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XBK Chat (unofficial archive)
A former meeting place for past members of Brahma Kumaris
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Paul
Joined: 13 Mar 2004
Posts: 72
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 Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: Helping to Take the Cult Out of the Man |
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Irish Times, Ireland
Mar. 21, 2005
Excerpts:
| Quote: | For those who escape the often terrifying world of cults, adjusting to life on the outside can be traumatic, reports Anne Dempsey...
..."Although I am perfectly normal, there is still a part of my mind that thinks in terms of cult-mindset consequences about the end of the world," he says.
This enduring legacy demonstrates the strength of the early conditioning experienced by young people who leave the cults they were reared in. Some such adults do badly in the outside world, suffering from depression and problems with alcohol, drugs or self- harm. It also highlights the difficulties facing the newly formed international organisation, Safe Passage Foundation, set up to help the thousands of children still living relatively secret lives in dozens of sects around the world...
..."In my own case, although physically removed from the group, my mindset was still in turmoil," he says. "I entered a period of prolonged liminality [a state of being in-between] that lasted about three years, during which time I was trying to develop my own perspective on what was going on in this world. You're like a ghost. You're in no man's land. Some kids kill themselves, but others manage to integrate. There is a need for organisations like the Safe Passage Foundation and also for national governments to become more involved, providing funding for national organisations who work with children and young people."...
..."As cults develop and become less open, they impose a mental stranglehold in their attempt to set the world view of their members in stone. My hopes for my future are to spend the rest of my life enjoying nature and trying to live as environmentally friendly a life as I can."...
....Religious cults are characterised by extreme beliefs and practices not generally shared by mainstream churches. Having separated themselves, most have a self-appointed, dogmatic and charismatic leader who, over time, creates a totalitarian society. The effect of such regimes on their members can include loss of free will, inability to make decisions, malnutrition, paranoia, hallucinations, and suicidal tendencies. Recruitment methods may involve "flirty fishing" and "love bombing" - in other words, warmly befriending someone to encourage them to join the group, a particularly effective method among those at a lonely or vulnerable stage of their lives. |
You can read the article in full on this website:
http://religionnewsblog.com/10642/Helping-to-Take-the-Cult-Out-of-the-Man |
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Atma
Joined: 26 Feb 2004
Posts: 98
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 8:49 am Post subject: |
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Good one Paul. I checked out that site, did a search for BKs and came up with this aptly entitled article:
Just add followers
The Dallas Morning News, via FortWayne.com, USA
Oct. 6, 2004
Jeffrey Weiss, The Dallas Morning News
The article appears on this blog: http://www.religionnewsblog.com/8911
Extracts:
| Quote: | Some of the material is not easy for a newcomer. Dadi and other leaders call it "subtle." To others, "contradictory" may seem more apt.
For instance: Baba taught that humanity is stuck on an unchanging wheel of the ages. Every 5,000 years, the cycle repeats. Exactly as before. Like a movie playing over and over.
Sister Denise, Dadi Janki's British-born translator, said we would all be in the same room 5,000 years hence. And the reporter would be wearing the same yellow tie.
On the other hand, the Brahma Kumaris talk about self-improvement. They run hospitals, feed the poor and emphasize day-to-day hospitality. And they teach that meditation allows God to burn away the bad karma that creates suffering.
But if we are unalterably fated to repeat, age after countless age, what's the point of trying to improve?
It's subtle, Dadi explained. A soul who is aware of his or her role in the unchanging human drama is free from sorrow.
"Once you get the point you will be very intoxicated," she said. |
And this:
| Quote: | ...not everyone who finds the path stays with it. The philosophy of rigid predestination, a steady pressure to accept more of the core teachings, and the suggestion that followers must dramatically alter their lives eventually discourage casual visitors.
Kathryn Karpf may be edging that way. She was at Dadi's morning talk. She had been drawn to BK a few months earlier, when a fellow yoga student told her about the free meditation training.
Karpf said she'd been going through a rough patch and was up for any training that would bring her some peace of mind. She'd been raised Jewish but has had little contact with that tradition for a while, she said.
The meditation was fine. The other elements of BK teachings have become increasingly less so, she said.
"The more I listen to them I hear exclusion, that `we are the chosen ones,'" she said. "That bothers me."...
..."I may go a lot less frequently than I have been," Karpf said. "I don't do well when someone tries to push me in a little box and make me do something." |
Here are the links for two more articles on the site that mention the BKs:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/7827
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9013 |
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gyaniwasi
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 167
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for these excerpts Paul. I think many of us on this site can empathize with the comment:...
| Quote: | | "In my own case, although physically removed from the group, my mindset was still in turmoil," he says. "I entered a period of prolonged liminality [a state of being in-between] that lasted about three years, during which time I was trying to develop my own perspective on what was going on in this world. You're like a ghost. You're in no man's land. Some kids kill themselves, but others manage to integrate. There is a need for organisations like the Safe Passage Foundation and also for national governments to become more involved, providing funding for national organisations who work with children and young people."... |
That state of "liminality" is what I think of as the "existential nexus" facing us when we become disillusioned from that "intoxication" mentioned by Dadi Janki in the article on her Texas tour. I think a fear of living in that state (rather than continuing intoxication based on faith) is what keeps many of us "in the box." Life outside the box becomes unthinkable or unimaginable. And yet, civilization has advanced because of men and women who dared to face that nexus!
Gy
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"Those were the days my friend ...." |
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gyaniwasi
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 167
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Atma,
It's good to hear from you too! I realized only after posting that I touched on your article also. It's good to hear from you old heads after some time.
Atma, I'd appreciate if you can continue to share with us outsider's perspectives on the organization. It helps to remove blinders and provides us with a balance. Moreso, if you come across more articles on persons who have made a genuine transition to restoring their independence and individuality without merely substituting another dogmatic faith then that would be most welcome.
Gy
_________________
"Those were the days my friend ...." |
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