NZ Cults & Religious Groups List: M

Hot picks: Maitreya, Mannatech, Mind control, Moonies, Mormons, Multiple Personality Disorder

M

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. See Yogi, Maharishi Mahesh.

Maiden, Grace. Grace Maiden is Gentle Wind Project's representative and contact person in New Zealand. She is given a Caution rating here because of her connection with Gentle Wind Project, not because she as a person is necessarily someone to be cautious of.

Maitreya. The "leader" of the New Age cult Masters of Wisdom. Also called the "World Teacher" and "the Master of all the Masters." Spokesman Benjamin Creme has claimed the Maitreya is the Second Coming of Christ (and the fifth Bhudda, Krshna, etc) and that he has lived undisturbed high in the Himalayas for the last couple of thousand years (and is now reported to be living in London). Maitreya supposedly suddenly appears to groups of believers around the world. While alleged photographs exist of the Maitreya, he may be just a creation of Benjamin Creme.

Mannatech. Business cult/scam. American based company, makes various dietary supplements including Ambrotose. Mannatech operates as a business cult, featuring a pyramidal form (see Multi-level Marketing Scheme) to distribute its products, concealment of information from non-members (apparently the information is actually illegal in New Zealand to give to non-members, so that gives you some idea of how "on the level" they are), non-scientifically sustainable claims, etc. Mannatech is a scam because there is no scientific evidence that consuming Ambrotose does anything that consuming any sugary food won't also do, since the body converts sugars from one type to another as needed.

Jargon includes the term "glyconutrients" which is a genuine scientific word but misused by Mannatech. For example, Mannatech and its resellers push genuine glyconutrient science as evidence that Mannatech products work, and are either unaware themselves or hope the listener/reader will not realise that glyconutrient science does not provide evidence that Mannatech's sugar pills work, or that they work as claimed, or even that they could work in the way claimed. Read Ambrotose and Down Syndrome for an overview of this. Because of the deception involved this practice is highly misleading (and illegal, depending on the specific claims) and the New Zealand Cult List condemns it categorically.

In a July 2005 NZ Herald article, reporter Chris Barton asked George Howden, Mannatech's general manager in Australia, for "evidence that our diets are lacking in the glyconutrient sugars Mannatech says they are; and for scientific studies that show that by taking Mannatech products there are measurable health benefits." His reply was that he was not qualified to give that information. Without that sort of conclusive information readily available and the exhorbitant prices charged Mannatech can only be described as a con.

From a New Zealand Press Association article, 9 March 2003:

New Zealand Aids Foundation executive director Kevin Hague said today the pills were "shonky" and had no scientific basis. ...

"Over the years there have been very many of these essentially 'snake oil' solutions to HIV," Mr Hague told NZPA. ...

Mr Hague said the foundation was angry that sick people and people with children suffering from illnesses and disease could be taken in by the claims attached to the pills.

He said the claims amounted to "cynical exploitation of the desperate and vulnerable".

The New Zealand Cult List has investigated a few specific Mannatech-related claims and is compiling Mannatech-related quotes.

Mannatech is only given a Caution rating here because it is likely to harm only your wallet, perhaps to the tune of $250-$350 per month (the NZ Herald claimed New Zealanders bought NZ$19 million of Ambrotose in 2004, TVNZ mentioned $20 million of products for 2005), although some long-time buyers of such products (not just Mannatech) are said to have serious problems with discernment. This rating is currently under review and may change to Danger because of the claims made by resellers that it is able to cure life-threatening conditions, and for claims from Mannatech distributors that revelation from God was the source of discovery for Ambrotose, meaning it's a religious product being falsely marketed to a religious (in particular Christian) audience, playing on their religious beliefs.

For Christians selling the stuff, it has been suggested the name should be Mammontech, from Matthew 6:24 "You cannot serve God and mammon (money)".

A probably related topic is the placebo effect, and it's interesting to note the more expensive the placebo the more likely it is to work. We're talking about very expensive sugar pills here. (That's a literal sugar pill, BTW, not "sugar pill" as a euphemism for placebo.)

Maria Duval scam. Yet another psychic/claivoyant scam. The Consumer's Institute has a couple of articles on it.

Martial Art. A set of strikes, sweeps, throws, etc, originally used for unarmed (and sometimes armed) combat, with the idea of controlling and/or killing the opponent. Most involve a set of levels designated by a different colour of belt, normally starting at white and topping out with black, but the colours in between vary. Most martial arts are only used for sport these days, with judo actually being created as a sport. However, many martial art schools require a form of worship of the founder of the particular martial art.

Masonic Lodge. Cult. Also commonly known as Freemasonry.

Masons. Cult. Also commonly known as Freemasonry.

Masters of Wisdom. New Age cult. The Masters of Wisdom themselves are supposedly perfected beings with a divine plan for humanity. Leader is a man known as the Maitreya. Spokesman is Benjamin Creme who has visited New Zealand.

Maxim Institute. An independent charitable trust with the mission "through policy and public debate to promote the principles of a free, just and compassionate society." They also state "Maxim Institute is not aligned to any political party or church." For more information visit the Maxim Institute web site.

Mazda. 1. Supreme deity of Zoroastrianism and creator of the Zend Avesta. 2. Japanese car manufacturer, maker of the RX7 and RX8, arguably cars of cult popularity.

McKean, Kip. Kip McKean founded the International Church of Christ in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, then led the group from its Los Angeles branch.

McLaren, Brian. A leading proponent of the Emerging Church and a supporter of Rob Bell. Amongst his false teachings, Brian McLaren has criticised Christians who believe in a literal return of Christ. Visited New Zealand in October 2009.

Meditation. A New Age technique for emptying the mind. May involve chanting a mantra. See also Transcendental Meditation and Transmission Meditation. (Note that when Christians talk of, for example, "meditating on the Word of God" they are referring to concentrating on a passage of the Bible, using their full mental faculties to understand it. This is the complete opposite of emptying their mind.)

Medium. A person who acts as an intermediary between the living and the dead. These people, including television mediums, tend to be just con artists using a technique known as cold reading to convince the gullible (and not-so-gullible) that they have real powers. For examples of mediums see James van Praagh or Jeanette Wilson.

Megashift. See Megashift on the Books page.

Metcalf, Douglas. Douglas Metcalf was the leader of the Full Gospel Mission Fellowship based at Camp David near Christchurch. Died in 1989. Members believed he was Jesus Christ.

Meyer, Joyce. Joyce Meyer heads Joyce Meyer Ministries (not surprisingly) and is one of the most popular television evangelists in the United States. Her television shows screen on New Zealand television and she was a featured speaker at the Parachute Music Festival 2007. Joyce Meyer is given a Caution rating here because of her Word Faith beliefs and teachings, not because she as a person is necessarily someone to be cautious of. As Apologetics Index puts it, "... Joyce Meyer's popularity lies in the fact that she promotes the aberrant and/or heretical doctrines of Word-Faith theology - with a particular emphasis on its most popular doctrines: 'positive confession' and 'prosperity teaching.'" Note that her positive confession only goes so far - Wikipedia points out that she "developed breast cancer in 1989 and was cured through traditional cancer treatment."

Miller, Mary. Spokesperson, co-leader and co-founder of Gentle Wind Project. Founded GWP in New Zealand in early 2004, then returned to the United States where GWP is based. She is also known (or has been known) as "Moe", "Mo", Claudia Panuthos, and Mary Elizabeth Carreiro (her original name, we believe). She is not a close relative or legal wife of GWP co-founder John "Tubby" Miller, but reportedly lives with him as part of a group of at least five women, most of whom have changed their name to Miller. She has a degree in social work, although she hasn't practiced in about twenty years (her registration is in another state from where GWP is based). Contrary to her claims, she is an extreme New Ager. Extreme caution should be exercised by any New Zealanders talking with her.

Mills, Joshua and Janet. Joshua and Janet Mills are itinerant preachers pushing the false revival movement and have visited New Zealand. They claim many "signs" including gold dust appearing in meetings, supernatural oil flowing from their hands ("enough to fill 15 bottles"). They support false prophet Bob Jones.

Mindbody. Submissions for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact page.

Mind control. A suite of practices or mechanisms which cults (and sometimes sects) use to control the behaviour of their members. Mind control is not the same as brainwashing. For more information read the Cult Mind Control pamphlet (PDF 98KB) or see the Cult FAQ section on Techniques of mind control or read the Cultwatch article Mind Control Tool Box.

MLM. See Multi-level Marketing Scheme.

Moffat, Marion J. Rev Marion Moffat (all Scientologists call themselves "Rev") is the Chairperson of the Scientology cult in New Zealand. She apparently wanted to be listed here along with Mike Ferriss, so she recently contacted the company that hosts this web site in a failed attempt to circumvent free speech and have this site edited or removed. (This site does not breach any terms or conditions.)

Moon, Sun Myung. Sun Myung Moon founded the Moonies cult group. Self-styled "Reverend." Born in 1920 in North Korea. In 1984 he was imprisoned for 11 months (of an 18-month sentence) for tax evasion.

Moonies. Particularly bad cult, known for its strong mind-control practices. Formally known as the Unification Church or the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. "Moonies" is a nickname derived from the name of the founder, Sun Myung Moon who started the cult in 1954. They have many front groups (especially in the USA) including Women's Federation for World Peace and the Family Federation for World Peace (two that are in New Zealand) and control many businesses in the United States (including the generally respected Washington Times). For a list of worldwide front groups see Freedom of Mind's Moonie front group list. The Moonies are using Triangle TV ("Auckland's only regional TV station") to spread their message in Auckland, New Zealand, under the auspices of the Family Federation.

Moorhead, Caleb Jan. Caleb Jan Moorhead was a boy who died in May 2002 aged about 6 months, as a result of his mother's diet and both parents' stupidity. His parents' weird religious beliefs led to a strict vegan diet, without any meat, fish, or dairy products. Since vitamin B12 is only available from animal products, this resulted in Caleb not getting any vitamin B12 from his mother's breast milk, and as a result was suffering from broncho-pneumonia, anaemia and brain damage. Instead of accepting treatment his parents removed Caleb from hospital and put garlick in Caleb's booties and cayenne pepper on his chest. Idiots. As little as half an hour before dying, a B12 injection could have saved his life. He would probably have recovered from most of the brain damage. His parents were convicted of manslaughter and faced sentencing on 13 June 2002. For more info read this news article. As for the religious beliefs, note that Genesis 9:3 says that we are to eat meat now. "Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." (FYI listing.) More info can be found under vegetarianism.

(The) More to Life Program. The main course run by Kairos Foundation. Said to be "similar [to] Landmark".

Morehu, Kawana. Conman. A "self-proclaimed evangelist and missionary worker" according to the New Zealand Herald. Utilising his race and his claimed faith, he preys on Maori Christians in particular. He has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors but has not paid out any investments and has been connected to Nigerian 419 scams.

Mormons. Cult. Nickname for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Morning Star Church/Morning Star International. Now known as Every Nation Church. The name possibly came from Revelation 2:28 - I will also give him the morning star - the idea being that the church will rule over the nations. The name change to Every Nation was announced in July 2004, after the name was revealed in a message from God.

Morrison, Randy. Prosperity gospel preacher from the United States. See The Exalted Word with Randy Morrision on the TV page.

Mother Jerusalem. Aka Chung Gil Cha, aka Zahng Gil Jah, aka Heavenly Mother. Present leader of the World Mission Society Church of God, based in South Korea. Followers believe she is a female incarnation of God.

Move To Improve. See Feldenkrais.

Moxibustion. New Age practice that involves placing on the skin and igniting a cone or cylinder of moxa, a tuft of soft combustible substance popularly used in the Orient as a cautery and counterirritant. Used for conditions such as schizophrenia, back pain, arthritis, cancer and skin diseases, etc.

Multi-level Marketing Scheme. Also sometimes called pyramid schemes, there are actually (sometimes subtle) differences which mean that MLMs are legal in New Zealand, pyramid schemes are not. According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs:

Multi-level marketing usually involves commercially viable products (eg, clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, health products, cookware) which present genuine business and income-earning opportunities through repeat sales to clients.

Pyramid selling schemes often involve "gimmick" products (eg, certificates) or grossly overpriced products or services that have little or no resale value (eg, personal development programmes, magazine subscriptions).

Note that an MLM can have a pyramidal form and still technically be an MLM not an illegal pyramid scheme. (Actually the "multi-level" means an MLM must have a pyramid shape.) The Consumer Affairs page mentioned above shows how many people would have to be involved for a 13 level MLM to work. MLM schemes in New Zealand include Amway and Mannatech*, while SkyBiz is an example of a probable pyramid scheme that has operated in this country. For more information on why they're probably not a good thing to get involved with see What's Wrong With Multi-Level Marketing?

* A 2002 investigation of Mannatech by the Commerce Commission for alleged pyramid marketing concluded Mannatech was not a pyramid scheme.

Multple Personality Disorder (MPD). Renamed Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) in the mid 1990s, apparently after people began to take the mickey out of MPD. At the peak of its popularity claims were made that up to 1% of the (American) population suffered from the condition. Now that the condition has fallen out of fashion amongst therapists the rate of MPD/DID diagnosis has fallen markedly. Apparently MPD/DID is still popular in certain Christian circles because the cause can be attributed to demons which need to be exorcised. However, demon possession/oppression is not the same as MPD. MPD should also not be confused with schizophrenia. MPD was/is very probably simply caused by bad therapy, rather than the claimed severe physical or sexual abuse in early childhood. Symptoms are not shown prior to therapy and are not exhibited in children. Closely linked to Recovered Memory Syndrome (RMS), both MPD and RMS require the combination of a highly suggestable patient with a bad therapist (who may or may not realise what he or she is doing to the patient). Please note that this listing is not a comment on the reality of the symptoms - just how they were caused. People with a diagnosis of MPD unquestionably need help.

Munroe, Myles. A prosperity gospel preacher from the Bahamas, president and founder of Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Was awarded an OBE in 1998 for services to religion, and holds an honorary doctorate from Oral Roberts University - an institution with strong links to the Word Faith Movement. Has visited New Zealand.

Muslim. A member of Islam, a major world religion. The name means "one who submits to God".