--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "Hugo" <richardhughes103@> > wrote: > <unnoted snip> > > > > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > > > Following is a series of posts made by John Knapp > > > (taskcentered) on alt.meditation.transcendental > > > in June 1996 (a year after he claims he began > > > "writing about reforming TM"). Ellipses are mine; > > > I took out some extraneous background material > > > about TM, MMY, and the TMO. I'll be happy to > > > provide links to the original posts if anybody's > > > interested. > > > > > > > > > TRANCENET ALET: MAHARISHI PREDICTS GLOBAL BIOLOGICAL WAR > > > John M. Knapp > <snip> > > > So Judy, are you saying that MMY *didn't* make these claims about > > an upcoming war? > > Uh, Hugo, what I said is the paragraph above the > "TRANCENET ALET" [sic] headline.
Yes, I know that's the bit you said, what I wanted to know is whether the bits about MMY saying a biological war is immanent were made up by Knapp or actually from MMY. I guess I know now. While I agree that Knapps bit is alarmist and overreacting, it only seems so because I know what the TMO is like. To any outsider a powerful Guru with millions of followers saying a war is immanent could be interpreted as something to be concerned about. Quite easily I should think. > Everything else (including "The Maharishi is creating > small isolated groups of dedicated fanatics. Without > contact with the outside world, they're being charged > to carry out a mysterious apocalyptic vision," and > that this was the "delusions of a mad man leading blind > followers into isolated camps to await a holocaust") > is what John Knapp, who claims he doesn't want to see > TM destroyed, said 12 years ago to at least 10 Usenet > newsgroups, begging everyone to contact their > congresscritter and the media to warn them about this > potential Jonestown-type situation in the TMO in the > hope that it could be stopped in time. > I don't believe these "press releases" were ever > successful in arousing general alarm (it's not clear > they were even sent to the media) or spurring > congressional action on this "emerging crisis," but I > just thought the effort by Knapp was interesting. Certainly was interesting. > In fact, of course, MMY's project was to establish TM > centers in towns and cities in third world countries > where TM didn't yet have a presence. (And no children > were involved; participation was limited to married > couples without children.) There is a limit to this and that's what concerns me. I've heard so much crap coming from MMY about yagyas to avert the danger that has not yet come, sometimes urging whole countries to donate hundreds of thousands. To me, this is the real crime. This is what I get fired up about, exploiting peoples love and devotion to keep the expansion going. Or maybe he really believed it, nothing surprises me anymore. But that doesn't forgive everyone else for going along with it again and again. For instance, the other day someone forwarded me an e-mail from someone on MD purporting to be The Global Pension Plan - a great way to make hundreds of thousands of pounds while helping MMY and the movement. Turns out to have been a pyramid scheme where I will guarantee no-one gets any money. I told her it was just a con and she'd never see her money again but she said "Well, at least it goes to a good cause". Is that the point? Is that what a spiritual movement should be about, just getting money off the true believers and hoping they take that attitude? It's gotta be bad Karma. You can see why it annoys me, It's blatantly dishonest. Which is why the first thing I saw when I read your post wasn't the Jim Jones bit but MMYs vision of biological war. It's the way I'm attuned. > > Because if true it's another instance of MMY talking complete > > nonsense. Averting dangers before they arise is a major money > > spinner for the TMO. > > Could be. In this instance, however, I'm not sure there > was ever any plea for funds. In any case, averting world > catastrophe was MMY's declared goal for the TM movement > from the very beginning. No excuse for porkies. > Knapp got it a little confused, as you can see, telling > everyone that MMY was creating "isolated camps" in the jungle > where TMers were to go to "wait out" the "holocaust," > "without contact with the outside world," rather than > to introduce and teach TM to those in the outside > world with the intention of *averting* a holocaust. Maybe if John is reading this he can elucidate on what he actually knew about what the TMO was doing or whether it's part of a "Stop the TMO at any lengths" campaign. I'd be interested to know why he spends so much energy on it.
