Make no mistake: The Academy for Psychic Studies and the Spiritual Rights Foundation are the same thing, and they are a CULT.
The Spiritual Rights Foundation operates The Academy for Psychic Studies which is its "seminary". The Academy for Psychic Studies conducts classes and psychic services in the Willow Glen area of San Jose, CA.
The ISHI School of Hypnosis Training (ISHI Hypnosis) is also an Spiritual Rights Foundation Cult operation.
I found something interesting that the Dalai Lama said in his interview with TIME Magazine: Q: Do you ever feel angry or outraged? —Kantesh Guttal, PUNE, INDIA Dalai Lama: Oh, yes, of course. I'm a human being. Generally speaking, if a human being never shows anger, then I think something's wrong. He's not right in the brain. [Laughs.] As you know, there are many, many people who say you cannot express anger nor can you be angry. Generally, those are the people who are involved in the new age psychic-spiritual garbage that trapped us. Anger is one of the full spectrum of emotions we all have as normal members of the human society. You must feel anger if you claim to be a member. I do agree, though, that to do certain things, you must put your anger aside for a practical purpose: if you conduct those tasks in anger, you will not make any sense or you will do something completely stupid. I've done things in anger as we all have. And I have screwed up in those situations as we all have. But one of the things we all must do to vent our anger (even the anger that happened in the past) is to express it in a manner that allows the anger to disperse without harm. Writing is the best way for us and everyone else. If those we complain of become embarrassed about our outrage, that is unfortunate but not of any legal harm. I proved that in the United States Legal System. Our right to speak and our need to express the outrage, embarrassment and yes, even anger is protected by the Constitution of the United States of America. Our need to speak is supported by the law, God and all that is good and proper. I am glad we can use a blog to talk about what happened. As most of us do, I don't write from anger but I do write because I must disperse the pent-up anger the cult never allowed us to vent. For those of you who think we anti-SRF bloggers are angry and bitter people, all I can tell you is you is you certainly can't tell what emotions run through us because you do not know us. But you have to believe as the Dalai Lama does: to not have "negative" emotions like anger, frustration, fear, doubt and more is to deny your human nature and the humanity of those around you.
And by extension, you are not right in the head.
Hey, don't complain to me. Bring it up with the Dalai Lama.
I've been mulling over the concept of "Slaying in Spirit". Bill Duby used that phrase often. His Witches of Ellsworth did - once or twice before they went back to counting up the money they picked from your pocket. Bill never really explained what the phrase "Slaying in Spirit" meant. In fact, when asked he usually dodged the question by providing an answer that addressed nothing in particular (especially your question). I think the concept was to avoid degrading, demeaning or otherwise attacking a person for his or her beliefs, comments, thoughts or anything else. I had to figure it one out from the context he used that phrase - and from some of his writings that have survived the Academy for Psychic Studies attempt to purge him from their history. Anyway, treating others with dignity is an honorable and admirable thing. Too bad neither Bill Duby, Angela Silva or Robin Dumolin had ever followed that simple concept. If you disagreed with any of them or even had a question (something like "How does this make sense, anyway?) you would find yourself in the spiritual shithouse coughing up toilet water, scared shitless and regretting your mendacity after a waterboarding at the hands of the above. That's not a projection. We all saw it over and over and over again. Many of us experienced it over and over and over again. While Bill and his henchwomen applied their evil brand of spiritual abuse to another hapless victim, they repeated to those witnessing this horror that the mental torture, the degrading abuse, the demeaning insults and the intentional use of personal humiliation was a warm and nurturing way to provide the healing necessary to a wayward soul. Of course as men and women of the cloth, they had the power and approval of God behind them. Uh.... sure. Isn't it ironic (or more accurately: infuriating) that the above holy and unimpeachable icons of morality conducted their crusade of evil while exhorting their followers to refrain from expressing any kind of moral outrage or opposition? It's clear: the slaying of spirit actually means you will be slain, reborn, slain again, revived with a bucket of cold water to be slain once more and resurrected so you may be beaten to death. It also means: tell the truth about what happens at the Academy for Psychic Studies and we will slay your spirit by discrediting you, disparaging anything we can think about you and degrade whatever humanity you may have left. They did it to Steve Sanchez, posting a degrading and potentially defamatory statement about him on their web site. They attempted to sue me and my wife for libel, while demanding the names, location and other information of anyone who ever posted a comment here as well as the closure of this blog. I beat them into a thin red patse but the fact they tried to close this blog tells you a lot. Several ex-members who have spoke out publicly were branded as evil - their faces posted on the bull's eye of the Academy of Psychic Studies' dartboard. I had personally witnessed Angela Silva threaten persons with loss of their church privilege, their church-owned apartment and even their children for infractions so petty, you would not believe someone would have even noticed, much less cared about it. I've seen Bill Duby sit next to a man and explicitly threaten to ruin the man's livelihood, marriage and family, making the man suffer a long period of torture until Bill decided to apply a coup de grace - a simple "Fuck You!". At other times, Bill would forget about the torture and would just threaten to kill the poor bastard with his bare hands or the rusty old revolver Angela kept under her pillow in case Bill came by for a booty call. I guess in addition to slaying you in a spiritually acceptable way through mental abuse and exploitation, they would slay your worthless ass for real. But you'd deserve it, of course. ===================================== All that is an introduction to the following re-post: Foot In Mouth Disease Part II. It's the infamous church service of July 2008 where Bill and the whole of the Academy for Psychic Studies is referred to the "the picture, the icon of Jesus. ...Jesus Effing Christ" Of course, the wacky Bishop who delivered this perverse sermon couldn't stop there. She "slay-ed in spirit" a loyal minister for having said something to her she didn't like: I asked the minister to officiate at our wedding. That's not part of this post but it is part of Foot In Mouth Disease. As she was addressing the wacky Academy for Psychic Studies church service, her method of slaying is somewhat more restrained than when only a couple of her most loyal followers stood near, rubbing their hands together for their chance to waterboard and beat her victim to near death. However, the intent is the same. =================================== So, some of you want to hear the recording of the infamous church sermon of July 2008. That's the one where the bishop of the Spiritual Rights Foundation elevated the status of SRF and Bill Duby to the level of "Jesus Effing Christ" and also informed the members they must avoid people who don't agree with their practices. What I hear is members of the one of the advanced level mind-control classes asked their teacher why the Bishop of SRF said what she did. Instead of giving an answer, the teacher excused herself to check in with Angela Silva. Angela was said to have instructed the teacher to announce: "Angela reviewed the entire MP3 recording of the church service. There is no reference to "Jesus Effing Christ" in the sermon." So with that, Angela pronounced the matter a figment of the imagination. A wild, fantastic claim. A projection of one's spiritual shortcomings on the beatific images of Angela Silva, Robin Dumolin, Bill Duby and their henchmen. I've got some excerpts of the infamous church sermon for your listening pleasure. But remember: according to the Spiritual Rights Foundation, this MP3 not only never existed, the Bishop never said "Jesus Effing Christ". Ever. And Angela Silva has decreed the Bishop never compared Bill Duby to "Jesus Effing Christ". But as they say, "listen with your golden ear". See if you can recognize the voice in the recording. See if you can recognize the words that are spoken. And decide for yourself how real these recordings are. Because if you don't, Angela will tell you what does exist and it won't look pretty. Bill Duby and SRF represent "Jesus Effing Christ":
Brush off your shoes and walk away from ex-members:
I'm sure if the internet nazis of SRF discover these recordings, they will have quite a reaction to them. They like to discredit those who expose their ludicrous practices and destructive relationships rather than address the issues directly. That's not conjecture: the Spiritual Rights Foundation made an announcement on their website titled "Regarding Steve Sanchez" making claims that Steve, through his writings and objections to the improper and destructive practices at SRF, was mentally ill and in need of treatment. While SRF was eager to attack Steve personally, they never addressed Steve's allegations in any public publication, mass media or in any internal meeting or announcement. It's much easier to kill the messenger. And SRF is quite accustomed to doing just that. I'm waiting for those threats and unfounded statements. Just keep in mind these guys want you to think that they never said what they said. Or, they will try (with all the grace and aplomb of a crack addict) to spin their mendacity's into sacred prophecy or to turn themselves into victims. They are victims, though - victims of the truth. As more is exposed about the Spiritual Rights Foundation, the closer that organization will come to extinction. And certainly, it's not me who is doing the extinction. The public is smart enough to see a fraud, once a fraud is exposed. So, I'll keep exposing the truth so the public can do as they should. But even in the face of such negative publicity, could there be a hope for SRF to turn themselves around? It takes some amount of courage, imagination and intelligence to pull that one off. In the words of one ex-member: "They have only one problem - they have no imagination.". I'd add "no courage". I think I'd add "no intelligence" as well. Gee, that makes three problems. Even the FLDS was smart enough to make a public mea culpa after their child bride fiasco saying that they will no longer conduct marriage of under-age girls. Whether the members of the FLDS followed through on that pledge is anyone's guess. But the point is that they publicly announced the abandonment of a reviled practice. Their single statement, about thirty seconds in length effectively ended the scrutiny and poured a bucket of cold water on the public's interest in the FLDS. As a result, they were left alone. And being left alone is what all cults really desire. Would SRF even consider the same course of action the FLDS took? Probably not. But there's no real point in it, is there? Why come to shore when you are swimming in the river named denial?
The following was originally posted in September of 2008. Since then, recordings of the church service this article is based upon has been removed from the SRF web site. Most likely because they embarrassed themselves. Oddly though, they posted it on their perverted Live365 channel. Anyway, I added some information to this article and updated a few things. Otherwise, it's basically the same as it was back then.
I still host regular gatherings at my home that are open to all. In addition to our friends and neighbors, we invite ex-members and leave the door open for current members to attend. It's all about enjoying each other's company and having a social space. We do not conduct active attempts to draw people out of the Spiritual Rights Foundation and are not de-programmers or exit counselors. We are hosts.
I still follow the activities of the Spiritual Rights Foundation.
SRF has a web presence with recordings of church services, radio shows and other material.
Looking at the church page at celestia.com, I found a link to a church service in July 2008. I decided to listen in as they made the effort to post it. I think they posted it so people would listen to it. In this recording of the July service, the bishop of SRF delivered a sermon that you probably never heard at church before.
It it, she rails against speaking with people who do not accept what the Spiritual Rights Foundation practices or have left as a result of how they were treated. Using biblical references, she went on to say how members should walk away if they are speaking with someone who "can't have the teaching" and advised that members should not "hang out" with anyone who is not interested in what SRF teaches.
You see, if members spend time with people like us who are not followers of SRF, they risk losing their information. And, they risk serving two masters (!).
She railed against people left SRF and particularly those ex-members who have contact with current members who want to leave.
Some have asked ex-members for moral support via conversation. But I can tell you that those outside SRF who contact current members were only responding to conversations initiated by discontented current members. No one has gone in guerrilla-style to create a mass defection or even initiate an individual one.
After some more ranting and raving the bishop says that people who couldn't make the teaching work for themselves have a problem with "Jesus Effing Christ" because the Spiritual Rights Foundation and it's founder Rev. William Duby (Rev. Bill). are "the picture, the icon of Jesus. It's not Rev. Bill. It's not SRF. Jesus Effing Christ."
Wow. SRF and it's founder are the icon of Mr. Jesus Effing Christ himself! And all this time, I thought that the icon of Jesus Christ was, you know, Jesus Christ.
Anyway, she spoke of how everyone wants the good feeling that comes from SRF. That's fine. That is why people join and that is why people stay. (by the way, if you listen to the service you may notice that the people who speak sound awfully flat. I guess it shows how good they feel). However, her sermon states that if you were to socialize with anyone who has had a bad experience at SRF, you are saying that "the bible is not true in that all their complaints are OK".
And quoting Matthew 7:6 (don't cast your pearls before swine or your words will be trampled and turned against you) she says that anyone there will be insulted by the ex-member if they associate with that person out of loyalty. And that leads to people doubting their lives with SRF and they will start complaining about their lives at SRF. Doubt and discontent leads to departure.
Of course, the ex-members the bishop alluded to were highly offended. The current members initiated the conversation regarding their doubt about SRF. The ex's were just being a friend during a time of need. Offering a friendly ear and support. Clearly, it was the members who were looking for counsel outside the church - the ex-members were not attempting to pull a member out.
The difference between the SRF faithful few and the rest of the world is that the world is content letting the average SRF-ie believe what they want and do as they please. As long as those SRF believers are acting within the law and are behaving in a way that follows regular and established morals and ethics (which, I understand, is difficult for them) we would all just leave them alone.
In fact, we would be happy to overlook a lot of crazy behavior just for the opportunity to continue the friendship that existed before or during our lives with the Spiritual Rights Foundation.
There are people there who have had close relationships with people before their "sojourn" at SRF. And because of the message to keep ex-members and in fact, anyone who isn't at the SRF "vibration" away from their feel-good lives, I wonder how many of them are maintaining those relationships. One person wrote a comment here saying she knows a person at SRF who has been there a decade and claims to have seen the "warm and nurturing" environment SRF provides. Of course, she didn't say how long ago that visit took place. Probably a decade ago.
At any rate, there is discontent in the SRF ranks. There was a year ago and there is even now.
My impression is the church sermon is a sign of desperation and an attempt to stem the flow of departing members - nothing more. The bishop was trying to instill some fear and doubt about contact with people on the outside. But the way the sermon was presented ruffled some feathers and got a few people inside the SRF gulag thinking about themselves and their situation.
I started thinking as well.
I believe that sermon is a way to tell the members that all the real experiences people had at SRF, those who suffered abuse (Steve Sanchez's book speaks of that more strongly than I) those who exhausted life savings, lost spouses, lost children, lost their lives were just unfounded complaints and that their experiences should be ignored or minimized.
It seems that people who left, fed up with the dysfunction, are non-persons and their real experiences are non-events. Congratulations everyone! By the power vested in the holy Bishop of the Spiritual Rights Foundation, we don't exist and all the things so many people wrote and spoke about in all the media we have available to us in this modern world are mere projections and figments of our imaginations.
But the sermon is real and the message is real and it came from the real lips of the real bishop of the presumed real Spiritual Rights Foundation's MP3 recording of their monthly church service. That service is SO real, when the Spiritual Rights Foundation finally found out I listened to their church broadcast and commented on it in an unflattering manner, they promptly removed it. And they didn't stop there. Presently nearly all recordings of SRF radio shows have been removed, and all church services are removed. They followed-up by removing their videos from YouTube.
Considering how the Spiritual Rights Foundation is removing their audio and video recordings from the airwaves and internet and also considering how they are having less and less public contact, I'd say they are becoming more and more fearful of the blowback that will happen when the public discovers what that content really stands for.
Their attempt to change history by erasing it, won't have the effect they want. Not for as long as this blog is active. And this blog will be active for a long time.
That's no projection.
Matthew 7:6, it seems, was an appropriate verse to quote. No matter how much they are confronted with the real experiences of real ex-members and no matter how SRF is confronted with the real effect of their conduct, the more SRF tries to discredit the people who speak out.
Ask Steve Sanchez. He wrote a book on his experience. SRF called him mentally ill (in a public statement on their website - Google it using: Steve Sanchez SRF).
Click to enlarge
Others who spoke out faced retorts as well. Those who speak about their true experiences at SRF have their words trampled and turned against them only because those experiences are not of the kind that SRF would like the world to hear.
And because those experiences are the truth.
Ask me and Joy. We speak truthfully of our experiences with the Spiritual Rights Foundation. I have strong observations and commentary based on those experiences. I speak honestly about the experiences of others who are still too frightened to speak and give them support. I provide a public service, like Consumer Reports, where those seeking their own spiritual path can find information on the Spiritual Rights Foundation and decide for themselves if they want to travel with SRF or not.
But to SRF, we are infidels. They tried to sue us. They lost. Badly.
To know how badly, all you have to do is to read this blog.
It's still here, unabridged.
No retractions.
No apologies.
No limits on the truth.
No limits on our First Amendment right to speak.
And not one penny paid to the Spiritual Rights Foundation, Robin Dumolin or Angela Silva.
Steve, Joy, myself and several other courageous ex-SRF members have spoken out and cast our pearls onto the world. We have been released from the bonds that have imprisoned us in our own silence. And we know that message is being heard by seekers and the Spiritual Rights Foundation alike, whether they like it or not.
You see, in the toxic waste dump of the SRF mind, the freedoms of the First Amendment applies only to the Spiritual Rights Foundation. Not you. To SRF your pearls of truth not only don't count, they don't even exist.
Was that an "oink" I heard?
Since that sermon, I have learned that more members are now ex-members. I believe there will be more exits. Probably not many more as there aren't many left. And I can't see too many others wanting out. I could be wrong, though. Every time I think the departures will end, more happen.
I wonder what effect that sermon had on those who since left. Probably not what the bishop intended.
But I guess that illustrates something: SRF is their own worst enemy. When they open their mouth, their foot goes in.
It's our right as American citizens. In fact, it's the basis for our American society - not just our way of life. Voting is what our government is based upon. If you don't vote, you can't complain.
At least, you can't complain too loudly.
I would imagine the by-laws of the Academy for Psychic Studies are like most organizations. The members have the opportunity to vote on certain issues affecting the direction or status of the group.
It's up to the leaders to carry it out and accede to the will of the people.
It's called noblesse oblige: with privledge comes great responsibility.
Of course there has never been a vote of the people at the Academy - unless the rigged voting process that allowed Bill to install his first lover Angela Silva as president and slide in his next lover Robin Dumolin as veep.
How much responsibility do you think those two exercise? Are their dutes guided by the invisible hand of responsibility to their congregation?
If you think so, I'd like you to join me in a game of Three Card Monty.
As the leadership is likely voted in by the members, they can also be voted out. However, as mind control is rampant there and intimidation and fear rule those who remain no one has the testicular fortitude to call for an election.
So keep that in mind the next time you go to the polls. We get to vote for our government leaders. You can't do that in a cult.
Has anyone else noticed that there are NO NAMES OF THE LEADERS nor are there any more pictures of the people still there. No leadership pictures either.
I think they are on the run, trying to hide from the evil in the world. That evil is all who would expose them to the world.
So actually, it's not the world that is so evil, isn't it?
There is little information there outside of them telling you to spend money on classes.
But the Clairvoyant Training Program is only 4 MONTHS long! Of course, that means only four months at a time, actually. Like us, the poor victims of this cult will find themselves renewing a session at a time until they wake up one morning to find a decade has passed by.
I know of some students in the Clairvoyant Training Program who have left because it took years to complete, with no end in sight. Of course, they were demeaned and degraded as those who "can't have the teaching".
Seems to me they did have it. And they had enough of it.
I've seen one who has set up a psychic reading practice. She's a very good person who does care about the people who call or visit her. I hope she does well with it.
Another has a bodywork practice and is highly rated for her effectiveness and professionalism.
They are both great people to know and are very talented. And neither appears to mention their time at this worthless cult - even the person who has set up a reading practice.
Maybe that's all you need to know about the Academy for Psychic Studies. If those who have been there don't want to talk about it and the Academy for Psychic Studies themselves don't want to talk about themselves, can you really say there's something of value there?
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There's a new web site for the psychotics on Ellsworth Street. While I can't link directly to the Spiritual Rights Foundation's new web site, you can certainly Google them.
It looks better, I have to admit and I encourage you to take a peek at it.
There is a troubling bit of information, though. Look at the title. They are changing their public name to the Academy for Psychic Studies, most likely to avoid the bad publicity from the title "Spiritual Rights Foundation".
However, if you Google "Academy for Psychic Studies" you will see some important entries: the factnet page containing all those articles (and this blog) critical of the Academy for Psychic Studies, Joy's anti-Academy for Psychic Studies vlog and this blog.
They'll have to be more creative to duck the tomatoes coming their way. The public is more and more interested in knowing exactly what goes on at the Academy for Psychic Studies. So, you and me will be the ones to give the other side of the story. I pledge to continue to provide he truth for as long as it appears necessary (or as long as I can hold up). I hope you all will be there as well.
I had to point out the new SRF site to all. And I have to point out that the Academy for Psychic Studies is just another name for just another evil cult.
Now, don't worry about me knowing exactly who you are. I only get an IP address and a general location. I won't track down any of the many readers and commenters - unless you threaten anyone, anywhere with any kind of physical act.
You DO have the right to call someone a name here (like the "Witches of Ellsworth" or "Angela and Robin are a couple of dried up cunts" or even "Rev. Bill was a lying con artist". That is the First Amendment in action, like it or not and those statements were upheld as absolutely LEGAL by the Superior Court of the State of California.
As they have for years now, ISHI Hypnosis is holding classes for hypnosis training. And as it has been for years, those classes are being held at the SRF headquarters in Berkeley.
And as usual, the cost is some $2225.00 per person - with a 20% discount if you pay online with PayPal! That makes it only $1780.00 for your certificate (now think about it: if ISHI Hypnosis was indeed thriving as they claim, why offer up a 20% discount?).
I probably would have done no worse if I were drunk during my ISHI Hypnosis final exam. Come to think of it, I'd probably have a lot more fun if I was...
Anyway, whenever there is an ISHI Hypnosis training class, I usually see a huge bump in hits from people searching for ISHI Hypnosis.
But not lately.
Lately, there's been no Google's on ISHI Hypnosis. None. Nothing at all. In fact, there hasn't been many queries on ISHI Hypnosis since the beginning of the year.
I wonder what that is all about? Is there so little interest in ISHI that no one is looking? This blog is just a few slots below the ISHI home site. Maybe no one is bothering to look at this blog? Maybe no one can be bothered to look up the other side of the ISHI story?
Who knows?
All I know is: no one has come to this blog as a result of searching for ISHI. That does not necessarily mean no one is interested in ISHI Hypnosis. Nor does that mean no one is interested in what this blog has to say about ISHI Hypnosis.
I'm not exactly sure what that means just yet.
However, I can say that SRF thinks there is a huge relationship between what is written in this blog and the evaporating interest in ISHI Hypnosis.
In their FAILED complaint against me, SRF claimed five people called SRF to say they would not attend ISHI Hypnosis training because of the information they found in this blog. Again, there is no way to know how true this is. Legally, because they dropped their suit after I filed an anti-SLAPP motion, their claims are without merit and could be considered false (I am legally entitled to file a SLAPP-back suit against SRF for their false prosecution).
In a moral sense, you'd have to apply your own judgment to SRF's claim.
If you think their claim is true, that tells you the strength of the First Amendment and renews our faith in people - at least some of them were careful enough to check out the other side of the story and make up their own minds.
Anyhow, exposing those lies is why this blog exists.
So who is ISHI Hypnosis?
I have no idea. All I know is Robin Dumolin and Angela Silva scoop up the money. As a fictitious business name owned by the Spiritual Rights Foundation, ISHI Hypnosis IS the Spiritual Rights Foundation. And all the money paid to ISHI goes straight to SRF. In fact, I recall writing a check to SRF when paying for ISHI Hypnosis training. Does anyone else?
So, who the hell is ISHI Hypnosis?
Can anyone tell me?
What is it they do? How valuable is it? Who's taking the training and how many are taking it?
And why is it worth $2225.00 (or even worth the 20% discount)?
I bet this was Robin and Angela when they looked
out the window this morning.
I would have loved to be there to see it...
Today the Academy for Psychic Studies attended the "Spice of Life" fair in Berkeley, CA:
Spice of Life Street Fair
Sunday, October 17, 10am-6pm
Free Healings
A variety of psychic readings:
Next Step in Growth, Aura, Past Lives
Relationships, Career, Prosperity, Past Life
It's the first public appearance for the psychotic readers, energetic healers and otherwise deluded crackpots in a while. Unfortunately for them, the weather in Berkeley has been terrible with an early rain that has poured down all morning and dribbled the rest of the day, making for a very dreary, wet, cold day. It's certainly not the kind of day we Bay Area residents would want to be outside.
I would have loved to see the looks on the faces of the Witches of Ellsworth when they saw the weather. And when the metal box the "donations" for the bogus psychotic readings and retarded energy healings came back empty, I wonder who they blamed for their misfortune. Probably Sherry again. Or maybe any of the other older members of this demented and mentally deficient organization.
Well whoever they put on the Spiritual Rights Foundation waterboard, I'm still laughing my ass off at a coincidence of events so perfect, it had to be God setting up a situation comedy.
In the Academy for Psychic Studies case, it wouldn't be the first time. Just think about all the times people were ecstatic about an event, mocking up success and thinking about how well things would go then would be crushed when it all fell apart.
Or think about the time we did something like a fair, a demonstration or other event "spontaneously" and had to run around like our hair was on fire trying to get all the things we needed to accomplish said "spontaneous" task because no one was given a chance to sit down, think things through and actually create a plan of action and follow up with a list of materials and people needed to decide if we could even consider doing it.
I shook my head back then. Now I laugh my ass off. SRF and the Academy are the best damn show in town. No better comedy could possibly be imagined.
Even if they fall flat on their faces due to bad weather or because they tripped over their own feet.
Steve Sanchez has generously contributed this observation to the response by SRF.
=======================================
The letter by SRF to Mike and joy has a suffocating quality to it, no doubt especially for someone like myself who was in the cult.
The reason being this: the letter demonstrates how they insulate themselves in superiority. They never deny anything that has been said about them; that is beneath them. They communally wipe away all of the abuses of Bill and themselves by saying that any negatives towards SRF are the projections of those who left.
With this thought they can and will deny anything and everthying. As lame as this sounds to anyone on the outside, they really believe this; they must believe it to survive. They are completely unprepared to engage in a genuine dialogue, because communally they are dominated by their shadow to the point that they have become it, and will do everything to protect it.
This is why professionals are educated in ethics in all fields, such as psychology, ministry, and teaching. The study of ethics helps a person to see their own needs and other's needs. It helps a person to see a situation in its whole context, and the consequences that a particular situation has for all who have a stake in it. This is studied in the light of what it means to be faithful to God, and how we can be of service to one another.
The SRF version of ethics according to this letter goes something like this: All of you who have left SRF must deal with the consequences of your projections, but we are above that. We are inviolable and everything negative that has happened is the failure of the others.
Behind the facade of this letter is enmity and hatred. Swedenborg would even call it a deadly hatred. I say that because the lifers in SRF have allowed their anger and hatred to become trapped under an elaborate superiority that is actually all about denial. The SRF life is a constant process of scolding and abusing each other, and then doling out validation. This is very similar to the process of spousal abuse. Surface appearances are kept up, but behind it in their will, it is all about contention, conflict and hatred.
I say it is deadly because when this becomes the dominate motive in ones will that person begins to lose their soul. This is why Bill loved to, and was a master at, playing games with people's minds. He could get people to hate him, while they thought they loved him. He could get people to hate him, and be completely ashamed to ever recognise it. This is how he took peoples souls, which he so brazenly claimed to do.
Those who remain at SRF know these things, but, as demonstrated by this letter, are unlikely to ver recognize it. Those of us who have left SRF have had to deal with and face all of these feelings as I have written about before. It takes courage and self reflection. It is sinister to be instrumental in causing the trauma of people and then turn around and say that it is all their own doing. Their intent is to avoid their own pain, and compound the pain of others. The only way to do that is to insulate themselves in superiority and blamelessness. be This is what the SRF letter is all about.
I remember the abhorrence I had when I realized that to be part of SRF meant to be superior to others. I was inwardly terrified at the spiritual consequences of this. I remember one day after Harpreet had been berated all night by Bill for trying to get back with his wife and kids. I was standing with Angela at the Russell street property. She was going to escort me into the woman's house in the back to fix something, and we were waiting for them to be ready. She included me as her buddy for the moment, and was laughing at harpreet (who lived in the front house on the property) and giggled, "He is probably masturbating right now wishing he could be with Debi.That is why he is late".
She held him in deep disgust, and delighted in is pain and misfortune, when, in fact, the man was actually trying to fight to be with his own kids. She was probably repeating some crude comment of Bill's, but she forgets her own shadow.
She is the one that chose to be with the man who raped her own daughter over being with her abused daughter. I tell this story at the end of my book Spiritual Perversion. Angela's daughter, Angie, spoke to Rhondi years later about this and never forgave Angela for it.
In my book part of my purpose was to thoroughly expose my own shadow and that of SRF with painstaking honesty for the sake of understanding and helping others.
Mike and Joy have done a great service for all of us by further exposing SRF and showing them that they are not above the law. In fact SRF's denial blinds them so that they have very little self awareness of how foolish they are.
The premiere is here! Paradise Recovered will premiere at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, IN Saturday October 16, 2010.
Here's the Facebook page with tix information.
And on October 21, 2010, Paradise Recovered will be screened at the Austin Film Festival. Woohoo!
I've gone on a lot about this film. So I'll just go on some more:
This is a great film about discovering the beauty of the real world after being secluded in a highly controlling religion.
The filmmakers did an excellent job of telling the story of a young woman recovering her love of life and finding that paradise is in the world around her. The film is beautifully shot and unlike too many indie films, the acting, the writing, and the production are all amazing.
Go see this film when it comes to your town or DVD. Part of your ticket will help those who need to recover from a cult experience afford treatment and besides, you help support a great group of filmmakers, artists, actors and crew who made a tremendous film.
I added some commentary to some older posts and put them up on this page for you. You might find some information you may have forgotten or otherwise missed (probably because they are so damn long). Anyway, it's worth a good read.
Please especially look at the Scientology/Spiritual Rights Foundation connection. Tell me if that has any relation to your experiences with SRF. A comment would be welcome and important.
I also found a web site for the hypnosis business of one of the current members of SRF. I have nothing against her practising her craft for her own reasons and her own living. In fact, I hope she does well - very well. You might remember her - she's that woman at the well. Although she and I had a perverse and troubled relationship, I think she has made a huge improvement with her life - and it's only partly due to hypnosis and not only do I wish her well, I am happy to see she is, well, happy. If you know who I am talking about, look her up. Of all the crazy stories we have from SRF, at least this one has turned out for the better.
Please take some time for a read of my re-purposed posts and make a comment of your own. Or just take it all in. I think it will all make the craziness of the Spiritual Rights Foundation make a little more sense. It might even get you to think about your own successes in life now that you have found freedom.
Jeff ran the accounting for BPI for some number of years. He saw the money come in and go out. In fact he saw every penny that came in and went out. Jeff has a Bachelor's in BizAd (all right, that means Business Administration - sheesh, try to save a few keystrokes...) and based on his direct experience with the BPI books and his BA in BizAd says:
"The Church of Divine Man has not to the best of my knowledge, ever mismanaged or done any illegal activity with its money."
Compare that statement to the things the members of the Spiritual Rights Foundation saw every day.
All I know about is that I and others gave money, labor and goods for the purchase and upkeep of the "SRF" farm in Bethel Island. We thought it was an SRF farm anyway. We all gave money to SRF, not Robin and Angela. We thought we were supporting SRF, not Robin and Angela. Our checks were written to "Spiritual Rights Foundation". Our cash was deposited into an SRF donation envelope and collected by an SRF staff member. We believed that farm was "the people's place" for retreats and peaceful meditation. We thought that farm belonged to the congregation.
It turns out, Robin Dumolin and Angela Silva own the "SRF" farm. This is a fact. My attorney and I both pulled up the official records from Contra Costa County in California. The deed from the seller was written out to Robin and Angela.
The "SRF Farm" turned into Iraq. Endless amounts of labor and money, much of it straight from the members of SRF being dumped into a black hole on the Sacramento River Delta. I'll elaborate in another post (well, maybe - there are other things rolling around too).
Apparently, other former members of SRF are quietly speaking about other less-than-reputable activity going on there. If those activities are indeed true, SRF will have some explaining to do.
I'm not surprised. Bill related a story to me about the tax situation of a for-profit company operated by his wife. Bill said his wife was running in circles in a conniption over her company (Health and Wealth) having to pay income tax on its pitiful net profit. Bill's solution? Increase the company's donation to the Spiritual Rights Foundation so as to lower the company's income and avoid paying tax. Genius, isn't it? Give, Take and Cheat all at once!
He told me this story with great pride, saying it was a right to avoid paying taxes. I agree, the government does encourage all taxpayers to pay no more than their fair share (which is the smallest amount possible) - as long as you act within the law.
Maybe it's technically legal to make a donation to a non-profit to reduce your tax.
But donate from YOUR for-profit company to YOUR non-profit church? HUH?
How about it? Are there any other tales of SRF "ledger"-demain? Any other stories of the financial genius of Bill Duby?
You can draw your own conclusions from the below description of the woes the Church of Scientology is facing with the current woes of the Spiritual Rights Foundation.
However, the parallels that appear between the situations at Scientology and SRF are remarkable and if I heard it right (my wife frequently says I don't, so let me know if that is the case) there is a similar situation happening at the Berkeley Psychic Institute. Maybe the Psychdoctorate can help us understand if BPI is also feeling pressure.
I imagine BPI is - they moved from that magnificent building in Downtown Berkeley to a commercial office space in a crappy part of town. I would imagine that is a result of lower membership revenue or some other reduction in income, indicating less interest in BPI or what they have to offer.
If there are truly no accidents in the universe and there is no such thing as a coincidence, I'd say there is some kind of other-worldly, spiritual or divine presence at work here with three similar organizations experiencing similar woes at similar times.
Or, more likely, people are getting wise to them.
I'm going to keep up the pressure on the Spiritual Rights Foundation. Our side of the SRF story will be available to all.
I'll give those who are looking to SRF for, well, whatever they are looking for, that opportunity for objectivity and the information they need to make a rational choice.
And I'll keep it up, no matter how many 20-something young women cry to their mommies, tell lies to their friends and act like Lindsey Lohan on drugs.
Here's an article on the dark times the Church of Scientology faces today:
Defections, court fights
test Scientology
By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski,
Ap Religion Writer 2 hrs 16 mins ago
The Church of Scientology is going through a difficult season.
Over the course of two days last week, a French court convicted the church of fraud and Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis' resignation from the church over a litany of concerns was aired publicly. On one hand, it was just another bad press week for the embattled institution founded in 1953 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.
But for former Scientologists and scholars of the movement, the setbacks pose a greater challenge coming on the heels of defections of top-level Scientologists who lifted a veil of secrecy on the organization and alleged a culture of violence and control under Hubbard's successor, David Miscavige.
"With any organization, the loss of a substantial number of your most experienced people and chaos at the upper levels is problematic," said David Bromley, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor who studies new religious movements and has written on Scientology. "There are PR implications, the possibility of legal actions ... That dwarfs the other things."
The church has strenuously denied the allegations against Miscavige, portraying the accusers as lying disgruntled ex-employees.
Church spokesman Tommy Davis said Scientology is flourishing, with more than 8,000 Scientology churches, missions and groups in 160-plus nations. He said assets and property holdings have doubled over the past five years, including a new church in Rome and another opening this weekend in Washington, D.C.
"From our perspective, things are going pretty great," Davis said. "In fact, that's downplaying it. Actually, what's happening with the church right now is frankly spectacular. To the degree there are these various things happening, it really is a lot of noise."
One major survey of American religion shows Scientology declining in the U.S., however. The estimated number of Americans who identify as Scientologists rose from 45,000 in 1990 to 55,000 in 2001, then plummeted to 25,000 in 2008, according to the American Religion Identification Survey.
Davis said that while the church avoids membership estimates, it's "absolutely in the millions" globally and growing in the U.S.
Scientology has long been controversial. The Internal Revenue Service granted the church tax exemption in 1993 after a nearly four-decade battle over whether it should be considered a religion.
Critics say Scientology is a business, preying on people by charging exorbitant sums for services. The church continues to fascinate, fueled by interest in celebrity adherents such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, as well as beliefs that don't fit into typical American religious boxes.
Hubbard taught that the "thetan," the equivalent of a spirit, can be cleared of negative energy from this and previous lives through a process called auditing. With the aid of auditors, Scientologists seek a state called "Clear" and then advance through various levels of "Operating Thetan."
The allegations of violence were leveled by four former high-ranking Scientology executives who told their stories to the St. Petersburg Times last summer. The executives said they witnessed Miscavige, chairman of the board that oversees the church, hit staff members dozens of times and urged others to do the same.
Davis called the allegations "absolutely, unquestionably false" and "sickening and outrageous." ABC's "Nightline" aired a report this month covering much of the same ground.
To critics of Scientology and ex-members who have grown increasingly vocal in recent years, it's a breakthrough — critical voices from former members of the inner circle, not the media or outsiders.
"When you have dozens of people speaking out, it's no longer too credible to say they're all malcontents and criminals," said Jeff Hawkins, a former Scientology marketing guru who defected in 2005. "(The church) is either going to reform or collapse, and I think it's going to be the latter because they're incapable of reform or admitting any wrongdoing."
One defector, Marty Rathbun, who served on the church's board and was a top lieutenant of Miscavige's, said a growing movement of people hold to the tenets of Scientology, but reject the institutional church.
"I don't foresee another church," Rathbun said. "That was the first attack on me — that this was a coup, that I'm trying to tap a schism or start another church ... That's not an objective of mine or a positive way to go."
Haggis, the Oscar-winning director of "Crash," was not a high-ranking Scientologist. But his defection is significant, said actor Jason Beghe, who left the church in 2007 and has become a critic.
"He was somebody the Scientology community was proud of, and therefore I'm sure he helped hold some of their base in place," said Beghe, who appeared in the film "G.I. Jane" and TV's "Everwood" and is cast in Haggis' next film, now shooting in Pittsburgh. "Anybody who is a Scientologist is harboring doubts."
It was Rathbun who obtained a copy of Haggis' critical letter to Davis and posted it on his blog. Haggis complained that Davis didn't do enough to distance Scientology from proponents of California's gay marriage ban. He criticized the church's "smearing" of the high-level defectors.
The filmmaker also wrote about the church's practice of "disconnection," in which members cut off contact with loved ones who leave or advocate against the religion — something Davis said is not mandated.
A day after Haggis' letter went public, a Paris court convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than $900,000, but stopped short of banning the group's activities in France. The organization's French branch likened it to a modern-day Inquisition and said it would appeal.
Davis questioned the attention paid to the French verdict, saying that little notice was given when the church won court victories in Italy and Russia that cemented the church's presence in those countries.
He said the top-level defections are not troubling, but rather a gain for the church.
Some scholars of Scientology believe the recent setbacks are momentary.
Defectors are overly optimistic about doing any real damage, said J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif., and editor of a book on Scientology.
"If five cardinals walked out of the Roman Catholic Church and turned on it and said there are bad things happening, it'd be a storm, but the church would weather the storm," Melton said. "I think Scientology is big enough to where it can and will weather the storm."
Most religions, Scientology included, experience disagreement and leadership turmoil after a founder's death and survive, said Susan Palmer, a religious studies professor at Dawson College in Montreal.
"I think they'll end up like the Mormon church or Jehovah's Witnesses, that were very controversial in our time but now are largely accepted," Palmer said.
Others think the Church of Scientology is in trouble. Along with the defections and French court setback, Scientology has been unable to stop Internet leaks of confidential material that members must pay a premium for, said Hugh Urban, a professor in the department of comparative studies at Ohio State University.
"They're really losing what has been the bread and butter," Urban said.
Meanwhile, an online betting parlor is taking wagers on the next celebrity Scientologist to leave.
Well, it's been a year since the Spiritual Rights Foundation and the trained psychotics at their Academy for Psychic Studies have compelled us to display their response to this blog.
I've posted it. I've made my comments on it.
But in the year since, not a single person has made any kind of comment on it.
Why is that?
Possibly because it's a stinking heap of dung? Maybe it's an incomprehensible, rambling and pointless mess?
Or maybe they have a real point there?
The psychotics of the Academy for Psychic Studies tell us we are psychologically damaged, projecting our shortcomings and disappointments on poor little them. I see Robin Dumolin and Angela Silva dabbing their eyes as they claim they have done no harm to anyone and do not take advantage of anyone. How could anyone say they have ever done anything but benefit the lives of so many?
They tell us we who know the truth speak with the same forked tongue they use to deceive and exploit the remains of their followers.
They say we are the true demons for speaking the truth. They say we are hallucinating as we relate our own tales of abuse, exploitation and overall nasty treatment at their hands.
They still hold on to the delusion they have created such a fabulous life for so many. Can anyone say these Witches of Ellsworth are indeed Fairy Godmothers?
I don't know. Since I ask that you make up your own minds, I am posting the infamous "response" to this blog for your commentary.
Please be sure to have a bucket, bag or are close to the toilet as you read this. And remember that if you have a tender constitution, you may experience flashbacks, nightmares or other uncomfortable events as you read this. So please take care. Don't continue if you are prone to nausea.
Take a read of their sewage. Once you have slammed a bottle of Pepto, please leave your own commentary. I would love to see it.
And enjoy Joy's Victory Video after you read.
====================================
Anonymous Bag of Shit Cult Goon said...
THE SPIRITUAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION RESPONSE
TO
MICHAEL KAWAHARA AND JOY FAITH BUTLER
The Spiritual Rights Foundation was founded in 1981. Since its inception, thousands of seeking souls have come through its doors. For some seekers, SRF was a brief sojourn on their path, for others, an abiding spiritual home.
For those who have come and gone, SRF has nothing but good wishes, understanding that those who left found what they needed and then journeyed on. Some former students of SRF have gone on to be spiritual guides and teachers in their own right, and many of those still maintain a warm and nourishing connection with SRF. On the other hand, a small number who have left SRF have expressed hostility and anger toward SRF after leaving. Some have made the most outrageous and fantastic claims against SRF.
The anger that some former students expressed after leaving SRF is akin to the anger that some children express as they separate from a parent that nurtured and supported them. The process of separation is necessary for some souls, and, unfortunately, separation can be messy as it involves all kinds of justifications and projections.
Spiritual teachers are subjected to all manner of projections from their students. Students project their higher selves as well as their shadows onto their teacher. Discerning students recognize that they are projecting their own psychic wounds on to the teacher. These students continue to grow and mature. Some students do not understanding the phenomenon of projection and believe that what they are seeing in the teacher is really inherent in the teacher. These students can become stuck in their confusion and anger and, as a result, fail to progress.
The late Rev. Bill, the founder of SRF, was the recipient all kinds of projections from his students. Rev. Bill was an iconoclast who refused to be held to a particular form. He was a spiritual teacher that never conformed to the stereotypical image that people hold of a spiritual teacher. As a flame can illuminate one’s path or burn one’s hand, so was Rev. Bill. He was challenging to some because he confronted students who tried to hide behind false conceptions and worn-out ways of being. For those who knew and understood him, Rev. Bill was a guiding light on their path to Truth.
Some of Rev. Bill’s former students had difficulty in assimilating his teachings, and in understanding who he was. In order to justify leaving SRF, these students painted a picture of Rev. Bill as a dangerous man. However, these students failed to grasp that the image they painted was simply a projection from their own psyche. They failed to realize that the real danger lies in not understanding that what they have projected onto Rev. Bill is the picture of their own unresolved inner wounds.
Many charges and wild allegations have been hurled at Rev. Bill and SRF by a small–but vocal--group of former students. Rev. Bill cannot defend against the charges, and SRF chooses not to do so. For those who believe the wild stories told by some former students, nothing SRF can say will change they minds. SRF invites those who want to see the truth with their own eyes to come, take a look at SRF’s work, meet the current students and teachers, listen to the teachings, and then to listen to the teaching that comes from their own hearts.
July 17, 2009 11:37 AM
========================================
Comments from the original post (which has nothing at all to do with the above).
Anonymous said...
Here is a scene that is an example of what Mike is talking about:
Bill Duby, the cult leader, went on for hours, talking about me in the third person to the class about how sick my soul was and comparing me to others who “stole money” from SRF and who were now “asleep,” or in other words, in a state of spiritual death.
He painted all those who had left SRF as having fallen into karmic ruin, or as power-tripping fools whom he had completely defeated mentally, or as people who had basically become psychologically debilitated or insane from messing with the teaching.
When we heard this, part of us was vengefully delighted that we were doing so much better than those who had left, and the other part of us was full of dread and determined to never suffer such an unthinkable fate.
Rev. Bill often said, “I am happier here in my misery as a prisoner of the teaching than most of you are in you freedom.”
During his usual monologue, he occasionally got Rev. Ang and Robin to say something devastating about me, and sometimes addressed me directly for an answer.
They went on to tell their plans of what they were going to do with me. As they talked about me in the third person, I found some distance between myself and them. I was shaken beyond my capacity and knew this was not right. I knew at this point that I would have to leave.
The thoughts of the horror and hatefulness of the place were growing stronger in my mind, but concurrently I still thought Rev. Bill was an authority and that he had spiritual power. It was strange how the two antagonistic thought patterns coexisted in my mind.
Because I still feared Rev. Bill as an authority, I was deeply doubtful and concerned about my own moral standing with God. This is where the two diametrically opposed thought patterns started to merge and I would have to sort it out, one painful, fear-filled thought at a time. I was desperate. I had to find a way out of this nightmare.
July 16, 2009 1:46 AM
Mike Kawahara said...
Thanks Steve.
You spoke out about your experience and revealed the truth about the abuse, lies and cruelty you endured. By doing that, we have seen you regain your life and find the strength to continue.
I found Steve and others who have been candid about their experiences with SRF and have been open and communicative about their disappointments, anger, frustrations and guilt were more able to find healing and recovery - things they longed to receive from the very cult that abused them.
To stay silent about the abuse is the beginning of a long, difficult road.
To maintain the lie, to keep up appearances, to "fake it until you make it" works like a Vycodin for your soul. You might feel good for a while - a long while even. But that issue remains, the pain returns and you'll need another dose - putting you on the destructive cycle of pain and healing SRF used to exploit and control you.
Staying silient about your plight continues the SRF trademark of hypnotic control, leading to the death of your soul and the elimination of your spirit for life (YOUR life).
To speak out may be rocky at first, but with the support of others who share your experience, you will find the road will be easier to navigate.
You will find you can life your life and enjoy it. You can live your life without fear.
Please see my post about our pledge.
Our hands are open and the coffee pot is on. And we won't make you pay for a cup.
I'll even pick up a nice, fresh bag of Peet's for you and a dozen Krispy Kremes.
Joy makes some mean baklava as well. It's all yours.
July 16, 2009 2:10 PM
Marilyn Daily Junkins said...
I left SRF 19 years ago after 7 years of tyranny.
The last two years, after I was "ordained" were brutal, horrific years of shame and torture where I felt I was living in two worlds without anyone to whom I could really talk; who could really understand what I was going through.
I knew I couldn't speak with Angela, Robin, Debi or Bill ... they would only make me feel worse, or demand money to heal me. What a relief when I left SRF and discovered my own inner healing over time. Even after all this time, I was so glad to find Mike and Joy's blogs and to learn that I was not alone in my experience.
Thank God the two of you, Steve, and Mason, all had the courage to speak of your experiences and free yourselves from the bondage of Bill's mind. I hope that the others still there can find the way out and SRF can be disbanded without ruining any more lives.
I've spoken to many ex-members of SRF. All of them have the same thing to say: "I just can't figure out why those people left are not leaving."
I can't either.
But let's look at how the membership of this dysfunctional and valueless organization has changed over the years.
In its heyday, the SRF membership was some 35 staff ministers and ministers in training. There were nearly that many casual members taking six-week classes, psychic readings and enjoying the healing clinics.
These members were dedicated. They toiled night and day performing manual construction labor, writing, creating audio and video recordings, and always learning and learning. Oh, and paying too. Paying the fees for classes and materials, paying the tithe that was strongly suggested of them. Paying for the recorded materials they created. And throughout it all, none of them could imagine life without the spiritual comforts of the Spiritual Rights Foundation and its leaders.
But over time, people began to see that the Emperor (and Empresses) had no clothes. One woman left because of a dispute over her inheritance (a situation similar to my own). Others left because of the crushing financial demands or the oppressive demands for free labor and the endless requirement for classes, workshops and special sessions.
A brave group of men and women left the Spiritual Rights Foundation because of the demands made by the leadership to end their church-arranged marriages or relinquish custody of their children (and end their parent-child relationship as well). When they refused, the leader conducted a campaign to discredit those people and created a campaign of manufactured and false claims of child abuse against one such parent.
Dissatisfaction happens in all organizations, even those that are well operated. At SRF, the number of people leaving had nearly well equaled the number who stayed. Historically, that was fine. There were many people interested in the cult. The leaders were quick to identify and rope in the ones they wanted to stay.
But at some point the numbers started to dwindle. I think it began to happen about the time the fathers of children born into the cult started to stand up for the rights of their children.
This group of dissident dads fighting for the freedom of their children were originally some of the most devoted and faithful of the followers. They would have never dreamt that they would someday fight against the very church they were so devoted to. But fight they did, as they must.
At that time, the mind control perpetuated by Bill Duby began to wane. Bill was fighting a war on many fronts for his public image as well as for control over the people remaining at his cult. Even for Bill, it was an impossible task. This fight wore him down to the point where he couldn't keep up. Bill eventually died suddenly from a cardiac arrest.
Bill's death at first solidified his cult. But only for a short time. The hairline cracks in Bills armor began to expand. The house of cards he built teetered. Many of this followers began to question his particular brand of spirituality. And many more began to understand that without the overbearing and unrestrained tirades of Bill Duby the feet of SRF were built of clay. And it was time to make an exit.
From the time of Bill's death in 2001 to today, the membership of SRF has declined significantly. It looks to me to be well over half. In fact, one estimate is that only 16 staff ministers remain at the Spiritual Rights Foundation. Estimates by myself and others indicate that at least double the number of present ministers are needed to continue a thriving operation. And as there are as few as two non-ministers in the congregation, the size of the congregation has dwindled from a roar of enthusiastic young people to a mere whisper of those in middle-age.
Tasks that were simple and quick to accomplish when Bill was alive became excruciating (or even impossible) today. In the early days, only minor errors were made in the web site and publications. Today, there are numerous omissions, errors and other shortcomings with their public communications. Events of months past still appear on the web sites, future events are sloppily described and appear to have been posted in haste. Descriptions of classes and workshops are sketchy and even more ambiguous than usual.
The American Spirit Newspaper, once the pride of the Spiritual Rights Foundation is no longer published in print form. The web version still displays a Happy New Year message for 2008. SRF's "Paranormal Connection" television broadcasts (available on Public Access Cable TV) has only a few shows, broadcast over and over again. There's not enough people remaining to record any more shows than that.
The slow decline of the Spiritual Rights Foundation is already starting. I think the slope will just get steeper and steeper.
If I could talk to those who remain, I wouldn't corner them in a basement and demand they leave the cult. I'd just ask them a few short questions.
Questions like:
- How much of your life have you missed?
- Would you want to spend your remaining days on earth for the benefit of you and yours?
- Are you willing to spend your time on earth for someone else's benefit and wealth at the expense of your own benefit and wealth?
- If you could live your life any way you wanted, would you do it? Can you do it now?
- If you could have more in your life than you have now, would you want it?
- Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?
- Who's projecting their spiritual shortcomings on you?
And most of all:
- Don't you deserve more than the life you have now?
Of course, if I asked these questions, the SRF-ies would respond with a stern look and beating on the head with Bill Duby's "Cosmic Acid" as directed by the leadership.
But why don't you ask the SRF faithful? Or better yet, if you happen to be one of the remaining SRF faithful, ask yourself those questions. And leave a comment with your answers. We would be thrilled to see them.
