Eckankar currently markets itself as the "Religion of the Light and Sound." Don't be deceived. Eckankar is a cult created by Paul Twitchell, who plagiarized from many authors and sources including Scientology, Sant Mat, and the Bible. In spite of attempts to conceal the truth by its current "leader", more and more ex-eckists are speaking out, to help innocent seekers avoid the cult-trap we found ourselves in. Look before you leap into a dark hole of spiritual blindness...learn what Eckankar doesn't want either current members or "newbies" to know!

"Each student must be encouraged to take responsible measures to confront teachers with unethical aspects of their conduct. If the teacher shows no sign of reform, students should not hesitate to publicize any unethical behavior of which there is irrefutable evidence. This should be done irrespective of other beneficial aspects of his or her work and of one's spiritual commitment to that teacher." ...the Dalai Lama

This is a "public" newsgroup, and "guests" can access the message archives and links, which I recommend you do *before* you start posting and asking questions. There's also some very good info which isn't available elsewhere on the internet in the "files" section, but Yahoo only lets members access the files. You don't need to "join" unless you want to post or read the "files". Posting is usually restricted to former members. No one here is the least bit interested in "discussions" with current eckcultists; we've been there, done that.
Joining is fast easy, no pre-approval required; if you just want to read the "files" you can quickly "unjoin" when you're done. New members' posts are moderated until I see you're not a cult "vahana".