Camp David.
Christian camp between Hastings and Waipawa, Hawkes Bay. "Camp
David Adventure Centre is an outdoor education centre with a Godly
emphasis."
Catholic Church. "Catholic"
is a word meaning "universal." In other words, "the catholic
church" (small "c") refers to the whole Christian church
(literally the universal church) and is not technically the same as the
Roman Catholic Church (with capital initials).
However, in common usage people normally use "the Catholic church"
(big "c") to refer to the Roman Catholics.
Central Auckland Church of Christ.
Cult/former cult. Auckland branch of the International
Church of Christ. See also Christchurch Church of
Christ. The International Church of Christ is currently facing massive
internal changes that may result in the "cult" designation being
changed. For more information see www.rightcyberup.com.
Ceragem Massage.
A massage technique supposedly "based on the principles of oriental
science" and made possible by the use of high-tech massage beds which
combine the principles of accupressure
with modern infra-red (heat) technology. The aim of Ceragem Massage is
to balance qi forces within the body, and so qualifies as a New
Age practice. It does this by using chiropractic
techniques, moxibustion and the semi-precious
stone jade (which supposedly has an affect on qi). Another interesting
(and questionable) claim is that it improves cholesterol levels in veins
by dissolving the cholesterol so the blood can wash it away. (Surely this
would dangerously increase cholesterol levels in the blood?) Ceragem Massage
is given a Danger rating here because it involves the use of techniques
Christians should stay away from, not because any physical harm is likely
to result from its use (possible cholesterol problems aside).
Chaitanya, Ananya.
Ananya Chaitanya is the main spokesperson/teacher of the New
Age, Hindu-based Foundation
for Self Knowledge Inc based in Hillsborough, Auckland. She has many
self-contradictory teachings. For example, "All these [celebrations etc]
are meant to draw a person home, towards the Self." "You should not enjoy
[Deepavali] alone - in participating, in togetherness,
you are not being self-centred." Yet from the first quote we can see that
togetherness is counter-productive in moving toward her idea of godhood
- Self. She is given a Caution rating here because of her New
Age teachings, not because she as a person is necessarily someone
to be cautious of.
Children of God. Cult founded by David
Berg in 1968 in the USA. Now known as The Family
International (listed under "The"). Infamous for encouraging
free sex including adult-child sex, and techniques such as "flirty
fishing" for evangelism. They say adult-child sex was banned in 1986.
Chiropractic.
Alternative medical con/scam. Chiropractors "manipulate" their clients
(eg, by popping neck and back vertebrae, etc) to prevent or treat real or imaginary
ailments. In opposition to the scientific evidence (see this Times
article), many chiropractors claim that all sorts of things can be successfully
treated, including asthma, bed wetting, colds, etc, and especially a particularly
dangerous - and fictitious - condition called a vertebral subluxation. Chiropractors
are divided on just what a vertebral subluxation is. Some chiropractors say
they are too small to see, some conveniently claim their nature means they don't
show up physically. A vertebral subluxation has never been seen on an
x-ray, but the complete lack of physical evidence doesn't stop chiropractors
diagnosing them. Chirobase
has an interesting article Chiropractic's
Elusive "Subluxation" by Stephen Barrett MD:
Subluxation is also a medical term. The medical definition is
incomplete or partial dislocation – a condition, visible on x-ray films,
in which the bony surfaces of a joint no longer face each other exactly but
remain partially aligned. No such condition can be corrected by chiropractic
treatment.
(Emphasis added.) The report concludes:
My advice about "subluxations" is very simple. If
a chiropractor purports to locate and fix them – "killer" or
otherwise – seek treatment somewhere else.
If you're interested in following up this issue, we suggest a chiropractic
research project: Call your local chiropractors and ask to see some examples
of vertebral subluxations on x-rays. Let us know your results (see the Contact
page).
"I do not believe that anybody can manipulate the spine
– and that includes physicians who claim to be able to do it – without
it jumping right back because it takes several hundred pounds of pressure to
manipulate the spine. You may move it temporarily, but it's gonna go back to
the same position." – Dr. Reuben Hoppenstein, neurosurgeon at
the Orthopedic Institute of the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City.
He is co-chief of its Problem Back Service. His entire practice is devoted to
microsurgery of the spine.
"Actually, it's been disproven that you can influence the
nerves by manipulating the spine. An anatomist at Yale took people within a
few hours after death and hooked them up to a machine and found that the only
way you can twist the spine to cause the nerve to be interfered with –
like chiropractors say – is to rupture the ligaments, and that would kill
a person." – Dr. Stephen Barrett is a psychiatrist, a consumer
advocate and a medical writer.
"... there's a lot of clearance where the nerves come out
of the spine and you'd literally have to do a lot of disruption of ligaments
and exert 2,000 pounds of pressure in order to try and damage that nerve or
relieve any pressure on that nerve." – Dr. Reuben Hoppenstein.
The simple (and understandable) aim of chiropractors is to make money. The
way most do this is to get as many clients as they can returning for regular
treatments. Chiropractors don't even try to hide this, but try to avoid the
question by claiming that chiropractic treatment should be regular and ongoing,
and imply that serious health problems may result if treatment is not taken
regularly.This is basically the opposite of a GP who (ideally) wants his/her
patient to get better so they don't need to be seen again. Since most people
need no special treatment, by signing on for ongoing chiropractic treatment
a patient is effectively offering the chiropractor their open wallet.
According to Consumer
magazine a few New Zealand chiropractors (15 out of 300 total chiropractors
in NZ) are now adhering to an American set of business practices called Waiting
List Practices (WLP) to enlarge the size of their client base. The result is
healthy people being conned and/or scared into paying around $2,000 for a whole
year of treatment they don't need. The Caution rating is given because
of the huge amount of money wasted on chiropractic treatment (for a family of
four, this could be over $5,300 per year). The New Zealand Cult List acknowledges
that some back treatment may be required in some circumstances, but we suggest
you see your family doctor first. Let them refer you to a physiotherapist if
they deem it appropriate, not a chiropractor.
See Quackwatch
and Chirobase
for more information. Of particular interest is Chirobase's article on the placebo
effect and chiropractic. The article explains how Chiropractic also utilises
the "nocebo" effect (see placebo in the
Glossary) by playing on fear that
a person's health may suffer if treatment is avoided. This is a mind
control technique.
Of interest to those who have trouble understanding why any New Zealand tertiary
institutions would offer Chiropractic degrees, is the write-up of Concerns
About Chiropractic at York University. On the Introduction
page they quote the British Medical Journal (editorial from 18 July 1998):
"we can conclude only that the effectiveness of chiropractic
as a treatment for low back pain has not been established beyond a reasonable
doubt," and, "[o]n the basis of current evidence, it seems uncertain
whether chiropractic does more good than harm."
Christchurch Church of Christ.
Cult/former cult. Christchurch branch of the International
Church of Christ, formerly led by Angus McFarlane. Also see Central
Auckland Church of Christ. The International Church of Christ is currently
facing massive internal changes that may result in the "cult"
designation being changed. For more information see www.rightcyberup.com.
Christadelphians.
Cult. Founded in 1833 by John Thomas (b. 12 April 1805, d. 1871) in the USA,
although it wasn't offically called Christadelphians until 1865, a name chosen
by John Thomas which had been used by some branches before then. They're big
on end-times prophecies and doom-and-gloom stuff, although in New Zealand are
nowhere near as high-profile as the Seventh-Day Adventists
on that topic. Each Christadelphian branch is operated independently and is
called an "ecclesia" - from the Greek word meaning church. Unlike
other cults of Christianity such as JWs and Mormons,
Christadelphians have no formal hierarchy, and instead get things done by committee,
with Christadelphian members being voted onto the committees on a yearly basis.
On the theological side of things the Christadelphians think that Jesus is a
created being and that he was born with a sinful nature* (and yet never actually
sinned), the Holy Spirit is just the "power" of God, there is no personal
devil (they believe the devil is just the impulse to do evil), no Hell, etc
- all of which contradicts Christian teaching. On the practical side, Christadelphians
believe people are saved by works, which means they have to do stuff (like the
Jehovah's Witnesses' belief that JWs have to go
door knocking to be saved). To be saved (or become Christadelphian members)
Christadelphians have to be baptised, which involves an interview (described
by some as a "lengthy interrogation") by other Christadelphians to
see if they have an intellectual understanding in accordance with John Thomas'
teachings. Some ecclesia are thought to have at times discouraged membership
of groups outside of the Christadelphians (eg, women's social club, after-school
sports, etc), perhaps for being too worldly, but for many New Zealand branches
this has apparently not been an issue. Women are supposed to keep silent in
church but are allowed to teach children. The 1996 NZ Census
showed a little over 1700 members in New Zealand.
* Note that Christadelphians don't believe in original sin - that babies are
born inheriting the consequences of Adam and Eve's sin. Also, in the 1880s a
split occurred which resulted in some Christadelphians accepting that Jesus
was born pure, which affected their beliefs regarding Jesus' sacrificial atonment.
An attempt in the USA in the 1970s to reunite the two groups was unsuccessful.
Christian Believers Church.
Tauranga church apparently based on the seriously bad teachings of false
prophet William Branham. Said to be pastored
by Albert Ruegg, who also runs a web site with
a similar name.
Christian Friendship Fellowship.
Christian organisation for "expanding your group of Christian friends."
Christian Science.
Cult. Founded by Mary Baker Eddy on 23 August
1879. Believes evil, pain and suffering is just an illusion. For more
information see Watchman Fellowship's Christian
Science Profile.
Christians on Campus.
Also known as The Christian Club and the Meeting Place. University front
group of the Local Church of Witness Lee
sect/cult. Has a presence at Auckland, Waikato, Christchurch, Dunedin
and possibly others. While members are reported to be "really friendly",
they also have a tendency to harrass other students. Members participate
in various Local Church practices including "prayer reading"
of the Local Church version of the Bible, the Recovery
Version.
Chun Do Sun Bup.
Also known as Ki Health International and Ki Institute.
Submissions for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact
page.
Church of Christ. There are many churches in New Zealand with
the words Church of Christ in their name, such as the Church of
Christ New Zealand, branches of the Associated Churches of Christ, etc.
Most are pretty good. A small minority has a tendency to get a little
legalistic, or claim (overtly or by implication) that they are the only
true church. At the extreme the International Church
of Christ (with the two branches Central Auckland
and Christchurch) was until recent years considered
a cult - read more in their listing. If you have any concerns about a
particular Church of Christ branch please read the Cult
FAQ.
Church of Christ, Scientist.
Cult. Formal name of Christian Science and First
Church of Christ, Scientist.
Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee).
Mainstream Pentecostal church denomination, small in New Zealand - about
400 adherants in the 2001 census - but claims about 6 million members
worldwide, in (variously mentioned) "nearly 150" or 166 countries.
Founded in 1886 in Tennessee, USA, where its legal name is simply Church
of God. However it often uses (Cleveland, Tennessee) to distinguish
itself from other groups with Church of God in their name, some
of which are less than desirable to be associated with, even accidentally.
Led in New Zealand by Bishop Rev Ray Bloomfield, an interdenominational
chaplain at Rotorua Hospital. He was ordained as a Bishop in April
2006 by foreign leaders Rev Jack Morris and Rev Thomas J Sands (both
from Australia) and Dr Manning Thornton (USA). As with many Pentecostal
churches, their Declaration of Faith (on their international web site)
emphasises the importance of speaking in tongues and water baptism, but
Rev Bloomfield points out that the Church of God does not believe either
is essential for salvation, and says the Church of God is a conservative
Wesleyan Holiness church. Connected with Church of God
World Missions.
Church of God World Missions.
Do not confuse with the similarly named World Mission
Society Church of God. The Church of God World Missions is the Mission
Division of the Church of God (Cleveland), and operates
under their organisational structure. It was started in the Bahamas in
1910 by Robert M Evans (65 years old at the time, a retired Methodist
minister formerly living in Florida).
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Cult through and through. Also known as Latter-day Saints or (most commonly)
Mormons - a nickname they accept although they prefer their proper name.
They very much want to appear to be Christians but have major differences
from correct Christian doctrine. Members are subjected to extremely strong
mind control. Their official books include the Bible, but they hold that
as being less important than three other books - namely, The
Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants
and Pearl of Great Price. It is interesting
that The Book of Mormon has had about 4000 word and doctrine changes
since the 1830 edition. Mormon temples never have crosses, but instead
have a spire. Members do not smoke or drink alcohol or caffeine, and are
known for riding bicycles (in pairs) while wearing suits. Maoris and Pacific
Islanders are particularly well represented in the cult (as far as numbers
go). Founded by Joseph Smith in 1830.
Mormons believe that wearing special underwear will protect them from
spiritual attack. For more information see the Closeup on
Latter-day Saints/Mormons.
In June 2004 the Mormons sued a New Zealand individual
(RS) because he registered the domain name FamilySearch.co.nz
(in September 2000) for his adoption reunion web site. He changed the
name of his web site but kept the FamilySearch domain name so email will
still get to him. The Mormon church would not comment to TV3 because the
law suit is pending. The Mormons claim that since they hold the trademark
for familysearch, RS owning and using the domain name is an illegal use.
It is believed RS registered the domain name six months before the Mormons
registered the trademark.
Church of Scientology.
Formal name of Scientology cult. Stay
well clear of it.
Citizen's Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).Scientology front group with a presence
in New Zealand. Stay well clear of it.
Clonaid.
In 1997 the Raëlians founded Clonaid
in the Bahamas (a tax haven) with the stated aim of cloning people for
the purpose of Raêlians living forever. Clonaid - which turns out
to be a product, not
a company name - made international headlines at the end of 2002 for
claiming they had successfully cloned a human, then again several more
times in following years. In total twelve cloned humans have been claimed,
allegedly born in such places as Israel, the Netherlands, Japan, South
Korea and Australia. However, Clonaid provided no evidence even that any
births had occurred, let alone that they were clones, and no one believed
the claims. The Raëlian founder (known as Raël) claims not to
be privy to what's going on at Clonaid, thus avoiding difficult questions
about whether clones have really been made.
College for International Cooperation and Development.
A front group for Tvind based in East Yorkshire,
England.
Colloidal silver.
Alternative medicine made from very fine (possibly ionic) silver particles
in suspension in water. Many of the claims made for colloidal silver are
straight from the New Age Movement. Colloidal
silver is very often marketed as having no side effects. Actually there
are no proven health benefits to taking colloidal silver and it
provides no help to the body's immune system, but partakers risk
a serious side effect called argyria (from argentum, Latin for silver),
a condition in which a person's skin takes on a bluish-silver colouration.
The discolouring is permanent and while apparently not harmful in itself,
it wreaks havoc with a sufferer's social life. Rosemary
Jacobs is one American argyria sufferer who has been living with the
condition for approximately 50 years. See also Quackwatch's Colloidal
Silver: Risk Without Benefit by Stephen Barrett, MD.
Some promotors of colloidal silver claim that silver is an essential
trace element and that even a small amount can fend off disease and prevent
serious illness. The truth is that it is not essential (see What
does the human body use silver for?) and the human body normally contains
about 0.25 to 0.5 grams of silver anyway. Silver is a heavy metal is not
easily eliminated or passed out of the body, but instead builds up over
time in the skin and internal organs (including the brain). The amount
of extra silver (ingested by drinking colloidal silver) required to produce
argyria may be as little as 1 gram. It can take as little as a week of
silver ingestion to produce discolouring, noticeable as little as a month
later. In its colloidal
silver article Wikipedia says "Advocates of colloidal silver
... assert that, under careful use of properly produced colloidal silver,
argyria is virtually impossible. These claims are anecdotal, and have
not yet been confirmed or refuted by scientific study."
Colloidal silver is illegal in Canada and under laws covering alternative
medicines may not be sold in the USA (since 1999) or Australia (since
2002) if any unproven health benefits (therapeutic benefits) are claimed
for it. In New Zealand colloidal silver is legal to be sold without prescription
only if less than 10ppm (parts per million), however the ESR has
tested samples of New Zealand colloidal silver and found they exceeded
this legal limit. For more information read the health
warning from a Waikato University chemist, or student researcher Christine
Traversi's Miracle
Elixir or Plague of the Living Dead?
An interesting article titled Systemic
argyria associated with ingestion of colloidal silver explains several
medical conditions resulting from silver exposure, including the most
common ocular argyrosis (argyria of the eyes), argyria, and intestinal
ulcers, with higher doses of colloidal silver possibly causing coma, pleural
oedema, hemolysis, is toxic to bone marrow and may be associated with
agranulocytosis. (The article also explains that higher amounts of silver
may result in death, cellular necrosis, and damage of the central nervous
system and cardiac conduction system.) It concludes (emphasis added):
In the early 1900s argyria was seen more commonly because
it was associated with silver being used in various medications. However,
with an increasing number of reports of problems associated with silver
ingestion (including intestinal ulcers and argyria) and with the development
of more effective pharmacologic alternatives, physician-directed use of
silver-containing products declined. The official drug guidebooks (United
States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary) have not listed colloidal
silver products since 1975. On the basis of its studies, the FDA concluded
that the risk of using silver products exceeds any currently understood
benefits; in August 1999 FDA issued its final ruling to ban the use
of colloidal silver or silver salts in over-the-counter products.
As we begin a new century with the increased interest
in food supplements, alternative medicine, and the availability of information
over the Internet, argyria may again be seen more frequently. Also, the
FDA ruling did not apply to products being marketed as dietary supplements,
and some health-food manufacturers promote colloidal-silver products as
a cure-alls. With the proliferation of the Internet, it has become much
easier for these manufacturers to market their products to consumers using
claims of effectiveness against major illnesses such as AIDS, cancer,
arthritis, and infectious diseases.
The claims of effectiveness, of course, are quite bogus. Any improvement
at all in patient condition can easily be attributed to the placebo
effect. Those alternative people looking for a "natural"
anti-bacterial/anti-microbial agent should probably stick (no pun intended)
to New
Zealand honey instead, preferrably after consultation with a doctor.
But as for colloidal silver, with known serious side effects and nothing
going for it, it well deserves its Danger rating.
Conservative Friends.
Christian sect. One of the three main branches of Quakers (formally known
as the Religious Society of Friends), along
with Evangelical Friends and Liberal
Friends. Both Conservative Quakers and Evangelical Quakers are a distinct
minority of Quakers in New Zealand.
Cooneyites (Coonyites).
Cult. Registered in New Zealand and Australia as The United Christian
Conventions and known internationally by various names such as the "Nameless
Ones" or Two by Twos, or The Way (not to be confused with The
Way International) and many other names. For more info go to MacGregor
Ministries' Two
by Two page or Research
and Information Services or Apologetics Index' Two-by-twos
page.
Cooper, Neville. Neville Cooper, aka Hopeful
Christian, an Australian who founded the Cooperites.
In 1994 he was convicted on 10 counts of indecent assault. He denied the
charges.
Cooperite Community, Cooperites.
The Cooperites are a self-sufficient group of about 400 members on a couple
of farms (successively?) in the South Island (Cust Christian
Community and Gloriavale Christian Community).
Founded in the 1960s by Neville Cooper, who is
now known as Hopeful Christian. His second-in-command is Fervent Stedfast.
The contact person for the Gloriavale Christian Community School is Faithful
Pilgrim. The community is self-sufficient, and exports sphagnum moss.
The Cooperites hold very conservative Christian principles, apparently
with an emphasis on sex within marriage. They strongly restrict contact
with the outside world, especially contact with former members (a mind
control technique known as shunning).
Submissions for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact
page.
Copeland, Kenneth and Gloria.
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland are leading Word
Faith Movement preachers who lead Kenneth Copeland Ministries. They
have many seriously heretical teachings. They have had a show (The
Believer's Voice of Victory) on early-morning NZ television. When
listening to them keep in mind that not everything they say is backed
up by sound doctrine, and some of their teaching is definitely not Christian.
Cornuke, Robert.
Robert Cornuke (also known as Bob Cornuke) is, like Ron
Wyatt (now deceased), a self-styled "Indiana Jones" of biblical
archaeology. Although not directly associated with Ron Wyatt or Wyatt
Archaeological Research, Bob Cornuke, like Ron Wyatt, makes false claims
such as having discovered the real Mt Sinai* - both discoveries after
entering Saudi Arabia illegally. Bob Cornuke also claims to have found
the wreck of Paul's ship from Acts - then got
sued for breaking "all aspects" of an oral contract with
a former US ambassador to Malta (Bob Cornuke apparently forgetting the
Christian teaching of "Let your 'yes' be yes" in Matthew 5:37
and James 5:12)**. Like Ron Wyatt, Bob Cornuke claims to have discovered
the site of Noah's Ark (in a different location to Ron Wyatt's "discovery")
- it's refuted by prominent geologists, creationist groups, and at least
one dendrochronologist
(ancient timber specialist). Wikipedia
highlights more controversy:
Cornuke ... relies heavily on one alleged eyewitness of
Noah's Ark, Ed Davis, in which there are problems with him being in Iran
let alone at this site when he claimed to see Noah's Ark in 1943.
The worst problem with these false and questionable claims and discoveries
is not that they are not entertaining (they are if you ignore the misinformation
and half-truths) but that they are promoted as important evidence for
believing the Bible. This is disappointing when even the best claims are
highly questionable. From a promotional pamphlet - "What your children
are taught at Sunday School or church may not suffice them in a world
so oppositional to God's way of seeing things. Bob Cornuke offers a unique
answer..." What happens to those Sunday School children when they
find that the alleged evidence is quite bogus? They tend to start to disbelieve
any evidence, including firm historical evidence and logical reasoning.
It's known as throwing the baby out with the bathwater. People like Bob
Cornuke and Ron Wyatt seem to be more interested in the money to be gained
from their claims than in providing genuine, reliable evidence for anything.
Sadly, Bob Cornuke was promoted on his June 2004 and March 2005 tours
of New Zealand by Focus on the Family
and Radio Rhema.
It seems as though Bob Cornuke's recent (2005) PhD may be dodgy as well.
According to Wikipedia's Bob
Cornuke entry, Bob Cornuke's Ph.D. in Biblical Studies was received
in 2005 from Louisiana Baptist University, an unaccredited Baptist school,
where he also serves as an adjunct speaker. There is no record or claim
made by Cornuke for having any undergraduate degree. ... Robert Morey
[another controversial Christian figure] has a PhD from the unaccredited
Louisiana Baptist University in Islamic Studies, but the school does not
have an islamic studies program. The Wikipedia entry for Louisiana
Baptist University (LBU) is also telling: LBU is not accredited
by any recognised accreditation body. As such, its degrees may not be
acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles
may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions. The New Zealand
Cult List does not recognise degree titles from Luisiana Baptist University,
or Mr Cornuke's claim to have a valid PhD. Wikipedia also points out Louisiana
Baptist University is alleged to match several of the criteria for diploma
mills, as defined by the United States Department of Education (USDE).
LBU is recognised by the Association of Christian Colleges and
Theological Schools, an organisation Credential Watch includes in a list
of Nonrecognized
Accreditation Agencies to which it says any so-called “accreditation”
by these entities should be considered meaningless.
* Ron Wyatt claimed to have discovered "the
REAL Mt Sinai" in 1984, four years before Robert Cornuke "discovered"
the same site in 1988. Ron Wyatt's companion on his second trip in 1985,
David Fasold, is also reported to have given information to Robert Cornuke's
associate James Irwin (yes, the Apollo astronaut and long-time Noah's
Ark hunter) about how to find the site. If that is true, Robert Cornuke's
claim to be the discoverer is clearly a lie. Also, the actual claim that
the site is the real Mt Sinai has been soundly
debunked by people with more biblical and archaeological knowledge
(and common sense) than either Robert Cornuke or Ron Wyatt. To quote researcher
Gordon Franz: "As popular as this idea may be in certain evangelical
(and even Jewish) circles, there is no credible historical, geographical,
archaeological or biblical evidence for the thesis that Mt Sinai is at
Jebel al-Lawz in Saudi Arabia." Brad Sparks has compiled a summary
of the problems of the alleged Mt Sinai site.
** A friend of Bob Cornuke has objected to the implication (by the reference
to "let your 'yes' be 'yes'") that Bob was guilty simply because
he was sued. No such implication was intended. If Bob did at some point
break his word, it is especially regrettable for a high-profile Christian.
Christianity Todayexplained
Reuters' angle of a no-doubt very complicated case, in a 1 May 2003 article:
But it's Co[r]nuke's search for the apostle Paul's shipwreck
that landed him in court.
According to a lawsuit, Cornuke found a Maltese fisherman
with ancient lead anchors that the explorer/archaeologist believed were
from the apostle's ship. But the fisherman wouldn't talk; confessing to
owning the anchors could land him in prison under Malta's antiquities
laws.
That's when Cornuke turned to Kathryn Proffitt, the former
U.S. ambassador to the country. She arranged for the Maltese government
to pardon the fisherman, but there were strings attached. Cornuke couldn't
reveal the pardon arrangement, and he would have to allow Proffitt and
the Maltese government to edit the book. He would also be required to
encourage tourists to visit ancient temples.
Proffitt says when Cornuke reneged on all aspects of the
deal, she sued to stop distribution of the book, The Lost Shipwreck of
Paul.
"I felt duty bound to make sure these promises were
kept," she testified, according to Reuters. Cornuke denied that he
handed over editorial control of the book.
Yesterday, however, a federal judge ruled against Proffitt,
noting that the book is already on shelves and that her agreement with
Cor[n]uke was only an oral contract.
Bob Cornuke's friend provides some more details:
The truth is the lawsuit was predicated on two witnesses
who have since retracted their statements. One of these witnesses even
admitted she lied...
This seems to imply an interpreter was used between him and Ms Proffitt,
so perhaps it's their fault the contract was broken. Or perhaps Ms Proffitt
was mistaken in thinking there was a contract. Either way, as previously
stated, it's a regrettable situation for a high-profile Christian to be
in.
Cranial Osteopathy.
Alternative medical treatment, also called craniosacral therapy. Wikipedia's
craniosacral
therapy article maintains "There is no scientific support
for major elements of the underlying model, there is little scientific
evidence to support the therapy, and research methods that could conclusively
evaluate the therapy's effectiveness have not been applied."
Little or no scientific support for cranial rhythms has been found, such
as interreliability between operators. Cranial osteopathy has critics
both in the established medical field and within osteopathy.
Creation vs Evolution. For information
about this topic see the site Creation
on the Web.
Creme, Benjamin.
Benjamin Creme is the spokesman of the New Age
cult Masters of Wisdom. Born in Glasgow, Scotland,
1922. Studied Helena P Blavatski's teachings
and Theosophy. Possible fruit loop, albeit
a very charismatic one. He is given a Danger rating here because
of his teachings, not because he is necessarily a dangerous person.
Criminon.Scientology front group, a prison-based
variation of Narconon. Stay well clear of
it
Crowder,
John .
John Crowder is a false prophet and false teacher. Founder of Sons of Thunder
Ministries and Publications. John Crowder claims he met Jesus on an acid trip.
He combines drug culture with the Holy Laughter Movement,
and is without question one of the worst manifestation ministry and False
Revival Movement leaders in the world today. He has held "Drunken Glory"
tours in the USA and is being brought to New Zealand in February 2010. It staggers
belief that anyone would fall for his lies and the occultism that he preaches,
and yet many of the same people who supported Todd
Bentley are lining up to support another false preacher.
Cult Awareness Network.
An American cult-fighting organisation bankrupted and taken over by the
Scientology cult in 1996. They were never
represented in New Zealand.
Cultwatch.
A New Zealand based anti-cult ministry. Their web site is www.cultwatch.co.nz.
Cultwatch is not associated with the New
Zealand Cult List (this site).
Cust Christian Community. Based near Hokitika,
West Coast. See Cooperites. Submissions for
this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact
page.
Carl Johan Calleman is a new ager into astrology and (in particular) the
Mayan calendar. Some say he's a bit of a fruit cake.
Christian camp between Hastings and Waipawa, Hawkes Bay. "
Cult/former cult. Auckland branch of the 
A massage technique supposedly "based on the principles of oriental
science" and made possible by the use of high-tech massage beds which
combine the principles of 
Alternative medical con/scam. Chiropractors "manipulate" their clients
(eg, by popping neck and back vertebrae, etc) to prevent or treat real or imaginary
ailments. In opposition to the scientific evidence (see this 