A topic we've never discussion before ... Brahma Kumaris and their attitudes towards animals.
It's 2013 but over at the semi-official BK forum, debate still rages over whether Peacocks actually have sex or not and, just the other day, I read an interesting piece of BK philosophy from 1955 in which the BKs claimed that there were carnivorous animals in the Golden Age, such as lions and "cannibal" bears, but that they were self-disciplined *only* to "eat the corpses of dead animals" ... a word for word quote.
Of course, that raises a few problem of it own ... like bears pooping in the woods in the Golden Age ... but it was not what I wanted to discuss. I wonder if anyone knew of what the BK attitudes towards animals is, e.g. domestic pets and domesticated species such as cats and dogs.
Now, I appreciate that, on one hand, if BKs or the god of the BKs are not keen on children and attachment to them, and see them as a distraction to Yoga there is not a lot of hope for pets; and, on the other hand, in India there is not such a widespread habit of keeping animals in homes and they are seen as unclean ... cats particularly being equated with Maya.
I don't remember any BKs with pets at all. Has anyone heard of any cases, or Shrimat regarding them. Obviously, for a 'card carrying', pukka, 24/7 serviceable BK they must be a no-no but what about the rest of the cult? *
Although the BKs promote vegetarianism, I have never actually heard them promote or see them do anything remotely related to animal rights, or even animal welfare. They also drink milk and take dairy products which cause more suffering them meat in commercial product. For me, it's almost a religious adherence separate from the animal issue, and more about concepts of purity ... eschewing animals as being impure. Pets must surely an impediment a best ... but what about their welfare?
Cue pictures of Lekhraj Kirpalani shooting errant monkeys with an air rifle ...
It's 2013 but over at the semi-official BK forum, debate still rages over whether Peacocks actually have sex or not and, just the other day, I read an interesting piece of BK philosophy from 1955 in which the BKs claimed that there were carnivorous animals in the Golden Age, such as lions and "cannibal" bears, but that they were self-disciplined *only* to "eat the corpses of dead animals" ... a word for word quote.
Of course, that raises a few problem of it own ... like bears pooping in the woods in the Golden Age ... but it was not what I wanted to discuss. I wonder if anyone knew of what the BK attitudes towards animals is, e.g. domestic pets and domesticated species such as cats and dogs.
Now, I appreciate that, on one hand, if BKs or the god of the BKs are not keen on children and attachment to them, and see them as a distraction to Yoga there is not a lot of hope for pets; and, on the other hand, in India there is not such a widespread habit of keeping animals in homes and they are seen as unclean ... cats particularly being equated with Maya.
I don't remember any BKs with pets at all. Has anyone heard of any cases, or Shrimat regarding them. Obviously, for a 'card carrying', pukka, 24/7 serviceable BK they must be a no-no but what about the rest of the cult? *
Although the BKs promote vegetarianism, I have never actually heard them promote or see them do anything remotely related to animal rights, or even animal welfare. They also drink milk and take dairy products which cause more suffering them meat in commercial product. For me, it's almost a religious adherence separate from the animal issue, and more about concepts of purity ... eschewing animals as being impure. Pets must surely an impediment a best ... but what about their welfare?
Cue pictures of Lekhraj Kirpalani shooting errant monkeys with an air rifle ...
When I was in bk-gyan, the Sisters told me that the example of peacock mating through tears is an example that reproduction is possible without physical contact in sat yug and treta yuga ... so now (after seeing the videos), how do we understand and explain to the medical and scientific community, that in sat yuga and treta yuga reproduction will happen without physical contact....this is my dilemma.