Yes some of their membership are cultists but in my days of cult busting I found that they were the only ones that did not react to me in a demeaning way. I have heard them speak at the American Family conferences and they are not as bad as some people make them out to be. I also went to several of their meetings and most of them are very normal and average joes. It is just a hindu religion not dangerous the way the moonies were back in the 70's. Even the Jehovah's witness people (my family biological)are more irrational than people who practice hindu teachings. The worst were the Eckankar people who were brainwashed and physically threw me out of their HU meeting when I told them the truth about Paul Twitchell the con artist who started the cult. His runner up Darwin Gross was even worse and has broken away to start his own racket. the blue light . At least the hare people serve good food and dress in an interesting way. I was brought up as a Jehovah and I know the meaning of mindwash guilt tripping and mind dirt. I was ex communicated for not attending I have not looked back. I know more about cults and have studied most sects and cults so I am informed more than most including possilby yourself although cult busting is now my hobby and not my means of income. I got into this when Ted Patrick made headlines and I do not consider his way to be ineffective. ex jehovahs unite.

Supermonkey:

You are quite wrong about the Krishna organization.

Krishna reps appearing at AFF conferences for talks is apparently a rather contrived effort to afford them some public relations spin. They put on their best face in such talks and hope people will buy it.

Former member Nori Muster who wrote a book about her experiences in Krishna didn't buy it.

See [www.culteducation.com]

ISKCON (Krishna) is being sued by former childhood members for horrific sexual and physical abuse.

See [www.culteducation.com]

The same man that organized and spoke at the AFF talks, Anuttama Dasa, is also the spokesperson for ISKCON regarding the litigation. He is an apologist and public relations operative.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Dasa teamed up with Krishna supported sociologist E. Burke Rochford, the two became a kind of apologist tag team for the group.

Don't be taken in by ISKCON and its apologists, or a few meetings you once attended.

I have had very serious complaints from families and former members in just the last year.

I consider the group one of the most destructive I have dealt with since beginning my work in 1982.

I would not recommend the group to anyone and consider it unsafe and potentially dangerous.

They also have a criminal history, which includes a murder.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Krishna is not regarded by many Hindus as mainstream and really is more of a fringe group.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Krishna founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada made distinctions between his organization and mainstream Hinduism.

See [www.culteducation.com]

I am read all of this before and met nori muster at the American Family conference. She seemed to be mad at the organization not the religion. Well they do have the best food that is for sure. I infiltrated their farm in pennsylvania back in 89. Some what they are into seems weird but it is hindu and there were a lot of hindus living there and just about everyone going there was hindu so they are mainline. Dangerous? no but they sure seem scary until you talk to them. My all time top ten DANGEROUS CULTS

1. Moonies

2 scientology

3. the farm(pre 1980)

4. eckankar( and it's various spin offs)

5. Heavens Gate (ufo wackos)

6. Branch davidians (waco)

7. Aetherius Society ( George Kings dangerous lie)

8. EST ( and its many incarnations) and DA FREE JOHNS CULT (tied)

9. Twelve tribes ( island pond born agains)

10. WATCH TOWER

This is just my list it changes from time to time I evaluate how much damage is done to the psyche and how screwy and irrational their doctrines are. Some of the above groups use science to justify their wacky and truly dangerous ideas.
I see your point about the hares just that i beg to differ some of these other groups are not as visible but do a lot more harm

Joel

Supermonkey:

You are dead wrong about ISKCON.

And the objective evidence previously linked proves this.

Regardless of what your personal experience was in 1989, the group has a well-established history that directly contradicts your assessment.

Nori Muster is an authority on the group and has done considerable research. Ms. Muster is not "mad" at ISKCON, other than of course she is disturbed that Krishna children were raped, beaten and generally abused and now suffer serious residual emotional and psychological damage.

FYI--this was going on while you were visiting their farm.

Your list is generally fine, but please do some more research about Krishna, as you are way off about this organization. They should be near the top of any meaningful listing of purported destructive "cults."

Iprefer to see things first hand. I used to do exit counseling and talk sense into cultists who had left the outside world and forgotten what it was like. I would place the hares on my top 20 dangerous groups maybe top 15 they are more visible but that does not make them more violent or paranoid. I infilterated tony alamos cult back in 85 I street witnessed with them in brooklyn chicago and hollywood. their main ranch in arkansas was a haven for broken kids who had nowhere else to go. They never caught on who I was. But I helped break them and tony was a complete dope head and right wing nut. They used to give out these tracts THE POPES SECRETS all over I managed to find the beans on them and inform the staties which eventually wound up in the commune disolving. I did not see any child rape with the hares. Let me tell you you are right about child rape as in the jehovahs there was a lot of incest and physical punishment that was justified as being good to do. I saw this firsthand. The hares do serve warm food and contrary to rumours that i heard it was not drugged.
I may try to join them as they seemed to always need a hand or two to wash pots. then i can see what is going on in the present and if things have changed. Question... have you done much first hand infileration or is it more just listening to accounts of others? I listen but I like to see for myself as much of what we read isn't the same as being there. problem is that I am a maverick and I don't fit in even with the anti cult people are most are wimpish when it comes to dealing with the problem. It is good that you speak your mind and educate people on what is what but do think about my list as those groups outdo the hares anyday when it comes to mindscrew.
joel

You are very wrong about Krishna. The facts directly contradict your conclusions.

Please take the time to do the research and read the facts.

See [www.culteducation.com]

So many times cults can convince people first-hand that they are benign and put on a good show. Initial impressions or visits can be quite deceiving. That is the nature of the beast.

Of course I have witnessed first-hand literally hundreds of groups and have handled hundreds of interventions since 1982.

But it is impossible to witness first-hand the overwhelming majority of cult groups, there are literally thousands of them.

Not a day goes by that I don't hear about a new group that is essentially unknown.

We must rely on research to understand the majority of groups and that is the purpose of this database, to share historical information.

There are hundreds of controversial groups listed here with thousands of documents.

Simply because you didn't witness child rape, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Please read the links and the first-hand accounts. ISKCON has admitted that such abuse took place, but of course they put their own apologetic spin on it.

Please understand that this message board is public, which means anyone can read the contents.

This is why it would be wrong to allow false statements, such as you have made about Krishna, to remain on the board without being rebutted.

FYI--the Tony Alamo group is thriving. Alamo is running it from Arkansas and I have received recent complaints.

thanks that makes sense. there are way too many cults out there i have difficultly keeping up with them too thanks for this message board and the imput given.

I am new here on this forum. I used to be in Iskcon.This is just my short introduction.

how can you believe in a hindu god and still have a free mind/? seems like a contradiction to me.

Quote
supermonkey
how can you believe in a hindu god and still have a free mind/? seems like a contradiction to me.

Krishna is not a Hindu God. Hindu is just a word made up by Muslims, as you may already know. India has vast Vedic culture which is timeless, or let us say has last recorded scriptures from 5000 years ago. India was called Bharata Varsa before, not India. Indians were not called Hindu then.
America is called America after Amerigo Vespucci.Ask ordinary civilized people on the streets do they know that?

As i have said i am not a member of any organization, church or sect anymore.

I do have a teacher, or better said spiritual father(or Guru, and Guru is sanskrit word for teacher, not to be equal like slang word Guru for a person which takes your money and teaches you about new age stuff), and certainly not the one which likes expensive watches, takes money from disciples and pretends to be a Guru.

My Teacher is real, not a fake, and i have seen that, and believe me i am no blind follower. I follow path of Bhakti in a way which Iskcon doesn't like, and allow their members to follow. Iskcon simply expells people like myself, and don't like them to talk to others in Iskcon about certain topics.In a subtle and almost cynical way in some cases i have had experienced in the past,person can see those differences ˝˝on your skin˝˝.

I do study in a way you have described, with free and open mind, but of course with certain rules and regulations which are normal, not imposed, false, made up or fabricated.