Propaganda + Counterpropaganda != Truth, or even Fact

One of the difficulties related to finding information about New Religious Movements (NRM, the politically correct term for organizations that may or may not be cults) is that the web is rife with propaganda and counter-propaganda from cults, cult members and anti-cult activists.

Is "apostate" testimony reliable? Can any statements from NRM members be taken at face value? Are the "true believers" aware of the methods and mechanics of manipulation used by their religious or corporate leaders?

There is a simple way of cutting through the crap: disclosure. This is sadly lacking at BKI. The School is "staffed" by volunteers. Qualification consists of previous attendance at the School. Many of these people have long histories of associations with groups that are widely regarded as cults. Some have spent their entire adult lives with some religious charismatic or other.

Cult apologists can be found on the anti-cult forums trying to inject uncertainty into discussions about allegations against NRMs. Sometimes they are outed and, after a few protestations, temporarily disappear. Eventually "new" apologists pop up.

On the other hand, the anti-cult crusaders can be violently dismissive of anyone who appears to have received any kind of benefit from an NRM or an LGAT. The difficulty with this militant approach is that the teachings do contain kernels of truth.

One way of interpreting the Work is as a mechanism for revealing and reclaiming your projections about the world. It's easy to see how this could provide entry into honest and beneficial self-examination. However, if I suggest to you that "You should own your projections" the advice is prima facie preposterous. The language at the School is "I invite you to question that", but the sense is the same and the upshot is that no objections to the School are valid.

So who to trust on the wild web? Well, I can't tell you one way or the other. And of course all of these people have their various agendas. Here's some of what I've read (be sure to read the comments in the blog posts):

1. Some back-and-forth about Katie promoters on the web in the comments here: http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2008/04/cosmic-connie-scoops-ny-times-again.html
   
   
2. A summary of the School (including a detailed comment from an insider): http://guruphiliac.blogspot.com/2008/02/byron-katie-is-either-going-to.html
   
   
3. A BKI insider complains about Katie's focus on money:
   http://guruphiliac.blogspot.com/2008/04/byron-katie-poisoned-by-success.html
   
   
4. A discussion (500+ posts!) on an anti-cult forum:
   http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,12906,page=1
   
   
5. Another long thread on rickross.com:
   http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?4,9147,page=1