Anti Cult In France

In the context of the controversy and the fight against cults, which has grown internationally since the early 1980s , the France was engaged in a struggle whose objective was first to "fight against cults "and" suppress sectarian. " France is a country lay with the state must respect all religions and atheism; spiritual movements are a priori considered to be lawful and only their offenses are reprehensible.

In this context, several commissions of inquiry have been initiated at the National Assembly to investigate in more detail on the cult phenomenon. The government has also established a new inter-ministerial body called " Mils "when it came to" fight against sects "and" Miviludes "to" suppress sectarian. "

The Parliamentary ^No. 2468, chaired by Alain Gest .

France is one of the countries most committed to this struggle in Europe and led to controversial positions that earned him some criticism, including from the European Parliamentary Assembly.

In France, the relations between state, civil society and religion historically based on the principle of secularism established during the French Revolution of 1789.

The law of December 9, 1905 to separation of church and state then became a pillar of secular institutions. It establishes the principle of the guarantee by the state of freedom of religion and worship of people and communities, religious institutions in return to be confined to the private sphere.

From the 1970s, this modus vivendi with the Churches of religions has been established challenged firstly by the collapse of the latter, partly by the emergence of new forms of religiosity .

In 1971, the first anti-cult group is American, his name FREECOG (Free the Children of God: Free the Children of God ). On 18 December 1974, the Statutes of the Association for the defense of family values and the individual (later ADFI ) were deposited by Claire and Guy Champollion. " . In January 1975, France became the first Western news organization in the world to use the term "Moonies"

Associations: a special role

In this context, combating anti-cult was first the fact of anti-cult associations that were formed in 1970 in France generally initiated by parents whose children were followers of new religious movements they considered disturbing.

They wanted to see these movements as such not as cults, but a new danger for both people and for society .

These associations disseminate information to the general public on methods of recruitment of certain groups and call for the strengthening or creation of specific pieces of legislation (introducing the concept of "psychological subjection" in the law), and involved, if any, Justice (for party-calendar: Section 2-17 of the Code of Criminal Procedure).

According to these associations, the protection of individuals prevail over religious freedom as understood by the American authorities, according to the European Convention on Human Rights , which states that freedom of worship dedicated by Article 9 is not complete in Europe, the articles 8 and 9 specify that ultimately the "rights and freedoms of others" must be protected (prohibition of abuse of rights: Article 17). Their view is that "a totalitarian sect is a group which splits society and opposes" . They fear that the need or obligation to adhere without reservation to certain rites, certain doctrines or ways of life can lead to mental manipulation, for profit, with negative effects on mental health or physical adepts. In response to these concerns, the Law of 12 June 2000 amending Article 2 of the Penal Code 223-15 protects individuals against those who would take advantage of their weakness in order to obtain gifts, donations, or unpaid work for sexual favors.

These associations are also concerned about the spread of cults by some new form of totalitarianism , on the grounds that those who believe or pretend to have the truth does not pursue any means to enforce it.

Some religious groups or quasi-religious have established strong financial resources. According associations fight against cults, these funds could be partly achieved by putting pressure on the followers. Some groups try to infiltrate the centers of economic power, political and judicial . Sociologist Florence Lacroix goes further by saying that, nowadays, global security is affected as in the Wars of Religion, and the bout between sects and religions including sectarian groups, reached a global level .

They allege that the U.S. government has repeatedly allowed to intervene in the affairs of European countries that legally defend themselves against the influence of sects, while they benefit the United States a much more favorable legal framework . They also expose their lack of objectivity and present these sociologists as many apologists for sectarian causes.

In contrast, advocacy groups challenged these religious movements (such as CAP-LC or CICNS) denounce the excesses that have made some groups of unjustified persecution. They describe their campaigns by opponents as a "witch hunt," an inquisition "lacarde" against spirituality or against freedom of conscience. According to them, the anti-cult activism would exercise some associations would be the rationalization of anti-religious intolerance very traditional, which seek to strike the public, for example, using the testimony of "disappointed" . They believe that smear campaigns are often undertaken. One of their targets is the UNADFI relay which, according to them, very serious misjudgments about sects , some evidence on which it rests being considered rigged .

Features

Since the early 1980s, several commissions of inquiry have been initiated at the National Assembly to investigate in more detail on the cult phenomenon.

Four reports were published: the first two (dating respectively from 1983 and December 1995) provide an overview of the situation of sects in France and the third (June 1999) details the tax situation, and economic heritage of the sects; Finally, the fourth (in 2006) addresses the issue of minors under sectarian influence.

According to information provided by the General Intelligence (RG), the Committee stated in its 1995 report, a list of 173 sectarian movements considered, which were later added to other groups in the 1999 report ( AMORC , Anthroposophy Federation Accreditation Network). Have been selected as the movements satisfy at least one of the ten criteria of sectarian behavior defined by the commission.

The number of followers is estimated in the 1995 report to about 160,000, while the figure would reach 500 000 with supporters and relatives of followers.

The two parliamentary reports have raised since publication of considerable controversy.

The choice to establish a list of sects in the 1995 report has not been without criticism. And ^Bishop Vernette , national secretary of the French episcopate to the study of sects and new religious movements, "he declared on the list established by the Report of the Parliamentary Commission that French" behaving like qualifications unfair for certain groups as cults falsely pinned with disastrous consequences for all their members and their activities, the list being published widely in the media. Yet none had been heard. None could get rehabilitation or new trial because no authority is recognized qualified to take the case. The thing is serious in a state of law and there is concern that it may renew itself by other means " . Jean Vernette concerned that some organizations also recognized by the Church can be classified as cults by parliamentarians.

Some of the criteria used to define a cult movement (mental manipulation, centralization of power, etc..) Are vague and could apply to almost all the organized groups, including the more established religions or religious groups other than: businesses, sports clubs, associations, etc.. The company CEDIPAC SA, formerly known as European Association of Marketing Professionals (LEG), and is included in the list of French parliamentary report , while its activity, although reprehensible, is essentially pyramid .

In his book published in 2007, Yves Bertrand , the director of RG at the time, believes that "some groups have seen a little too quickly dress up the word cult. " .

The Interministerial Mission of Fight against Sects (MILS) has published its first report on 7 February 2000 and concludes that "strengthen the prevention and suppression of sects detrimental to human rights and fundamental freedoms."

Following this report establishing a list of sects, the About-Picard law on cults was adopted in 2001.

In France, Jean Vernette claims that the crime of mental manipulation under the About-Picard law could also refer to "life in the novitiate, the final closing, the practices of asceticism . Therefore, according to him, the name of a sect can be arbitrary and prone to litigation.

It also comes in to talk to cult groups who claim no religion (eg the Instinctothrapie , Landmark ...), which leads Jeanine Tavernier , former president of the UNADFI to declare: "Increasingly, people see sects everywhere. If you do yoga, if it can be treated with homeopathy or acupuncture, you are part of a cult. I find this extremely seriously because we must have an open and accepting alternative medicine without judging or catalog. "

Because of the pejorative word is now committed to the sect, advocates of such sects as well as organizations concerned (federated for certain), prefer the designation, according to them more neutral and respectful of " new religious movement. "

In 2002, MILS is replaced by MIVILUDES.

In 2005, the French Government abandons the list after parliamentary reports to focus on the actions of certain groups. Moreover, the mere fact of these groups qualify as "cult" seems no longer sufficient and the abandonment of the term seems to be considered:

"The action taken by the Government is dictated by the need to reconcile the fight against the activities of some groups who exploit the hardship, physical or psychological, which are placed their members with the respect for civil liberties and the principle secularism. Experience has shown that a consistent approach to government, to be called "cult" this or that group and base their actions on that qualification alone would not ensure that reconciliation effectively and firmly based in law initiatives. "

The previous excerpt is from a government circular dated 27 May 2005, which is thus officially ending the use of the list of sects, which is considered less relevant to the evolution of the cult phenomenon. Nevertheless, the abandonment of the list, or the adjective "sect" does not diminish the state action against sectarianism: monitoring groups potentially at risk is maintained or enhanced .

However, the Council of State acknowledged in June 2005 in a lawsuit brought by Scientology - by trial finally lost it - that this same "list of cults had informational value. Regarding the term "sect", he added: "Furthermore, given the potential risks of the practices of certain commonly called" cults ", even though these movements also continue to claim a religious purpose, the circular does not infringe the principle of religious freedom .

Since 2005, government action has refocused on the concept of "sectarian drift" that can take into account the much broader aspects of the phenomenon. Based on the same criteria of danger issued by the parliamentary reports, government action can now monitor and prevention on areas that bear the seeds of sectarian and not just on specific group. Thus, coaching and personal development are areas that have many forms of sectarian drift but not necessarily all controlled by agencies identified as cults. The new concept allows to take into account these aspects and the evolution of the cult phenomenon in its entirety. Similarly some sectarian identified through networks of people, speakers, seminars, internships, mobilities, websites, etc.., As many individuals or activities that are not identifiable and structured organizations. This applies to the movement New Age that the new notion of sectarian drift provides insight.

Legal action

In 1997 , the April 4 , within the community Tabitha's place (in Sus , in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques ), parents of a baby reaches 19 months of rickets and died for want of adequate care are sentenced to a term of heavier prison on appeal, the June 4 , Robert Spatz, founder of Ogyen Kunzang Choling , is in prison, with five relatives, false imprisonment, fraud and failure to assist a person in danger; on June 20 , Maite Castano, founder of the group Horus (located in The Coucourde Drme), was indicted for failure to assist persons in danger, following two deaths in her community;

On 6 September 2001 , the giant statue of the spiritual leader of the Association of the Triumphant Vajra (Mandarom) , Gilbert Bourdin, was shot by order of the court following a trial on the building permit.

The Raelian Movement decides to dissolve itself, speaking of "discrimination". Before disappearing, he urged the French to vote for Jean-Marie Le Pen that France has "a system in harmony with its draconian policy" but also "because, on success of Le Pen, a revolution is possible which could lead to Geniocracy " .

Justice French has also attacked the Church of Scientology has lost a case due to the misuse of names of former members in a computer file. The Church of Scientology has also been indicted as a corporation for "organized fraud". In fact, this sect has lost hundreds of lawsuits worldwide, including several lawsuits about suspicious deaths. She would also have won hundreds. , non-profit association (law of July ^1, 1901).

A case was opened in 1983 in France against the Church of Scientology , and another in 1989 for "fraud" and "illegally practicing medicine." Following a new investigation begun in 1998, two structures close to the scientology, the Spiritual Association of the Church of Scientology and the Scientology bookstore space freedom were returned to correctional September 8, 2008 by a Paris judge to " organized fraud " ^, . The prosecution had sought a dismissal, arguing that "information does not establish that the remittances made by the complainants process fraudulent representations" and "it can be seen that the incentive to the sauna, take vitamins and run to "purify" is a crime of unauthorized practice of medicine. " . The order of dismissal from the Church of Scientology as a legal person before the court includes the following charges: "Multiple banking manipulations", "sales of overbilling by Scientologists", "concealment of its gains, and retains the circumstance of an organized group on the French leaders of Scientology. The order also cites internal documents that Scientology, she said, "leave no doubt about the commercial purpose of the action Scientologist, reflecting an obsession for the financial performance" . The trial for "organized fraud" takes place in Paris in May 2009 . A conviction could make possible the dissolution of the movement in France, under the About-Picard law. Judgement is expected October 27, 2009.

Among the reasons for current trials and convictions of religious movements with sectarian, enumerate: the labor code violations, fraud, failure to assist a person in danger, the illegal practice of medicine and child abuse. French law does not recognize the crime of "mental manipulation" (proposed in 2000 by the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights but not chosen) and do not address the loss of social life and forced to apparently consenting adults.

International Reactions to the French policy

France is, since the parliamentary report of 1995 , the European country most committed to fighting anti-cult.

The European Parliament is more reserved and said in a report in 1997 that the legal arsenal of different states is sufficient and that nothing requires a common European policy on the issue.

In a report on religious freedom in France, the United States criticized the list of sects of the parliamentary report due to the lack of adversarial proceedings , and in 2002 expressed concern that this policy could be a model for other countries :

"What happens in France is followed by careful, and sometimes imitated by many countries such as Lithuania, Russia, Cambodia, China, Haiti and Chile. The French authorities and especially those responsible for the MILS - visited several of these countries to promote their initiatives against cults. However, these countries, which have a long history of religious repression, lack of mechanisms to protect human rights such as those that exist in France. "

Indeed, if the position of associations fighting against cults remains cautious towards the status of Falun Gong , some people have taken initiatives are disputed by the defenders called sectarian movements, which were interpreted as giving a form of security the policy of Chinese government repression against the Falun Gong. This is particularly the case of Alain Vivien visit to China on invitation from the Chinese government while he was president of MILS.

The Iranian government has also used the shares of the MILS and the About-Picard as an excuse to justify religious persecution against the movement Baha'i in the country .

Other criticisms are made against the French policy after the vote in 2001 of the About-Picard found to violate the freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights , the European Parliamentary Assembly in 2002 asked the French Government review the Act .

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References

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