National Union Of Associations For The Defence Of Families And Individual

The National Union of Associations for the Defence of families and individual victims of cults (UNADFI) is an association French founded in 1974 , recognized public utility since 1996 and directly subsidized by the French State since that date. It consolidates and coordinates advocacy groups and individual families (ADFI), whose purpose is the information on the phenomenon sectarian , the prevention and assistance to victims.

UNADFI and ADFI were as independent of any movement religious , ideological or political and gather around their mission of people of conviction and personal sensitivities pluralistic.

According UNADFI, its action does not lie on the ground of doctrines and beliefs , but because of the abuses carried out by sectarian organizations, resulting in impairment of the integrity of the person (physical, psychological, social), and detrimental to human rights , the dignity and human freedoms.

For this association, protection of individuals come before the absolute freedom of worship. She interpreted the European Convention on Human Rights , whereas freedom of worship enshrined in Article 9 is not complete in Europe , Articles 8 and 9 stating that ultimately the "rights and freedoms others "must be protected.

His areas of action are:

• study of the principles and methods of sectarian organizations;
• hospitality and assistance to families and victims of these organizations;
• information to a wide audience;
• grouping of people affected by this problem;
• assistance for the rehabilitation of persons out of a sectarian group.

History

The first association was founded under the name Association for the defense of family values and the individual on 18 December 1974 in Rennes. It was founded by Dr. Guy Champollion and his wife Claire, whose son had joined the Unification Church (Moon). Soon, following the publication of an article in Ouest-France , the association becomes the privileged meeting place for families where one member is in the grip of a sectarian group helps to make clearer the phenomenon.

The association is recognized as a charity by a decree of 30 April 1996 .

In 1998, a new inter-ministerial body, the MILS , is created and produced their own studies, while a new parliamentary report Sects and the money appeared in 1999 .

This official support information on cults like confined UNADFI BTMM in their role of assisting victims, causing internal crises in these two organizations .

Janine Tavernier resigned in 2001 , and therefore becomes very critical of this association . She was particularly aware of the excesses of anti-cult movement as Steiner schools , which were enrolled her grandchildren and her daughter worked as a special education teacher, were categorized as belonging to a sectarian movement in the 2000 report of the MILS .

She was replaced as president by Bernard Le Heritte. At the same time, the association obtained by the About-Picard law the right to be a civil party in trials of sectarianism.

In 2004 , Catherine Picard , MP Socialist led to the About-Picard law , became president of the association.

At December 31, 2004, in France UNADFI represents 26 associations and 11 antennas ADFI dependent and has 1,520 member families . She is a member of the National Union of Family Associations (UNAF).

Internationally, UNADFI is a member and the European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism (Fecris), recognized since 2004 as an international nongovernmental organization (INGO) participatory with the Council of Europe , and as such participates in research and action in many countries affected by the cult phenomenon.

Actions

Information on cults

UNADFI defines cults by three criteria:

• the practice of mind control ;
• triple action of destruction : the person , the family and the society ;
• a scam intellectual, moral and financial.

To inform the public about the risks of sects, it publishes information on the movements it considers fit these criteria.

It denounces in particular the influence of Scientology , said Janine Tavernier and in 1998, commenting on a court case against the Church of Scientology where parts of file had disappeared, forcing the court before the magistrate for reconstruction of the record "It is a sprawling multinational sect that absolutely permeates all media in all departments, among the politicians, but everywhere" .

UNADFI also considers the Jehovah's Witnesses as a sect and does not accept their status as a religious association.

In recent years, UNADFI believes that French public opinion is now sufficiently informed on the major cults and their misdeeds. Janine Tavernier and said in 2001: "The cult phenomenon completely changes in France. I think the public knows what a cult, when in 1974, when the creation of ADFI, everything had to be discovered. " . The same goes for Catherine Picard: "The great sects born in the United States especially in the sixties were sufficiently denounced for their abuses, often condemned for their crimes, the French public knows and no mistake. " . She worries more groups identifying themselves around a "pseudo medical ideology, practice therapeutic nickname, or New Age spirituality" .

Victim

UNADFI since its inception, provides advice to families with a member joins a cult movement, particularly when a minor is involved.

Since the strengthening of the anti-cult law in 2001 by the About-Picard law , anti-cult associations of public utility are also authorized to bring civil trials. The ADFI have adjusted their statutory objectives in this direction .

UNADFI and the State

The association is recognized of public utility since 1996 , which means that the French state sees its purpose and utility shares as well as its management of human and financial resources make it an institution perennial. It is supported by grants from several ministries including the Youth and Sports and Social Affairs and by many municipalities and departments for an amount of EUR 450 000 in 2002, over 80% of its budget .

UNADFI has worked with agencies of the inter- MILS then the MIVILUDES which among other things on his testimony in drafting its reports . His last two presidents, Bernard Heritte and Catherine Picard have also been successively members MIVILUDES .

Catherine Picard considers, however, that in 2005 MIVILUDES is too timid and does not fulfill its role, and says some members of the government of the day , especially Nicolas Sarkozy , "appear to be favorable to cults" .

Reviews of UNADFI

UNADFI, and other associations as well as the commitment Centre against mind control , is regularly criticized by sociologists or religious scholars, as well as legal attacks from groups who feel denouncing abuses. Of Defence Associations' new religious movements " as the LC CAP and CICNS expose their sites on what they regard as serious abuse and ADFI were joined in their criticism by people claiming to be victims of ADFI.

These criticisms are partly on the argument that some ADFI (grouped in UNADFI), an excess of zeal, engaged or may be delivered to a real "witch hunt" and / or charges hasty amalgam of defaming individuals. It would also encourage the repression of some alternative therapies and spiritual minorities harmless.

On the other hand, they see in the actions of UNADFI the influence of certain organizations such as especially the Catholic Church , or an expression of aggressive secularism.

Accusations of ideological bias

The ADFI, especially in their infancy, have been criticized for defending the values conservative and promote the Catholic religion to which most of its members belonged.

The sociologist Stephen Bruno stresses that "the only title says it all obviously ideologically situated," the concepts of "family" and "individual" are no more neutral than the term "mental manipulation" " .

The historian of religion Anne Morelli estimated in 1997 that the methods of anti-cult organizations "are similar everywhere: to discredit all religious groups outside the major religions and conventional sowing disinformation about it. The "cult of the opponents of cults" pincer therefore particularly the media and politics, but do not skimp on the approach to the world of academic research. In France, two associations share this "market", corresponding to the two basic options of French society: one is secular ( MMCC ) and the other is Catholic (UNADFI). " .

UNADFI ADFI replied that only care about the victims of sects and Janine Tavernier , its President 1993 to 2002 , said in 2001: "we see no doctrines or ideologies conveyed by the groups, we refuse to enter in discussions "theological" " .

However, since his resignation from the movement in 2002, it now makes similar criticisms against his former companions UNADFI. She said: "The association was founded by people of Catholic origin, but open. I wanted us to go to greater openness. Gradually, many Masons joined the UNADFI, giving it a color she did not initiate. " . "Today, I am concerned when I hear the president UNADFI Catherine Picard, Reunion criticize the" evangelical churches "without distinction". Janine Tavernier justified his resignation by a "witch hunt" that would be involved.

Associations critics accuse him of ADFI defense of families and individuals through clear procedures for divorce where the misuse of the word "cult" would get custody of children , and that ADFI would have intervened as plaintiff in certain cases where the information was false .

Criticisms of the definition of cult

Since the publication in 1995 of the Parliamentary Report on Cults in France and the recognition of UNADFI association as a public utility, the latter routinely accused of the abuses leading to "see sects everywhere."

In October 1996, Louis Pauwels , editor of Le Figaro and former disciple of George Gurdjieff , published in Le Figaro an article entitled "Sects: the spirit of inquisition" in which he was indignant, "He is now sufficient to acknowledge a marginal group of capturing personality and mental manipulation that is ranked among the sects and, thereby mobilizing opinion against him overall. The new witch hunt benefits from state subsidies and, without exception, without reflection of the support media. " .

Besides the criteria for classification as a sect, the advice given to families to be recognized are also criticized. Janine Tavernier said when he resigned in 2001 in an interview Technikart : "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. In addition, we used to denounce the cult phenomenon and creating rumors. Basically, if one wants his neighbor, is accused of belonging to a sect. "

The journalist of the magazine was also remarked about the criteria describing a cult, "the editorial claimed three of the ten criteria. Widely enough to make Technikart subversive sect. " .

Criticism of methods

UNADFI is also accused of having used in the 1980s the same methods that he discloses, which earned him to be qualified by Anne Morelli of "anti-cult cult" . This technique has been controversial both in legal terms (as it was also unlawful confinement) and medical. This practice was declared illegal in the U.S. .

UNADFI has estimated defamed by remarks of Louis Pauwels and Christian Paturel accusing him of employing draconian methods, but the court, without ruling on the merits, argued that these criticisms were part of the freedom expression ^, .

Criticism of state funding

The anti-cult associations have worked to mobilize the attention of authorities (UNADFI, for example, has a mission among others "to alert the government" ), who eventually meet their demands by deploying an anti-cult "repressive" large scale . The special relationship between the state and these associations (UNADFI has been declared a public utility in 1996 and is subsidized by the state) has finally made it virtually ineffective other information sources, including many researchers social sciences. Baubrot Jean , historian of secularism, considers this use of government unique among democratic countries .

For Anne Morelli : "The anti-cult associations, which I called" the cult of the opponents of cults, worry me much, either in Belgium or France. These are people who are focused on a problem and trying to find enemies everywhere. So I think that's pretty worrying that they are subsidized to hunt sects (...) And these groups, as they are paid to uncover scandals, well I'd say they are being pushed create the scandals and the highlight. " .

The association CAP SC publishes details of funding UNADFI and concludes that it is "an association financed almost 90% from public funds and engaged in a battle against the spiritual and religious minorities, which is itself a violation of secularism " .

According to the association, these grants allow the French government to conduct a roundabout way via UNADFI a policy to fight against "spiritual minorities." This charge was also one of the reasons for a lawsuit conducted in 2005 by a "collective of individuals and organizations" whose CAP SC .

On 14 December 2005 , the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris condemned for "abuse of process" this group which called for the dissolution UNADFI the ground that its action violated the freedom of conscience .

UNADFI believes that organizations and associations with charges against her, as the LC CAP , the Open individual freedoms and associative values, the CICNS and CESNUR is a weapon of communication depends on several sectarian organizations, allied in ecumenical a fight against their common enemies.

The 2006 report of MIVILUDES , all these organizations are among the actors lobbying pro-sectarian use and methodology among other criticisms, the discredit of those who fight bigotry. One can read in this report, p. 127: "It is another commonplace of argument pro-cult: the systematic questioning of the credibility of individuals or organizations that reflect the sectarian. (...) The "unpopular" of "the enemy" is also at the forefront of instructions that a famous guru of a large international cult gave to his followers. "

The CICNS notes however that, "except that these lists have already been amply achieved their aim of discrediting the place of spiritual minorities, it seems that this work of formation of lists is now outsourced to the anti-sect associations as UNADFI, state-approved: and the Ile-de-France subsidizes the association " to list of groups in the field of wellness and alternative medicine, to "fight against the threat of fraud moral, intellectual and financial associations sectarian " .

See also

Internal Links

• Protagonists in the debate on sects in France

External Links

• unadfi.org, official website

Bibliography

Sources UNADFI

• Janine Tavernier, 20-year struggle against cults, Michel Lafon Publishing, 2003 ( ISBN 2-84098-914-X );
• Newsletter for the study of sects (Bubbles), Quarterly Review of UNADFI, including thematic studies, facts and news about cults, a journal of news releases and ADFI. ;
• Thomas Hogger collaboration with UNADFI, Sects, recognize them, understand their mechanisms, fight efficiently, assist victims, Presses de la Renaissance, 2004 ( ISBN 2-7509-0008-5 );

Other sources

• Parliamentary Report No. 2468, Cults in France by members Alain Gest, president of the Commission of Inquiry, and Jacques Guyard, recorded December 22, 1995, editions Patrick Banon ( ISBN 2-84192-017-8 );
• Parliamentary Report No. 1687, Sects and money by Jacques Guyard, chairman of the board of inquiry, and Jean-Pierre Brard, reporter, recorded June 10, 1999, published papers information ( ISBN 2-11 -108,354-2 );
• Bruno Fougereau, La Mafia Sects, the report of the National Assembly, the implications of multinationals, pages 12 to 14 and 218 to 220, Editions Filipacchi, 1996 ( ISBN 2-85018-648-1 );
• Hayat El Mountacir, Children of sects, Fayard, 1994 ( ISBN 2-213-59358-2 );
• Steven Hassan, Protect yourself against sects, Editions du Rocher, 1995, foreword by Dr. Richard Jacques, president of FECRIS ( ISBN 2-268-01916-0 );
• Christian Paturel (ex-Jehovah's Witness lawyer), Sects, Religions and public freedoms, the universal thought (self-publishing), 1996;
• Pierre Barrucand, Haines yesterday and today, anti-Jewish campaign, anti-Masons, ..., 1996;
• group led by Massimo Introvigne To finish sects CESNUR DiGiovanni, 1996;
• Anne Morelli, Open Letter to opponents of the sect sects, Labor, Brussels, 1997, EPO, Berchem-Antwerp, 1997;
• Alain Garay (Jehovah's Witness lawyer), anti-cult activism, assistance to the amalgam editions Edwin Mellen Press, 1999;
• Joel Labruyre, The State Inquisitor, editions Three Mountains, 1999;
• Bernard Lempert, The return of intolerance, bigotry and witch hunts, Bayard, 2002;
• Lawrence Hincker, Sects, rumors and tribunals, the Republic threatened by the witch hunt?, Published The blue cloud, 2003

References

• Portal associations
• Portal Human Rights

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