From another topic ...
A "class action" is where a group of people with the same damages and suffering come together and appoint one lawyer to represent them against the same individuals who caused those damages and suffering. In our case, the BKWSU/BKWSO.
Although the law differs from country to country, generally in cases against religion, "undue influence" is presumed by the courts. In essence, the religion is guilty ... unless it can prove it is innocent and has done everything it can to stop abuses.
"Undue influence" means one or more people taking advantage of a position of power over another person. Priests over a member of their parish is one such example ... and I can imagine the Brahma Kumaris twisting and turning to argue that they are not a religion and not priests, merely "teachers at a university" and that their followers are students. Does not matter, teachers and students would count too.
In my opinion, there is no doubt that the Brahma Kumari leaders, from Janki Kripalani down, have deceived, manipulated and defrauded followers in the West from when they first came here and can prove how. There is also no doubt in my mind that the leaders of the religion are essentially parasitical, living off the rest of society, right down to essentially having to 'steal' other family's children and other individuals' husbands and wives, in order to survive.
This has caused a vast amount of very real damage to individuals falsely sucked into their religion, and the rest of society (family and marriages breaking up, individuals destroying their education and careers and losing years of their life, and the time it takes to recover afterwards are all very costly in real terms). The BKWSU offers no exit strategy and no support for individuals seeking to exit which in, say, India is a very serious matter. To the BKs you become "lower than the lowest of the low" ... lower than shudras ... "traitors" or "failures".
The difficulties is starting such cases are numerous. Firstly, the Brahma Kumaris are a multi-national operation now and operate at a thin level and internationally. Even though much of the money all goes back to Indian HQ, victim's cases would fall under different national jurisdictions.
Secondly, when individuals finally fall free of the BKWSU, generally the last thing they want to do is have anything more to do with them and it takes a number of year for them to recover and decide their position to the BKWSU. They can remain confused and unclear for many years. That is normal ... but in the law you have "statutory limitations" meaning that cases have to be brought within a certain period of time. A lot of the time the BKs keep very "sweet" with ex-es to keep them "co-operative".
In my own case, for example, I left far too long ago and so I could not join one (statutory limitations), but I would help anyone or ones who wish to fight their case. I think there is a good case based on the ridiculous beliefs and demands and all the deception that has gone on hiding the failed predictions of the End of the World and falsified history.
It was my greatest shock and awakening when I discovered that at the same time Janki Kripalani was preaching the End of the World in 1976, there were buying their first of many freeholds in the West. Of course, at the time we did not know that there had been previous failed predictions, e.g. WWII, 1950 ... but she would have and she hid it from her donors. This pattern carried on into the 1980s when they then hid again the failure of the 1976 prediction ... but where still asking for money off people to buy more and more freehold properties.
Why would you want a freehold property when the world was going to end in 2 to 3 years as Jayanti Kirpalani kept teaching? Believe it or not, it is even against the Shrimat in the Murlis. Not that they care much about that when it suits them.
leonard wrote:We read quite a few tales such as these of moving experiences from people who feel they have been manipulated or misled by BK, and there are others who do not write but feel the same ... if people are keen for reform in BK, in your country you could begin what is called a class action. That is to say a group who feel strongly that they have been led into giving their time, money and maybe careers, by wrong information from BK, and that for years together they were told untruths about the true history of BK, in order to make it easier for them to accept The Knowledge and commit themselves personally and financially to BK, could form a class action.
A "class action" is where a group of people with the same damages and suffering come together and appoint one lawyer to represent them against the same individuals who caused those damages and suffering. In our case, the BKWSU/BKWSO.
Although the law differs from country to country, generally in cases against religion, "undue influence" is presumed by the courts. In essence, the religion is guilty ... unless it can prove it is innocent and has done everything it can to stop abuses.
"Undue influence" means one or more people taking advantage of a position of power over another person. Priests over a member of their parish is one such example ... and I can imagine the Brahma Kumaris twisting and turning to argue that they are not a religion and not priests, merely "teachers at a university" and that their followers are students. Does not matter, teachers and students would count too.
In my opinion, there is no doubt that the Brahma Kumari leaders, from Janki Kripalani down, have deceived, manipulated and defrauded followers in the West from when they first came here and can prove how. There is also no doubt in my mind that the leaders of the religion are essentially parasitical, living off the rest of society, right down to essentially having to 'steal' other family's children and other individuals' husbands and wives, in order to survive.
This has caused a vast amount of very real damage to individuals falsely sucked into their religion, and the rest of society (family and marriages breaking up, individuals destroying their education and careers and losing years of their life, and the time it takes to recover afterwards are all very costly in real terms). The BKWSU offers no exit strategy and no support for individuals seeking to exit which in, say, India is a very serious matter. To the BKs you become "lower than the lowest of the low" ... lower than shudras ... "traitors" or "failures".
The difficulties is starting such cases are numerous. Firstly, the Brahma Kumaris are a multi-national operation now and operate at a thin level and internationally. Even though much of the money all goes back to Indian HQ, victim's cases would fall under different national jurisdictions.
Secondly, when individuals finally fall free of the BKWSU, generally the last thing they want to do is have anything more to do with them and it takes a number of year for them to recover and decide their position to the BKWSU. They can remain confused and unclear for many years. That is normal ... but in the law you have "statutory limitations" meaning that cases have to be brought within a certain period of time. A lot of the time the BKs keep very "sweet" with ex-es to keep them "co-operative".
In my own case, for example, I left far too long ago and so I could not join one (statutory limitations), but I would help anyone or ones who wish to fight their case. I think there is a good case based on the ridiculous beliefs and demands and all the deception that has gone on hiding the failed predictions of the End of the World and falsified history.
It was my greatest shock and awakening when I discovered that at the same time Janki Kripalani was preaching the End of the World in 1976, there were buying their first of many freeholds in the West. Of course, at the time we did not know that there had been previous failed predictions, e.g. WWII, 1950 ... but she would have and she hid it from her donors. This pattern carried on into the 1980s when they then hid again the failure of the 1976 prediction ... but where still asking for money off people to buy more and more freehold properties.
Why would you want a freehold property when the world was going to end in 2 to 3 years as Jayanti Kirpalani kept teaching? Believe it or not, it is even against the Shrimat in the Murlis. Not that they care much about that when it suits them.