Cynthia, I was never at DECCA, but have heard the stories. If premies knew that they were putting their lives in danger, why didn't they leave? I don't believe that people actually believed that they should risk their lives doing service. We as premies always had a choice. I never heard maharaji make reference to the fact that we should sacrifice ourselves in such a way to cause permanent damage to our health, and anyone who was- was doing it of their own choice. And I don't know what you mean about maharaji "tossing you aside" when you became ill. In fact, several of the ashrams I lived in had premies sent there who had become sick & temporarily disabled, and were given direction by maharaji to go there and rest and be taken care of. Most of them had been at DECA. We were adults, and that's when premies were mindless cult members - not today. Ex-premies refuse to take responsibility for the decisions they made as adults.

The premies I know today don't take orders from the elan vital staff, maharaji or anyone else. They volunteer if they want to. They donate money if they believe in what maharaji is doing - there isn't any pressure. Everyone knows when the fundraising meetings are happening - if it makes them uncomfortable, they don't show up.

"So long as Maharaji continues to demean me by calling me a leader/member of a hate group, I'll be posting on this forum. As long as Maharaji uses my past mental health problems in order to try to hurt me, ridicule me, humiliate me and discredit me because of what I say about DECA, I'll still be here posting."

I don't understand. Are you saying that maharaji is personally attacking you on the above issues? I don't think he reads this forum, and obviously doesn't respond to it - but alot of premies do, and they are responding to your attacks against maharaji by trying to discredit you and others here.