Hitch - There was a small 3 mentor 3-fold photo card that people were putting on their altars front and center! In line with the scroll! I first noticed Chapter leaders doing this. I noticed this on many altars in my area. Even putting it front and center before gongyo and removing it to the side again. Its the same 3 mentor picture they have up on the screen at FNCC while shoveling in the pablum at International group level,(from what I've seen in videos). Years ago, I remember a new member being quite saddened that she had to take a photo of her ill mother off of the side of her altar because a leader said so. It was stated with such strictness as usual and no 'heartfelt compassion' .Quote
Hitch
Regarding the men's division in drag, bunny ears, Nagashima & Malone absurd dirty dancing YouTube clip [www.youtube.com]: I just noticed, if you look very carefully at the front of the butsudan table area, where the person who leads gongyo sits, over on the left side, you'll see a small B&W framed photo. It's about 6 inches tall and guess who it's of? The Dear Leader, Ikeda-sama. There were NEVER any photos of Ikeda on the butsudan area for all the time that I was in the $oka Gakkai N$A Cult Org.. Never. Only up on the side walls away from the butsudan.
You can get a good glimpse of it from the 1:00-1:03 minute mark, at the same time somebody in the audience says "OMG!!"
OMG is right. Unbelievable. Like I said, I don't recognize this cult anymore. That is creepy as all hell.
- Hitch
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rattyboy
Hitch - There was a small 3 mentor 3-fold photo card that people were putting on their altars front and center! In line with the scroll! I first noticed Chapter leaders doing this. I noticed this on many altars in my area. Even putting it front and center before gongyo and removing it to the side again. Its the same 3 mentor picture they have up on the screen at FNCC while shoveling in the pablum at International group level,(from what I've seen in videos). Years ago, I remember a new member being quite saddened that she had to take a photo of her ill mother off of the side of her altar because a leader said so. It was stated with such strictness as usual and no 'heartfelt compassion' .
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rattyboy
Hitch - Looking at the video you posted, around the 1:01 mark when one of the dragsters is doing the splits or what have you, you can see the gold incense burner on one level and what is some urn-like container for water(?) on the next level up. Replace that water vessel with the picture of the 3 mentors and that is the place "front and center" as I wrote that I am describing for the folding 3 mentor card. The 3 mentor picture card is the only thing I saw like that. I don't recall seeing the youthful Ikeda or any Ikeda alone picture lined up like that at meetings in homes. This makes me think that some elevation of the 3 mentors "for all time" is being casually (?) put in place at the Chapter chief level - and with other members following suit. Perhaps this isn't done anymore with the ever-changing damage control that must be a full time occupation for this group.
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TaitenAndProudQuote
Through discussions about this ban with local senior leaders, I learned that SGcult's postion was solidly in FAVOR of supporting the war, not against it! Lame excuses were offered up, like "we can't speak out against the war or we might lose our tax exempt status" and "we don't want to offend any of our military members (patriotic ferver) by supporting protests against the war". I could not believe my ears.
Wait wait wait. What about the tearjerker story about how First and Second Presidents Makiguchi and Toda WENT TO PRISON for protesting their country's involvement in a war, and Makiguchi becoming a martyr to the anti-war cause in prison????????
Isn't that supposed to be the SGI's "noble heritage" that "proves" they're SOOOO much better and SOOOO much morally superior to the sniveling, crawling, groveling, eeeEEEEEeeeevil priesthood who went along with the authorities so as not to lose their tax-exempt status or whatever????