Friends, we have to do "due diligence" and run a background check on any good cause, period.
Having a building inspected before you purchase it is considered wise business practice; you'd be considered a fool if you did not do so.
It is time to recognize that the same alertness is needed when some group offers to teach yoga to your kids in school, markets meditation to your health organization, offers "free meditation classes".
Learn to be your own private eye -- even when your dearest friend urges you to try something out.
Free meditation classes and recommendations from friends -- those are two major
ways that dishonest groups get at us.
And, dishonest people and groups often manipulate Google so that bad news
about them is hard to find.
So, put search terms in quotation marks alongside the names. "cult" "abuse" "scam" "fraud" "plaintiff" "money" "former disciple" "complaints".
If the group or a guru has published books, go to Amazon, read the reviews and especially look at the one and two star reviews. These reviews do NOT show up on
Google searches - but can contain useful information.
Think this is paranoia?
Well, some years ago, someone nagged at me to read a newly popular book by
a retired physician claiming to have benefitted from a spirital breakthrough.
The dude was currently the new darling of the Mysticism Market.
I looked at the one star reviews for the bloke's book.
One person had done some research and revealed that very serious allegations had been made against this guy to the state medical board.
This was shortly before he retired and had his vision of eternity and then hit the Nu Age scene.
Fact check - it is entertaining, it exercises your brain, brings a sparkle to the eye and a spring to the step.
Having a building inspected before you purchase it is considered wise business practice; you'd be considered a fool if you did not do so.
It is time to recognize that the same alertness is needed when some group offers to teach yoga to your kids in school, markets meditation to your health organization, offers "free meditation classes".
Learn to be your own private eye -- even when your dearest friend urges you to try something out.
Free meditation classes and recommendations from friends -- those are two major
ways that dishonest groups get at us.
And, dishonest people and groups often manipulate Google so that bad news
about them is hard to find.
So, put search terms in quotation marks alongside the names. "cult" "abuse" "scam" "fraud" "plaintiff" "money" "former disciple" "complaints".
If the group or a guru has published books, go to Amazon, read the reviews and especially look at the one and two star reviews. These reviews do NOT show up on
Google searches - but can contain useful information.
Think this is paranoia?
Well, some years ago, someone nagged at me to read a newly popular book by
a retired physician claiming to have benefitted from a spirital breakthrough.
The dude was currently the new darling of the Mysticism Market.
I looked at the one star reviews for the bloke's book.
One person had done some research and revealed that very serious allegations had been made against this guy to the state medical board.
This was shortly before he retired and had his vision of eternity and then hit the Nu Age scene.
Fact check - it is entertaining, it exercises your brain, brings a sparkle to the eye and a spring to the step.