Member of 'Cult-like' Church Sentenced, Lawsuit filed in Ooltewah sexual assault claims, Investigating Hope: The complaint, Ex-Scientologists tell disturbing stories about David Miscavige

- Member of 'Cult-like' Church Sentenced.
- Lawsuit filed in Ooltewah sexual assault claims Hamilton County Schools covered up abuse
- Investigating Hope: The complaint
- Ex-Scientologists tell disturbing stories about David Miscavige, the 'pope of Scientology,' on A&E series December 21, 2016

Member of 'Cult-like' Church Sentenced.
Owen Sound | by Kevin Bernard Tuesday, December 20, 2016

No jail time for man convicted of assault in connection with a Chatsworth Area Church.

Two men have now been convicted and sentenced in connection with an investigation into a "cult" like church in Chatsworth.

61 year old Judson King of Oakville plead guilty last Friday (Dec. 16th) to 3 counts of assault and was sentenced to a 12 month conditional sentence (no jail time),  3 years probation, a 10 year weapons ban and he must submit a DNA sample....

King, and his younger brother Fred were arrested in April of 2014 following a 16 month OPP probe into allegations of physical and sexual assault by 7 victims, involving a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ restored.

57 year old Fred King who was known as the "Prophet", plead guilty earlier this year to 9 counts of assault and was sentenced in September to 18 months in jail, and 2 years probation....


The OPP investigation started, after an Owen Sound woman went public with her allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of "cult" leaders.

Carol Christie wrote her story in a book, "Property: The True Story of a Polygamous Church Wife",  which was released in mid-2013.

The former church member alleged abuse and polygamy at a compound on Concession 2 south of Owen Sound, near Chatsworth.

She told Bayshore Broadcasting news how she spent nearly 40 years in what essentially was a CULT and she suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of the Prophet.
http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=89811  



Lawsuit filed in Ooltewah sexual assault claims Hamilton County Schools covered up abuse
December 17th, 2016 by Kendi A. Rainwater
A second federal lawsuit filed in connection with the Ooltewah High School rape case claims Hamilton County Schools and some of its employees allowed a culture of bullying and sexual assault to fester at the school, leaving students unprotected.

The lawsuit was filed Friday by the family of an Ooltewah High School basketball player who was sexually assaulted by older players during the team's trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn., nearly a year ago.

Before the trip, the victim referred to as "Roe" in court papers endured months of harassment and beatings by teammates, which was a ritual on the team, according to the lawsuit.

"OHS has lionized sports and athletes to the point of protecting athletes who engage in misconduct," the lawsuit states.

For years coaches and administrators ignored the abuse or covered it up, enabling the older players to attack four freshmen with pool cues during the Gatlinburg trip, the lawsuit claims.

One boy was injured so severely he had to undergo emergency surgery. That boy filed a federal lawsuit in September against the school board and former Ooltewah High School employees.....
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2016/dec/17/lawsuit-filed-ooltewah-sexual-assault-claims/403490/


Investigating Hope: The complaint
By Ryan Santistevan | December 1, 2016

Investigating Hope: The Series

This article is one in a series of investigative pieces about a complaint filed with ASU regarding accusations against on-campus ministry Hope Church.

Four categories of conduct violations, six categories of unhealthy practices, eight categories of emotional and psychological abuse, 44 indicators of religious cult­ activity, 14 contributors and 123 pages — this makes up a complaint submitted to ASU detailing the alleged damage inflicted by on-campus ministry Hope Church.

However, before things went sour, each author on the complaint was united by one thing: The welcoming embrace of a church that sought to offer them a home and a family.

The complaint has also been turned into a blog, called Hope Church ASU Cult Investigation, run by a former member of Hope Church.

Multiple former Hope Church members said the organization makes students uncomfortable, creates unhealthy relational dynamics and provides an emotionally and psychologically damaging environment for its members. Members said the church uses “brainwashing” techniques and provides a distorted interpretation of Biblical doctrine to advance the interests of the church.

In the complaint, the term "cult" was used 34 times.

Dr. Felix Salomon of the Phoenix Institute of Psychotherapy said a cult can be defined in many ways, but he defines it as a closed, totalistic subgroup or subculture that demands complete allegiance and the giving up of individuality and autonomy on the account of its members.

Kolton Nelder is one of the 14 former members who wrote a testimony in the collaborative complaint. He and other members said they faced constant pressure to follow the direction of Hope Church leadership without question. Not going with the flow was frowned upon....
http://www.statepress.com/article/2016/12/spcampus-asu-hope-christian-church-religious-cult-controversy-1-complaint 


Ex-Scientologists tell disturbing stories about David Miscavige, the 'pope of Scientology,' on A&E series December 21, 2016

Actress Leah Remini left the Church of Scientology in 2013 - after 35 years as a devout member - and ever since, she has been on a crusade to expose the controversial organization's secrets. On "Scientology and the Aftermath," her new series on A&E, Remini seeks to "delve deep into shocking stories of abuse, heartbreak and harassment experienced by those who have left the church and spoken publicly about their experiences."

Tuesday night's episode had a theme: Disturbing stories about the organization's leader David Miscavige, whom ex-members refer to as "the pope of Scientology," as well as the "undisputed dictator."....

Remini also interviewed people about Miscavige's alleged physical abuse against his staff, including Jeff Hawkins, who was the Scientology "marketing guru" for years. He joined because as a self-proclaimed hippie in the late 1960s, he liked the idea of Scientology's anti-war stance and spiritual component, particularly the strong belief about the afterlife.

So Hawkins signed a billion year contract and started working closely with Miscavige. Then, he says, Miscavige assaulted him several times. During one incident, he explains, Miscavige once started making fun of him in a room full of people; and when Hawkins asked him not to, Miscavige took that as a sign of disrespect and started hitting him in the face.

Hawkins says that he, as well as everyone in the room at the time, was too afraid to fight back. Initially, he thought the bad times would pass; but when he realized Miscavige would be running Scientology for a very long time, he left the church.

In response, the church disputes many of Hawkins's statements and says he is an "obsessed anti-Scientologist" who was expelled for "unsavory personal conduct," and has a long record of malfeasance, and that he fabricated stories about violence from a staff member....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-scientology-david-miscavige-pope-of-scientology-20161221-story.html 


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