[B Knotts]

Both John's father, Frank Lindh, a strict Irish Catholic, and his mother, Marilyn Walker, a Buddhist, were supportive of their son's new faith.

Sorry, N.Y. Post...if this guy were such a "strict Irish Catholic," he:

1. Probably wouldn't have married a Buddhist
2. Certainly would not have been supportive of his son (for whom he bears the responsibility of education in the Faith) embracing a heresy

Basically, the kid is a nut. He should have been in a mental hospital, instead of running around Asia.

[gumbo]

Sorry, N.Y. Post...if this guy were such a "strict Irish Catholic," he: Probably wouldn't have married a Buddhist Certainly would not have been supportive of his son (for whom he bears the responsibility of education in the Faith) embracing a heresy

You're right. Even the relatively conservative NY Post is trying to tie in the "strict"-ness of the father's Catholicism for this kid's nuttiness.

IMO it's his mother's hippy-dippy New Age kumbaya beliefs that drove the kid into the arms of a fundamentalist cult.

[spectre]

Yes, he should have been in a mental hospital, but instead, his parents put him on a plane to another country, probably breathing a sigh of relief at the same time.

sw