess?)
and was part of the False Revival Movement.
She claimed to speak with the angel Gabriel and other spiritual beings.
Avatar Masters Training. Described
as "a New Age re-spawning of Scientology using
the same methods of mind control, but the guru is prevented from using
the copyright terms. Founder Harry Palmer is ex-Scientology." Runs
introductory mini-workshops for which they charge a small fee. They are
quite keen on getting their training used in large NZ companies. As well
as Avatar, registered trademarks include ReSurfacing, Thoughtstorm, and
Star's Edge International.
Awakenings Life Skills Centre. Probable Swedenborg related
group.
Ayurveda, Ayurvedic medicine. "An
ancient system of healthcare" from India. Unfortunately some treatments
are toxic. For example, Ayurvedic pills have been found to contain as
much as 10mg of lead in each pill, and lead poisoning from Ayurvedic
treatments can occur. Note that the heavy metals in such pills are not
listed in the ingredients, so partakers are not aware they are poisoning
themselves. See Wikipedia's Ayurveda article
for more information.
"A Rocha is an international Christian organization which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education and community-based conservation projects."
There is probably no greater danger to New Zealanders than abortion. The physical
danger to babies is obvious - abortion stops a beating heart. Abortion claims
the lives of almost one quarter of all New Zealand babies. The New Zealand rate
has been as high as 248 abortions per 1,000 pregnancies (330 abortions for 1,000
live births) in 2003. There were 15,863 abortions in New Zealand in 2011. Some more figures are included in the 
Formerly
called Women's Aglow Fellowship. A Christian church-connected
women's fellowship group, it is one of the largest women's associations
in the world, and is present in over 170 countries. See Wikipedia's 
