Three organizations and four individuals filed this amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in support of the appeal of The Local Church, Living Stream Ministry, et al for relief from defamation in the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions by John Ankerberg and John Weldon, published by Harvest House Publishing. The brief argued that:
- The court of appeals’ decision that the term cult is not capable of defamatory meaning, even when criminal and abhorrent conduct is ascribed to those labeled with that term, allows religion to be used as a cloak for defamation;
- The Supreme Court should clarify that falsely labeling a group a “cult” in a theological sense should not be actionable, but falsely labeling a group a “cult” in a secular
sense should be; and - The Establishment Clause did not apply in the case because those labeled “cults” in ECNR were so labeled not merely in a theological sense but also in the secular
sense of the term, and the plaintiffs’ claims were based on the secular usage.
The signers of the amicus were recognized experts in the field of countercult apologetics:
- Christian Research Institute (CRI) and its president, Hank Hanegraaff
- Answers in Action (AIA) and its director, Gretchen Passantino
- Neighboring Faiths Project and its co-director John Morehead
- Ruth A. Tucker