Dal still on watch for aggressive religious groups

"Christian cults" were a problem at Dalhousie 10 years ago and the university's Multifaith Centre is on guard for their return.

Clement Mehlman, Lutheran chaplain at Dalhousie University's Multifaith Centre, helped create the Aggressive Religious Groups pamphlet. Photo: Clare Deignan

At Dalhousie University's Multifaith Centre, out of dozens of pamphlets on the wall next to the reception office, one title jumps off the rack: "Aggressive Religious Groups at Dalhousie: What to Expect, What to Accept, What to Do."

Does Dalhousie have a problem with aggressive religious groups?

Clement Mehlman says no - at least not now.

The Lutheran chaplain at the Multifaith Centre and Shannon Zimmerman, president of the Dalhousie Student Union, say Dalhousie has not dealt with aggressive religious groups for many years.

Mehlman says the pamphlet is not meant to alarm students or sensationalize. But 10 years ago a worried mother in Dartmouth contacted Dalhousie Security Services about her daughter, a first-year student.

"She was concerned about the changes in social patterns and friendships and time away from home that the daughter was finding in this new group."

Security contacted the Multifaith Centre, then called the Dalhousie Chaplaincy office, and after Mehlman listened to the mother, he became concerned himself.

During this time Brian Kellow, vice-president of the Dalhousie Student Union, dealt with complaints about religious groups recruiting on campus.

Kellow describes these groups as essentially "Christian cults," whose main purpose was to isolate members from their friends and family and collect donations.

"They identified vulnerable students and bled them dry."

As problems arose, Mehlman and Kellow realized more needed to be done. A group frequently on Dal's campus, the Boston Movement, was banned from Ryerson and York Universities and named a cult.

"At that point, I shared my concern with a chaplain in Manitoba," says Mehlman. The Manitoba chaplaincy, a part of a Lutheran chaplaincy network, gave him information on aggressive religious groups and tips for students on how to avoid these groups.

Mehlman and Kellow put together a brochure to get the message about these groups out on campus and to give Dal students a checklist of what characteristics to avoid when joining a religious group. The student union funded the pamphlet and it was placed in each welcome packet for about five years after the incident.

The pamphlet states that students should be careful of groups that seem perfect and are overly generous - something Mehlman calls "love bombing."

It also warns about groups that will not accept "no" for an answer.

Other warning signs are groups that want new members to recruit for them or want members to put group functions before school and other activities.

These days, Mehlman says, problems with aggressive religious groups are "well off the radar screen."

He believes there wasn't a large enough market for the group in Halifax. But, the Multifaith Centre has not forgotten its job to warn students about religious predators.

And students are interested.

Last year, at the Sexton campus, students took 110 Aggressive Religious Groups pamphlets, making it the most popular pamphlet. Students' second choice, the Dalhousie Alcohol Policy, was chosen only 80 times.

While aggressive religious groups may be off the radar, there's enough interest to keep Mehlman busy replenishing the Aggressive Religious Groups pamphlet.

Comments on this story are now closed