11 Oct 2009
The Hare Krishna, just like Brahma Kumaris, experienced incidents of damaging child and guru abuse. Unlike the Brahma Kumaris, they did something noble about them rather than cover them up. I have mentioned their Ombudsperson system before. I saw this in Harvard University's Law department dispute resolution magazine, here. Note discussion of how religious institutions often resist ADR (alternative dispute resolution systems).
Despite the dramatic need for systematized conflict-resolution systems within religious institutions, only the International Society for Krishna Consciousness ... has adopted alternative dispute resolution (ADR) on a global basis ... ISKCON's ADR program has been extremely successful. Iskon has benefited both internally, through increased awareness of members' concerns, and externally, by developing an increasing reputation as a purveyor of ADR services.
Religious institutions often resist ADR
Although in conventional wisdom religious institutions should help divisions among followers, too often they plunge into partisan conflicts over theological and secular issues. They tend to coat the issues with a theological gloss in an effort to protect against erosion of the leadership's power and authority. When such conflicts remain unresolved,members often become frustrated, anguished and disloyal to their church leadership ...
In some religious institutions, the leadership is the source of both theological and secualr authority - even economic power. In such situations, any challenge to the leadership, even through ADR program, might be viewed as a threat to the institutional power and control that dare not be tolerated.