New religious vilification complaint by
'OTO'
Sent on E-News - 1 June 2005
The latest complaint lodged
under Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act has been made by an occult
group against Dr Reina Michaelson. She is a Christian psychologist who is
campaigning against child sexual abuse and its investigation by the police.
The complaint has been made by the Ordo Templi Orientis
(OTO), an occult group founded in the early 20th century.
We became aware of this complaint soon after it was made to
the Equal Opportunity Commission and have been working on it for some time.
The EOC closed the complaint as they did not consider it was able to be
conciliated. The group, the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) then asked that the
complaint be referred to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
for a hearing.
The first Directions hearing about the complaint (to set
dates and times for statements and a hearing) was initially scheduled for
Monday 6 June. Dr Michaelson asked for this to be adjourned since she is
currently working in The Maldives with UNICEF assisting with post-tsunami relief
operations.
She has just received notification that VCAT has adjourned this initial
hearing until 25 July 2005 at 10:00 am.
The OTO has also made a complaint against a NSW couple who have lodged the
article and other material on their website, which is located on an overseas
server (ISP).
Since the case is now lodged at VCAT, the file is open to the public. A
Herald Sun journalist wrote an article in the newspaper on this
complaint (1 June 2005).
Child
rights crusader faces lawsuit
Herald Sun, Kate
Uebergang, tribunal reporter, 31 May 2005.
About the OTO
The
Ordo Templi Orientis was started around 1902. It was initially
founded by Austrian Carl Kellner and Theodore Reuss and was based on
Freemasonry, other higher level masonic orders and Theosophical and
Rosicrucian philosophies. The OTO claims to follow the religion of Thelema
and claims to have British occultist Aleister Crowley as a
prophet. Crowley was the leader of the OTO from 1912 until his death in
1947. He went by the name 'Baphomet' and called himself the 'Beast 666' in some
of his writings.
Crowley 'wrote' the OTO's main text, 'The Book of the
Law', which refers to blood rituals and sacrifices, and attacking those who
oppose them. By 1912, the OTO had a series of ten numbered
degrees. After Crowley's death the OTO declined but began gaining members
again during the 70s-80s. The OTO claims to have several thousand
members across the world. Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 19 February 2008 |
