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. 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 article at Abortion
Law.
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
(which is also a group probably 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.
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.
Anthroposophical Society.
Cult. Founded by Rudolf Steiner in 1912 as
an alternative to Theosophy (from which
he started to split around 1907). Teaches New age
concepts including karma and reincarnation.
Aotearoa Ploughshares. A Christian
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. They did not have to pay the approximately
$1 million in damages they caused. A law change may result from the case,
so it cannot 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.
Art of Living Foundation.
New Age group (and possible cult) started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. (There
is also an Art of Living founded by [Ms] Frankie Lee Slater, but that
is not thought to be in New Zealand at present.)
Ascension Meditation.
A particular form of Eastern/New Age meditation.
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. MacGregor
Ministries has a useful article: Astrology:
A Christian Analysis. Also see horoscopes.
Atheism.
Yes, atheism can be considered a religion, since the belief that there
is no God is a religious view that actually takes greater faith than the
belief that God does exist. Atheism
is also listed in the Glossary. See
CARM's
Atheism section for more information, including 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 [sic] of an atheistic worldview exist for one sole purpose:
justification of sin.'
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.
Awake! magazine.
Published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, who are better known
as the Jehovah's Witnesses cult.
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.
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. Some more figures are included in the 
Submissions for this listing are now being accepted - if you wrote recently
please write again. Please see 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 
Yes, atheism can be considered a religion, since the belief that there
is no God is a religious view that actually takes greater faith than the
belief that God does exist. 