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RadhaGovindaI found this interesting Father's Day article written by a devotee of Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupad:
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www.huffingtonpost.com]
Anyway, I was wondering if any of you harbor ill-will toward Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupad. I had the privilege of two initiations from him, as well as some airport departures in waiting rooms (back when security was more lax) and one semi-private audience with him. Every time I found him to be kind, and the atmosphere to be peaceful. And I'm not convinced that Siddha had an ulterior motive from the onset. Seems the movement just morphed into something that was less spiritual than how it began.
Hi RG,
The article you referenced was bitter-sweet to read. I am close to an exer who left his Jewish roots to follow Butler. Both he and his family experienced a lot of pain because of this decision. Fortunately, he left the cult and has no regrets. He does agree with you that Siddha did not start out as a petulant, narcissistic cult leader. (But there were indications in hind sight. If you read Siddha’s father’s book, “Barbara”, you will see a similar conflict, disappointment, love, and acceptance as with the father of the swami. You will also see a family tendency towards narcissism.)
The author of the article is an unmarried, childless man who does not understand what it means to be a parent. He soaks up his parent's unconditional love but failed to realize the source of their pain. Simply, the parents wanted to maintain a loving relationship with their son, so there was acceptance and of course appreciation. This is not hard to understand. But their acceptance of their son never validated nor condoned “cult-dom”, such as practiced by the Butler group. There are individuals who do follow the traditional Vaishnava religious system who seem to live outside of the confines of a cult. Maybe this swami is one of them.
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www.culteducation.com]
You may have met ACB in peaceful moments, but that does not exonerate him from horrors such as those committed against innocent children in his Guru Kula schools. As a leader he was ultimately accountable. I am only speaking for myself here. It is not about hanging on to bitterness or harboring ill will towards ACB. At best, he was a weak, but idealistic leader following his own religious customs. At best, he was a very naïve man who did not understand what his “nice young boys and girls” were capable. He was responsible for promoting, supporting and maintaining the individual monsters who did perpetuate crimes and perversions. I do fault him for creating a bhakti mafia.
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surrealist.org]
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www.harekrsna.org]
I know, ISKCON has gone to great pains to get rid of the bad guys and clean up their reputation, but it does not change their history. ACB was its progenitor and one only need look at the results.
Some devotees leaving both ISCKON and KRISCON sought out other Vaishnavas, looking for an authentic and personally free spiritual niche. In other words, they wanted to practice the religion without the confines of a megalomaniac and controlling cult leader(s). (I do take issue with much of the philosophy and religious practices, but that’s been posted.)
But this forum is about Butler. RG, you have not been around for the several-year discussion that has been going on here. It is not like the “other side” has not been heard. There have been some good debates along with some bad ones. Posts and posters have come and gone. A couple of trolls almost killed the forum (Zelig was not one of them BTW). I have my theories that Butler’s hand was behind some of the supposedly anti-cult posts, but no matter.
The fact remains that Butler’s group is a dangerous cult. Perhaps in comparison to others, he seems like a little greasy potato chip in the bottom of the bag, overlooked by most. Everyone on this forum who has had personal contact with Butler will also tell you how mellow, humble, charismatic he could be. That was the attraction. Nonetheless, the impact of his teachings and leadership has been extremely injurious. No one can stop you from taking responsibility and blaming yourself for lost time, money, and energy. Most exers at first do not fully understand how easy it was to have been seduced and manipulated by this wanker Butler.
Here is one of the best articles I have found on the topic:
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www.culteducation.com]
for more articles on thought reform:
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www.culteducation.com]
Being in Butler’s cult, his “very gentle force” is like having a roofie slipped into your drink. An exer can become an accidental apologist for Butler’s group, until he/she comes out of their Roofied stupor and notices the redness, soreness, and rawness after having been mind-raped in a cult. Do you think it was consensual? Do you think people were just asking for it? Of course not. While everyone goes into a cult for different reasons, no one really wants to be taken for a ride, used, and wake up naked in a strange place. But they are the lucky ones who do wake up and get the hell out of there.