Posted on 02/18/2015 12:28:13 PM PST by GeronL
A Queensland cult leader accused of fraud by former senior members has reportedly fled Australia.
Debra Burslem, founder of the Magnificat Meal Movement (MMM), has been confronted by A Current Affair in Vanuatu after being accused of making money from her followers and using it to fund her lavish lifestyle.
The MMM was founded in 1986 by Ms Burslem out of Helidon in southeast Queensland.
The cult leader claims to see and hear Jesus and the virgin Mary.
Reporter Chris Allen tracked down Ms Burslem and her son at a store in Vanuatu and asked her a number questions that mostly went unanswered.
Former member Clare Birchley, who was Ms Burslem's right hand for 20 years, says during that time she never doubted the cult leader could hear God.
"I believed her absolutely," Ms Birchley told A Current Affair.
"Towards the end I was dubious because there always seemed to be a convenient message from our lady or Jesus towards the end, depending on what she was trying to engineer."
Ms Birchley estimates over the 20 year period, Ms Burslem would have pocketed at least $20 million in other people's money.
She claims there were a number of schemes put in place to make money, including the involvement of multi-level marketing companies to make her followers buy products where she reportedly took the cash.
Cult members were also expected to pay 10 percent of their income to the cult, as well as invest in Global Bullion Services without knowing that the cult leader was pocketing a commission on every dollar.
A bank account in the Bahamas received the commission through the scheme which went on for three years before it collapsed.
Ms Birchley claims all the followers lost the money they invested.
(Excerpt) Read more at 9news.com.au ...
I had to look up Vanuatu.
I still don’t know much about it. Has she been convicted of a crime. Does Vanuatu even have a police dept.?
Apprehended in Vanuatu?
Can’t be true.
IIRC, Al Gore said Vanuatu was being swallowed by the rising oceans and would be gone by 2006
she looks like she subsists on a regular diet of ‘magnificent meals ‘
many multifarious morons , more likely
Forget looking up Vanuatu. I had to look up the “Magnificat Meal Movement”.
“The Magnificat Meal Movement International (MMMI) was formed in 1986 as a “missionary” off-shoot of the ‘Celtic Corma Adoration’ group of Australia, which was founded in Melbourne in 1976 by J. Phelan, F. Eaton, D. Burslem and E. Burslem. The original name, “Celtic Adorers”, was chosen by J. Phelan. This name changed in the early 1990s.
Beliefs: The Magnificat Meal Movement International seeks to maintain the “original light teachings established by Yashua Jesus.” The CCA and the MMMI recognize the 1st-century church teachings established by the Marys and Joseph of Arimathea and the original teachings of Celtic followers of the “way” in the Celtic realm of Britain in the first century.”
Well my ancestors were just about all Celtic however the one thing about them which is not great is their cooking.
I do like the idea of magnificent meals tho.
lol.
I don’t think she has broken any laws in Vanuatu. If people want to voluntarily give her money and all that, its not going to bother the local officials.
I don’t think she broke any Vanuatu laws
Vanuatu is a South Pacific island nation like Tuvalu, Kiribati, Nauru, Fiji, Tahiti and Somoa (and American Somoa).
From Wikipedia ...
They do have one of the more creative "404 Error" pages I have ever seen ...
lol
lol. That lady isn’t missing many meals
“Galactic Light”? “Divine Light”???
Perhaps she’s been whispering with an angel of light ...
Dear Lord, please grant this misguided woman and her followers the grace of repentance and conversion. Bring them into “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”
I shall never forgive the Celts for wiping out the Hibernians. It set an unfortunate precedent.
Thanks for the cheery kodak. Made me go out and order some of Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullets for my trusty Webley!
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