Tag: spirituality

THE RAJNEESHPURAM CULT

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WHAT WAS RAJNEESHPURAM? Surely that heading caught your attention. What is Rajneeshpuram? AI: “Rajneeshpuram was a controversial, short-lived (1981–1985) intentional community in central Oregon established by followers of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later known as Osho). Thousands of followers, or “Sannyasins,” built a city on a remote ranch, seeking a utopian “free-love” society, but the group engaged in severe criminal activities, including the 1984 salmonella bio-terror attack. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh taught a mix of Eastern mysticism and Western psychology, focusing on meditation and sexual liberation. Followers, often seen in red or maroon clothing, viewed him as an enlightened master. Located at the Big Muddy Ranch near Antelope, Oregon, it grew into a self-sufficient city with its own police, airport, and infrastructure, peaking at around 2,000–7,000 residents. Spiritual leader Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) famously owned a collection of 93 Rolls-Royce cars in the 1980s, a symbol of his philosophy challenging the link between spirituality and poverty, with followers donating the luxury vehicles to a trust. The collection included custom-painted models and was part of his opulent lifestyle in Oregon before the commune’s collapse, with the cars later auctioned off. The group aimed to take over local government, leading to intense conflicts with residents. Leaders (notably Ma Anand Sheela) orchestrated crimes, including a massive salmonella poisoning of local restaurant salad bars to influence a local election, the largest bioterror attack in U.S. history. Following FBI investigations, immigration fraud charges, and the poisoning plot, the community collapsed, and Bhagwan was deported in 1985. The story gained renewed attention through the Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country. the Rajneesh movement, now known as the Osho movement (Rajneesh is now known as Osho), is still active globally through the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune, India, and numerous meditation centers worldwide, focusing on Osho’s teachings on meditation, awareness, and spirituality, while downplaying controversial aspects of its past to appeal to a broader audience. Rajneesh died in 1990.”

WHAT WERE SOME OF RAJNEESH’S BELIEFS? Rajneesh’s views on marriage: “Osho did not marry because he viewed marriage as a restrictive, artificial institution based on fear, ownership, and duty, which stifles natural love and freedom, viewing it as a social trap rather than a spiritual union. He believed true love thrives in freedom and awareness, contrasting this with marriage’s legal bondage that turns love into obligation, ultimately leading to resentment and unhappiness, though he wasn’t against love itself, only the legal contract.” (AI) His belief on God: “”To me, there is no god other than life itself, and there is no temple other than existence itself. Then everything becomes a divine celebration. Osho rejected the traditional concept of a personal God but believed in “Godliness” as the totality of existence, urging people to experience this divine reality through meditation and self-realization rather than blind belief, emphasizing direct knowing over faith. He saw God as synonymous with life itself, an impersonal energy inherent in the universe, and a quality of being, not a separate entity to be worshipped.” Some of what he said is good sense: “Nobody is responsible except you. Nobody can make you angry, and nobody can make you happy. “Life begins where fear ends.” “Friendship is the purest love. It is the highest form of Love where nothing is asked for, no condition, where one simply enjoys giving.”

WHO WAS ATTRACTED TO RAJNEESHPURAM? What kind of people were attracted to Rajneeshpuam? AI: “Rajneeshpuram attracted a diverse, international, and largely affluent group of followers—predominantly educated professionals, intellectuals, and women in their 30s and 40s seeking alternative, liberated lifestyles in the 1980s. Many were upper-middle-class Westerners drawn to a blend of Eastern mysticism, capitalist enterprise, and open sexuality. Over half (54%) of the devotees were women, many of whom had successful careers but were looking for alternatives to traditional, conventional life roles.” That has always amazed me that middle-class Westerners could be attracted to a cult like this. In the West we have such a history of teaching about Jesus, giving the proof that He was the Son of God, that he died and was raised, etc. What would cause a middle-class educated person in the West to reject Christianity and follow some Indian mystic to a cult ranch in Oregon?

Not much to say about this cult other than “interesting”, “unbelievable”. I want to watch “Wild Wild Country”! But God can turn bad into good. “The former Rajneeshpuram ranch, once a 64,000-acre commune near Antelope, Oregon, is now the Washington Family Ranch, a Young Life Christian camp. Purchased by billionaire Dennis Washington in 1996 and donated to the youth ministry, the site features a summer camp for kids with a pool, water slide, and sports facilities, including the former meeting hall.” (AI) Wow!

“MOONIES” SELLING FLOWERS AT AIRPORTS!

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DID YOU EVER SEE MOONIES AND HARE KRISHNA SELLING FLOWERS AT AIRPORTS? If you are old enough, you might remember in the 70’s and 80’s seeing people selling flowers at airports as you walked through the terminals. They were most likely either Moonies or Hare Krishna followers! They were using their 1st amendment rights to free speech and religious freedom and tax exempt status of their churches and the airports legally tried to ban the practice but could not. The courts ruled that airports were “public domain” and that the groups could continue the practice. AI: “The Unification Church organized teams to work in airports, sometimes working 17-hour days to meet high quotas for selling flowers or candy. Members used high-pressure tactics, often putting flowers directly into the hands of travelers and asking for money, which generated significant complaints from the public.” Finally, in 1992 the Supreme Court ruled that airports were not public domain and that the airports could ban the practice, but that the groups could pass out their literature in airports but that declined soon after that.

WHAT IS THE HARE KRISHNA MOVEMENT: AI: “The Hare Krishna movement, formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), is a monotheistic Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu organization founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It focuses on devotion to Krishna, the Supreme God, through the daily, public chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Devotees adhere to a strict lifestyle, including vegetarianism and the prohibition of intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex. Founded during the 1960s counterculture, the movement became known for its members’ public chanting, dancing, and distribution of literature in cities worldwide. Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism, worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu (one of the 3 main gods of Hinduism along with Brahma and Sciva) and often revered as the Supreme Being. Known for his compassion, love, and role in establishing righteousness (dharma), he is a central figure in the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Puranas. He is celebrated as a playful child, a divine lover, and a wise guide. He is ften depicted with blue/dark skin, playing a flute, or as a child stealing butter. The Kare Krishna movement is still active. It operates hundreds of temples and centers worldwide, with significant activity in India and among Indian diaspora, including Indian immigrants i nthe U.S.” Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, so no need to discuss this movement unless you are a Unitarian Universalist or a Bahaist and you think that someone can believed in any of he world religions.

GEORGE HARRISON AND HARE KRISHNA: George Harrison mentioned “Hare Krishna” in his 1970 solo hit song “My Sweet Lord“. The song features the Hare Krishna mantra in the chorus, as Harrison aimed to blend “hallelujah” with the mantra. “Mm, mm, my Lord (Hare Krishna)
My, my, my Lord (Hare Krishna)
Oh, oh my sweet Lord (Krishna Krishna)
Ooh, ooh, ooh (Hare Hare). “Hare” means “Hare” refers to the divine energy or potency of God, asking God’s energy and God (Krishna/Rama) to engage the chanter in loving devotional service, cleansing the heart and awakening spiritual consciousness,” In the song he also mentions Hare Rama (the 8th incarnation of Vishnu and Krishna is the 8th incarnation of Vishnu), Gurur Brahma (the creator god), Gurur Vishnu (the preserver god who had 9 incarnations including Rama and Krishna), and several other Hindu mantras. AI: “George Harrison became a devoted follower of both Hare Krishna and Hinduism, specifically practicing the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON). From the late 1960s, he adopted Hindu principles, including vegetarianism, meditation, and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, remaining a committed practitioner until his death in 2001.In the final year of his life, it was reported that Harrison also expressed a deep interest in Christianity and the Gnostic gospels, often signing his letters with both a Hindu symbol and a Christian cross. Upon his death, his family followed his wishes, and he was cremated according to Hindu rituals, with his ashes scattered in the Ganges River in India.” He could have been such a great spokesman for Jesus if he had followed Jesus instead of the mythical gods and incarnations of Hinduism.  

WHO ARE THE MOONIES: AI: “”Moonies” is a widely used, often pejorative, nickname for members of the Unification Church (officially the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), a new religious movement founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon. New members were often told to hand over all their possessions and money to the church. In his book The Divine Principle (1952), which is the basic scripture of the church, Moon wrote that at the age of 16 he had a vision of Jesus Christ in which he was told to carry out Christ’s unfinished task. Moon believed that God chose him to save mankind from Satanism, and he regarded communists as Satan’s representatives in the world. (Brittanica) The group is known for its messianic doctrines, mass wedding ceremonies, and intense, sometimes controversial, fundraising and recruitment efforts. North Korean founder Sun Myung Moon was considered the Messiah, with doctrine focusing on establishing a perfected family and, by extension, a “heaven on earth”. He was arrested in North Korea but fled to South Korea where he founded the Unification Church. In 1973 he and his wife moved the operation to New York where he founded The Washington Times. That year he was also convicted of tax evasion, sentenced to 18 months in prison, and fined $25,000 and he went to prison in 1984. (Brittanica) The group combines Christian, Confucian, and other traditional beliefs. Known for being labelled as a cult, the group has faced accusations of “brainwashing” members into donating large sums of money in the 1970s and 80s. The group came under severe scrutiny in Japan following the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as the suspect claimed his mother was bankrupted by the church. The church is well-known for organizing large-scale, international mass weddings where couples were often matched by Moon himself. On November 29, 1997, the Unification Church, often referred to as “Moonies,” held a massive “Blessing ceremony” at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., where approximately 30,000 couples (including thousands present and others via satellite) pledged or repledged their marriage vows. Approximately 28,000 of 30,000 total couples were reportedly present for the ceremony.” I watched a video of such a mass wedding ceremony and many couples had just met their mates a few days before the ceremony. One bride didn’t remember her new husband’s name after the ceremony. When Moon died in 2012, his wife took over leadership of the church, referring to herself as “God’s Only Begotten Daughter”. AI: “Her leadership led to a severe power struggle with her children, particularly her son Hyung-jin “Sean” Moon, who broke away to form a splinter group in Pennsylvania known for using AR-15 rifles in services.” AI: “His church that held a ceremony where members brought and held AR-15 rifles is the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary (often known simply as Sanctuary Church) in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. Led by Reverend Hyung Jin “Sean” Moon (the son of the late Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church), the ceremony took place on February 28, 2018, and involved worshippers wearing crowns—some made of bullets—and holding their AR-15 rifles during a marriage blessing ceremony.”She was arrested in September 2025 on charges of corruption, embezzlement, and bribery in South Korea. She was indicted and as of late 2025 she is awaiting trial.”

WHO WOULD JOIN CULTS LIKE THE MOONIES? My question is, “How could so many people become followers of some self proclaimed Messiah like Sun Myung Moon and even turn over their bank accounts to his church? I saw this in AI and it made sense: “Followers of Sun Myung Moon, often referred to as Unificationists or “Moonies,” typically share a desire for profound spiritual meaning, community, and a sense of purpose in fixing a troubled world. They are often characterized as idealists looking for answers, who are drawn to the Unification Church’s blend of Eastern philosophy, Christian theology, and promises of a “sinless” world. Followers often feel a deep sense of human suffering and are searching for a way to create a more loving and just world. Followers place a, central emphasis on traditional family, participating in mass weddings aimed at creating a new, sinless lineage.” Those are noble goals, actually. It is just a shame that they have chosen Sun Myung Moon as their Messiah instead of Jesus. Following Jesus can provide what they are looking for. The church that Jesus died for can provide the community that they are looking for. Following Jesus can provide spiritual meaning and purpose in life. More importantly, only Jesus can provide eternal ife. Moon might even have created many committed marriages and families, but he could not provide eternal ife. There is little evidence of any Moonies converting to Christianity. Such is the power of brainwashing. I did read of a lady who was seaerching for life’s answers. She had not found the answers in any of the organized religions, even Christianity. She attended a Moonies’ meeting and started getting pressure from the group to join the Moonies and turn her bank accounts over to the church. They hounded her to join and told her that the destiiny of her soul and of the souls of her ancestors depended on her joining. She did join for 6 months, but fortunately, she had some Christian friends who invited her to a Christian fellowship where she accepted Jesus as her Savior. She wrote aa book Why I Left the Moonies Paperback: How One Former Member of The Unification Church Found Freedom in Christ by Beth Axton which would be great reading. The article was found on https://www.womanalive.co.uk/ so you might want to check that site out for many other great articles helping women.

A lot of research into cults like this from AI to share with you. I wish I new the actual articles where the AI info was taken from so I could give credit and do further reading. I saw suggestions on how to do that. Usually when I google AI there will be many sites on the topics that can be used to verify the info from AI, and I do that a lot.

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QUAKERS

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

Quaker beginnings: AI: “Quakers started in England in the mid-17th century with George Fox, a shoemaker’s apprentice who sought direct, personal experience with God, rejecting church hierarchies and rituals. His followers, called “Friends,” believed in an “Inner Light” within everyone, leading to practices of silent, expectant worship and radical ideas about equality, simplicity, and peace, which caused significant persecution but led to the founding of Quaker sanctuaries for religious freedom like Pennsylvania by William Penn in 1862. King Charles II granted William Penn the charter for Pennsylvania to repay a debt and provide refuge for persecuted Quakers.


Quaker persecution: Quakers were persecuted for their radical, nonconformist beliefs that challenged religious and political authority, particularly their emphasis on the “Inner Light” (direct revelation from God) in every person, rejection of clergy/hierarchy, refusal to swear oaths, and plain dress/speech, which Puritans in England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony viewed as heresy, blasphemy, and social disruption, leading to imprisonment, fines, banishment, and even execution.

Quakers’ name: Quakers got their name from George Fox, who told a magistrate in 1650 to “tremble at the word of the Lord,” leading the judge to call Fox and his followers “Quakers” as an insult for their intense religious feeling, which sometimes involved trembling or “quaking” during worship, a name they later embraced. While they call themselves “Friends,” the nickname stuck, referencing both the physical manifestations of spiritual experience and the admonishment to fear God’s word.

Quaker gender equality: Quakers promoted women’s participation in meetings and believed in the inherent worth of every individual, influencing democratic ideals and human rights. Though early Quakers participated in slavery, they initiated the first anti-slavery petition in North America in 1688 and became leaders in the abolitionist movement.

Quaker church meetings, or “Meeting for Worship,” is primarily a period of silent, unprogrammed gathering where attendees sit together, often in a circle, waiting expectantly for direct connection with the Divine Spirit, with anyone free to offer brief, inspired spoken messages (ministry) if moved, before concluding with fellowship and handshakes. There’s no pastor, script, or set agenda, emphasizing personal spiritual experience, equality, and community connection through shared silence and listening.    

Quaker stats: There are about 400,000 Quakers worldwide, with the largest populations in Africa (mainly Kenya), and Latin America (Bolivia, Guatemala), followed by North America and Europe. Quakers live in many states in the U.S.

Quaker oats: Maybe you are thinking about Quaker Oats right now, maybe some you had for breakfast. Sorry, but Quaker Oats had no affiliation with the Quaker religion. The name and images was chosen in 1877 b/c of the Quakers’ reputation for honesty, integrity, and quality. The figure represents a generic Quaker man in traditional garb.

Quaker beiefs: Traditional Quakers believe in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, often emphasizing that this faith leads to an inner, direct experience with God’s “Inner Light” or “Inner Christ,” which guides them to live righteously. Quakers hold diverse views on Jesus, but generally see him as central, acknowledging him as God’s Son, though not always equating him with the traditional Trinity.” Quakers see Jesus as a transformative spiritual guide, the embodiment of God’s love, and the way to salvation through inward transformation, not just external forgiveness, emphasizing living His teachings, like loving others, as the path to redemption, with belief in “that of God in everyone” leading to a personal, immediate connection with the divine. Salvation is seen as liberation from sin’s power, becoming more Christ-like through inner light and guidance, rather than solely escaping punishment.”

Quakers a cult? Most experts do not consider Quakers to be a cult, although their religious experiences are unique and different than most mainstream Christians. They consider Jesus to be God’s Son and beIieve in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, which is the core belief of Christians.

I copied all that out from AI but I believe it is all very accurate. Their philosophy about their assemblies is interesting to me. Many Christians no doubt go to church and never really focus on inner transforming spiritual thoughts. They are surrounded by noise and distractions. Your focus might be on analyzing his words instead of analyzing your inner spiritual person. A preacher might talk for 30 minutes and not even have a lot of encouraging thoughts. Maybe we would do good to try some Quaker assemblies. Quaker assemblies don’t have the emphasis on preaching of the word or congregational singing or Lord’s Supper, but they are designed for a different purpose.

I hope you are enjoying these articles on world religions.