Council on Mind Abuse

The Council on Mind Abuse

Type	non-profit organization
Industry	countercult
Genre	Psychology
Founded	1979
Founder(s)	Ian Haworth
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key people	Ian Haworth, President Rob Tucker, Director
Services	cult education and consultation

The Council on Mind Abuse (COMA) was a Canadian non-profit organization promoting education about "cults" from 1979 to 1992.^[1][2][3][4]

Beginnings

COMA's Founder and President was Ian Haworth, an international anticult activist from the United Kingdom^[4][5] Haworth also co-founded FOCUS Network in 1982 in Dallas, Texas.^[4] The September 10, 1983 article "Cults" in the Toronto Star by Ian Haworth attracted the attention of Robert C. Tucker, a psychiatric counselor.^[6] In 1984, Ian Haworth wrote to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to warn doctors in Ontario about a mass-mailing from Narconon, Scientology's drug and alcohol program.^[7] Robert C. Tucker assumed the role of Director in 1987 when Haworth returned to London to found the Cult Information Centre, a non-sectarian, educational charity.^[2][4]

Litigation

COMA was a target for lawsuits as early as January 1983.^[8] COMA remained actively involved in co-operative efforts with other agencies to end ritual child abuse.^[9] Litigation aimed at revealing the sources of COMA's funding proved problematic.^[8][10] In 1992, Director Tucker announced the end of COMA after his seven year involvement, noting the damage that lawsuits by Scientology and others had done. He also described the merging goals of cults and corporations: "We have to recognize that cults are successful organizations with techniques now being borrowed by other successful organizations: corporations and others in the power structure interested in how to get people into working for free, and totally motivated."^[2]

After Dissolution

Ian Haworth continues as General Secretary of the Cult Information Centre, focusing on exposing the dangers of cults as a public speaker, expert witness and consultant, as well as publishing articles in the national and international media.^[4] As late as 2000, Robert C. Tucker was still an active speaker and writer on the subject, attending the ICSA 2000 Conference in Seattle, Washington and talking about his book An Age For Lucifer, which postulated an emerging spirituality of Social Darwinism.^[3][11] Tucker died on March 15, 2003 in Mexico of a heart attack.^[12]

References

1. ^ "What is a cult?". http://geneva.rutgers.edu/src/faq/cults.txt. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "F.A.C.T.net CARD CATALOG ENTRY". Archived from the original on 2002-08-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20020829234505/http://www.xenu.org/factnet/AFF/FILES/CO0792/CO0792AA.TXT. Retrieved 2002-08-29. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "New Religious Movements (prompt 7)". http://www.stthomasu.ca/~parkhill/nrm01/pmt07.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} "What should be done about cults?". http://www.csj.org/infoserv_articles/langone_michael_should_be_done.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-20. 
5. ^ "ISKCON in the News Articles from the Cult Observer 1984–1999". http://www.cultsandsociety.com/csissueidx/toc2001.1/grprept2001.1_harekrishna/grprept_hk_newsarticles/news_CO_1985.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-20. 
6. ^ "Bible Truths – Cults and Occultism". http://members.allstream.net/~vrai/CultsOccults.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-19. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Lindsay Scotton (June 24, 1986). "Scientology 'purification' rite used by anti-addiction centres". The Toronto Star. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/ts140686.htm?FACTNet. Retrieved 2007-03-20. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Order P-80". http://www.accessandprivacy.gov.on.ca/english/order/prov/p-80.html. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
9. ^ "The Summary Report". http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/archives/html/1reach2.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-19. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ "Final Order MO-1550-F" (pdf). http://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Findings/Attached_PDF/MO-1550-F.pdf. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
11. ^ "Events". http://icsahome.com/infoserv_conferences/archive/2000_cultsmillennium_speakers.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
12. ^ "+ AFF News Briefs – 2004 No. 2". http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_enews/affnb_2004_02.htm#Education%20and%20Research%20News. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 

Bible & History Cults and occultism http://ojgraham.com

"Bible Truths—Cults and Occultism" NEW http://ojgraham.com

External links

• Cult Information Centre, London, U.K.

See also