Sai Baba of Shirdi. He was a figure regarded – and worshipped – as a saint by some Hindus and Muslims. Born ~1835, died 15 October 1918. "Sai
Baba" translates
as "holy
father" (or "saintly old man"). He has a small following in New Zealand, Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan. Sai Baba of Shirdi is not to be confused with Sathya
Sai Baba (1926-2011), a Hindu guru.
Sanitarium. Breakfast
cereal company founded and owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in New Zealand. Specifically, Sanitarium Health Food Company and Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company are trading names of New Zealand Health Association Limited, a registered charity (and in Australia, the separate Australian Health and Nutrition Association Ltd).
Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA). Perhaps
best described as an urban legend, mostly arising from bad therapy leading
to Recovered Memory Syndrome. Please note that
many "victims" of SRA really are victims, but are victims of
bad therapy rather than the extreme ritual abuse they claim to now remember.
(Of course, there's another group of people who make such claims just
for the attention.) Also please note, we are not saying that satanic
rituals and practices do not take place. See the OccultCloseup for
more info. For more information on SRA see Apologetics
Index's SRA page.
Sathya Sai Baba. Hindu
guru and New Age leader. Born 23 November
1926, died 24 April 2011 – which is rather ironic considering that he
said "I am God" and millions of
his followers considered him a living god (NZ
Herald article). "Sai
Baba" translates
as "holy
father" (or "saintly old man"), a title he adopted after
he claimed to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi (1835-1918),
a figure regarded as a saint by some Hindus and Muslims.
Scamwatch. A web site run by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and highly recommended. "The aim of Scamwatch is to provide you with information you need to protect yourself from scams, so you can recognise a setup and avoid the hook and the inevitable sting of a scam."
School of Philosophy. Also
known in England and other countries as School of Economic Science, or
School of Philosophy and Economic Science. It is a New
Age cult with Vedic/Hindu teachings, such as reincarnation and meditation.
Gives lip-service to Christianity only in as much as it serves their
purposes. Arrived from London in 1961. Branches in Auckland, Hamilton,
Masterton and Wellington. Founded Ficino School in
1997 for primary and intermediate aged children. For more information
on their actual teachings – which have nothing to do with real philosophy
– read The School of Philosophy (Auckland) article.
School of the New Zealand Training Schools
for Prophets and Intercessors. See School
of the Prophets.
School
of the Prophets.
Cult, featuring bad doctrine, a charismatic authoritarian leader (since deceased) and mind control. Founded by Walter Simpson Ballantyne (deceased) in 1997, with branches reported in Auckland, Tauranga, Gisbourne, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as Australia and South Africa. Also known as New Zealand Training School for Prophets and Intercessors.
It appears that people leaving School of the Prophets are deemed by the group to be lost, with no hope of salvation. The mind control technique thought stopping is used to protect members from the almost inevitable rejection
of their message by outsiders, while jargon and loaded
language is used to obfuscate true beliefs from outsiders (for example,
Mr Ballantyne states "the Gospel of the Kingdom" is not the same
as
"the Gospel"). The School of the Prophets is given
a Danger rating because of its bad theology, mind control, and reports
of marriage breakups in Tauranga, Gisborne, Australia and South Africa as a direct
result of the work of Walter Ballantyne and this group.
It is unclear how active the group has been since the death of the founder, but his many recorded messages were in circulation (hundreds of teaching tapes). Submissions for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact page.
Similarly-named groups: The idea of a school for prophets (ignoring for
the moment the biblically-sound notion that prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit,
not something taught) apparently came to New Zealand from Australia (in recent times, at least), where a Brisbane
School of the Prophets was (at that time) led by Chris and Debbie Gaborit,
and from America before that. However, Walter Ballantyne does not acknowledge
this chain of descent, and claims originality of concept – the school was
supposedly revealed directly to him by God in a vision. (He needn't have bothered
trying to emphasise the originality of the idea, as the concept was raised
as early as 1860.) Functionally speaking the Tauranga-based School of the Prophets
is unrelated to the American and Australian groups of the same name.
There is also a School of Prophecy founded by false prophet Graham Cooke.
Science of the Soul
Study Centre. A
religious group with a building in Mt Roskill, Auckland, and as of 23 October 2022 meet at a new centre near Ihumatao which has almost a hectare in floor area (but only has consent for up to 500 people at a time). They meet on Sunday
mornings at "normal church time" and are said to have lots
of pictures of an Indian guru on their walls, but they expect us to
believe their claims they aren't religious. Sure. It's actually very
religious; apparently a local branch of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB,
aka "Sant Mat, aka Radha Saomi Dera), which includes the teachings of Surat Shabd Yoga.
It is a New Age mix of typical Eastern beliefs
including meditation. RSSB is also the
umbrella organisation for the Science of the Soul Research Centre in
Delhi, India, another mystic group which publishes books teaching relativism and
that the world's religions are really the same. Freedom
of Mind called RSSB "a super secret organization" and
lists Eckankar as being a spin off from
it. The group's former building in Mt Roskill building used to be owned by the Exclusive
Brethren and required alterations to their car park due to a motorway
extension built nearby.
Scientology.
Full name Church of Scientology, this is a very dangerous cult group.
Extreme mind control
practices which in some cases have been seen to have very long lasting effects, screwing up the beliefs and thinking of some former members for years after they leave the cult. Founder L Ron Hubbard (a pulp science
fiction writer). Head PR person/Secretary in New Zealand is Mike
Ferriss. Chairperson is Marion Moffat (who
is possibly married to Claude Moffat). Ian H Gillott
is another long-time member. Granted charity status by the New Zealand
Inland Revenue Department in the mid 2000s on the basis that Scientology is a religion – even
though its religious writings bear a strange resemblance to cheap science fiction. Scientology is a UFO cult. In December 2003 and January 2004 New Zealand Scientologists attempted to suppress the information
in this listing by contacting the company which hosts this site.
(It should be noted that all the information on this site is completely legal.)
Scientology has rather a lot of detractors on the Internet, which keep Scientologists busy trying to suppress.
The online book The
Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper makes for a good, well, actually
slightly sickening read. For more juicy information on Scientology have a look
at the Closeup on Scientology
or click the graphic below to visit Operation
Clambake. (It should be noted that linking to another web site is completely
legal.)
ScienTOMogy. ScienTOMogy
was a satirical web site detailing some of the crazy antics of renowned Scientologist Tom
Cruise. Thanks to the crazy antics of some not very Clear Minded
Scientologists who threatened to sue it for breach of copyright (or something),
the site made headlines around the word and grew from obscurity to widespread
fame – a great example of the Streisand
effect. Of course ScienTOMogy also quickly listed their crazy legal
threats too. (Well, what did they expect?) The link from ScienTOMogy
to the New Zealand Cult List also resulted in October 2005 being the
busiest month ever for our own site, with lots more people getting
to read the information we have about Scientology – all due to Scientology's
free advertising. The ScienTOMogy site no longer exists in the same format,
although the basic idea was continued under different management with
a slightly different domain name.
Scotland, John. Leader of the Drunken
Revival Movement, which is itself part of the False Revival Movement. His web site is headed "Blissful Spiritual Intoxication" – see the Drunken Revival Movement entry for a quote from Lee Grady regarding biblical injunctions for sobriety. Has visited New Zealand more than once (the latest in Feb 2011) and is shown near the beginning of Part
3 of Andrew Strom's Kundalini documentary. John Scotland is supported in New Zealand by Gaye Stradwick.
Seatoun School, Wellington – Board of
Trustees. The
board of trustees at this Wellington primary school banned a religious
group that met during their Wednesday lunch break. The Caution rating
is assigned here for suppression of religious freedom. From the New
Zealand Herald:
In a written opinion, Sir Geoffrey [Palmer] said the
ban breached the Bill of Rights Act's guarantee of freedom of religion.
The lunchtime "KidsKlub" meetings were not in school time,
were voluntary and were allowed under the Education Act.
FYI – Seatoun School also hit the headlines in 1989 when it announced
it was adding two more school years (to include intermediate age children),
a decision which resulted in significant controversy since it affected
other local primary schools and the local intermediate school. (Competition
in education?)
Seed of the Serpent. Fruitcake
material taught by William Branham. The William
Branham article at Apologetics Index includes a brief overview.
Seventh-day Adventist. Generally but
some branches .
A Seventh-day Adventist is a follower of a Christian denomination which believes strongly in Sabbath worship (Saturday) rather
than Sunday. That's fine in itself but some Seventh-day Adventists in New Zealand (believed
to be a minority of SDAs in this country) go overboard in this and proclaim
that only they are saved because other denominations do not do this –
a cultic claim. Seventh-day Adventists (as individuals or the organisation) run the publishing company Patriotic
Christian Distributors, Final Warning Ministries, New Zealand Christian Foundation, television station Firstlight, breakfast cereal company Sanitarium, and the tabloid newspapers Discovery News and The [South Pacific] Signs of the Times. The denomination was founded by Ellen G White,
their Prophetess. It varies on a branch-by-branch basis, but any particular
branch that practices or teaches that Ellen G White's teachings are more
important than the Bible qualifies itself as a cult. Most New Zealand
branches apparently do not hold strongly to that (although they do hold her writings to be an "authoritative source of truth"), whereas in other countries the
tendency is in the other direction, and her writings are deemed to be more important than the Bible. In New Zealand the Seventh-day Adventist Church is divided into the North New Zealand Conference (North Island) and South New Zealand Conference (South Island). Both officially believe her writings "make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested" and that the Bible is "the authoritative revealer of doctrines". However, people have questioned how this is played out in practice, since the Bible is often interpreted for Seventh-day Adventists by Ellen G White – or rather, her writings, with which there are many serious problems. This leads them to misinterpret clear passages such as Romans 14:5-6 (NIV).
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Also 1 Timothy 4:1-5 (NIV).
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Robert K Sanders has written a testimony
of how he left
the SDAs after 37 years. He points out that Ellen G White often contradicted the Bible.
Shelton, Matthew. Dr Matthew Shelton is a conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxxer who represents NZDSOS in public. He was a Wellington GP, and was investigated for a text message sent to his patients in August 2021. He is rated Danger for the risk of death and long-term disability his disinformation poses to the general public. Update: In mid-December 2021 Matthew Shelton had his practising certificate suspended while he is investigated for speading COVID-19 misinformation.
Shiatsu massage. A type of alternative medicine involving various massage techniques based on acupuncture channels in the arms and legs. Practitioners make claims about the benefits that are not supported by scientific evidence. See Wikipedia's Shiatsu entry for more information, which says "There is no scientific evidence proving that shiatsu is effective at treating any disease."
Warnings were posted in 2019 by a Wellington pastor and by a former member. In November 2017 Mt Albert Baptist Church had trouble with the cult, as reported by the NZ Herald: "It is the tearing apart of family relationships that is the hardest to watch, but also the destroying of an individual's future," [lead pastor Steve] Worsley said. "The process of thought reform is astonishing. People of good character end up deceiving people. Shincheonji teaches a theology of deception." In April 2017 the NZ Herald reported the New Zealand Korean Churches Association warned New Zealand Korean congregations about the cult because of their concerns that the cult deceptively recruits new members before separating them from their families, and that it tries to take over churches. They were warning other denominations as well, since the cult also targets non-Koreans. In November 2016 the Church of England formally warned 500 parishes in London.
"You're so busy you don't have time to think about your doubts, or you think 'but they're just small things'.
"Shincheonji is all about the 'big picture', they're always saying 'don't look at the little details'. But the reason they're saying that is because the little details don't make sense."
...
No-one should be afraid to ask questions, she said.
"If something is true then it will stand up to scrutiny, so don't be afraid to question, it's normal.
"You don't need to worry because it will still be true after you've questioned it.
"And if it's false, that's good, you've found out, and you can change your values and beliefs to be based on something that is true."
Mind control techniques used by the group include deception and relationship control (to the extent of taking new members back to Korea to live with group members in order to keep the new members away from family and friends, as mentioned in this NZ Herald article). The cult teaches that only they have truth and salvation, and all others are false – exclusivism – and only Lee Man-hee can help people to understand the Bible. These are all cultic claims. The group is reported to still be actively attempting to recruit from New Zealand evangelical churches in January 2022, when it also stepped up its use of the Mount Zion name, distancing itself from the Shincheonji name in a concerted effort to present itself as an ordinary and valid religious group. In September 2022 the NZ Herald posted a report about Shincheoji becoming more open about some of its activities, but the article makes very clear that the group is still firmly a dangerous cult.
Shri Ji. "Holy name" of Sunil Kumar Porumamilla, the male co-leader of Kosmic Fusion.
Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan. An Eastern group that follows the teachings of Shri Saibaba, otherwise known as Sai Baba of Shirdi. They say he preached religious tolerance, although Wikipedia points out "He was an opponent of religious orthodoxy – Christian, Hindu and Muslim" and "He criticized atheism" (which is also a religious worldview). As of early 2012 they are spending $5 million converting an Onehunga, Auckland warehouse into a temple and community hall.
Shunning. A mind
control mechanism. Involves shunning, or completely ignoring, former
members, even to the point of crossing the street to avoid them.
SkyBiz, SkyBiz 2000. Internet-based
con scheme, multi-level marketing scheme, possibly
illegal in New Zealand. Reportedly most effective at conning those aged
over 40 who do not own a computer... which is almost funny since the
scheme is to sell web sites. We haven't heard anything of it for the
last five years, but if it is still operating, stay clear of it.
Smith, Barry. and Barry R Smith 1933-2002, end-times
proclaimer, traveling preacher, now deceased. Author of the books Warning,
Second Warning, and Final Warning. While his gospel message was described as "solid" and the evangelism work he did (especially in the Solomon Islands) was excellent, the books are a different matter. He had an annoying tendency
in those books to not back up wild claims (of which he made many) with solid evidence; they should certainly be read with caution.
Soka Gakkai International New Zealand (SGINZ). A Buddhist group.
SoldOut Discipling Movement. Cult, normally called International Christian Church. The name "SoldOut Discipling" was used for over a year before the International Christian Church was formally founded in 2006. An Auckland branch has appeared since then. Also called SoldOut Movement and "God's SoldOut Movement".
Solution. Youth
ministry of Destiny Church in Rotorua, New
Zealand.
Somatic Education. Posture
and movement exercises and techniques which are supposed to reverse or
reduce various effects of aging. One set of such exercises and techniques
is the Feldenkrais Method.
Son of Thunder. The ministry name of Ian Clayton. Rated Danger for false teaching of New
Age and occult practices. Note the similar name to Sons of Thunder.
Søndergaard, Torben.
Torben Søndergaard is the leader of The Last Reformation, a group which focuses on water baptism and healing. His doctrine in a number of areas is questionable, leading to him being accused of the following (not an exhaustive list).
Saying the gospel is baptism.
Teaching "Baptism is the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is the washing away sins."
Emphasising feelings instead of truth.
Directly contradicting the clear Bible teaching that salvation is by grace, not works.
Torben Søndergaard of The last Reformation and Todd Bentley?
June 2016
Years ago I was advised by a friend who knows Torben Søndergaard well, that Torben was a repentance preaching healing evangelist opposed to Todd Bentley, Lakeland, Toronto and alike. Also that Torben had been ostracized for many years in Denmark for holding that view. Like most people would, I accepted that from my friend because he was outspoken re Kundalini etc so I didn’t look into Torben. But in recent times I became increasingly concerned with reports of alleged strange statements made by Torben in The Last Reformation kick-start meetings and comments from those who follow him on blogs of a doctrinally dangerous nature so I decided to do some investigations. This was challenging given that any search of Torben would be in the Danish language and not show up in English search. Obviously this language barrier meant Torben was not well known or indeed scrutinized by the English speaking Christian world. Thanks to the internet and translation software this is not impossible so here are some of my findings.
Back in 2003 Torben was not anti-Todd Bentley but quite the opposite. Torben Søndergaard was one of the leaders who invited Todd Bentley for the first time to Denmark and was the Master of Ceremonies at the first meetings ever held by Todd Bentley in Denmark. Here are excerpts from two reporters’ articles written on the 3rd of September 2003 for Kristeligt. They report…
"It's all about Jesus, because he took our guilt and punishment, just like 'get em. It's cool, yeah", says the evening's master of ceremonies, Torben Søndergaard from Brande, who on singing Jutland introduces the evening's preacher, the 27-year-old Canadian Todd Bentley.
(Source) https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/kirke-tro/håb-om-helbredelse-i-herning
Well OK, that clearly establishes a strong Todd Bentley connection. But then there is commentary sometime later on (I have not been able to establish details of or when this happened yet) Torben opposed Todd Bentley and supposedly wrote to the editor of The Challenge in Denmark.
Now let’s come forward to 2015 where at that same newspaper Torben now has a column. Torben writes in the newspaper The Challenge on 22 January 2015…
"10 years ago a man came from the US to Denmark with a prophetic word to us our country. The word was that Denmark would become known as the Pool of Bethesda. That is a place where the sick could experience salvation and healing. He said that it would not only be one or two places, but it would be all over the country. Yes, no matter where you came in Denmark, there would be people who would ask for one and set one free."
(Source) https://udfordringen.dk/2015/01/danmark-kendt-som-betesda-dam/
OK, so Torben is quoting a prophecy without naming the source, but some Danish Christians looked for the prophetic source and found one that’s very familiar – prophetic words given by Todd Bentley Wednesday, August 6, 2003.
"Only on this occasion I have seen it as clearly as I see in the spirit of the evening. God will do something on a national level. In the Bible, in John 5 provides a healing outpouring – the Pool of Bethesda, which means outpouring of grace. And there were people from all over Israel, who went to this geographical location. The Bible says that a quantity of sick, blind, lame and crippled came to this place, the pool of Bethesda. They came from across the nation, to be healed. And international said, there is healing in the place. And at a certain time an angel came and touched the water in the pond, and the one who first came in, was cured no matter what disease he failed. The sick said there is a healing anointing at Bethesda Dam.
When I asked for my trip to Denmark, the Holy Spirit said: "Todd, not just in one region or a church or a town, there will be a 'Pool of Bethesda'." I asked, "Lord, where would it be?"
The entire Danish land will be known for the healing power, and people from abroad will say: "If we can come to the country to Denmark, then we will be healed. And it does not matter what city or church we go to, for healing happens everywhere in the country"
The last four years I have prophesied churches, cities and regions, which will host the healing outpourings. But I've never seen an entire country, as all sides have a healing anointing. Healings will happen all the time in all cities. It will be bigger than the revival in the 40s, 50s and 60s in North America with Jack Co., AA Allan, William Branham, Gordon Linsey and healing the weakening of America in the 1950s. And it will be the tool for the great harvest. The kind of anointing that was to harvest the 1950s and 60s in recovery weakening, where in 100's of cities every day could be meetings with healing and miracles. It will not just Todd Bentley, Charles Ndifon or Benny Hinn, but 100's of people and also Danes. There will be a fire, and I saw it burning up against the Scandinavian countries.
The Holy Spirit said, "Todd, I want you to say that this is more than four days of healing. I want you to tell them that there comes a healing revival. And it will be like with the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. You should take all pastors and leaders up and put hands on them, so they can receive the anointing which you have. So they can take it to those parts of Denmark which they come from.
(Source) http://www.jegblevhelbredt.dk/modules/myarticles/print.php?storyid=26 [broken link]
So Torben is publishing in January 2015 the false teacher Todd Bentley's 2003 prophecy that came on the lead-up to the very same meetings where Torben worked with Todd Bentley back in 2003. Was Todd Bentley obedient to whomever it was talking to him back in 2003 and did he do what was asked?
"You should take all pastors and leaders up and put hands on them, so they can receive the anointing which you have. So they can take it to those parts of Denmark which they come from." *
(Source) http://www.jegblevhelbredt.dk/modules/myarticles/print.php?storyid=26 [broken link]
With an emphasis on passing on "the anointing" or "the blessing" so prevalent at the time from Rodney Howard Brown, Jill Austin and a host of others it's likely that Todd did just that. See quote reported from an attendee of the 2003 meeting desperately seeking healing…
"And even if some of her friends outside the church have a little difficulty relating to her trust in God holding Kirsten Søndergaard maintained this position and will continue to seek out pastors as Ndifon and Todd Bentley to have part of their anointing. I certainly understand their skepticism, because that was exactly how we felt about Torben and his talk, as he had been saved before we even began attending church, says Kirsten Søndergaard. But as I have said: Going to meetings and hope for a miracle can never hurt, she adds." *
(Source) https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/liv-sjæl/gud-vil-gøre-mig-rask
All this raises some questions as to what is going on.
* Note that quotes are from articles that do have minor translation errors from Danish to English but have not altered context.
Sons of Thunder. The ministry name of John Crowder, and also known as The New Mystics. Rated Danger for false teaching of New
Age and occult practices. Note the similar name to Son of Thunder.
Soroptimist International of Aotearoa New Zealand. A women's volunteer service organisation with the first New Zealand branch founded in 1939. The name comes from the Latin words soror "sister" and optima "best". For more information see this history of Soroptimist International in New Zealand.
Soul Destiny. A New
Age/occult instructional group and probable cult led by Wayne
Morgan. Members are reported to typically stay in the group about
a year before most "figure it out and then get out". Several
aspects of the group sound very similar to the Gentle
Wind Project New Age cult/business cult/scam, in particular the
pseudo-scientific babble used to promote ideas, courses and products.
Products sold include colloidal silver.
Soul Dynamics is rated Danger because of its New Age and occult
teachings, its promotion of colloidal silver for ingestion, and for
alleged use of mind control techniques in leading the group.
Sovereign Hikoi of Truth. A group of anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists who have stated they believe they are "living, breathing divine beings" and have a right to restriction-free travel in the middle of a pandemic lockdown. In October 2021 the group decided to travel from Rotorua to Waitangi – both at Alert Level 2 at the time – but when they got to Auckland's Alert Level 3 border, found that they weren't as divine as they thought. They were stopped and denied entry, their misguided beliefs of divinity completely ignored. Rated Danger because their actions and disinformation could lead directly to people dying from COVID-19.
Sozo. Also called Sozo Healing and Sozo Ministry; the name comes from the Greek word for "to save". It is very similar to Theophostic Ministry but is mixed with teachings from the Toronto Movement. In other words, yet another repackaged Inner Healing, but with some big name backers like Bill Johnson, at whose church it was started. Sozo and the other practices from the Inner Healing Movement are strongly New Age. For more information see these pages:
It is often pointed out that there is no precedent in the Bible of any ministry like Sozo. On the contrary, the Bible warns against false teaching and the Sozo-style guided prayer.
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
– Matthew 24:24 (NIV)
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,
– 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
Spierer, Hannah. Hannah Spierer is a "reporter" for Counterspin New Zealand. She is rated Danger for the risk of death and long-term disability her disinformation poses to the general public.
Spirit of Truth. Believed to be an alternate name for Providence cult.
Spiritism. According
to Elliot Miller "the practice of attempting communication with
departed human or extrahuman intelligences (usually nonphysical) through
the agency of a human medium, with the intent of receiving paranormal
information and/or having direct experience of metaphysical realities"
which is a complicated way of saying "they speak to dead people."
This is what King Saul did in the Bible in 1 Samuel 28, although
modern television spiritists (and "platform mediums") are better
described as con artists.
Spiritual Growth Ministries and Spiritual Growth Ministries Trust. A loosely knit community of writers, poets, and thinkers going under rather vague definitions – not that they always specifically attempt to define themselves. Many writers are Catholic. They do however purport to be taking a contemplative/meditative approach to “spirituality” – their meaning of “spirituality” being also vague and including some unbiblical views. Some Christian views appear to be orthodox and even evangelical but there are few references to scripture and little exegesis of biblical texts used. There is also no Statement of Belief on their website. There is a publication called “Refresh, Journal of Contemplative Spirituality” which is also available on the website as well as printed. While using Christianity as its primary reference SGM stops well short of orthodoxy and veers off into mystical tangents. For example, one article promotes “panentheism [not pantheism] – meaning ‘God in everything’”, and in another “the ancient symbol of the net of Indra” (as in Eastern religions) is spoken of as “a beautiful image for … connectedness” (Summer, 2012, p.38). The same edition speaks of “using the breath as our sacred symbol in Centering Prayer …” (p.54). In the Winter, 2018 edition, an article speaks of “Jesus’ use of Hindu symbols” (p.23) and there is a whole article centred around a lesbian relationship (pp.29-31), plus a picture of a naked (cave?) man on p.36 beside a strongly evolutionist-influenced piece. Whatever SGM is, it is based on biblical Christianity in only a few articles, more often very loosely so, and in some cases not at all. Other religions are at times considered as equally valid reference points as Christianity. SGM is frequently heterodox rather than orthodox in its beliefs.
Spiritualism. Spiritualism
is a religion incompatible with Christianity, as it involves occult activities
forbidden in the Bible. Swedenborgianism is
a Spiritualist group present in New Zealand. See Wikipedia's Spiritualism article
for more information. Please see the Contact page.
Splendour of Truth, The. A Roman
Catholic bookshop, Milford, Auckland.
Springbank Christian Community. The
name of a former commune home of the Cooperites,
also at that time known as Cust Christian Community and Christian
Community Church. It was a 100 hectare property near Cust in North
Canterbury. The Cooperites outgrew the property and over the period 1991 to 1995 moved to Gloriavale
Christian Community on the South Island's West Coast.
Stradwick, Jack and Gaye.
Jack
and Gaye Stradwick are the pastors of Auckland "church" Origin, and formerly Fusion. As of June 2008 have recently returned from Lakeland, Florida. They support Todd
Bentley, Joshua and Janet Mills, Bill Johnson, John Scotland, Jason Westerfield, Extreme Prophetic, and
false prophet Bob Jones, and – as is typical for those in the False
Revival Movement – actively teach against discernment (one
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit). For example, Gaye Stradwick, regarding
false prophet Todd Bentley's false revival: "Please please
please - if there is nothing good in your heart to say about this wonderful
out-pouring of the Spirit of God, at least say nothing." The
possibility that Todd Bentley and his false
revival were not of God at all was sadly not an option for her. The
Stradwicks are assigned a Danger rating because
of their ongoing encouraging and teaching of unbiblical experiences and
practices including the endorsement of fallacious miracles, misquoting
of and misuse of the Bible,
connections with and support of false prophets, and spiritual danger
they pose in deceiving both the wider Christian church and their own
young and impressionable congregation. As of May 2012 this rating is unchanged.
Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine, in "LIFE AFTER LAKELAND:
Sorting Out the Confusion" writes about the false Lakeland revival led
by Todd Bentley (with emphasis added):
Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world
to rally behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the
beginning?
To put it bluntly, we're just plain gullible.
From the first week of the Lakeland revival, many discerning
Christians raised questions about Bentley's beliefs and practices. They felt
uneasy when he said he talked to an angel in his hotel room. They sensed something
amiss when he wore a T-shirt with a skeleton on it. They wondered why a man
of God would cover himself with tattoos. They were horrified when they heard
him describe how he tackled a man and knocked his tooth out during prayer.
But among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment
was discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message
was clear: "This is God. Don't question." So before we could all
say, "Sheeka Boomba" (as Bentley often prayed from his pulpit), many
people went home, prayed for people and shoved them to the floor with reckless
abandon, Bentley-style.
I blame this lack of discernment, partly, on raw zeal for God.
We're spiritual hungry – which can be a good thing. But sometimes, hungry people
will eat anything.
Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles,
signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with
the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent
craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time
for us to grow up.
FWIW Lee Grady has apparently learned from the Todd Bentley saga. On 27 October
2009 he
wrote
about John Crowder, saying "Let's put the childish things behind
us. It's time for us to grow up and sober up." (More of his article
is quoted in the Drunken Revival Movement
listing.)
Sadly, since Todd Bentley's fall from grace the Stradwicks have continued
to support the false revival he started and the false miracles Todd Bentley
claimed to perform, continue to support other False
Revival Movement teachers and Extreme
Prophetic, and continue to encourage a lack of discernment.
Update May 2012: Gaye Stradwick has contacted us with a promising-sounding claim.
Over the past year, our focus at Fusion has shifted and is now totally on the finished work of the cross. [...] Could you please remove these references to us on your site as the information there is no longer applicable.
We had been aware she had been making a similar claim for at least a couple of months, and were encouraged by the prospect of this change. However, the NZ Cult List has been unable to verify any genuine change. We asked her for clarification about the information we list and Gaye's response made it clear that her change in focus would be better described as a change in emphasis. There is no change in belief evident. She still believes the things mentioned in this listing all grew out of genuine moves of God. Compare the Bible with Gaye Stradwick's teaching:
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
– Ephesians 4:14.
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22.
This [Todd Bentley] revival was 100% God ordained and birthed. The salvations, healings and miracles were real, [...] This is God’s revival. It will therefore continue, and spread around the world.
– Jack and Gaye Stradwick, Sep 2008.
But when a new season is here, you move with it, [...] To camp around an experience once the cloud has moved on is denial. [...] While we have shifted focus, it is obvious you are as stuck as ever in your role as the error police.
– Gaye Stradwick, Apr 2012.
As Christians we should not be camping around an experience; we should be camping around the truth. The Todd Bentley revival claimed at least 21 resurrections. Not one has been verified. We should test everything. People make mistakes, but acknowledging our mistakes is the first step of truly moving forward. Gaye Stradwick has not admitted that any of her very public and very enthusiastic endorsements of Todd Bentley were wrong. In public statements and in correspondence received from her it doesn't appear that Gaye Stradwick has learned anything except to control and restrict where she publicly posts their false teaching. Compare the life of Jesus Christ with Gaye Stradwick's actions:
"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret."
– John 18:20.
Strom, Andrew. Andrew
Strom is an advocate for the "coming street revival".
He points out that the early church mostly ministered in the open-air
and met house to house, and believes that reaching the masses will happen
when the body of Christ moves in unity in the community. Andrew Strom
also teaches about "true revival" as opposed to "false
revival" and in May 2008 published a book on that topic. [Editor's note: I see that the first two reviews
posted were from people who have not read the book. One includes the
classic line "Books like this are published for the self-righteous
to enjoy judging what they don't understand." Could it equally
be said reviews like that are posted by the really self-righteous to
enjoy judging what they don't understand?] In the middle of
2008 Andrew posted
five videos on YouTube expressing his concern with the Lakeland Revival.
Part Three contains graphic examples which show the similarities between
false revival manifestations and occult Kundalini manifestations. The
videos made him the 7th most subscribed YouTube user in New Zealand for
July 2008 and the 19th most viewed. In mid-2010 he posted another documentary
– False spirits invade the church, part
1 and part
2 – which include graphic examples of the extreme behaviour (some
say demon possession) of the False Revival
Movement. Part
3 from October 2010 is said to be the most revealing yet, and is recommended watching. In September 2015 he released a trailer for his upcoming documentary Kundalini Warning Part 4. Detracting from this work is his teaching that baptism is essential for salvation. For refutation see Waterworks (PDF, 29 KB) and Water Baptism and Salvation (PDF, 64 KB).
Students of Truth. A scam religion founded in Christchurch in around 1890 by con-man Arthur Bently Worthington. Supplemented in 1892 by a hall named Temple of Truth.
Subritzky, Bill.Died December 2015, age 90. Faith
healer and pentecostal leader. Got a bit carried away sometimes, such as supporting the Toronto Movement, but
did a great deal of good evangelism in New Zealand. His web site
is www.doveministries.com.
Subud.
Once a very secretive New Age cult, Subud is now
expanding and becoming more open, and no longer hides its teachings behind password-protected
web sites. (A cynic would say they've realised they don't need to – people will
fall for anything.) Subud was founded in the 1920s in Java, Indonesia by Muhammad
Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (b. 1901, d. 1987), who is normally called Bapak ("Father")
by Subud members. There are a little over 200 members in NZ (as of mid 2007),
with about 90 in Christchurch led by Hammond Peek; most of the rest in Auckland. There are perhaps 10,000 members worldwide.
The name Subud comes from the three words Susila ("the good character
of man in accordance with the will of God"), Budhi ("the force
of the inner self within man"), and Dharma ("surrender, trust
and sincerity towards God"), and is not related to Subuh ("dawn").
The founder expected members to pay 3-5% of their income to the cult (but they
can also have many supposed financial crises to respond to each year) and expected
members' enterprises (businesses) to pay 25%. These are not enforced – indeed,
most Subud members have not heard of those figures, perhaps indicating that
Subud's teaching that Subud has no teaching is working – the members
have never been taught what their founder said. (Hiding of origins is actually
a big problem in many cults, but most don't have self-contradiction
at their core.)
The founder's daughter took over leadership when her father died. From Indonesia
she picks names for many children and some adults, which helps reinforce group
identity (another sign Subud is a cult). This leader is considered to have all
the power of her father, who proclaimed himself to be a Christ-like/Muhammad-like
figure and was believed by some to be the second coming of Christ. [Can anyone
see anything wrong with that belief? Hint: He's now dead. – Editor.]
Central to Subud practice is the latihan – an occult
activity like transcendental meditation which according
to Dr Stephen Urlich, a Christchurch scientist who wrote an article published
in a journal of the American Psychological Association, involves “uninhibited
weeping, shouting, writhing, moaning and speaking in tongues” and that
“Laughing, jumping and dancing can occur”. Compare this with Kundalini. A Christian perspective
is that this activity involves channeling demons that masqerade as either angels
of light, the Holy Spirit, or even Christ himself to reveal supposed truth to
the Subud member. Nasty. Some Subud members call the latihan "getting opened"
which is appropriate for an activity that involves opening oneself to demonic
manipulation. Subud has been known to practice strong relationship control,
and in a 1964 study cited by Dr Urlich, 24 cases linked Subud to "schizophrenic
episodes requiring hospitalisation". This has been referred to as "Subud Syndrome" by a Subud supporting correspondent, who attempted to play it down by implying it was nothing special because "all religious experience can become traumatic for vulnerable people". This is not true of most religious experience and is strong evidence of cultic practice when it occurs.
Like many New Age groups and practices, Subud in
particular appears to primarily appeal to those for whom rational thought is
not a high priority, meaning that feelings are far more important to them than
clear logical thought is. (For example, one Subud member has emailed us claiming
black and white can be the same thing because they're both colours.) This combined
with the experiences of the Latihan means that it can be very hard to convince
a Subud member just how bad it is – they feel it is right, therefore
as far as they are concerned it is. Subud is here rated Danger for its
heavily New Age theology, its very occult
practices, its strongly self-contradictory
teachings, and its risk of psychological damage.
Sudarshan Kriya™. A breathing technique used and taught by Art of Living Foundation. It is trademarked and used with capital initials. In India it is claimed to have "more with 99 evidence-based benefits" – an indication it's not on the level.
Success Life Institute. Run
by Destiny Church in Tauranga. Submissions
for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact page.
Sullivan, David. Leading Feldenkrais
Method practitioner in New Zealand. (FYI listing.)
Sunny Day Homeschool. Homeschool run on principles from L Ron Hubbard and Scientology. Based in Papatoetoe, Auckland, and run by the same person who leads Applied Scholastics New Zealand. Rated Danger because quite simply Scientology screws people up for life; there is no way that children should be exposed to Scientology teachings.
Super Apostle. A
term used by Cultwatch and
others to refer to a Christian leader who sets themselves up as being
specially chosen or appointed by God to control a number of churches.
The New Apostolic Reformation is the ideal platform
for Super Apostles. Read Cultwatch's Super
Apostle article for more information, or their article How Pastors Get Rich for typical money-making techniques used.
Swart, Leon. Leon Swart, also known as Leo
Swart, heads FANZA in New Zealand.
Swedenborg/Swedenborgianism. Spiritualist
cult founded by Emanuel Swedenborg. Claims
to be "True Christian Religion" but denies all the fundamental
beliefs of Christianity. Present in New Zealand as the New
Church in New Zealand, and known in other countries as The Lord's New Church. For more information see CARM's Swedenborg
article or Watchman Fellowship's Swedenborg
profile which explains that Emanuel Swedenborg "discounts over half the Bible as from God based on his authority alone." Or read how one man left
Swedenborg and came to know Christ as his saviour on the CARM
site. Swedenborgianism is rated Danger for its seriously bad
misrepresentation of Christianity.
Synergetic Medicine Ltd. Possible
scam. A company founded by Lonnian Lee based
on a combination of Chinese traditional medicine and western medicine.
Sells expensive products with creative names like "Alimentation
System (Spleen Energy)".
While Lonnian Lee is marketed as a doctor, it should be emphasised that
he has a PhD, not a medical degree, and it's in Asian Studies, not medicine
or physiology.
Breakfast
cereal company founded and owned by the 
Perhaps
best described as an urban legend, mostly arising from bad therapy leading
to 
Hindu
guru and 
A 
Also
known as the (former) 
Cult, featuring bad doctrine, a charismatic authoritarian leader (since deceased) and mind control. Founded by 
