On Mar 26, 2009, at 3:48 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: > * The reading of Rig Veda and the chanting of Sama > Veda after "flying." What is NOT religious about > being forced to sit there and listen to hour after > hour of readings *directly* from the pages of > scripture?
According to Judy, if you don't understand Sanskrit and hence have no idea that you're reading a religious text, then it isn't religious. Kind of like, if the president does it, it isn't illegal. With impeccable logic like that, who needs fanatics? > * The growing status of the TMO as a cult. This was > the period in which "Off The Program" first was > making its appearance, and in which TMers were being > denied permission to go to courses because of life- > style choices they had made, such as living with > their girlfriends outside of marriage, or reading > "Off The Program" books. Look at that last one -- if > you are denied the ability to become a TM Teacher > *because you read a book by another teacher*, as > happened with some frequency back then, what is NOT > religious about that? More cult-like than religious per se, I would say. > * The growing reclusive nature of many TMers. People > were beginning to NOT "meditate and dive into activity." > They were starting, in fact, to *avoid* activity as > much as possible, and find ways to stay on rounding > courses forever, or to stay in Europe working on staff > forever. This was a trend that I saw as contrary to > what TM was "selling itself" as, and not completely > healthy. I still feel that way. This was one thing that drove me nuts when I first started to get involved... the almost complete disregard for activity or any kind of exercise. > * Outright persecution of dissent. That was the biggest > "tell" for me that the organization had "flipped" from > the SIMS days and was well on its way down the slippery > slope towards becoming a full-blown religion. I bailed > before it got far enough down that slope to include > yagyas and pundits and people in Raja costumes *while > claiming it was not a religion*. What inspired me to > bail was noticing how people (both TMers and TM Teachers) > were treated who did not agree with some point of dogma > or some "rule" that had been imposed on them or their > lifestyle. To make a long story short, what happened to > them was that they were EXCOMMUNICATED, sent away, > denied access to the organization completely and > anathemitized to the point that their former friends > were afraid to have anything to do with them. Again, > what is NOT a religion about that? > > Just some points, to remind you of what has happened > in the time SINCE those days. If I was seeing signs of > the TMO being a cult and a religion THEN, it just blows > my mind that people looking at what the TMO has become > in the time SINCE then can't see it. > > But the force of the TM Is Not A Religion Religion > is strong. Once you've become a member of that church, > it's very difficult to leave. Or so it seems... >
