Carlfig ~
Here's the thing about your estranged sister. She was once a Butler elite, but she got herself and her children OUT. This gave her kids an opportunity to lead normal lives free from the despotic narcissist Butler. Kudos. But she didn't get out without a lot of heartache, an almost nervous breakdown, panic attacks, and trauma. You only bring up a small part of her story, which is really hers to tell. She rebuilt her life post Butler. Like so many exers, they often escape to another cult or religion, usually to a less dictatorial or mainstream one. What you don't realize is how many years it takes to overcome the brain washing. Sometimes people go out of the frying pan, into the fire again. It's like taking methadone to get off heroin. So I wouldn't be too hard on her.
Yes, she fell hook, line, and sinker for Butler's group. A lot of smart and creative people did.
Yes, Butler went balistic when she came out. He was very harsh on her over it. He lost a few "elites" when they came out. I don't know if this is what started up his homophobic rampages that bled into Mike Gabbard's politics. Just a side note; Butler's fear and loathing of homosexuality was excessive in Hindu and Vaishnava circles. Just google GALVA.
Butler spent a lot of time and energy grooming Deborah. Your sister sang beautifully and produced an album for him, married for him, travelled to China with him, became a political candidate for him. She was one of the most loyal and hard working devotees of all. But Guru Prabhufraud became highly critical of her. He smashed her on more than one occasion. He once made a huge deal against her for singing a chorus "la la la" instead of a mantra. She stung hard from it.
If she went the Katyayani route of being another self-proclaimed guruette, taking followers, dominating their lives for her own self aggrandizement, (perfectly following in Butler's "lotus" footsteps), then I feel sorry for her. And yes, she could be considered a phony. It looks to me that she just found a female-centered form of spirituality and did not become a secretive cult leader. A lot of the Native American cultures are matriarchal.
For me, the main thing is that, to her credit, she got out of the cult and freed her children. That accounts for a lot. She was just another victim of Butler's cult. To understand what happened to your sister, check out these Cult Education links:
MIND CONTROLEdited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2015 08:24PM by Vera City.