FAMILY UPDATE NEWS #2--APRIL-MID-JUNE, 1993. DO

         (Editor's Note: GBY! The following newsclips cover events that happened between late March and early June. This special edition of the FUN will be longer then normal, to clear the backlog of news. Lord willing, in the future the FUN will be more current and shorter! You will notice that the name has been changed to Family Update News. This makes it the FUN! And we hope that it will be fun and inspiration to you all! GBY!)
         LONDON, England (FNN--Family News Network)--In late March, The Family participated in a three-day conference organised by INFORM at The London School of Economics. (INFORM is a government-sponsored organisation that acts as a "bridge" between New Religious Movements [NRMs] and the public.) This conference centred around the activities of NRMs in Europe, and was attended by leading sociologists, academics and other specialists from around the World.
         Family Member Matt gave a speech to the gathering, as well as answering questions. Our Family delegation, and nearby Hospitality Suite were quite well received and most attendees were happy to see that we were becoming more open to the public. One academic mentioned in his speech that The Family was one of "the big four" NRMs who are quite well established. He observed that we have managed to stay on top of our movement and have been willing to change and mature, as well as develop high morals.
         * Celeste, 18-year-old daughter of Simon Peter, confronted her backslidden mother Valerie at the home of the director of INFORM. (The director of INFORM had asked if she could "mediate" this meeting in an attempt to reconcile Valerie and Celeste.) Valerie has been an outspoken enemy of The Family in England, publicly accusing us, amongst other things, of abusing Celeste and holding her against her will. Celeste told her mother in no uncertain terms that she was in The Family of her own free will. During the course of the conversation, Valerie had to admit that The Family wins souls, is very evangelistic and that there is a lot of good in The Family. She also admitted that she herself had never been brainwashed into joining The Family. The director of INFORM commented that Celeste was obviously very healthy and happy. Overall the meeting went very well and clearly exposed Valerie for the fraud that she is.
         Celeste also met with her grandparents, the parents of Simon Peter. When Celeste explained to them about all of Valerie's antics, they voiced their support for Celeste. They even offered to help bring Valerie to justice for fraudulently soliciting funds for the so-called "Celeste Appeal Fund" in local newspapers.
         * The Family in England has been the subject of a number of newspaper articles. On March 19th, a favourable lengthy article on The Family entitled "Children of a Lusty God", appeared in "The Guardian", one of the most influential papers in England. The Religion Editor had spent a few days at one of the Homes in England, and wrote of his impressions.
         On April 5th, a second article appeared in "The Guardian". This was an interview with Celeste, who rebutted the accusations of her mother. Nevertheless, Valerie still seems determined to fight The Family, even though she has been publicly exposed by Celeste as a fake.
         * NRMs were in the British media spotlight following the massacre at Waco. Members of the Anti-Cult Movement (ACM) were loudly protesting the existence of all NRMs. A Family Member was able to give a good national radio interview in which he urged the public to safeguard their freedom of religion.
         BARCELONA, Spain (FNN)--On April 19th, the six judges from the Spanish Constitutional Court made public their decision in which they confirmed Judge Oubina's previous verdict! (Editor's Note: Several months ago, Judge Oubina ordered the children of Family Members who were apprehended in July 1990 to be returned to their parents, noting that the state had no business keeping them. He stated that the Family Members involved were innocent of any charges of abuse, and free to travel, etc. He likened the treatment that Family adults and children received at the hands of the Barcelona authorities to that meted out in the concentration camps of the former Soviet Union!) Several newspaper articles reported on this decision, all relatively fair and favourable.
         * In April, an "Anti-Cult Congress" was held in Barcelona, hosted by Pro-Juventud. A number of prominent members of the ACM from around the World were present. The Family publicly criticised the Congress in the press. In answer to our prayers, the Congress received scant national media coverage and many of the main "stars" such as Cult Awareness Network (CAN) psychologist Margaret Singer dropped out from attending at the last minute, causing the Congress to terminate early. Newspaper reports also mentioned that the organisers were having financial difficulties.
         PARIS, France (FNN)--A French newspaper reported that Dr. Richard, an outspoken enemy of The Family, was hospitalised for heart trouble just before he was about to talk at a local town auditorium on the danger of sects.
         * The Catholic-backed Radio Monte Carlo as well as Radio Vatican reported that The Family is connected to the Branch Davidians. The Family sent them literature to correct the misunderstanding.
         SOFIA, Bulgaria (FNN)--On March 18th and 19th, two unfavourable newspaper articles appeared. They seemed to be based on Priebe's (Hart) writings, as well as material sent by the Christian Research Institute in the U.S. The Family successfully rebutted these accusations on the nation's largest radio station! PTL!
         * A major anti-sect propaganda war is going on in Bulgaria. The Orthodox Church is actively lobbying the government to outlaw all Evangelical denominations and NRMs.
         * A large church was split down the middle when one of the pastors publicly defended us, exposing a member of the ACM there.
         * The Family in Sofia, Bulgaria, sent in the following report about how they discredited one of their detractors:
         "Ivo, a catacomb backslider who has thrown in his lot with Priebe and the Zees and other enemies, was scheduled to speak against The Family at a seminar. The Family prepared for this by making signs which stated, `This is a lie!' They planned to raise the signs whenever Ivo would state any untruths! At the first lie, the first sign went up. The organiser quickly asked that the sign be put away. Soon another sign went up from a Family Member in a different part of the audience, but this time someone in the crowd cried out, `Let them be, the signs are not disturbing the meeting!' So the organisers had to oblige!
         "From that point on, whenever a lie was uttered, about 10 signs went up! After awhile, whenever Ivo would mention something dubious or sensational, everyone in the crowd would turn toward those who had the signs to see if the thing he said was true or not! Some people started smiling at us, others encouraged us to put up the signs, and basically everyone admired us for our fight! Ivo's whole lecture was one big theological hair-splitting of doctrines that was so confusing and dry that it went over most people's heads.
         "At the end of the meeting, everyone rushed up to talk to us and get our packages of Statements and rebuttals that we had brought for distribution. A big crowd gathered around us and we witnessed to everyone for more than an hour."
         BUDAPEST, Hungary (FNN)--The Hungarian Parliament voted against religious liberty, cutting off support to four "cults": the Hare Krishnas, Moonies, Scientology and Jehovah's Witnesses. Some speculate that the next step will be to outlaw any such groups.
         LOS ANGELES, USA (FNN)--The Family reports that in the aftermath of the massacre at Waco, the media is engaging more and more in "cult-bashing". The Statements have been a great help in overcoming the cult stereotype that is being foisted on the public. One Family Member wrote:
         "We've seen the powerful effect the Statements have had when sent to reporters, even antagonistic ones, before they come to do a story on us. In one instance a reporter said she was afraid to meet and visit us because of all she had heard from our enemies. After our initial phone conversation where she was very defensive and fearful, we sent her a complete package of Statements. She called us back a few days later with a completely different attitude and said that after reading the material we sent she could see that we weren't the "monsters" that we were painted to be by our enemies.
         "She also said that understanding our origins, and that we came out of the hippie culture of the 60's, helped everything to click into place for her. The power of the Statements is what changed her! And then when she saw the sample she could clearly see that everything she had heard about us from our enemies was complete lies. PTL!
         "This has happened to one degree or another with every reporter that we've done an interview with. We have to realize that the cult stereotype is real in their minds, and the fear and hysteria being whipped up has a profound effect on those who don't know us personally. We found it's important to give everyone a chance to get a sample either personally or through the written word before writing them off as antagonistic reporters. Our enemies shoot themselves in the foot with all their lies, because they tell so many, and when the reporters come and see us and experience the complete opposite, they know they've been duped!"
         * The rather negative "Los Angeles Times" article about The Family has borne good fruit! When talking to their friends and supporters, Family Members discovered that many had not even read the article, as they have an inherent distrust of the "LA Times"! Those who did read it felt that it was garbage and are more supportive of The Family than ever, claiming that the article helped them to better understand our beliefs! PTL!
         The reporter who wrote the article, Roy Rivenburg, has shown his true colours, discarding any semblance of objectivity. He has been spreading disinformation about The Family, amongst other things giving people the impression that we are Branch Davidians.
         * Local Family enemies have again been harassing the Home. One evening Zac the Greek (Sam Ajemian), his wife Asa, Samson Warner (Dan Welsh) and Gail Sherman (Bithia) came to the gate and entered the property, accusing us of holding people prisoner. Family Members accosted them and escorted them off the property and then called the police.
         The police were quite sympathetic. The Family invited them into the Home, where they verified that no one was being held against their will. The police then told the backsliders to leave us alone, and advised us that we should get a restraining order served on them. This would legally prevent these enemies from coming near the Home and harassing The Family! PTL!
         On April 30th, a California judge issued permanent three-year restraining orders against Daniel Welsh, Samuel and Asa Ajemian, and Gail Sherman. Sheriffs personally delivered the court orders to these miscreants.
         * Rick Dupuy (Watchman) is still trying to mooch off his relatives and former Family Members with whom he is in contact. He claims that he is "still in recovery", and therefore can't really work, so is asking others to support him!
         * Media coverage is continuing to intensify in the U.S. On May 27, Mene and Deborah appeared nationwide on "Geraldo", a sensationalist New York TV talk show. Accompanying Deborah was Rick Ross, a notorious CAN deprogrammer who was the chief "cult expert" advisor to the BATF and FBI at Waco! Geraldo publicly demonstrated his support for CAN. The program was terribly negative and slanderous! The Family contacted the producers, and were able to fill them in on the other side of the story.
         On June 3rd, a national U.S. tabloid TV documentary show, "Hard Copy", aired a report on The Family. Originally, the show was supposed to be very negative, spouting the lies of our enemies. However, The Family learned of the show before the filming was completed and contacted the producers, who came to visit The Family. When they saw that we were not what our enemies portrayed us to be, they devoted much of the report to filming our teens and the Los Angeles Home! A lot of message got out! The audience was estimated at 8 million people! Once it aired, the producers received phone calls from backsliders, complaining that the show was too favourable! PTL!
         On June 2, a very favourable and lengthy article came out on the front page of "The Washington Post"! It also had four photos of The Family. The reporter had spent two days in a Family Home in California. Some of our friends in the media were amazed that we got such good coverage, especially in one of the U.S.'s top newspapers! One exclaimed "It's hard to believe!" while another termed it "Amazing, flattering, lots of ink, terrific!" They all agreed that no one normally gets such extensive coverage in "The Washington Post", nor do they get four or five photos!
         WASHINGTON, D.C., USA (FNN)--On May 27th, Gallen Kelley, a CAN deprogrammer who has publicly admitted to deprogramming at least 30 people, was convicted in a federal court of kidnapping! Sentencing is set for late July and could be 17 years to life! As Kelley had forcibly restrained so many of his victims, the judge revoked bail, and ordered Kelley to stay in jail until his sentencing! Kelley had kidnapped a woman whom he believed was a member of a religious group, but he took the wrong girl, and she took him to court. Family members had been praying that Kelley would be exposed for the criminal that he is, and convicted!
         While on the stand, Kelley admitted to forging the former FBI director's name onto a passport in order to impersonate him. He also posed as a police officer several times in an attempt to intimidate his victims.
         In the latest CAN newsletter, there is a photo of CAN president Cynthia Kisser and Kelley together! The whole case clearly illustrated, amongst other things, how CAN supports criminal activities.

         PENNSYLVANIA, USA (FNN)--In mid-April, Family Members attended a conference on "False Memory Syndrome". (Editor's Note: The goal of this conference was to debunk the new trend concerning child abuse, whereby grown adults, under the "care" of psychological therapists, are supposedly suddenly "remembering" alleged acts of abuse that they suffered decades ago.) Many deprogrammers and CAN members were there, pushing their doctrines of mind control. Family teens caused quite a sensation when they gave an impromptu concert for one meeting. The ACM people were livid! PTL! The Family was also able to meet many people and hand out copies of the Mind Control Statement.
         The Family reports that the cover story of the April 19th issue of "Newsweek" was a very good article exposing the excesses of the child abuse hysteria. The article reveals that a strong backlash is developing amongst medical professionals. PTL!
         MEXICO CITY, Mexico (FNN)--A new law has just taken effect whereby the spreading of "religious propaganda" is prohibited.
         BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (FNN)--Family Members appeared on a TV talk show, along with other members of NRMs. It turned out to be rigged against The Family, but Family Members refuted the various lies and were able to deliver our message.
         * A new law being discussed in the Argentine Congress would seriously limit religious freedoms for anyone outside the Catholic Church or other large established denominations. This law, if passed, would apparently forbid the operation of any cult that is not duly registered. It also proposes penalties of up to four years in prison and fines of $10,000 for the leaders of "illegal cults" as well as smaller fines and prison terms for whoever "assists these groups".
         ROSARIO, Argentina (FNN)--A number of EAs led a two-day witnessing blitz in Rosario, where The Family is being persecuted. They distributed thousands of Religious Persecution Statements as well as many Posters. They found the public to be very receptive, TTL! A judge whom they met while witnessing offered them advice, and four lawyers volunteered to help defend them!
         QUITO, Ecuador (FNN)--Family Members report that Mene has appeared on Pat Robertson's TV show, "The 700 Club", spewing out her lies, which earlier aired in the U.S. The Family in the U.S. has since sent a letter of protest to Pat Robertson, exposing Deborah and Mene for the impostors and liars that they are.
         BOGOTA, Colombia (FNN)--No Family Members were injured when a very powerful car bomb went off in one of the wealthier neighbourhoods in Bogota. One Family Member had plans that would have taken her to that very location at the precise time the bomb exploded, but she changed her plans at the last minute. The Family was able to assist and minister to survivors in various medical clinics.
         CUENCA, Ecuador (FNN)--A major mudslide killed many people as well as leaving thousands homeless and causing major flooding. The Family ministered to the survivors in the rescue shelters. Many were led to the Lord, and relief workers expressed appreciation for their efforts.
         MANILA, Philippines (FNN)--On March 23rd an intense media storm erupted that was to last more than two months! A large newspaper, "The Daily Inquirer", printed an extremely negative six-part series on The Family. These articles were based largely on lies which had been fed to reporters by Filipina backslider Ruthie, who in turn was simply the servant and mouthpiece of Ed Priebe. (Ruthie had been in the Manila Home when the ignoble Priebe infiltrated it last September. He had proposed marriage to her, and so she chose to leave with him when he was arrested. Since that time, she has been lying about The Family to whoever will listen. Priebe has found her to be a willing puppet to further his own agenda.)
         (A few weeks later, The Family learned that on March 28th, the day that the last article of the series appeared, one of the top executives of "The Daily Inquirer" was killed in a motorcycle accident! And the Lord is continuing to judge those who fight us! The man about to become president of the newspaper "The Daily Inquirer" died of injuries sustained in a car accident!)
         On the same day as the first article, Senator Ernest Maceda gave a speech in the Senate, viciously attacking The Family and trying to smear some of our close friends there. All of this received wide media coverage. According to these enemies, The Family--i.e. a 12-man Home--has completely infiltrated every area of Philippine society! A Senate hearing was called to investigate the charges.
         It seemed that there were two powers orchestrating this onslaught. Senator Maceda was intent on taking over the presidency of the Senate. To do this, he had to discredit the current president, who happened to be head of the law firm where two of our close friends work. It seems that Maceda therefore chose to attack The Family, hoping that he would also drag down, by association, these friends and ultimately the president of the Senate.
         The Catholic Church, headed by Cardinal Sin was also revealed to be actively orchestrating this attack. Ruthie had, with her and Priebe's lies, given them a pretext to attack The Family. It was revealed that Cardinal Sin was furious when he found out how God sees him (a pig! See ML#2308), and was determined to crush us! It seems that to a certain extent, Cardinal Sin was using Maceda as a front man.
         Overnight, the Family therefore became the center of media attention! Although there was only one Home, containing twelve adult Family Members and their children, in the Philippines, they bravely went on the attack, giving interviews to the media. On March 30th, The Family held their first press conference, which was a big success. It was attended by members of the local and international press, many of whom became quite favourable after seeing that we were not what our enemies portrayed us to be. The Family also distributed two powerful press releases which completely exposed Priebe, Ruthie, Cardinal Pig and the scheming Senator Maceda for the liars and frauds that they are, as well as the hidden agenda that they are pursuing.
         The landlady of the Home told The Family that even though many other people in the neighbourhood, including the local priest, were speaking against us, she was going to stand up for us, as she knew we were good people! On April 4th, The Family had an Open House, to help the neighbours see that the lies about us were not true.
         On April 6, The Family in Manila held a second press conference, this time in their Home! It went very well, and they distributed a new press release. The media coverage was very positive, our message got out, and Priebe and his cohorts were further exposed!
         In the days that followed, the media coverage became more and more favourable. A number of positive articles appeared in the papers, exposing the whole affair for what it was, a political power struggle, with us caught in the middle. One newspaper reprinted the favourable article from "The Guardian" in England. The Family also appeared on one of the most popular and controversial TV talk shows, along with one of our close friends from the military ministry of several years ago. This friend, who now holds a top position of influence in the government, boldly stood up for The Family, pulling out his collection of DFs, and testifying that we had had a very positive impact on the Armed Forces of the Philippines! GBH!
         An investigative-type TV show also gave us good coverage, clearly presenting our side of the story and exposing the lies of Priebe and Ruthie, as well as the obvious link between the Catholic Church and Senator Maceda.
         "Asiaweek", a regional weekly magazine, published an unfavourable article about The Family and events in Manila. The Family put together a very good rebuttal and information package and sent it to Asiaweek, which published portions of this in the May 26 edition.
         The Family also took the initiative to seek out and witness to all the members of the Senate and Congress. Generally they were very well received, as everyone wanted to hear what they had to say! Family Members also approached elected officials at all levels of government, witnessing to them and giving them information packages explaining our side of the story. All in all, this witnessing blitz bore tremendous fruit, as most people realised that the Catholic Church and Maceda had ulterior motives for attacking us.
         In mid-May, The Senate held a two-hour hearing on The Family, and then adjourned for several weeks. The Family was not allowed to speak, but God bless a friend in the military who got up and defended us, even though he was pressured not to do so. After the hearing, two television stations did spots on The Family, mentioning that the whole affair smacked of "a witch hunt and religious persecution".
         In mid-May a new book was published which details Senator Maceda's shady past. One chapter documents the corruption and mismanagement that highlighted the early years of his career, making it clear that this very corruption enabled Maceda to amass his present fortune.
         Senator Maceda also received quite a lot of negative press during May, with newspaper columnists writing against him almost daily. Meanwhile the Senate had a vote of confidence for the current Senate president, who Maceda was trying to oust. The current president won 20 to 4, and proceeded to strip Maceda of the chairmanship of three Senate committees! The vote of confidence was so strong that Maceda was forced to deliver a "humble pie" speech, in which he apologised and explained that he was never really power-hungry!
         Through all of this, the Family continued their witnessing blitz! Family teens visiting from nearby countries helped the local Family reach hundreds of thousands of people. They performed several concerts in parks, universities and shopping malls, as well as for various civic functions, and appeared as "stars" on several very popular TV shows! They received many plaques and certificates of appreciation. The Family in the Philippines estimates that they have done more witnessing in the past two months than in the last several years! The Lord certainly causes the wrath of man to praise Him!
         * On May 5th, the criminal case against Priebe and Welsh was formally approved, and warrants were issued for their arrest. (Editor's Note: These warrants are the result of charges that were laid by Family Members against Priebe and Welsh after their illegal, fraudulent incursion into the Manila Home last year). Family lawyers are now making a request for extradition.

         TOKYO, Japan (FNN)--The Family reports that the book "Combatting Cultic Mind Control" by CAN deprogrammer Steve Hassan has been published in Japanese. This follows a campaign in the press against the Moonies.
         MELBOURNE, Australia (FNN)--On April 27th, Lamb won the appeal waged against her by CSV! As you may recall, last year the judge ruled that the accusations of the CSV (Community Services Victoria) against Lamb's family were unfounded, and dismissed the case. CSV, in an unprecedented move, appealed the decision. This appeal was also turned down! PTL!
         SYDNEY, Australia (FNN)--On May 16th, The Family held an Open House to mark the first anniversary of the seizing of their children by the authorities. The event was a huge success, with 140 friends and supporters from all walks of life attending. A few backsliders tried to picket outside, and were kept in line by the police! A formerly antagonistic reporter was won over by the sample and did a favourable report on The Family. A number of local papers also did articles, all of which were positive.
         * All does not seem well at the Department of Community Services (DOCS) in Sydney, the government agency that seized our children in Sydney last year. An article appeared in the "Sunday Morning Herald" on April 5th entitled "Community Dis-Services." It stated that heads were rolling at the DOCS, and specifically that, "Mr. Marchant [the top DOCS official who masterminded the raids on The Family], whose ability is recognised but who roused strong emotion in some sections of the welfare community, has had his position of Deputy Director-General abolished." PTL! "`Vengeance is Mine!' saith the Lord. `I will repay!'" (Romans 12:19b)
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         We love you dearly! Please keep praying for all our Family Members who are contending for the faith on the front lines! "Prayer is powerful! When we pray, things will happen and things will be different! God will answer prayer!" (MOP 97:93)

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family