As a former "higher initiate" of eckankar many years ago, I'm especially interested in another much more recent former "higher initiate", Ford Johnson, a Harvard educated attorney who has gained recognition and status amongst the eckankar ranks. In what appears to be a commendable activity, Johnson exposes Eckankar's deceptions in his recently released book, Confessions of a God-Seeker, a Journey to Higher Consciousness, ("One" Publishing Inc., Silver Spring, MD, 2003. At about the time of his publication, he created a website, thetruth-seeker.com wherein he states: "people need guidance" and "there is an intrinsic need to believe and surrender...we are made up this way..." Red flags, I'd say, for those of us who have become aware of cults from our own experience and education.

Johnson has created a stir in eckankar, of course, influencing members to leave the org as has he, and some are going directly to his "Great Work".

On Johnson's slick "higherconsciousnesssociety.org" website he also created, he appears to market his "teaching/"religion"/cult and/or product following his stated consumer "need" for "guidance," in my perception. Johnson states on his site: "Higher Consciousness Society (HCS), through the Great Work, offers a road to spiritual liberation for those seeking a deeper understanding of themselves as soul and their relationship to GOD."

Is this the "making of another spiritual movement", to use the title of the work by sociologist David Lane in his expose of eckankar in the '70's?

Johnson focuses on "a new Spiritual Paradigm" in Confessions and has outlined a "spiritual hierarchy" and "laws" quite familiar to former "eckists", like myself. He may use doublespeak/doublethink when he states in his book, "But there are no absolutes within the unbounded scope of ALL THAT IS. Instead, there is infinite choice..." The loaded language includes his term "Great Work", "God-soul" and ALL THAT IS (always in caps), in my opinion. He authoritaritively states: "Every God-soul, at every level of creation, is responsible to and for the whole of creation. Every God-soul ultimately devotes its all toward the goal of expanding the consciousness of ALL THAT IS. This occurs through the experiences of those who live within a particular level of the DREAM. This is as it must be, for the only reality is ALL THAT IS, and everything else is a created manifestation within that reality/illusion." And on and on...

Seems like a cult in the making to me.

That's only my opinion, from my experience.

Colleen

thanks for alerting us to this new one.

There's a detailed history of Eckankar and earlier spin-offs described on this thread:

[forum.culteducation.com]

My first and former husband, Jerry Mulvin and I were given instructions from Paul Twitchell t5o help start up the eckankr movement, "opening up the WEst Coast." Mulvin and I divorced in 1977 after 7 years of marriage. I moved on to connecting with the world at large via an intensive acting workshop in Los Angeles; Mulvin went on to start his own "spiritual movement" to "teach" people how to "soul travel" and reach the "higher levels of consciousness" or something of that nature. I was shocked to learn a few years ago that Mulvin was arrested on charges of downloading child pornography and is now a lifetime registered sexual offender.

Colleen

you would've been caught in the whole stinking mess if you'd still been married to him when he was arrested.

It would be interesting to know if your ex started abusing alcohol or drugs at some point. Drugs can dis-inhibit and cause people to act out agendas they could have otherwise suppressed.

And if you start believing you're on a mission from God or the astral powers, that can inflame an exisiting pathology, give a toxic sense of entitlement and a person will then act out.

Add access to the internet with its ability to stimulate fantasy and no outside social input and its a recipe for trouble.

You're lucky that you were no longer married to him!

In his book Prophetic Charisma, Len Oakes, an Australian psychologist, interviewed 20 different charismatic cult leaders. He divided them into two catagories: messianic and apocalyptic.

The messianic leaders spoke on behalf of God and an objective set of ethics. They had a relatively low rate of criminal behavior.

The apocalyptic leaders became convinced that they WERE the source of the divine, not merely speaking on behalf of the divine.

They had a high rate of criminal acting out.

When you become convinced that you're divine, all bets are off.

By the way, David Lane refers to Mulvin living at his "girlfriend's aunt's house"...Actually, he was living at his wife's aunt's house, and I was his wife at the time. I suggested he live there almost as a joke, but also, I now realize, as a test. He moved in!

Mulvin recruited me into eckankar when I was 19; he, 32. We were invited to a "special" meeting wherein Paul Twitchell, founder of the org, gave us our "mission" to "spread the word of eck" and "open up the West Coast"..meaning, as we now know, recruitment. I was very active in what I considered being a "co-worker with God", and with a small group of other members we started the first eckankar center in Los Angeles, gave introductory lectures, led discussion groups, started a newsletter, directed seminars, etc., etc.

After 7 years I divorced Mulvin and became inactive in eckankar although, based on its fear tactics and inaccurate beliefs which I internalized, I didn't stop sending in yearly membership fees until 7 years after that.

Mulvin went on to start his own teaching and I m ade the shocking discovery a few years ago that he was arrested during a sting operation for having hundreds of downloaded child pornography on his computer.

Mulvin is now a registered sex offender in Arizona and is serving a lifetime probation, according to public information I obtained.

For the past 24 years I have been married to a lovely man and we have two teenaged sons. I also am a licensed marriage and family therapist , have worked in the field for 20 years, and have a specialty in cult awareness and recovery in addition to my general psychotherapy practice.

Colleen

While doing research on Jerry Mulvin the Author, I started to notice this same story posted at various sites.

A person named Colleen saying Jerry Mulvin was a sex offender in Arizona. I started to do my research on that subject to get to the bottom of this to put in my article.

First I went to Arizona Sex Offender Registry:
[az.gov]
which lets you search by last name any sex offender in arizona.

He was not on that list.

Next I went to the following site for a National Listing of all sex offenders:
[www.nsopw.gov]

He was not on that list.

This leads me to believe the person Colleen is only trying to make a bad name for Jerry Mulvin. I am unsure why, I actually enjoyed his books.

Check out those 2 sites and look for yourself. They are government sites and have no details of the allegations made by Colleen.

This site was not made for fake accusations or for people mad at other people and trying to smear their name. It was made to help protect people from real threats.

kore