good post Corboy, I jus read all posts here and i am disgusted by the responses desteni members gave to concernedmom83 when she asked after her daughter. All they do is divide people, all for "equality", a principle that in my opinion has to bring people together

(sorry for my english, its not my mother tongue).

Thank you all, for your support and kindness.

I have been keeping an eye on desteni cult forum. As you know by my posts, I am very concerned and disturbed at the way desteni cult looks or views the family. I always have, but after reading 2 posts in the last few days, I am sure that the goal of this cult is to distance and ostracize the member's family and friends. I have witnessed this first hand. I am going to give you an example of the contents that desteni cult preaches. Here's something pretty upsetting to any parent. Apparently some of the members got together this past weekend (yes, Father's Day!, wonder if there is any coincidence in choosing that day?) The following is from a post by one of the member attending the meeting)


" During this meeting a realization occurred that we are all a family and a family that is not within the Family structure. Cameron Pointed out that if this were an actual family reunion it would have been a lot weirder because truly we do not know our families we do not communicate regularly so we have no idea what is going on within their lives, what they are interested it, and there are no common standing grounds for a conversation. Yet at the meeting we all came together on the same standing ground which is life, and through this we were all able to share unconditionally and express ourselves without judgment. Desteni has become a family, a family that is nothing like the family structure that is here today. It is a family where each of us is allowed to move as ourselves, and will get assistance immediately unconditionally when asked."
.


First let me say how badly that I feel for anyone who feels this way about his parents and
siblings, for both his family and him. Having said that, I feel that other members who may be young, impressible and confused in their lives might interpret this as 'this is how I should feel as I am getting older'. And we all know that this hate for family, trying to separate members from family comes from the top, none other than the one and only bernard poolman.

There was another post by a girl on parents wanting their children to be like them. What she said made absolutely no sense to me, a mother.She seems to be quite upset with parents passing down traditions, religion, etc to their children. In her last paragraph, she said that someone should ask why they want a child. I say to her that procreation has been going on for many, many years and will continue to. I feel it's so obvious that it may insult this young girl, but if you happen to read this, it is a natural desire for a couple that love each other to want a child. It part of you continuing in the future, with HOPE. She felt it wrong that parents should guide and train their children to be responsible, loving, caring adults.

As said in another RR post, without the well done rearing of their children, desteni cult would have
nothing ....now would they?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2011 09:41AM by concernedmom83.

@concernedmom,
I fully agree with you that their view on family is entirely destructive, which is why it appeals mostly to people disappointed in their families and teenagers who feel a natural wish for distance from theit parents.
Most members appear quite confused if you tell them that you perceive your family as supportive and likable. But that is the usual reaction of someone generally unsatisfied with everything to someone who is ok with him/ herself and his/ her surroundings.

I have to strongly disagree with the Desteni-quote you posted:


" During this meeting a realization occurred that we are all a family and a family that is not within the Family structure. Cameron Pointed out that if this were an actual family reunion it would have been a lot weirder because truly we do not know our families we do not communicate regularly so we have no idea what is going on within their lives, what they are interested it, and there are no common standing grounds for a conversation. Yet at the meeting we all came together on the same standing ground which is life, and through this we were all able to share unconditionally and express ourselves without judgment. Desteni has become a family, a family that is nothing like the family structure that is here today. It is a family where each of us is allowed to move as ourselves, and will get assistance immediately unconditionally when asked."
.

This statement is entirely delusional. Desteni-members of higher rank (admins) constantly reprimend and bully those beneath them, so there can be no 'sharing unconditionally' and 'expressing without judgement': if you say anything that is un-Desteni, you either get bitched at or just banned for a certain amount of time until you apologise and crawl back on your knees.
You have to shave your hair, buy the merchandise, wear the t-shirts, talk a certain way, behave a certain way, monitore yourself, have others judge you according to their own standarts of what they think a Desteni-member should be like... quite oppressive, having people stalk and judge you constantly. There are hardly any parents more nosy in this world than that.
Also, if 'having something to talk about' makes a real family, I think every Star Trek-convention can count as a family of equal value to that which Desteni-members believe to be in.

Especially for members of Desteni who may still be under the false impression that the Desteni I Process Multi-Level Marketing pyramid scheme is NOT a pyramid scheme, the following blog post gives a clear outline of the situation:

The Desteni I Process: Amway for Conspiracy Theorists.

Also on video:

The Desteni I Process: Amway for Conspiracy Theorists (Part 1 of 2)
The Desteni I Process: Amway for Conspiracy Theorists (Part 2 of 2)

The author explains that the Desteni I Process MLM pyramid scheme may not make any money for Desteni members, but be a relatively safe business for Bernard Poolman, even if only on a temporary basis.

I'd also point out that the author is a law school graduate.
[muertos.blog.com]

A comment under the 2nd video is by a user stating that Desteni materials were sent to Pyramid Scheme Alert, "the first consumer organization to confront the abuses and trickery of pyramid scheme perpetrators".

Robert L. FitzPatrick, the president of Pyramid Scheme Alert and "an expert in examining and revealing deception and fraud in bogus home-based businesses... an author, teacher and internationally recognized authority in multi-level marketing schemes and pyramid sales fraud" replied saying,

"Thanks for the information. Cults and pyramids are a natural match."

Thanks Sandman for bringing these blogs by Merutos and references to Robert L Fitzpatrick to our attention. It was very informative. It's clear that bernard is making alot of money illegally, while those members under him are not, and paying his way!

Does anyone have any ideas of how we can stop this idesteni nonsense, where the
members are paying 10 of thousands of dollars for the idesteni course over 4 years?

If you prefer not to say your suggestion publicly, please pm me.

WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!

Regarding the Desteni I Process Multi-Level Marketing scheme (which the Desteni group actually claim will lead to a complete overhaul of the global economic infrastructure with their equal money system), here are links to information on MLM ...

What's Wrong With Multi-Level Marketing?
[www.vandruff.com] (article)

MLM Watch
Skeptical guide to Multilevel Marketing
[www.mlmwatch.org]

Page on filing complaints on:
MLM Watchdog
[www.mlmwatchdog.com]

internet fraud protection site
Looks Too Good To Be True
[www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com]

Internet Crime Complaint Center
[www.ic3.gov]

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MLM: IS MLM A SCAM?
[www.financialindustryscam.com]

CBJ: The False Lure of Multi-Level Marketing
[www2.dailyprogress.com]
"MLM is even less sustainable than buying lottery tickets"

More links...
[pyramidschemealert.org]

Thank you Sandman for the numerous resouces that visitiors to the forum can read and see the truth about desteni cult basically robbing their members blind.

If I may I would like to address (briefly) the latest topic on desteni cult forum. It's God.
Now I know that there may be 'believers' and 'dis-believers' on this forum. I am a believer. God has guided me throughout my life. I have called on him daily to help me out and to thank him for all the wonderful things in my life. Now that's MY feeling. I have the right to believe, and another has the right to dis-believe.

Another point (I'm sure that bernard put out the word to right negative things about God) And ooooh yes they came out in droves. Blaming God for just about everything. I have to ask, for a cult that practices self responsibility, they don't seem to get that part. It's like they think because we are all here, everything is suppose to be perfect,...without anyone doing anything to make it that way. All throughout the USA we have many walks for cures for diseases. ie:Breast cancer, Autism, Aids, Diabetes, etc. Now they raise that evil thing we use: money. And it has helped find cures and make life easier for those suffering from these diseases. My point is: someone has to plan the walk, race, bike ride, whatever. It's not just going to happen. People join in, donate $, feel like they are doing something to help. But if everyone just sat around and did nothing....well nothing would happen. That's where God comes in (at least to me) I believe he expects me to make the world a better place with the gifts and talents he has given me. I have a free conscious. I don't have to do a thing, or I can. This is the part desteni cult member seem to miss. God gave us a free will.
Your CHOICE to believe or not believe.

Desteni are contemptuous of the efforts of millions of people all round the world helping the diseased, the starving, the disadvantaged, the war-torn or those struck by catastrophe etc. What do they expect people should do when there is for example, a devastating earthquake? Not offer any help, just ignore the situation, and pay money for the upkeep of a farm in South Africa instead?

Here's something slightly curious from the Desteni Introduction Forum...

In Greg Klette's Introduction [desteni.co.za] he describes how in

"2003/2004 when I first met Bernard and Esteni" he attended "a demonstration of the educational software programme that Bernard and his gang had developed" and the idea was to "market the product to schools and to then follow up and sell the packages to the students/learners".

So it looks like even back Poolman and Esteni De Wet may have been running some other variation on MLM or network marketing. The software referred to is the vocabulary software Poolman's brother, Ferdi claimed Bernard had stolen from his company, as in this post: [forum.culteducation.com] and which BP subsequently commented on in some videos, stating that his brother was an ex-con done for attempted murder and his sister mentally ill (links can be found following that post).

Greg Klette goes on to say that in 2003/04:

"Bernard was busy researching, certain aspects of the mind / life and having various experimental sessions with a number of people, so a lot of ill-informed had bad opinions and a lot of negative comments on the whole situation. I even heard some people calling him the devil himself."

Not much has changed then. Klette describes his relationship with Esteni De Wet's sister, Dina, and says that their father, Frans, had moved to the Desteni farm.

It seems that Frans De Wet may have been part of Poolman's original "gang", he lives on the Desteni Farm and is obviously part of Poolman's current "gang" but, unlike other Desteni members, all of whom are required to blog and vlog for the company, he does not have any public profile.

Thanks Sandman. It's like an onion, the more you peel back the worse things get. (Not a very good analogy, but I hope you get the idea)

I think it has been well established here and on the desteni cult website that they have gone from money making scheme, ie pyramid scheme, to where they are now. Once bernard met sunette that seemed to set into motion the portal, and from tthere, 'Hey this is great, we can have people become members, eventually ask for tuition for this nothingness, but we have to have a reason: Ummmmm.. bernard thought: 'got it, the ems!! Perfect, I will be a millionaire in no time."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2011 12:05AM by concernedmom83.

From a blog by Lindsay Lee Craver with a photo of people wearing t-shirts with the slogan, "Destonian, Guardian of the Universe":
Desteni America Meeting - Aliens Touch Down in Houston, TX: Plan-It Earth:

"Man, what a treat - for us all to come together under one roof in order to plot how we will take over this world. Really. Take it over and return it to Life. Give Life Back to Life."

They're going to take over the world with an MLM pyramid scheme..? No kidding, eh.

Here are videos from the recent Desteni America meeting: [www.youtube.com]

An interesting thing about these videos is that they show the Destonians chatting together, and in any videos made at the Desteni farm you might see them chatting around a table or at a computer screen, but you never see any with Bernard Poolman and Sunette Spies, for instance, interacting with or otherwise "teaching" other group members. There are no videos at all showing Poolman in action, and the only ones with Spies are of her talking to camera.

It is remarkable how Poolman has managed to get all these people in different parts of the world discussing on camera online and in public anything from criminal activities to their sex lives to diet to social anxieties to their relationship with their parents. These people become identified with Desteni, yet Poolman has consistently avoided being filmed. And it is all supposed to be about equality. That in itself is reason enough to regard him as highly suspicious.

The Desteni Forums have recently been subject to some changes. They deleted their subscription forum and opened an Introduction to Desteni Forum. They have now made the official Desteni Forum available only to practising Destonians, which means that any links to that previous forum here or elsewhere will not work anymore.

They are also announcing that "the portal" will be re-opening. It was inevitable Poolman would have to come up with some new gimmick. All the members blogging and vlogging about "equal money" lacks a certain entertainment factor, so it looks like he's going to "re-open the portal" and try the same trick as before, relying on the pulling power of Sunette Spies as the Face of Desteni once again...

[desteni.co.za]