To what extent the Hare Krishna movement can be described as a cult
Before we can discuss to what extent the Hare Krishna movement can be described as a cult, it is important to understand that the word 'cult' can be defined in different categories. One of the obstacles to an understanding of cult mania is a lack of adequate definitions. Many words either have a single meaning or their meaning can be determined by their context. Some words, such as 'cult', have so many different, but similar, meanings that they need to be defined in advance of any further discussion. In the context of this essay the word cult can be defined as follows1:
* In a theological sense, the traditional use of the term describes a cult as away of life or style of worship.
* Sociologically the term is commonly used to describe a religious group that exists outside a nation's dominant religion. The Buddhist community in England might be considered a cult by some, while Christianity might equally be seen as a cult in Tibet.
* For a Fundamentalist Christian any religious group which does not adhere strictly to historical Christian doctrine (the Creation, Immaculate Conception and so on) is termed, usually negatively, a cult. This effectively dismisses the beliefs of some 70 per cent of humankind.
* Like the fundamentalists, the evangelical church regards historically accurate Christianity as the only path to salvation. However, it confines its use of the term cult to other Christian collectives (such as Mormons), not to such groups as Hindus, Pagans or Buddhists.
* An Open Religious view of the word cult defines any small religious group that does not derive from an established religion, whilst the Popular definition is particularly applicable in the context of this essay, describing cults as being, in the main, small, occasionally malevolent collections of disciples, often led by a charismatic 'messiah'. This leader is frequently accused of ensnaring converts and then subjecting them to a form of coercive mind control in order to manipulate them both spiritually and financially. Violence, or the threat of violence, is often endemic to this cult's rationale.
Although it is hard to provide a single definition of a cult, it generally refers to many non-traditional religious movements. Scholars sometimes separate cults from sects on the grounds that cults are more alienated from traditional religions. Some characteristics that cults have been likened to are that they attach importance to the search for mystical experience, are weakly structured, small, led by a charismatic leader, and participants feel that they are final arbiters of what is or isn't the truth. Recently, however, the term has been employed in a different way as a part of the polemic against new religious movements in the West. One anti-cult organisation describes these movements as 'systematically employing sophisticated techniques designed to effect ego-destruction, thought reform, and dependence.'2
Some of the common characteristics of cults can be found through extensive travel and research. Below are examples are of the distinctive marks that flag cultism today:
Authoritative Differences: The role of cultic leaders as new prophets, apostles, messiahs or the sole channel of truth creates a difference in the emphasis on authority. The authoritative leadership is supported by new revelation that is either equal or superior to the Bible. If the Bible impedes leadership it is often altered with the consequence that the message is diminished of its original significance. Cults cause this to happen by retranslating the Bible into an unscholarly translation, or by redefining biblical words in such a way that cult members are unable to discern the truth.
Isolated Leadership: Cults are usually characterised by central leader figures that consider themselves messengers of God with unique access to the Almighty. Since the leader has such a special relationship with God, he can dictate the theology and behaviour of the cult. Consequently, he exercises enormous influence over the group. This strong leadership leads the cult follower into total dependence upon the cult for belief, behaviour, and lifestyle. When this falls into the hands of a particularly corrupt leader, the results can be tragic, as with the mass suicide of 912 people under Jim Jones and the People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. The more dramatic the claims of a cult leader, the more possibility of a tragic conclusion.
The cult leaders isolate their authority from historic Christianity. They set their stage with an open frontal attack of historic Christianity. Their argument is that the church has departed from true faith, and that they alone provide God's true direction. Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, said all the churches are wrong and he alone was to restore true faith. The founders of Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, and other cults claim the same thing: Christianity is wrong and they are right. Each one isolates himself from biblical teachings and his group from Christianity.
Additional Scripture: Many cults promote the false idea that God has revealed something special to them. Sometimes it is in the form of a vision, at other times they have a special written message. The cults thrive on new revelation that supersedes the Bible because they have an innate desire for modern man to have modern revelation. What they fail to realise, however, is that the Bible does speak to modern man: "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation" (Psalm 33:11). Rather than obeying God's Word, cults always contradict ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Additional Scripture: Many cults promote the false idea that God has revealed something special to them. Sometimes it is in the form of a vision, at other times they have a special written message. The cults thrive on new revelation that supersedes the Bible because they have an innate desire for modern man to have modern revelation. What they fail to realise, however, is that the Bible does speak to modern man: "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation" (Psalm 33:11). Rather than obeying God's Word, cults always contradict it with their new message.
Joseph Smith added three works, The Book of Mormonism, The Pearl of Great Price and Doctrines and Covenants. Thus, the Bible is not truly their final source of authority.
Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science, claimed that her writings were inspired from God and she was only the scribe. The Bible is demeaned as having no more value "than the history of Europe and America".
The Unification Church believes the Bible to be incomplete, while Rev. Moon's Divine Principle is the true authoritative source. Within its writings, the Divine Principle is labelled the "complete Testament" in opposition to the Old and New Testaments. Regardless of whether other works supersedes the Bible or a cult leader reinterprets the Bible, a sure mark of a cult is that the final authority on spiritual matters rests on something other than the plain teachings of Holy Scripture.
Altering the Bible: Another mark of the cults is how they change what is actually written within the Bible. This is a different category from their new revelation. It is one thing to claim additional Scripture, but it is another to change the words God spoke.
The cults do this in one of two ways: They retranslate the Bible by inferior and unreliable scholarship (making it say what they want it to say), or they redefine the terms of the Bible, clouding its message.
Only a few of the cults publish their own Bible. The Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians, and The Way International are among the few. The other cults are satisfied with redefining the terms of the Bible, which, in effect, destroys the valid translation.
There are many examples of how cults redefine terms. When a Christian Scientist reads the Bible, it is only through the filter of Mary Baker Eddy's definitions (i.e., God is Mind, Jesus is not the Christ, Baptism is submergence in truth, etc.)
These and other cults justify their existence by claiming they have something more than just the Bible and its "inadequate message". The cults have no objective, independent way to test their teachings and practices. Contrary to this, the Bible warns us about those who would attempt to alter or add to the Word of God (Proverbs 30:5,6; Galatians 1:6-9). As members of the universal Christian church, we can and should test all of our teachings and practices objectively and independently by God's infallible Word, the Bible (Acts 17:11).
Prophecy, Signs, and Wonders: Christians believe in a supernatural God who works within a natural world. The Bible attests to God's demonstration of His anointing upon an individual by giving special knowledge of future events (prophecy) or by accompanying his message with signs and wonders (miracles). Since the leaders of cults wish to place themselves in a similar position as the prophets of the Bible, it is not surprising that they will attempt to prove their anointing with prophecies of future events or special signs, such as healings, or wonders, such as miraculous events.
The prophets and apostles of the Mormon Church have made several dated predictions of future occurrences. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, beginning with their founder Charles Taze Russell, has predicted the date of Christ's return and the battle of Armageddon with specific dates. Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God, has made several predictions of world events. The Church of Christ, Scientist boldly published A Century of Christian Science Healings, announcing the healings of hundreds of people through Mary Baker Eddy's methodology. The Way International boasted of signs and wonders, including people raised from the dead. The followers of Sun Myung Moon are immersed in visions of the "True Parents" (Moon and his wife) during prayer, and often spirits are manifested in their presence. The New Age cults and Unity School of Christianity speak of astounding healings that defy common explanation. An advanced class of Transcendental Meditation devotees, Siddhis, claim the miraculous events of walking through walls and levitation.
Are these people really giving accurate predictions and prophecies? Are these events miraculous? What is a Christian to make of this and how do we explain what seems to be paranormal phenomena? These events hold a tight grip on the lives of many cult members who believe that these signs are proof of God's blessing.
God's message is clear-stay away from false prophets. No prophet of the Bible ever predicted an event that failed in one degree. This is not true of the prophets and leaders of the cults. None have ever had complete accuracy. Joseph Smith gave at least 10 well-documented false prophecies. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has fourteen false predictions. Mr. Armstrong has given at least ten false predictions. How does the Bible tell us to detect a false prophet? If even one of their predictions fail, then we know they were not sent by God.
The authoritative difference between the cults and Christianity forms a wide chasm. They supplant the biblical structure of the church with isolated unaccountable leadership. They reduce the effectiveness of the written Word of God through new translations and redefining terms. They minimise the authority of the Bible by adding new scriptures that have a superior position. 3
Eastern-inspired religions, like the Hare Krishna, often involve strict discipline and obedience, hardship, giving up all possessions, rising before dawn, wearing very distinctive clothing and regular chanting of mantras. This is one of the attractions to many of the devotees. They want to give up control of their lives and have someone else take charge and make their decisions for them. Hare Krishna devotees, like Christian monks and nuns, find peace in submission.
Another appeal of eastern cults is that they are derived from old eastern religions. Members of these cults are searching for the Truth and new religious movements provide them with an accessible way of getting it combined with the knowledge and wisdom taken from some of the oldest surviving religions.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), who was born in Calcutta, founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna. He became a follower of the Gaudiya Mission, a Hindu revivalist group, and in 1933 was ordered by the leader, Bhakti Siddhanta, to take Krishna consciousness to the West. ISKCON was founded in America in 1966. Over the next few years the movement spread rapidly through America, England and across the West.
Unlike many other forms of Hinduism, Krishna Consciousness teaches a relationship between individuals and a personal god, Krishna, who was the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, though ISKCON sees Krishna as the original form of Vishnu. There is Truth in all the great scriptures, but the oldest surviving scripture, the Vedic Hindu Bhagavad-Gita, is the literal words of Krishna.
Krishna is regarded as the supreme Godhead; this in effect is a monotheistic form of Hinduism, known as Vaishnavism (worship of Vishnu). Krishna is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and eternal, and the sustaining energy of all creation. He is also personal, rather than unknowable, which the more mystical Hindu movements teach. Krishna cares individually about every jiva, every living entity. Unlike the teaching of Shankara, for example, which is that atman, or higher soul, of every person is the same, ISKCON teaches that every person is an individual.4
Full-time devotees of the Hare Krishna movement can be seen dancing and chanting in the streets dressed in traditional Indian robes. The vast majority of followers, however, live and work within a general community, practising Krishna consciousness in their homes and attending temples on a regular basis.
There are about 5,000 full-time devotees throughout the world and 200,000 community members outside India. The movement is presently compromised of 267 temples, 40 rural communities, 26 schools, and 45 restaurants in 71 countries. The basic principle of the Hare Krishna lifestyle is "simple living and high thinking". A devotee of Krishna is encouraged to use his time, energy, talents, and resources in devotional service to God, and not to yearn for selfish ambitions or pleasures, which result in frustration and anxiety.
Devotees try to encourage humanity's innate spiritual qualities of compassion, honesty, cleanliness and austerity. There are four regulative principles which devotees adopt to assist them to develop those qualities and also to help control the insatiable urges of the mind and senses. These principles are:
. No eating of meat, fish or eggs.
2. No gambling.
3. No sex other than for procreation within marriage.
4. No intoxication, including all recreational drugs, alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee.
According to the Bhagavad-Gita, indulgence in the above activities disrupts our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being and increases anxiety and conflict in society.
The philosophy of the Hare Krishna movement is a non-sectarian monotheistic tradition. It can be summarised in the following eight points:
. By genuinely refining an authentic spiritual science, we can become free from anxiety and achieve a state of pure, eternal, blissful consciousness.
2. Each one of us is not the material body, but an eternal spirit soul, part and parcel of God (Krishna). As such, we are all interrelated through Krishna, our common father.
3. Krishna is eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful, and all-attractive. He is the seed-giving father of all living beings and the sustaining energy of the universe. He is the source of all incarnations of God.
4. The Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the world. The essence of the Vedas is found in the Bhagavad-gita, a literal record of Krishna's words spoken 5,000 years ago in India. The goal of Vedic knowledge, and of all theistic religions, is to achieve love of God.
5. We can perfectly understand the knowledge of self-realisation through the instructions of a genuine spiritual master- one who is free from selfish motives and whose mind is firmly fixed in meditation on Krishna.
6. All that we eat should first be offered to Krishna with a prayer. In this way Krishna accepts the offering and blesses it for our purification.
7. Rather than living in a self-centred way, we should act for the pleasure of Krishna. This is known as bhakti-yoga, the science of devotional service.
8. The most effective means of achieving God consciousness in this age is to chant the holy names of the Lord: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. 5
So is Hare Krishna accurately described as a cult?
If we refer back to the definition of a cult and evaluate the beliefs and practices of the Hare Krishna against this as a guideline, we can determine to what extent the Hare Krishna is a cult. Theologically, the Hare Krishna can be classified as a cult since it is a style of worship.
The Hare Krishna is practised almost worldwide, but it is not considered the dominant religion in any one nation; therefore sociologically the Hare Krishna can be called a cult. However, the Hare Krishna derived some of its beliefs from Hinduism, so where Hinduism is the dominant religion it may not be considered a cult because it doesn't exist completely outside the beliefs of that particular nation's governing religion. In this sense the Hare Krishna could not be labelled an open religious cult since it derived from Hinduism, an established religion.
Fundamentalist Christian belief usually classifies any religious group that does not adhere strictly to historical Christian doctrine as a cult, in the negative application of the word. Therefore since the Hare Krishna have alternative explanations for traditional Christian doctrine, such as denying the eternal person of Jesus as God by making Him one of the demi-god manifestations of Krishna. In this sense Jesus is only one of "the millions of incarnations" of Krishna (ibid. p.261). "Jesus is the son, and Krishna is the Father, and Jesus is Krishna's son." (Jesus loves Krishna, Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, n.d., p.26). In a denial of the uniqueness of Jesus and his mission, Prabhupada said:
"God sent Jesus to be the spiritual master of particular people in a particular time and place... He did not claim (as others claim today) that He was the only Representative Agent of the Supreme Person ever to walk the earth in the past or future (ibid. p.44)
ISKON members also believe that Jesus worshipped Krishna. Krishna demands total surrender of love and devotion: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Me." (Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, p.835).
Evangelical Christians, have the same beliefs as the fundamentalists, but it uses the term cults only for other Christian collectives (like Mormons), and not for groups like Hindus, Pagans or Buddhists. They are not concerned with the Hare Krishna, and would not consider them a cult.
Whether or not the Hare Krishna is a popular cult is difficult to determine because although it seems to fulfil some of the characteristics of this type of cult, these things to do not occur in all situations. Like any group, the Hare Krishna sects have a leader. These leaders encourage their members to attract other members by manipulating unsuspecting people both spiritually and financially.
A CASE STUDY: MEMBERSHIP OF A CULT
Life as a Devotee: 'The case of guru Jayatirtha and the dillusioned disciple' 6
James Immel (whose Sanskrit name was Jayatirtha) joined the movement in London shortly after the cult was established in 1967. After making teaching trips to India, America and Canada, he returned to England to live with the community at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, near London. Although he was a respected guru, Immel was a womaniser and a committed drug-user.
A young woman disciple became infatuated with Immel and decided to follow him around the Manor's grounds while he did his chanting so that she could try to get a photo of her hero. Immel and his admirer stripped off and had sex on the grounds. A woman photographer took pictures of them and planned to use them to blackmail him for a luxury trip to India.
Immel's other weakness was LSD and was finally suspended for a year in 1982, and ordered to stay celibate.
On a trip to Nepal James Immel made the acquaintance of a young English follower. This follower, whose Krishna name was Nataipanda, was not pleased to find out that having made the pilgrimage to Kathmandu, the great guru was a drug addict. When Immel flatly refused to pay his fare back to England, Nataipanda, with somewhat uncharacteristically bad-tempered Krishna behaviour, threatened to turn in Immel to the local police as a drug addict. This was serious enough for Immel to change his mind. He gave the follower five hundred dollars and promised to guide him to a traditional lake ceremony early the next morning. When they were halfway out on the water Immel hurled his travelling companion over the side of the boat; then held his head under water till he drowned. The verdict of the police authorities was 'accidental death'. Immel had got away with murder.
It was only a matter of time before drugs caught up with him. Back in London, Immel was staying with another Krishna disciple named John Tierney (who was also called Navaniticera). An habitual drug-user himself, Tierney's brain was in a state of disintegration - to the point that he began to suspect that Immel was not Immel, but Rasputin. He became convinced that it was his mission to remove the mad monk from the world forever, which he effected by stabbing Immel in his stomach. To make sure he was dead, Tierney then cut off Immel's head. It is said that he was still cradling it when the police arrived.
This case study is a 'sensationalist account'. We don't know whether Immel and Tierney were committed drug-users before they joined the Hare Krishna or if they started after becoming members. If they were both already drug-users then the Hare Krishna cannot be blamed for their actions, although it would give us an idea of what type of people are attracted to ISKCON. However it is possible that the numerous restrictions of the society drove some of their members to use drugs. It is important to remember that we cannot judge the beliefs and teachings of Hare Krishna movement just by looking at one case study.
People join cults because it may fulfil their individual needs more than traditional beliefs do. The security and strictness of a cult help them to keep order in their lives. So far, in many senses, the Hare Krishna can be defined as a cult. We need to be aware that the word 'cult' doesn't necessarily have to be used in a derogatory way. The Hare Krishna derived from the world's oldest religion, Hinduism, and many Hindu priests and scholarly figures accept their beliefs, although in some ways it contradicts Hindu beliefs. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion while the Hare Krishna has monotheistic beliefs. The Hare Krishna believe that Krishna is the one supreme deity, while in Hinduism Krishna is one of the many gods that one can worship. There is little documented evidence available that argues that the Hare Krishna is not a cult. Although some Hindu priests accept the beliefs of the Hare Krishna, this is still a subjective view making it hard to come to a definitive classification. Most evaluations of the Hare Krishna are that it does fulfil the criteria of a cult, therefore making it difficult to establish firm grounds for it being a legitimate part of mainstream Hinduism. This makes the Hare Krishna have an ambivalent position in society.
Following Christian beliefs, the Hare Krishna movement is accurately described as a cult. In today's society, in the Western World, it would also be considered a cult. However, in India or other places where Hinduism is the dominant religion, the Hare Krishna is normally accepted as an alternative way of life rather than a cult. This is due to a sociological factor that varies in different environments.
"THE HARE KRISHNA MOVEMENT IS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED AS A CULT." DISCUSS.
By Gayatri Ramnani
9560 Religious Studies Unit D2
Centre 10148 January 2001
Definitions taken from Brian Lane, Killer Cults: Murderous Messiahs and their Fanatical Followers, Headline Publishing, UK, 1996, pp1-2
2 John Bowker (ed), The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, OUP, 1997, p247
3 The Deceivers, Josh McDowell & Don Stewart, Here's Life Publishers, UK, (1992).
4 Sects, 'Cults' & Alternative Religions, David V. Barrett, Cassell plc, UK, (1998).
5All information from Sri Isopanisad, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhativedanta Swami Prabhupada, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, UK, (1993)
6 Case study taken from Killer Cults: Murderous Messiahs and their Fanatical Followers, Brian Lane, Headline Book Publishing, UK, (1996).
