BKWSU (Poland) - Are they really "not a religion"?

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raistlin

ex-BK

  • Posts: 47
  • Joined: 10 Sep 2009
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Re: BKWSU (Poland) - Are they really "not a religion"?

Post26 Jun 2013

littleo wrote:You speak about social stigma and I believe everyone has suffered that, but it is not always the person's fault and he is not always able to do something. If you are seen as strange because you are black, e.g. you cannot do anything but tolerate. I have gone to various cults and I find people there very interesting. It is often that society portrays a negative image, church speaks all sorts of things about the sects. The social stigma is a damage in itself but it can be due to intolerance, rigidness and problems in society itself.

In the family, also if one starts following a certain path, he questions the path of others. Why are you not following also? What do you follow? Why? Where it will lead you to? So the reaction to the cult member is also a self-defence, defending your own habits your own way of thinking that may also need change.

Littleo, of course, the Church as a religious and spiritual institution, and also "a player in the religious market of the faith and spirituality business" (excuse me for that terrible comparison), speaks very often quite negatively about other spiritual institutions (potential "rivals" to the Church), in some exaggerated manner. It became just the historical tradition of the Church of telling about other religions and their followers all those negative things (pagans, devil followers, heretics, blasphemers).

But sometimes, incidentally (or not), they are right. Besides which they are Christ followers; they are fathers, mothers, Sisters, Brothers - generally the people who live IN their families and WITH their families, not OUTSIDE. And they don't forget about their worldly and family duties.

I've got many mates who are Catholics. They know that I am an agnostic (and ex-BK), but I have never ever had the feeling of being unaccepted by them nor proselytized with force to convert myself to Catholicism. I am far from telling them to quit Catholicism as well. I have no right to tell people what path they should take. No one gave me such a right. We are quite good friends for many years, and the matter of faith and beliefs doesn't interrupt us at all.

The BKWSU, especially in Warsaw where there's a main address for the organization in Poland, was e.g. alleged of the children recruitment in 2000 (but it ended only with the baseless accusation of the Catholic society, and some weak evidence ... actually none).

As far as I remember, according to the original Yagya where the Raja Yoga and the whole Om Mandli/BK movement meant to be a "family path", so that even a child or a teenager could come and become a student, as we know it from the historical stories of the beginnings of Om Mandli, the BKWSU Poland in its own statute, by which they are legally registered in Poland, and have the right given to promote its activity, claims:
(...)Struktura: student to osoba, która ukończyła wstępny kurs wiedzy i medytacji Raja Yogi, regularnie studiująca nauki Uniwersytetu, praktykująca medytację Raja Yogi oraz przestrzegająca zasad i dyscyplin obowiązujących studenta; studentem może być osoba pełnoletnia...

The structure: A (BK) student is an individual, who finished his initial course of knowledge and Raja Yoga meditation, who is studying the organization's teachings regularly, who is practicing the Raja Yoga meditation and who is observing the principles and disciplines obligatory to a (BK) student. (Only) a person of the age of majority (18) may be a (BK) student ...

(Additions in brackets by me)

So, as you can see, this statement is quite in the conflicts to the historical times of the organization, which meant to be a family path of spiritual enlightenment.

If you have the will to join the BKs in Poland, you MUST be at least 18 years old, so the concern of the society of the Roman Catholic Church was quite right - the organization was acting against their own statute, and so against the law. Even though it is an internal document of the organization, you have the right to see it (it is/should be available in every BK centre and, of course, the original paper is in the Ministry for the Internal Affairs of Republic of Poland as well).

More in that matter:
From the BKWSU (worldwide) Frequently Asked Questions:
Source: * Are children allowed to participate?

Yes. Young adults under the age of majority (18 years) require written permission from a parent/guardian prior to joining in activities, unless accompanied by the parent/guardian. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. In cases where children’s retreats are organised, parents are required to sign separate documents enabling retreat teachers and facilitators to act in loco parentis. All Brahma Kumaris’ centres carry child-protection policies, in accordance with the laws of the country.

BTW, littleo, if you are a Father, could you really let the BKs take care of your own child you love and care, assuming that you just know very well all those bad things happened in the organization worldwide ... which the organization itself tried at any cost to deny or be indifferent to?

As for your other question. Yes, that is not always that because of the one member's behaviour the whole society should suffer because there's just that one "black sheep". You know it quite well that in this (BKs) case, it is not a question of a one "black sheep" because of which the rest family should be ashamed of.

It is quite the opposite, as the "elders" are those "black sheep" who make the rest of the family not only to be ashamed (internally) of all those things happened, but they just don't allow them to change anything! They are completely deaf to the reasonable opinions, the criticism, to the facts of their unethical and immoral behaviour, to the harm they do, etc. Moreover, they are completely aware of it because of their status and respect they have in the family. No one is brave enough to even try to change the status quo because the "elders" will always have the last word. They have the power, and they eventually decide.

And that is the problem. Do not anger the Dadis/Didis and Dadas or other Senior Sisters and Brothers who act somehow influentially as they are "in-charge" or to start to reform and make some changes in the organization, even though many of the Seniors would have been quite opposed to them, or even making some serious obstacles.

What is more important? To fix the leaking rusty sewage pipes and therefore to avoid a potential flood in one's flat one day, or to be indifferent as the rest family got used to that situation (or were forced to be indifferent of the rusty sewage pipes) for so many years as if there hadn't been any problem so far, so why should we now be afraid of anything?

I know how difficult is to change peoples' habits. But sometimes it is just necessary to forget about all those bad habits, and the laziness and to think reasonably and just do what has to be done, even though you may lose something. You have to choose yourself what is, so called, "greater good" - the loyalty and obedience to the Seniors or maybe something else.

fatimahspeth

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Re: BKWSU (Poland) - Are they really "not a religion"?

Post28 Apr 2018

The process is not easy at first sight! Nevertheless, I am sure I'll pass the procedure!

GuptaRati 6666

  • Posts: 532
  • Joined: 23 Aug 2015

Re: BKWSU (Poland) - Are they really "not a religion"?

Post29 Apr 2018

It seems best to walk away and keep on advancing self spiritually, socially, professionally, and academically/spiritually. Build your own house with like minded people without joining another cult or forming another cult.
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