Rajneesh

Oh wow, I honestly do not even know where to start with this one, because I feel like my views have changed so tremendously over the course of this semester. The word cult and all of its negative connotations that come with it have been in my vocabulary since I was about 12 years old. Granted, I did not know what any of the words meant or how much gravity they held. It was likely I heard it in a conversation and eventually, I came to know the definition that society gave it as well as who it was targeted towards. Over time, because I was never told different, nor had I ever done research on my own, these misconceptions grew stronger and I had accepted them. If  was ever confronted with a conversation regarding the matter, I would simply try and avoid it because in all honesty the ideology I had at the time really frightened me. I am happy to say, however, that my views have become more clarified and I can see the bigger picture, so to speak. First things first, I quickly rea...

            For this class, I learned a lot about many communes in the United States. Before this semester, I knew nothing of communes; I didn’t even know what they were. This class taught me a lot, to not judge any group by their cover and that cults and sects are not all bad. I also learned how much of the media are lies to hurt others. It was fascinating to see how much judgment can be found in those media articles, meant to scare the rest of the world. By passing judgment and terror through their words/pictures, the media manipulates their readers so that they take up their beliefs. With this new discovery, I was able to make my own opinions about communes, realizing that they are not that bad. But I also have to remember the fact that some might be bad and some might be good. Of course, we can all remember the violent incidents that happened within some communes, but it is our duty to understand that it does not mean that every commune is violent. ...

Maggie Billingsley I personally had a lot of fun learning about the Rajneesh. It was very interesting to see this way of life. I think what was most intriguing was the recruiting process and how they got people to join their commune. Usually when people see big groups like this they imagine a whole process and certain things to be done, and usually think negatively, I know I did anyways. The Rajneesh was not negative at all. They were known for their welcoming ways and lived by the idea that people could do whatever they wanted. Of course they had their suggestions, and recommendations, but they made sure that each member had the right to live freely. An example of this was that Osho loved orange. He recommended that everyone wore orange, but let them know that it was okay if they wanted to wear anything else instead. People were able to leave the commune whenever they desired, which is also something I would not have expected. The only reason why people did leave was because of ...

By: Zach Schultz        The Rajneesh was a utopian community who that was more or less a place/group where one could find a better spiritual path for themselves. The group had now chosen or associated religion or beliefs, and was science-based with a reliance on their followers eventually finding a religion to pursue throughout their life. Personally, I am fond of this part of the Rajneesh and find it to be structurally accepting to anyone, and is developed to suit your own personalized beliefs/interests. This has a profound effect on me because you always see groups or people trying to force or convert their religion, ideas, or beliefs onto you and think strictly based on that certain book/teachings. I think the strategy the Rajneesh go by was successful in actually recruiting and getting loyal members because it didn’t enforce a certain core religion or values, but was solely a means of helping one who may be curious and “lost” find themselves and their true nat...

                Both the Rajneesh movement and the People’s Temple have good and bad things to them. Both communes started out as peaceful and they both ended with a bad situation. Naturally, the People’s Temple ended with a bigger tragedy, but that does not mean that the Rajneesh movement ended peacefully. As such, both communes are similar in some ways and different in others. Before I start comparing those communes, I will start by describing both communes individually.                 The People’s Temple was founded by Jim Jones who believed in building a utopia for his followers, and was first based in San Francisco. Although his commune, which was described many times as a cult, went to flames when they relocated, he was able to be successful for a long period of time. Jim Jones was successful because he was able to get as many as 5,000 persons to follow him in h...

The Rajneesh movement, though it has simmered down, was largely successful in its prime. This is the case for many other new religious movements.  I think all New Religious Movements face the similar issues, more or less, which is probably why it was kind of difficult for me to choose a fellow New Religious Movement to  compare  and contrast it to. The fact of the matter is that I could see connections, in at least one aspect, with each and every one of the groups we examined over the course of the semester. That is ultimately why I chose to do a Movement we have not covered.    Arya  Samaj  is a Hindu Reform Movement that was founded in the late 1800s. It was founded by a man named  Dayananada   Saraswati . Both Rajneesh and  Dayananada    can be considered  charismatic  in their own way. In addition, the two leaders both started the spread of their movements close to home before expanding to places like the ...