Remember the Past

It seems Mike Peters' influence has reached South Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Arizona. I don't believe he has very large congregations in these states, but from what I have been able to learn, they are very loyal.

One of the reasons I wrote and have revised The Ghosts of November was to warn people about the proliferation of dangerous doomsday cults and alternative religions, like the Peoples Temple. Jim Jones had a sign over his throne in the Jonestown pavilion from which he directed the deaths of 913 of his followers and their children. It read "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."

I believe it is imperative the members of Mike Peters' Churches around the country are made aware of what happened in Jonestown Guyana 29 years ago. Please make this your priority as well. You may be saving lives.

Rogue Messiahs

I have just finished reading Rogue Messiahs, a book by Colin Wilson. Leaders like David Koresh, Jim Jones and Mike Peters, all have several traits in common. A major one is the use of sex as salvation. Jones was known for his sexual proclivities, sharing himself with men as well as women. Interestingly, he only chose people of his own race to have sex with. Is that a sign of some subtle racism in this man who claimed to champion the poor and down trodden?

Koresh had sex with many of the women in his sect. He often complained that it was a real chore and sacrifice for him. Some of his wives were 16 years of age and younger.

Mike Peters obviously has some sexual issues, especially when it comes to intimate relations between the husbands and wives of his group. Like Koresh and Jones before him, one of Peters' main games is to have the wives degrade their husbands. Often Peters takes trips accompanied by some of the wives, never by their husbands, apparently.

Messiahs are nothing new. The Christian church was hardly a few hundred years old before they began coming out of the woodwork. Mike Peters appears to be only the latest version of these frequently mentally disturbed men, and sometimes women, who have become self-proclaimed representatives for God, and often say they are God himself.

I have received some emails and comments from former members of Peters' Church in Indianapolis. Most fear him and many feel he may be the next cult leader to order his followers into oblivion a la the drinking of Flavor-Ade as they did in Jonestown 29 years ago.

Anyone contemplating being led by or following Mike Peters to their own deaths really should read Rogue Messiahs. It may just pop their cult bubble and make them realize how foolish they have been.

One last note to the Peterites who may be reading this post. Although I am not a Christian, at one time, I was a BTC (if you are one you will know what it means). Consider Mike's order that his followers not associate with non Peterites because they are pagans. Is this what Jesus did? Did he only associate with those who believed in him? Of course not. He went where the sinners were so they could be saved. Mike Peters doesn't want his followers to do the same because then he will be exposed for the fraud he is.

Links

http://www.indianapoliscult.com/allatmikesfeet/welcome.aspx

http://obadiah1317.wordpress.com/tag/mike-peters/

http://tobysthoughts-jtc.blogspot.com/2006/07/regarding-peters-internet-and.html

http://wordpress.com/tag/mike-peters/


http://www.factnet.org/discus/messages/3/18551.html?1143572810

http://noahlot.blogspot.com/2006/08/2-tim-27-reflect-on-what-i-am-saying.html

Another Indianapolis-Based Cult?

Indianapolis Magazine has an interesting article in this month's edition. It is the story of Mike Peters and the Church in Indianapolis, a controversial and fairly secretive alternative religion that has been in the city for some time.

Some former members who have left the organization say the leader of the organization is dictatorial and controlling. They have a website that allows dissident members to give testimony to their experiences in the group. http://www.indianapoliscult.com/allatmikesfeet/welcome.aspx

This website warns visitors that home churches or house churches, traditional church meetings, fellowship groups, bible studies, and home schooling groups across the country are falling into cult-like teachings. The leaders in these cult are buying up domain names like housechurch.com and others to draw people to themselves.

I read the magazine article a couple of days ago as I sat in a dentist office waiting for my wife. It was an excellent piece of journalism that was made difficult to write due to the apparent phobia all the church's leadership and members have towards the media.

I hope everyone considering joining a nontraditional church or religious group will read the website listed above. To be fair, here is the Church in Indianapolis (CII) website: http://www.allathisfeet.com/index.html

What do you say, reader? Is CII a cult?

Terrorism's Guyana Connection

Alleged Guyanese terrorists were arrested last week for conspiracy to blow up JFK Airport. This may be met with some degree of contempt if not outright hostility in some and perhaps many instances.

Already 140,000 to 200,000 Guyanese live in the New York City area. Richmond Hills, Queens is called "Little Guyana." That's about a quarter of the South American nation's population of 775,000.

Guyana is experiencing serious economic woes and many flee the crime that has become rampant in that country. We live in a climate where immigrants are vilified as intruders here to take away jobs and other economic benefits that some Americans think only a few should be entitled to. Anti-immigrant sentiments have increased, especially after the WTC horrors and just as being Muslim has taken on a certain kind of onerousness, so now being an immigrant is rapidly becoming something many do not wish to be known as.

The alarming thing about this alleged plot is that, if it had managed to be carried through, it would have killed not only Americans (bad enough) but also so many other people including Guyanese from all over the world.

This would have been a most incomprehensible act made even more disturbing to Guyanese people because of the involvement of their own countrymen. Although the plot, thanks to the good work of the FBI, was never allowed to see the light of day, the mere thought of planning such a thing is horrible, crazy, stupid, and shameful.

Not since Jonestown, I think has Guyana been catapulted so ignominiously into the international spotlight. United States Congressman John Murtha expressed the thought on the George Stephanalous Sunday morning TV program that this kind of "home grown" terrorist plot comes as a result of US involvement in Iraq.

Whether that is true or not, I don't think it would be an overstatement to say that the Guyanese people involved have to a degree disgraced the name of Guyana and may well have, at least for now, hurt the honor and pride many Guyanese around the world feel to hail from that land.

Religious Freedom & Cults Writing Contest

While I continue trying to find a publisher for The Ghosts of November, I have decided to have a writing contest. The contest will run from today, June 7 and all entries must be emailed to the blog no later than 31 October 2008. The email address to be used is wordworks2001@gmail.com and the essay should be in the message off the email. The subject line of all entries should read "Writing Contest Entry."

The topic of the essays shall be "Cults and Religious Freedom." Essays must be no less than 500 words and no longer than 1000 words. Spelling and grammar do count and the winning entry will be judged by Rebecca Bibbs, author of The Nubian Codex and award winning professional journalist.

Other rules of the writing contest include:

1. The grand prizewinning entry will be published on this blog in November 2008.

2. You must be age 16 or over to enter.

3. Your entry must be an unpublished work by you, and be on the topic "Religious Freedom and Cults." All entries become the property of The Ghosts of November Blog and may be posted on the blog.

4. Entries must be typed and double-spaced. They are to be placed into the body of an email sent to wordworks2001@gmail.com. The subject of the email must be "Writing Contest Entry."

5. Please include the title of your piece on top of the piece.

6. Your essay should be no less than 500 and no more than 1000 words.

7. Send as many entries as you like.

8. Include the following on your entry email:

• Title of the entry
  
• Name
• Snail mail address
  
• Email address
  
• Biographical facts
  i.e. If you're a student: your birthdate; what grade you are going into; the school you attend; your major, if applicable; hobbies; a photo of yourself (no Polaroids or color copies).
  

The winner shall receive a copy of the first edition of The Ghosts of November, personally autographed by me.

The Chat Room

Hey! I went to the blog chat room today for chatters, for the first time. No one was there, so I ended up talking to myself. However, I see a lot of possibilities. Since it is so bereft of chatters, it might be a neat place for star-crossed lovers to have a cyber-rendevouz. If someone wants to communicate with me, send me an email, comment or sign my guest book and we will set up a date and time to get together in the chat room.

As for a regular time for me to be available in the chat room, how does Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 8:00 AM New York time suit you? I'll be in the room for at least an hour, maybe longer if there are hoards of people present and interesting conversation.