Here's another very interesting video I found on Conformity. This is definitely one of the mechanisms they use in SGI to gain compliance.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I think this is the major part of the problem going on here.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotemehThat video is actually kind of offensive - first of all, showing the headstones in the Jewish cemetery. Not sure how Gandhi or King had anything to do with that . . . as far as I know, neither of them spoke of the holocaust. And how ikeda has the cajones to equate himself with either of those two men is bewildering. Not really if you think about it. All you have to do is convince a few p
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotesixtysevenQuotesleepy skunkI was wondering for those who have actually been to the IKG exhibit, what kind of crap do they have in there? Is it artifacts like a real museum but just peppered with Ikeda crap or more like a creation museum (with the same bunch of crap with altered facts) to make the false association with Gandhi and King? Yellowness - crap. I'd like to know too. That ki
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Corboy, I've always loved your posts and this one is a great one as well. People have to learn to listen to their gut and their intuition. Orgs like SGI tell you to ignore it at all times since anything that is against SGI (your doubts, questions etc. being called negativity) is perceived as negativity and therefore you should ignore it because you'll stray from the path and that is wha
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I was wondering for those who have actually been to the IKG exhibit, what kind of crap do they have in there? Is it artifacts like a real museum but just peppered with Ikeda crap or more like a creation museum (with the same bunch of crap with altered facts) to make the false association with Gandhi and King?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotecorboy And it takes guts to leave. Often a group has started out well, and is associated with some of the best, most redemptive times in one's life. It takes courage face that a group that is associated with an idealistic, healing time in ones life is no longer in according with those ideals. It takes courage to trust one's perceptions that one has been lied to, that a grou
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchQuotemeh Hitch, seriously . . . there are older members here who just might need to put on their Depends before we watch this stuff. Warn me next time. Jeez. (Warning . . . . ) I think this photo (compliments of fellow forum member "sixtyseven", thanks 67!), should be placed in golden frames at all Gakkai Cult Org. Kaikans and somebody should be holding it when they sin
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

AmusedKY, that is an interesting moniker you've got there. It's nice to see someone who clearly got out unscathed by the whole ordeal. Your long and rambling post might seem that way to you but for the rest of the people who come here, even those who are lurking can find some use to every post, and that includes yours. We're all here for one purpose and that is to derail the SGI tr
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotemeh The whole thing is so enfeculated (a family word for "encrusted with s**t"), that it's beyond cleaning up. And these people are completely zombified - I feel like I've just emerged from a fully-consensual mind-rape. I'm still thanking my lucky stars that I found this site and I can talk about how effed up the whole thing is. I would not go as far as to say "
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"Forever Senseless" does have a ring to it doesn't it? I felt the exactly same way after leaving and made some weird posts just because I felt finally free. It's strange since I honestly didn't feel it was hard to leave them. I had no magical thinking going on, no unbreakable bonds or anything like that. Sure I was there for a few years but I got out unscathed. I felt
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Well May has finally past, has anyone had any contacts from the org? I got a few calls but no one dared ask for money. I think they know better than that. It's all clear until November now.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch Cult doublethink-doublespeak 101. It's absolutely everywhere in the $oka Gakkai Cult Org.. It's baffling sometimes how many don't even notice it. When you join what you think is a Buddhist organization working for world peace, you're probably not thinking "am I being screwed here?" It's the image they project and it's effective enough. Otherwis
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QuoteHitch The above is posted for scholarly edification purposes only. I wonder what exactly was the content of those destroyed letters discussed in paragraph number 8.* Must have been pretty bad, if even the priesthood was spurred to delete and rewrite history, for the sake of crafting an artificial image (a reminder of the $GI Cult Org. being in good company, too). I maintain that the
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotecorboyAnd just now, info about the Uncle Rufus tooth relic was disclosed (blessed art those who do library research). And the actual behavor of hard core members when in the presence of Ikeda was being discussed. And the value of Ikeda possessions among the inner hard core group. The stuff that the hardcore members thrill to, but keep quiet about, secret about when with lower rank
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch As alluded to by Nichijew, behind closed doors the top leadership pines for various degrees of Dear Leader relics. When I was in, so-called third degree / class relics were common. Salaried and top non-salaried "leaders" would often go ga-ga over items / gifts directly from Sensei (something signed, a handwritten message, or something stamped with his emblem, etc.). I'
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteTaitenAndProud Nobody gave me diddly squat! >:( What makes YOU so special, skunkieboy??? Haha! I'm a YOUTH! That is the only explanation I've got.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewA most prized possession is a swatch of mentor's necktie. I kid you not. Nichijew Unwashed right off his sweaty chest which you get with a 1000$ donation, right? Ugh. How ridiculous can they get?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchQuotesleepy skunk Pardon the probably odd question but this made me think of the scarves they give to people in the begining. Does anyone know of their significance and if the above was the purpose of giving them out? It's not an odd question at all. It's part of the Japanese custom of wrapping (especially important items) things with a "furoshiki" cloth. In
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteTaitenAndProudScarves?? When/where was this? What were they like? Really nice looking things with flowers and what looks like a Japanese kanji on them, each are different colors.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch "Attendance at meetings is recorded . . . and participants are registered to their status of "guest", "beginner" and "member". . . . . For this reason, each Soka Gakkai leader must have exact knowledge of who their members are in order to keep in mind "all the persons whom we don't see often, all those who only attend meetings now and
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteTaitenAndProudCan you spell "bait and switch"? I knew you could :D I know this is going back a bit but this is aptly descriptive. After leaving and having a true realization (not the ones they talk about) that this is indeed what had happened to me.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteTaitenAndProudQuoteThe SGI throws out two different messages. One, you must WIN at all times and you can change EVERYTHING. And two, the smaller message of reaching enlightenment, or true happiness. Personally, I like the smaller one. It speaks to people just being happy and satisfied in their core about life, their lives. It does not depend on STUFF, and perfect circumstances. The SGI gloms
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteTaitenAndProudIt's talking out of both sides of their mouth. It's like it's part of the practice or something.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchMagical Thinking - The Seven Basic Principles: 1. Anything can be "sacred" = The Magic Paper Scroll (Mandala / Gohonzon / Joju Gohonzon / Omamori Gohonzon / Dai-Gohonzon / etc.) 2. Anything can be "cursed" = Anything or anyone outside of your "specially" "chosen" sect / group / circle / faith mindset. (Inter-faith tolerance is a ruse.) 3.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchI can add many names and stories to the list about long time, sincere practicing gakkai members who met with some horrible deaths (alone, wasting away with metastasized bone cancer, senseless accidents, etc.) in the end. These things are never faced, thought about, mentioned, nor discussed by other gakkai members. It's all quickly brushed aside, put out of mind and bypassed so as t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@corboy I like your idea of making a compilation of useful links here. Would you happen to know of any safe sites to store videos or other media? One where you can't have stuff taken down.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@wakkatta has a point. I've tried to sift through the older part of the thread and it had been mentioned that there might be such shenanigans. The posts I had read are going on as far back as 2009. It is hard to read when there's all kind of nothing in between, but when you have 600+ plus pages it's almost welcome. Phew 10 easy pages to fly through. It kind of makes it easy for us
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

That Alex kid really is THE captain KIRK of SGI-USA. Both of their EMPHASIZING of CERTAIN WORDS is REALLY ANNOYING. Am I the only one to notice when they quoted parts, they had the letters (WLS Ch#, Pg#)? It's official, SGI now has it's own televangical progam.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch I see that Kaneko (Mrs. Dear Leader) is now "officially" included as part of the Kool-Aid ingredients (this was never the case when I was in). Yes this had been the case when I was in. I guess you can say it's the face they might want to show especially to the women already in and those interested in joining. Assuming you're not a woman maybe that is why you never
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families