Predictions and Theology
/Predictions
There has been some discussion within the Brahma Kumaris about 'predictions' in the teachings and whether a date for a cataclysmic world change was ever explicitly given, implied or even insinuated.
Anthony Strano, one of the most senior teachers in the west, and held in particularly high regard as a someone who practiced the teachings at the deepest level, had this to say about dates mentioned in the BK scripture:
"Time is contrived by 'man' (sic) to make sense out of the world. Similarly God uses the instruments of human creation to bring meaning to His (sic) teachings. But it's really not about dates. It never has been. It's about whatever you want to do, do it now."
Often, with scriptural texts, a sense of spiritual urgency is measured against world events producing predictions that - frequently - 'fail' to come to pass. This is often the case with Millenarian New Religious Movements as well as older more established religions. This doesn't have to mean that the teachings themselves have failed, but rather it may require some revised thinking around the 'absoluteness' of scriptural text. In this case, it is worth considering hermeneutics, or the language of analysis and interpretation of scripture. Hermeneutics dates back to the Jewish Oral Tradition but since the time of Aristotle (Risser 1997) it has been a method of engaging critically with scriptural text and acknowledging the fluid nature of scriptural interpretation.
“God has not revealed his theology all at once. Rather, God has revealed Brahma Kumaris theology gradually and in response to his assessment of the Brahma Kumaris’ needs and ability to understand. Their theology is not sealed and their canon is not closed. It grows continually as God explains and elaborates on it. Tomorrow, God may personally resolve any contradictions that appear today.”
Theology
Within the Brahma Kumaris theology, some murlis have been revised over the years, to remove predicted dates of 'vinash' or catastrophic world change that have not yet come to pass. See here for an example from 21.01.1969 three days after Brahma Baba passed away. The original and the revised versions are included, with the relevant text outlined in red. More examples of predictive statements in murlis are available below. Note that some have links to original documents, whereas others have yet to be verified.
As stated in Musselwhite's doctoral dissertation on the Brahma Kumaris, "God’s teachings regarding the end of the Diamond Age have not been entirely consistent. The most senior member I heard speak on the subject suggested that the Diamond Age will last either 100 or 250 years." (Page 5).