Hi Joe,

Yeah, I'm pretty bored with Wikipedia because reading it is a total yawn, not to mention painful to the brain, but as long as they label ex-premies a hate-group and keep expanding the articles, I'm paying attention (also because those articles are spread all over the net).  There are now articles titled, "Prem Rawt," "Criticism of Prem Rawat," Current Teachings of Prem Rawat,"  "Past Teachings of Prem Rawat," "Divine Light Mission," "Elan Vital," and many more so-called stubs that define some of the terms.  There's even one called "Shri Hans Ji Maharaj."

The articles called "New Religious Movement," "Hate Group," "Apostates," and others, describe ex-premies as hate-group members and apostates (liars).  In other words, ex-premies are the only former cult members used as an example as haters and liars on Wikipedia because Elan Vital's faq's "prove it," because of the allegations listed against exes on the EV websites.

I think it's quite interesting, Joe, that you haven't been paying attention to the articles, but then came across one and it looked like a CAC site to you.  I never thought of quite that way, but when you trace the links in the articles on Wikipedia (there are many) they do take the reader to the Elan Vital faqs, as well as the One Reality website (which does libel ex-premies by name with some photos). 

So, if I understand what you are saying, somebody put together this wikipedia site, which is biased in Rawat's favor.

Then somebody took that and made this really, really dumb "master" website, just lifting different crap from Wikipedia.

Well, sort of, but the articles are never completed and they're open to new edits (at anyone's whim) so they're always works in progress.  That's why, say, the one you came upon above is different from the original article on Wikipedia.  Actually, I don't know how the articles are spread (like a science fictional alien spawn) to the other "commercial" and other "wiki-type" websites.  So, I don't know if premies are placing them there or if it's a function of Wikipedia to place them on other websites.  Wikipedia does (cough) dominate the search engines, that's for sure.

It looks like they just dummied it up to make it look legitimate, when it is nothing more than a cult apologist site, using "Wikipedia" as filler.

Well, the problem is that all of the people who have been writing the Prem Rawat articles -- all premies and other Wikipedeans (yes, they call themselves that) promote the point of view of many sociologists of NRMs who are considered cult apologists.  Some of them are proven cult apologists like Gordon Melton, Eileen Barker, Massimo Introvigne of CESNUR, and many more. Melton's the "scholar" of NRMs who was paid by The Family to promote their sex abuse cult as practically a mainstream Christian fundy religion, and Melton also appeared in one of The Family's promotional films.  These "scholars" also promote the belief that former cult members (ex-premies are used as the standout example) are by definition, all liars and not credible.

They also back this theory up by trashing people like Steve Hassan, Robert Lifton, and Margaret Singer, many other cult experts, including the Apologetic Index folks, by labeling them anti-cult activists.  So, while they think they are being what is termed on Wiki as "encyclopedic," in fact, they are spreading bias all over the place, not to mention libel.

Sorry, Joe, but that was the short story about Wikipedia.