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Ponomolua - Devotee School
Mike Gabbard, wife Carol Gabbard and Carter Tallman, who would later marry and then expose Rick Reed as being a follower of Chris Butler founded Ponomauloa School in 1983 for the purpose of further indoctrinating and isolating children born within the cult. John Bishop, who married two directors of the Science of Identity Foundation, including long serving President Jeannie Bishop/Conroy was also a member of the board for this small private enterprise.
In 1990 the project was involuntarily dissolved by the Hawaii Department for Commerce and Consumer Affirs for failure to file. Source
Chris Butler teaches that to associate with non-followers has a contaminating effect and places one's spiritual life in jeopardy. He has compared sending children to private school to be the equivalent of murdering them. Since the emphasis within Science of Identity is on providing service to Chris Butler and not being concerned by "material attatchments", which includes the relationship between parents and children, the school ultimately failed after a few years. Chris Butler did not consider time and money spent on educating the children to be a good investment.
According to those who knew him Mike Gabbard had the training which he felt could be productively used to raise Krishna Conscious children and imagined that others could be converted through allowing open enrolment. A lack of interest in non-cult children learning from the Bhagavad-Gita and being taught to chant Hare Krishna prevented his expectations from being realised. All of the 'teachers' and staff were disciples of Chris Butler, unqualified for the position, most of them parents themselves trying to provide for their children within the strict rules of the cult.
The practice of educating children at informal 'schools' continues among followers of Chris Butler to this day.
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