 Eckankar presents itself as an ancient secret teaching, passed down from master to student over millions of years. The truth, of course, is far less sparkling. In fact, it is the invention of a fellow named John Paul Twitchell in 1965. It is a cult birthed and raised in a cloud of lies, deceit, scandals, intimidation and control tactics worthy of its close relative Scientology. Eckankar is merely another new age religion that, predictably, says one thing to entice the public but teaches quite a different thing to its members. In its secret, members only discourses, it states emphatically that it is the ONLY way to reach God realization - that all other paths, philosophies and religions are misguided and decidedly inferior. Since that sounds more than a bit arrogant, they've toned it down for presentation to the general public in recent years as merely being the quickest way. Their literature, however, sticks to the original premise that it is the only way.
In a nutshell, it's a poorly-done compilation of bits and pieces of other religions and a number of Eastern light and sound paths, along with not-so-healthy doses of Scientology and occultism.
Its professed end goal is for each member to achieve total God Realization in one lifetime. There is only one way to accomplish this - Eckankar's Living Eck Master. All other methods are doomed to failure - so says Eckankar.
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"Death and resurrection are the basic principles taught in almost every religion since the dawn of time. But Eckankar, which is the mainstream for all religions, philosophies and doctrines, was the first to show people of the Earth, through appointed saviors, that the mystery of salvation is based on the death of the physical and the redemption of the Soul." |