Exegesis was a group of individuals that delivered the Exegesis Programme through an Exegesis Seminar. The alleged end result of the programme was individual enlightenment, a personal transformation. Founded in 1976 as ''Infinity Training'' by Robert D'Aubigny, a former actor, Exegesis ran seminars in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in the later 1970s and early 1980s. Although not in itself a religion or belief, the programme was popularly interpreted as such. The

Cult Information Centre The Cult Information Centre (CIC) is a British anti-cult organisation that provides information and advice to members of what the organisation terms cults, as well as their affected family members, members of the press and scholarly researchers. ...

categorised it as a "therapy cult", focused on personal and individual development, and

George Chryssides George D. Chryssides (born 1945) is a British academic and researcher on new religious movements and cults, has taught at several British universities, becoming head of Religious studies at the University of Wolverhampton in 2001. He is an honora ...

categorised it as a

self religion A self religion (or self-religion) is a religious or self-improvement group which has as one of its primary aims the improvement of the self.Chryssides, pp. 290–291. The term "self religion" was coined by Paul Heelas and other scholars of relig ...

. In the 1970s Robert D’Aubigny remodelled

Werner Erhard Werner Hans Erhard (born John Paul Rosenberg; September 5, 1935) is an American author and lecturer known for founding est, which operated from 1971 to 1984. He has written, lectured, and taught on self-improvement. In 1977 Erhard, with the su ...

's controversial EST program into the more UK friendly Exegesis programme while keeping the essence of it unaltered. Graduates of the programme could attend workshops where a participant worked on personal development while being supported in confronting worst fears. At one time Exegesis claimed to have about 5,000 people in the programme. Greater interest in the programme led to the group being investigated by the press and becoming the subject of a controversial television play.Mick Brown,
I know I'm unstable. I accept that
. ''The Daily Telegraph'', August 31, 1998. In 1984 British

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

raised questions in the House of Commons, to which the Minister of State for Home Affairs

David Mellor David John Mellor (born 12 March 1949) is a British broadcaster, barrister, and former politician. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1990–92) and ...

responded "some organisations and views are deeply repugnant to most sensible people and profoundly wrong-headed and damaging to those drawn into the web of their activities. Nevertheless, unless and until those involved actually break the law, it is difficult for the Government to set their hand against them." The Home Office asked the

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

and

Avon and Somerset police Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the county of Somerset and in four districts that used to be in the defunct county of Avon: Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and So ...

to investigate Exegesis. Although the police brought no charges, Exegesis ceased to run seminars around 1984, but re-emerged as a telesales company called ''Programmes Ltd'', which had a turnover of nearly £6.5 million in 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exegesis (Group) New Age practices Personal development Self religions

See also

References