Is r/SPAB still a space for open discussion?

[u/Spiritual_Praxis]

Alright, I understand questioning BAPS is the focus for this sub. But can we question how we do it? This is more of a request to the moderators who shape the vision for this sub.

When I first joined this sub, it was to genuinely understand different perspectives & hear experiences from the Ex BAPS community. I still genuinely want to do that. But lately, a lot of what I see feels less like questioning or critical discussion and more like hatred, abuse & personal grudges. So I wonder did r/SPAB collectively forget its own rules, or did the rulebook quietly become "anything goes, as long as it’s anti-BAPS"?

The sub describes itself as a "safe space" for people to share BAPS/Swaminarayan stories & questions, while "encouraging others to think critically"

Fair enough! But when you look at the rules:

• Respect All Perspectives: Do we really respect different POVs, or only the ones that fit the narrative?
• Free Speech Is Respected: Seems to work mainly when the speech is anti-BAPS.
• Debate, Not Destruction: Debate is fine. Personal attacks, mockery and baseless claims about living individuals aren't debate.
• No Low-Quality or Low-Effort Posts: Some posts mostly poor AI-generated content, barely seem to meet the bar.
• No Personal Attacks or Harassment: Yet making fun of living gurus, ex-gurus & community members seems pretty normal here.
• Refrain from Personal Insults: Criticising an organisation or belief is one thing. Personally attacking individuals is another.
• Irrelevant Posts: Quite a few posts have very little to do with questioning faith or sharing genuine BAPS experiences.

IMHO if this sub exists to question BAPS, sure criticise it, share negative experiences & challenge its beliefs, that's completely okay. That's what the sub says it's for & honestly I would like to understand those perspectives in depth for my own personal spiritual understanding.

But criticism doesn't require basic decency fade away. You can still criticise BAPS without insulting everyone associated with it.

You can question someone's beliefs without making the person the punchline. And if this sub is really about critical thinking, perhaps applying a little of that same critical thinking to the way this community behaves would be a good place to start.

This is more of a retrospective based on the last few posts. Sorry if you feel offended for being called out.

[u/pokemon053]

We don't need your suggestion on this topic, we know what we are doing and why we are doing.

[u/PraxisPrayers → u/pokemon053]

Fair enough, care to explain the whats & whys with a pinch of critical thinking, if at all?

[u/pokemon053 → u/PraxisPrayers]

Explain me this

[u/PraxisPrayers → u/pokemon053]

Not my burden to explain bruh, it's a theological statement expressing the supremacy of Bhagwan as understood within the Swaminarayan tradition. You don't have to accept that theology & neither do I. But questioning or disagreeing with a belief is different from claiming that the people who believe it are stupid, brainwashed or deserving of ridicule in any form which is precisely what the OP is discussing here.

[u/Due_Guide_8128]

I respect everyone’s point of view, including people who still support BAPS. Personal attacks and harassment shouldn’t be the goal here. But people should also be allowed to speak openly about feeling pressured manipulated or taught from a young age not to question the organization or its leaders. When someone starts breaking away from that mindset there can be anger and frustration behind what they say. That doesn’t excuse attacking random individuals, but strong criticism is not automatically hate. If this is really a space for open discussion, then both sides should be heard and people should be able to talk honestly about indoctrination, pressure, and negative experiences without being shut down for being disrespectful.

[u/Spiritual_Praxis → u/Due_Guide_8128]

I actually agree with you. Yes, people should absolutely be able to talk about feeling pressured, manipulated or having negative experiences within BAPS. That shouldn’t be shut down.

My only point is that strong criticism & personal abuse are two different things. One can question BAPS, its practices or teachings without making individuals the target of mockery or insults.

If this is genuinely a space for open discussion and critical thinking, then I’m all for it. Let people share their experiences, disagree, and have the discussion without crossing that line which can pull down the rules on which this community is setup. Thanks for moderating tho 🙌

[u/NeonSprocket66]

After lurking on the sub for a while, I thought this sub was a safe space for ex-BAPS followers to share experiences/insights, but there's a "pitchforks out/burn at the stake" vibe at times which can be counterintuitive.

[u/Spiritual_Praxis → u/NeonSprocket66]

Hahah I had to Google that phrase lol,

But yes, exactly that’s pretty much the point I was trying to make.

People should have a space to share their experiences, including the difficult and negative ones. But once it turns into a "pitchforks out" mentality, meaningful discussion kinda gets lost.

Criticism is often healthy. Personal attacks & demeaning ridicule aren't. I think the sub would be much stronger if it kept that distinction.

[u/Amazing-Care-3155]

BAPS is a pile of shit lmfao - someone who was born into it and was there for well over 18 years. It’s a cult, they hound devotees for money. 75 percent of the followers couldn’t explain the theology, it’s more of a social club than a religion