by Dr Lyndy Summerhaze, Australia
Can it be possible in the year 2012 in Australia – a political democracy professing freedom of speech, that a Minister from the Uniting Church could walk into a Presentation about living a full, healthy and loving life and harass the gathered people and accuse them of being a cult? Yes, this did happen on October 12th at the Lennox Head Community Centre and I was there to witness it.
David Millikan, a Minister of the Church, said to Serge Benhayon that he was writing a book and was interested in our philosophy; he said he would like to ask the audience some questions about Universal Medicine and what it presents. What ensued was no open forum of communication between David Millikan and the group, or between one human being and another. Before any such exchange could take place, Mr Millikan menacingly turned on the audience and accused them of being a cult under the controlling influence of Serge Benhayon. As he began the delivery of his slanderous, angry speech, people with hand-held cameras popped up all around us and began filming. It was a set-up with a sinister agenda.
This was one of the most disreputable, dirty, ugly acts I have ever witnessed. Here was a peaceful group of people, including young people and teenagers, being bullied for gathering to talk about how we can live life in a gentle, practical way. How can it be possible that someone like David Millikan can do this in a country of free speech; in a country in which diverse views and religious beliefs are legally allowed to be expressed? Mr Millikan’s act was a violation of basic human rights.
David Millikan claimed to be a Minister of the Uniting Church, and yet everything he did was the very antithesis of the teachings of Christ, of the Christian way of Life – he lied and deceived, he bullied, he harrassed, and he slandered a group of people who deeply care for humanity.
Mr Millikan’s behaviour is unacceptable and he must be made accountable for it.
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
We have created a ‘tough’ world to live in where people are slandered for expression. Laws or no laws expression is our natural right. Serge Benhayon is a living example of expressing the truth of what he knows and feels — he does not hold back. He is being attacked quite horrendously too. We have it back the front. I celebrate everything about this man .. and he has inspired me not to hold back also. Why should I hold back all the love that I am too, the world is missing it??
The whole church thing is one bog act. There are roles to play, power to get. It is not about love.
That was already very clear to me as a child going weekly to the services of the church with my parents. As a child you can not be fooled as you are not yet so much in your head/mind. The child is still connected with themselves so it is natural to feel all.
So I was able to see the games at play and how much there was that does the opposite of love.
When you take a moment to feel Serge Benhayon, the love he expresses you get to understand why people just walking his direction. They just go for the emanation of love.
When I feel strongly connected with me I notice children come my way and hold my hand because they go for the vibration of love as that they recognise it so well.
Lyndy looking back on this blog today and reading what has been shared will be a testimonial in the future to the barbaric nature of the press. Wielding a power that is fed by nearly all of us. The more the truth is shared, the greater chance we have to change the power of the media, like all ‘so-claimed-powers’ they will come to a point of not being in power when we all stand up and demand truth – for that is certinly not what is being offered by them.
When harassing others is not sanctioned, we have de facto enacted another freedom, freedom to harass. The obvious question is whether we should accept this freedom as part of pour standards.
It seems ridiculous that any human being could fight and argue against Love, simplicity, honesty and truth. Yet that’s the uncomfortable reality we must all face – that inside us is a wayward part that fights our heart.
Reading this again Lyndy I get a clearer understanding of how ugly it was, and not just the calculated bullying attack, but the calculated false friendliness and lies that led to him being in the position he was on stage with his self promoting, sensationalist and abusive agenda. What I have found with the Universal Medicine philosophy is a gentle, respectful, and very loving harmonious approach to self, to life, and to people, this is something David Millikan does not live. He may call himself a minister of God but they are just words because to represent a God you need to live what God is.
Very wise words Melinda: “to represent a God, you need to live what God is”. Of course, how could we represent God if we have no idea what living like a God is. It’s the same as being a lawyer, how can we represent our clients if we have not practiced (lived) law?
When I read what happened I feel like some maniac prepared themselves to film a situation set up by themselves and that this gives them a kind of kick on their personal achievements. I feel they should be brought to court and have their journalistic papers taken away.
I agree Sylvia, but let me take it further. If I dress in a police uniform it doesn’t give me the right to arrest people, and if I did there would be legal consequences. If David Millikan calls himself a minister but doesn’t act in a way that truly represents Jesus or God then why isn’t there consequences for him? There really needs to be. Religion should not be an excuse for abuse in any form, so any religious authority figure should be accountable for their behaviour, and so should the media.
On October 12, 1492, Columbus found the new world. 520 years later, on October 12, 2012 David Millikan went on stage to defend the old world.
Thank you Eduardo, you really made me laugh!
Sadly this kind of behavior is an accepted norm in the media. With this behaviour being called out it makes a stand that this is not accepted. I am wondering what happened to David Millikan after his behaviour here?
We need a healthy way of living that is asking us constantly to grow instead of repeat and or stay comfortable. This has not been thought by our majority. As we have been not fully if not at all grown up with full truth and love from the very day we were born. There is no need for blame, only to see and become aware of that we are not alone in this and that we need to bring love back to practise, no matter what the past was, love is in us all of the time. So let us be the ones that stand in true authority and love and bring ourselves up, no matter our age.
Titles can be awarded to anybody who ticks the boxes, what is certain is truth and integrity can’t be bought and acquired they can only be lived.
It doesn’t take much scratching of the surface or discernment to see the ugliness of what went on. But I’m not sure the cameras would have conveyed this. With a strong agenda and the media, things get distorted quite well.
Yes, the right kind of cuts would have made it all look good for David and it made for an eerie spectacle as his remarks from the stage were clearly scripted and he made them regardless of what transpired. The story was written before it was filmed.
And we call that journalism!
How incredibly manipulative, disrespectful, and abusive to the public to present a scripted story as if it’s the truth and allow the Universal Medicine staff and attendees to be their collateral damage.
Yet we lap up that kind of media and so that is what we get supplied with. We’re equally to blame as are those who report and print such things. If we stopped buying papers that touted such ‘journalism’ what would happen then?
This clearly shows how much we as a society or as societies have allowed that what is not of truth and integrity to become a behaviour that we accept; how is it otherwise possible that David Millikan was not taken from the crime scene in shackles, in other words being made accountable for his behaviour? We are very hypocritical when it comes to taking the responsibility we have in all that we do, we always try to find ways to get around it, but with not addressing what we are in truth doing we are fooling ourselves and keeping us in the fog of not seeing clearly anymore.
A behaviour like this makes us questions what ‘a political democracy professing freedom of speech’ actually is. Have we understood democracy to mean majority can bully minority? Does freedom of speech mean we can say whatever we want even if it is a complete, unfounded lie designed to harm another?
These are very important questions to ask Fumiyo. They make it so very clear how easily and scrupulously we misuse and abuse words, in this instance all this happens under the umbrella of democracy. But as you point out, in a true democracy would such behaviour be truly possible? Or does it simply show how we recklessly want to do what we want to do and thus blur the truth but still claim it to be truth, all the while we are miles away from true truth – a one unified truth.
It is interesting that we in life can carry many roles and titles without actually living the true meaning of them. In this case minister of Uniting Church, in this case the word Uniting is very overridden and not lived – as we could see from the horrendous act he has played out himself. We need to get more honest — and truly come to a point of truthfulness and look at our living, see what is actually harming people and change.
I heard of this incident in the past but did not know the details. How bizarre that a man with a supposed integrity played this stupid trick in a very dishonest way. He is the one that is fully exposed.
It’s unlikely David Millikan would ever be exposed in the media because it would expose the corruption and tactics used in so much of the ‘journalistic reporting’, but we can certainly expose it in full here which is so very necessary. It’s a great thing the internet allows us a public space to speak up on behalf of the truth and share the facts.
When you look at our history it has to be clear, that our past is chock-a-block with people who have spouted fine words but then lived in the opposite way. It has got to the point that we almost cynically expect others to deceive and let us down. What has made us such serial liars? It seems to me we have actively trained since our birth to override and deny what we feel. And so we all, more or less, become practiced liars. So perhaps when we see antagonistic acts like those of David Millikan you describe Lyndy we should not be surprised, but understand it’s the natural result of when we don’t have integrity inside. Surely, after all this is what the world is truly looking for?
A clear lack of integrity from Mr Millikan – something I have never witnessed from Serge Benhayon.
It may be the very integrity Serge lives by so incredibly consistently, we could even say religiously, that has been part of David Millikan’s attack as he may have felt quite exposed in contrast by the way Serge is and lives.
Just because we say we are religious or indeed carry a title that decrees us so, does not for a second mean that we are in any way living religiously if we are not expressing the love that we are with all that we meet. The actions of David Millikan exposes this as does it reveal the degree of hypocrisy we have allowed within our society when people say one thing but move in a way that is contrary to this.
So it is truly right to be said that those who stand for truth must live it , not just call it in words. As we can see, no word truly matters if it is not being lived.
Must be a big disappointment for those who believed in the title that David Millikan is carrying forward with – as his actions did not live up to his title.
This quality of thing is what we all have allowed. I remember watching many news footage on similar things being done to others and justifying it to myself why it should have happened like that and making a judgement on the people that were being reported on based only on what had been very sensationally reported. From memory I’d even discussed some with others about what I had seen and not looked to filter any of it. In other words I just took a side on things and made up my mind based on what I had seen without bringing in the other side of the story. This when my training and my experience has been that without a balanced view you don’t ever get the full picture. I was there also on the night this article is written about and I got another view right in front of my face, I was the one in the TV and it was a wake up call because what was being said and portrayed was very far removed from the truth. Looking back soon after I saw my part and vowed to again never allow myself to be taken from one side of a story. Also if you sit on the side lines and do nothing, for me it is akin to supporting it as well and so there is no escape from the responsibility we have to see the whole picture and not support, endorse, ignore or tune into a part.
Even today I remember the deceit, manipulation and tyranny of David Milikan very well. I was there that night and along with his deceit, the behaviour of the people with the cameras in the room was reprehensible. They were like robots doing whatever they could to film a story that was written before they arrived. They had the story already (albeit a completely untrue story) and just needed the film to fit it. How frustrating for them that there was no story of a cult there to be had. So instead they tried to create it, and try they did. But no matter what the words or story from Milikan that came in following days, he got it wrong, as did his pack of cameramen and women. They got it wrong, very wrong, and to this day they know that.
Hi Lyndy, this blog is beautifully written and it speaks for all of us . . . those who were there that evening and anyone who chooses to empower themselves by beginning to take responsibility for their own being in full.
This abusive attack on a gathering of Universal Medicine exposed that David Millikan had recognised the truth of all that Universal Medicine presents but the energy he chose prevented him from acknowledging the truth so he attempted to defame ridicule it instead.
Loveless behaviour from a Minister from the Uniting Church shows we have to always discern for ourselves about individuals, and not accept anything less than love.
Yes this kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and only happens because we as a society have accepted it.
Looking back at our history as a race, it’s like we have been receiving one long lecture, one big lesson – that all our actions, thoughts and deeds should add up and align with the things we say. You can’t preach one thing yet do another and think this will serve well in life. And so David Millikan’s appearance is just the latest example of how we distort and push and drive and twist the truth – all at our great cost. Thank you Lyndy for documenting this, so it is not lost.
I agree Joseph, it’s so important for us all to speak up so the truth is not lost amongst the sea of lies.
Terrible behaviour, I agree with this, ‘Mr Millikan’s behaviour is unacceptable and he must be made accountable for it.’
This is just another example of what is currently being displayed amongst many institutions that are marking some major exposure of not practicing what they are preaching. The right to impose on another has no footing on any soil in any part of our world and when we champion a way of living that we see as the only way there is no regard for all.
For someone from the Uniting Church, his actions don’t sound very uniting at all.
“Mr Millikan’s behaviour is unacceptable and he must be made accountable for it.” I was there that evening. I was open to David Millikan when he stated on stage he was going to ask us some questions. He did. I remember how much I was welcoming him. Then he deceived me by accusing me for being a cult. I saw people in the audience filming. It felt intrusive and I was in shock. I thought he was joking but it was a setup. What I felt the most that was distressing was how deceived Serge Benhayon felt. How he built a trusting relationship with this man and he turned on him with delivering his own agenda. I also got to feel and deeply appreciate how Serge loved both the student body and David Millikan equally. How TRULY beautiful is that?
Thank you Rik for your contribution here and reminding me about the way love holds all equally – no exceptions.
Absolutely loveless, hence no Soul would harm anyone, as our Soul is the Christ, the slander of acts show that there was absolute lack of Soul.
Walking our talk, is where it all is at, people can preach, piety, good behaviour etc, but where is the proof in the actions. The actions chosen by David Millikan, say much about his transparency and integrity.
One of the most abhorrent things in this world is the imposition that is placed upon us dare we question the status quo.
Yes, few ‘the Emperor is wearing no clothes’ statements turn out well for the person making the statement.
The greatest teaching of this event, even though this was absolute attack and unacceptable, is that even though some one could carry a title or name (representing a group, religion), but in truth – only when it is lived in full, it is true. So this actually tells us a lot about David Millikan and how we are used to having people in lead of organisations/group/churches, but actually living not anywhere near to the principles of it. That is clear now.
What such a horrendous episode reveals is that there are energies in this world of ours, that we know were behind horrendous events in the past, that are still well and alive because human beings have chosen not to renounce them in their lives.
Well said Dr Lyndy Summerhaze. I was also attendant at the evening you describe – what occurred in David Millikan’s behaviour and that of those ‘placed’ in the audience to film the response in the room, was callous, uncaring and deeply abusive.
How can this occur in a so-called democratic society, which values freedom of speech as a basic tenet, you ask? I would say that we’ve actually lost the true underpinning foundation of what free speech is all about – that being, to inherently ‘do no harm’. Millikan’s orchestration of events and the subterfuge upon which he seems to have set it all up were indeed completely disrespectful of any true value for fellow human beings whatsoever. Many, including young children, were quite traumatised by what unfolded and the aggression of not only Millikan, but those with cameras also.