What do you think of the spiritual group "Eckankar"?

What do you think of the spiritual group "Eckankar"?

Read up on it some years ago, even attended a group session to learn more.

I almost bought into the whole thing (but that was when I was younger, and still sure there was something worth searching for).

I have since realized they are no different than all other religions, still believing in a higher power.

I am a confirmed strong-atheist, now. No more searching. But it did make for great reading, and did lead me to learn more about Edgar Cayce, and his "ideology".

Which, by the way, is what helped me figure out there was no god/gods, and this stuff they were feeding me was bull.

A good friend of mine in college was an Eckest "Sing HI to make you happy!" I even went to some of the meetings.

She was very active in the community; leading meetings and going to regional and sometimes global meetings.

She was a fantastic person and attributed part of it to Eckankar. I think she would be a great person no matter what.

The belief system is different enough from traditional religions and the groups are small enough to where it seems even stranger. However, whereas I might raise my eyebrows if someone said they were a Christian Scientist, I would be uncased if I met an Eckest today.

From what I gather thus far reading up on it a little...sounds a little like Scientology. Not really my gig. To each their own.

They're basically a New Age/theosophical type group. I knew an artist in SoCal who was an Eckist, and she was a genuinely wonderful person. I also used to watch Sri Harold Klemp, their leader, on public access TV. While I frankly thought most of his talk of ascended masters and reincarnation and what not was just a bit whack, he has a wonderfully calm, relaxing voice and a compelling spiritual presence.

*shrug*

It's not my Folkway. But it seems well-intentioned and harmless enough, and they all seem like very nice people. I could name quite a few religions I'd be hard pressed to say that about. *G*

My very best friend has been an Eckist for about 30 years, her husband and grown daughters are also Eckists.

I have met their Eckist friends, and they are all very nice, wonderful people. I have been to some meetings, and there is absolutely NO PUSHING of the beliefs on anyone.

I do lean towards a belief in re-incarnation, but I am very skeptical of this path. There seems to be alto of unnecessary rules, alto of "fuzzy" miracles, and the religion itself seems to be plagiarized from another religion.

There are also seems to be some contradictions in it ON one hand, they are not supposed to judge or interfere with another person's spiritual path, but in many of the Eck books that I have read, there does seem to be a lot of putting down of other spiritual paths. They also call themselves the world oldest "religion" and simultaneously deny being a "religion".