Deprogramming Tragedies

A tragedy is occurring today in Orange County and throughout America. Unethical businessmen who conduct religious “deprogramming” are defrauding misinformed Americans, while at the same time trouncing on the First Amendment rights of young adults.

I have recently seen a case in Tustin where a deprogrammer turned a young man against his church. The young man subsequently set fire to a church building, endangering the lives of others and subjecting himself to arrest.

I want to warn parents about this dangerous practice, since they may be unsuspecting victims of the scam being run by the deprogrammers.

The scam runs something like this. A parent becomes concerned or upset when his or her young adult child becomes involved with a non-mainstream religious sect. Communication, already strained with the son or daughter, becomes worse.

The parent is approached by the deprogrammer who, using various lies and scare tactics, attempts to convince the parents that their son or daughter has been brainwashed by the sect and is being held against his or her will.

Some parents, eager to find an outside excuse for having lost good relations with their child, are easy prey for the deprogrammer’s trap.

The deprogrammer extracts a retainer of from $5,000 to $25,000 from the parents to “recover” the child. He then kidnaps the young adult (many are in their late 20s and early 30s) and holds him against his will until he agrees to denounce and leave his religion of choice.

The deprogrammer uses various forms of duress, such as sleep deprivation, physical threats, intimidation--and worse--to accomplish his sordid deed.

The public must be warned against falling prey to these dangerous and destructive charlatans--the deprogrammers.

ROBERT M. LIPPMANN

Coto de Caza