Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:15:58 +0100

Thanks for the links, Yzak. The first video actually made a lot of the same points that many of us have in this thread -- the unrealistic promises, how SGI keeps manipulating members to do more and give more in the hopes that those unrealistic promises will be met, and also the need to keep communicating with and showing love to family or friends who've gotten sucked into SGI's web. It just did it using cute little anime characters, little girlish cartoon voices, a Japan-pop tune. There was also another video in that group, a heavy-metal band called "Anheling" that sings anti-SGI and anti-Ikeda songs in Japanese.

The second is also interesting. Here are some quotes from it: "SGI members will seemingly look like good persons and will give you advice with a grin. But their eyes will be crazy because they have been brainwashed that Daisaku Ikeda is the greatest man in this world. They will ask you persistently so it is dangerous to make friends with them...he [Ikeda] has pretended to be Japanese and has taken poor people for decades....it [SGI] ties up with a gang named "G-gumi" and kills a man as if he killed himself."

Years ago, I heard rumors that Ikeda was not actually Japanese, but of Korean ancestry. Surely this can't be true; Japanese have a family registry...you can find out pretty quickly who someone, and his ancestors were. And really, what difference would it make if he did have Japanese or Chinese ancestors? It's the taking poor people that is the problem.

Gang ties? Making a murder look like suicide? The person who made the videos did not give any specific information about those things.

guys!!

Yzak — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:12:49 +0100

Here are 2 very informative clips against SGI, a very exotic ones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQQ_Fa2jszQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKb29Q5N6dU&feature=video_response

comments anybody?!

Re: Human Awareness Institute - Issues?

SeekingTruth — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:12:36 +0100

HAI has reportedly become a not-for-profit organisation with the status of a charity. It still charges high rates for its weekend workshops. Since it is a charity its finances should be available for public inspection. Maybe someone can upload some details here. ST.

Re: Former SGI members

rattyboy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:04:25 +0100

Yes, watch out for room mates. And look out for 'fortune babies' who may or may not practice. they are the children of followers. I let one convince me to let him stay with me after finding out from other members that we were going to help him relocate to our area. He actually moved in after my housemate at the time was so angry about this plan that he moved out the next day. 'Fortune Baby' didn't pay any rent or bills but kept promising. I begged with his parents with whom I had phone contact to help their son to help me out. I asked the leaders who had told me about him. They all stayed out of it. I did yard work to help earn his share and did small payments to the landlady waiting for him to kick in some funds. For a few years after this after I had to move to a dump i was constantly being convinced by other members to accept what happened even though he still wasn't practicing. I ended up not going to grad school as I had been planning because i was thrown off mentally and financially by these events and the 'survival mode' lifestyle I had taken on in the following years. 3 years earlier NSA members (or SGI) were nervous when I wanted to channel my new found energies into going to Graduate School. They warned me that would get in the way of finding time for Buddhist activities and strongly discouraged Grad school. i was also discouraged from seeing a psychiatrist as my decision making became more flustered. So that is twice that this organization had something to do with not continuing my education.
The Mentor/Disciple thing? They are really pushing that. I agree. The other Spiritual leaders you mention seem much more inspiring and some more humble. And, I recognize the not so humble schisters in new age/ religious movements. Ikeda doesn't move me. For over 15 years...does not move me. I won't suggest anything negative about him here.
It is with a certain amount of trepidation that I write these words. 'Oh No!' my karma!' 'What if the wrong people read this'. Well forgive this not very well paid dissatisfied customer who did have an up and down practice.
I have believed the chanting itself works and if the 'organization' and people with all their faults are part of the reality lesson of 'poison into medicine' and, well if you leave it at that, good luck to anyone who gets a phone call to come back.
I never felt good about calling someone 'my shakabuku'. i felt like I had a chain around their ankle. It stole their individuality away.

Re: Former SGI members

Nichijew — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:45:41 +0100

Sparky, you write:

Sparky:

Nichijew, interesting posting. I was always concerned about the fact that a Buddhist leader would need machine-gun armed guards as bodyguards.

Nichijew:

Nichiren Daishonin protected himself with his beads. However, some of his disciples did carry swords and staves to protect him. The nature of the world in which we live, does not preclude protecting oneself, our loved ones, or our beloved teachers. Mind you, I am not defending Ikeda's or the Dalai Lama's disciples, just the reality of the world. I don't know if Ikeda has received death threats or actual attacks on his life, as did Nichiren Daishonin. If he hasn't received such threats or been attacked, then machine gun carrying armed guards is a manifestation of delusion. Where did you hear or see such thing?

Sparky:

Buddhists are supposed to be THE most peaceful and noble group out there.

Nichijew:

We are the most peaceful and noble group as born out by history but some of us learned the lesson of the Muslim and Hindu genocide and banishment of the Buddhists in India. Some have estimated that twenty million Buddhists died at the hands of the Muslims and Hindus in India alone.

Sparky:

If you are the leader of Buddhist group, shouldn't your faith preclude this sort of thing? I mean, if you don't believe in the shit you are selling to the masses then what does that say about the salesman?

Nichijew:

Faith is common sense and should reflect the times and circumstances, no?

Re: Former SGI members

Sparky — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:15:53 +0100

Nichijew, interesting posting. I was always concerned about the fact that a Buddhist leader would need machine-gun armed guards as bodyguards.

Buddhists are supposed to be THE most peaceful and noble group out there.

If you are the leader of Buddhist group, shouldn't your faith preclude this sort of thing? I mean, if you don't believe in the shit you are selling to the masses then what does that say about the salesman?

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:40:25 +0100

The following is guidance to SGI members from Vice President Tsuji. Anyone who was a member of SGI in the eighties has probably heard this guidance....our leaders read it to us again and again! It seems a bit ironic when you read of Ikeda's grudge toward Williams.

SGI members are supposed to forgive everyone for everything. No matter how bad someone else's actions, it was somehow your fault and you needed to chant for that person's happiness.

You see how well the senior leadership of SGI follows the guidance (and guilt tripping) that they dish out to their members.

---------------------------------------Beginning of quote----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zange Guidance from Vice President Tsuji (What to chant for, or think about while you chant)

Every hurt, anger, frustration, or painful situation that occurs to me is MY
RESPONSIBILITY.

My karma forced it to happen, or forced them to behave that way.

Hendoku Iyaku-I can turn poison into medicine and become aware of my own
"Internal Hooks" that draw such experiences to me.

I ALONE am responsible for my life condition.

Daimoku of altruism-chant for the health and well-being of the person(s)
involved, and that they may deepen their faith. Ask the Gohonzon, "What can I
do to rectify the situation?"
--------------------------End of Quote------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: How Christopher Warren and NCCG / MLT Almost Cost Me My Life

zealforyahweh — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:51:44 +0100

Excuse me, this is the correct link:
[url=http://nccg.org/critics.html]Former Critics Testimonies[/url]

This is my last post on this topic. :) I wanted to correct it here just in case someone doesn't know how to do it.

Although I also wanted to add one more thing: I've been to the "compound" only one time and for a three month period, not "many times", as Concern suggested.

Re: How Christopher Warren and NCCG / MLT Almost Cost Me My Life

zealforyahweh — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:07:03 +0100

I wanted to add (if I may) that the group does maintain a page of the testimonies of former critics here. Three of my testimonies are likewise on that page.

I think that, like anything, at the end of the day, one must decide for themselves based on the facts. As I said, I'm not a member, but I cannot refer to the group as a cult because to do so would invalidate most of my own and many other belief systems. It is enough for me that they have a view of salvation that is fairly orthodox and are not as "exclusive" as critics such as NCCG Concern portray them to be, despite any mistakes the group has made in the past (which is common to the human condition -- I'm sure at the end of the day, we've made a number of blunders we're all ashamed of).

Re: How Christopher Warren and NCCG / MLT Almost Cost Me My Life

zealforyahweh — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:34:11 +0100

I'm the OP (original poster) of this thread and I wanted to clarify a few things. I want to make it clear I'm not a "cult apologist" and while the group definitely has "strange beliefs" when compared to mainstream society, I think its classification as a cult is more a polemical argument from the personal life of NCCG Concern (which I will leave out of this post) and less because it fits any pre-defined criteria. In fact, I believe if we were to place Christianity and Judaism under the same criteria, they would be deemed just as "cultic" as NCCG.

First of all, I have serious doubts that this group can be defined as a cult. This group (from its own site) has materials where it openly ADMITS its "mistakes" (such as its origin in Mormonism to its eventual evolution to "Messianic Evangelicalism" [embracing some of the core tenets of Messianic Judaism and Evangelical Christianity]). While I personally as a Christian do not agree with all of its doctrinal tenets, I cannot qualify them as a cult on the criteria that they will openly admit when they are wrong.

Another reason I cannot consider them a cult: they do not care about building membership numbers. After re-contacting the group after 3 three years of campaigning violently against them, when I finally hit a brick wall myself and apologized to them, they readily forgave me and told me I did not have to re-join. This was a breath of fresh air.

Another observation I made personally from conversations with Christopher Warren is that the group is pushing for a more ecumenical bent (they maintain relationships with Christians of other denominations) without compromising their own theological beliefs. Likewise, since my departure, they are extremely cautious against turning down medical treatment, even once telling me that I should ask my doctor about quitting medical treatment instead of recommending it directly. So this initial criticism I had against them has been addressed.

Finally, the group does not require you be a member of their group to be "saved". They hold to the Protestant belief that salvation is through faith in Christ, coupled with obedience to the teachings of Christ and the Bible.

So that it is clear I'm not "crusading" for them, I do have issues with what I view as their over-reliance on Torah, since they still observe and require the ceremonial laws (kosher, Festivals, Sabbath, tzitzit, etc.), where I personally interpret Colossians 2 as stating that those things are not needful for a Christian. But since that is more of a theological disagreement, I do not wish to enter into it here. Instead, I'm using this one post as a place to publicly retract my criticisms. If the moderators could delete this thread (or even my OP), I would be more than happy, but if not, I would prefer that I'm allowed to post this.

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:09:00 +0100

[quote gingermarie]Reading these shocking and tragic experiences reminds me of the saying, "the fish stinks from the head."

This total lack of humanity comes from nowhere but the top. It was learned by example and innuendo.
When I had been told that Mr. Williams "betrayed" Ikeda, I had asked how Ikeda responded; how he had felt. I imagine that he would feel disappointed. My leader told me that "Sensei is never disappointed, never. He has no time for that. He just moves on." I argued that anyone betrayed is bound to be disappointed to some degree, or dismayed, or sad, something! She insisted that he wasn't. I felt that his response was abnormal and disconcerting. This was the beginnings of my independent thought process. This is where all that lack of humanity and decency stems from.[/quote]

---------------------------Beginning of Quote, Kempon Hokke Blog, www.fraughtwithperil.com------------------------------------------------------

An Incredulous SGI Member Writes:
"Do other religious leaders, other than President Ikeda, have lists of traitors
that they read or have someone read at leaders' meetings? I heard from a paid
staff leader that this has been done consistently in Japan for a few years.
George Williams is on the list now, and that is where the bad rumors about him
are coming from. His traitor status is rumored to be that he "thought" about
going with the temple. Other traitors on the list are leaders who didn't fully
support Pres. Ikeda in 1979, and there are more on there for different reasons.

This is the first I'd heard about this reading of a list of traitors. Made me
nauseous."
------------------------------------End of Quote--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Former SGI members

Nichijew — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:40:07 +0100

Makiguchi Pacifist?

"'Sacrifice your own skin to slash the opponent's flesh. Surrender your
own flesh to saw off the opponent's bone.' With their faithful
implementation of this well-known Japanese fencing (kendo) strategy
into actual practice during the war, the Japanese military is able to
achieve her glorious, ever-victorious invincibility in the Sino-Japan
conflict and in the Pacific war, and thus, easing the minds of the Japa-
nese people. This [strategy of sacrifice] should be held as an ideal
lifestyle for those remaining on the home front and should be applied
in every aspect of our daily life." --Tsunesaburo Makiguchi

From:"The Instruction Manual Summarizing the Experiments and Testimonials of
Life based on the Philosophy of Value of the Supreme Goodness."

Chaz SGI member wrote, defending Makiguchi:

> Prochronists Brian Victoria, Jon Petry and now Robert Kisala Risk
> Becoming Liars Through the Repetition of Debunked Falsehoods -

John Petry, President of the Nichiren Shu Laymen's society responds:

The true tragedy of Chas' repeated attempts to raise this issue is his
inability to address actual facts. Instead he relies on regurgitated
agit-prop from his organization, the Soka Gakkai. He also
deliberately mis-attributes authorship of material in that he quotes
material as my own when in fact it is in not. It is material I have
quoted from. Most troubling is that neither Chas nor the voluminous
material he quotes from actually addresses the material presented but
rather attempts ot overwhelm the reader with massive volumes of
material which speaks all around the subject or misquotes and
misinterporets the material presented. This is the classic straw man
argumnet in which on ignores the actual points presented and instead
invents another false issue and "rebuts" it instead.

Rather than actually address the simple fact that his own sensei as
well as two of the Soka Gakkai's own tame "scholars" disagree with
Chas, he chooses to post the same nonsense again and again. This
shows actual proof of the cowardly spirit that infuses his so called
"buddhist" practice which is nothing more than a personality cult
centered around an old, dying Japanese man known for shameless self
promotion and his actions in beating up Buddhist priests in his youth.

Dr. Victoria's comments are his own and as to when he knew what he
knew, I have no idea. However, the Soka Gakkai has worked long and
hard to rewrite history and erase reality. Chas has twisted all matter
of claptrap together to make a case where none exists. Most of his
"writing" is taken verbatim from SGI spin by its tame "scholars". The
reality is that there is no indication whatsoever that Makiguchi was a
pacifist and there is sufficient evidence that he was not. While Chas,
as his handlers, place great emphasis on statement made pre-1935,
they ignore both history and the records of the time period. The most
damning part of that portion they ignore is Makiguchi's own statements
post-1935 as well as the records of the Imperial Government including
the verycharges made against Makaguchi, i.e. slandering the Imperial
Talisman. Chas of course has no idea what any of the actual facts are
as he neither reads nor understands Japanese. He has never seen a
single document nor done any research in the matter. All he is doing
here is repeating the spin created by his organization. Dr. Victoria
is an actual scholar. He does read and speak Japanese. He does
publish in peer reviewed journals and does not take money from any
group to write apologia for them. But let's not quibble about Dr.
Victoria's credentials.

Let's first consider what is written in a 2008 edition of Tricycle
Magazine in a supposed "interview" with Daiseku Ikeda. I say
�supposed interview� as it is simply a cobbled together series of
questions posed via e-mail and responded to by the Soka Gakkai, hardly
what I would call a real interview. However Ikeda is quoted as saying
in the article:

"During World War II, however, they found themselves facing
persecutions when they resisted the currents of Japanese militarist
fascism and criticized the state�s use of Shinto to spiritually unite
the Japanese people behind the war effort. They were arrested and
imprisoned as a result."

In addition the article, which was approved by the SGI leadership and
presumably Ikeda himself states:

"Makiguchi was arrested under the Peace Preservation Act in 1943 by
the Japanese government for refusing to consolidate with other
Buddhist sects under the banner of State Shinto, effectively
challenging the authority of the military government. He died in
prison a year later."

Note that Ikeda does not mention anything about Makiguchi opposing the
actual war. In fact he cannot make such a claim because there are
comments on the record by Makiguchi supporting the war but stating
that the war effort is doomed to failure if the Imperial Government
did not discard provisional teachings such as Zen and Shingon and
embrace Nichiren Buddhism. It was Makiguchi's Rissho Ankoku-ron
moment and I am certain he saw it as exactly as that. So Chas' own
sensei is saying that Chas is a liar.

If that is not enough then let us consider another scholar, a favorite
of the Soka Gakkai in fact:

"Thus, Makiguchi and Toda defied the government and went to prison
not necessarily for anti-war beliefs, which the Soka Gakkai preaches
today, but because it was against their deeply felt religious
principles to adopt Shinto practices or to merge with another
religious sect, even if it had Nichiren connections. While Makiguchi
may have indeed made the pro-Emperor statements that Victoria alleges,
his overall thinking and demeanor was certainly not pro-militarist.
The evidence simply does not support Victoria's argument." A
Critical Analysis of Brian Victoria's Perspectives on Modern Japanese
Buddhist History by Daniel A. Metraux

So Professor Metraux disputes Professor Victoria's position that
Makiguchi was in fact pro-militarist as of course does the Soka
Gakkai's scholar, Koichi Miyata. Prof. Metraux does agree with the
position put forward by Prof. Victoria, namely that Makiguchi and Toda
went to prison for what they were charged with - lesse majesty.
Professor Metraux also admits that Makiguchi made the pro-Emperor
statements that Professor Victoria quotes although he disagrees on the
import of those statements. So Professor Metraux is also calling Chas
a liar.

Now I have suggested a position somewhat simpler and quite obvious to
anyone who actually pays attention to what is being said and what is
not being said by either Prof. Metraux or the Soka Gakkai's scholar,
Koichi Miyata. The assertion is made that Prof Victoria is taking
statements out of context to make Makiguchi into a supporter of the
military government and its view of the emperor. That may or may not
be, I cannot say as I was not there and have not had the opportunity
to review the original materials they refer to in making their
assertions. However this is not the argument I made.

Let's review shall we?

SGI Myth 1: The SGI is the only Buddhist group who stood up to the
Japanese government during WWII and was pacifist.

SGI Fact 1: The SGI as it is formed now did not exist prior to WWII.
However its founders, Makaguchi and Toda were not pacifists, in fact
they were far from it. There are speeches in existence in which they
affirm their loyalty to the Japanese government and the war. However,
they did remonstrate against the imposition of the Imperial Talisman
as an object of reverence, as well as, in their interpretation of
Rissho Ankoku-ron, urged the Japanese Government to suppress all other
Buddhist sects and force everyone to convert to Nichiren Buddhism.
They were imprisoned for the crime of lese majeste, for their
disrespect of the Imperial Talisman not because they were pacifists.
President Ikeda admits this as does Professor Metraux, in an article
he was paid to write by the Soka Gakkai.

The �Makiguchi and Toda were the only pacifists� claim made by the SGI
adds insult to the injury endured by thousands of Buddhists in Japan
who did demonstrate against the war and who were abandoned by the
leaderships of their respective sects. Many of those people were
imprisoned and executed. Others such as Nichidatsu Fujii were sent
into exile.

My position is simpler than Prof. Victoria's. Both Makiguchi and Toda
affirmed their loyalty to the Emperor and there are no statements made
by either of them which show any actual opposition to the war effort.
However they did oppose the prosecution of the war effort based upon
Imperial Shinto. Based upon their interpretation of the Rissho Ankoku-
ron, any effort by the Japanese Government to prosecute that war was
doomed to failure unless the Japanese nation was immediately converted
to Nichiren Buddhism and all heretical sects suppressed. Indeed if
one carefully reads the comments made by Koichi Miyata in his
critique of Prof. Victoria he affirms this position:

"To enable more systematic repression of religious movements, the
military government revised the Peace Preservation Law in 1939 to
provide for punishment of religious groups found to be committing
blasphemy against the Ise shrine. This shows the military government
viewed religious movements that rejected the authority of the emperor
as the last remaining impediments to rallying the nation behind its
war policies. It was against this political and social backdrop that
Makiguchi came to criticize the religious policy of the military
regime. His arrest under the Peace Preservation Law shows that the
regime judged his actions a hindrance to their conduct of the war.
Thus, Makiguchi directly opposed the militarist ideology of imperial
fascism for its religious policies, and because this opposition
constituted an impediment to conduct of the war by the military
regime, there is no doubt that he was persecuted for implicitly anti-
war activities."

Now Miyata is guilty of sloppy logic here. I have no doubt that the
Imperial Government wished to stifle any opposition to its
expansionist, militaristic policies, including any opposition from the
religious institutions of Japan. The record is clear that the
Japanese Government came down hard on dissenting views to its
policies. This includes acting against pacifists of which there were
some, both religious and otherwise. It also includes those who would
not go along with the system that the government was instituting,
namely of blind obedience to the government policies. Makiguchi did
indeed threaten this blind obedience because he asserted that the
state policy regarding the supremacy of the Imperial Talisman over the
Buddha was wrong. And equally important, that the prosecution of the
war would fail unless the government undertook to fulfill the
admonishments of the Rissho Ankoku-ron prior to such an effort. Thus
Makiguchi's direct criticism of the religious policy of the Imperial
Japanese Government did not arise out of any basis of pacifism but
rather out of something completely different. Miyata's comments
support my position quite well. The Japanese Government was quite
pathological when it came to their requirement that all the people of
Japan must be in absolute support of the government�s policy. Any nail
head sticking up was most certainly going to be hammered down.
Makiguchi was such a nail head. Makiguchi wanted the Imperial
Government to suppress all other forms of Buddhism and accept Nichiren
Buddhism as the only form of state accepted Buddhism. His position
was that if they failed to do so the war effort was doomed to
failure. This was a position that the Imperial Japanese Government
was unwilling to tolerate and hence his imprisonment along with that
of Toda.

Chaz in his hurry to smear Prof. Victoria has leapt to conclusions and
not bothered to read what was written. This is typical of Chaz and
actually in his defense, it really is not his fault. He is simply
regurgitating the nonsense he has been given as speaking points by the
Soka Gakkai leadership he works for. However the level of
incompetence among the Soka Gakkai leadership is such that they
attempt to �disprove� Professor Victoria�s statements by having their
own paid �scholars� issue rebuttals which are not rebuttals of the
main issue raised by Dr. Victoria, namely, SGI's assertion that Makiguchi
was a pacifist and opposed the Japanese war effort on that basis.:

Re: Former SGI members

Rothaus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:50:08 +0100

@ tsukimoto

a book is a good idea but fear that I do not have the talent :-) good idea for a joint effort though. no the info is valuable for sites like wikipedia and so forth

Looking for "The Christ Family" members who did some recruiting

kseej2008 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:17:17 +0100

Looking for "The Christ Family" members who did some recruiting in April 1980 in southern Minnesota.

I would like any and all information of their habits, hang outs/living areas

Do you know if one of their members came up missing in this time frame, in this area?

Looking for "Into the Light" Members of 1980 in southern MN

kseej2008 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:14:18 +0100

Looking for ex members or current members who can tell me what it was like back then, where they hung out at and if they remember a girl 18-25, 5'4", shaved head coming up missing.....

any and all information would help
thank you

Re: what cult were you in?

kseej2008 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:10:29 +0100

I was never in a cult BUT I am trying identify a murder victim from 1980...no easy task and it appears the "cult" angel has not been explored a great deal...a little but not allot. Why am I looking there.....because after 30 years this girl has been known as nothing more then Jane Doe and I want her to have her name back.

why do I think possible cult.... medical examiner made special note / and those at the scene how heavily calloused her feet were. I think they wrote it off as a hitchhiker...me..I'm not to sure...I did my days hitch hiking in mid 80's and yeah I had some callouses but not to the point it would be remarkable. I was thinking going barefoot allot. No clothes were found so I can't say robe (Christ family was into the robe thing - not sure about Into the light), her head was shaved (which could be "cultish" or maybe a converted skin head)

I am looking for any information about group activity, habits,where they stayed, symbols anything at all in 1979 and 1980 in the southern Minnesota for these two groups

"Into The Light" Ministries - founded by Ronald Bernier - Ronald had a connection with the state trooper who confessed to the murder...he joined their group but it is said he joined after the murder...not sure if that is correct. I understand he gave up his house and it said even their shoes? Did this group go barefoot? I know they were based in MN, moved to Texas, and are now based in Branson, MO.

the other group..

"The Christ Family" founded by Charles McHugh...rumor was they were in the area doing some recruiting. Now this group seems to be mainly TX and CA area but here they use to wonder allot. Anyone know of any connection to Southern MN? I know Charles was arrested in Oct '86 - believe it was a gun and drug charge...and 10 members were arrested in '85 from their rance in Helmet, CA

I'll wrap this up....

though years have gone by this can be done......I am thinking this girl could have belong to one of these cults and would have come up missing in approx May of 1980. While you were in the cult...do you know of someone who came up missing all of a sudden?

Thank you

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:53:57 +0100

[quote Rothaus]Need help guys
I would like to get more information may it be internet, news papers or academic resources wich cover the following:
- SGI as being defined as a cult
- SGI's tax evasion efforts
- Anything that deals with issues controversial on SGI other than personal experiene and that is not too out dated.
Thank you all[/quote]

Rothaus, that's a challenge. I would like to find similar information myself. Much of what I've found online has been older information, from the 1990's. It makes me wonder why. Perhaps when the internet was newer, SGI didn't monitor it as closely? Maybe more recently, they watch for, and remove anything that is not favorable to SGI?

Rick Ross is a great resource. Their archives have many articles, various ages and topics, about SGI. Have you gone back into this thread? Maybe there's a link or a topic that will lead to other information. For example, Anticult wrote about how nonprofit organizations in the United States need to file a 990 form about their finances. SGI, and some of its subgroups, like the Toda Institute for Peace and the Institute for Oriental Studies, do not do this -- despite their claims of being nonprofit organizations. You could try the website that Anticult was using; it's in this thread.

Recent controversies involving SGI have involved Soka University, Public School 24 in the Bronx (Phillip Scharper, the hate-chanting principal), and an academic freedom case at Ball State University in Indiana, involving Professor George Wolfe, who was teaching a course on Peace Studies. (Try googling David Horowitz and the Toda Institute.) Someone might have put out more information on these topics recently.

Publications: Forbes.com, put out an article, "Sensei's World" in 2005, Time Magazine did an article in 2008 or 2009, and Der Spiegel did an article that SGI did not like in January 2004.

There's a former SGI member, Junya Yano, who is or was writing some information unfavorable to SGI. There was a case in the United States involving a defendant named Rebekah Poston...SGI allegedly hired her to get into some records invoving Nikken Abe's alleged arrest in Seattle...and she tried to get them illegally. I think Rick Ross has that article.

Websites: Cult Awareness and information centre (though some of the information is old), icsa, mombu.com (though much of this is sensationalistic and the members insult eachother), factnet.org, freedomofmind.com, buddhapatriot.blogspot.com.

You could also look at the Massachusetts Department of Education website -- the charter application for Soka School. Note that there's no mention of SGI. That's not illegal, but it is suspicious that they omit it.

So what are you actually doing with all this information, Rothaus? Writing a book?

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:08:04 +0100

[quote quiet one]tsukimoto, do you think that any of these new proposed schools are also SGI schools in addition to Spirit of Knowledge Academy? "Leaders of Tomorrow Academy" to me sounds especially like something that SGI would come up with.

A couple of years ago I was at a meeting at someone's house. The leader who was invited to speak was Nathan Gauer, who I think is the Young Men's Division leader for all of SGI. He actually told us at the meeting that Daisaku Ikeda was responsible for the Berlin wall coming down! [/quote]

Quiet one, I did a quick google and didn't find anything to suggest that the Leaders of Tomorrow Academy might have an SGI connection. Of course, it doesn't mean that there isn't one. Look at the Barack Obama School in Los Angeles. The only thing on its website connecting it to SGI is that some of its board members are board members for SGI's Soka University in California also. But if you didn't know who the board members of Soka U were, you wouldn't make the connection. Officially, the school is sponsored by the Ingenium Corporation -- no mention of SGI. SGI may very well have many charter schools in the U.S. that we don't know about. They'd just set up some front group to make the application.

Scooby Dooby, thanks for the quote. Ah, that "Soka Humanistic Philosophy," gotta love it! Elsewhere on the DOE site, there's a reference to Ikeda's being a Buddhist writer and educator. Not one reference to his being the president of SGI. You would think that the guy was just some philanthropist doing all this on his own, never mind the worker bees who are doing all the work involved with opening a charter school, and making all those donations to fund it. Mr. SGI does not want people to know he's president of SGI? What's that all about? Again, it's one of those slick little half-truths that SGI does so smoothly.

It's like that case at Ball State University in Indiana-- a professor, an SGI member, was teaching a course in peace studies, sponsored by the Toda Institute for Peace. The professor claims that the Toda Institute was run by this professor in Hawaii, and a Buddhist group occasionally helped them out a bit. Well, the truth is that the Toda Institute is SGI's baby, founded and funded by Ikeda. And sure, this professor in Hawaii may direct the day to day operations of the Toda Institute -- but Ikeda's his boss. The professor either pleases Ikeda -- or gets fired.

SGI is deliberately misdirecting people, lying, telling half-truths. And they've been doing it for years. With both the Soka Charter School and the Toda Institute -- they're NOT being open and honest. WHY are they afraid to say, truthfully, "We are part of the Soka Gakkai."? SGI talks a lot about courage -- why are they not courageous enough to say who they really are, and what they're really doing? Why? It's because they know they have a bad reputation. They know that Ikeda's relationship to the New Komeito Party wouldn't play well with the Massachusetts taxpayers.

And the claim that he toppled the Berlin Wall? People in Massachusetts might say, "No, don't let him start a charter school -- send him to the Public Works Department instead. We won't have to spend so much money demolishing dilapidated structures anymore -- we'll have this guy just chant for them to crumble!"

Re: Former SGI members

Rothaus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:54:12 +0100

Need help guys
I would like to get more information may it be internet, news papers or academic resources wich cover the following:
- SGI as being defined as a cult
- SGI's tax evasion efforts
- Anything that deals with issues controversial on SGI other than personal experiene and that is not too out dated.
Thank you all

Re: Former SGI members

Rothaus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:37:56 +0100

@ all
As most of you on this board are Americans would it not be a good idea to inform the press or you senator on those issues regarding SGI concerning this school buisiness?? I mean this is EXTREMLY disturbing.
I know that you guys have different sytem when it comes to school funding, but the way I understand it you are talking of the funding for public schools - if it were private (okay what can you do), but this seems out of order.

Re: Former SGI members

Rothaus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:32:12 +0100

@ quiet one
As a European I must say that I also heard this claim of Mr. Ikeda having had an influence on the iron curtain to lift. Especially, and funny enough, in SGI-D (SGI Germany) this cliam was not too loudly popagated.
There is absolutely no doubt that the Polish Solidarnosc; movement (together with the Catholic Church - and the then Pope John Paul II) played a key role all this in combination with a system that was near or in economic collapse. For SGI to make such a claim is beyond belief - just beacause Mr. Ikedas PR-Office was able to make some nice pictures with him handshaking officials --- one thing that is not often seen these days.
SGI makes the same claims on the Sino/Japanese relationship even though it is well established truth that Tanzan Ishibashi 55th prime minister of Japan laid the foundation to that --- pity that Ishibashi came from a family that had close links to Nichiren Shu of which his father was a minister and his mother was from a family very much engaged in Nichiren Buddhism. Ishibashi just was quite aware not to mix political issues with religious ones though.
SGI making those claims is a slap in the face to those who risked their lives may it be in the uprise in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the German Uprise in 1957 or afterwards in Poland and Germany. Some also regard the events in Germany quite critical in the sense that they are blown up out of proportion - the East Germans only had the guts to take to the streets when it was obvious that the "Russian Bear" was loosing its teeth so to speak - its a matter of opinion I guess.
Let me remind you that SGI, hence Mr. Ikeda, never spoke out on Chinese human rights violations.

Re: Master Li HongZhi bless you !

Sparky — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:31:08 +0100

As proof that Landover Baptist is a spoof site, here is a link to their main site:

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/

As you can see, Landover Baptist Church is meant to be a joke. I read the thread posted from Landover on the "Evil Cult Invading United States" and it is clearly off the charts satire.

Sparky
(taking one for the team to spare you all)

(If you do visit Landover, it is a funny albeit vulgar and sacreligious site).

Re: Former SGI members

ScoobyDooby — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:58:41 +0100

I don't know if this has been posted previously in this thread but here is the executive summary of the proposal for the SOKA Charter School from the Massachusetts DOE website:

http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/docs/0109/item4_execsum.doc

My favorite line: The SOKA humanistic philosophy is best articulated by Daisaku Ikeda, respected educator, and prolific author: �What our world most requires now is the kind of education that fosters love for humankind that develops character - that provides an intellectual basis for the realization of peace and empowers learners to contribute to and improve society."

Re: Master Li HongZhi bless you !

Sparky — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:18:47 +0100

yammycake, I don't know if you are aware or not but Landover Baptist church is an on-line spoof. It doesn't exist except to lampoon fundamentalist christians.

Re: Master Li HongZhi bless you !

yammycake — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:03:31 +0100

One more massage baout FLG,Falun Gong: Evil Cult Invading United States :
http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=20739

Re: Former SGI members

quiet one — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:43:35 +0100

tsukimoto, do you think that any of these new proposed schools are also SGI schools in addition to Spirit of Knowledge Academy? "Leaders of Tomorrow Academy" to me sounds especially like something that SGI would come up with. So do some of the other names.

Today was the 20-year anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. I heard a lot of stories about it all day on the radio. Some of these stories were very touching!

A couple of years ago I was at a meeting at someone's house. The leader who was invited to speak was Nathan Gauer, who I think is the Young Men's Division leader for all of SGI. He actually told us at the meeting that Daisaku Ikeda was responsible for the Berlin wall coming down! He spoke in a very matter-of-fact manner--like it was just a certain fact that everyone knew about.

I have heard a couple of times Ikeda's claim to have averted World War III, but that is the only time that I heard that he caused the Berlin Wall to topple!

Re: Personal Stories needed for Documentary Series

ClarkCultVictim — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:39:04 +0100

I, my 6 year old son, and former wife are victims of a religious cult. I have written a book, soon to be release by Tate Publishing Company. You can visit my website to learn more about my story. I'd love to talk with you about my experience. I have a message board under Letter to the Leader of the Alamance County Cult, or something like that. [...]

[b][Moderator note: Posting contact information is against the rules of this board. There is a private messaging system][/b]

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:13:08 +0100

Update on the Soka (Spirit of Knowledge Academy) Charter School in Massachusetts, from www.telegram.com

The Soka Gakkai submitted a proposal for a charter school in the Fall of 2008. Massachusetts State Education Department rejected the proposal in February 2009, but the Soka folks were told that they could resubmit their proposal in the fall. They have. It looks as if they've scaled down their plans a bit, planning for fewer students in fewer grades. Massachusetts will now review the plans and make their final determination in February 2010.

------------------------------------------------Beginning of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Central Mass. charter school proposals advance
State likes 4 applicants in area

By Jacqueline Reis TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
jreis@telegram.com
Add a comment

One week after controversy roiled the last round of charter school approvals, the state announced progress with the next batch.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has asked eight of the 14 proposed charter schools to move to the next stage of the process and submit a final application for their school. Of the eight, four could affect Central Massachusetts:

[b]�Spirit of Knowledge Academy Charter School, which would serve up to 275 students in Grades 7-12 in Worcester;[/b]

�Leaders of Tomorrow Charter Public School, which would serve up to 270 students in Grades 6-8 in Worcester;

�Rediscovery Academy Charter School, which would serve up to 150 students from Ayer, Fitchburg, Grafton, Leominster, Shirley, Southboro, Westboro, Worcester and 21 other communities from Cambridge to Natick; and

�Discovery Charter School of Sustainability, which would serve up to 260 students in kindergarten through Grade 6 in Orange and 13 other school districts.

The other applicants were the Hanlin International Academy Charter School in Quincy, Housatonic River Charter School in Western Massachusetts, Lynn Preparatory School in Lynn and the Road to Success Charter High School on the North Shore.

Those not invited to submit a final application include the Newton Science & Technology Charter School, which would have been in Worcester.

Final applications are due Nov. 13 and will be followed by a review, interviews, public hearings and public comments. In February, Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester will recommend to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that none, some or all receive charters.

[b]This is the second year that schools named Spirit of Knowledge and Rediscovery Academy are applying for a charter, although some of the details have changed. Last year�s Spirit of Knowledge application, for instance, would have served more students in more grades, and the Rediscovery Academy would have been statewide.[/b]

Last week�s controversy erupted over an e-mail that state Education Secretary S. Paul Reville of Worcester, a voting member of the board, sent to the commissioner in February urging him to find a charter school to recommend and suggesting a Gloucester proposal. The board ultimately approved the Gloucester charter and [b]the commissioner never recommended last year�s Spirit of Knowledge and Rediscovery applications.[/b] Mr. Reville has said the e-mail was part of a broader conversation he had with the commissioner about the proposals.
--------------------------------End of Quote---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Former SGI members

Nichijew — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:57:35 +0100

[b]The Bodhisattvas Alwayforhire and Their Busy Little "Bodhisattva" Bee Wives Promoting the Sustaining Contribution Program[/b]

We would like to inform every one of the following, related to the Sustaining Contribution Program, in order to continue to increase the awareness of and participation in the program:
1. Sustaining Contribution Brochure: While the main content of the brochure remains the same, some revisions were made to further clarify the instructional portion of the brochure. One major change was to add a $20 minimum per transaction. The revised brochure will be distributed nationwide by mid-November and can be distributed to members at various gatherings from November to January, but will also be available throughout the year. Leaders are encouraged to incorporate introduction of this brochure and study on the spirit of contribution in gatherings such as November district general meetings, December World Peace Prayer meetings, New Year�s Gongyo meetings and Rock the Era activities.
2. Promotional Poster: The poster was also revised so that it includes the SGI-USA contribution Web site address and SGI-USA contribution hotline number. As with last year, posters with brochure holders will be distributed to all SGI-USA centers nationwide so that they can be posted at locations readily available to members throughout the year. We ask that the brochure holders be replenished when necessary so that they are always stocked with brochures.
3. World Tribune: The November 20, 2009, issue will feature the Sustaining Contribution Program. The issue will include an introduction of the sustaining contribution brochures, including how to use them and the spirit behind the program. The �Writings for Discussion Meetings� section will feature a study on appreciation to facilitate promotion of sustaining contribution at December
discussion meetings. A contribution experience will also be included in this issue.
4. National Leaders Video Conference: On December 12, a nationwide district through territory leaders video/telephone conference hosted by the SGI-USA national leaders will be held. They will introduce the Sustaining Contribution Program and its underlying spirit in a portion of this program so that all leaders can understand and be able to confidently share the significance of this program. The video conference will be recorded and will be available on SGI-USA Leaders
Resource Site for access later.

I want my salaried SGI leaders LOOKIN FLY and CRUISIN in some fine wheels when they travel to their meetings. No public schools for THEIR kids and their wives must have their hair and nails done weekly cause they got no time to do it themselves [with all those meeting and sustaining contribution campaigns]. They are busy little "bodhisattva" bees

Nichijew, SGI's best friend in the entire world

Re: Former SGI members

tsukimoto — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:07:05 +0100

---------------------------Beginning of Quote, Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer--------------------------------------------------------------

-- �All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action;

--All of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance;

--All of them are capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments of life; all of them demand blind faith and singlehearted allegiance.� (Preface)

-- Hoffer defines a �true believer� as �the man of fanatical faith who is ready to sacrifice his life for a holy cause.� Leaders of the mass movement �must know how to kindle and fan an extravagant hope�(p. 13)

-- �An active mass movement rejects the present and centers its interest on the future.� (p. 82)

--The mass movement hates independence and individualism. The focus is on �obedience� and �one mindedness.� �Uniformity� must be developed. (p. 101) Members must be �deindividualized� and �incorporated� into the mass movement. (p. 100)

--Members of the fanatic group are taught to have a common hatred, a single foe, a devil. �The ideal devil is a foreigner�.Hitler�the foremost authority on devils�found it easy to brand the German Jews as foreigners.� (pp. 92-93) Hatred becomes a habit. (p. 146)
-------------------------------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. When I was in SGI, (actually NSA) in the late 1980's, we were encouraged to memorize a quote by Nichiren Daishonin. I forget the exact wording, but it was something to the effect of "No matter what persecutions assail me, I will give my life for the Law."

I don't think that SGI was necessarily telling members to die for SGI or Ikeda...and yet members are certainly asked to sacrifice huge portions of their life, including time with spouses and kids, for SGI. That's giving your life for SGI, in a sense. And those Men's Division and Young Men's Division members who guard Ikeda during his overseas travel -- many of them probably ARE willing to take a bullet and die for Sensei.

2. SGI members are encouraged to "substitute faith for wisdom." Don't think too much, just believe.

3. SGI members are also encouraged to practice "itai dosshin," which is to be "many in body, one in mind," to be devoted to Ikeda and SGI's goals, and to obey leaders' guidance, rather than to be independent individuals. Isn't that what the paranoia about "disloyal members" within the organization is about -- Heavens! There might actually be members who dare to think for themselves; we can't have that!

4. Members are encouraged to have grand dreams (extravagant hopes.)

5. The Nichiren Shoshu priests have been a very good common foe. True, they're Japanese, as is Ikeda, but most western members would rarely see a Buddhist priest of any race or nationality. They shave their heads and wear robes. They're just so different, which makes it easier to get members to hate and fear them.