Endeavor Academy

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Endeavor Academy, founded in 1992 as the New Christian Church of Full Endeavor of Wisconsin, is a school and residential community for spiritual transformation. The Academy heavily utilizes a variant of the book, A Course in Miracles, which they publish and promote.[1] The Academy's teachings also derive from the New Testament. [2] [3] The organization is headquartered in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA.[4]

Contents

[edit] Leadership and founding

The founder and spiritual guide of the Endeavor Academy is Chuck Anderson, also known as the "Master Teacher".[5] [6] [7] [8]

Anderson was inspired to establish Endeavor Academy after a pair of incidents changed his life. In a letter to the Atomic Veteran's History Project, [9] Anderson describes how, with the Marines 6th Regiment, he was one of the first to land at Nagasaki after the atomic bombing of that city in 1945, where he was faced with a vast and overwhelming feeling of the devastation he was witnessing:

On "one particular day", at "one particular moment in time", I found myself standing directly in the center of this unspeakable, indeed unthinkable, devastation that had to have been caused by someone or something. At "that one time" I was filled with complete rage, a wrenching, seething, frustrating, insatiable need for revenge. But against what or whom? It had no point of location, no focus of causation - in effect, no one to blame, no one to hold responsible. It became a passion of intense revulsion for myself, for this world and for any and all members of the human species - a contained certainty from deep within me that all of us, everyone on this earth, all were totally guilty together. And then at "that one moment in time", the light of an inner peace enveloped me. It became "a space in time" where a new resolution appeared, and with it, the message, "Look at this as a new beginning."

Anderson writes that he had a second "space of peace and happiness" in 1971 while lying on what he presumed would be his deathbed, and reminded himself of his "mission to teach to all, a "continuing rebirth".

In an interview with CBS News, Anderson denies having followers. He claims to be "returning to heaven" "shortly", and says that "everybody" is going with him. "There's nothing dangerous about me," Anderson explains, "I am the danger of eternal love."[10]

[edit] History and activities

The organization originated in 1991 in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, USA and was first known as "God’s Country Place" (GCP) under Anderson’s direction. By July of that year it had grown from 4 to 12 residents, and by October there were 70 residents.[11] In 1999, Endeavor Academy had grown to accommodate 500 residents. [6]

In 1992 the organization was registered to operate under the names; Endeavor Academy, and New Christian Church of Full Endeavor. Around this time, the use of the GCP name was discontinued.[12]

Endeavor Academy's headquarters facility is a converted summer resort facility located in an idyllic wooded setting in the Wisconsin countryside. The original facility of 1991 was a large main house, but in 1992 a summer resort motel complex was acquired and converted to meet its present needs.[6]

[edit] Cult allegations

Several ex-students of Endeavor Academy have accused Chuck Anderson of brainwashing them[13], and cult investigator Rick Ross[14] and others [4] [6] [8] [15] note many disturbing parallels between Endeavor Academy and cult groups. "It appears to be a destructive cult," Ross says. "I think that the Master Teacher consciously feels that he must control and dominate the thinking of the individuals who follow him."

Additionally, some are concerned that ACIM is being taught incorrectly at EA, in both word and deed.[11] [16] [17] Other former students, however, note having positive experiences with Endeavor Academy.[10] There is, however, a body of evidence suggesting that ex-students are ostracised and referred to as "dead ones".

[edit] A Course in Miracles litigation

Endeavor Academy's primary text, A Course in Miracles, was published and distributed between 1995 and 2000 by Penguin Books. As a result of litigation with Endeavor Academy the FIP copyright claims were largely voided in 2003 on the grounds of general distribution prior to obtaining copyright, thus placing the majority of the material previously claimed by FIP as under copyright protection in the public domain. [18] As a result of the copyright litigation, three earlier editions of A Course in Miracles surfaced (the Urtext, "Hugh Lynn Cayce" edition, and the "Criswell" edition), [19] which also fell into the public domain. The US Trademark Office canceled both the Servicemark on "A Course in Miracles" and the Trademark on the acronym, "ACIM" in 2005. [20] EA publishes their own version of ACIM,[1] based on these earlier works.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b A Course in Miracles. Endeavor Academy (EA) (?) (2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
  2. ^ The Miracles Alliance News Article. The Miracles Alliance (2005-06-03). Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  3. ^ Endeavor Academy ~Teaching Enlightenment through A Course In Miracles. Endeavor Academy. Retrieved on 2006-07-12.
  4. ^ a b Wayne Smith. "Suicides spark fears of Byron church cult", Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia), 2001-05-19. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.
  5. ^ Autographs of Religious Leaders. Havel's House of History. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  6. ^ a b c d "The Academy: Miracle or Cult?." Troy Roberts. 48 Hours. CBS. 1999. Transcript
  7. ^ Endeavor Academy. Meet The Master Teacher. Retrieved on 2006-07-15.
  8. ^ a b FACTNet. A comparison of FACTNet’s criteria with Endeavor Academy.. Retrieved on 2006-07-15.
  9. ^ Atomic Veterans History Project. Atomic Veteran: Chuck Anderson, Nagasaki, Japan 1945. Retrieved on 2006-07-03.
  10. ^ a b "Leaving Endeavor Academy." David Kohn. 48 Hours Mystery. CBS. 1999. Transcript
  11. ^ a b Picone, Kalie (1991). My Experience at "God's Country Place". Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
  12. ^ Latest/Greatest News Article. Endeavor Academy. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
  13. ^ Homes, Vic. Cult Characteristics and Endeavor Academy?. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
  14. ^ Ross, Rick A.. Endeavor Academy. The Rick A. Ross Institute. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
  15. ^ Hassan, Steven. Endeavor Academy. Retrieved on 2006-07-03.
  16. ^ grateful ex-student. Who is Chucky?. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
  17. ^ Drucker, Yanni. Yaani's story!. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.
  18. ^ U.S. District Court Southern District Of New York (24 Oct 2003). Opinion, Case: Civil 4126 (RWS) ruling (#00-07413) summary judgment denied (PDF) 6-7. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
  19. ^ Clarification on issues regarding disputes over the copyright of A Course in Miracles (Jun2004).
  20. ^ US Government. US Patent and Trademark Office. US Government. Retrieved on 2006-10-15.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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