Joe K, I have not been involved with TM but I have read a lot of articles about it through Rick Ross which convey pretty clearly that it is a cult. I would like to see the website that you made to educate about it - is it possible that you could post a link? My website is www.science-of-identity.blogspot.com there I have written a couple of articles about the Australian School of Meditat
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

Drivingthecar, I agree. I still practice meditation and asana (the form of yoga based on physical postures which most people recognise and think of when they think of yoga), and I do not think that either practice is exclusive to cults. As you say you checked out where you were going and found no indication that it is a cult. I do not think people in general would have the awareness of cult
Forum: Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence

QuoteBig Pharma conspiracy- classic :D This is not at all far fetched or deserving of being dismissed as idle conspiracy theory. QuoteWASHINGTON, D.C. -- A former executive of the Swiss pharmaceutical giant F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. today agreed to plead guilty, serve a five-month jail sentence, and pay a $150,000 fine for his role in an international conspiracy to suppress and eliminat
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Further on the point as to whether someone believing they are doing the right thing should justify them going ahead and doing it irrespective of having any proof to support their theory or actions.. My ex cult leader goes after homosexuals. He believes that he is saving people in doing this. It is his belief that gay men are the sole proprieters of HIV/AIDS and that this disease can be caught
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Kath, Drivingthecar wrote QuoteIf he wants to "educate" people that's one thing. But when he's going after individual alternative health practitioners who have happy clients and haven't hurt anyone...that's harassment. Your responses are exactly what I was referring to when I sugguested that there is a 'skeptic religion' with people investing their fai
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I found this footage of ACB which I think is relevant as we have talked a lot here about the impact on children. I find it sad and unnerving to see these children at a kirtan and hear ACB saying "You must spread this cult throughout the world" and "Everyone of you can become guru"
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuotekathYour criticisms are aimed at things Randi has said or done on a professional level. That someone is 'wrong' in your opinion doesn't make them destructive. Destructive gurus' destructiveness isn't judged by that. Kath it is not just my opinion, my original post included many links to sources which point out many unprofessional aspects of how Randi operates on
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

In an attempt to convey that I do not have an agenda in wanting to examine James Randi and sugguesting that his ideals should be questioned I submit the following. Anyone who wants to check my posts on this forum will see that I am an open critic of the Hare Krishna philosophy and I do not endorse it whatsoever - but this as an attempt at debunking defies merit. It is the most non persuasive
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Kath I do not doubt as you say that on a bad day that chiropractory has proven fatal, but there are many cases of fatality caused by the mainstream and accepted medical profession - one would be very hard pressed to find a medical discipline that has not caused a single fatality - and this is not used as a generalisation to debunk medicine in general. Nor should it be. QuoteA genuine doctor ma
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

James Randi is a professional skeptic. He also claims to research and debunk cults, although : QuoteRandi disagreed with the distinction FACTNet and other anti-cult organizations make between cults and religions, and referred to the scientific implausibility of events depicted in the Old Testament of the Bible. The distinction between cults and religions we use is based upon cults’ u
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Honestly Anticult this whole thread had been successfully derailed in order to promote James Randi. Here you post yet another link followed by information that I have already posted. rrmoderator knows the score and he says that there is no cult. There is nothing to sugguest that Icke promises people anything in exchange for their donation for him. He does not have people bowing down and ma
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I much like this forum for the discussion of cults which I feel is let down by the people that constantly weigh in quoting from skeptics pages which as I have stated before are often people that have already made up their minds that such things do not exist. I do not say that skeptics are wrong and that all phenomenoms do exist. I read the links that are posted -but I do not dismiss them out
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

AntiCult you sound just like any cult member sticking up for their guru. He was successfully sued by Geller - several times! Deal with it. None of us are here because we want to be indoctrinated into your new skeptic religion and being that many of us are ex-cult members we are too wise for it.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sheila Prabhoofraud Speaks - the remix
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Someone from the Rockerfeller or some big money family is a follower of JG? Not really hard to believe, ISKCON only had to convert the granddaughter of Ford to put them on easy street. Wouldn't Siddha have been better off marrying this woman himself tho?One wonders what is so special about this girl from China for her to have become Mrs Godhead. Jules I don't think that the ne
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The answers for Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa - Founder of Science of Identity. A possible score of 0? (1) Is what the guru offers free? Yes - With regards to new people his organisations such as Australian School of Meditation offer free meditation classes where there is some discussion of philosophy and lectures. No - With regards to those who are considered serious taught that t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteDharamRakshakTypically there are two sides to every story. This is the side which is being relayed around the Gold Coast via the typical vehicle of gossip. It is a small world here we have made for ourselves and difficult to keep secrets. Very interesting post Dharam. I must admit that I find it a little creepy to hear all this from someone who obviously knows what they are talking about b
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Krishnamurti was a guru in the purest sense of the word, a teacher who sought to share his knowledge and enlightenment without recruiting or directing followers and sought no wealth or prestige for himself. He is sometimes referred to as the anti-guru. QuoteThe Order of the Star was the organisation built around Krishnamurti by Theosophists who selected him at the age of 13 to be the vehic
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteJack Oskar LarmQuote: These questions do not of course neccessarily reflect what a disciple can learn from a particular guru, they are more an indication of how 'safe' the guru is...almost all traditional gurus for the last 3000 years would have had little difficulty in scoring well to these questions, ie having more YES's than No's. It is an interesting notion that the
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There are a lot of books John. Many of them you can get for free on-line. I am guessing that you might be referring to Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, which is generally the most known and recognisable, considered to be the central scripture of the Hare Krishna religion. There are many translations and commentaries of the Gita. In my humble opinion Gandhi did a very nice one, and I very much value
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quotekathcultreporter wrote QuoteRandi entered the international spotlight in 1972..... Thanks for the bit of cutting and pasting from wikipedia there :D I personally like wikipedia but its considered polite to let people know when what you write is not all your own work. I did not claim that it was my own work and nor did I get it from wikipedia, although it is published in several places o
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

:roll: And Randi isn't making a cent from what he does :roll: Not a scam. Like you are fond of saying people believe whatever they want. Randi plainly states that both parties (himself and the party accepting the challenge) must agree in advance as to what conditions of the test constitute a "success" and what constitutes a "failure". He also refuses to accept an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Anti-Cult I am not trying to be disrespectful to you but I think that your previous posts regarding Icke demonstrate what I am trying to express about skeptics. Right up you have starting with generalisations as to his mental state, not attacking or disproving his theories. Admittedly a person's mentality, as I have just posted on should be examined but it is not the be all and end all of
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteThe AnticultUnfortunately, the idea of Skeptic is being confused with the concept Cynic. A Cynic has his mind made up before he sees the facts. A true Skeptic, has the most open-mind possible, and is willing to consider ANY idea or hypothesis, no matter how insane it sounds. Skepticism is a good thing yes, and as you describe and is backed up in your link, very eloquently and convincingl
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteIn this day and age, cutting out someone's tongue would not stop the offences coming - you would have to cut off their hands so that they could not type this information onto the internet. And even then they can learn to type with their feet :wink: Just Googling - I hope the wicked witch in the analogy is not me! I much prefer munchkin! I don't really get the whole sanyas
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

As I posted way back when this thread began I had read some of Icke's The Biggest Secret and he lost me on the whole reptillian thing. Seeing that this thread has a few people I have become acquainted with either personally or through their writings in the forum and respect as thoughtful and intelligent individuals making sensible if opposing analysis it has encouraged me to have another loo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

33. You get to enjoy your kids lives totally unhibited by worrying about paying for school fees or toys or sitting through sappy Disney flicks and Wiggles concerts. 34. If your kids do rebel or end up showing any signs of independent thought you get to blame TV the internet and the world in general. 35. Avoid being consumed by guilt if anything bad happens to your kids because you weren
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteTheTruthAsItIs... we have not met, but I would love to meet you some day :). I admire a spunky girl You are always welcome to contact me via my rather well publicised e-mail or through the private messages here. I sent you a private message a little while ago but it has not been received yet. If you are in Australia that could be arranged. As Just Googling says this is the place where
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuotezeligQuoteWorried "wonders if chris paints himself blue and pranced thru his mansion listening to village people" . :lol: :lol: :lol: Now that's a sight I'd like to see! More likely VD plays a blue Dominatrix krishna as Chris dresses up as a gopi girl! :lol: :lol: :lol: These are sooo NOT images that I needed to have in my head! Although I must admit that
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuotezeligThe whole guru business is a racket. It's a moot point about whether Siddha was considered bonafide or not by ACB. Both of their philosophies play out very badly for western followers and their children. They are both cults, bearing the full weight and meaning that word implies. I totally agree with you. My reason for looking into this aspect of it is that it is a carefully
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"