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RELS 225 2009-01-28: ISKCONRELS 225 2009-01-28: ISKCON

Attendance

No Announcements

Review of last classSpiritual Quest of Generation X

Hare Krishna

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Review of last classReview of last class

Why did recent cults emerge?Response to cultural change

Change in valuesSocial structure

Surrogate families

Deinstitutionalization

Religious institutions

Expression of cultural continuityAmerican Great Awakenings every 60 years or so.

History of Religions: It’s always been this way.

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Asian Influence in the USAAsian Influence in the USA

Turn to the East in 1965-19751924 Asian Exclusion Act until 1965

Hinduism4 million practicing Transcendental Meditation in the US at one pointRagneesh (“Osho” from 1989 on)

Pete Townsend (the Who)“Between 1969 and 1971 Townshend, along with other devotees to Meher Baba, recorded a trio of albums devoted to the yogi's teachings: Happy Birthday, I Am, and With Love.” See O Parvardigar

1893: World Parliament of Religions1893: World Parliament of Religions

Next to the World Fair in Chicago

Attended by thousands

Dominantly Christian, but some Shinto, Zen, Hindu practitioners.

Small, unassuming Hindu was the star: Vivekananda

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ISKCON (Hare Krishna)ISKCON (Hare Krishna)

Mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

George Harrison (After the breakup of the Beatles)

My Sweet Lord

All his love songs: he’s not singing to a woman.

Boy George

History of Hare KrishnaHistory of Hare Krishna

A sect of Hinduism.Not really a NRM.Only new to us in North America.

“Hinduism” is multi-form, although now it is becoming homogenized.Krishna Consciousness is from the Middle Ages in the form of Gaudiya Vaishnava .ISKCON founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Two styles of Hinduism: Monism & BhaktiTwo styles of Hinduism: Monism & Bhakti

MonismPhilosophicalThe One (Theosophy)Rooted in the Upanishads (5th Century BCE)Brahman is One.Chandayoga Upanishad: “Tat vam asi” “That art thou”Become ready for this by practicing yoga.Surrender to a guru.

Humiliation to show non-egoismKey to salvation is knowing (knowledge)

Only when you have correct knowledge do you know how to love.

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Two styles of Hinduism: Monism & BhaktiTwo styles of Hinduism: Monism & Bhakti

BhaktiDevotionISKCON falls into this categoryLike Christianity, with a God of Love.Out of true love comes knowledge.Bhagavad Gita

Krishna plays a flute, advises Arjuna:Arjuna has a dilemma: killing relatives in battle.Lesson: no choice but to fight and fulfill your social duty as a warrior. Do your duty without concern for personal benefit.How? Focus attention on me & I will assist you to do it with purity & detachment.

Medieval OriginsMedieval Origins

Krishna bhakti movement founded by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

A late medieval saint from NR India, travelled all over India; popular.Revival in late 19th Century

Caitanya initiated sankirtana

a practice requiring followers to dance in the streets, singing praises of Lord Krishna.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

1896-1977Had been manager in a chemical form, until his retirement in 1954.Had published in EnglishSpiritual master was Bhaktisiddhanta (died 1936)

Instructed ACB to carry the teachings of Krishna Consciousness to the West.

Published Back to Godhead magazine, used to promote his movement in America.Took order of sannyasa (religious ascetic, dedicated to religious cause) at age 59.

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Growth in AmericaGrowth in America

On a steamer, Prabhupada came to New York in 1965 with $50 in his pocket.

Wanders around Greenwich VillageBumps into hippies, who become his first disciples.

By 1967, dozens of centres1987: 50 temples in US, 1775 other temples around world

Recruited alienated youth from the counterculture.Membership began to decline in 1974

As a missionary movement, ISKCON was opportunistic in its recruitment strategies.

AppearanceAppearance

Sikha: Men shave head,

To avoid vanity

except for a tuft at the end.

Signifies surrender to guru and Krishna

AppearanceAppearance

Dhoti: Men wear robe:

whiteSaffron if far along.Formal wear in India.

SariWomen wear traditional Indian garbAny colour, but modest

AppearanceAppearance

TilakDab of clay down the middle of forehead

Reminder that body is temple of lord.

Body must be pure, in all you eat & do.

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PracticesPractices

KritanChanting for hours to get into a state

Centre of religion

PrasadamFree food distribution

Famous for its cuisine

All food is an offering to the Lord

Also, giving to emergency relief, like Red Cross.

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BeliefsBeliefs

Not sophisticated doctrine

Until recently, women had to hope for reincarnation as a man

Emphasizes orthopraxis over orthodoxy.

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TeachingsTeachings

1. Find blissful consciousness is this lifetime.2. We are spirit souls, parts of God.3. Krsna is omni-everything, father & sustainer4. Absolute truth is in all great scriptures,

1. But the Bhagavad Gita is oldest, the literal record of God’s actual words.5. Learn from an unselfish focussed guru6. Offer food to Krsna before entry7. All actions are for Krsna, not for our sense gratification.8. To achieve love of God, recommended chant Lord’s names, e.g.,

mantraWe are in the end times; The universe is near its end (Apocalyptic)

KrishnaKrishna

Krsna is worshipped in one of his manifestations: a charming young man living in a village.

Beautiful, mischievous, girls all in love with him.Approachably human, metaphoricized as love.

You’re supposed to fall in love with him.

Radha the gopi receives special favour.

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Nature of humanityNature of humanity

Traditional Hindu view.We are spirit souls

Obtain release from this material existence if you can.A world of sadness, woe.Reincarnation is not a good thingKarma

Death & the Afterlife (escaping samsara)One ceases to exist & becomes one with Krishna.

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The Good lifeThe Good life

Highly prescriptive, puritanical religionAscetic.Wear this, get up at this time, chant this number of mantras.Very strict dietary rules.Men & women live separately; highly chaperoned.In favour of children.

The ritual is not magical; it reminds you of what your inner discipline is.Pacifist; communal.

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OverallOverall

Particularistic religion.It’s the ultimate religion.

Good book:Canadian Susan Palmer, Moon Sisters, Krishna Mothers, Rajneesh Lovers: Women's Roles in New Religions.

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DeclineDecline

Charges of brainwashing from anti-cultistsMedia portrayed it as a dangerous cult.Alternate fundraising

Had been booksellingBranched into music, art.Dressed as Santa Claus soliciting donationsMovement became financially-driven, rather than principle-driven (spreading the movement)

Now, ISKCON’s sectarian lifestyle has given way to domesticity: jobs, families, etc.

ISKCON’s temples are used by thousands of East Indian immigrants in North America.“A faith too accomodated to worldliness lacks power for conversion” (Rodney Stark)

HomeworkHomework

For Monday:Read chapter 4 in Comprehending Cults (note the change)Write quiz on Chapter 4 at http://moodle.library.stfx.ca

For Wednesday:Read the reading on “Unification Church” and write “Reading Quiz on the Unification Church” on Moodle

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AnnouncementAnnouncement

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Joining NRMs: Who and Why?Joining NRMs: Who and Why?

Stark & Bainbridge say not:Gullible

Losers

Everyone

Not the dregs; more like the best & brightest.

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One early theoryOne early theory

1. What were people lacking?

2. What does the movement offer?

3. Where do they overlap?

That is where the ‘reason’ is to be found.

Derived from deprived classes converting to Christian sects.

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Then: the 60’s NRMsThen: the 60’s NRMs

The converts in the 1960’s were privileged.

So the theory was modified by Glock:

Relative deprivation:Economic

Social

Organismic (health, physical, & mental)

Psychic (love & affection)

Ethical (dissatisfaction with dominant values)

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1965 Lofland & Stark 1965 Lofland & Stark

John Lofland & grad student Rodney StarkBest early work on conversion. Studied a group called “Divine Precepts” (Unification Church)

The very first cell of “Moonies” 12-15 of them.Stark: Recent book Rise of Christianity.Predisposing conditions:

1. Tensions2. Religious orientation3. Seeker (already reading, investigating)

Situational Contingencies:4. Encounter5. Bonds-making6. Bond-breaking7. Interacting

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Who joins?Who joins?

Join through social networks.They liked the people.Left when people disappointed them.

People without:Ideological alignmentOther commitments (family, mortgage)

With history of seekershipPeople looking for rewards & compensations:

NeedsMeaningStatus

Other:hostile environment (Christianity?)Competition

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CharacteristicsCharacteristics

YoungEven younger in the 1970’s

Middle-upper middle classNo appeal to working class

Higher educatedBalanced male-female

Although Moonies started male

More secular religious backgroundsBut large Jewish representation, especially in Zen.

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1984: Two Resources1984: Two Resources

Radical Departures, by Saul Levine.North American psychiatristGood for parents of cult members.800 interviews

The Making of a Moonie by Eileen BarkerBritish sociologistInterviewed/surveyed all Moonie attendees for 10 years.Compared with a control group.

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Levine and Barker’s findings:Levine and Barker’s findings:

BarkerRespectable familiesOverachieversDisrupted at university (disappointed with larger world)

LevineNo more psychopathology than normalOveracheiversQuietly suffering in frustration for yearsIdentify too strongly with parents

They like their parents.Try to please them

No strong romantic relationship in adolescenceNo all-nighters stoned, pondering metaphysics.

90% of joiners left voluntarily in less than 2 years.