Protest! Two wrongs don't make a right

[Guest guest]

Dear Mahanidhi prabhu,

Thank you for writing.

 

> > I think this is important. Let's not become blinded to what ISKCON is (and

> > can be) by the ghastly child-abuse. Let's put things in proportion.

>

> The present demand is not on a "more philosophical" approaches.

> It is time to be able to recognize this. The philosophy will not

> help to ISCKON to keep the head up, since there has been the abuse of

> philosophy going all along, or it has been applied one sided.

> This very court case illustrates this. While the abuse of the

> children is being viewed from the "higher philosophical angle"

> (like: "our" unproper following instructions, or children's karma), the court

> case that (some) abused children are conducting against ISCKON, the

> institution where the abuse happened, is viewed on a quite "down to earth"

> way: "They are our enemies that want to destroy us. They want our our money".

> All so-called higher philosophy is gone straight trough the window.

 

I think, and correct me if I am wrong, the point you are making is that if one

sees philosophically that individuals have karma to suffer, so we must accept

that the ISKCON society also has karma to suffer. If so, I don't think anyone

disagrees with you.

It's just that if we are inactive when we can do something about it, WE will

get karma for that neglect, whether it concerns karmic suffering of children,

or the karmic suffering of the wider membership of ISKCON.

The effect of a (successful?) court case is to inflict maximum damage on

ISKCON, the effect of the child abuse is possibly spoiling a child's life.

Both are karmic.

Both are undesireable.

So what do you do, support one abuse and not the other? Lets be consistent.

 

> > One aspect of

> > ISKCON activities has caused great suffering to a significant (I suppose -

> > I don't have the statistics) proportion of children where it should have

> > caused happiness - let's help them, punish the offenders, and make as sure

> > as possible it doesn't happen again.

>

> Yes, but this has not happened so far.

 

Madhusudani Radha's recently submitted child abuse guidelines were on the

conference yeasteday. On Chakra there were two very public dossiers of these

guidelines in practice. I was impressed. So something substabtial is happening.

 

I agree that at least more should be done to punish the offenders, even from

years ago. But you are wrong to infer nothing has happened. Lots has. See the

section on Chakra.

 

>The victims have not been

> really helped, the abusers were not really punished. The justice

> in ISCKON seems to began and end with empty phrases. All the years.

 

Child abuse is so bad that it is not always possible to undo the damage. To say

victims have not been really helped underlines the seriousness of child abuse,

not that nothing has been done, which it has in a lot of cases. There is a long

list of children the child protection agency have contacted. Do you want me to

send it to you? I feel some of your statements do not reflect the commitment

with which some devotees are working to eradicate child abuse and make amends

to those who have already suffered.

 

> > Thus my sympathy does not extend to condoning the court case, which

> > attempts to destroy my activities in service to Srila Prabhupada and those

> > of many thousands of others who never go near a gurukula (or those

> > dedicated teachers and students in gurukulas around the world) but are

> > active members of ISKCON in other areas. Two wrongs do not make a right.

>

> Where is the philosophical approach? How a court case, where

> the abused are suing the abusers, is attempting to destroy your

> activities in service to Srila Prabhupada? After all, it's

> going for money (or material properties, as equivalent) that

> might be lost. The abused children might even become the owners

> of some temple buildings. But why your *activities* in service to Prabhupada

> and God will be destroyed by loss of some buildings?

 

Because it does not penalise those who abused the children, it was not donated

to ISKCON for the use of lawyers or the pockets of those suing ISKCON.

 

> Is it money that runs ICKON, and that loss of money means loss

> of devotional activities and cessation of KC movement? The eventual loss of

> money seams to be our biggest pain, a loss of our "lives".

 

Our buildings house a lot of devotional service like deities, gurukulas,

brahmacharies, centres for full-timers, guests and congregations to find out

about Krishna Consciousness, school visits and so on, which is what our society

is about. Your attitude is very harsh on so many devotees.

In general they want to preach and have these facilities to do so.

Take the facilities away, and ISKCON will continue, sure.

Does that mean ISKCON losing a large amount of property is a good thing? No it

doesn't. Neither is child abuse. But two wrongs don't make a right.

 

> We have spiritual/philosohical approach to view that what

> we (ISCKON) do to others, and when the others react, we

> apply materialistic view (like, "if they take our money, then

> we are finished, and we are innocent anyaway")

 

I don't have this view, I don't know anyone who has. "We" means you and who

else?

 

> It is a fact that the horrible abuse that happen in ISCKON, is

> now affecting the whole society. As you said it above, as

> well as below:

>

> > The court case is only to financially penalise ISKCON and thus

> > punish so many innocent ISKCON devotees unconnected with any gurukula

> > activity, and those in gurukulas like Mother Rachitambara and many others

> > who have never abused anyone and trained so many wonderful young devotees,

> > and current

>

> Yes. But that is the price to be "on board". If the ship goes through the

> peaceful waters, everybody enjoys and benefits. If the ship goes through the

> storm, everybody is affected. You simply can't avoid sharing with the other

> passengers. You might think that the horrible abuse that happened "on the

> board", as well as the way how "captain" dealt with it, has just nothing to

> do with you, not your problem. But that appears not to be so.

>

>

> When ISCKON is benefiting financially, everybody is benefited.

 

You and your friends were on a salary or something?

 

> Nobody is protesting. When the danger for a loss is there, due

> to ISCKON wrongdoing, then "Why me, I am innocent?"

>

> ISCKON has failed to give the protection. ISCKON has failed to

> act properly afterwords. ISCKON is still failing in that regard.

> ISCKON might be paying the prise for it. That simple.

 

So where suffering is due to bad karma, you do nothing? Then why are you doing

something about the abused children? I think you are inconsistent.

You talk about ISKCON failing to give protection, and yet you support a court

case that threatens to close the temples, which shelter so many devotees. Again

you are inconsistent.

On the other hand, those who are caring for those abused and looking after

those currently within ISKCON as well are consistent. It's all karma,

individual or societal, but we have a duty to try to help, successful or not.

 

> My point is, if you choose to apply higher philosophical views,

> then apply them all along. Otherwise we make a prostitute out

> of that same philosophy -- we pay a visit to her only when in

> a private urge.

 

I hope you can see the point I have been making, no-one that I know of uses

karma as a means of either excusing the abuse that has happened, or evading

doing something about it. No-one in a position of authority anyway. If they do,

I am sure they will be rapidly checked.

 

Thank you for writing,

Antardwip das