I was a BK for around 15 years based in the UK and I believe I knew the UK/London 'Seniors' fairly well. I was a centre co-ordinator for five years and attended a number of teacher retreats at the Global Retreat Centre, as well as going to Madhuban each year.
I left the BKs because I eventually realised it wasn't what I thought it was, that is, it wasn't the only true direct contact with God and absolute truth. I really did believe that though at the time and I am generally not a naive person (despite this evidence to the contrary!) and a lot of the people in the BKs that I knew well also genuinely believed that. In many ways I was as guilty as anyone else in the BKs of the kind of things exposed on this site, but I know that I was genuinely doing what I believed was beneficial for myself and others and I believe that is the case for most BKs.
Of all the BKs I have known, I have never met one that I believed was involved in a knowingly conspiratorial way, in the way that the tone and language of this website suggests. Yes, I believe BKs are misguided and deluded and, yes, their beliefs do cause pain and sorrow for people, but I know from my own experience that BKs as a whole are not devious and conspiratorial, they are genuinely nice people doing what they think will help themselves and the world as a whole.
That doesn't mean that they shouldn't be challenged and held to account for the effects of their actions, but I think the dialogue would be more productive if they weren't portrayed as knowingly manipulative money grabbers and liars because most BKs and people who attend their courses will know that this is patently not true and so will likely dismiss the rest of what this site has to offer.
I left the BKs because I eventually realised it wasn't what I thought it was, that is, it wasn't the only true direct contact with God and absolute truth. I really did believe that though at the time and I am generally not a naive person (despite this evidence to the contrary!) and a lot of the people in the BKs that I knew well also genuinely believed that. In many ways I was as guilty as anyone else in the BKs of the kind of things exposed on this site, but I know that I was genuinely doing what I believed was beneficial for myself and others and I believe that is the case for most BKs.
Of all the BKs I have known, I have never met one that I believed was involved in a knowingly conspiratorial way, in the way that the tone and language of this website suggests. Yes, I believe BKs are misguided and deluded and, yes, their beliefs do cause pain and sorrow for people, but I know from my own experience that BKs as a whole are not devious and conspiratorial, they are genuinely nice people doing what they think will help themselves and the world as a whole.
That doesn't mean that they shouldn't be challenged and held to account for the effects of their actions, but I think the dialogue would be more productive if they weren't portrayed as knowingly manipulative money grabbers and liars because most BKs and people who attend their courses will know that this is patently not true and so will likely dismiss the rest of what this site has to offer.