Hi Susan,
I can't even begin to answer your questions. All I can do is paint snarky caricatures of the types of people in that cult who've lashed out at critics and speculate about their motives. First, please know that my heart goes out to the vast majority of Prem Rawat's followers who conduct themselves honorably and sincerely believe they're on the right path. It's highly unlikely that any of them would ever threaten anyone.
As for the small percentage that have or would threaten critics, I've divided them into three categories. In each case, their motives are at least partially rooted in their fear of losing something they're fully invested in and their need to protect it. And they feel empowered and justified in doing so by their "knowing."
- The naive sincere premie who reflexively attempts to protect their master and the general public (people who need Knowledge) from those crazy lying critics whose only motivation is to maliciously discredit their master and ruin it for everyone. They're compelled to attack threats to their only reality and identity that they've built-up and invested in throughout their adult lifetime. Defending their reality is a "service" that will surely please their master and earn them brownie points.
- The fully self-realized, enlightened and transcendent devotee who's completely aware of the full scope of Prem Rawat's deeply flawed character and misdeeds and doesn't care. They've taken their cues from their master. Self-assured, smug and secure in their master's unassailable truth, power and authority, their actions are no longer bound by antiquated moral values. Their "ends justify the means" mentality transcends right and wrong. They threaten and attack. That's just what they do. It's like an entitlement or a sport or something. Their "knowing" is absolute and superior. If something doesn't fit, it must be and deserves to be attacked and they seem to derive some sort of perverse pleasure in doing so. They're on a mission their mission is their motivation.
- The fully complicit enabler who knows full well that Prem Rawat is a fraud and yet continues to promote him anyway. Even worse, they continue to exploit and take advantage of sincere, innocent premies for their own self-interested reasons, e.g., livelihood, financial, social status, etc. They have no parachute and no other life to fall back on. They don't threaten or attack. They hire the transcendents to do it for them. They're slick, heavily cloaked and they don't want to draw attention to themselves. They're the worst of the lot.
These may be caricatures, but except for the hidden complicit enablers, I crossed paths with too many of the other types, which is in part why I'm here. Sorry I couldn't come-up with any serious answers to your questions.
