In 12 Step meetings. This does not mean the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions are cultic*. But, sadly, people sincerely in recovery seek contact with some sort of benevolent wise higher power and are vulnerable to recruitment into cults. Sincere SG members act as "agents of deployment" and are not aware of it. Most are content to say they chsnt. Some are fucking aggressive - one ga
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Isha Not Safe For Children - allegations of molestation Father of daughters living in Madras/Chennai Isha ashram alleges they are brainwashed Missing Cases and Mysterious Deaths at Isha Foundation Reports from people living nearby - reportedly Guru Jaggi gets an armed police escort
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Run, this is powerful and emancipatory. This is why opposition and attempts to argue with people do not work - you become the Enemy and it cements them in the role of hero/martyr. Readers: here is a tiny slice of the article recommended above: Book Review: The Unpersuadables QuoteStorr points out at least two aspects of the group thinker's mentality in the book, which revealsmuch
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteThe Internet Archive is back online in a read-only state after a cyberattack brought down the digital library and Wayback Machine last week. A data breach and DDoS attack kicked the site offline on October 9th, with a user authentication database containing 31 million unique records also stolen in recent weeks. The Internet Archive is now back online in a “provisional, read-only manner,”
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Stunts like this are psychopathic onanism -- not the way to win larger support for your stated cause.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Very worrisome news: Internet Archive Wayback Machine reportedly has been hacked. Founder reports data is still there. The Wayback Machine is a great resource for finding information that not nice people are eager to hide.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Abused at British 'Sex Cult's Schools
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yogic practices were and are associated with these unitive goals: * Escaping Moksha and merging with the godhead Gaudiya Vaishnava is a bhakti sect. It is not a yogic sect. Prabhupada or some other bhakta guru said, "I want to taste sugar, not become sugar." The ultimate goal in bhakti is not to unite/unitively merge with the godhead but to perfect oneself as a devotee, re
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteLos Angeles, California: The HBO Original four-part documentary series ‘Breath of Fire’, directed by Hayley Pappas and Smiley Stevens, debuts Wednesday, October 23 Another discussion of Yogi Bhajan and Kundalini Yoga on this message board can be read here:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Traits of some narcissists when confronted with serious questions: Long speeches - mind numbingly long speeches. Often it's the same speech with minor variations. You are so bored you want to fucking scream. People become afraid to question or challenge the person because they get sick of hearing the same verbal spew they've endured a thousand times before.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Police Search Isha Foundation
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"As one interviewee puts it, the (Rajneesh/Osho ashrams had something that attracted a certain kind of charismatic guy: “Free sex, and free sex with kids too.” Corboy note: This is worth a close look. Ashram communities inculcate unconditional trust, foster idealism, discourage critical thinking. It usually takes a lot of effort and expense to travel to the ashram and reside there.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quote"As one interviewee puts it, the (Rajneesh/Osho ashrams had something that attracted a certain kind of charismatic guy: “Free sex, and free sex with kids too.” Children of the Cult review – fierce doc about the Osho commune survivors Courageously covering what Netflix’s Wild Wild Country didn’t, this film confronts those who ran the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh meditation centres with
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Produce details of cases registered against Isha Foundation: Madras High Court tells police The grievances of the petitioner was that the foundation was abusing certain persons, by brainwashing and converting them as monks and not even allowing their parents to meet them.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Some Osho/Rajneesh loyalists ('sanyassins) have been reportedly involved with a problematic commercial guru named Mooji aka Paul Moo Mooji. Any guru, meditation teacher, yoga teacher with ANY known or discovered ties to Rajneesh/Osho's Pune ashram -- should raise one's eyebrows, at the very least. Sanyassins were said to be involved in the global nomad scene, introduc
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Seeking Truth wrote: "Here are survivors from Medina. I wonder how many were sexually abused?" Corboy: Prem Sargam, at least one child from Medina was abused. She's given an interview in The Times - it has been reported worldwide.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

‘Exploitation & abuse’ in Osho’s cult: UK woman shares harrowing childhood experience Prem Sargam's interview in The Times My years in a cult that groomed children to have sex with adults Prem Sargam was six when her parents became followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, seven when her abuse began and twelve when she was first raped. The cult’s systematic sexualisation of childre
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

This article contains distressing content. ‘There’s no going back’: A survivor’s story of a cult’s manipulation and exploitation Last November, the leader of an international ring of yoga schools was arrested on charges of human trafficking, organised kidnapping and rape. Crikey speaks to a survivor of the alleged cult about its tactics. Charlie Lewis Sep 27, 2024
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"Some people say the technique works wonders, but what's actually helping them is the preaching they're doing." Wow - thank you for posting this! It explains a lot of the appeal of conspiracy theories, too.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

For further reading: Juguntar - As a young revolutionary leader, Aurobindo used physical education gatherings as a covert means of training boys to fight for India's Independance For India’s revolutionaries Gyms & akharas were a cover for politics The Jugantar movement started by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh used the guise of a fitness club to take in young teenagers and tu
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Ha. What is taught as 'Yoga' today, is a system of postures that, with the exception of padma asana - lotus posture, are not depicted in any truly ancient source. You can't find any sculptures or rock writings that depict downward dog, or sun salutation. Many of the pictures were adapted directly from 19th Century and early 20th Century European gymnastics. Group gymnasti
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Meditation Can Backfire, Worsening Mental Health Problems PsyPost
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I Smell a Rat
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Those unpredictable mood/personality switches are classic for abusive partners, bosses, and cult leaders. Look up trauma bonding, the work of psychologist Alexandra Stein and fear without a solution. This so called "crazy wisdom' is an excuse to keep people insecure, and unable to leave or critique. You get mood states ranging from bliss to surreal clarity to terror -- but in n
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Spend time in stores and churches frequented by parents and young children. Look at the kids -- unless tranced on screens, the youngsters are bursting with vitality, eager to move, play, explore. It's torture to force kids that age to sit still for lengthy religious services. In sane religions, it's set up so parents can easily slip out during services and give youngsters play
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The social scene created by gurus has an effect on us, too. There's an instant intimacy. We share that same quest, that curiosity, hope, that same open-ness. There's an intense bonding, verbal and non verbal amongst the sangha. We want to become and remain part of that. We are social creatures in a lonely world. This social scene is full of people seeking healing.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"There are alot of ways he differs from a cult because he advocates for seekers to be doubters and only rely on direct experience, but on the other hand he sees his budda field and the seekers unconditional surrender as being essential to waking up. How do these things add up?" Lots of cult leaders tell newbies to rely on direct experience. They say so because these people are confid
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Years ago, I eagerly picked up the Bhagavad Gita. Because of the book's exalted reputation, I expected inspiration to become a better person. Instead, to my growing dismay, I felt that the Gita read like a Nazi motivational manual. Arjuns is a man of courage, wisdom and compassion, horrified at the prospect of war, who does not want to kill the people he loves, Arjuna is horror stricken a
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hear, hear. Mr Rick Ross,moderator can be contacted here: Advice: Trolls often start by slowly testing, poking at boundaries boundaries. We get used to their presence, as we do a small pebble in the shoe. The troll increases the annoyance level, and we adjust. We keep adjusting, the troll becomes a bully. The previously safe space becomes unsafe. We visit less often. If
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

"The Feds are Criminalizing Sex" Latest news coverage of legal woes of One Taste commercialized sex business Quote. The feds are “criminalizing sex” and looking to put people “in prison for funsies” by prosecuting the two glamorous leaders of embattled “sexual wellness” empire OneTaste, their lawyers claimed Wednesday. “I would say the government is trying to criminalize s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"