well spoken.Quote
Rama Das (slave name)
I guess the way I would describe the most recent lectures I had heard would be dismal... like a downward spiral the focus is on how bad the here and now is, to totally turn people into walking corpses, the only beauty is placed outside of this very life and world, to try and eradicate anything the followers may have of value in this world.
I do not mean money or possesions, I mean CREATIVITY, humor, SOLIDARITY, individual power and the god given ability to discover and learn.
Also increasingly insular.
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quotesman
I know that the word gossip is a buzz word in Chris Butlers cult and it is a way to stop people from talking about things fearless leader does not want them to talk about. ... Fearless leader has spread gossip about personal and intimate facts concerning many of his own disciples as well as his enemies and he does engage in chatty conversation about recent events. ...presenting a contorted view of reality and can be quite malicious.
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quotesman
Are those videos still available, some one should put them on Utube. How could we have not caught all the contradictions and hypocrisy????
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DassiQuote
terrenaut
I appreciate the information that has been presented here, and can verify that many of the things that have been said are true enough.
I have also noticed the tendency to simply engage in sneering and gossiping, which i dont believe is useful to the stated cause, of exposing this as a cult and warning others. It would be good if people present more factual evidence, and a little less conjecture and gossip, which only serves to dilute the actual facts. ..., dont get me wrong. I think that facts should come out. The only way to make important decisions is to have all facts on the table. Real issues have been raised, and I am trying to put them together in some order so that I can formulate some clear questions. thanks to everyone for their input
terre
Realize that everyone has had different experiences in the cult.
Different perceptions too.
Some people --- even whole families
have been very hurt and traumatized by this cult.
No one testimony is the same.
If you don't like the gossipy parts,
don't read them.
This is a forum of many opinions and points of view.
No one really has control over what is said on this forum.
You have to sift through and make up your own mind.
But there is a running theme.
It is a cult.
You don’t have to agree.
Maybe we don’t all define what a “cult” is in the same way.
Maybe we don’t agree on how dangerous it is.
We all deal with our past in different ways.
Some like to vent with humor.
Some vent with anger.
Others like to vent with more serious essays.
The focus on one vent is theological, another political, another ethical…
But venting is the operative word.
The main thing is that we are using our critical thinking skills.
Something not allowed in the cult.
A lot of stuff can't be proven - that does not make it less valid.
Some of us do fear retaliation from the cult.
You know we are considered blasphemers and demons.
We have a problem with this idea.
We have a problem with a lot of Siddha’s ideas.
The important point in the Purushotam comments
was the fact that Siddha had him dress up as a transvestite to STAGE the video.
P. was an actor.
All of Siddha's videos were staged and contrived.
It was not reality T.V. at all! It was scripted.
It was phony baloney.
The whole audience was made to dress in certain ways
and asked scripted questions written by Siddha.
Siddha was not this inspirational person.
He was a manipulator and a fake.
A charismatic narcissist.
Why did we comply?
We grapple with this question in different ways.
But all these stories have a common theme running through.
[b:f0acb65906]The Emperor Has No Clothes[/b:f0acb65906].
*note- I knew Purushotam fairly well. He was a good man, but like the rest of us, also had his flaws. He left behind some great kids and at least one ex-wife. He was loved. I was sad to hear of his passing. Last I saw him – he was close to Katyayani, (once said to be a “pure devotee”).
Perhaps you can shed some light on the rift between Katyayani, Sudama, and Siddha?
Just know the policy of this forum prohibits anyone from flaming others or preaching.
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hoax108
I was thinking the other day - you know what I used to find funny - the outfits that JG used to where in those old lecture videos. Remember - the nerdy shirts and pullover sweaters.
Who dressed him like that? Surely he didn't dress like that when "off camera". He looked like the president of the rocketry club at some community college. I think the image "they" were trying to portray was one of an "All American" preppy. What a tangled web of phoniness.
And then there were all his devotees in the crowd, sitting there like zombies on prozac. Asking canned questions and appearing so inspired and impressed at the answers. OMG - I'm chuckling just thinking about it.
Then there was the video series shot on the beach in California and JG up there on the vyasasan wearing a thick ski jacket that I always thought may be suitable for an Eskimo at the North Pole in January but a beach in CA? .
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anyway, dont get me wrong. I think that facts should come out. The only way to make important decisions is to have all facts on the table. Real issues have been raised, and I am trying to put them together in some order so that I can formulate some clear questions. thanks to everyone for their input
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I also noticed that CultReporter has disappeared. I saw her on another thread where she apologised to the group which had harmed her and it seemed she was returning to them. This is disturbing, anybody know where that is currently at? It was a little confusing, as she also said that cultreporter was a group of people trying to find the truth.
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terrenaut
I agree that the order not to 'gossip' is a huge red flag....
I too have seen devotees mercilessly lambasted over small things, in a deliberately humiliating way, presumably to bring one to 'surrender' or to help them defeat their ego, or some such, but it just seems cruel to me.
Editing is a powerful tool in making documentaries.Quote
Yes, the lectures were staged. Obviously. I am still not sure if this was a good or bad thing. It did ensure that the point of the day was made clearly. It did not leave any room for sincere questioning, no. I have not seen or heard a recent lecture in a very long time.
(in my most phenomenal Valley Girl voice) Ya think!?? Like, duh!!!Quote
I have already dealt with the notion that I am going to hell for this. I am not. God can take a few questions.
All of the exes I know are doing very well and are much more happy, content, productive since leaving the cult.Quote
I hope that you are all doing well in your lives.