Pink Panther wrote:I think because Freedom of Religion is a basic human right, what BKs believe is never going to be way to challenge them to lessen their power over people.
At the time when "Freedom of Religion" was a human rights issue, the people seeking religious freedom were the more reasonable, rational parties.
Now "Freedom of Religion" has been established as an idea, the parties exploiting at the more unreasonable, irrational parties.
Personally, I think "Freedom FROM Religion" is the present day human rights issue ... the freedom for individuals - especially children - not to be pressurised, and brainwashed, and enculturated into bogus superstitions and exploited by religious leaders.
I was reading an article, about how
"Secularism in India is almost a defeated force". I don't know how true it is.
The BKs are not beyond straight out bribery either, they have spoken openly about doing it in the past, saying its part of the local culture an you do what you have to do.
I would say all the free retreats to luxury resorts are the BKs first level of bribery, I wonder how many - for example - retreat properties they have handed out either entirely or on a timeshare basis they have handed out?
I think more research - more fact seeking and example gathering - has to be done in India. A sort of "Truth and Reconcilliation Commission" that gathers as many stories of abuse, broken families, lost properties and so on.
Yes, we have to keep pushing as many buttons as possible until we hit a jackpot ... but, I am sorry, I am not sure a single person writing to the PM will do it. Their concern is with big numbers and the BKs - to their minds - produce "big numbers" for politicians, their pointless "mega programmes" to which they invite politicians to show off how powerful it is.
I say "pointless" because I bet almost zero BKs actually vote.
At present, we are few. We need to think strategically what we can do. There is lots of anti-BK sentiment in India FROM VICTIMS, I see it on social media; Quora, Youtube, Indian newspapers etc. There are a few concerned social activists.
My suggestion is to try and start gathering all those voices together. To gather all their stories.
The BKs started by gather what was really just a few deluded voices saying how wonderful they are to make themselves look good. If you could gather together, say, 100 stories about what the BKs have done and publish them, either on the internet or a booklet, perhaps it would have an effect?
I think a booklet family members could hand to a BK and say, "look, this is what happens" might have an effect.
They would have to be factual and true. That is most important. No simple insults or theoretical objections. We have many such stories here.
Then aim to influence rising power and rising VIPs that the BKs are bad for their image.
Once a VIP or politician is in power, it's too difficult and too late to influence them I think ... unless you have a direct personal contact, and it's a vote winner, eg exposing corruption, breaking families.
I think "family" is still important in India, more than individual rights, is it not?
Then it's a simple matter of "beating a simple beat on your drum" ... keeping repeating simple messages until it changes public opinion ... for example, truths like "The Brahma Kumaris break apart families ... The Brahma Kumaris number one interest is money and property ... The Brahma Kumaris have made many false predictions of the End of the World to make money and con people out of properties ... Dadi Janki covered up child sex abuse in Mount Abu ... There have been suicides in Brahma Kumari centres" (all of those are true). It's like politics, you need simple catchy memes to spread.
In my opinion, "the Brahma Kumaris are spiritual parasites". That is an opinion. It is hard to argue or defend. I say, "parasites" because parasites feed off their hosts while making them sick. You can probably say that safely.
I actually think they are psychic parasites.
In India, at a certain level, there is still a lot of fear about ghosts and spirits, you can probably use that, eg "I think that the Brahma Kumari ghosts and spirits are psychic parasites feeding off their followers energy".
You/we could make some cartoon memes to spread, like the Russians did during the American election.
It worked well.