Continuation of Previous Post: What Makes Mahikari a Cult?
7. Members are encouraged to recruit their families, friends and coworkers in order that they too can be "saved." Members are allowed to "advance" to the next "spiritual level" based on the number of people they recruit to the organization.
-In Mahikari members are told that in order to save others, they must first save their families, as they cannot save anyone if they do not first clean upstream. If upstream is clean then downstream will naturally become clean as well. Members are told that having a family that is completely dedicated to Mahikari is a way to set a good example for new and potential members. Members are encouraged to entroduce their children to the Mahikari doctrine from birth through offering the child okiyome and taking them to the dojo, where there is always a nursery. If a member fails to bring a their family into Mahikari, or a loved one refuses to join, members are told that it is because of the Kumite’s negative karma, not the negative karma of the reluctant individual. This causes incredible guilt because the member then feels that they have to receive and offer more okiyome, offer more Gohoshi, and donate more money in order to spiritually purify themselves so that their reluctant friend or family member will join. Members are told to go to whatever length to try and initiate their family and friends to Mahikari, even if that means offering them okiyome in their sleep without their knowledge.
8. Members are specifically instructed how to treat visitors and to limit the information which they are told about the organization. Guests may be treated differently than members.
-This is true as well. Guests were always taken immediately for an okiyome session, not forced to wait for hours like some people when the center was busy. I remember also being told to direct guests to the library and offer them reading material about the organization. Usually I gave them Dr. Tebecis’ book Thank God for the Answers at Lasr, as well as the official Mahikari Tai literature. Experience stories were often printed out and secured in a plastic cover for the reading pleasure of guests and we were often instructed to speak of our own experiences about the healing properties of okiyome. We were encourgaed to show them pictures of Suza and of the Mahikari festivals and ceremonies as well, to try and make Mahikari seem like a fun venture to persue.
9. Members are warned that great calamities will take place in the world and that they may be one of the people saved if they diligently follow the teachings of the organization. It may be stated or implied that they may personally receive great misfortune if they do not follow the teachings and practices of the organization. Frequently members are told that great natural disasters have been averted due to "divine intercession" by the spiritual head.
-This is true. The woman from Houston I have been speaking with, Deborah, told me that when Hurricane Rita was headed for Texas and Houstonians were asked to evacuate, the Mahikari members refused, going to the dojo instead. They could not leave behind the Goshintais and other holy objects. I have never been to Houston so I cannot verify this, but from what I have been told, the entire center is surrounded in glass. All three walls of the main shrine area are covered in glass. They all offered okiyome to one another and chanted the Amatasu Prayer all night saying that if God decided to take them it was His will. Well…there is a little story that goes like this:
There was a man who lived in the country in a small house. His home had a porch and was two stories high. One day he sat on that porch and a storm hit. Through the static on his TV he could make out that a hurricane was coming and that his county had been asked to evacuate. The man did not leave, the water rose to his porch as he sat in his rocking chair.
A man in a truck rode by. The man said, “Sir, come with me. I’ll drive you to safety.”
But the man in the house said, “No, I believe my Lord and Savior is going to save me.” So the truck left him.
The water then rose to his neck, but he still remained on his porch.
A man in a row boat happened by and said, “Sir, come with me. I’ll row us to safety.”
But the man in the house said, “No, I believe my Lord and Savior is going to save me.” So the boat left him.
Finally, the water rose to the roof of the house. The man was sitting on the top of his home when a man in a helicopter happened by.
The man said, “I’ll throw you a rope and fly us to safety.”
But again the man in the house said, “No, I believe my Lord and Savior is going to save me.” So the helicopter flew away.
Not long after that the man drowned and as he stood outside the gates of heaven he said to God, “Lord, I just don’t understand. I believed so strongly in your power and I truly believed that you were going to save me.”
God said, “Son, I sent you a truck. I sent you a boat. And I sent you a helicopter. If you can’t read the signs then there’s nothing I can do for you.”
This was how these Mahikari members sat, inside the dojo, surrounded by glass, and yet they refused to cut their losses and leave. When the hurricane hit Louisiana instead of Texas, the monthly ceremony the following weekend was completely centered on how “because we prayed with such sincerity God spared us and the dojo”. I don’t want to say that Kumite are egotistical, but it makes me laugh to think that they believe that their little get together averted the wrath of God. However, this is what the dojo would have its members believe. To try and make their beliefs even more plausible, Kumite were told that these “out of season” hurricanes were proof that God was growing impatient with them and that they needed to offer more okiyome, divine service, and money in order to postpone the Baptism of Fire (which had obviously already started) a little longer.
(More to come)
7. Members are encouraged to recruit their families, friends and coworkers in order that they too can be "saved." Members are allowed to "advance" to the next "spiritual level" based on the number of people they recruit to the organization.
-In Mahikari members are told that in order to save others, they must first save their families, as they cannot save anyone if they do not first clean upstream. If upstream is clean then downstream will naturally become clean as well. Members are told that having a family that is completely dedicated to Mahikari is a way to set a good example for new and potential members. Members are encouraged to entroduce their children to the Mahikari doctrine from birth through offering the child okiyome and taking them to the dojo, where there is always a nursery. If a member fails to bring a their family into Mahikari, or a loved one refuses to join, members are told that it is because of the Kumite’s negative karma, not the negative karma of the reluctant individual. This causes incredible guilt because the member then feels that they have to receive and offer more okiyome, offer more Gohoshi, and donate more money in order to spiritually purify themselves so that their reluctant friend or family member will join. Members are told to go to whatever length to try and initiate their family and friends to Mahikari, even if that means offering them okiyome in their sleep without their knowledge.
8. Members are specifically instructed how to treat visitors and to limit the information which they are told about the organization. Guests may be treated differently than members.
-This is true as well. Guests were always taken immediately for an okiyome session, not forced to wait for hours like some people when the center was busy. I remember also being told to direct guests to the library and offer them reading material about the organization. Usually I gave them Dr. Tebecis’ book Thank God for the Answers at Lasr, as well as the official Mahikari Tai literature. Experience stories were often printed out and secured in a plastic cover for the reading pleasure of guests and we were often instructed to speak of our own experiences about the healing properties of okiyome. We were encourgaed to show them pictures of Suza and of the Mahikari festivals and ceremonies as well, to try and make Mahikari seem like a fun venture to persue.
9. Members are warned that great calamities will take place in the world and that they may be one of the people saved if they diligently follow the teachings of the organization. It may be stated or implied that they may personally receive great misfortune if they do not follow the teachings and practices of the organization. Frequently members are told that great natural disasters have been averted due to "divine intercession" by the spiritual head.
-This is true. The woman from Houston I have been speaking with, Deborah, told me that when Hurricane Rita was headed for Texas and Houstonians were asked to evacuate, the Mahikari members refused, going to the dojo instead. They could not leave behind the Goshintais and other holy objects. I have never been to Houston so I cannot verify this, but from what I have been told, the entire center is surrounded in glass. All three walls of the main shrine area are covered in glass. They all offered okiyome to one another and chanted the Amatasu Prayer all night saying that if God decided to take them it was His will. Well…there is a little story that goes like this:
There was a man who lived in the country in a small house. His home had a porch and was two stories high. One day he sat on that porch and a storm hit. Through the static on his TV he could make out that a hurricane was coming and that his county had been asked to evacuate. The man did not leave, the water rose to his porch as he sat in his rocking chair.
A man in a truck rode by. The man said, “Sir, come with me. I’ll drive you to safety.”
But the man in the house said, “No, I believe my Lord and Savior is going to save me.” So the truck left him.
The water then rose to his neck, but he still remained on his porch.
A man in a row boat happened by and said, “Sir, come with me. I’ll row us to safety.”
But the man in the house said, “No, I believe my Lord and Savior is going to save me.” So the boat left him.
Finally, the water rose to the roof of the house. The man was sitting on the top of his home when a man in a helicopter happened by.
The man said, “I’ll throw you a rope and fly us to safety.”
But again the man in the house said, “No, I believe my Lord and Savior is going to save me.” So the helicopter flew away.
Not long after that the man drowned and as he stood outside the gates of heaven he said to God, “Lord, I just don’t understand. I believed so strongly in your power and I truly believed that you were going to save me.”
God said, “Son, I sent you a truck. I sent you a boat. And I sent you a helicopter. If you can’t read the signs then there’s nothing I can do for you.”
This was how these Mahikari members sat, inside the dojo, surrounded by glass, and yet they refused to cut their losses and leave. When the hurricane hit Louisiana instead of Texas, the monthly ceremony the following weekend was completely centered on how “because we prayed with such sincerity God spared us and the dojo”. I don’t want to say that Kumite are egotistical, but it makes me laugh to think that they believe that their little get together averted the wrath of God. However, this is what the dojo would have its members believe. To try and make their beliefs even more plausible, Kumite were told that these “out of season” hurricanes were proof that God was growing impatient with them and that they needed to offer more okiyome, divine service, and money in order to postpone the Baptism of Fire (which had obviously already started) a little longer.
There was another incident in Australia where a fire that destroyed the Christian church next door to the dojo was considered God's judgment that Mahikari was the truth. The fire destroyed much of the surrounding area, but didn't scathe that dojo. Members were told in the ceremony that God was showing them the truth through this presentation, clearly because the dojo was purified with okiyome daily the fire had not burned the center, as if there was an invisible force field around the dojo. I remember being told the same thing when experience stories were used to reinforce the doctrine. Whenever something good happens to Mahikari and its member, kumite are quick to attribute the positive outcome to okiyome. However, when bad things happen to Mahikari and its members, then nothing is said. Usually the incident is simply ignored.
(More to come)
posted by Asher Kennedy at 3:22 PM
1 Comments:
This is my experience as well. You are only given limited information when invited to join. We certainly did not have much access to the internet in the late 80's, and I don't think Winston Davis' book was widely distributed. So how could you possibly make an informed decision???
Also, the organization does not advertise. I remember specifically being told it was because it was god's arrangement to bring people in, and they wanted to be careful about not attracting "crazy people" etc... Now if you are claiming to be the salvation of the world, wouldn't you want the entire world to know about the salvation? Aren't you morally compelled to provide the salvation to ALL OF HUMANITY????
The fact is, controlling the people invited allows the organization to use the "influence and guilt " factors connected with interpersonal recruiting. Also, controlling the information helps paint a fraudulent picture of the movement's origins. Finally, it helps protect the "insiders" from public scrutiny.
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