Zathura wrote:...If people want to be a part of the S.E.S what business is it of yours?..
I have no problem with people feeding their mind with whatever crap they so desire, but I do have a problem when it starts to affect other people. The other people here are impressionable children, who should be being taught tolerance in all things and not having their heads filled with sexist and homophobic views which incidentally have nothing to do with any religion.
The most important lesson we all learn at school is how to deal with and interact with people - the academic education is very much a secondary consideration. History is littered with non-academic success stories, but you can bet your bottom dollar that each of those successful people had a very good understanding of people. After many years in St Vedast (and I'm hearing the same from far more recent St James Pupils) I came out with a set of views that was just not contiguous with the society in which I was expected to make my way. It took me a very long time to un-learn all that clap-trap.
Where do you draw the line. If a person wants to study as part of a fundamentalist group that believes that terrorism is justified, then technically that's fine, but the day he goes out to commit an act of terrorism then he has crossed the line. It is for this reason that such organisations are treated with the utmost caution. And while no-one is suggesting the SES is a terrorist organisation, the moment that one of it's members discriminates against a woman or tells a homosexual that they can be "cured" is the day they have crossed that line.
Zathura wrote:...But infact one has to be 'enlightened' to fit the post so it is rather more 'special' in India than the post of archbishop...
Sorry Zathura, but here you have crossed the line into the realms of SES fantasy. WTF is "enlightened" and who on earth can say that one person is more holy (or somehow better) than another. This is just a legacy of the SES, stuff that you believe in because you have had it rammed down your throat for so long that you have no other reference point. Be real - revisit some of that trash and re-examine it for what it is - absolute rubbish!
Zathura wrote:...With the parents at St James is it possible that they want to be where they are and want their children to be there too? In fact it is rather obvious...
It is certainly possible, but it is far more likely that they have no real understanding of the SES and it's views (unless they are ensconced themselves). So it is far from obvious. If the SES were so proud of what they teach then they should be shouting it from the rooftops - but no, they hide it away because they know they would be ridiculed. They discourage relationships with people outside the SES as they know that these have the potential of destroying the bubble that they work so hard to create.
Zathura wrote:...Physical violence is just not a main feature of the S.E.S in all it's 70 year history...
Very wrong - I quote from instruction that was given to the teachers in my time - "You cannot hurt the soul". So essentially they had license to beat merry hell out of us because they would only be harming the body - not the {insert appropriate Sanskrit word} real person.
Zathura wrote:...The people who have serious claims do have serious claims. But would you blame the whole British army for the abuse of some, or the whole Church, every vicar and priest, for the sexual abuse of three hundred or so of their number out of thousands?..
Any organisation, be it the army or the church, has a duty to ensure the well-being of those in it's care. Failure to do this is a criminal act. The difference between the two examples you have given is that both the army and the church have in the past taken responsibility for the un-authorised acts of a few criminals causing the harm of a minority of its members. The governors on the other hand, in suggesting that there were only a few minor acts and calling into question the criminality of these acts, are essentially trying to cover up the true extent of the daily abuse which we all (including the teachers of the time) know existed.
Recently the American press has been having a field day with the Bush Administration regarding the Cheney shooting. The quote that really rang a bell with me (and apologies if I misquote slightly) is:
"Don't they [The Bush Administration] know that the cover-up is worse than the crime"
It would be wise for the governors to take note.
Zathura wrote:...He is letting down anyone who is in too poor a state of mind to make up their mind themselves which are the people I'm sure he's directing his vision of justice at...
Now that's irony!
Zathura wrote:...What law can people claim under when the cut off date in all the cases was 15 to 20 years ago. It's too late to do anything about it legally...
Interestingly enough there is a story in the news today (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/4731946.stm) about a woman who received a payout because she was bullied at her school 12 years ago.
I am not aware of anyone seeking compensation from the schools (that's not what this is about), but it's worth noting that various limits of the time to claim for a criminal prosecution are obviously not a restriction put on private prosecutions.
Zathura wrote:...David Boddy is perfectly willing to admit (I hear) that the S.E.S IS a cult...
Actually, he has no choice - the SES places ticks in all the right boxes when it comes to defining a cult
Zathura wrote:...The S.E.S down to the few arranged marraiges is pure Hinduism without the back up of thousands of years of cultural integrity that includes the tradition of the supression of women and reincarnation...
Quite evidently not - if they were Hindus then they would describe themselves as so and would be far more accepted within society. I work with a number of Hindus and there is certainly no edict within their religion to get rid of any friends who are not Hindu. Likewise I haven't heard much mention of sacred cows in my time at SES.
Zathura wrote:...Everyone that joined my foundation group left...
Good - what was it that finally made you leave? Also did you all leave en-masse or did you just fall away like leaves from a dying tree?
Right, I finally got through all of that, but please take heed Zarutha - if you want your posts to be read by more than a hardy few then please make them shorter. You really don't need to cram everything into one post - the BB is not going to go away - you will have plenty of time to make as many points as you like.
Alban