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Governmental lists of cults and sects

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The application of the labels "cults" or "sects" to (for example) religious

movements in government documents usually signifies the popular and negative use of
the term "cult" in English and a functionally similar use of words translated as
"sect" in several European languages.[1][2][need quotation to verify] Government
reports which have used these words include ones from Austria,[3] Belgium,[4]
Canada, China, France, Germany, and Russia. While these documents utilize similar
terminology they do not necessarily include the same groups nor is their assessment
of these groups based on agreed criteria. Other governments and world bodies also
report on new religious movements but do not use these terms to describe them.[1]
[need quotation to verify]

Austria
Edit

The Austrian government does not always distinguish sects in Austria as a separate
group. Rather, religious groups are divided into three legal categories: officially
recognized religious societies, religious confessional communities, and
associations.[5] In 2010, the most recent year for which sects were officially
distinguished[by whom?] in Austria, the groups included the Church of Scientology,
the Unification Church, the Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Hare Krishna, Osho
movement, Sahaja Yoga, Sai Baba, Sri Chinmoy, Transcendental Meditation, Fiat Lux,
Universal Life, and The Family International.[6]
Canada
Edit

The "Ant Hill Kids" (now defunct) founded by Roch Thériault[7][8][9]

A Canadian Security Intelligence Service report of 1999 discussed "Doomsday

Religious Movements espousing hostile beliefs and having the potential to be
violent.." Groups classified as "Doomsday Religious Movements" included:

the Branch Davidians

Canada's Order of the Solar Temple
Aum Shinrikyo (called the "Aum cult")[10]

In 2005, the Hate Crimes Unit of the Edmonton Police Service confiscated anti-Falun
Gong materials distributed at the annual conference of the American Family
Association by staff members of the Calgary Chinese Consulate (Province of Alberta,
Canada). The materials, including the calling of Falun Gong a "cult," were
identified as having breached the Criminal Code, which bans the wilful promotion of
hatred against identifiable religious groups.[11]
China
Edit
For a more comprehensive list, see Chinese lists of cults.
Learn more
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The
specific problem is: maintains a list? really? I have not seen it.
The General Office of Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
maintains a list of "heterodox teachings," (邪教) entitled "Information Regarding
Organizations Identified as Cults e.g. the White Lotus Sect and the Red Lantern
Sect."

Zhao Weishan's Eastern Lightning.[12]

Watchman Nee (Local Churches)
Li Changshou's original Difang Jiaohui, also known as Huhanpai (He Enjie's
Changshouzhu jiao, Chinese Shouters),
Zhao Weishan's Eastern Lightning (also Actual God, Shijishen, 实际神),
Wu Yangming's Beili Wang (Established King)
Liu Jiaguo's Lord God Sect
Hua Xuehe's Lingling Sect
Xu Yongze's All Scope Church or Born Again Movement (BAM)
Gong Shengliang's Huanan jiaohui South China Church
Li Sanbao's Mentuhui or Tudihui (Disciples Church)
Xu Wenku's Sanban Puren Pai (Three Ranks of Service)
Wu Huanxing's Cold Water Sect (Lengshui jiao)
Liang Jiangye's Commune Sect (Fanwugongyongpai)
New Testament Church (China)
Resurrection Way Fuhuodao of Guo Guangxu and Wen Qiuhui
offshoots of Korean Christian new religious movements:The Unification Church of
Rev. Moon, Dami Evangelism Association, and the World Elijah Association.[13][14]

Buddhist-based proscribed sects include Lu Shengyan's Taiwan-based Lingxian

Zhenfozong (灵仙真佛宗, True Buddha School), Ching Hai's Guanyin Famen, and Yuandun
Famen.[15]
France
Edit
Further information: Religious freedom in France, Parliamentary Commission on Cults
in France, and MIVILUDES
French parliamentary commission report (1995)
Edit

In 1995, a parliamentary commission of the National Assembly of France on cults

produced its report[16] (in French: compare an unofficial English translation). The
report included a list of purported cults based upon information which may have
been provided by former members, the general information division of the French
National Police (Renseignements généraux — the French secret police service) and
cult-watching groups.[17]

The criteria chosen by the French Renseignements généraux to establish the

potential dangers of a movement were criticized since they were considered vague
and may include many organizations, religious or not. One of the first criticisms
came from bishop Jean Vernette, the national secretary of the French episcopate to
the study of cults and new religious movements, who stressed that these criteria
can be applied to almost all religions. Moreover, sociologists such as Bruno
Étienne emphasized that the mental manipulation should not be defined by the
policemen of the Renseignements généraux.[18] The list of cults was based on the
criteria defined by the Renseignements généraux, but without specifying which of
their practices are specifically criticized. In addition, the secrecy of the work
made by the RG led to questions about the presence or absence of certain
organizations in the list. Étienne questioned the presence of the CEDIPAC SA
company, formerly known as European Grouping of Marketing Professionals (GEPM), as
its activity is not in the religious field.[19] The absence of Opus Dei or the
Freemasons also raised questions.[20][21] In 2007, Yves Bertrand, General Director
of the Renseignements généraux from 1992 to 2003, spoke about his collaborative
work with the parliamentary reports on cults, and said: "Alongside genuine and
dangerous cults practicing removal of school, abuse of weakness or pedophilia, some
groups have been a bit quickly dress up of the word cult".[22] Furthermore, on 27
May 2005, the 1995 list of cults of the French report was officially cancelled and
invalidated by Jean-Pierre Raffarin's circulaire.[23][24]

In France, Antoinism was classified as a cult in the 1995 parliamentary reports

which considered it one of the oldest healer groups.[25] However, in a 1984 letter,
the French Minister of the Interior wrote that the movement was considered, from an
administrative point of view, as having for exclusive purpose the exercise of a
religion, thus complying with the 18th and 19th Articles of the 1905 French law on
the Separation of the Churches and the State. He added that antoinism had always
been allowed to receive bequests or donations, which meant that its religious
nature was never challenged.[26] In addition, many anti-cults activists,
associations or watchers said they had not noticed cultic deviances in this group.
For example, when heard by the Belgian commission on cults, philosopher Luc
Nefontaine said that "the establishment of a directory of cult movements (...)
seems to him dangerous, because it would also give a bad image of quite honourable
organizations such as (...) Antoinism".[27] Eric Brasseur, director of Centre for
information and advice on harmful cultish organizations (Centre d'information et
d'avis sur les organisations sectaires nuisibles, or CIAOSN) said: "This is a
Belgian worship for which we have never had a complaint in 12 years, a rare case to
report".[28] Similarly, in 2013, the Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and
Combatting Cultic Deviances (Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte
contre les dérives sectaires, or MIVILUDES) made this comment: "We have never
received reporting from Antoinists. They heal through prayer, but as long as they
do not prevent people from getting proper treatment by legal means..." In addition,
the Renseignements généraux stopped monitoring the religion given the absence of
any problem.[29] In 2002, the national service "Pastoral, sects and new beliefs"
("Pastorale, sectes et nouvelles croyances"), which analyses new religious
movements from a catholic point of view, wrote about Antoinism: "Although listed
among the cults in the 1995 Parliamentary Report, it has no cultish feature."[30]
Similarly, the French sociologist Régis Dericquebourg, who deeply studied the
religion, concluded that Antoinism is not a cult: it "has no totalitarian influence
on its members, and do not dictate their behaviour to get in the world; it is not
exclusive [and] shows no hostility towards social systems".[31]

In France, the 1995 parliamentary report listed the Shri Ram Chandra Mission. This
has been criticized by lawyer Lawrence Hincker, who said that "this system of
meditation, called Sahaj Marg, does not lead to a life away from the world. It
integrates all aspects of man, whether physical, mental or spiritual, without
charge or austerity or penance or self-negation".[32] According to the sociologist
Bruno Étienne, an expert on religious issues, the SRCM publishes books as any other
group but does not proselytize, and has never been convicted: "To us, it is fully a
NMR (new religious movement), modern religious group, although based on an ancient
tradition, and subject to serious arguments advanced by others more knowledgeable,
we do not understand why it is criticized on the list of the damned".[33] Raphaël
Liogier, Director of the Observatory of religious and university professor at the
Institut d'Études Politiques in Aix-en-Provence, said he did not understand the
inclusion on the cult list of an association that is fully recognized in India.[34]

In May 2005 the then Prime Minister of France, in a circulaire,[35] which stressed
that the government must exercise vigilance concerning the cult phenomenon,[35]
said that the list of movements attached to the Parliamentary Report of 1995 had
become less pertinent, based on the observation that many small groups had formed:
scattered, more mobile, and less-easily identifiable,[35] and that the government
needed to balance its concern with cults with respect for public freedoms and
laïcité (secularism).[35]
French parliamentary commission report (1999)
Edit
The French Parliamentary report of 1999 on cults and money[36] concentrated its
attention on some 30 groups which it judged as major players in respect of their
financial influence.[37] It underlined the non-exhaustive character of its
investigations, seeing them as a snapshot at a point in time and based on
information available.[38]

The groups examined included:[36][37]

Anthroposophie (Anthroposophy)
Au Cœur de la Communication (At the Heart of Communication)
Contre-réforme catholique (League for Catholic Counter-Reformation)
Dianova (Ex-Le Patriarche) (Dianova (formerly: the Patriarch))
Église du Christ (Boston Church of Christ)
Église Néo-apostolique (New Apostolic Church)
Énergo-Chromo-Kinèse (ECK)
Fédération d'agrément des réseaux (ex-Groupement européen des professionnels du
marketing) (Federation of the networks of agreement (formerly: European Grouping of
Marketing Professionals (GEPM))
Fraternité blanche universelle (Universal White Brotherhood)
Invitation à la Vie (Invitation to Life)
Innergy (Insight Seminars)
Krishna (Hare Krishna movement)
Landmark (Landmark Education)
Mahikari (Sûkyô Mahikari)
Mandarom
Méthode Avatar (Avatar Method)
Moon (Unification Church)
Mouvement du Graal (Grail Movement)
Mouvement Raëlien (Raelian Movement)
Nouvelle Acropole (New Acropolis)
Office culturel de Cluny (Cultural office of Cluny – National Federation of
Total Animation)
Ogyen Kunzang Chöling
Orkos (Anopsology)
Panic Cult
Pentecôte de Besançon (Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Besançon)
Prima Verba
Rose-Croix - AMORC (Rosicrucian Order)
Rose-Croix d'Or (Gold Rosicrucian Brotherhood)
Scientologie (Scientology)
Soka Gakkaï (Sōka Gakkai)
La méthode Silva (The Silva Method)
Témoins de Jéhovah (Jehovah's Witnesses)
The Buresi Cult (Thomas Buresi)
Tradition Famille Propriété (Tradition Family Morals)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Edit

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development has officially described

the Auvers-sur-Oise-based People's Mujahedin of Iran as an organization with
"cultic nature".[39]
Germany
Edit
Berlin Senate report (1997)
Edit

An official report of a Senate Committee of the city and state of Berlin in Germany
listed and discussed cults (German: Sekten), emphasizing with its sub-title their
categorization as "entities espousing a world view and new religions". The 1997
Berlin Senate report — entitled Cults: Risks and Side-effects: Information on
selected new religious and world-view espousing Movements and Psycho-offerings[40]
— subdivided "selected suppliers" (ausgewählte Anbieter) of its objects of interest
as:

7.1: Groups with a Christian background (Gruppen mit christlichem Hintergrund)

7.1.1 Fiat Lux
7.1.2 Parish on the Road Evangelical Free Church (registered association)
(Gemeinde auf dem Weg Evangelische Freikirche e.V)
7.1.3 Parish of Jesus Christ (registered association) Boston Church of
Christ (Gemeinde Jesu Christi e.V. (Boston Church of Christ))
7.1.4 Universal Life (Re-gathering of Jesus Christ) (Universelles Leben
(Heimholungswerk Jesu Christi/HHW))
7.1.5 Unification Church (Moon movement) (Vereinigungskirche (Mond-
Bewegung))
7.2 Groups with a pagan background (Gruppen mit heidnischem Hintergrund)
7.2.1 Teutonic Belief Association (registered association) (Germanische
Glaubengemeinschaft e.V. (GGG))
7.2.2 Pagan Association (registered association) (Heidnische Gemeinschaft
e.V. (HG))
7.3 Groups with a Hinduistic background (Gruppen mit hinduistischem
Hintergrund)
7.3.1 International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
(International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON))
7.3.2 OSHO-Movement (Osho) (OSHO-Bewegung (Bhagwan))
7.3.3 Ruhani Satsang of Thakar Singh (Ruhani Satsang des Thakar Singh)
7.3.4 Transcendental Meditation (TM) (Transzendentale Meditation (TM))
7.4 Suppliers of Life-Help (Anbieter von Lebenshilfe)
commercial: (kommerziell:)
7.4.1 The Circle of Friends of Bruno Gröning (Bruno Gröning-Freundeskreise)
7.4.2 Context Seminar Company Limited (Kontext Seminar GmbH)
7.4.3 Landmark Education (LE) (Landmark Education (LE))
7.4.4 Art Reade
7.4.5 Scientology
7.4.6 The Natale Institute (TNI)
non-commercial: (nicht kommerziell:)
7.4.7 Union for the Enhancement of the psychological Knowledge of Mankind
(Verein zur Förderung der psychologischen Menschenkenntnis (VPM))
7.5 Occultism/Satanism (Okkultismus/Satanismus)
7.6 So-called Multi-level Marketers (Sogenannte Strukturvertriebe)

Russia
Edit

In 1996 the Parliament of the Russian Federation published analytical information

on cults in О национальной угрозе России со стороны деструктивных религиозных
организаций [Concerning the national threat to Russia from destructive religious
organizations].[41]

In 2008 the Russian Interior Ministry prepared a list of "extremist groups". At the
top of the list appeared Islamic groups outside of "traditional Islam", which is
supervised by the Russian government. Next listed were "Pagan cults".[42]

In 2009 the Russian Ministry of Justice set up a council which it named "Council of
Experts Conducting State Religious Studies Expert Analysis". The new council listed
80 large sects which it considered potentially dangerous to Russian society, and
mentioned that there were thousands of smaller ones.[43] Large sects listed
included: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, and
what were called[by whom?] "neo-Pentecostals".[citation needed]
See also
References
Last edited 4 days ago by Serols
Related articles

Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France

Evangelical Missionary Church of Besançon

Union nationale des associations de défense des familles et de l'individu

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NXIVM

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NXIVM (/ˈnɛksiəm/ NEKS-ee-əm) is a self-described American multi-level marketing

company[2] based near Albany, New York, that offered personal and professional
development seminars through its "Executive Success Programs". The company has been
described as a cult and a pyramid scheme, and has also been alleged to be a
recruiting platform for a secret society (variously called "DOS" or "The Vow") in
which women were branded and forced into sexual slavery.
NXIVM Corporation
NXIVM Logo.png
Type
Privately held company
Industry
Multi-level marketing; personal development
Founded
1998
Headquarters
Albany, New York
Key people
Keith Raniere (co-founder, leader)
Nancy Salzman (co-founder, president)
Allison Mack (recruiter, leader)
Clare Bronfman (funder, leader)[1]
Products
Seminars
Website
NXIVM.com (Archived)

In early 2018, NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his associate, actress Allison Mack,
were arrested and indicted on federal charges related to DOS, including sex
trafficking.[3] Others associated with NXIVM were also charged with federal crimes.
As of April 2019, five people associated with NXIVM—Mack, NXIVM co-founder Nancy
Salzman, Lauren Salzman, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, and bookkeeper Kathy
Russell—had pleaded guilty to various charges.[4][5] Raniere's federal trial began
on May 7, 2019. On June 19, 2019, he was convicted of sex trafficking and
racketeering.[6][7]
History

Prior to founding NXIVM, Raniere had created "Consumers Buyline",[8] a business

venture which was accused by the New York Attorney General of having been a pyramid
scheme; Raniere signed a consent order in 1996 in which he denied any wrongdoing,
but agreed to pay a $40,000 fine and to be permanently banned from "promoting,
offering or granting participation in a chain distribution scheme".[9]
Founding and initial success

In 1998, Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman founded NXIVM, a personal development
company[10] offering "Executive Success Programs" (ESPs) and a range of techniques
aimed at self-improvement.[11][12][13] Raniere claimed that the programs' "main
emphasis is to have people experience more joy in their lives."[12]

During NXIVM seminars, students were expected to call Raniere and Salzman
"Vanguard" and "Prefect", respectively.[14][15][16] The Hollywood Reporter stated
that Raniere "adopted the title 'Vanguard' from a favorite arcade game ... in which
the destruction of one's enemies increased one's own power."[17] Within the
organization, the reasoning for the titles was that Raniere was the leader of a
philosophical movement and Salzman was his first student.[13]

By 2003, some 3,700 people had taken part in ESP classes, reportedly including
businesswoman Sheila Johnson; former Surgeon General Antonia Novello; Enron
executive Stephen Cooper; and Ana Cristina Fox, daughter of former Mexican
president Vicente Fox.[18] Other participants were later reported to include
entrepreneur Richard Branson (who later denied having taken the classes[19][20]),
Edgar Bronfman Sr.,[21] and actresses Linda Evans, Grace Park, and Nicki Clyne.[22]
[8] In the early 2000s, Seagram heiresses Clare and Sara Bronfman, the daughters of
Edgar Bronfman Sr., became attached to the organization.[8][13]
"Cult" allegations in early 2000s

NXIVM's training is a trade secret, subject to non-disclosure agreements, but

reportedly uses a technique the organization calls "rational inquiry" to facilitate
personal and professional development. In 2003, NXIVM sued the Ross Institute,
alleging copyright infringement for publishing excerpts of content from its manual
in three critical articles commissioned by cult investigator Rick Alan Ross and
posted on his website.[23][24][25] Ross posted a psychiatrist's assessment of
NXIVM's "secret" manual on his website – the report called the regimen "expensive
brainwashing". The manual was obtained by Ross from former member Stephanie Franco,
a co-defendant in the trial, who had signed a non-disclosure agreement not to
divulge information from the manual to others. NXIVM filed suits in both New York
and New Jersey, but both were later dismissed.[22][26]

In October 2003, Forbes published an article on NXIVM and Raniere.[18] Vanity Fair
subsequently reported of the article: "People at NXIVM were stunned. Expecting a
positive story, the top ranks had spoken to Forbes, including Raniere, Salzman, and
Sara Bronfman. What upset them above all were Edgar Bronfman’s remarks. 'I think
it’s a cult,' he told the magazine, going on to say that he was troubled about the
'emotional and financial' investment in NXIVM by his daughters, to whom he hadn’t
spoken in months."[8] In 2006, Forbes published an article about the Bronfman
sisters, stating that they had taken out a line of credit to loan NXIVM US$2
million, repayable through personal training sessions and phone consultations with
Salzman.[27] Another Forbes article in 2010 discussed the failures of commodities
and real estate deals by the Bronfmans made pursuant to Raniere's advice.[28]
2006-2015
After actress Kristin Kreuk became involved with NXIVM in 2006, Salzman and her
daughter Lauren went to Vancouver, British Columbia to recruit Kreuk's Smallville
co-star Allison Mack.[17] The younger Salzman (herself a junior NXIVM leader)[13]
bonded with Mack and the latter became involved,[17] although Kreuk would
subsequently leave NXIVM.[29] Mack became "an enthusiastic proselytizer" for NXIVM,
persuading her parents to take courses, and, after wrapping production of
Smallville in 2011, moved to Clifton Park, New York near NXIVM's home-base in
Albany.[17] Early 2007 saw a string of financial contributions from NXIVM
participants to Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign, with over a dozen
participants donating the maximum allowable figure of $2,300. The contributions
totalled $29,900. NXIVM associates also gave $31,600 to the state Republican Senate
Campaign Committee and provided $34,763 worth of air transportation, totaling
$66,363.[30]

In 2008, the Bronfman sisters allegedly pressured Stephen Herbits, a confidante of

their father, to ask Albany County District Attorney David Soares, New York
Governor Eliot Spitzer, and New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram to open
criminal investigations into NXIVM's critics. NXIVM reportedly kept dossiers on
Soares, Spitzer, political consultant Roger Stone, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and
Albany Times Union publisher George Randolph Hearst III in a box in the basement of
Nancy Salzman's home.[31] According to the Times Union, NXIVM "developed a
reputation for aggressively pursuing critics and defectors who broke from its
ranks, including using litigation to punish critics of Raniere, the organization,
or its training methods."[32]

The World Ethical Foundations Consortium, an organization co-founded by Raniere and

the Bronfman sisters, sponsored a visit to Albany by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2009.
The visit was initially cancelled due to negative press surrounding NXIVM,[33] but
was rescheduled; the Dalai Lama spoke at Albany's Palace Theatre in May 2009.[34]
Subsequently, in 2017, Lama Tenzin Dhonden, the self-styled "Personal Emissary for
Peace for the Dalai Lama" who had arranged the appearance, was suspended from his
position amid corruption charges; the investigation also revealed a personal
relationship between Dhonden and Sara Bronfman, which began in 2009.[35]

NXIVM has been described as a pyramid scheme,[36][37][38][11] a sex-trafficking

operation,[39] a cult,[40][41][42] and a sex cult.[43] In a 2010 article in the
Times Union, former NXIVM coaches characterized students as "prey" for use by
Raniere in satisfying his sexual or gambling-related proclivities.[44] Kristin
Keeffe, a longtime partner of Raniere and mother of his child, left the group in
2014 and described Raniere as "dangerous", stating that "[a]ll the worst things you
know about NXIVM are true."[45]
Media investigations of DOS

Starting with an October 2017 article in The New York Times, details began to
emerge about DOS, a "secret sisterhood" within NXIVM, in which female members were
allegedly referred to as "slaves," branded with the initials of Raniere and Mack,
subjected to corporal punishment from their "masters", and required to provide nude
photos or other potentially damaging information about themselves as "collateral".
[38][12][46][47][11] Law enforcement representatives have alleged that members of
DOS were forced into sexual slavery.[48]

Sarah Edmondson, a Canadian actress who had been an ESP participant since 2005,
said that she left NXIVM after Mack inducted her into DOS the preceding March at
her home in Albany. Edmondson alleged that participants were blindfolded naked,
held down by Mack and three other women, and branded by NXIVM-affiliated doctor
Danielle Roberts, using a cauterizing pen.[38][12][49][50][17] Appearing on an A&E
television program about cults, Edmondson would provide additional context on the
use of the "collateral" concept, stating that it was used in innocuous forms from
the earliest, outermost stages of NXIVM in order to acclimatize victims—for
example, collateralizing small amounts of money that one might forfeit if one did
not go to the gym one day.[12][13] The Times would later report that "hundreds" of
members left NXIVM after Edmondson went public about her experience.[13]

On December 15, 2017, the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired an exposé featuring
interviews with many former NXIVM adherents, including Edmondson and Catherine
Oxenberg, who alleged that her daughter, India Oxenberg, was in danger due to the
group. Several former members reported financial and sexual predation carried out
by NXIVM leaders.[38][46][51] Edmondson was further featured in "Escaping NXIVM",
during the first season of the CBC podcast Uncover.[52]

Seven socially-prominent Mexicans, including Emilio Salinas Occelli (son of former

president Carlos Salinas de Gortari) and Ana Cristina Fox (daughter of former
president Vicente Fox), Rosa Laura Junco, Loreta Garza Dávila (a business leader
from Nuevo Leon), Daniela Padilla, Camila Fernández, and Mónica Durán, have been
accused of involvement, according to an article in the New York Times published on
May 26, 2019.[53]
Criminal prosecutions and convictions

In March 2018, Raniere was arrested and indicted on a variety of charges related to
DOS, including sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to
commit forced labor.[3][54] He was arrested in Mexico and held in custody in New
York after appearing in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas.[55] The indictment
alleged that at least one woman was coerced into sex with Raniere, who forced DOS
members to undergo the branding ritual alleged by Edmondson and others.[56][57]
United States Attorney Richard Donoghue stated that Raniere "created a secret
society of women whom he had sex with and branded with his initials, coercing them
with the threat of releasing their highly personal information and taking their
assets."[11]

On April 20, 2018, Mack was arrested and indicted on similar charges to Raniere's.
According to prosecutors, after she recruited women into first NXIVM and then DOS,
Mack coerced them into engaging in sexual activity with Raniere and performing
menial tasks, for which she was allegedly paid by Raniere.[17] Mack was further
alleged to be second-in-command of NXIVM after Raniere.[17][29][58][59][60] On
April 24, Mack was released on $5 million bond pending trial and held under house
arrest with her parents in California.[61][62] If convicted of all charges, Mack
and Raniere face a minimum of fifteen years and up to life in prison.[63] On May 4,
Raniere pleaded not guilty.[64]

Salzman's home was raided shortly after Raniere's arrest,[11] and prosecutors
stated during his arraignment that further arrests and a superseding indictment for
Raniere and Mack should be expected.[65][66] In late May, authorities moved to
seize two NXIVM-owned properties near Albany.[67]

In April 2018, the New York Post reported that NXIVM had moved to Brooklyn, New
York and was being led by Clare Bronfman.[68] On June 12, 2018, the Times Union
reported that NXIVM had suspended its operations due to "extraordinary
circumstances facing the company".[69] Bronfman was arrested on July 24 and charged
with racketeering. She was released to house arrest after signing a $100 million
bail bond. Also arrested and charged with the same crime were NXIVM President Nancy
Salzman; her daughter, Lauren Salzman; and another NXIVM employee, Kathy Russell.
[70][71]

On March 13, 2019, Nancy Salzman pleaded guilty to a charge of racketeering

criminal conspiracy.[72][73][74] Also in March 2019, Lauren Salzman pleaded guilty
to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy.[75] On April 8, 2019, Mack pleaded
guilty to racketeering.[76] On April 19, 2019, Bronfman pleaded guilty to charges
of harboring an alien and identity fraud; bookkeeper Russell also pleaded guilty to
visa fraud.[77]

Raniere's federal trial began on May 7, 2019.[78] On June 19, 2019, he was
convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking.[6][6]
Beliefs and practices
NXIVM founder Keith Raniere

In NXIVM classes, rank was signified by the wearing of colored sashes, similar to
belts used in various martial arts.[79]

NXIVM featured a 12-point "Mission Statement", which participants recited, pledging

to "purge" themselves "of all parasite and envy-based habits", to enroll others in
such courses, and to "ethically control as much of the money, wealth and resources
of the world as possible within my success plan".[80] Photographs of Ranier and
Mack were displayed during classes, which would conclude with participants showing
gratitude to the two leaders.[81]

NXIVM conducted "Intensives" classes for 12 hours daily for 16 days. One cited
price was $7,500.[82][83] Classes were divided into modules. In one module,
"Relationship Sourcing", students were instructed to explore the benefits they
would receive in the event of a partner's sudden death. Another module, "Dracula
and his ghouls", reportedly discussed psychopaths and their followers. Other
modules titles included "Best People; Perfect World" and "The Heroic Struggle".[84]

NXIVM featured a practice, termed "exploration of meaning" that involved a senior

member questioning a member as they delve into their childhood memories.[85]

NXIVM taught that some people, called "Suppressives", try to impede progress within
NXIVM.[86] People who irrevocably turned against Raniere were said to have
undergone "The Fall" and were labeled, in the words of a former member, as
"Luciferians, lost people for whom bad feels good, and good feels bad."[87]

NXIVM members organized "Vanguard Week", an annual celebration of Raniere's

birthday.[88]

NXIVM has been associated with several related organizations. Jness was a society
aimed at women, while the Society of Protectors was aimed primarily at men.[85] A
third group was known by the acronym DOS for "Dominus Obsequious Sororium", a Latin
phrase that reportedly translates to "Master over Slave Women".[89] In 2006,
Raniere founded Rainbow Cultural Garden, an international chain of child-care
organizations in which children were to be exposed to seven different languages.
[90]

Some members of NXIVM's inner circle were reportedly taught that, in past lives,
they were high-ranking Nazis.[91] Barbara Bouchey was reportedly the reincarnation
of Holocaust architecht Reinhard Heydrich, while Nancy Salzmann was supposed to be
the reincarnation of Hitler. Raneira reported he had been a leader of anti-Nazi
partisans.[92]

According to a complaint filed by a former NXIVM member, a medical doctor performed

an experiment on her that involved recording her EEG responses while viewing
footage of people being murdered.[93][94] Brandon P. Porter, the doctor, faced 24
professional conduct charges from the New York State Board of the Office of
Professional Medical Conduct, including "moral unfitness to practice medicine".[95]
[96]
Notable members and others
Films and documentaries
References
External links
Last edited 4 days ago by AHampton
Related articles

Allison Mack

German actress
Keith Raniere

American businessman and alleged cult leader, Found guilty of human trafficking
Clare Bronfman

American philanthropist

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NXIVM

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NXIVM (/ˈnɛksiəm/ NEKS-ee-əm) is a self-described American multi-level marketing

company[2] based near Albany, New York, that offered personal and professional
development seminars through its "Executive Success Programs". The company has been
described as a cult and a pyramid scheme, and has also been alleged to be a
recruiting platform for a secret society (variously called "DOS" or "The Vow") in
which women were branded and forced into sexual slavery.
NXIVM Corporation
NXIVM Logo.png
Type
Privately held company
Industry
Multi-level marketing; personal development
Founded
1998
Headquarters
Albany, New York
Key people
Keith Raniere (co-founder, leader)
Nancy Salzman (co-founder, president)
Allison Mack (recruiter, leader)
Clare Bronfman (funder, leader)[1]
Products
Seminars
Website
NXIVM.com (Archived)

In early 2018, NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his associate, actress Allison Mack,
were arrested and indicted on federal charges related to DOS, including sex
trafficking.[3] Others associated with NXIVM were also charged with federal crimes.
As of April 2019, five people associated with NXIVM—Mack, NXIVM co-founder Nancy
Salzman, Lauren Salzman, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, and bookkeeper Kathy
Russell—had pleaded guilty to various charges.[4][5] Raniere's federal trial began
on May 7, 2019. On June 19, 2019, he was convicted of sex trafficking and
racketeering.[6][7]
History

Prior to founding NXIVM, Raniere had created "Consumers Buyline",[8] a business

venture which was accused by the New York Attorney General of having been a pyramid
scheme; Raniere signed a consent order in 1996 in which he denied any wrongdoing,
but agreed to pay a $40,000 fine and to be permanently banned from "promoting,
offering or granting participation in a chain distribution scheme".[9]
Founding and initial success

In 1998, Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman founded NXIVM, a personal development
company[10] offering "Executive Success Programs" (ESPs) and a range of techniques
aimed at self-improvement.[11][12][13] Raniere claimed that the programs' "main
emphasis is to have people experience more joy in their lives."[12]

During NXIVM seminars, students were expected to call Raniere and Salzman
"Vanguard" and "Prefect", respectively.[14][15][16] The Hollywood Reporter stated
that Raniere "adopted the title 'Vanguard' from a favorite arcade game ... in which
the destruction of one's enemies increased one's own power."[17] Within the
organization, the reasoning for the titles was that Raniere was the leader of a
philosophical movement and Salzman was his first student.[13]

By 2003, some 3,700 people had taken part in ESP classes, reportedly including
businesswoman Sheila Johnson; former Surgeon General Antonia Novello; Enron
executive Stephen Cooper; and Ana Cristina Fox, daughter of former Mexican
president Vicente Fox.[18] Other participants were later reported to include
entrepreneur Richard Branson (who later denied having taken the classes[19][20]),
Edgar Bronfman Sr.,[21] and actresses Linda Evans, Grace Park, and Nicki Clyne.[22]
[8] In the early 2000s, Seagram heiresses Clare and Sara Bronfman, the daughters of
Edgar Bronfman Sr., became attached to the organization.[8][13]
"Cult" allegations in early 2000s

NXIVM's training is a trade secret, subject to non-disclosure agreements, but

reportedly uses a technique the organization calls "rational inquiry" to facilitate
personal and professional development. In 2003, NXIVM sued the Ross Institute,
alleging copyright infringement for publishing excerpts of content from its manual
in three critical articles commissioned by cult investigator Rick Alan Ross and
posted on his website.[23][24][25] Ross posted a psychiatrist's assessment of
NXIVM's "secret" manual on his website – the report called the regimen "expensive
brainwashing". The manual was obtained by Ross from former member Stephanie Franco,
a co-defendant in the trial, who had signed a non-disclosure agreement not to
divulge information from the manual to others. NXIVM filed suits in both New York
and New Jersey, but both were later dismissed.[22][26]

In October 2003, Forbes published an article on NXIVM and Raniere.[18] Vanity Fair
subsequently reported of the article: "People at NXIVM were stunned. Expecting a
positive story, the top ranks had spoken to Forbes, including Raniere, Salzman, and
Sara Bronfman. What upset them above all were Edgar Bronfman’s remarks. 'I think
it’s a cult,' he told the magazine, going on to say that he was troubled about the
'emotional and financial' investment in NXIVM by his daughters, to whom he hadn’t
spoken in months."[8] In 2006, Forbes published an article about the Bronfman
sisters, stating that they had taken out a line of credit to loan NXIVM US$2
million, repayable through personal training sessions and phone consultations with
Salzman.[27] Another Forbes article in 2010 discussed the failures of commodities
and real estate deals by the Bronfmans made pursuant to Raniere's advice.[28]
2006-2015

After actress Kristin Kreuk became involved with NXIVM in 2006, Salzman and her
daughter Lauren went to Vancouver, British Columbia to recruit Kreuk's Smallville
co-star Allison Mack.[17] The younger Salzman (herself a junior NXIVM leader)[13]
bonded with Mack and the latter became involved,[17] although Kreuk would
subsequently leave NXIVM.[29] Mack became "an enthusiastic proselytizer" for NXIVM,
persuading her parents to take courses, and, after wrapping production of
Smallville in 2011, moved to Clifton Park, New York near NXIVM's home-base in
Albany.[17] Early 2007 saw a string of financial contributions from NXIVM
participants to Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign, with over a dozen
participants donating the maximum allowable figure of $2,300. The contributions
totalled $29,900. NXIVM associates also gave $31,600 to the state Republican Senate
Campaign Committee and provided $34,763 worth of air transportation, totaling
$66,363.[30]

In 2008, the Bronfman sisters allegedly pressured Stephen Herbits, a confidante of

their father, to ask Albany County District Attorney David Soares, New York
Governor Eliot Spitzer, and New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram to open
criminal investigations into NXIVM's critics. NXIVM reportedly kept dossiers on
Soares, Spitzer, political consultant Roger Stone, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and
Albany Times Union publisher George Randolph Hearst III in a box in the basement of
Nancy Salzman's home.[31] According to the Times Union, NXIVM "developed a
reputation for aggressively pursuing critics and defectors who broke from its
ranks, including using litigation to punish critics of Raniere, the organization,
or its training methods."[32]

The World Ethical Foundations Consortium, an organization co-founded by Raniere and

the Bronfman sisters, sponsored a visit to Albany by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2009.
The visit was initially cancelled due to negative press surrounding NXIVM,[33] but
was rescheduled; the Dalai Lama spoke at Albany's Palace Theatre in May 2009.[34]
Subsequently, in 2017, Lama Tenzin Dhonden, the self-styled "Personal Emissary for
Peace for the Dalai Lama" who had arranged the appearance, was suspended from his
position amid corruption charges; the investigation also revealed a personal
relationship between Dhonden and Sara Bronfman, which began in 2009.[35]

NXIVM has been described as a pyramid scheme,[36][37][38][11] a sex-trafficking

operation,[39] a cult,[40][41][42] and a sex cult.[43] In a 2010 article in the
Times Union, former NXIVM coaches characterized students as "prey" for use by
Raniere in satisfying his sexual or gambling-related proclivities.[44] Kristin
Keeffe, a longtime partner of Raniere and mother of his child, left the group in
2014 and described Raniere as "dangerous", stating that "[a]ll the worst things you
know about NXIVM are true."[45]
Media investigations of DOS

Starting with an October 2017 article in The New York Times, details began to
emerge about DOS, a "secret sisterhood" within NXIVM, in which female members were
allegedly referred to as "slaves," branded with the initials of Raniere and Mack,
subjected to corporal punishment from their "masters", and required to provide nude
photos or other potentially damaging information about themselves as "collateral".
[38][12][46][47][11] Law enforcement representatives have alleged that members of
DOS were forced into sexual slavery.[48]

Sarah Edmondson, a Canadian actress who had been an ESP participant since 2005,
said that she left NXIVM after Mack inducted her into DOS the preceding March at
her home in Albany. Edmondson alleged that participants were blindfolded naked,
held down by Mack and three other women, and branded by NXIVM-affiliated doctor
Danielle Roberts, using a cauterizing pen.[38][12][49][50][17] Appearing on an A&E
television program about cults, Edmondson would provide additional context on the
use of the "collateral" concept, stating that it was used in innocuous forms from
the earliest, outermost stages of NXIVM in order to acclimatize victims—for
example, collateralizing small amounts of money that one might forfeit if one did
not go to the gym one day.[12][13] The Times would later report that "hundreds" of
members left NXIVM after Edmondson went public about her experience.[13]

On December 15, 2017, the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired an exposé featuring
interviews with many former NXIVM adherents, including Edmondson and Catherine
Oxenberg, who alleged that her daughter, India Oxenberg, was in danger due to the
group. Several former members reported financial and sexual predation carried out
by NXIVM leaders.[38][46][51] Edmondson was further featured in "Escaping NXIVM",
during the first season of the CBC podcast Uncover.[52]

Seven socially-prominent Mexicans, including Emilio Salinas Occelli (son of former

president Carlos Salinas de Gortari) and Ana Cristina Fox (daughter of former
president Vicente Fox), Rosa Laura Junco, Loreta Garza Dávila (a business leader
from Nuevo Leon), Daniela Padilla, Camila Fernández, and Mónica Durán, have been
accused of involvement, according to an article in the New York Times published on
May 26, 2019.[53]
Criminal prosecutions and convictions

In March 2018, Raniere was arrested and indicted on a variety of charges related to
DOS, including sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to
commit forced labor.[3][54] He was arrested in Mexico and held in custody in New
York after appearing in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas.[55] The indictment
alleged that at least one woman was coerced into sex with Raniere, who forced DOS
members to undergo the branding ritual alleged by Edmondson and others.[56][57]
United States Attorney Richard Donoghue stated that Raniere "created a secret
society of women whom he had sex with and branded with his initials, coercing them
with the threat of releasing their highly personal information and taking their
assets."[11]

On April 20, 2018, Mack was arrested and indicted on similar charges to Raniere's.
According to prosecutors, after she recruited women into first NXIVM and then DOS,
Mack coerced them into engaging in sexual activity with Raniere and performing
menial tasks, for which she was allegedly paid by Raniere.[17] Mack was further
alleged to be second-in-command of NXIVM after Raniere.[17][29][58][59][60] On
April 24, Mack was released on $5 million bond pending trial and held under house
arrest with her parents in California.[61][62] If convicted of all charges, Mack
and Raniere face a minimum of fifteen years and up to life in prison.[63] On May 4,
Raniere pleaded not guilty.[64]

Salzman's home was raided shortly after Raniere's arrest,[11] and prosecutors
stated during his arraignment that further arrests and a superseding indictment for
Raniere and Mack should be expected.[65][66] In late May, authorities moved to
seize two NXIVM-owned properties near Albany.[67]

In April 2018, the New York Post reported that NXIVM had moved to Brooklyn, New
York and was being led by Clare Bronfman.[68] On June 12, 2018, the Times Union
reported that NXIVM had suspended its operations due to "extraordinary
circumstances facing the company".[69] Bronfman was arrested on July 24 and charged
with racketeering. She was released to house arrest after signing a $100 million
bail bond. Also arrested and charged with the same crime were NXIVM President Nancy
Salzman; her daughter, Lauren Salzman; and another NXIVM employee, Kathy Russell.
[70][71]

On March 13, 2019, Nancy Salzman pleaded guilty to a charge of racketeering

criminal conspiracy.[72][73][74] Also in March 2019, Lauren Salzman pleaded guilty
to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy.[75] On April 8, 2019, Mack pleaded
guilty to racketeering.[76] On April 19, 2019, Bronfman pleaded guilty to charges
of harboring an alien and identity fraud; bookkeeper Russell also pleaded guilty to
visa fraud.[77]
Raniere's federal trial began on May 7, 2019.[78] On June 19, 2019, he was
convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking.[6][6]
Beliefs and practices
NXIVM founder Keith Raniere

In NXIVM classes, rank was signified by the wearing of colored sashes, similar to
belts used in various martial arts.[79]

NXIVM featured a 12-point "Mission Statement", which participants recited, pledging

to "purge" themselves "of all parasite and envy-based habits", to enroll others in
such courses, and to "ethically control as much of the money, wealth and resources
of the world as possible within my success plan".[80] Photographs of Ranier and
Mack were displayed during classes, which would conclude with participants showing
gratitude to the two leaders.[81]

NXIVM conducted "Intensives" classes for 12 hours daily for 16 days. One cited
price was $7,500.[82][83] Classes were divided into modules. In one module,
"Relationship Sourcing", students were instructed to explore the benefits they
would receive in the event of a partner's sudden death. Another module, "Dracula
and his ghouls", reportedly discussed psychopaths and their followers. Other
modules titles included "Best People; Perfect World" and "The Heroic Struggle".[84]

NXIVM featured a practice, termed "exploration of meaning" that involved a senior

member questioning a member as they delve into their childhood memories.[85]

NXIVM taught that some people, called "Suppressives", try to impede progress within
NXIVM.[86] People who irrevocably turned against Raniere were said to have
undergone "The Fall" and were labeled, in the words of a former member, as
"Luciferians, lost people for whom bad feels good, and good feels bad."[87]

NXIVM members organized "Vanguard Week", an annual celebration of Raniere's

birthday.[88]

NXIVM has been associated with several related organizations. Jness was a society
aimed at women, while the Society of Protectors was aimed primarily at men.[85] A
third group was known by the acronym DOS for "Dominus Obsequious Sororium", a Latin
phrase that reportedly translates to "Master over Slave Women".[89] In 2006,
Raniere founded Rainbow Cultural Garden, an international chain of child-care
organizations in which children were to be exposed to seven different languages.
[90]

Some members of NXIVM's inner circle were reportedly taught that, in past lives,
they were high-ranking Nazis.[91] Barbara Bouchey was reportedly the reincarnation
of Holocaust architecht Reinhard Heydrich, while Nancy Salzmann was supposed to be
the reincarnation of Hitler. Raneira reported he had been a leader of anti-Nazi
partisans.[92]

According to a complaint filed by a former NXIVM member, a medical doctor performed

an experiment on her that involved recording her EEG responses while viewing
footage of people being murdered.[93][94] Brandon P. Porter, the doctor, faced 24
professional conduct charges from the New York State Board of the Office of
Professional Medical Conduct, including "moral unfitness to practice medicine".[95]
[96]
Notable members and others
Films and documentaries
References
External links
Last edited 4 days ago by AHampton
Related articles

Allison Mack

German actress
Keith Raniere

American businessman and alleged cult leader, Found guilty of human trafficking
Clare Bronfman

American philanthropist

Wikipedia
Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.

Terms of UsePrivacyDesktop