Since Hawaii is the nexus of control for this organization, here are some common sense ideas:

1. Encourage people to shop at Whole Foods as opposed to DTE. That is almost a no brainer since the DTE chain was fined for improper treatment of their recyclables and let's face it, there is no comparison between the two with regard to quality, service and normalcy. This may take a few coins out of Butler's pocket.
2. Reinforce the embarrassment that his key political operative, Mike Gabbard, suffered when he was reprimanded by his own Democratic party last summer. It is shameful that he attempted to undermine the party platform. Encourage people to vote against this fundamentalist and donate to the opposition at all costs. It is a simple message, it is time for him to get out of politics. Citizens of every state in the U.S. are looking for real leaders who represent everyone, not just those who take a trip around 108 beads, 16 times per day worshiping Chris Butler. As a taxpayer, anyone in office who does not respect the separation between church and state, needs to refrain from politics.
3. Study the history of Hinduism. It has nothing to do with the messages that Chris Butler espouses. It is a kind religion and he is exploiting it. It embraced its homosexual members throughout its history. True inspirational leaders like Ghandi embrace all equally.
4. Write the Internal Revenue Service/Dept. of the Treasury. Mr. Butler's SOI non profit status is a complete sham. Eventually even the best attorneys lose influence and the legal bills mount up.
5. If you have a copy of the infamous television broadcasts "The Jagad Guru Speaks" go to your local tv station and share them with a reporter. Give them a copy. Same thing for the radio show. The more this gets into circulation, the better especially when it reaches the likes of CNN/Anderson Cooper, Oprah Winfrey and others with media clout.

I have compassion for the Butler following because brainwashing and fear are mighty shenpa. We all need to renounce the shameful practices of SOI and collectively we can shine a light on their horrible, secret darkness.

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anticult
5. If you have a copy of the infamous television broadcasts "The Jagad Guru Speaks" go to your local tv station and share them with a reporter. Give them a copy. Same thing for the radio show. The more this gets into circulation, the better especially when it reaches the likes of CNN/Anderson Cooper, Oprah Winfrey and others with media clout.

I have compassion for the Butler following because brainwashing and fear are mighty shenpa. We all need to renounce the shameful practices of SOI and collectively we can shine a light on their horrible, secret darkness.

A lot of his crap is easily available (without critical review).Chris Butler Propaganda site
There used to be a cut away shot with Gabbard and his wife laughing on one of the videos. Not sure if SIF edited that out. The videos are all from the early 1980's. Nothing new.

The India Divine website used to carry the videos and has a blog on Chris Butler, but they seem to be revamping their website at the moment. Again, no critical review of Butler's teachings and activities.

There are some documents on this site that reference Krishna Katha that could be shown.

The thing that puzzles me the most is that the powerful politicians (like the lion of the senate Dan Inouye) and local reporters in Hawaii have known about the connections between Butler and Hoshijo, Reed, Nishiki, and Gabbard for decades and don't seem to care a wit. Butler's publications and lectures have been freely available during many of the campaigns. The connection between Down to Earth is also well known. Unless the cult gets busted for drug running, child abuses, kidnapping, etc. no one seems to care. Seems like enough of the voters in Hawaii are okay with hating gays and toenail eating cults.

Rick Reed's wife exposed the cult in the early 1980's. They both worked for the Attorney General's Office at the time. Carter left Rick and blew the whistle. It did nothing. The Attorney General knew they were Butler followers when they worked for him. Reed went on to a political career. He lost an election when he tried to smear Dan Inouye with secret tapes from a hair dresser. One story claimed that the person who got the hairdresser to talk and secretly taped the allegations was a Butler follower. Reed pulls ad But heck, people voted for Dan with a history of sexual harassment claims anyway... congressional bad boys Go figure.

What is interesting is that in Chris Butler's dad's book, "Barbara; Memior of a Love Affair" by Will Butler, details his dislike and battles with Dan Inouye! Will Butler was a progressive who had issues about Inouye's stance on Vietnam and later, his voting to fund military aid to the Salvadorian government. At this he wrote Inouye that he "regareded him as a murderer". Clearly, young Chris grew up in a household with strong leftist politics and a hatred for Inouye. Butler's rebellion took right turns. Another interesting note is that in the 1980's Inouye chaired special hearings on the Iran Contra investigations. There is a photo in "Barbara" of Ma and Bro Bruce Butler (now a follower) holding signs saying "No tax money for Contras".

Zelig told me he had personally heard Chris Butler lecture to Rick Reed that he should either go into politics or become a guru. He advised and directed his career (with his wife Carter) the whole time he was working for the AG. Gabbard is no different. Political activism and deception is a big part of this cult.

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Vera City
Zelig told me he had personally heard Chris Butler lecture to Rick Reed that he should either go into politics or become a guru. He advised and directed his career (with his wife Carter) the whole time he was working for the AG. Gabbard is no different. Political activism and deception is a big part of this cult.

And we believed that Chris was going to use the political system to spread love for God; however, it seems like he is using the system to spread hate for man.

I just found this quote from the other thread about ISKCON:

Scriptures twisted to the leaders' advantage. The hierarchy promoted a distorted view of the scriptures that allowed them to shift the blame for all problems onto their followers. For example, they said that according to the scriptures, the gurus had perfect, spiritual bodies. The only way a guru could suffer physical distress was if his disciples committed sin. Therefore, when our gurus got sick, we were supposed to pray for forgiveness for whatever we did to cause it. If a guru had to sleep in and could not get up for the early morning services, it was the disciples' fault.

The gurus told us that according to the scriptures, everything in the world depended on whether Krishna was pleased. If the movement got into trouble with the law, or a bad article came out, they told us to work harder, ask for less in return, and learn to control our material senses. In fact, if anything bad happened anywhere in the world, heavily indoctrinated members felt responsible; something they had done must have failed to please Krishna. With all the followers blaming themselves for everything, the leaders were freed of responsibility for anything.

This is taken from a book by Nori Muster, who was a former member. It is very well written. The link is under the thread on this forum about Child Abuse in ISKCON .. apparently there are 800 former children who are suing. That's a lot of children!

On Wed, June 16, 2010 National Geographic is broadcasting another documentary called
The Second Coming.

They are profiling three people who claim to be Christ. It should be very interesting.

[Chris Butler has the same delusion, only using a different religious system. Also of interest is the fact that two of these “messiahs” have massive followers in the Philippines and in eastern Europe; the same as Butler. Is there a greater susceptibility in these regions for some reason at this time in history or is it just coincidental?]

The Second Coming National Geographic Documentary

From the National Geographic website:
For the love of God
[Sound familiar... Butler claims to do everything for the love of g0d and expects his followers to serve him for the same reason. The similarities between these three to Butler will be very obvious.]

"Some people have a calling to grow up and achieve monetary and material success, others desire to help the world, and others believe that Jesus was the one and only savior of the world and their calling is to spread the Gospel. While many Christians are very strong with their faith, meet these three men who believe they have a serious relationship with Jesus.

Vissarion, "Jesus of Siberia"
• Vissarion was in a construction unit of the Soviet army from ages 18 to 20. He took a job as a night shift traffic cop in 1985.
• In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Military was in total disarray. With their pay and self-esteem at rock bottom, many military personnel were at a crossroads of their lives, looking for something such as religion. It was during this transitional period that Vissarion and his followers first established the Church of the Last Testament in Siberia.
• The birth of Vissarion's Church of the Last Testament was far from easy. In the 1990s, devotees were reported to have died, either by suicide or due to the harsh living conditions and lack of medical care.
• Residents of the Abode of Dawn were plagued by ticks and other biting insects and many have been infected with Lyme disease. Vissarion’s ministry includes writing letters to people outside his following, with some including addresses to conservationists, former Russian President Putin, and even to the Muslim world.

David Shayler
• Before he claimed he was the Messiah, David Shayler made several disclosures about MI5, Britain’s domestic secret service, leading to his eventual imprisonment.
• In 2007, David Shayler claimed in an interview with a British news program that a psychic who channeled the spirit of Mary Magdalene had anointed him as the Messiah.
• In July 2009, David Shayler revealed a new alter ego, one that claims the world will end in 2010.

Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, Appointed Son of God [Same old story, different packaging.]
• Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy was born April 25, 1950, in a small village in the foothills of Mt. Apo, in the Philippines. He was the youngest of nine children and claims to have heard the voice of God in dreams many times in childhood.
• Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy claims to have started preaching in the 1970s, becoming so good he was dubbed "the preaching machine.”
• On April 9, 2000 Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy began work at a college to operate within the grounds of his Jesus Christ compound in Davao City, Philippines. Today, Jose Maria College offers education from preschool, right through to college graduation, with Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy as President."

Read More

I have seen this National Geographic documentary before, but it still illustrates a lot about ALL cults.

Great documentary: Inside a Cult


Besides the basic info on how cults work while National Geographic follows one messianic cult leader, you get a rare glimpse at how calm and matter of factly the followers speak about their beliefs. Notice how sincerely they describe their beliefs and feelings. Look at how they gaze at Michael, especially the two married women with whom he “consummated”. Butler also took one of his married disciples as his own and named her Vaishnava dasi, which means 'servant of the vaishnava, pure lover of g0d" (Butler). Ex Butler followers have reported how “Vaishnava dasi” used to sit at his feet and just gaze at Butler in the same way. She would never divert her gaze away from him. She is seen on some of his lecture tapes. In this documentary, listen to how the husband rationalized how g0d told Michael to "do it". I'm sure the former husband of VD has similar things to say.

Watch the children when the reporter challenges Michael, saying the children are not there by choice because they were born into it. This is so similar to the cult of Butler and his followers, only the songs and idols differ. What is so rare is how open the cult was to the media at the time. Their leader now sits in jail.

The documentary also covers the topic of how cult leaders control their followers by controlling their sex lives. This is a big feature in Butler’s cult.

Former cult member website which gives a good reference to the Ross Institute: Ex Micheal Travesser Follower Website

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just-googling

And we believed that Chris was going to use the political system to spread love for God; however, it seems like he is using the system to spread hate for man.

Googling, you always sum things up so perfectly!
Given Gabbard's history, I am also puzzled by the Democratic Party support in Hawaii.
???

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Vera City

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just-googling

And we believed that Chris was going to use the political system to spread love for God; however, it seems like he is using the system to spread hate for man.

Googling, you always sum things up so perfectly!
Given Gabbard's history, I am also puzzled by the Democratic Party support in Hawaii.
???

What do you mean?

The responses on this thread, long lived, have more to do with the emotional consequences shared by those who have suffered directly at the hands of SOI. That is why this is a forum. Given all who have participated over the years and the willingness of those to continue to participate emotionally, that suffering is understood. It is a different time now. Several in the "inner circle" senior disciples are making mistakes. Those mistakes are noteworthy...a matter of public record and private disclosure. Perhaps Mr. Butler's zeal to consolidate his efforts in Hawaii will be his downfall with regard to the longevity of his organization. Enough said.

"Those mistakes are noteworthy...a matter of public record and private disclosure. Perhaps Mr. Butler's zeal to consolidate his efforts in Hawaii will be his downfall with regard to the longevity of his organization. Enough said."

Not enough said; what mistakes are on public record? As for the longevity of his organization, the zealots still around have to be in their 50's by now and probably early 60"s. What physical condition do you think they are in? They never received, for all their hard work and dedication, sound medical insurance, adequate and healthy nutrition (remember these were the dumpster divers) or decent living conditions, they (or the children for that matter) must be in pretty bad shape physically by now. We can all surmise their current mental status-still under the illusion that "He" is End-All Be All, etc etc...
If the mistakes that are being made are in the realm of public record, then why does the "public" not know about this? Someone earlier mentiond that these things that have occured should be passed around to the news media outlets, to the reporters, so that some sort of expose' on a national scale can occur. So I ask you, is there a time limit for legal action on the following things that did occur in this organization? Child abuse, child neglect, polygamy, welfare fraud in several different states,
illegal transport of medications & drugs under false names and pretenses & written for one person but given to another repeatedly, and other things that occured. There has to be some documentation around for all this. From all that I have seen and heard this "organization" exists solely for the material benefit of one person and one person alone. It is a for profit organization and should be taxed as such, with the sole beneficiary of the internationl brotherhood of "butlerites" one person who
has acted like any other tyrant in history. It is somewhat ironic that perhaps the only way to end this charade is by the same method the rule of Al Capone ended- tax evasion. Off to Alcatraz, then....

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anticult
Several in the "inner circle" senior disciples are making mistakes. Those mistakes are noteworthy...a matter of public record and private disclosure. Perhaps Mr. Butler's zeal to consolidate his efforts in Hawaii will be his downfall with regard to the longevity of his organization.

Could you give specific examples of the public record and private disclosures to which you referred. If you have any news articles or other critical reviews, please scan and post and link.

Also, disciples making mistakes has yet to nail the "teflon clad" Butler. His philosophy needs to be exposed as fraudulent and dangerous. He will always distance himself from the disciples who get in trouble and never directly allow himself to get connected to any scandal. Yet his followers willingly and blindly put themselves out there. The golden idol that is Butler needs to be exposed. People in the public eye like Rick Reed, Kathy Hoshijo, Wayne Nishiki, and the Gabbard's need to realize how much they have been exploited and used to come forward. The problem is they will be implicated or lose out financially. Or more with even more pain and difficulty, renounce a whole belief system and lose their tribe.

No doubt Butler had everything to do with the Inouye hairdresser scandal that wrecked Reed's political career. No doubt Butler ordered one of his female disciples to tape record the conversation that was used in Reed's ad. (He left politics to sell used cars in Washington State after that.) No doubt Butler has become more secretive and careful over the years, especially after he began to be exposed on the internet.

Side note- People I have interviewed who knew Rick Reed well say he was not a vindictive or sneaky kind of guy. He was fun and generous and not very materialistic. He was smart, a hard worker, and totally devoted and loyal to Butler. (He met Butler during a very vulnerable time while getting over a very bitter divorce.) Reed's campaign against Inouye had all the ear marks of Butler's thinking and strategies. As I posted before, Butler had a family vendetta against Inouye. Reed's biography also reads like any other cult follower whose personality changed and lost touch with reality (Due to his cult involvement he married and divorced two women that Butler commanded and had little to do with his two, non-cult daughters as they were growing up).

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VoxVeritasVita Das
...the zealots still around have to be in their 50's by now and probably early 60"s. What physical condition do you think they are in? They never received, for all their hard work and dedication, sound medical insurance, adequate and healthy nutrition (remember these were the dumpster divers) or decent living conditions, they (or the children for that matter) must be in pretty bad shape physically by now.

I would love to see some statistics on this, especially regarding the health of the children growing up in this cult.

From my research, the "senior" and inner circle devotees were not the ones lacking healthy food and medical care. They and their children were raised on health food/ yoga diets (organic produce, pesticide free dairy products, whole grains, etc.) They are the ones who had their own businesses and were independent of Butler financially. Some followers got food stamps and free medical care from welfare (In Hawaii and Australia these are very good benefits). Unwed mothers easily qualified while their "spiritual" husbands worked for Butler. If unmarried men fathered children and worked for Butler in another location, it was legal. Butler could care less as long as he has the free labor. The point is that Butler and his disciples find ways around the laws.

There are reports that the children sent off to the "re-education camps" (school) in the Philippines do not always fare so well with food and medical care in that third world country. Does anyone have more recent information on this?

The "dumpster divers" were few and usually those folks who did not have money, education (degrees), or extremely useful talents that Butler could exploit. They end up working ("volunteering") on farms and in warehouses or factories that made products that support Butler. (They are usually single men and women.) Typically, they are offered free places to live (mostly substandard, such as in tents, shacks, barracks, or warehouse floors) with simple, vegetarian meals. The appeal or draw to these workers is that they are told they are doing devotional service for a pure devotee of g0d and spreading his word. They are told that simple living brings a higher or more spiritual thinking. There is a greater turnover of these people. Many people work for Butler follower's businesses making minimum wages or as free "devotional service".

Butler only "cares" about the welfare of his loyal and productive followers and will favor them with benefits. (His care is of course not out of real love, but his narcissistic need for adulation and the continuation of his empire.) For example, while Kathy Hoshijo was campaigning or doing her television show, Butler put her up in the nicest houses with a house keeper, cook, driver, and babysitters. She had the best organic foods and medical care. Butler's own step children and the children of senior disciples also got many favors not afforded the lesser plebians. He wants the next generation to be completely loyal to him and will shun any rebel.

The point is that Butler uses a system of increasing benefits strategies to keep hold of his most useful followers. This is not a suicidal type of cult (at least not yet).

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VoxVeritasVita Das
I ask you, is there a time limit for legal action on the following things that did occur in this organization? Child abuse, child neglect, polygamy, welfare fraud in several different states,
illegal transport of medications & drugs under false names and pretenses & written for one person but given to another repeatedly, and other things that occured. There has to be some documentation around for all this. From all that I have seen and heard this "organization" exists solely for the material benefit of one person and one person alone. It is a for profit organization and should be taxed as such, with the sole beneficiary of the internationl brotherhood of "butlerites" one person who
has acted like any other tyrant in history. It is somewhat ironic that perhaps the only way to end this charade is by the same method the rule of Al Capone ended- tax evasion.

Without followers who have direct knowledge of illegal activities and are willing to blow the whistle, you can also be sure that it will be far easier to expose the philosophy than to catch Butler with tax evasion. In any event, if one could prove tax evasion, he may not serve even one day in jail. Nothing appears to be in his name except for his Science of Identity Foundation and Identity Institute.

Keeping this forum alive, as it is the only critical review of Butler's group on line at this writing, is very important. The disparity between the Butler philosophy and the reality needs to be exposed in every available media. Hopefully, in time, more documents will appear and more "exers" will be willing to blow the whistle. Butler himself needs to be implicated, not just his followers. Continue to pursue it, but know your enemy. Butler is very intelligent and clever. He's studied cults as much as any expert on this website. He and his followers know and use a lot of sneaky strategies. So far they used the legal system to shut down several websites critical of Butler and flooded search engines with their tripe.