Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

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ex-l

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post10 Nov 2016

I was being cynical when I wrote, that but I see the internet is already a flutter with speculation about Trump in that department, and has been for some time in Christian America, so let's keep chat about that on other sites. I think we have to see it as yet another unknowable, well beyond our individual sphere of influence; and accept that Nostradamus's predictions were just as opaque and undecipherable as the BKs' Murlis. Perhaps just from the same kind of source, whether within the individual or from some other 'mystical' source as Lekhraj Kirpalani's?

Was not the ungrounded tendency to accept End Time and Nostradamus's predictions as something worthy of investing oneself in, not part of the same tendency that encouraged us to be open to BKism? I would say in my case it was. In my time, there was a definite buzz about a WWIII or imminent nuclear war with Russia that my psyche latched on to (end of the Cold War) which was exaggerated and exploited by the BKs and BKism. People then were also making much of Nostradamus.

These days, I try to limit myself to wrestle with those things that directly affect me on a day to day basis which I have reasonable chances of changing, overcoming or improving. I've erected a strong filters which dismisses even being swept up and pushed along by, say, political currents and causes.

Mostly that because when I have been, I've found myself just having wasted a whole heap of time and energy and gotten no where; and discovered that there was a heap of shenanigans going on at the top/head of the movement and that, like in the BKs, I was just being used for other interests than my own.

I think we have to see the tendency like an alcoholic would a bottle of strong spirits, and guard against indulging in our addiction for intoxicating other worldly stuff.

We are excited and in that excited state we lose our centre and give ourselves, our energy, our time and money away. We are like drunks gambling one some "sure bet" that ends up in us being taken to the cleaners. Again.

I think about how excited we used to get as BKs over big service events, whichever VIP was being targeted (and the speculations over how they 'must' be a BK), or trying to give meaning about some utterance the god spirit had made ... and how much of a huge waste of time it all was.

You are right, there is no "anti-Christ" in BKism, although if there was, they'd claim Lekhraj Kirpalani was it. They do claim Lekhraj Kirpalani was responsible for the Fall of humanity and for falling the lowest or most vicious of all human beings (no idea how they work that one out). So what if there is an anti-Christ and Trump is it, what would you be able to do about it?

No doubt, some nut job will, and probably take a pot shot at him at some point. Would you want to take the gamble and pay the price for doing so? Would you have the guts to do so?

If not, just move along then I'd say.

I wonder if Ladbrokes are taking bets on it yet?
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Pink Panther

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post11 Nov 2016

Hello Gupta,

Your link to Facebook shows a photo or a number of photos of Trump photoshopped into a cardboard lotus, it does not show Trump himself 'in Lotus'. Given how difficult it is to do a full lotus and Trump is a man who will adopt any and every ‘position' to win votes, I really wanted to see that!

The salon.com article is not very revealing just describing how Trump is an archetype that wealth-worshipping Hindu nationalists would be drawn to, especially with all his anti-Moslem rhetoric. Trump makes Mohdi look like a communist!

Even here in Australia, the right wing rednecks are happy to see Trump win power as they see it as validation of their "movement” despite the fact our political culture and electoral system is so vastly different it is difficult to imagine such a demagogue ever getting through.

Whether occultism played any part in his winning the election is unable to be proven or disproven. It is more likely that 40 years of Neo-Liberal economics which have devastated the middle and working classes who have not seen a wage rise in 30 years, seen jobs falling away or becoming part time has created an anger which blinds all reason.

It is ironic that they had voted for a ConMan billionaire but he was the only one of the two main candidates acknowledging their grievances because Clinton was running on a ticket which proclaimed things were getting better, which they may have been on the macro level but which was not trickling down to the people in the swing states (this is where the electoral college system failed the Democrats - it's a perverse kind of democracy designed buy White men to protect the interests of White men with businesses and property including slaves. Every state has its own method of voting and every state government gerrymanders the electoral boundaries to suit their own party). But maybe it was a Guyanese pundit, who can deny it!

A nice quote was mentioned on the radio as they discussed the media’s part in his victory, from a journalist in the New Yorker magazine who said "the media took Trump literally but did not take him seriously, while the voters took him seriously but did not take him literally” - meaning they were willing to overlook what he actually said and go along with the emotions he permitted them to express.

Any definition of an antichrist depends on a definition of a christ! Any serious acceptance of a Satan or an antichrist requires an acceptance of Christ and a literalist understanding of Christian dogma.
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ex-l

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post12 Nov 2016

A relevant quote from the Bible putting the idea in context. It could almost be BapDada or BK leaders speaking of ex-BKs. John was, of course, writing around 2,000 years ago and yet was full of faith that "The Last Hour" was upon Humanity back then.

2,000 years later and they're still exploiting the fear instill in the villagers about the End Times and by this particular boogeyman ...

No update from Sister Jenna yet but she does let slip about her new best friend, Tom Kenyon-Slaney from the London Speaker Bureau [LSB]. The LSB is where "leaders" go when they want to make bucks, sometimes big bucks on the after dinner speaker circuit. For some it earns $10,000s a night.

No doubt a Brian Bacon contact as he is on their speakers list. A long way away from doing "seva" for nothing for the BKWSU. But then, Brian is one of a tiny few who actually turned a profit from his involvement with the Kirpalani Klan. No mention of his involvement with the BKWSU on his CV these days.

What do the BKs trully understand about politics? I'd say the point of doing stuff like "sending positive thoughts to transform World leaders" is just about conning their funders into believing they are more far important and involved than they really and and part of the process, when in fact they are utterly ineffectual. But that the idea of passive voters or passive workers who suck it up as "their karma" is very attractive to the elite.

Having already managed somehow to swallow "soft porn" actress Priyanka Chopra as a VIP contact, should we expect the BKs to now be chasing after the First Lady and ex-nude model Melania Trump too?
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.  Therefore we know that it is the last hour.  

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.  But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.  

- 1 John 2:18-19

GuptaRati 6666

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post20 Nov 2016

During his presidential campaign, Trump had as one of his support group a sect of ultra right Hindu cult praying and meditating each day that he should become President of the United States of America.

onvalianthorwatch

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Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post20 Nov 2016

And?
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Pink Panther

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post20 Nov 2016

GuptaRati 6666 wrote:During his presidential campaign, Trump had as one of his support group a sect of ultra right Hindu cult praying and meditating each day that he should become President of the United States of America.

That may be the case but as they are not of the true faith, it would have had little practical effect. In fact it was the daily prayers by a little old Roman Catholic lady from Pasadena to St Thomas (More - patron saint of politicians) asking him to intercede, and St Tom (as his friends call him) persuaded the hosts of heaven to get Trump elected, while Satan stayed home, unimpressed by both candidates. ;)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... cians.html
The former Tory minister John Gummer, once a member of the Church of England Synod and now a Catholic, welcomed a patron saint for politicians. "I cannot think of any section of the community that needs one more."

onvalianthorwatch

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Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post20 Nov 2016

,
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ex-l

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post20 Nov 2016

Mixing politics with religion us a recipe for absolute idiocy.

Poor old Jesus gets blamed for electing a serial groper ...

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onvalianthorwatch

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An ex-BK & an American Presidential Election fantasy

Post21 Nov 2016

Amongst other things am still wondering about Presidential matters although I did not (nor was I qualified to) back any personage in that recently concluded race. I have no time for "digging dirt business" on this web platform for I uncover the stuff that leads me to forming a personal opinion elsewhere and by other means.

However what I can say with just the same amount of personal conviction as I did prior to the US election is this. If I could vote in a USA election, and if ever this person stood as a candidate, I would stand outside my nearest polling station for as long as it takes just like some folks do sojourn outside that corporate giant whose name brings to mind the means by which man met his fall in the garden of Eden (allegedly). Get my drift? Good.

So in my fantasy USA Presidential Election vote scenario based on everything I have come to research thus far Senator Trey Gowdy (R) representing the 4th District of South Carolina will get my vote anytime.

BTW I do not have any anti-Democrat Party leanings (you will have to take it from me :) )

So while I will leave the anti-christ searching business to others I will wonder if Mr. Trump will find it in his will to extend an offer of a role in his administration to Mr. Gowdy. But then again Senator Gowdy might have little interest in any such offer on account of being a man who believes and acts sincerely in the best interest of the people, period.

So BKdom you read it here first: Trey Gowdy for President of the USA if ever he were to run ... but like I said it is a fantasy. I wonder if any BKs in America peruse these pages?
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ex-l

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post22 Nov 2016

I have no idea who Trey might be or why, and without wishing to cause offence, have no interest in finding out. I've learnt to ... ressigned myself to ... not have an opinion about anything I do not have any direct involvement with and cannot influence, on that basis that "even I don't take my own advice, so why should anyone else?".

There are a couple of Churchill quotes which come to mind, he having some real, direct experience and influence in the business. The first and most obvious one is the old, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others" ... of which I am actually no longer convinced ... and the less known one of, "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter".

Actually, I would update that to ... "The best argument against democracy is a 30 second online exchange with the average American voter" (which is not aimed at you).

Having invested myself into learning about cult dynamics, I see "America" - aka "the best democracy money can buy" - as big and particularly nasty cult - of a vicious few controlling a dumbed down many - exploding (more than often literally) all over the world. Politically it is as awful to the nth degree.

It, and Trump, are surely perfect proof of what Churchill was saying?

Have you seen the movie, Idiocracy?

To paraphrase another Churchillian quote, "Never were so many threatened and destroyed so often, by so few so stupid but violent people". If you've ever challenge "patriotic" - aka dumb - Americans, you'd understand what I am saying about them being indoctrinated like cult members.

To whit, I'll end on an old Russian joke from the Cold War era, "The difference between the Russian people and the American people is that the Russian people knew they are being brainwashed by propaganda".

The rest of the world would be so much better off without it.

onthor

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Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post22 Nov 2016

Nice one ex-l. I really do hope that reader's can see that almost everything I write has a subtle twist of 'irony' for want of a better word. I really do not take myself, or my public pronouncements on this or any other site too seriously. It is all a bit like jazz improvisation ... with ear plugs. My sympathies to the listener.

Peace

onthor
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ex-l

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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post22 Nov 2016

On the basis of a macrocosm reflecting a microcosm, can you see the idea of "America" as a cult and then look back at the BKs and see similar elements at play?

I don't think we on the more liberal outreaches ... the Californias and New Yorks of the United States of Brahma Kumaridom ... really saw BKism fully for what it is in India but, in my day, they used to openly promote it as a "religio-political movement". Indeed, you might argue a better metaphor exists, e.g. BKism as reflection on Post-British Empire Indian democracy.

Or, for me, it works like a giant sized, expanded Bhaibund Panchyat but with a few extra, added ingredient stuck in ... for example, with regards the constitution we encouraged them to have to have, one that still disallows any rights whatsoever for the vast majority of follower/funders (talk about "taxation without representation", as a BK you are not even a "member" of the movement you give everything to).

At what point does a "cult" become a fully fledged "culture"?

Cult apologists, and I tend to agree with them on this much, often portray cults like baby cultures ... or cultural incubators ... and defend them as such asking a liberal-like questions such as, "what right have we to decide which cult grows into a culture?", or "what right have we to decide which cult-culture is good or bad or going to develop into a better one?".

There is, of course, not just one America. There are many Americas and they are often much at odds with each other, and it has been pushed and shoved by other cultures to become which it manifests as now. However, I am pretty sure the founders never intended for it to become what it has.

I wonder how Lekhraj Kirpalani would feel about what BKism has become and if he would have done things differently if he had been able to foretell the future accurately?
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Re: Brahma Kumaris and the American Presidential Election

Post23 Nov 2016

ex-l wrote:... in my day, they used to openly promote it as a "religio-political movement". Indeed, you might argue a better metaphor exists, e.g. BKism as reflection on Post-British Empire Indian democracy.

The Om Mandli and BKs were not the only grouping/cult that grew out of that period to be reactionary nationalists. The big competition were not socialists or Muslims or Congress but (as is often the case) those most like them, the Arya Samaj and the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) - out of whom grew today's BJP.

All of them could easily have the motto :
- MAKE Bharat GREAT AGAIN -
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