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I'm Judith McIntyre.
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The first diagnosis
was breast cancer.
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Yeah.
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I began to see Serge Benhayon.
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Is it possible to eventually
heal everything?
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And the answer is yes.
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This is Serge Benhayon, the
leader of Universal Medicine,
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a controversial group selling
unproven healing treatments
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to desperate people.
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Universal Medicine
advertises that
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they're all about helping people
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make healthy,
self-loving choices.
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We've got more qualified health
people in the world per capita
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than we would have ever had,
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and yet we are sicker.
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Something is not making sense.
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I feel so alive...
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and clear and well.
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These promotional videos
give us a rare glimpse
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inside the group's
ultra-secretive world.
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To its thousands
of devoted followers,
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it's a world that must seem harmless.
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But behind the wellness seminars
and dance parties...
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You re a cult leader,
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and Universal Medicine
is a money-making cult.
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Let me ask you a few questions.
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...lies a story of deception,
devotion, and control...
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I've spoken to lots of people
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that wouldn't go on the record
with me.
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He must have something
over them.
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He's got some sort of fear
over them.
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...created by
a master of manipulation
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and self-declared
messiah figure...
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Have you ever said
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that you were the reincarnation
of Leonardo da Vinci?
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- Yes, I did.
- Serge claims
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he's the chosen one of God,
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the latest in a long line of
great thinkers.
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All of the great figures,
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people like Zoroaster,
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Plato, Buddha, Jesus,
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are all sort of crystallized
into Serge Benhayon.
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...whose promise of healing
comes at a price.
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Serge supported me.
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I specifically predicted
the rise of breast cancer
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and actually gave
the reason why.
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I've learned a great deal.
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I had created the disease
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by all my self-neglect,
my choices.
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I was referred
to Serge Benhayon
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by a friend
who practiced acupuncture.
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I was on holidays.
I'd just completed a degree.
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I was building my acupuncture
business at the time.
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And, yeah, I was just a little
bit tired and rundown,
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probably a bit grumpy.
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Esther Rockett is at a
vulnerable moment in her life
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when she first encounters
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Universal Medicine
and its leader.
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He was very friendly,
and he was cheerful.
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I lay on the table,
and he just did this
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very simple
hands-on healing method
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where he would stand near me,
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and he put two hands
on my shoulders,
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and he kept them there
for quite a long time.
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I was fully clothed.
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There was nothing to be
concerned about.
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He deliberately gave me
a false sense of security.
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That was his grooming process.
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It was the third session,
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that's when everything changed
in an instant.
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Serge Benhayon is a
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bankrupt former tennis coach
turned new age guru
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whom Esther's worked for years
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to expose
as a sham and cult leader.
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But sounding the alarm
hasn't halted
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the spread of Universal
Medicine's wellness centers,
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where so-called healers use
Serge's unusual ideas
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to treat ailments ranging from
back pain to cancer.
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I'll just go ahead
and talk about
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some of his mad ideas,
if you like.
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Okay, look.
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Serge believes...
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...that he can heal
any sickness.
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Fundamentally,
he denies completely
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that there could be germs that
could cause disease,
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genetic factors
that could cause disease,
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environmental factors
that cause disease.
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Universal Medicine suggests that
their leader, Serge Benhayon,
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is the most knowledgeable person
that has ever existed,
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that he knows everything about everything,
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can answer any questions about
any mysteries in the world
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and indeed the universe.
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Under occult astrology,
you could say,
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Serge, I've been stuck in Gemini
for 400 years.
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That would be superbly scientific.
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I'd seen Serge
on various news broadcasts.
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He has no medical
qualifications at all.
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...touting unproven treatments.
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I thought, "Ah, he's an
interesting character."
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He believes that he holds
the salvation of the world.
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When you go
into evolutionary energy,
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you realize
the world's not human anymore.
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That's when you see spirits.
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One of Serge's core beliefs
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is that evil spirits are leading
humanity astray.
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That spirit has been exposed.
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Serge claims that
he is both man and woman,
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a being who has moved
beyond gender
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because his soul
has been reincarnated
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more than 2,000 times.
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I orgasm like a woman
every time I orgasm,
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as much as I do as a man,
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and often more as a woman
than I do as a man.
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He also teaches that people
with disabilities
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are being punished for bad
behavior in a previous life.
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If he tries one of his healing
modalities and it doesn't work,
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the fault is not his.
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The fault is the person
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who doesn't receive it
or believe it.
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And if people follow what he
suggests and what he teaches,
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he will be able to address
all the issues of hunger,
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violence, mendacity.
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All of the evil behavior
of human beings will disappear.
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Followers of Universal Medicine
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are told that eating and
drinking certain things
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allows evil spirits to invade
the body.
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Alcohol, dairy, coffee,
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even carrots and potatoes
are off limits.
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People in the future
will understand that...
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we may not be needing
three meals a day,
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and they'll be understanding
that there are some foods
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that are not designed
to be eaten.
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He'll say things like,
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"Can anybody
who eats dairy products
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or chocolate really love you?"
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And he said,
"Carrots are as bad as heroin."
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But there is a way to fight
back against the evil spirits --
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intimate, hands-on treatment,
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ideally performed by
Serge himself.
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At the third session,
I laid down on the table,
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and the first thing that Serge
said to me was,
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"Today, I think we'll do
an ovarian reading."
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I said to him, "No.
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No, I don't want that."
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He said, "I think it'll be
good for you.
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"It's not invasive.
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"I'm just going to feel
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any information that your
ovaries can give me."
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He kept on with this pressure.
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Until I gave in eventually
and just said, "Oh, alright."
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I lay there, clothes on.
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He put his hands on
my lower abdomen,
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just above my pubic bone,
and the first thing he said was,
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"When you were 5 years old,
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a man in your life
let you down."
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And he said, "A man in your life
tortured you."
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I just lay there and waited
for him to finish.
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I didn't say anything,
but he got impatient.
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He said, "So, am I right?"
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And I said, "No, not really."
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But as soon as I left,
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it occurred to me that
the majority of his clientele
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were women,
and I became very concerned.
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Anecdotally, we have the proof
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that many people have improved
their health exponentially
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through the modalities that
we're using.
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Serge has been in and out of
controversy for 20 years.
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The whole thing is just based
on stuff that's made up,
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that Serge apparently got
impressed upon him
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when he was sitting on
the toilet.
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I just gave myself a time to
sit and feel that moment,
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and I could feel something
really, really beautiful.
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In the 1990s, Serge is a humble
tennis coach in Australia
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until he has an epiphany
one day
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telling him to go forth
and heal the world.
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And from there, he started
his healing business,
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Universal Medicine.
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To a certain type of
spiritual seeker,
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Serge is magnetic,
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and his healing classes
are an immediate success.
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Within five years,
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he's opening his own wellness
center in the city of Lismore
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and treating people
with serious problems.
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The first diagnosis
was in June 2011,
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breast cancer.
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And initially they thought,
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"Oh, that's fine. We'll just
remove the lump."
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And then they came back
and said,
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"We're going to have to take
the breast."
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Reeling from her diagnosis,
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Judith meets Serge Benhayon
at a book festival.
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He invites her to join
a healing workshop
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to complement her medical treatment.
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And when I went to see him,
from the very first session,
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my fear levels
just went like that.
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And I told him I didn't want to
lose my breast,
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and I'm always optimistic that
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I'm not going to have to lose
my breast.
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00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,360
And he said to me, "The soul
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doesn't need the breast."
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And it just opened up
my perspective.
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Every treatment that came up
they suggested,
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I don't want to do that.
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Each time, Serge supported me.
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After her brush with Serge,
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Esther decides to infiltrate one
of Universal Medicine's
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secretive group healing rituals.
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The healing workshop I went to
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was very, very creepy
and disturbing.
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There were about
60 people there.
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We had enough treatment tables
for the group to pair up.
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One person would be the healer,
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and the other person
in the pair
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would lie on the table
as the patient.
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Serge closed all
of the curtains in the room
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and turned out
all of the lights.
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The longer the practitioners
held their hands on a person,
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the more people
would start to react
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get the shakes and tremors
and move around on the tables.
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Some people started hyperventilating,
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crying, screaming.
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Serge said that this was
because of bad energy
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leaving their bodies
and evil spirits.
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00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,200
He was telling people that
they were angels,
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archangels and angels
in a past life,
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that they'd been persecuted,
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burnt at the stake,
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that people had come along
with swords
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and hacked their wings off
and disemboweled them
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and cut them to pieces
and raped them
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and all sorts of
horrible stuff.
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It was at that point
where I was thinking,
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00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,040
There's something really not
right here.
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00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,800
This could be a cult.
235
00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:20,640
At these workshops,
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00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:21,800
we get an opportunity to really
connect with each other
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and feel that oneness.
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Their care and dedication
is second to none.
239
00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:28,080
No brainwashing.
240
00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:30,160
It's about empowering people
so they can be discerning.
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00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,960
I've got very little time.
242
00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:39,600
And...the truth is,
I feel excited.
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00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,400
By the spring of 2014,
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conventional medicine
has failed to stop
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Judith McIntyre's cancer.
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I'll die very soon.
The body will die.
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And I feel so alive.
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But Universal Medicine's
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00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:57,800
regimen of chakra-puncture
treatments
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isn't working either.
251
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:01,360
Neither for Judith
252
00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,520
nor the other patients seeking
help at the wellness center
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in Lismore.
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My name's Jane Hansen.
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00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,240
I'm a journalist with
the "Sunday Telegraph" newspaper
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in Australia.
257
00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:16,240
I started talking to people
who had complained about
258
00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,200
Universal Medicine.
259
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:20,160
I wrote about a woman
who'd had a cough,
260
00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:21,560
and she'd gone to
a lung specialist
261
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,560
or respiratory specialist
262
00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,960
who was in the same Universal
Medicine compound in Lismore.
263
00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,880
And she was unaware of
Universal Medicine before this.
264
00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:35,160
She just was going to see
a lung specialist.
265
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,200
She was misdiagnosed,
266
00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,800
and not only misdiagnosed,
267
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,280
she was sent off to do all these
esoteric treatments,
268
00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:45,120
like a lung massage,
269
00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:51,000
which had no efficacy whatsoever.
270
00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,520
One of Serge's strategies
for taking his philosophy into
271
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:57,480
the mainstream
is to recruit new believers...
272
00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,560
who also happen to be qualified
medical doctors.
273
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,640
It's surprising
and disturbing that
274
00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,960
Serge Benhayon has been able to
attract numerous doctors,
275
00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,640
medically qualified doctors,
into the cult
276
00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,480
and have them change the way
they practice medicine
277
00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,960
to come into line with
the philosophies
278
00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:21,320
and the suggestions
that Benhayon propagates.
279
00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,640
Modern medicine cannot detect
every disease early.
280
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,880
We have to do that.
We are the medicine.
281
00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:30,320
Dr. Samuel Kim,
282
00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,480
who is a well-trained
respiratory physician,
283
00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:34,280
would treat patients
284
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:36,920
and tell patients that he was
able to offer them
285
00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,920
the best of both worlds
because he could offer them
286
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,320
the benefits of
conventional medicine
287
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:47,520
but as perfected through
the adherence to the concepts
288
00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,000
being put forward by
Universal Medicine.
289
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:52,680
Off you'd go
for a lung massage.
290
00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,840
This consisted of the person
from Universal Medicine
291
00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,560
telling you about the principles
of Universal Medicine
292
00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:00,920
while they simply stroked
your back up and down
293
00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,520
and then, $70, please.
294
00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,560
The treatment
they're getting is cruel,
295
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,680
dangerous, ignorant nonsense.
296
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,760
She thought it was very weird
and also a conflict of interest
297
00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:13,760
because it turned out that
the doctor was a member of
298
00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:15,520
Universal Medicine.
299
00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:17,800
She complained to the Health
Care Complaints Commission.
300
00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,200
And he was severely reprimanded
by the medical board,
301
00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:22,640
but not deregistered.
302
00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,600
He was able to continue
to practice.
303
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,120
Though Dr. Kim continues his
work for Universal Medicine,
304
00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,480
the complaint raises some
eyebrows in the local press,
305
00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,000
prompting Serge to fight back.
306
00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:37,560
He announced that he was going
307
00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,840
to refute all the claims of
the press.
308
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,840
Though Universal Medicine is
notoriously secretive,
309
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,960
David Millikan sees
an opportunity.
310
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,040
So I said, "Serge, my name is
David Millikan.
311
00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:55,080
I write and I make television
programs about cults."
312
00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:57,080
You've got to come out
in the open
313
00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:59,120
and you have got to
declare your case.
314
00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,360
And he said,
"I know who you are, David.
315
00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:04,560
Am I a cult leader?"
316
00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:06,080
I said, "If you let me talk
to you
317
00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,320
"and have access to your movement,
318
00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:10,760
I'll tell you in three weeks."
319
00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:14,240
David is the only outsider ever
permitted to observe the group
320
00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:17,080
and its leader at close quarters.
321
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,600
I attended several of
his big meetings,
322
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,160
up to 700 people
323
00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,640
in some large premises.
324
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:28,960
Inside his group,
325
00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:33,280
he bestrides those people
like a colossus.
326
00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,400
They believe everything
he says.
327
00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,680
They watch him
with adoring eyes.
328
00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,840
He dictates what they read,
329
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,200
what they eat, what they wear,
330
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,400
who they have sex with,
331
00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,840
how they have sex,
332
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,600
who they talk with outside
the group.
333
00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:57,640
If he can exercise that sort of
control over people,
334
00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:00,160
then he does it always
335
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,840
at the loss of autonomy
for that person themselves.
336
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,960
I want to get in there and go
face-to-face with Serge
337
00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:11,760
because I want to get up
on that stage
338
00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:17,000
and tell his group
and him the truth.
339
00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,680
There, in front of 700
of his people,
340
00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:28,000
he invited me up on the stage.
341
00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:29,760
I turned to Serge, and I said,
342
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,920
I'm answering the question you
put to me when we first met.
343
00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:35,840
I said, "I don't know you,"
344
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,760
and I said,
"Ask me in a couple of weeks."
345
00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,400
Well, I'm giving you
the answer.
346
00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,560
You asked me,
"Am I a cult leader?"
347
00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:43,400
Serge, you are.
348
00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:45,480
This is a cult.
349
00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:47,920
And that man is a cult leader.
350
00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:53,000
At which stage, Serge's hands
went up to his face like this,
351
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,400
he squealed,
and he ran off the stage.
352
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:04,720
Why won't you address
these issues?
353
00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,680
This man claims that he is
354
00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,600
a lord of the cosmos.
355
00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:15,720
I said, "Look at him.
He's a frightened schoolboy."
356
00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,440
I was able to say that
in his own group.
357
00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:23,000
Mind you, I was lucky to get out
of the hall that night.
358
00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,720
I've just been thrown
out of there.
359
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:27,960
Look, what's happening in there
is actually quite tragic.
360
00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:30,400
I mean, they're good people,
you know?
361
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,080
They are well-intentioned.
362
00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:33,840
And what I see on their faces
363
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,320
is hunger to grasp
364
00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,720
some sort of salvation
in this world,
365
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,680
and they believe that Serge
will give it.
366
00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,000
But what I see is
that is a cult,
367
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,560
and Serge is a cult leader.
368
00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:57,000
I'm answering the question
you put to me when we first met.
369
00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:58,720
When Reverend
Dr. David Millikan
370
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,280
calls out Universal Medicine
in 2012...
371
00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,880
You asked me, "Am I a cult
leader?" Serge, you are.
372
00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:10,280
...the controversy does little
to stop its growth.
373
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,320
I've seen over 10,000 people
in the last 16 years,
374
00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,640
well over 10,000 people.
375
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:20,520
Universal Medicine's seminars
don't seem too cult-like.
376
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,080
There are no ceremonial robes
or chanting,
377
00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,000
just a guy who looks like
he bounced in off
378
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:27,600
the nearest golf course.
379
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,320
But this unassuming front
is no accident.
380
00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,840
Serge wants to insinuate his
ideas into the mainstream
381
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,560
and recruit more people
into his flock.
382
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,360
The more that you looked at
Universal Medicine,
383
00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,000
the more that you could see
384
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,480
that they were spreading their
tentacles everywhere.
385
00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:49,480
My name's Jenny Dowell.
386
00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:55,120
I was mayor of Lismore
from 2008 to 2016.
387
00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,320
There were adherents
and followers
388
00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,200
in virtually every sector
of our community,
389
00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:05,880
and it was obvious that it was
gaining some traction,
390
00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:11,560
say, in the Lismore Chamber of
Commerce and Industry.
391
00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:13,200
Followers of Universal Medicine
392
00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:16,280
start embedding themselves into
local civic groups.
393
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,040
It's a tactic to win power, credibility,
394
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:22,680
and public funding
for its services.
395
00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,320
I also have had contact
from parents
396
00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:31,040
whose children were involved
in Universal Medicine.
397
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:32,880
A number of
Universal Medicine devotees
398
00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:34,840
have worked in this office.
399
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,480
The ABCs been told of efforts to
recruit staff on the inside.
400
00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:40,080
A post on the group's website
401
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,440
says its practitioners have
attended staff meetings
402
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:45,080
and run staff development workshops.
403
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,400
In 2018, a bombshell report
404
00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,240
reveals that a surprising
new demographic
405
00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,360
is being targeted by
Serge's recruiters.
406
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,080
A child protection worker was
407
00:20:56,240 --> 00:21:00,120
promoting Universal Medicine
events to vulnerable children.
408
00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,600
The ABC has obtained documents
from FACS in 2016
409
00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:05,200
which endorsed
Universal Medicine
410
00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,720
in parenting plans for two girls
in its care.
411
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:11,520
Some staff were being influenced,
412
00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:13,560
and that was actually influencing
413
00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,240
the decisions made about
the children.
414
00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,320
The documents instruct that
each girl needs to be supported
415
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:20,960
to maintain her connection with
416
00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:22,880
the teachings of
Universal Medicine.
417
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,760
One will listen to her music
and meditations,
418
00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:27,520
while the other will have access
419
00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,400
to readings and meditations from
the Universal Medicine website.
420
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,320
Universal Medicine has nothing
to offer children.
421
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:36,680
It's just harm
422
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,920
because of the diet, because of
the belief system,
423
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,640
because of the restrictions.
424
00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:43,320
It was very concerning that
425
00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,520
the local Child Protection
office has UM members in it,
426
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:48,920
and they're still there.
427
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,240
The Universal Medicine
therapies touted by
428
00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,640
the CPS employees
aren't just for children.
429
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,560
They're specifically aimed at
young girls.
430
00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,640
Both girls will participate in
Universal Medicine activities
431
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:02,000
as deemed suitable,
432
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,400
such as the Girl to Woman Festival.
433
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,920
In 2014,
Universal Medicine also launched
434
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,600
what it called its Girl to Woman Festival,
435
00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,560
which was marketed to families,
marketed to children.
436
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,880
And the idea was celebrating
girls and women,
437
00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,960
trying to bring the younger
generation into the group.
438
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:28,600
It all seemed very
user-friendly
439
00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:30,840
and very female-friendly.
440
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,960
And to no surprise,
a lot of women were actually
441
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:34,880
part of the cult.
442
00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:43,960
There were these retreats
for teenage girls,
443
00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:49,200
seminars for tracking
your menstrual cycle.
444
00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:52,000
They were also trying to
bring in mothers
445
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:55,360
and introduce them to
Universal Medicine therapies,
446
00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,320
these esoteric healings,
like esoteric breast massage.
447
00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,160
So to me,
it was a recruitment event
448
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:05,920
and also, in some senses,
a grooming event.
449
00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:07,880
This is the resurrection
of women.
450
00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:09,960
That's why in 2000,
451
00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:14,080
I was the first champion of
introducing energetic integrity,
452
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,240
energetic responsibility,
453
00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:18,320
but mainly aimed at women.
454
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,840
Serge Benhayon has a pretty
unhealthy fixation
455
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:22,560
with women's health.
456
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:27,480
He is obsessed with women's
health disorders and diseases
457
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:29,280
and the female anatomy.
458
00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:30,960
Look down.
459
00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:32,400
Have you got a vagina? Yeah.
Have you got breasts? Yeah.
460
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,760
You have the particles
that are rejuvenated
461
00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:36,720
thanks to the periods.
462
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,800
The breasts apparently attract
lots of negative energy.
463
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:43,080
He sees the female body
as a site for disease.
464
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,280
He sees women as victims,
465
00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,160
people who should
submit to him.
466
00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:51,680
Universal Medicine's
unconventional ideas about women
467
00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,160
and children are mirrored in
Serge's private life.
468
00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:59,120
Serge first met Miranda
when she was 13.
469
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,760
She was one of
his tennis pupils.
470
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,920
She moved into his home
when she was about 14
471
00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:10,000
to take part in what he called
his elite coaching program.
472
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,320
That was a live-in program.
473
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,560
She moved in with him
and his family.
474
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,280
At the time, Serge is married
with four children.
475
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:20,040
He divorces shortly after.
476
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:24,080
And then some years later,
he began dating Miranda,
477
00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:28,040
and they married in about 2009.
478
00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,440
I have an amazing connection
with my four adult children,
479
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:33,320
three grandchildren,
480
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,920
with my wife, with my ex-wife.
481
00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:37,520
They're best friends.
482
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,400
Ever since Miranda moved into
his home when she was 13,
483
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:46,320
there's been a series of girls
go and stay in his home.
484
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,080
We've never really had
a satisfactory reason
485
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,960
for all of these girls going to
stay in his house.
486
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,880
There are no proven allegations
of abuse against Serge,
487
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:00,480
but there are complaints about
488
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,880
the unusual devotion he inspires
in his female followers.
489
00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:06,840
There are men out there who are
490
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:08,920
throwing these accusations
at you
491
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,680
that you're a homewrecker, effectively.
492
00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:13,320
Why do you think these men are
throwing that out at you?
493
00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:17,200
It's outrageous, and it's just
simply not fair.
494
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,320
She came home one day,
495
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,320
and she was burping
all over the place.
496
00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,560
What on Earth are you doing?
497
00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,720
And she said she was getting
rid of evil spirits.
498
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:39,400
Okay. Well, if you must.
499
00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:42,400
By 2012, the fringe beliefs of
Universal Medicine
500
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:46,680
are quietly infiltrating
families across the globe.
501
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,760
We'd been together, my wife
and I, for a number of years.
502
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,320
We had two young children.
503
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:55,640
I thought it was just getting
better and better.
504
00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:57,280
Robin's wife, Anita,
505
00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,880
is one of the first to join
a new chapter of the group
506
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:01,880
in Frome, England.
507
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,160
She was extremely vulnerable.
508
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,920
Her parents died within
two years of each other.
509
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:10,520
I think it had
a profound effect on her.
510
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,400
It was a gradual decline
in our relationship.
511
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,400
It got to a point where I was
not allowed to cuddle her
512
00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,920
or give her a hug.
513
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,120
I thought to myself, okay,
we've got to sort this out.
514
00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:24,840
We've got to straighten it out.
515
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,200
And I said to her,
"Do you really believe
516
00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,720
"that Serge Benhayon
is the reincarnation of
517
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,240
Leonardo da Vinci?"
518
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:33,760
I never had a reply.
519
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,800
All I got was this sort of
smug smile.
520
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,080
That was my epiphany, actually,
because I suddenly realized
521
00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:41,880
that I was dealing with something
522
00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:43,400
that I could not handle.
523
00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:51,120
Some families have told us that
they've lost loved ones
524
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,640
to a bizarre cult called
Universal Medicine.
525
00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:56,520
It began in Australia,
526
00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:59,400
but it has its European
headquarters in a village
527
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,360
in the West Country.
528
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,080
Nestled near the picturesque
town of Frome,
529
00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,760
a hotel with a conference center
and swimming pool
530
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,520
acts as Universal Medicine's
European headquarters.
531
00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:13,160
Members can stay here
532
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:14,600
until they are able to get
a foothold
533
00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,320
on some choice property
534
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:20,280
in the neighboring town
of Upper Vobster.
535
00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:25,280
They are slowly but surely
building a retreat
536
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,760
for the followers
of Universal Medicine
537
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,280
that's expanding
538
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,360
and slowly expanding
across our village.
539
00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:42,320
That's the beginning of
Upper Vobster Farm.
540
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,160
And then all the other houses,
which you can see some of them,
541
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:51,840
meeting rooms, dormitories,
are all behind that tree.
542
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,080
And then that house there
belongs to them.
543
00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,880
Four of the houses up there on
the skyline belong to them.
544
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:00,800
And another one down there.
545
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,360
We live close to some thing
that is growing around us
546
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,480
that is connected
to an abusive cult.
547
00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,240
It's a thing that makes all of
this really sinister.
548
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,400
If you have a family member
549
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,880
or someone close to you has got
caught up in a group like this,
550
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:24,160
you've got to be careful the way
you treat that situation.
551
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:28,240
They will have been taught that
the family and their friends
552
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:33,280
are probably the most seductive
agents of Satan to woo them away
553
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,720
from the prize of belief.
554
00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,400
You're in this situation where
you're trying desperately to be
555
00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:49,800
loving and looking after
the family and what have you,
556
00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,640
but nothing was right.
557
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,960
By 2014, Robin and Anita
are divorced,
558
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,400
as she leaves to devote more
time to Serge's group.
559
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:02,640
When I think back
to those times
560
00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,920
and how desperately I was trying
to avoid any problems
561
00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:08,520
with the kids,
562
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,360
I don't think they really
understood what was happening.
563
00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:12,920
When she left,
564
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,280
they had the opportunity to go
with their mother.
565
00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:17,080
They both chose to
stay with me.
566
00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:22,000
For every member of
Universal Medicine,
567
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:26,240
there are loved ones,
husbands, wives, sons,
568
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:30,440
daughters, friends,
who are left behind.
569
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:31,880
So these are the cottages that
570
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:33,240
they're trying to take
one by one.
571
00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,480
This is a house that
they've just bought,
572
00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:37,440
and this has got lots of
planning applications
573
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:41,000
in at the moment
that the village is fighting.
574
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:45,400
In Somerset, Universal Medicine
is winning hearts and minds...
575
00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:47,520
and taking over a town.
576
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,440
It feels like bindweed going
over your flowers,
577
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,840
like, slowly,
just really slowly
578
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:58,280
moving its way
through the space.
579
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:01,680
There aren't many houses left.
He wants all of them.
580
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:06,320
I know he's approached pretty
much everybody in those houses.
581
00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:10,040
There's a sense of that they
just have limitless cash.
582
00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:14,800
Universal Medicine's
deep pockets come largely from
583
00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,920
wealthy members
paying as much as $140
584
00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,160
for a single lecture by Serge.
585
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:29,880
I've learned a great deal about
how disease is actually
586
00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,400
a form of healing.
587
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:35,960
As Judith's disease progressed
588
00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:38,960
and she continued to have
esoteric healings,
589
00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,520
in the final stages of
her cancer,
590
00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,800
in the months before she died,
591
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:47,880
Serge organized palliative care
at her home,
592
00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:51,600
and it was delivered by
Universal Medicine members.
593
00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,320
And he treated her for free.
594
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,840
She couldn't believe
his generosity.
595
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,360
She made a final will.
596
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:05,680
That will was prepared by
Benhayon's own lawyer.
597
00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:08,040
Even her financial adviser
598
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:13,160
was a long-term follower of
Serge Benhayon.
599
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:16,640
In her will, Judith bequeaths
the majority of her estate,
600
00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:19,600
1.4 million Australian dollars
601
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:21,800
to Universal Medicine,
602
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:23,920
to the shock of her children.
603
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:27,920
He teaches that if you leave
assets to your children
604
00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:29,520
in your will
605
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,880
and your children are not
leading an esoteric life,
606
00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:35,680
then that inheritance will
607
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,240
damage you
in your next lifetime,
608
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,240
and it will also damage
the beneficiaries of
609
00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:42,720
that inheritance.
610
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,680
So, the only way to ensure you
have an improved reincarnation
611
00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:01,760
is to leave your money
to Serge.
612
00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:08,880
Hello, I'm Esther.
613
00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:10,240
I'm going to be talking about
Universal Medicine. What is it?
614
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:12,120
Serge Benhayon has
a very low opinion of me
615
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,400
and has for a very long time,
616
00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:17,080
ever since I started blogging
about him.
617
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,560
In my blogs, I published a lot
of allegations about Serge.
618
00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:23,800
I didn't hold back.
619
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,120
I published that this is
inappropriate touching,
620
00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:28,880
that this is not healing.
621
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:31,960
It's molestation...
622
00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:35,360
putting his hands on their
genital areas, their backsides,
623
00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:38,120
even their breasts.
624
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,920
And I raised all sorts of
concerns about his behavior
625
00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:43,600
with children.
626
00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:47,600
I called him a cult leader from
the outset.
627
00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:52,240
They were never going to let me
get away with it.
628
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:57,120
By 2015, Universal Medicine is
embedded on two continents
629
00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,200
but exists almost entirely
under the radar.
630
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:07,720
I'd just done a couple of stories
631
00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:09,320
about Universal Medicine,
632
00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:12,120
questioning are these people
legit or not?
633
00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:17,000
I'd given Serge every right of
reply that any journalist would.
634
00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:20,120
For the few who dare to speak
out against Serge Benhayon,
635
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,200
retribution is swift.
636
00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:24,120
All of a sudden,
there was this hate blog that
637
00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:25,920
was written about me,
638
00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:28,480
and it was a dirt file, basically.
639
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:30,800
And the headline was,
640
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:34,800
"Jane Hansen has a murky past."
641
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,440
And you think,
"Oh, well, it's just a blog.
642
00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:39,520
"It's just a blog, and these
people, you know, in my opinion,
643
00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:41,040
"are kind of crazy.
644
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:45,120
What harm could it do?"
645
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:50,160
They also targeted my child,
646
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:52,400
who died at
eight months of age.
647
00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:54,160
They basically said,
648
00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:57,240
"Oh, well, she's been through
this terrible, terrible loss.
649
00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,880
How does she not have the heart
to see what we're about?"
650
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,560
And I found that
so manipulative,
651
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:09,200
and for anybody to use
somebody's deceased child
652
00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:11,600
as ammunition against them,
653
00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,040
it just told me that, one,
they're not normal people,
654
00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,640
two, no moral compass whatsoever.
655
00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:19,000
And it was designed as payback.
656
00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,320
It was designed to hurt me
and to undermine my reputation.
657
00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:27,880
I published hundreds of articles
658
00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,520
exposing Universal Medicine.
659
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,640
Serge Benhayon
and his followers
660
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,760
attempted various forms of intimidation.
661
00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:38,560
They tried to get me
deregistered from my profession.
662
00:34:38,720 --> 00:34:42,600
They tried to have me prosecuted
for harassment.
663
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:48,040
None of that deterred me from
continuing the exposure.
664
00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:50,400
Serge had enough,
665
00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:55,400
and he tried to bludgeon her
into submission by suing her.
666
00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,480
Esther was persistent.
667
00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:00,800
She went through his writings,
and she kept at him.
668
00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:03,080
Universal Medicine has a number
of professionals
669
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:06,560
inside the group,
including lawyers, so...
670
00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,280
And they're prepared to use
those people
671
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:11,680
to advance their interests.
672
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:16,320
The defamation suit goes to
trial in October of 2018.
673
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:17,720
If I didn't win that case,
674
00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:19,960
I was going to be in a lot of trouble.
675
00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,960
In a sense, Universal Medicine
would own me.
676
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:25,960
But the trial brings
Universal Medicine
677
00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:27,640
into the light.
678
00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,280
Serge's testimony publicly
reveals the bizarre world
679
00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,600
he's created
for the first time.
680
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,320
At that court case,
681
00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:39,800
I was asked to be
the expert witness.
682
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:46,480
We went through many of the more
dangerous things
683
00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:49,520
that Benhayon put forward
to his advocates.
684
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:54,240
The basic tenet he preaches
685
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:58,440
is that all illness
is related to emotions,
686
00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:00,320
and the fact that
psychiatric illness
687
00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:04,560
is caused by the infiltration of
evil spirits,
688
00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:08,200
that he has a conversation with
a woman's ovaries,
689
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,600
and in particular, the technique
that he was using
690
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:13,760
with women who were suffering
691
00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,800
from sexual attack or rape, even.
692
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:30,400
The techniques that
he was using,
693
00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:31,920
which were quite shocking
694
00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:33,680
in terms of the fact
they couldn't possibly help.
695
00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,600
My assets were all gone within
a few months,
696
00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,160
just trying to fund the legal
services that I got,
697
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,080
and eventually
I was bankrupted.
698
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,360
He used a very expensive
legal firm
699
00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,560
to put all manner of expensive
processes in front of her,
700
00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:01,120
which in the end
sent her broke.
701
00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:04,280
She ended up homeless,
but she never gave up.
702
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:15,200
I'm just a simple man.
I'm a simple man
703
00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:16,720
presenting the wisdom that
we already have inside us.
704
00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:21,120
It's been smeared by a small
group of detractors.
705
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:23,400
It was readily obvious
to the jury
706
00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:25,000
that the claims being made
707
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:28,040
could not possibly be accurate
and supported.
708
00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,040
At the defamation trial,
709
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,000
Serge Benhayon attempts to
silence one of
710
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:35,480
his most vocal critics,
Esther Rockett.
711
00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:38,240
But this plan backfires
in a big way.
712
00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,600
I watched Benhayon and his wife
713
00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:43,600
burying their heads further
into their papers.
714
00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:45,880
I think they must have realized
715
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:48,360
that the jury's reaction was
certainly not favorable
716
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,280
in terms of their hopes that
717
00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,840
they were going to win a lot
of money
718
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,400
from Esther Rockett
for daring to defame him.
719
00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:59,600
Serge lost the case.
720
00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:02,040
The jury's verdict was unanimous.
721
00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:07,720
It's a winner.
722
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:10,760
The most damaging thing
about the case was
723
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:16,440
that the imputations that Serge
said had defamed him,
724
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:21,680
they were held by the New South
Wales Supreme Court to be true.
725
00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:24,840
Mr Benhayon is a cult leader
and charlatan
726
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:26,640
who exploits cancer patients
727
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,320
by targeting them to leave him bequests.
728
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,680
In the end, I proved 36
very damaging allegations
729
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:34,240
about Serge.
730
00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:37,080
Serge Benhayon
731
00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:42,080
has an indecent interest in
young girls as young as 10.
732
00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,960
Serge Benhayon engages in
bizarre sexual manipulation
733
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:49,320
to make money for his business.
734
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,800
Serge Benhayon engages in
bizarre sexual practices
735
00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:58,080
to finance his business.
736
00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:01,240
It goes on and on.
737
00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:04,440
Benhayon's core group of followers,
738
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,760
it galvanized them in a sense.
739
00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:08,680
What do you make of
the allegations
740
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:11,040
that Universal Medicine
is a cult?
741
00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,440
Oh, well, I find it
patently ridiculous.
742
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:18,880
It's a little bit ignorant.
743
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:22,320
But some members are beginning
to express private concerns
744
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:23,920
about Serge's motives.
745
00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:30,480
Although we were very involved
746
00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:32,000
and invested in being
part of the group,
747
00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:33,200
it became more and more obvious
748
00:39:33,360 --> 00:39:34,720
that there were many
double standards
749
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:36,320
set for the leaders of
the group,
750
00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:39,720
mainly involving Serge
and his family.
751
00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,080
Though they are too afraid to
appear on camera,
752
00:39:42,240 --> 00:39:44,960
two senior ex-members of
Universal Medicine
753
00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,200
share this statement.
754
00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:52,160
We became aware of Serge's
never-ending hunger for money.
755
00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:54,240
Any donations,
wills left to him
756
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,800
were encouraged with the promise
of a better life or status.
757
00:39:57,960 --> 00:39:59,760
A flood of media attention
758
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:02,520
reveals the explosive details of
one such donation.
759
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,040
Two months before
Judith McIntyre's death,
760
00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,920
Mr. Benhayon wrote her children
were trying to destabilize her
761
00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:11,560
and trying to evoke her sympathy.
762
00:40:11,720 --> 00:40:13,320
This was all an attack on
the funds
763
00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:17,400
that will help the hierarchy's
work on Earth.
764
00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,280
Judith's children discover
emails sent to
765
00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:21,480
their dying mother by Serge.
766
00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:24,520
They show how,
in her final days,
767
00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:27,080
he was attempting to separate
Judith from her family
768
00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:29,200
and her money.
769
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,880
She looked like
a perfectly nice lady
770
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:35,720
who was a real searcher
after truth
771
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:40,600
and after a sort of holy way
of life, really.
772
00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:43,960
And the tragedy is that for
a while, just before she died,
773
00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,360
she thought she'd found that
in Serge,
774
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:51,040
and he played mercilessly
upon that.
775
00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,040
Back in Somerset,
construction is now complete
776
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:58,960
on a brand-new Universal
Medicine wellness complex.
777
00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:02,080
Universal Medicine remains
highly secretive.
778
00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:03,800
It's impossible to know for sure
779
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,720
what goes on inside
its UK facilities.
780
00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:10,000
But building plans submitted by
the group in 2011
781
00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:13,800
indicate the complex is intended
as a cancer sanctuary,
782
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:15,360
a place to treat more seriously
783
00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:19,200
ill patients like
Judith McIntyre.
784
00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:22,120
The big change was 2011,
785
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:24,920
when they put in this
planning application
786
00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:28,440
to attract people suffering
from cancer
787
00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:31,800
so that they could offer
them sanctuary.
788
00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:36,880
Well, it's their sort of
business model, really.
789
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:45,720
For the few who manage to sever
ties with Universal Medicine,
790
00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:50,040
reconciliation with the outside
world does not come easy.
791
00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:53,400
Serge's magnetic presence
and our seeking further guidance
792
00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:55,640
and teachings to discover
our own inner knowing
793
00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:57,840
drew us into his world.
794
00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,120
We still find ourselves amazed
by how it was possible
795
00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:03,280
to blindly follow and accept
these imposed rules,
796
00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:07,760
offer up our way of being,
and lock out the outside world.
797
00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:15,800
For Serge, it's all about
control and power.
798
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:19,200
And that's when all
organizations go bad,
799
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:21,800
is when they try and capture
a person
800
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:25,240
and refuse to allow them
to examine
801
00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,320
the nature of what it is that
they believe.
802
00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:35,280
Three years after that
court case,
803
00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:38,360
Universal Medicine continues
its work in Australia,
804
00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:40,360
its damage in Australia,
805
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,720
and Serge Benhayon is not
the slightest bit repentant,
806
00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:46,840
hasn't changed any of his concepts,
807
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:51,960
still has this unbelievable
self-belief.
808
00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:55,000
Universal Medicine is not liked
in this community
809
00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:57,520
because we have standards
they cannot meet,
810
00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,880
and they hate the fact that
we are reflecting true charity,
811
00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:05,360
true social services,
true family, a true community.
812
00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:29,600
If Serge Benhayon sees this
film, he'll be hopping mad.
813
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:31,600
I'm sure of it.
814
00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:35,440
He takes everything personally,
so he won't be happy.
815
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:39,600
But I'm very happy that
the exposure continues
816
00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:43,760
and to see him being criticized
for what he really is.
817
00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:49,760
He may strike you as
smooth-talking and somehow wise,
818
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:54,040
but let me tell you,
he's a terrible person,
819
00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:55,720
and he's driven.
820
00:43:55,880 --> 00:44:00,600
He's a true believer with
a bunch of followers around him
821
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,240
who believe that he is
the savior of the world.
822
00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:06,640
And men like him are dangerous.
65005
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