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Hitch
On the theme of the last point made in my post above (the cult org. in Japan):
Although this clip is all in Japanese, the last three minutes (from the ~4:00 min. mark) is a demonstration of the aggressive shakubuku'ing (proselytizing) in Japan.
Two leaders ring the door of a man's apartment. He answers, they tell him that they are with the soka gakkai and want to talk to him. The guy has zero interest and tells them flat out, "No", more than once. When they don't listen, prevent him from closing the door and keep pushing, the guy just leaves them standing at his door as he goes back in. One of the gakkai members says, "I think he's calling somebody." The top (elder) leader then sticks his head in the door and says, "What are you doing in there?" "What's wrong?" "Are you making a phone call?" "Are you calling the police on us?" (The gakkai members are smiling all the while, at this point.) "Well, we'll come back again." "We'll leave you our newspaper, please read it." The elder leader then sticks a Seikyo Shimbun (the cult propaganda newspaper) into his mail slot. The clip ends. You get the impression that it is all just fun and games for the gakkai leaders, just another day on the shakubuku circuit.
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Hitch
From the 80's, a full (7 part series) broadcast of one of the soka gakkai cult's peace cultural festivals:
[www.youtube.com] (Part 1) (Follow other playlist links for remainder.)
You can see many of the NSA members in full uniform whites, arriving at venues, marching around and performing in the festival. Other clips have people in tears after it is all finished. The dear leader makes an appearance. One of the creepiest things that you can see throughout is all of the plastic faces on the members while performing, the Disney-esque fantasy smiles, exaggerated mannerisms and the obsessive, constant focus on pleasing the dear leader (North Korea anyone?).
Dancing and singing by the brainwashed, all for cousin rufus.
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Freeheartandmind
Thanks again Hitch, it is hard for me to accept, even all these years later (I haven't practiced since 1975), that I participated in these spectacles, probably glassy-eyed and plastic faced myself, overcome at the thought that I was contributing to cousin rufus! I had no clue I was in a cult.
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Freeheartandmind
You are also right on point about how burdensome that old gongyo was. As a high-schooler, I sometimes had to be there by 7 or 7:30 in the morning, with a long bus ride at that. All that mandatory praying and chanting, "or else", left me feeling rushed and harried, not refreshed and relaxed. Newer cult members should be happy for the short-form gongyo.
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coolshyone
...... we were told when we went out to look up where the dear leader was sitting along side nikken, the high priest then ( I guess they must have been best buddies in those days) and smile with an ear to ear grin and wave. I was just glad there were a lot of people there because I felt like an ass out there. Total propaganda and phoniness.
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coolshyone
The scary part in watching these now is if you watch any clips of festivals in north korea they are strikingly similar. It kind of makes you wonder. These tinhorn dictators use this stuff as pure propaganda to try and impress on the world, look at how great and happy everyone is. Around the 6:15 or so mark of that video where they come marching out with the flag. Reminds me of soldie
rs in north korea or the old soviet union marching down the street like robots showing off their military might.
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coolshyone
On a side note the american members with the full white ice cream suits with the NSA patch brought back many memories as well. I had my own ice cream suit as well. That thing hung in my closet for I don't know how many years. One day the wife asked if I was ever going to get rid of that ugly thing. (Along with her byakuren uniform I might add.) i think I took off the patch and gave it to goodwill.
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The Anticult
Its fascintating to see the perspectives of some of those who were persuaded to march for Ikeda in these SGI brainwashing festivals.
When you were marching, were you ever in the True Believer mode, or were there always doubts hiding behind the forced smiles?