Have you ever wondered just how much money some of these religious organizations have? As a religious contrarian, my current patreon campaign makes about 30 dollars a month. The Mormon church has a little more: an investment fund of 100 billion dollars to be exact. That’s more than some small nations. And what do they do with this money? Why, find ways to make sure they never pay taxes, that’s what!
Luckily for them, they were only fined 5 million dollars for their pattern of financial obfuscation. Talk about worth it! The IRS is bound to do absolutely nothing about this. They are too scared of the bad optics. Keep in mind that the sole reason churches are granted their special tax status is the presumption that the money would be used for charitable purposes. What kind of good could be accomplished with this kind of money? Well, considering that it’s estimated that it would cost about 40 billion to eliminate world hunger, I think we can all comfortably say that there isn’t one church in the world that gives one shit about it. So long as the coffers grow, they are happy.
Imagine for a moment that you have a sore neck, and a friend suggests to you that you should go visit a chiropractor. Like most people in pain, you are desperate for relief, and figure that you have nothing to lose by going. Except that in some cases, you do have a lot to loose, like in the case of Caitlin Jensen, a 29 year old women who was paralyzed last year when a chiropractor (or as I like to call them, medical fraudsters) manipulated her neck and broke it, causing her to have a stroke. She is now paralyzed and requires the use of a wheelchair to get around. Her recovery has been slow, but she is lucky to be alive after being the latest victim of an industry without oversight.
When are people going to wake up and realize that chiropractic “medicine” is nothing but a bullshit pseudoscience peddled by people too lazy or stupid to attend medical school. These scammers take money from people, cracking their backs and neck without any real medical training. If you trust your life and future to these charlatans, you might just end up like poor Caitlin. What a waste.
What do the words of a child abuser mean to you? How about when that person is a religious leader of an entire faith? Last February, the Dali Lama (aka Tenzin Gyatso) was caught kissing a young Indian boy on the mouth, and asking him to “suck his tongue”. His spokespeople were quick to try and dismiss the act as something quite innocent:
“His holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident.”
Yes, I love it when I’m teased by a sexually repressed human being that has the least healthy relationship with sex of any class of person. We can only guess as to what this man does when the cameras aren’t around. If you still think that this cult leader is anything more than a disguised abuser, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Here’s a great video demonstrating the kind of pathetic tactic the Discovery Institute uses to try and silence critics. Since they are incapable of actually defending their claims using logic, reasoning, or anything that isn’t the Bible, they have to try and use bogus DMC claims to shoot down videos that expose their pathetic arguments. I’m sure in their eyes, they’re doing all of this for Jesus, so lying, being deceitful and dishonest is OK so long as people stop believing in the “godless” science of evolution. Who needs intellectual integrity when you have God?
In the 1970’s, a recent convert to Christianity named Rama Behera moved to the town of Shawano after a “vision” had told him to spread the word of the Lord. Like many grifters and opportunists before him, this mission would require the control over the lives of others. Behera’s targets had been primed with the idea of God, and the belief that to fill their spiritual angst, total submission to “the word”, generously interpreted by him, was required. To gain legitimacy, he needed only to give himself a new name and an impressive title. He chose Dr. Rama Chandra Samanta Roy, and his congregation was called “The Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ”. In a 1970’s disillusioned with the spiritual messaging of the free love generation, which had failed to deliver on it’s promises of spiritual fulfillment, the rigid discipline of an “old fashioned religion” might have appealed to hippies looking for something new.
The world evolved and changed, and Roy was not about to let a chance to rebrand slip by. As the 21st century dawned, the excitement of the future, and the promises of new technology represented a deep well of credibility and gravitas that was ripe for exploitation. Enter the Samantha Roy Institute of Science and Technology. Not content with only changing the name of his organization, Rama eventually followed suit with a brand new moniker, this time to Avraham Cohen. Not only does such a change allow for a brand new start, it also tends to help mask ones activities. The name change also reflected the constant flux of his religious doctrine. Followers have described his theology as “confusing” [2] It also signifies his changing ideology, from a mutated form of Christianity to an unrecognizable Judaism.
Their acronym, which is pronounced “cyst”, has much in common with the medical condition. Like a cancerous growth, when left to its own devices, it can become malignant and dangerous, two words that perfectly describes Mr. Cohen. There is much about the man that is a mystery, but what is known of him, and his actions, indicate the classic signs of a malignant narcissist.
His grueling prayer meetings, which last sometimes up to 8 hours, are exercises in bladder control. He forbids his members from leaving to go to the bathroom, with some people actually soiling themselves as a result. He frequently enforces long fasts, only to break them with inedible or often spoiled food that he forces his members to eat. It is unclear if this type of torture is meant simply for continued control or for his sick pleasure. Neither answer would surprise me.
Before you think that everyone enraptured by this man is a victim, keep in mind that the man in the video was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing his daughter. He claims that he had long lost control of his actions due to Cohen’s domination, with others testifying on his behalf. He pleaded guilty, but maintained his innocence, blaming group pressure for the abuse. No charges, however, involved anyone but him.
“One of the problems we ran into was the statute of limitations,” said Sheriff’s Department Investigator Randall Giese, who was part of that investigation. “And people involved in the group during the time frame that would put it in the statute of limitations won’t talk to us.”
You’ll find there’s a common thread when hearing the stories of victims of cults; usually they are searching for answers. This vulnerability is something very few of them are aware until they meet with someone charismatic that offers a set of beliefs and behaviors that appear, at first, to fulfill their desires. This is the mechanism these predators employ in order to exert their will upon others.
In Roy’s business dealings, he takes over the businesses of his followers, and withholds the funds they receive, presumably to himself alone. His finances are a mystery, but he’s become the most powerful figure in Shawano.
People do not have ideas. Ideas have people. This is the inherent danger of ideology. It seems that certain ideas have a way of overriding our common sense or even our notions of right and wrong. This is what makes religion so dangerous; it claims divine authority over every aspect of life, and its invented ideology often directly conflict with the needs of the individual, and the proper functioning of society. The tragedy is that people still think that religion is essential for the survival of society. And yet by every available metric, societies that have rejected faith have a higher standard of living. The evidence seems clear.
List of abuses and lawsuits against the group
[1] https://culteducation.com/group/1111-rama-behera.html
Woman being tortured with cattle prod for “not listening” to leader
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItLKMxnCHZ8
The business dealings of the cult
[3] https://archive.jsonline.com/business/followers-put-their-faith-in-his-hands-8k2b55o-133308973.html/
The tale of my retirement was greatly exaggerated, and so TGA is set for a comeback, just in tome for everyone to go and review or buy Bible Stories on Amazon!
Apologies to those of you still tuning in. The site was down for a while after a misplaced password, but I’m happy to report that the trouble has passed and the bills have been paid. So that means you get to enjoy one of those rarities these days: a freakin’ podcast! And it’s an interview with Catherine Dunphy, none the less.
TGA is back, and while we might be a little rusty, I’m happy to announce that we’re going back to a bi-monthly schedule. So be sure to update your subscription to make sure you get the show!
This episode is a very special double feature with my guest Matt Facciani, and we also introduce the very first episode of “Sketchy Podcast.” You won’t want to miss out.
This month, I’ll be talking about vaccination and the recent outbreak of measles in Disney World. We also announce the launch of my exciting new project:
This week, Tom B. joins me as we discuss the history of Christmas, and even showcase some original holiday songs for all of you. Don’t miss out on the Yuletide fun!
This week, my cohost Tom B. and I talk about time travel and the movies that feature this poorly used trope, and we’ll also talk about the future of space exploration. It’s one hour of goofy fun you won’t want to miss.
This week, I interview Eiynah, of the blog Nice Mangos. She recently wrote an open letter to Ben Affleck, which went viral. So I had her on so we could talk about the hot subject of Islamophobia. If you loved the interview, don’t forget to support our Patreon Campaign. One dollar a month makes all the difference.
