Paddy,

Am I the only person who noticed that you called Prem Rawat an "inspirational speaker?"  If so, I'm going to call you on that one because he's not an inspirational speaker, he's a cult leader.  People still worship him as the Lord.  You can take all the surveys you want, Paddy it still doesn't change that fact.  Also, being in a destructive personality cult is an enormous difference from being a member of a mainstream religion.  You minimize these issues all of the time, Paddy.  And again, a destructive cult isn't a "Ponzi" scheme! 

I wanted to point out that I have never said that I think all premies are miserable and unhappy, either.  Quite the contrary.  Most cult members feel happy and believe strongly in their personal happiness, that's another hallmark of a destructive cult that has a leader who is worshipped.  Cult members deny that they are unhappy in any way because to reveal any unhappiness (which they most often hide) they'd have to admit a deficiency in their leader, in this case Prem Rawat.

Ask any of your "happy premies" to say one negative thing about Prem Rawat and see how far you get.  Please do that:  Go out and take a survey of premies by digging a bit deeper than how their lives appear to be from outside observation.  Then please come back with that survey, because I'd be very interested to know those results.  That would be the percentage of premies who can say one critical thing about Prem Rawat.

I think that Lesley said it the best below in the post titled "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."  Here's an exceprt, I highly recommend it:

"Perhaps the giddy relief exiters feel does in part reflect the discovery that not only is it not a fire, the experience of living outside the confines of the cult is a darn sight richer and more comfortable than premiedom. Why? because you get yourself back. You get back everything you checked in at the door along with your shoes."

http://www.forum8.org/forum8/posts/16755.html

I didn't leave the cult until 1999, so I'm well aware that premies don't plaster their homes with Maharaji photos anymore, and that many have careers and own homes.  In fact, most of the regular posters here didn't leave until around 5 or so years ago.  I do think that having lived in an ashram had a tremendous impact on our lives, even though that took place so many years ago.  That's another hallmark of a very destructive, mind-destroying cult that distinguishes them from regular religions.  I never had any problems leaving the Catholic Church and don't know many people who have.  There are many problems to sort out upon leaving a cult and its leader, however. 

I also wanted to mention that I never have said I'm unbiased about this subject and don't apologize for my point of view either.  I suppose I'm suspicious of anyone from downunder proclaiming their "happiness," when the vast majority of premie posters who have ever trolled these ex-premie forums have been Austrialian premies.  That they have their careers, homes, and happiness (as the earmark of their happiness being intact) would be questionable to me as a real sign of enjoying life with K, because they've displayed some of the worst human behavior I've ever witnessed, even online.  Just mean and nasty to everyone, in every way imaginable.  Why?  Because we exes have been critical of Prem Rawat, that's why.  Some happiness!