Taken In

for ex-BKs, exiting BKs, Friends & Family of BKs and newcomers to the forum.
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steveo

friends or family of a BK

  • Posts: 6
  • Joined: 20 Oct 2010

Taken In

Post28 Oct 2010

On first entry into BK how many people roughly are likely to be taken in by their beliefs or, return to further courses? How long could it take for someone to become a member or, it becomes a way of life for them?
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ex-l

ex-BK

  • Posts: 10661
  • Joined: 07 Apr 2006

Re: Taken In

Post29 Oct 2010

It is a very good question. No one has figures but very few sign up for the lifestyle as it is very demanding. Looking at what figures we do have for BK membership in the West, it appears pretty stable with a decade or more ago, as many people drop out and stick in. The general and compassionate consensus that we have gotten to here is that the Westerners who do stick probably had problems before and that being in the BKWSU is a better place for them. For Indians it is different as it is a good Hinduism analogue. In fact, in comparison with a lot of Hinduism, it is modern, progressive and a little bit more rational.

In my experience, most Westerners drop out before they complete the full initiatory course and most young Indians just aren't interested. Academic Dr John Wallis in his thesis/book abut the Brahma Kumaris analyses membership patterns. I think the book is very, very good in many areas - the best there is on them - but John does not get right inside the organization and still reflects a little of what the Brahma Kumaris 'want' outsiders to think about them.

At some point, the BKWSU realised that their teachings were too crazy for Westerners and intelligent people and so started offering watered down courses that, in essence, still promote the psychic transmission element of their practise - what I call "hooking them up with the spook" - but without telling individuals what is really going on, e.g. God possessing their spirit mediums, End of the World, 5,000 Year Cycles, dinosaurs around the time of Buddha and Jesus etc.

Most introductory courses are laced with perfect good stuff about self-management, leadership, positive thinking etc ... which neo-BKs have taken from elsewhere outside of the BKWSU ... but, honestly, this is NOT what the BKs are really about and it should not be confused with "The Knowledge". It is only the medium through which they expand and attract new members and positive public perception.

We now find there are many individuals who have an affinity with the Brahma Kumaris, and would part of a wider circle defending them as being "nice people" and use the facilities like retreat centers for free or low cost, but who really do not up know anything about what is going on inside. I call them the "BK laity", the BK literally looks upon them as future servants (and will use them today), taking money off them in their own subtle way.

The trance meditation stuff does not work on everyone. No one knows why. But to those who it does, it is like a drug. In the beginning, they go through something they call "The Honeymoon Phase" where they become really high, go around acting as if they are completely in love or on soft drugs completely swallowed by the experience and willing to give up and sacrifice everything.

There are strong "experiences" to be had, feelings of lightness, disembodiedness, visions of lights and another phenomenon. I do not disagree with that but I do disagree that they are of any real or specific value. Not even any feels of lovefulness or bliss. For me, they operate mostly at a lower level of psychicism (spiritualism) and hypnosis, and I am very wary of spiritualism.

Far from being "bunk" or fraud, I think there are very real mechanisms and phenomena going on within spiritualism in general, that no one really understands or know what they are. Manipulations of emotions and body/brain chemistry.

Within the Brahma Kumari brand of spiritualism (it is spiritualism not Yoga), something is even more clearly 'wrong'. The spook they claim is god and is channeled by their mediums (if it exists and if it is not just some part of some old Indian ladies' imaginations) will say anything which the BK leadership lap up indiscriminately. It comes out with crazy and bigoted stuff (e.g. not keen on blacks and Moslems, has banana ideas about Westerners being devils), predictions that do not happen, it does not know basic history or geography and comes up with no real answers to all the controversies it proposes ... bloody hell, he did not even seem to know or mention Judaism for the first 20 years and called it Islam instead!!!

The Brahma Kumaris will tell you that this high they peddle is, "your nature state" and encourage you in on the basis of it. Generally it does not last. It might go on for 3 or 6 month but then tails off ... then you spend the next 20 years surrendering your life to them trying to chase it again. Their response to the excesses of their god is to whitewash it, re-edit it and hide it from non- or neo-BKs until ... magically ... they all appear to be able to accept it as "Truth" and ignore all inconsistencies.

When asked stuff, e.g. what about the Pyramids, what about ancient Chinese history, what about the dinosaurs ... how does that fit into a 2,500 year history; or what about the flag being left on the moon every 5,000 years; or how does the whole of planet earth transform into heaven, ever continent except India sinking, and the infrastructure like "thought-controlled, nuclear-powered flying machines for kids", "palaces of gold and jewels" etc be built in 25 years ... they have no answer except "Remember Baba!".

If your partner gets sucked in, expect to here that a lot.

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