Why ISKCON Needs to be on Guard Against “Cultic Behavior”

It has been almost thirty years since I first attended a conference of the American Family Foundation, now the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). I was recently in Barcelona, Spain, for their latest international gathering. 

What I’ve learned, both in those meetings and through my leadership role in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), is that we in the Hare Krishna movement need to be concerned about “cultic behaviors.” 

When I first attended the ICSA meetings, I found that many people thought in a simple duality: Organizations, and especially religious societies, are either healthy and benign, or dangerous and destructive “cults.” 

However, the study of cults was evolving. Many concerned with the cultic phenomena were not just debating whether a group is a cult or not. They were studying interpersonal dynamics within groups to understand and measure cultic behaviors. In other words, they were finding that leaders of groups may manipulate and harm members—sometimes as an isolated case of abuse within an otherwise healthy organization. They spoke of a spectrum of manipulation, or what some called undue influence. 

ISKCON is certainly not a “destructive cult.” We are an ancient tradition, inspiring culture, and worldwide organization that makes phenomenal, positive contributions to the world. At the same time, I learned that ISKCON, like all human communities, is vulnerable to abuse of power and cultic behaviors. And, as Srila Prabhupada taught, we are vulnerable to the flaws of personal and communal arrogance, which can breed abuse. “Unless one is humble and prideless, one cannot be harmless and nonviolent” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.7.37 Purport). 

On the positive side, I know of no other tradition (among those that prioritize the guru-disciple relationship) that mandates its new members attend a multi-day course that includes warnings about what to do if their guru or leader ” falls” or succumbs to the temptations of elitism, power, sex, or other serious deviations. 

Conversely, new ISKCON gurus must participate in a special course that teaches principles of shared leadership, peer association, being open to feedback, and the dangers of power and prestige. Other ISKCON leadership courses also prioritize people-centeredness, servant leadership, and the empowerment of others. 

On the managerial level, the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) has restricted and even expelled some leaders, including GBC members, GBC ministers, gurus, swamis, temple presidents, and others who have abused their power. 

The above efforts all protect our members, but they do not guarantee that harmful group dynamics will not develop. I believe more needs to be done in ISKCON to avoid manipulative, dangerous, or cultic behaviors. It starts by gaining knowledge of how the problems fester.  

What We Learn From Cult-Watching Groups

Below are some of the dangers that manifest when group dynamics become cultic. In short, within cultic groups, an inordinate amount of power is in the hands of a few without sufficient checks and balances, and those leaders misuse their power to manipulate and harm members. Below is a list of what to watch out for and fix:   

Cultic communities cut themselves off from the rest of society. This means more than minimizing the negative influences and connections to an overly materialistic world, as all Vaishnavas (indeed all religionists) seek to do. Being overly isolated or separatist is dangerous because it creates a culture ripe for mistreatment and exploitation. In some unhealthy ISKCON communities, we have seen this include cutting devotees off from their families and/or the larger world of devotee association in the name of maintaining purity. It often includes insisting devotees only learn from or hear from their local leader, counselor, initiating guru, etc. 

Cultic groups see the world from a black-and-white, us vs. them mentality. The group believes that only they are right and that they are blessed with special insights into “the truth.” In the case of ISKCON, this may be expressed as claiming special insights into sastra or Srila Prabhupada’s teachings. Such communities declare  the rest of ISKCON as ‘wrong.’ To preserve their perceived unique position, the smaller group binds tightly together to shut out all outside influences. 

• The leader is considered faultless and/or can’t be criticized. 

In a culture such as ours where the “Guru is as good as God” (a scriptural adage meant to include instructing as well as initiating gurus), ISKCON is highly vulnerable to this cultic pattern where leaders, or their immature followers proclaim the leader is faultless. Srila Prabhupada said, “In my movement there are no big devotees, only small devotees.” That means that no leader is above appropriate critique and improvement. 

Part of keeping any society healthy is ensuring that decisions are made public, finances are transparent, and reasonable questions are welcomed and responded to. (There may be rare exceptions regarding legal issues.) In cultic groups, secrecy is usually the norm. 

• Sexual norms are violated; rumors are not investigated. 

Over the last twenty years or so, countless priests, rabbis, teachers, coaches, ministers, gurus, swamis, political leaders, business leaders, and others throughout the world have been exposed for sexual abuse of minors or adults under their shelter.  Within cultic groups, sexual abuse has been prevalent and hidden for years. 

• Psychological and emotional abuse. 

Members of cultic groups are often subject to psychological and emotional manipulation. This includes creating an emotional rollercoaster where everyone is kept in fear of the leader’s outbursts or harsh critiques and where the shunning of problematic members is enforced. Cultic groups often exist in a culture of belittlement, criticism, and gaslighting. 

• Concentration of power. 

Cultic groups often concentrate power in the hands of the leader and a few of their inner circle. Every group needs leaders to make decisions and guide others. But in cultic groups, members are inordinately dependent on the leader to make decisions for them, often including personal decisions about health, relationships, occupation, spending of personal funds, etc. 

Cultic groups exist in a culture of fear: fear of speaking out, fear of not fitting in, fear of the leader’s reprisal, fear of punishment, ostracization, or delegation to a lower status. We sometimes hear of ISKCON communities past or present, where fear became a factor of life. This is different from a healthy degree of fear of our own limitations or fear of reprisal for criminal or otherwise hurtful behaviors. 

These are some of the major indicators of cultic behavior. I suggest they can serve as a checklist to measure our health as individuals and as communities. Where these behaviors are present, or worse yet, prominent, things must change. 

Positive change starts with education about what can go wrong in communities and ensuring that integrity, transparency, and accountability are the expected norms of behavior. Leaders need to be willing to be held accountable, to follow proper Vaishnava behavior, and to exhibit genuine care and respect for those we oversee. Similarly, members need to contribute their time and energy to create healthy communities and to speak out in respectful ways when harmful conditions manifest. Where manipulative and abusive conditions exist, it is our duty to bring these problems to the attention of higher authorities to be rectified. Authorities must be proactive in addressing these problems and not ignore them out of a concern to avoid criticizing other leaders or in the name of Vaishnava etiquette.

While avoiding cultic behaviors, it is essential to understand what cultic behavior is NOT. Long-standing Vaishnava traditions such as offering obeisances to each other, worshiping Deities, chanting sacred mantras, serving the guru and other seniors, dressing in traditional attire, fasting, enthusiastically sharing our faith with others, and following regulative principles may be seen by outsiders as cultic. Clearly, these bhakti traditions are part of a historic religious practice, and they are beneficial to our personal and spiritual growth. They do not constitute cultic practices per se. However, if a leader uses these or any other aspects of Vaishnava culture as a means of manipulation, that’s a problem.

To better understand the dangers of cultic behaviors and to educate others about ISKCON’s positive aspects, as well as our strides in weeding out cultic behavior, I, as well as other ISKCON devotees, continue to attend ICSA conferences. We’ve spoken on multiple panels discussing our society, its strengths, and its shortcomings in an open spirit. While many ICSA participants—some of whom are former ISKCON members—remain skeptical about ISKCON and our commitment to avoiding harmful cultic behaviors, attending these conferences has been informative and, I believe, helpful to our society.

ISKCON has an important mission—to spread Lord Caitanya’s movement, promote “real unity and peace,” and help awaken love of God throughout the world. Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna are undoubtedly empowering us, individually and collectively, to carry out that mission. We must be careful that any such empowerment is not misused. 

For additional information on this topic, please see the article “Cults, Psychological Manipulation and Society” by Michael D. Langone, Executive Director of ICSA (formerly the American Family Foundation), published in the ISKCON Communications Journal by clicking here. Photo by Engin Akyurt.