U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno identifies Christians as cultists-Fiction!

U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno Identifies Christians as Cultists-Fiction!

Summary of eRumor:
It is said that Attorney General Janet Reno appeared on "60 Minutes" on the CBS television network on June 26, 1999, and described some of the common characteristics of cultists. Her description, however, was the exact profile of many committed Christians.

The Truth:
It is a hoax. Janet Reno's office denies it. 60 Minutes denies it. No one has been able to come up with any evidence that the statement was ever uttered or broadcast on television or any other media.

Also, incidentally, June 26, 1999 was on a Saturday. 60 Minutes is broadcast on Sundays.

A real example of the story as it has been circulated:

from Leo (USAF Ret.):

I didn't even realize I was a "cultist" until I read Janet Reno's
definition of one (see below). Now, I find out I'm not only a cultist,
but a threat to my country! I don't think I need to say any more!

Read this statement from Janet Reno:

"A cultist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second
Coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; who has a high
level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools for
their children; who has accumulated survival foods and has a strong belief
in the Second Amendment; and who distrusts big government. Any of these
may qualify a person as a cultist but certainly more than one of these
would cause us to look at this person as a threat and his family as
being in a risk situation that qualifies for government interference."

-Janet Reno, Attny. General of the United States during an Interview on
CBS "60 Minutes" on June 26, 1999.

Do YOU qualify as a cultist by Reno's definition? Are you (as defined by
the US Attorney General) a threat to the U.S.? This concerns me. Does
it frighten you? We who live in this country - "the land of the free"
should copy this and send or give a copy to every man, woman and child you
know who has the ability to read. Take copies to your church and Sunday
School class.

Jolly

... or admit that we've already lost our freedom, tuck our tails
between our legs, and quit kidding ourselves.