Word: sects
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Some psychiatrists believe that youngsters are afraid of what they so insistently demand; they really want less rather than more freedom. Psychoanalyst Mintz cites the surprising popularity of the Hare Krishna movement. Before joining the sect, many devotees behaved without sexual restraint; as members they have found what they apparently need: "Under the guise of a religious commitment ... a strict, ascetic society with a built-in set of controls...
...sect's theology is, well, eclectic. According to his followers, Maharaj Ji is the last of a line of Spiritual Masters which has seen such past greats as Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus and Mohammed. He is the highest manifestation of God incarnate; yet each individual on earth has portions of Godhood within. The religion incorporates Hindu notions of reincarnation and Nirvana; its American adherents sing gospel songs with "Maharaj Ji" substituted for "Jesus." Meditation, service and satsang are primary, but the group is self-consciously life-affirming...
Initiation into meditation comes in "receiving Knowledge" from a Mahatma of the group. "You spend six to eight hours in a room with the Mahatma, where he teaches you everything you need to know for life," Theodore Chadwick '74, a member of the sect, said. "The actual receiving of Knowledge takes about a minute. Then he shows you the techniques (for meditation) and practices with you for several hours...
...possible explanation of the sect's success in the U.S. is that the Guru Maharaj Ji is indeed (gulp) God. If this is an unpalatable hypothesis, there are more mundane explanations. Perhaps the attraction is to a group with all the psychic benefits of old-time religion, but without the stigma attached to them in a liberal society...
Alice was raised in sunny Phoenix, the son and grandson of ordained ministers. Since their fundamentalist sect does not allow its ministers to receive salaries, Father Ether Furnier earns his living as an engineer for Goodyear Aerospace Corp. Though the Furniers are obviously proud of their son and his success, Ether admits: "It is quite a shock when you expect to sire a gospel missionary and instead you get a rebel rock star...