By Rosita Šorytė
European Federation for Freedom of Belief

ABSTRACT: Since the 19th century, there has been a public eager to read exposés of unpopular religious or esoteric minorities claiming they were engaged in illicit sex. Roman Catholics, Mormons, and Freemasons were among those targeted. This trend continues in contemporary media. It would seem that in sacred eroticism groups, which do not hide that they teach erotic rituals, there is less room for new and sensational revelations by the media. Nonetheless, based on the accounts of hostile ex-members (“apostates”), the media have produced accounts claiming that sacred eroticism is just a pretext for sexualabuse. While abuses are possible, the media treatment of these groups is biased and unilateral. The article examines cases where two sacred eroticism groups (whose leaders were jailed) were targeted, the Guru Jára Path and the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (MISA).

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