“ISKCON is fiercely monotheistic and expects its devotees to
live their lives rigorously . . . this all adds up to a very austere religious
and cultural lifestyle.”
“By far, the most important event in the development of ISKCON
was the death of Prabhupada in 1977 . . . the transfer of power in ISKCON was a
messy affair, particularly because the eleven gurus who became his
successors were largely too inexperienced to assume their
new responsibilities. Thus, within just
ten years, seven out of these gurus ‘fell from grace’, through a combination of
drug-taking, illegal arms and drug dealing, and heavy-handed management . . .
the result was a great deal of disenchantment for many devotees who had
suffered under the young gurus, plus a very tarnished public image of
ISKCON as a whole. The problem continues to
the present, with a small but vocal group of dissenting ISKCON followers . . .
claiming that Prabhupada’s succession has still not been resolved.”
“ISKCON at the beginning of the 21st century is quite
different from what it was in its first flush in the early 1970s . . .
Increasingly, in the United States and Britain, support for ISKCON comes from diasporic
Hindus, who have been turning to ISKCON as an authentic expression of their
ancestral religious traditions.
Hence, the development of ISKCON has been to reconcile its status as a
traditional Hindu Vaishnavite organization with an international
missionary drive. The future is likely
to see it retain both elements, but to be seen increasingly as a global
Hindu organization.”
excerpts from an article entitled : ISKCON (Hare Krishna
Movement) by Malory Nye
a sub-chapter in a book entitled: New Religions: A Guide Oxford
Press, 2004 emphases added
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