I posted this review before I read the sequel, "AMORC Unmasked", which more clearly proves that this particular group is indeed weird and cultish. I stand by my statement about bad editing, though!
This book was something of a disappointment. The
author, Pierre S. Freeman, accuses AMORC of being a dangerous cult. AMORC is a
"Rosicrucian" organization, essentially a more new agey version of
the Freemasons. While I don't doubt that Freeman's negative experiences are
very real, it's less clear whether they prove the dangerous character of AMORC
itself. Incidentally, I don't support this group and have criticized them in
some other reviews. I suspect they might be anti-Semitic.
AMORC "educates" or indoctrinates its members through correspondence courses. Lodges do exist, but most members don't belong to a lodge. Even the initiation rituals for various degrees can be performed in solitude. Freeman did belong to several AMORC lodges, but seems mostly to have indoctrinated himself. His tight study schedule, weird meditation practices and generally superstitious nature seems to have made his existence as an illegal alien in the US even more hopeless than it could have been (the author is from Haiti). For periods, he was homeless, penniless and (arguably) senseless, hoping for "the Cosmic" (AMORC's term for God) to interfere and help him out.
But what does this really prove? Most AMORC members seem to be relatively affluent. One also wonders how well AMORC correspondence courses really indoctrinate the members-at-large who don't belong to a lodge? At one point, Freeman admits that AMORC is less dangerous than Scientology and other more well-known cults. One reason that comes to mind is precisely the looser structure of this particular organization.
At most, the book proves that certain personality types should stay clear from some kinds of psychological techniques. Also, I have to say that "The Prisoner of San Jose" is very badly edited. It could have needed a ghost-writer. Pun unintended, btw.
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