GEMPPI for english readers
Who are we ?
GEMPPI
BP 30095 13192 Marseille Cedex 20
France
Tel. ++33 698 02 57 03
++33 491 08 72 22
A French organization against cults
Member of FECRIS (www.fecris.org)
European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Cults and Sects
Participant in the Fundamental Rights Platform of the European Union since 2010
NGO in Special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2009
INGO with participatory status at the Council of Europe since 2005
GEMPPI can thus be considered as a
defender of Human Rights and consumers,
specialized in religious deviances and
spiritualistic therapies.
* What concrete activities do you have in your country or at the European level specifically related to protection and promotion of fundamental rights?
The association GEMPPI (Groupe d’Etude des Mouvements de Pensée en vue de la Protection de l’Individu) was founded in 1988 with a philanthropic purpose, and works at providing information and help to private individuals and families, as well as public or private organizations facing up to dangerous cults. Our experience allows us to say that people often get involved in deep spiritual processes or magic therapies because they are in distress situations or stress. “Predators” then take advantage of their vulnerability.
First of all our action allows to balance information about new religious movements, magic faiths, spiritualistic therapies, religious extremisms, which can all be dangerous in some cases.
All these movements have a strong tendency to proselytize and to do business so they use advertising. Therefore we act as a consumer defense organization, we supply contradictory information to offer the possibility of a democratic debate, and to make it possible for people to make a free and considered choice, so that they are not drawn into a dishonest or dangerous way, against their own interest by mental suggestion.
The following articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union are disobeyed by some of those sectarian movements or religious extremists.
Therefore our first aim is to warn the community against dangerous cults. The best means we have thought of is to prevent rather than cure the damages on people or the breaches of trust in spiritual or psychological fields. We thus organize events such as national colloquiums or conferences to aware people, and introduce them to the dangers and train them. We also organize training courses in schools and institutions, we publish papers and audiovisual documents. Our website plays a great part too : www.gemppi.org
We also help those who have already been confronted with cults. We have talks with them to give them advice, to inform them and provide the help of lawyers or psychologists if necessary. Our work is mainly of benefit to French people, but also Belgians and French-speaking Swiss.
Regarding Europe, we contribute with the FECRIS (www.fecris.org), which is a NGO in the European Council and the UNO (ECOSOC), to supply documents and useful information so that the sectarian phenomenon can be estimated and treated in a more global way and adapted to its development in time, space and circumstances
That is how we work to bound law and order problems, poverty and human suffering and family dramas which arise from the action of cults or evil holistic therapies. Our intention is that everyone can have his or her freedom of conscience, believe or not,, feel better in the best possible conditions.
Since 2003, the GEMPPI drives a committee about “Health, Ethic, ideologies” at the “Espace Ethique Méditerranéen” , La Timone Hospital in Marseilles. This committee studies non-conventional medicines or spiritualistic therapies by putting them through an ethical and critical test to answer to requests. Besides, to regulate and avoid the danger of cults in non-conventional or holistic therapies the GEMPPI detains and manages a Charter and a register of, “Practitioners and Actors on the Body and the Spirit” (cf. Our site in section “Statuts”: www.gemppi.org )
GEMPPI is a laic association, independent of all religious or political movements.
As we respect everyone’s right to choose his or her faith, we thus describe a dangerous cult as follows :
Schemes, movements or groups claiming to be religious, philosophical, or holistic therapies using practices or education that are harmful to individuals and to the community in a constant or repeated way, with dishonest or illegal processes.
GEMPPI : useful information :
Phone : all year from Mondays to Saturdays – 9.30 a.m to 7 p.m
33 (0) 4 91 08 72 22 and cellular 33 (0) 6 98 02 57 03
Reception : every Tuesday from 6 p.m to 7 p.m
GEMPPI / Cité des Associations, 93 La Canebière, 13001 MARSEILLE – France
Except in July & August : by appointment : ++33 (0)4 91 08 72 22
E-mail…. gemppi@wanadoo.fr
Website….. www.gemppi.org and www.gemppi.monsite-orange.fr
GEMPPI publishes a quarterly bulletin: « Discovery of cults and religions ». (Découvertes sur les sects et religions) Since it started more than 80 files of 16 to 32 pages have been published. Contents : press reviews and files about the dangerous cults and spiritualistic therapies, and the NMR. Information on the GEMPPI activities.
* Referring to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, could you please identify concrete fundamental rights that your organisation is working for ?
First of all our action allows to balance information about new religious movements, magic faiths, spiritualistic therapies, religious extremisms, which can all be dangerous in some cases.
All these movements have a strong tendency to proselytize and to do business so they use advertising. Therefore we act as a consumer defense organization, we supply contradictory information to offer the possibility of a democratic debate, and to make it possible for people to make a free and considered choice, so that they are not drawn into dishonest or dangerous way, against their own interest by mental suggestion.
The following articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union are disobeyed by some of those sectarian movements or religious extremists.
Partagez cet article :
