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koofland
So perhaps my opinion isn't valid.
Koofland,
Of course your opinion is valid. You had an experience with followers who treated you kindly in a time of need.
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koofland
I spent some time living with people who greatly revered this man whom most referred to as Prabhupad. They were some of the nicest people I've met. I'm an alcoholic. I latched onto their beliefs because I have been terrified for years of where my drinking will bring me.
This is not hard to understand. Butler and other cult leaders always attract good, altruistic, and idealistic people. In turn they believe they are saving the world by passing on their beliefs and acting kindly towards people who become interested in their way of life. And who is not attracted by the music, the incense, melodic chanting, and the food? It provided a sensual distraction to your alcoholism for a time.
Most cults do not look like what one would imagine from a “Lifetime Movie of the Week” or “60 Minutes” expose. Adherents are not glazed-eyed zombies. They are regular folk who are active, creative and intelligent. You can’t always spot a member of a dangerous cult by looking at them, or even living with them for six months.
They do end up, by design, dedicating their talents and lives to a man who is a fraud using them for his own glorification and lavish lifestyle. Followers do not realize this because critical thinking processes are continually interrupted by their daily practices. Many have never even met Butler, but worship an idealized image based on myths created by Butler himself. You will see old pictures of Butler worshipped on altars as if he were a living deity in the prime of his life. They offer food and drink to a photograph taken in the 1980’s.
Where new people are welcome, you never get to see the underbelly of the cult. The great majority of long time followers do not have access to the inner circles. Many of the "exers" on this thread and those that I have interviewed were witnesses to the beginnings of the cult and/or were once in the inner circle. As corboy pointed out, you only see the public face of the cult. There are deeper and darker layers. If you were exposed to those in the beginning, you would come away with the same conclusions as people here on this forum. The people who post here are telling you the secrets about what lies behind the scenes to the point where people’s lives have been threatened for revealing the truth.
I suggest that before making any judgment about the group, that you continue with your recovery and research on this website the many topics on undue influence and how cults operate. There are hundreds of articles that will certainly give you more understanding of mind control.
Do you also realize that the group does not believe in psychology or psychologists? They believe that one can conquer substance abuse by chanting, eating a vegetarian diet, and worshipping their guru. If you are not successful at this, it is your own fault (not the guru’s or the chanting).
Did it occur to you why you had to disappear in shame? The reason is that there is a psychological trap in their philosophy. In other words, if you can’t live up to their standards, you are the failure. Individual members of the cult may have tolerated your drinking, but the underlying faith dictates that you are a failure, not sincere enough, or not good enough if you continue to do drugs. It means you failed to taste the so-called nectar of devotional service and prefer the lowly tastes of this material world. This of course is absurd.
I also think you should consider well the testimonies of those people who were once members of the cult, often for decades. They were also like the people you met. Their stories are as valid as yours. Many of them were also in the inner circle.
Good luck with your recovery.