Happy 4th of July!
The Haight Street Underworld
Giants Clobber The Astros, 13-0
SFist Tonight
"Cult Alert!" flyers garnished lamp posts on Third and Market Streets the other night -- a siren song if ever we've heard one. (It seems like forever since SF's been plagued with a jazzy, crazy-ass cult. No offense, L. Ron.)
In case you missed them, or in case the quality of life sect tore them down, the missives cried out:
Cult Alert!Please be advised:
Youth With a Mission (YWAM) has been under investigation as a dangerous cult. Several former missionaries have accused YWAM of using brainwashing methods in their Discipleship Training School (DTS). Rick Ross, an internationally recognized cult expert, was called on to investigate. In his report he stated: "YWAM practices the so-called "shepherding" leadership method. Implementing direct control over their members through "discipleship" training. This training appears to employ recognized techniques of thought reform and mind control…” See www.RickRoss.com [here] for the complete report. Or just Google: YWAM Cult.
Several complaints have also been filed with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services regarding YWAM’s repeated harassment of homeless Catholics, and Gays.
Homeless people have described YWAM’s Reach-up program as "brainwashing" and "mind games."
In 2006 YWAM produced and directed the ABC TV mini-series Path to 9/11, which Democrat and Republican pundits alike derided [Bipartisan togetherness? Aw.] for its gross inaccuracies and distortion of the events leading up to the September 11th attacks. Some scenes are widely recognized as "complete fabrications."
If you have been harassed by YWMAers because of your religion or sexual orientation, please contact: 415-346-3740 or stop by the Coalition on Homelessness, 468 Turk Street.
If you are, or have been, a member of YWAM, we would also like to speak with you.
(UPDATE: The Coalition on Homelessness is NOT investigating YWAM. They have nothing to do with the mad "Cult Alert!" flyer poster, so please, Bay Area media outlets, stop contacting them.)
Or better yet, let us know!
But YWAM pales in comparison to their cousins, the lunatics from the School of Worship and Warfare. They promise you "lymph nodes growing back into legs," "ankles and backs healed instantly," "intimacy with the Father," "a 45% reduction of fine lines around the lip and eye areas," or whatever in return for your brain and/or bank account.
Nice move with the see-we-fuck-up-just-like-you blooper cum identifying-with tactic at the beginning there, Kenny and Rebekah. Very smooth.
So are there any other cults in SF we need to know about? Maybe we'll start a weekly or monthly Bay Area cults update if we get enough feedback. Or if said cults' members don't murder us.
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Cults (with restaurants) in SF:
Ananda Furara
Cafe Gratitude
Goat Hill Pizza (this one is purely rumor, no evidence)
Axis Cafe (possibly not a cult, but run covertly by a church)
guest [1], I at first thought this was a joke about the cultish quality of restaurant admiration (French Laundry, Blue Bottle Coffee), but now I realize you are serious -- right? Would love to get more details!
What happened to the GARBAGE EATING cult, here in SF, that people were talking about a few years ago?
They left after they shut down La Rondalla.
Cafe Gratitude is ran by a couple associated with Landmark (but I'll still eat there!).
These kids look like they are hatched in a droid lab.
Is it legal to mace them?
You don't know what you are talking about. Youth With A Mission San Francisco is NOT cult and are NOT being investigated.
Youth With A Mission did NOT produce and direct Path to 9/11. David Cunningham was the director and happens to be the son of Loren Cunningham the founder of Youth With A Mission, but that is all.
Why don't you go down and visit them and get to know them before making the accusations you are making!
Landmark forum.
Spoken like a true believer, guest#7. Considering the post is about the flyers that someone else has posted, methinks you protest too much.
Dearest Guest 7,
How do you know all of this, R U one of them?
You may not think they are a cult, but that's what all "true believer" think after they have been drawn in. Just ask those who went to Jonestown. Oops! You can't ask them because they all died from poisoned Kool-Aid.
I'd love to go down and visit YWAM, but I will insist on not accepting any drinks from them.
R they in the 300 block of Ellis, right near Glide Memorial?
My friend's roommate worked at Cafe Gratitude. If you work there for a certain length of time, they make you join Landmark (a cult). They find lost vegan kids and turn them into scary drones.
They find lost vegan kids and turn them into scary drones.
What a profound transformation.
There's nothing quite like banging a cult chick.
If someone wants serious information about cults from respected *professional* counselors and cult expert -- people *qualified* to determine whether or not a particular group is or is not a cult -- should check the information at the International Cultic Studies Association: http://www.csj.org/ instead of relying on someone who got his education from newspaper clippings.
Female Prostitute Ministry-- that sounds awesome. Going to strip clubs and massage parlors. Awesome.
Playing Uno with Polk Street hustlers? Damnit! That was what I wanted to do for my birthday this year.
i'm going to tip-toe around calling these place "cult run", ymmv:
'golden era vegetarian restaurant': supreme master!
'ambiance': mmm, Scientology management techniques.
-g
I'd love to know more about the Landmark/Cafe Gratitude connection. Any good websites on them?
I consider the Coalition on Homelessness to be somewhat of a cult..
guest 17, here's one article: http://www.landmarkeducationnews.info/2007/06/26/cafe-gratitude-a-new-restaurant-concept-and-brainchild-of-two-landmark-education-graduates/
Don't forget the restaurant operated by the Gav's favorite cult: Delancey Street
Landmark forum, I know few friends from SF State that were asked time and time again to join their "workshops."
I second Delancey Street and all of their franchises.
The cult is an outgrowth of Synanon which sucked in many counter culture burnouts of the 70s and 80s, including Cesar Chavez who began to insist that all leaders within the UFW engage in weekly sessions of "The Game"; a synanon brainwashing technique.
Lately I've noticed lots of "SynerTel" trucks parked outside of their restaurant and I can't tell if they are affiliated in some way. It wouldn't be a stretch to say this is where SynerTel is getting their workforce or that the "syner" in SynerTel is a nod to "Synanon".
Like The People's Temple, The Delancey Street Foundation has many rich and powerful friends in the Establishment - including a certain Mr. and Mrs. Feinstein.
Ah, San Francisco! Cult city like no other!
Is Delancey Street the reincarnation of that weird group that was in Marin years ago called Synanon?
YWAM Sf actually doesnt fit the profile of a cult if you actually check into who they are. And they dont do any of the things they are accused of. And if you'd like to check it out yourself, you can visit the office and talk with the staff personally.
See what ReligiousTolerance.org says about Rick Ross the Cult "Expert" and his Cult Awareness Network (CAN):
">http://www.religioustolerance.org/acm2.htm
i'm sold; i want my lymph nodes to grow into extra legs, that would be awesome!
Wasn't the Cult Awareness Group backed by Scientology?
I went to YWAM with a friend who happened to be Gay. He was repeatedly berated with "Come to Jesus, Jesus will make you straight". He politely said "No, I don't want to be straight". But they wouldn't stop. So he left. Another friend of mine went there and was actually coerced into going to the "Gay Healing" Center. He said that the longer he stayed there the more suicidal he felt. If that's not brainwashing, I don't know what is.
Another friend of mine who happened to be Catholic went to YWAM and was told he had to put his rosary away immediately or it was going to get thrown into the garbage.
Don't believe me. Go there and judge for yourself. Express your own point of view about something and see how quickly they'll jump all over you and start talking to you like you're a third grader who just gave the wrong answer on a math test.
...the Cult Awareness Network...
...In a bizarre twist of fortune, the organization that was once the most vocal critic of Scientology is now owned by a member of the controversial church...
CNN.com, December 19, 1996
You will also find a link to the news item above located at
www.cultsoncampus.com/culawnetinne.html
You might find it interesting to know that I have been researching the accusations against YWAM San Fran (and have thoroughly researched YWAM's history and current practices/beliefs).
First, the accusations against YWAM San Fran are largely false- either "creative" reinterpretation of events or complete fabrications. They are not anti-Catholic (in fact, they once dismissed a student from their own program for expressing repeated anti-Catholic ideas). While they hold to what most conservative Evangelicals believe about homosexuality, this in itself does not qualify them as being cult. As a matter of policy, they do not initiate conversations regarding homosexuality and will only pray/advise people who first come to them requesting it.
YWAM San Fran has been exemplary in their selfless service of the poor (though by no means perfect). As anyone who works with the homeless will attest, you often find yourself serving the mentally ill. As a result, there are frequent false accusations. I have discovered that this is in part what is happening to YWAM San Fran (the posters misusing the COH as a prime example).
As some other commenters have mentioned, Rick Ross is not a trust-worthy "cult expert". YWAM will offend many people (at times myself included), but it does not qualify as a cult by the vast majority of academic and sociological terms.
As for the "Path To 9/11" film, despite the fact that it was a very poor representation of facts, the only connection to YWAM is that the son of the organizations founder was the director. YWAM in now way funded the film or shaped the script. In fact, it is a matter of public record that the script was determined long before the director was on board. This is the stuff of tabloids and conspiracy theorists.
So, YWAM may be questionable to many, but I assure you that it is neither a cult nor a threat to homeless, Catholics or homosexuals (or any combination thereof). Hope that helps!
Nice try Guest 30, but you're not fooling anyone. It's pretty obvious that you work for YWAM. I don't anyone believes for one minute that you're just some independent researcher who is looking into the accusations against YWAM.
I was in YWAM's "Reach-up" program. I know what goes on there.
If YWAM started firing people for making anti-Catholic remarks they'd have to let go of at least half their staff.
And YWAM does "hold to what most conservative Evangelicals believe about homosexuality" which is that Jesus will make a gay person straight.
Now I've often heard insanity defined as "doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results". I think trying to make a gay person straight would fall into that category. And if that gay person is homeless and comes to you for food and then you coerce him into your "gay healing" center where he becomes increasingly suicidal not only is that insane it's also highly unethical.
Now, I'm no cult expert but this "cult" label seems to be applied to YWAM quite often and usually from their own former missionairies who have a pretty good idea of what's going on there.
YWAM is listed as a cult on every major cult watch web site on the internet. Scion of Zion web site contains a list of 89 Evangelical missionary organizations http://www.scionofzion.com/missions.htm. Of those 89 only YWAM has had complaints from their former missionairies of "brainwashing" and "heresy" and other abuses. I Google searched the 88 others and couldn't find one complaint about anything.
And lastly, YWAM's favorite son David Cunningham was not choosen to direct "Path to 9/11" because of his qualifications. In 2005 YWAM created The Film Institute (TFI) to work on a project called "Untitled History Project" (UHP). UHP later became known as "Path to 9/11". It's all on Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/08/origin-of-pt911/
If you want to get the whole story I suggest these links:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/8/133335/7036
http://altweeklies.com/alternative/AltWeeklies/Story?oid=171025
http://fuzzyandblue.blogspot.com/2006/09/lets-sum-up-path-to-911-lies-shall-we.html
Patrick J. Flanagan IV
Artistic Director
www.LivingMiracleProductions.com