What I observe now which I find very disturbing is when the parents in the cult send their children to boarding schools in the Philippines to be trained as disciples. Plus, they seem to have gone dissimulated as professional yoga teachers, health instructors, massage therapists or even career actors as in the case of the Bellord children. Any professional looking niches that they can infiltrate t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteRadhaGovindaThere is a lot of bitterness after all these years. Let it go. Religion has always had its quirks. I'm surprised to see so many people from the 70's still in the fold. I find that interesting. But everyone has free will to make their own choices. I don't regret having gotten involved. I do regret staying involved for about 8 years. One year should have been suffici
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hey Guds. Very good. Be careful, brother.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I spoke to old backsliders lately. To my surprise all of them are still sentimental about the time and are still sympathetic to the cult. I guess that's how charming we were, and I must admit I can't blame them at all. I guess they don't have the guts to turn against Chris Butler. For whatever reason it was a unique time and they don't give a damn what happened after that. Mos
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteTerrenaut: Yes ~ The "depth of his weirdness" is certainly getting exposed on this thread. That's the least of his problem. I doubt if he looks forward to amassing followers just like in the old days. I'm sure Chris Butler is aware that the time has changed and most of his blah blahs do not work anymore. But he's got minions that are well established in their live
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Recaps: The last time I glanced in the policy book I turned to page 538 or something and read the policy for serving fearless leader while he went skiing with his family. Yep he not only likes to surf but skiing is also a pastime. It read something like the servant was not supposed to laugh or smile if fearless leader was having fun and joking with his wife etc., something like that. The servant
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Very funny Googs. I really miss your classics. You should come up with your bests of, after 300 pages. I wonder where Quotesman is now? His Chis Butler's infamous quotes is another all-time classic.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I'm sorry, I didn't mean ratio, I meant proportion, wrong choice of word. Meaning, the radical muslims want to do it BIG, i.e., blowing up buildings, kidnapping or killing people, etc., but whether it's small or big, the attitude is the same — to please the god and to propagate the faith with complete disregard of other people's wellbeing and the expectation for a reward in th
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

About Allan Yoza, need I say more? This bottom-line philosophy goes across the board, much like Iskcon's "the end justifies the means" thinking. They don't give a hoot, or feel shame in engaging in shady business deals, politics and even to the point of hurt and the detriment of other people outside the group. Behind the facade of vegetarianism, simple living, chanting mantras
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is the philosophy of Wayne, behind his shortcomings in his pursuit of bhakti yoga: "In case I don't make it back to the godhead due to my imperfection, I will be reborn and start again where I left of." That's the pervading philosophy of the majority in the fold, and Siddha don't care if they are pure or not. By the way, a pure devotee is like a fortune teller
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

FYI, the trolls and SoI apologists have not come up with one single sensible argument from the copious attempts to subvert issues here, especially regarding their mad leader. So much for their Vedic pride that they will always win hands down debating oppositions. They should be committing spiritual suicide as stated in their dogma. They are always sent running with tails tucked under between legs
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The beauty of this forum is it is genuinely free. There is no dominant personality, thought or aim. People vent, express opinions and provide info about cults and specifically Science of Identity. I gathered superb gems, helpful thoughts and reassuring kinship; but there are ugly moments and squabbles that may shame Jerry Springer's show. Once in a while I get a laugh and pick up some good p
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To suggest that you can coordinate or organize the thoughts that surround a religious cult is naive. For what? You can't win these people. All this forum provide is for those in the know to share their thoughts and freely express their feelings. Otherwise this becomes another group for people to join in. To be free and to sustain it requires something. If you don't have that, you don�
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To krishnacaitanya It's nice to hear from exers like you. You're very brave. hope there are more people like you. It's very relieving to let go, but at the same time a struggle. It's like losing your identity. But like all ex cult members are, time heals fast. It's all psychological. That's what religious cults are good at — giving members false identities that se
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I agree with margarets totally. Humans have the propensity to want to belong to any group. I would even add, it maybe genetic. There's nothing wrong with that if it's that natural. But it always helps to be aware both of this propensity and the group we want to belong to. Now that societies are becoming global, the need to see things as in-groups and out-groups is fast becoming irre
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

To people reading recent posts. That shows what this forum is all about — how f#@ked up the minds of people involved in cults. Once in a while they come to this forum and they get to expose their ugly side. This is not the first time. Imagine growing up with Indigoarthur multiplied a thousand times? If that is not psychological damage, I don't what is? No wonder even among them it is already
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thanks Terre for the very kind words. I didn't realize Indie PMed me too. Grrrrr! It seems like he wanted to be deprogrammed by this forum. I guess that's another reason why people are attracted to cults — they love the attention given to them when they are being recruited. He obviously wanted to be recruited, even by the people here; unfortunately, this forum is not another cult to giv
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I apologize to all, had I not been nicer to Indie. At least I know now what ticks me off. I've been making conscious effort not to be mean to anybody, but when it comes to people who are propagators of religious cults I can easily blow my lid. After reading through all the posts, it just dawned on me that people like Indie maybe are more like victims than perpetrators. Terre, must have a poi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I was watching the Jim Jones Documentary the other night. I didn't know that before the mass suicide, I mean murder, the drinking of the Kool Aid were more like an exercise. I just didn't get how regular they were. And Jim Jones was actually a cool dude. He was into multiracialism, eco-friendliness, counter culture and of course anti-establishment too. It just brought chill to my bones
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Please stop wasting time on people like Indigo. Let him wallow in his woohooh experience if that is his wish. He's a big boy, and it is in his every right. In my opinion even if God himself came down from heaven and told him that Chris Butler is a fraud, he would still stick to what he wants. The heart will follow what it desires. This doesn't just apply to sex and infatuation, professi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

By the way, by espousing the term DEMONS as you like referring to others other than them, I think you're already trapped. Run boy run, there is still time. You should never forget about how many innocent children and families were broken up in the name of ABSOLUTE TRUTH. You'll be bearing the same guilt as religions do in bringing many ills to this world. The likes of Jim Jones, David K
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Indigoarthur. What a great boy you are. You write with an assumption that others have accepted Krishna as a God. What if you hear somebody thinks that Krishna is a cartoon character? Would you wage war and justify hurting that person with the "offensive" mantra these people love uttering all the time? You should look back how these people stupidly protested just about anything they thin
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quoteterrenaut 100% agreement here that the kids have no choice, no chance and need help. How will they get that help? Ideas? Some people blame religion for the ills of the world, which is understandable, considering the many evils religion brings to the world. Especially in enslaving the desperate and the weak, and in breaking up families. Man, that's the worst. It's so easy to blam
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My honest opinion on this is yes and no. I could be wrong, but there are willing participants in this scheme, and if you look at the benefits, there are. A lawyer in the cult got his lovely wife from joining the group and the clientele to participate as victims of injustice, he very much needs in his practice, to support his lavish lifestyle. He also have got no short of willing helpers to se
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I don't think Chris Butler has got the guts to come out in the open and face up the scrutiny of the thinking public. He can afford to stay dissimulated. He's self-suficient as it is now. Knowing Chris, he doesn't need more, compared to other cult leaders. Remember, when he started this whole thing he had nothing but a hut, a gas lamp and a few books, and that was part of his charm
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I was reading through the 1959 UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child, (http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=B0275B42F3B4C25380256900006933EF), I just wonder how come more often than not, the State is helpless in protecting children from obvious abuses of religious cults? Religious Freedom oftentimes trumps up Children's rights in courts. Adults have every right to choose
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This is something I lamented over my involvement there. We thought it was cool. And that seemed to be the attraction, that it was cool to be among them. It was unlike other religious groups. It was cool for the guru to swear. Not just swear but swear a loooot; and to be pompous and mean. We laughed like rah-rah kids. We celebrated his misdemeanors. But then everybody was doing it, overdoing it. A
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

From the outside looking in, I observed how their approach to recruiting has changed. For instance in the 70s, we called the place of worship a "temple"; then that became a "center" in the 80s; now I understand they call it a "lifestyle center". I'm not sure if they still do those rock out kirtans, which was quite a draw in the 70s, but will surely weirden any c
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It's funny how this big shot who claims to be God's dearest friend on Earth is resorting to legal action to crash an obviously disturbed girl. If that's the case, he's just as flesh and blood as you and I, and without the mighty green bucks he claims he's so detached from, he's not that so dear to the almighty after all, as previously believed. Why, oh why he made fu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Maha Toenails. Yuck! Totally gross. Is that picture real? Hey Rama, I hope all the later generation in Haribol at least be half of you. The parents? I guess they all are hopeless. I just can't understand religious cult leaders. It's not enough for them to con people and shrink their brains with their religious nonsense, they will push the envelope even further. So sadistic! How further
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"