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does anybody know what the grads think of their commandments ?

Its interesting you should ask that question Patrick, I remember the first time I was introduced to their commandments, the Landmark forum leader said that although they are "commandments" they are not commandments like the christian ten commandments

From memory No one challenged these ten commandments at all... it was just accepted that these were the ways to live life fully "to get the most out of life"

By the time these "commandments" are introduced most of the graduates are fully entrenched into landmark and think the way Landmark want them to think.

its very scary looking back

sonnie_dee wrote

From memory No one challenged these ten commandments at all... it was just accepted that these were the ways to live life fully "to get the most out of life"

this is a way to keep the peoples minds occupied. with no
truth of course.

very interesting.

this promotes landmark obviously and their commandments
are in some ways contridictory which is no suprise.

i do find it very interesting that in the cults they have their
own set of commandments. obviously the christian commandments are of no value to them.

on the other hand the christian right in the united states
ignores many of their own commandments and come down
very hard on some of them.

its a sign of our times.

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on the other hand the christian right in the united states
ignores many of their own commandments and come down
very hard on some of them.

Patrick,

You made some good points in your post, but there is a point I wanted to address this point specifically from the Christian standpoint.

It is not possible for a human to follow the 10 commandments exactly all the time. The Commandments are there as signposts for a Christian to live their life and strive for. Unfortunately, there are some sects/groups/cults that exploit this on their membership, but note that mainstream Christianity does not flay their members for sinning. Jesus took that flaying and endured that pain for us.

I'm sorry if your viewpoint on Christianity is jaded, but there is some peace to found in God's Word. I was a member of a high-demand LGAT group and the "de-toxification" process has been difficult but I thank God for giving me the clarity to get the hell out.

Rajendran:

Let's not start preaching about any one religious doctrine or belief system here.

Please note the rules on this issue.

rrmoderator,

My apologies, I should have read the rules more closely.

Thnx,

R

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sonnie_dee
does anybody know what the grads think of their commandments ?

Hello
I posted this answer before but it got lost somehow. It was, no doubt, my own error, I am not used to this style of board and I think I hit the wrong button. I will try it again.

I never think people are victims of Landmark or anything else due to their age and naivety. Many of these systems are filled with highly educated people; doctors, lawyers, teachers etc. It was said in the 'est' training, ''Your education won't help you.'' It isn't about how intelligent anyone is. It is about looking for answers from others without questioning the belief system or the ''authority'' of those offering the solutions. It is about obeying ''authority'' as an abstraction, and without discernment. Systems which offer THE answer to life always ring alarm bells to me. They offer people what the are looking for.
Telling you that ''you can do Landmark when you get back,'' is part of the training within Landmark. It is also a selling technique; being always positive about making the sale and not taking ''No'' for an answer.
In 'est' they did ''Personality Profiles'' which was about getting the current trainees to give psychological information about their friends and neighbours, without noticing that DOING so violates other people's personal boundaries. The information collected included how the current trainee thought those people they were ''profiling'' would react to certain things. I see this as part of the ''chain reaction'' used to keep the system itself going.
Becoming aware of the techniques being used, will keep people from feeling confused by ''It."
Best,
IveGotIt

i would love to go here and discuss the christian right
as how they are similar or different from landmark but rick
doesnt want us to do so.

maybe we can have another thread someplace and discuss it.

i do think its quite interesting that right wing christians
have over the years told me that they can do anything they
want to because they have been baptized in the name of Jesus.

its quite similar to landmarks , there is no right and wrong
teachings :)

Patrick:

Please don't misunderstand me.

It is possible to discuss some beliefs without preaching or proselytizing.

When the board seems like it has become someone's ethnocentric pulpit to keep spouting religious rhetoric, it's time to reign things in.

i got it .

First of all, I'm glad that this forum exists. As a former high school teacher, I am a strong believer in presenting different points of view and letting learners choose. Of course, one might argue that this forum is biased, but in the greater scheme of a lot of positive press about Landmark Education, it's needed balance. When I invite my friends to an Introduction to the Landmark Forum, I encourage them to also do their own research online.

I just briefly wanted to share my experience with the "Be Powerful" practice (I don't know what these were called before, but now they are known as practices, not commandments).

I used to think of leadership as having great ideas and cajoling other people to support them. There is a lot of arrogance, insecurity and limitation in that view of leadership. I also tried to dominate personal relationships, I rarely listened to the people around me as having the same potential I did and I got angry and frustrated whenever I failed. The funny thing is, I've still been able to get a few things done. I think it's fair to say that the world is set up in a way that encourages that view of leadership.

When I really got that being powerful is not pushing people around, but a commitment to my purpose with a good dose of honesty, listening and serenity, it blew me away. The possibility (sorry, hard not to use the word) I see is real partnership, where it's no longer "dominate or be dominated." I haven't read enough biographies of the people who have major streets named after them in every city, but I'm guessing that their legacy has a lot of straight communication for sure. The taking what you get is a bit harder, but the way I look at it, throwing a temper tantrum whenever something doesn't work out doesn't usually work, and anything in between has to include at least some acceptance.

I'd be happy to entertain open conversations and difficult questions on the subject of Landmark Education. I also took the Advanced Course and I am currently in the Introduction Leaders Program (which is actually a great way to become a leader in whatever, that's certainly more the reason I originally decided to do it).

Take care...