By: Robin Murray-o'hair
Re: Philadelphia Cult Raided

PHILADELPHIA CULT IS RAIDED

Kids Worked All Week in Church "Carpet Cleaning" Business for $10

by Conrad F. Goeringer

  On April 19, police raided the Philadelphia headquarters of a
religious cult after receiving reports that kids were being held
against their will. The Church of Bible Understanding (COBU) has
been in the news since the mid-1970s. It was founded by former
vacuum cleaner salesman-turned-prophet Stewart Traill. In 1982,
four members of the group (known as "Lambs") were convicted of
beating Traill's 12-year-old son with a belt and a stick after he
allegedly stole an item from a hobby store. In 1985, a Manhattan
court ordered COBU to stop taking in homeless children so they
could work in the church's carpet-cleaning business, which paid a
miserly $10 a week. The church owns three large properties in
Philadelphia and buildings in New York City, Rochester, and
Baltimore. It also has four airplanes. One church critic says
that the carpet business funds the hobbies of the group's leader,
Traill, which happen to be photography and aviation. The
Philadelphia Inquirer quoted one cult observer:  "Traill
basically teaches that he's the only one who understands the
Bible, that it can only be understood through him or his
followers . . . He has a very figurative interpretation of
Scripture. Words don't mean what they appear to mean. They mean
what he [Traill] says. Like, stone doesn't mean stone, it means
backsliding Christian . . . "  Another cult-watcher, Professor
Chris Hatcher of the University of California, said that COBU was
known to be aggressive in its recruiting methods, but not
violent.

  Merchants in the popular South Street area of Philadelphia have
been upset with a Church of Bible Understanding outreach in their
area called the "Kluttrbox." The second-story office is
apparently a base for COBU recruiting in the neighborhood. Church
leaflets are scattered around the streets, and some residents
complain that they are even followed by proselytizers. After the
raid, officials say they found no evidence of abuse or kids being
held against their will. "Benign Cult Abuse"? COBU is one of
hundreds, if not thousands of groups, that, while probably not
engaging in direct physical abuse, nevertheless have
benchmark-traits of being psychologically unhealthy. The reliance
on a charismatic leader as a "source" of truth, long hours
devoted to religious study and physical work which benefits the
group, immersion in group activities, constant renforcement of
the group's beliefs through peer-pressure and other techniques
all are warning signs, according to experts who track the cults.

  On the other hand, many of these same cult-trademarks exist in
mainstream religions, but are considered more socially
acceptable. The proliferation of such groups, especially in the
United States, a trend which some describe as "do it yourself
religion," seems to be blurring the traditional distinctions
between "acceptable religion" and "fringe cults." After all,
Church leaders ranging from the pope to the president of the
Mormon church claim they talk to "god." COBU founder-prophet
Stewart Traill's airplane collection is probably not as valuable
as the personal holdings of many TV evangelists.

  Cult or "religion," who makes the distinction?

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