Austin's Buddafield Cult & Strong City Cult Just 2 out of 3000
I just watched National Geographic's "Inside a Cult" program that I posted about previously. I have such a deep compassion. For those in the Strong City cult. For those in the (evidently) 3000 other cults in America. Both for those still inside the groups and those that have escaped.
I found the program itself interesting. Several of the facts/insights presented did remind me of my own cult experience. The Buddha Field was a completely different cult. The Strong City cult was more of a Christian cult with roots in Seventh Day Adventists (like the David Koresh cult in Waco.) The Buddha Field was more Hindu/Buddhist/New Age/Psychological.
The documentary focused quite a bit on the leader (Wayne, or "Michael"... he evidently liked to change names also) having sex with its members (and how sex can be used as a means of control in groups) and the "end of the world" belief of group members. But really, what else are they going to focus on?
The sex card is often played by the media to show how a select group is "immoral" and deviant. So I understand most people in our society being distracted by that issue. The fact that one of the girls was 14 is a matter of legality to be sure... but other societies around the world mark "adulthood" and the beginning of sexual availability at a much younger age than America. It's a sensational aspect -- a way of showing "how devoted" people are. But when the normal morality of a cult member is superseded by the words of God Incarnate - that is indicative of a much larger problem than the fact that people are having sex.
The Doomsday/Armageddon belief is typical in some cults. The Buddha Field encouraged an immediacy to devotion by saying that this life was going to end and you didn't want to die in your mind... you wanted to be free... to free yourself from the wheel of karma so you didn't have to be reincarnated again. Feeling things for this world were futile... like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... a useless and wasted effort for something transient. It was said a number of times that "your house is on fire." It is burning down around you (meaning your death is fast approaching) and you need to take care of business quickly. But really, is that all that different from the fear tactics used in regular Christianity? Accept God and be forgiven for your sins before you die or you will burn in hell forever?
I think the program missed talking about the allure of such a group. It touched on it, by identifying the people that are susceptible as "seeking something more" but it neglected to show what such people find in a group like this. Love, acceptance, a kinder picture of the world than they have been shown previously in life. In the interviews on this site, you can hopefully see what each person was carrying with them that made them open, at a specific moment in their lives to what they may not have been open to at any other time.
I see myself.
In the slant of the program, I see myself before getting involved with the Buddha Field.
In the members in the group, I see myself in my longing for a "meaning of life" and for "something higher" and the lengths to which I was willing to go to gain that.
In exchanging emails with an ex-member of the group, I see myself.
I truly wish for the best possible resolution for all those involved. As usual, I see the best thing I can do in response, is to continue forsaking false prophets and those who would prey on the innocence and open hearts of others and to stand up for truth and love in my own life every chance I am given.
View all posts mentioning Strong City.
I found the program itself interesting. Several of the facts/insights presented did remind me of my own cult experience. The Buddha Field was a completely different cult. The Strong City cult was more of a Christian cult with roots in Seventh Day Adventists (like the David Koresh cult in Waco.) The Buddha Field was more Hindu/Buddhist/New Age/Psychological.
The documentary focused quite a bit on the leader (Wayne, or "Michael"... he evidently liked to change names also) having sex with its members (and how sex can be used as a means of control in groups) and the "end of the world" belief of group members. But really, what else are they going to focus on?
The sex card is often played by the media to show how a select group is "immoral" and deviant. So I understand most people in our society being distracted by that issue. The fact that one of the girls was 14 is a matter of legality to be sure... but other societies around the world mark "adulthood" and the beginning of sexual availability at a much younger age than America. It's a sensational aspect -- a way of showing "how devoted" people are. But when the normal morality of a cult member is superseded by the words of God Incarnate - that is indicative of a much larger problem than the fact that people are having sex.
The Doomsday/Armageddon belief is typical in some cults. The Buddha Field encouraged an immediacy to devotion by saying that this life was going to end and you didn't want to die in your mind... you wanted to be free... to free yourself from the wheel of karma so you didn't have to be reincarnated again. Feeling things for this world were futile... like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic... a useless and wasted effort for something transient. It was said a number of times that "your house is on fire." It is burning down around you (meaning your death is fast approaching) and you need to take care of business quickly. But really, is that all that different from the fear tactics used in regular Christianity? Accept God and be forgiven for your sins before you die or you will burn in hell forever?
I think the program missed talking about the allure of such a group. It touched on it, by identifying the people that are susceptible as "seeking something more" but it neglected to show what such people find in a group like this. Love, acceptance, a kinder picture of the world than they have been shown previously in life. In the interviews on this site, you can hopefully see what each person was carrying with them that made them open, at a specific moment in their lives to what they may not have been open to at any other time.
I see myself.
In the slant of the program, I see myself before getting involved with the Buddha Field.
In the members in the group, I see myself in my longing for a "meaning of life" and for "something higher" and the lengths to which I was willing to go to gain that.
In exchanging emails with an ex-member of the group, I see myself.
I truly wish for the best possible resolution for all those involved. As usual, I see the best thing I can do in response, is to continue forsaking false prophets and those who would prey on the innocence and open hearts of others and to stand up for truth and love in my own life every chance I am given.
View all posts mentioning Strong City.
