ABSTRACT EX PREMIES ORG http://www.ex-premie.org/index.html A website and forum page for ex-
followers of Guru Maharaj Ji, leader of the Divine Light Mission (aka Elan Vital) New Religious Movement. The website allows ex-followers of the
sect/
cult/ religion (cal it what you will) to talk about their lives and how they each personally recovered from the traumatising experience of being brainwashed. The site also keeps careful track of the Guru and his present movements at a time when the cult has been plunged into decline by a series of scandals, and divisions within the family that leads it. (Maharaj Ji was publicly disowned and made something of a laughing stock by his own Mother). The forum moves quickly. Threads are quickly swallowed in its archives by subsequent additions, so keeping track of material can be a challenge, but it
shows that the ex-
members of the sect are moving with much greater dynamic pace than the lethargic supposedly still active cult members themselves. Heartfelt
testimonies to the pain suffered, extraordinary displays of personal courage and strong support for people still suffering from personal contact with the cult and for those who still have family and friends in the sect are strong here. This is one of the best-run ex-cult member’s sites for ex-followers of any cult organisation. A history of the cult is provided, with its story traced from 1950’ origins in India, to the child-God’s meteoric rise to fame in Europe and the US, to his sudden fall from grace in the mid 1970’s, and up to the constant present period of constant changes of name and identity for both leader and sect. The site provides photographs, open letters, and testimonies from people of all walks of
life, and serves as a monument to basic human common sense. It shows that life after cult involvement is very possible for all and shows that anyone harmed by the likes of Maharaj Ji (as Goomrajie, Maharaji, Prem Pal Rawat Sing and other aliases alike) can find meaning and value in life and move on.