The Brahma Kumaris and their World Spiritual University

Life Positive, India’s leading New Age magazine on the Brahma Kumaris:

10. An article on the sect of the Brahma Kumaris in Rajasthan, India

http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/spirit-centers/bramha-kumari.asp EXTRACT

By Suma Varughese

The BKs believe that as the millennium approaches, and the calamities of Kaliyug assume more fearsome proportions, more and more will reach their doorstep, all of whom must be accommodated. So what horrors lie ahead of us and what will Satyug be like? The BKs have all the answers. The Kaliyug scenario is grim enough. America and much of Europe will be destroyed by a nuclear bomb, and Australia will become an island. Much of the earth's land mass will be submerged. India will suffer a civil war. Mumbai will return to the sea. As time goes on, grain will become inedible and there will be no drinking water. Money will be valueless.
In order to withstand those days and give succor to the suffering, the BKs are urged to develop themselves and become spiritually powerful. But cheer up. All this is necessary for the glorious dawning of Satyug. And the prognosis is good. Laxmi and Narayan will be the ruling deities. Under them, all will live like a happy family, without regard for status and hierarchy. There will still be servants and masters, but the arrangements will be informal, as in a family. While some will be wealthier than others, all will be prosperous. There will be no courts, jails, judges or lawyers because there will be no criminals. Likewise, since all will be free of desires, there will be no accounting.
People give what they have and those who want take. The weather will be perpetual spring. Fruits of all flavors will ply year round, so that instead of cooking, all we will need is to use the juice of whatever flavored fruit we wish for. Cooking, if any, will be by solar power and planes, our main form of locomotion, will be sourced by atomic power. Birdsong will be as melodious as a musical instrument, and musical instruments themselves will play at a touch. Everyone will be an artist, and there will be an abundance of music, art and games.
Life spans will increase to 150 years on an average. Males will not have a beard. And yes, reproduction will transpire through yogic power and not sexual union. Now for the catch. Only 900,000 souls will make the grade. If you would like to be one of them, you know where to go and what to do.
11. Doomsday cult? You be the judge

http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,40300,40300

June 28, 2007

This book was given to me. It is a very well written and informative book. But the real truth about the Brahma Kumaris is hidden to the public, very much as Scientology is hidden to the public.

Here are some of the hidden real truths about the Brahma Kumaris:

Are they a doomsday cult or a nation of sheep? They believe the more money you give to their organization, the better your position in heaven will be, or as they insist, "the greater your fortune will be". Wealthy individuals and celebrities are considered to be VIP's by God. Since when did God consider bank accounts more important than virtues? If Members fail to follow their principles they will become a servant in heaven ("Golden Age" as they call it). Servants in heaven? Aren't we all equal in heaven (Golden Age)? Speaking of heaven, they believe they will be the first and only ones in heaven. Not even Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, John Kennedy, Jimmy Stewart, etc. will be in the Golden Age.
The Brahma Kumaris (B.K.) believes that God told them the world is only 5,000 years old and will be destroyed soon. This is why many of them will quit college or will make no effort in earning promotions at work. If the world is only 5,000 years old, when did the dinosaurs appear? When were the pyramids built? How about the meteor craters in the Southwest?

Where was Moses? The irony here is that although they preach that the world is coming to an end, they themselves will invest in the stock market and in retirement plans such as IRAs and 401Ks. Why lose weight, buy a house, or get an education when the world is coming to an end? They are brainwashed into serving the leaders of the organization in order to gain a higher status in heaven ("increasing their fortune") before the world ends.

B.K. follows a strict vegetation diet in which food can be eaten only if cooked by their members. You are not allowed to eat food even if your grandmother cooked it. However, many cheat and are not vegetarians; they dine in fast food chains and restaurants. Their unbalanced diet creates obesity and malnutrition among men and women. Many women become human hippos or end up looking like extremely flat-chested skinny boys. This could be the reason why so many women (even those in the "higher status according to God") will leave the organization and become sexually insatiable when they regain their former healthy figure and once again experience lust (which is forbidden because celibacy is required to enter the Golden Age.)
The once timid women will soon begin to shop at Victoria's Secret because they were required to cover themselves in drab white clothing. They flaunt themselves in extremely revealing clothes as a means of defiance. The men and women that leave the Brahma Kumaris can once again enjoy going to the movies, rock concerts, reading newspapers or novels, watching television, dating, sports, exercise, shopping, and traveling. All of these are forbidden to the Brahma Kumaris lifestyle in order to go to the Golden Age.
After being told daily by "God" that "you are impure and degraded souls", there is eventually a need to escape and return to peace and happiness in the life before the Brahma Kumaris. This explains why so many of them start partying with alcohol and drugs after experiencing such brainwashing. Many of the "deserters" become leaders, managers, start their own business, graduate from college, earn promotions at work, and most importantly, gain self-esteem and the ability to think and reason for themselves once they leave the Brahma Kumaris. However, their return to society is always haunted with guilt and hatred due to remembrance of their once abusive and perverted lifestyle. Although the suicide rate is low, this data hidden from public view.
World's largest doomsday cult or a nation of sheep? You be the judge.

From Amazon.com

COMMENTS ON THE ABOVE

I am an ex-member of this organization. I do believe that the so-called "Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University" should be included in any discussion about Cults because, on the basis on my experience, the patterns of their behavior matches mostly closely to that of cultic religious movements.

They are not a sect of any pre-existing religion and whatever their original roots where, basic group psychological influences have caused them developed in a cult-like fashion. –Ex-BK
I encountered them a few months ago, and wrote an article my adventures. A doomsday cult with many similarities to Aum

Not a cult? I have to laugh at that, BK lies and manipulates with the best of them. The BK member who gave a lecture on my campus was a total fraud whose resume distributed to university staff was a total fiction.

His doomsday predictions nothing but superstitious nonsense designed to lure in the gullible to break from family and friends and join his disgusting little doomsday cult.

An absolute disgrace that such a fool was able to give a lecture on campus.

Here's my article...

gazette.gokmu.com

And here's a teaser...

Quote:

...Dadi Janki, now in her nineties, has been a member of BK from the beginning. Her current official title is Joint Administrative Head of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. According to the BK website, www.companionofgod.com, and the Korean BK site promoted at the lecture, Dadi Janki was declared by scientists from the University of Texas’ Medical and Science Research Institute in 1978 as having the most stable mind in the world.

The Gazette contacted an archivist at the University of Texas Archives who replied, “I have searched the likely places and found no mention of the experiments performed on Dadi Janki in 1978. Indeed, I didn't even find any University of Texas organization called the Medical and Science Research Institute." Despite evidence that the institute that ran those experiments never existed, Dadi Janki recently described to the Indian news site www.tribuneindia.com the experiments carried out on her and repeated the claim that University of Texas scientists declared her mind the most stable in the world.

While Mr. James acknowledged that BK had come under severe criticism, he added that BK was making changes as a result. Critics of the group, however, remain skeptical that any changes of worth have taken place. The use of the lecture to promote BK without giving any information about BK and especially the messianic claims of its leader suggests that they still have a long way to go until they become an open and transparent group worthy of trust. It is worth noting that one of the criticisms leveled at BK on the Internet is that they use non-religious introductory courses in “positive thinking” to recruit new members and only introduce them to Baba once membership has been cemented. That is a description that would seem to apply to Mr. James’ “meditation” lecture.

Wow, the new president of India, Pratibha Patil, is a member of the BK doomsday cult and has admitted to speaking to its dead founder.

www.youtube.com

news.bbc.co.uk

Quote:

The milder criticism of her comes from a curious admission that a dead guru had given her a premonition that she was destined to become India's first citizen.

A doomsday cult with nukes, isn't that nice

The site www.brahmakumaris.info, a cult awareness site run by former members, is being challenged by Brahma Kumars in Texas.
Here's the thread about the upcoming legal action on the above site:
brahmakumaris.info
A few trademarks were registered by the cult in Texas [www.uspto.gov] A search on Brahma Kumaris finds them.
It seems they are trying to trademark the word of God.
These are the lawyers acting on behalf of the Indian Doomsday cult.
Kelly McCarty Esq. or Dustin Edwards Esq. 1111 Louisiana St. 25th Floor, Houston, TX. 713-787-1400
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
Hopefully this will lead to some more publicity, exposure and awareness of this cult. -Capt. Porridge

UPDATE, JULY 7, 2013

Catholic students want Brahma Kumaris out of their school

http://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1994/10/18/catholic-students-want-brahma-kumaris-out-of-their-school&post_id=46142

October 18, 1994

Students at the biggest Catholic school in the northern Philippines have protested membership of the principal and some teachers in Brahma Kumaris, a Hinduism-based spiritual organization.

Wearing black arm bands, 200 high school students at St. Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City, walked out of classes Oct. 6 demanding that their principal and some teachers resign because they are Brahma Kumaris members.

The school chaplain and some teachers joined the students.

St. Louis University, run by the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Scheut Fathers), has more than 20,000 primary, secondary and tertiary students. Baguio City is 200 kilometers northwest of Manila.

The day after the student walkout, the school parent-teacher association called for an investigation into teachers´ membership in Brahma Kumaris.

These teachers, parents said, were "creating undue confusion and disturbance" among students and "division" on the campus.

"If they want to teach their beliefs, they should do it outside the campus and not inside the classrooms," the parents said.

Parents' council president Edgardo Bilog said that as a Catholic school, SLU should not allow other religious groups to propagate their tenets on campus.

SLU president Scheut Father Jozef Vanden Daelen ordered university personnel Oct. 7 to "abstain from public display of non-Catholic symbols in the classrooms, offices and other places within the campus."

"Proselytizing and similar activities in favor of affiliations with unacceptable organizations that may tend to undermine our specific Catholic character are to be avoided," Father Daelen said.

SLU vice president Emitt Manantan, who has begun an investigation, said the principal and teachers cannot be suspended without valid grounds. SLU high school principal Lourdes Lucero went on leave October 12, citing health reasons.

The Union of Faculty and Employees of SLU asked the administration for an official stand on the Brahma Kumaris.

"Continued silence in the face of the steady recruitment of members to this group greatly undermines the philosophy of education as enunciated by the university," the faculty union said.

The union also noted that SLU would have a double standard if it allowed the Brahma Kumaris, since it banned all fraternities from campus this year.

Brahma Kumaris spokesperson Rebecca Ortega said the group is not a religious sect teaching non-Christian values, but a non-governmental organization teaching meditation and positive thinking and that spirituality is beyond religion*. *This, as we have seen on the preceding pages, is a downright lie -Michael

Its objectives, she said, are "harmony, peace, respect, brotherhood and love in the world." It has been accredited by the United Nations department of international economic and social affairs, she said.

According to Ortega, India-based Brahma Kumaris has 3,700 branches in 60 countries including the Philippines. It has 30 members in Baguio.
Religion, Spirituality and 'Mumbo-Jumbo'

http://www.catholicassociates.com/Talk%20ProFide%20Apr_07.pdf EXTRACT

By Michael Akerman, 2007

The following is the text of a New Age update talk given by Michael Akerman to the Pro Fide Forum at St Vincent's Convent in Central London on 26th April 2007

…It is worth recalling in this context (and I have quoted this in previous talks) that Pope John Paul the Second issued a warning about New Age spirituality back in 1993 referring to it as 'a vague vision of the world expressed in myths and symbols'. Speaking about meaningless ritual, mystifying language and myths and symbols I must tell you about what was a 'first' for the New Age movement that occurred last year.

It was a two-day event called The Mystic Arts Show - at Olympia here in London. It was advertised as 'an exhibition covering the Spiritual, Psychic and Paranormal' featuring 'mystic arts which transcend ordinary human knowledge.' My wife Rita and I spent most of one day there. As we entered the exhibition area we were greeted by a line-up of witches and wizards. The hall was packed with people of all ages but mostly of the younger, articulate, professional-looking kind. There were over one hundred stands, as well as lectures, workshops and even two ghost walks in the locality. There were demonstrations of trance mediumship; you could connect with your spirit guide - or with your guardian angel; you could learn about the practical use of crystals - and develop your psychic awareness. We saw a lot of families there and a number of products aimed especially at children…

Another of the many organisations represented at The Mystic Arts Show was The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University whose International headquarters and main UK teaching centre is at a building called Global Co-operation House in Willesden, North London. Founded in India in the 1930's the Brahma Kumaris claims to bring together people of all cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. They define 'spirituality' as simply 'knowing how to live with meaning and purpose.' That sounds fine until you discover that their spirituality is based on Raja Yoga Meditation (Raja Yoga is mental or meditative yoga) and involves lessons in consciousness, the Law of Karma, reincarnation and self-realisation. By the way, this term - 'self- realisation' is a key phrase in the New Age vocabulary. It is their equivalent of 'fulfilling your potential'. In fact, the term 'self-realisation' refers to a personal recognition of one's own 'divinity'. It is their synonym for God-realisation. The World Spiritual University has over 7,000 centres in more than 90 countries with over half-a-million regular students worldwide. 15,000 people attended courses in Willesden alone in 2005. When we visited their stand at the Show, my wife Rita asked one of the ladies if they had any centres in Ireland. 'Oh, yes' was the enthusiastic response: 'we have several.'
The Focolare Movement and its international ramifications

http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/focolar.htm EXTRACT

By Dr. Regina Hinrichs

This article was written from a conference given by the author to the congress “Theologisches”, at Fulda, in October 1997.

For many years, Dr. Hinrichs has undertaken researches regarding contemporary subversive religious movements.  During her works, she was naturally led to put her attention to the powerful organization of the “Focolari” (in Italian, hearths, homes) and to its “Charismatic” founder, Chiara Lubich.

The “Focolari” (whose original name is “Opus Mariae”- The Work of Mary) defines itself as a militant movement for unity, open to persons of all convictions.  Today, its influence spreads to the whole world.  They are very active propagators of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogues. - Le Sel de la Terre, No.25

[…]THE BRAHMA KUMARIS UNIVERSITY*

Among the international and religious organizations that we have named and to which the movement of the Focolari is connected, there has been mentioned of the Brahma Kumaris, a society founded in Karachi in 1936, and which describes itself as a " spiritual university  the world” (Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University).

This university has had foundations in the whole world, especially in Asia and in Europe (in eighteen countries). Its primary aim is to encourage meditation and spiritual apprenticeship by the development of the “Ego –the I”. But beside these preoccupations concerning the individual, this university pursues the same ends as the organizations we have spoken of, about world peace, the advent of a harmonious world, the collaborations with the world religious organizations, with UNICEF and the U.N. (it also has a consultative voice at the economic and social council of the U.N. and it was received also as NGO).

We find then the same milieu and the same frequentations with which the Focolari movement is connected.

Moreover a publication of the Council of the Parliament of World Religions (for which the Lucis Trust makes some publicity!) explicitly mentions the links uniting all these international organizations . We find there documents published by these organizations, and numerous proofs that they all belong to same vast network linked more or less tightly.  It is true that neither the Focolari movement nor Chiara Lubich appear in this publication, but all their mondialist friends with whom they collaborate are there. […]

See FOCOLARE, 'THE WORK OF MARY'-IS IT GOOD FOR CATHOLICS?

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/FOCOLARE_THE_WORK_OF_MARY-IS_IT_GOOD_FOR_CATHOLICS.doc
Catholic Brahma Kumaris

http://www.saint-mike.net/qa/sw/viewanswer.asp?QID=380

July 14, 2007

Least I expected, one year ago I fell in love with a woman. Not so long I learnt that she is a devotee of Brahma Kumaris (BK) including her family for a long time and guess what... they are Catholics. The executive director of our organization is also a Catholic and a devotee of BK and he has a brother who is a RC priest.

What will happen to them? What is the stand of the Church?

I have been praying the rosary, offering masses for her because I love her including her family but it is as if my prayers are not heard. The more I do this the more she becomes devoted to BK. I tried to tell her about the incompatibility of BK and her Catholic faith but to no avail. What must I do?

Can't leave her with BK? She, well most BK-Catholics (I guess) believe that the two are compatible. –Macky

Brahma Kumaris is one of the many Indian Hindu sects. There is no way it is compatible with Christianity. Further, the meditation taught in this "BK" is also incompatible with Christianity.

The Church issued a document about meditation called, On Some Aspects of Christian Meditation. It would be good for your friend to read that.

It would be nice if a priest could also explain that one cannot be a "Catholic-Hindu". Brahma is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. This is part of a theology that is poly-theistic (many gods).

Your friend, in essence, is committing idolatry by involvement with this group. This is a grave sin.

In addition, the BK teaches heresy. They believe that God the Father shares a body with Brahma Baba (a.k.a. Lekh Raj Kripalani born in 1876), in the same way they believe Christ had entered the body of Jesus. The groups says it was Jesus who suffered on the cross, not Christ, the pure Son of God, but that "Christ" left the body early and went to take rebirth to help guide his fledgling religion into maturity. They claim that many more secrets about Christ revealed by this so-called Baba (Lekh Raj Kripalani). This is outright heresy.

If your girlfriend believes this then she is risking being a heretic and thus suffering an automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church.

You can try to convince her that what she is doing is contrary to Catholic teaching, try to convince her to return to the Catholic Church, the way one is supposed to be Catholic, but you cannot save her from this. She has to make her own decisions. Not even God will force her to change her mind. She has to change her mind according to her own free will. You can pray for her deliverance from this, of course, but you cannot save her from it.

You may not want to hear this, but you may have to leave her behind. You will have no choice. You absolutely should not marry her when she is involved in this idolatry and heresy.

If she will not be convinced, then the best thing for her may be for you to leave her. Then she will see how much her errant beliefs are costing her, and you will have stood up for Truth and Christ as you are obligated to do.

St. Paul tells us in Titus 3:10-11: "After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned."

We will be in prayer for her and for all those caught up in this delusion, idolatry, and heresy. -Bro. Ignatius Mary OMSM


Related reports and articles at this ministry’s web site:

REPORTS

1. CARDINAL OSWALD GRACIAS ENDORSES YOGA FOR CATHOLICS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CARDINAL_OSWALD_GRACIAS_ENDORSES_YOGA_FOR_CATHOLICS.doc

2. CATHOLIC YOGA HAS ARRIVED

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CATHOLIC_YOGA_HAS_ARRIVED.doc

3. DIVINE RETREAT CENTRE ERRORS-05 YOGA PROMOTED

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/DIVINE_RETREAT_CENTRE_ERRORS-05.doc