Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
darlak
()
Date: March 17, 2013 10:18PM
Hello all! I joined this forum because recently I have become involved with a organisation and I am unsure as to whether or not they are scam or whether they are a legitimate group seeking to spread truth and wisdom. The entire organisation focuses around this online book called "The Present", which they claim contais the ultimate truth of life.
The entire organisation exists to spread what they claim to be the truth of life found in this book. The author of the book remains unknown, he goes by the name of "Michael Smith", although no one knows his real indentity. The author claims to have a personal connection to "the source" or "collective unconscious" which allowed him to write this book.
The book is called "The Present"...I would recommend reading the first chapter to get a basic idea of what theyre about:
[www.truthcontest.com]
The problem is that the book which they are trying to spread does have some really good teachings and advice within it. People who consider themselves "spiritual" or who are seeking genuine answers to the mysteries of life could be forgiven for being enticed by it. As far as i know the group operates entirely online, mostly on its facebook page "The Truth Contest" which now has up to 25,OOO followers. Followers are encouraged to create fake online personas to help spread this "truth". On the last page of the book, it says that anyone who wants to go to the next level needs to email the author. I did just that and the response i got was:
So what do you guys think? The part about donating money sent alarm bells ringing which is why im asking advice. I;m thinking that these guys are essentially repackaging old teachings and trying to make money, but Im not entirely sure.
The entire organisation exists to spread what they claim to be the truth of life found in this book. The author of the book remains unknown, he goes by the name of "Michael Smith", although no one knows his real indentity. The author claims to have a personal connection to "the source" or "collective unconscious" which allowed him to write this book.
The book is called "The Present"...I would recommend reading the first chapter to get a basic idea of what theyre about:
[www.truthcontest.com]
The problem is that the book which they are trying to spread does have some really good teachings and advice within it. People who consider themselves "spiritual" or who are seeking genuine answers to the mysteries of life could be forgiven for being enticed by it. As far as i know the group operates entirely online, mostly on its facebook page "The Truth Contest" which now has up to 25,OOO followers. Followers are encouraged to create fake online personas to help spread this "truth". On the last page of the book, it says that anyone who wants to go to the next level needs to email the author. I did just that and the response i got was:
Quote
The books are the start of a long path.
Whatever you gained from the book will disappear if you do not take the next step. In fact, you will be in a much worse position than if you had never read The Present. Reading the book is just the first step.
The next step is for you to become a prophet.
As I say at the end of the books, I have told you all I can tell you. Now it's time for you to get the answers directly from what religions call the Holy Spirit and what I call the divine collective unconscious. Reading the books is just the first step on the path. I can only give you so much, then you have to start giving back to progress further. Only you can give the truth value in your life, no one else can do that for you. If you give nothing, you are saying it is worth nothing to you. People put their time and money into the things they value the most. True or false?
As you help to spread the truth, you will begin to change, your mind and perception will change and you will begin to see the answers to all the big questions, they become self-evident. What is that worth?
You become what you do. If you fly a plane, you become a pilot. If you spread unseen truth of life, you become a prophet. It is what all the founders of the world's religions did, and it is what made them prophets; Jesus, Buddha, Moses, etc. You get on their level only by doing what they did. They all say to follow them, be like them. We actually do what they ask, we just do it in the most modern and efficient way. We also do not just say what they said; we add the new things we have learned, and continue to learn, just as they did.
The great prophets of the past did not just parrot the words of the prophets that came before them, they added new revelations. They built on what the prophets that came before them gave to the world. The only thing we do differently is we do not spread the truth face to face. We do it anonymously on the Internet, because it is much more efficient and safer. We do what they would do if they lived in our time and had modern technology.
It is safer because if you see the truth in the books you are one in about a hundred thousand. We have only about ten people that are with us, and over a million people have been introduced to the books. In that large number of people that are not ready for the truth are fools and fanatics that could cause you harm. So we only spread truth anonymously on the internet, never in person, or with friends, family, teachers, bosses etc.
What we do has lots of benefits. The main one being; you evolve further. Being a prophet is the transitional step between man and spiritual being. As you do the work of a prophet, you become a spiritual being forever.
As it says on the last page of the book and in the Bible: "You reap what you sow." If you plant seeds of corn, you will reap corn, not something else. You get what you give. If you give the unseen truth of life, you get the unseen truth and life. If you don't, you won't, no matter what you do.
The sooner you start sowing or helping plant seeds of truth, the sooner you will start reaping. It makes the truth go subconscious and grow in your mind. If you do not start right away, you will get sidetracked and be lost.
This letter is saying get on-board, get involved, or get lost, literally.
You cannot do it alone. You have to join with us to promote our books and websites, etc. The Present is the top entry in the truth contest, which means it is the most accurate and complete source of the truth of life. Putting time and money into anything else would be a waste of time and money.
When you join us and help spread the truth of life, you make the truth a part of your life, you give it your time and money. You give it life, your life and in exchange it gives you divine life back. The more you give the more you get, because you are saying it is important to you. It is important enough to work for it. That is the way you give it value in your own mind. Only when you do this do you begin to change.
This new you is needed to see the truth you cannot see now, even though it is obvious.
Spreading the truth with us helps you find other people that see the unseen truth you see. These people become your best friends, the people you do business with and marry, because they are your soul-mates. They see life the same way you do; they see true life and that can never change, because the truth never changes. They are the only people you can trust and have a permanent relationship with. What is most important to you is most important to them, so you work together toward your shared goals of seeking and spreading the truth of life. Your new relationships based on the truth of life last all of this life span and forever, because the foundation of the relationship is life itself, it is God, because as you know, God is the truth and the life as it says in the Bible.
The more we spread the truth, the more people will see the truth. It will build in the world and in the collective unconscious until earth becomes the heaven it could be, should be and will be one day.
You work to get people to heaven because that is what gets you to heaven. There is no other way.
A prophet best helps spread the unseen truth by helping us. You help us by donating money (one hundred a month minimum, or 10% of your income, the bible calls it tithing) to our non-profit organization. A substantial contribution is necessary for you to take the next step in evolution. There is no way to progress without doing it. There is no free ride. People that think they can get a lot without giving a lot are wasting their time and our time. People that truly value the truth of life and can see the truth in The Present give money and time. The time part takes about a half hour per day on the Internet, working with a group of people and the contest webmaster. You use a code name and new email address (gmail) to stay anonymous (people are touchy when it comes to the truth of life).
This letter separates the wheat from the chaff, the serious committed people from everyone else. Only the committed will be able to take the next step in evolution and join with other people just as committed. We do not want to waste your time or our time, so we send this letter to people right away.
Our team is working on many projects. The contest webmaster is assigning people tasks to work on.
We are also working on creating a community, a heaven on earth. The people that help us the most will be eligible to live in or visit this community. Most of the donation money will go to creating it, so will part of future book royalties and other sources of income we are in the process of developing now.
The next step on the path starts here: [www.truthcontest.com]
This is not for everyone now, so we will understand if you do not join us. Save this email so you will have the contact information when you are ready. Everyone that reads the book eventually comes to their senses. If you are not interested in getting involved with us under the terms stated right now no reply is necessary. If you are over 18 and are ready to start on the path of truth and life, welcome. We look forward to working with you to turn this world into the paradise it should be.
Michael
So what do you guys think? The part about donating money sent alarm bells ringing which is why im asking advice. I;m thinking that these guys are essentially repackaging old teachings and trying to make money, but Im not entirely sure.
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
slowlearner
()
Date: March 19, 2013 05:35AM
I may be a slow learner, but I wouldn't trust anyone who sent me an e-mail of this nature as far as I could throw an elephant.
10% of your income (at minimum) is "necessary for you to take the next step in evolution"?
"Putting time and money into anything else would be a waste of time and money"?
I'd take the "get lost" option. Fast.
10% of your income (at minimum) is "necessary for you to take the next step in evolution"?
"Putting time and money into anything else would be a waste of time and money"?
I'd take the "get lost" option. Fast.
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 19, 2013 07:18AM
(quote)
Corboy: My BS signal is flashing and for a couple of reasons.
One: You must be either trained and licensed as a pilot in order to fly a plane -- and obey the FAA guidelines.
One doesnt become a pilot merely 'flying a plane'. You either have to be trained to know what you are doing or be doing those flights as part of the training hours needed to get a license.
Lets look at this further. (My strategy is known in rhetoric as reductio ad absurdum)
Does someone become a brain surgeon by opening someone's skull?
NO.
Unless one is to avoid committing harm, one has to complete MD training, surgical residency, then specialize in neurosurgery, all at accreditited training centers.
Two: "You become what you do" sounds empowering but long term, it can be tweaked into a mind-emotion lockdown. You can come to believe you are the prisoner of your deeds and then be led to believe you have to purchase ever more products from the people running this set up.
Quote
You become what you do. If you fly a plane, you become a pilot.
Corboy: My BS signal is flashing and for a couple of reasons.
One: You must be either trained and licensed as a pilot in order to fly a plane -- and obey the FAA guidelines.
One doesnt become a pilot merely 'flying a plane'. You either have to be trained to know what you are doing or be doing those flights as part of the training hours needed to get a license.
Lets look at this further. (My strategy is known in rhetoric as reductio ad absurdum)
Does someone become a brain surgeon by opening someone's skull?
NO.
Unless one is to avoid committing harm, one has to complete MD training, surgical residency, then specialize in neurosurgery, all at accreditited training centers.
Two: "You become what you do" sounds empowering but long term, it can be tweaked into a mind-emotion lockdown. You can come to believe you are the prisoner of your deeds and then be led to believe you have to purchase ever more products from the people running this set up.
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 19, 2013 07:21AM
My other red light is flashing.
This sounds like an elitist dare, as in do you have the cajones do do this, or are you one of the anonymous millions who just dont have what it takes?
It is safer because if you see the truth in the books you are one in about a hundred thousand. We have only about ten people that are with us, and over a million people have been introduced to the books. In that large number of people that are not ready for the truth are fools and fanatics that could cause you harm. So we only spread truth anonymously on the internet, never in person, or with friends, family, teachers, bosses etc.
And to me, this here reads as an implied threat that once you start, you cannot quit. Icky.
Whatever you gained from the book will disappear if you do not take the next step. In fact, you will be in a much worse position than if you had never read The Present. Reading the book is just the first step.
This sounds like an elitist dare, as in do you have the cajones do do this, or are you one of the anonymous millions who just dont have what it takes?
It is safer because if you see the truth in the books you are one in about a hundred thousand. We have only about ten people that are with us, and over a million people have been introduced to the books. In that large number of people that are not ready for the truth are fools and fanatics that could cause you harm. So we only spread truth anonymously on the internet, never in person, or with friends, family, teachers, bosses etc.
And to me, this here reads as an implied threat that once you start, you cannot quit. Icky.
Whatever you gained from the book will disappear if you do not take the next step. In fact, you will be in a much worse position than if you had never read The Present. Reading the book is just the first step.
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
michaelL
()
Date: March 19, 2013 07:24AM
I know this group and have spent time with them a few years back. I was outcast because they thought I was of the devil. I am a minister now, ordained by a reputable church, and can tell you what these people exhibit is very much cultish. In the last visit when I was in Colorado, I was unfairly accused of many things, cast out of their pressence, and my name was slandered in the state I reside. My pastor, who knew them, defended me. Many men and women of God defended me. God defended me and cleared my name.
Pastor sun self publishes. She doesn't have credible witnesses nor business associates. Desera and Tim Price are followers of hers and are good people who have (had) a great reputation. I believe sun uses their connections and 'looks' and aire of responsibility and steadfastness, etc. to further her cause and agenda.
I question that the whole 'flock' followed her from Colorado to Texas. Whatever the motivation, it seems bizzare to me to take up all roots and simply depart where they are not known. I have heard from credible sources that the Price's lost everything financially, including their houses.
Websites indicate Desera Price as her publicist and her main contact. Sun needs these people to seem legitimate. I pray that anyone reading do their own research and inquiry before associating or investing in these 'schemes'.
Please heed warning from someone who has felt their wrath and has forgiven them totally. I am not against these people but pity them and do not wish harm to anyone by speaking what I know firsthand. 'Buyer beware' is a term used in our laws and should be adhered to consisely here.
Peace
Pastor sun self publishes. She doesn't have credible witnesses nor business associates. Desera and Tim Price are followers of hers and are good people who have (had) a great reputation. I believe sun uses their connections and 'looks' and aire of responsibility and steadfastness, etc. to further her cause and agenda.
I question that the whole 'flock' followed her from Colorado to Texas. Whatever the motivation, it seems bizzare to me to take up all roots and simply depart where they are not known. I have heard from credible sources that the Price's lost everything financially, including their houses.
Websites indicate Desera Price as her publicist and her main contact. Sun needs these people to seem legitimate. I pray that anyone reading do their own research and inquiry before associating or investing in these 'schemes'.
Please heed warning from someone who has felt their wrath and has forgiven them totally. I am not against these people but pity them and do not wish harm to anyone by speaking what I know firsthand. 'Buyer beware' is a term used in our laws and should be adhered to consisely here.
Peace
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
Cultnomore
()
Date: March 19, 2013 11:18PM
Michaell,
Can you tell me how this group that is mentioned above is connected to the ministry of pastor Sun East? My sister is involved in this cult and I am very worried about her. She is always talking about movies and books and prophecy and miracles. HELP!
Can you tell me how this group that is mentioned above is connected to the ministry of pastor Sun East? My sister is involved in this cult and I am very worried about her. She is always talking about movies and books and prophecy and miracles. HELP!
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
slowlearner
()
Date: March 21, 2013 05:22AM
Cultnomore,
I too am wondering about the connection between the "Truth Contest" and Sun East. Maybe there's a possibility that Michaell simply posted his message on the wrong thread? Hopefully he will be able to answer our question himself.
In the meantime, I am so sorry about the situation with your sister. I wish you and her better times ahead.
I too am wondering about the connection between the "Truth Contest" and Sun East. Maybe there's a possibility that Michaell simply posted his message on the wrong thread? Hopefully he will be able to answer our question himself.
In the meantime, I am so sorry about the situation with your sister. I wish you and her better times ahead.
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
ricketybridge
()
Date: March 29, 2013 08:49AM
Pfft, oh yeah. I basically just glanced at a few sentences and was like, "uh yeah, that's a cult." I know that's not a very scientific way to put it, but given the fact that other people have given more robust answers, it doesn't look like you need another one. Just the use of the word "truth" sets off alarm bells that suggests they feel that they have a monopoly on truth (and the rest of your post suggests that as well). I say run! Run away!
Here are the warning signs of a cult to check it against yourself: [www.culteducation.com]
Here are the warning signs of a cult to check it against yourself: [www.culteducation.com]
Re: Not sure if these guys are a cult...advice requested
Posted by:
jumper
()
Date: December 14, 2014 10:01AM
I briefly attended the church with Sun Hui East before they suddenly moved to Texas. Is this another of their scams? The more I dig into this, the more twisted the story becomes. Did anyone answer if this Truth Game thing was related? I'm new to this forum, so I'm not sure how to navigate and find stories. Thanks!
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