And MY finding a GOOD reason to go home...?...something so blatantly criminal, cultish, outlandish, just not right for me and my development, unjust, undemocratic...I don't know WHAT I was waiting for. Certainly not a kosen-rufu wife. (Some of my fellow young men's division said they would be afraid to have a strong practicing girlfriend - LOL! more SGi in-joking). Maybe I stayed to s
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

sirmrtony - I'm glad I read your entire post. What helps me from what you wrote, besides reading this anecdote of recent events, is reading: "I didn't want to be rude and leave. I stayed until I could find a GOOD reason to go home". Like my experience of feeling trapped in an auditorium and countless other incidents, there was basic social politeness besides the SGi's bu
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

3 or 4 years ago in one of ikeda's once a month videos he made fun of a kid who was on stage being honored at the big meeting. "Doesn't he look like a cartoon character?" ikeda said. I wish I could quote how ikeda repeated himself suggesting the kid was funny looking, goofy looking , or maybe he was just mentioning that the kid had a round face like a cartoon character. &qu
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The ikedabots access recall of highly emotional past events from a file called "Golden Memories". I let this phrase pass when someone was talking about a grueling youth division event in which they bonded with the other person they were talking about. But now it creeps me out remembering that. I think its nice when this bonding happens in real life, but really, you have to call it by
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotecorboyThe other day, I was leaning over to get a newspaper. Someone came right up behind me and I got spooked. Definite invasion of space. The poor lady was doing outreach for a church. I was so spooked that I screamed "NO!" --and then felt awful when I saw they were a group and a four year old girl was with them. What does it do to little kids (and older kids?) when they ar
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSGByeBoth of my parents know that I left the organization, quit practicing, and ceased having any religious beliefs. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that in the back of their minds they are convinced that I will return to the SGI someday. I’ve heard many SGI leaders say that people who have left the organization will always come back because “a seed has been planted in them.” How arrogant
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchI have a general question that I would like to throw out there to see if any you former members can relate: Did you ever notice how hardcore gakkai members (I've seen it in both Japan and The U.S.) would treat fellow member encounters entirely differently than they would your average non-member out the street, in the real world? They would put on these fake Disneyland-like smil
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Yes, Corboy, I agree with what you wrote about the "experience' I observed with the lack of interaction between the civilian and the mighty WD of Soka Gakkai USA. I also think another important point is: * She represented a successfully grounded woman, at least by appearances, who was not an SGI women's division member and that may have been threatening to these SGI women. Let&#
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchI have a general question that I would like to throw out there to see if any you former members can relate: Did you ever notice how hardcore gakkai members (I've seen it in both Japan and The U.S.) would treat fellow member encounters entirely differently than they would your average non-member out the street, in the real world? They would put on these fake Disneyland-like smil
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quoterattyboy@Hitch. re: above message: I felt a parallel to what happened in Jonestown if one didn't drink the Kool -Aid. In the Jim Jones mass event Some were injected with cyanide and it is believed that resisters were shot. Not all suicides. Okay, maybe an exaggeration, but you had to be there. My hypnotic trance had been stripped away a bit through research and my straying from the
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@Hitch. re: above message: I felt a parallel to what happened in Jonestown if one didn't drink the Kool -Aid. In the Jim Jones mass event Some were injected with cyanide and it is believed that resisters were shot. Not all suicides. Okay, maybe an exaggeration, but you had to be there. My hypnotic trance had been stripped away a bit through research and my straying from the program so th
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Btw, regarding parades, when the one parade I was in was over and we were on the bus, our "cho" or whatever he was as a leader was pumping his arms and his voice was nearly gone from screaming in delight over our victory. He reached toward me, grabbed my shoulders and shook me while looking wildly into my eyes. I wanted to give the right response and react way big beyond my usual intros
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Don't worry about the train of thought , findingmywaytoday. Look at my nearly breathless quotes that Hitch reposted. It brought me back to that phase of realization and sharing, but I'm able to look at it a different way. And besides all the info we are sharing, the videos of SGI activities reveal even more than words can say after you allow yourself some perspective. I'm glad Hit
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"Again, we value the sanctity of life but we are going to protect ourselves first" is what the youth the leader at the Interfaith Conference says at the 2:03 mark of the above posted video link. The youth gestures to Rabbi Askelrad at the beginning of the statement then points to his own chest at the end. Telling gestures with at least 3 aspects. Obviously refering to the words and b
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Thank you bobze 39. Important stuff!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I tried to be an inspired YMD expressing my interest in keeping my own youthful diary or reading the works of literature that Ikeda had read but was given cold stares when expressing this. I must have been "outa rhythm". I never understood the Dementor/ Cipher relationship. Today I remembered NSA days and a YMD saying to a group of others while preparing for a parade that he objecte
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I have planning to respond to KR's post on the previous page. So many posts since then. Some thoughts on recent topics: FNCC - I was watching a Youtube video titled FNCC 2011 and saw the usual window dressing, "Good for Business" tactics and courting of members. I have never been to FNCC or on Tozan back in the day, by the way. Why would you travel to Florida to sit in a windowl
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thank you bobze39 for your input. I meant to suggest that maybe the article was suggesting that all other Buddhist groups may contain a speck of racism and that the Buddhist community at large should look into the reasons why SGI has many more non-whites. You would think the rest of the article would explore the Soka Gakkai after that but it did not. I don't feel inclined to send that magaz
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The Winter 2011 Buddhadharma magazine has an article titled "Why is American Buddhism so White?". I scanned it for mention of SGI. I can't recall all the specifics, but basically: The writer of the article mentions that Soka Gakkai is considered the most racially diverse Buddhist group in America but is not included in a well known book listing Buddhist groups in America.(The aut
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Welcome Miss66! Thanks to others on the forum for some answers to the salary question. Picturing these moments of probing by members reminds me of a confrontation years ago that I had with some sort of christian group that was using cult-like tactics in our brief sidewalk encounter. At the time I'm su
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

In addition to the "joined a cult" experience that a leader shared during a contribution campaign time, the leader was talking about the members' contributions going to pay the leaders' salaries. "and believe me, they need it!" the leader said. I immediately thought 2 things (besides rage): I had heard about or read that "Believe me" is an obvious but effec
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Shavoy - I agree, especially with the irony of ironies part. I might be going out on a limb here, but at least I don't feel I have to adopt a prescribed personality on this forum: How many times did we have to hear some guest leader at a local meeting tell us how they started with the group and how their friends and family thought they had "joined a cult". It sounds
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Here's an example of a method of acheiving authority over a large Soka Gakkai gathering from Dr. Hirotatsu Fujiwara's book "I Denounce Soka Gakkai" from 1970: "Ikeda's close associates, when addressing the audience, do so from a higher level in commanding tones and authoritative speech, and by means of this maintain vertically a great
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSGByeThis news story immediately conjured up an image of you-know-who: Poet Maya Angelou says a recently unveiled monument to Martin Luther King Jr. is inscribed with a quote taken out of context that makes the preacher seem "arrogant." I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness, the inscription reads. "The quote makes Dr. King look like an arrogant twit,” sai
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoterattyboyQuoteScoobyDoobyQuotetsukimoto And didn't SGI-USA (back when it was NSA) do the same thing with the Liberty Bell? Back in the 70's, youth division members, dressed in clothing of the 1700's, offered to bring a replica of the Liberty Bell into schools? Again, they didn't really say clearly that they were part of SGI -- and most schools didn't ask.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteScoobyDoobyQuotetsukimoto And didn't SGI-USA (back when it was NSA) do the same thing with the Liberty Bell? Back in the 70's, youth division members, dressed in clothing of the 1700's, offered to bring a replica of the Liberty Bell into schools? Again, they didn't really say clearly that they were part of SGI -- and most schools didn't ask. God know
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

...I never signed up to idolize a person..." Thank you, Backnforth. I agree. For me: Attempts to resell me the same used car (SGI) whenever I'm around an SGI member or members, even at memorial services was ridiculous. Like being in a relationship with someone and always assessing the relationship as great without letting it breathe on its own. Having to hear about #s of degrees the
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

In discussing the structure of SGI let's not forget that "Upside-down pyramid" claim. I've heard it said often by leaders that SGI is the only organization in which the leadership and organization works this way in terms of supporting the members.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Just my 2 pence : Even if we say chanting does "work", such a comparison to one's life elicitted this response from me upon reading it: " That's just plain evil, find new friends!". That is an exaggeration on my part, I guess, but I think a lot of my friends who have never heard about this practice would probably have that response. The links that the SGI make with &
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

About publications again: I think the announcement back in '89/'90 was that it was no longer a requirement to get World Trib and Seikyo Times (Living Buddhism's old title), so yes, pretty much mandatory, hence the argument in the community center. I'd like to know about this new directive if it is indeed "mandatory".
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families