 Probably not, if you're thinking in terms of dead bodies turning up. There is, though, as in all religions, a certain fanatical core group and with such ones around, anything could happen. Twitchell once wrote that the Eck not only condones warfare, but has used it on occasion. Dangerously inflammatory words from a so-called spiritual teacher. Fanatics of all stripes latch onto such irresponsible words and use them to justify the most horrible treatment of others, if history is any guide. An area certainly worth pondering, though, is the psychological damage done to many people when they give their hearts, souls, money, time and energies to an organization that betrays them. Most ex-eckists are able to pick themselves up, dust off their pants and, after a period of grieving, move on with their lives. Some, though, have extreme difficulty breaking free of the fear and bad karma threats that are strewn throughout the writings. They've been conditioned to believe that if one walks away from the "master", they lose all spiritual status and must begin their journey in the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms again. For some people, these fear implants have led to terrible suicidal depressions that can last for years. Others have had to seek out trained psychologists to help them through it. This is an area of great shame for Eckankar - or should be. Their cold, callous attitude towards anyone who quits is that they're losers and doomed to the astral hells. Real teachers, I've been told, have more compassion and love for those students who fail out than for those who don't. In Eckankar, the reverse is true. So, yes, there's damage going on, just not always at the visible level. |
Spiritual Notebook: |