Sukyo Mahikari membership figures

We bloggers often seem to want know Mahikari membership figures, for one reason or another, but reliable figures are really hard to come by. I've already consulted with a handful of former members, and have pieced together the following article based on the anecdotal and other evidence they provided. If you have any official figures, or personal observations concerning the turnover rate in Sūkyō Mahikari membership, please post a comment and add to the pool of information available.

The professional appearance of the official Sūkyō Mahikari websites and the promotional book by Dr. Tebecis perhaps give the impression of a large and flourishing organization. However, Sūkyō Mahikari numbers are actually quite small.

In the 90s, the total worldwide membership of Sūkyō Mahikari was estimated at 500,000 with the majority of these members being in Japan. According to discussions amongst former members on Japanese discussion sites, membership numbers are dropping within Japan, and some dōjōs are closing. More recent estimates suggest that the total membership may now be closer to 200,000.

The figure reported by Sūkyō Mahikari in 2004 was 530,000 members worldwide, but this figure is perhaps double the actual figure. The organization regards members as "sleeping", and includes them in the membership count, for up to 5 years after they leave the organization.

According to research published in 1991 by Catherine Cornille, the total membership figure for all of Europe at that time was about 10,000 (although the organization itself claimed double that number), but the number may be considerably lower now. The Sūkyō Mahikari organization itself admitted to a drop-out rate of 70% in Europe. I have no figures for centers in Africa, Asia, and South America, but I believe some of these are quite large compared with western countries.

Anecdotal evidence from US and Australian members who have left Sūkyō Mahikari fairly recently suggests that membership numbers have dropped in both these countries over the last 20 years. That of course means that the number of people leaving has exceeded the number of new recruits. I have no evidence at all of membership patterns in other countries, so everything below applies only to the US and Australia.

One former member told me that, 14 years after she received primary kenshū, she was the only one left of the people who attended kenshū with her. Then she left, giving a drop-out rate of 100% for that particular kenshū. When I left Sūkyō Mahikari, 10 years after my kenshū, about 8% of people from that group were still members.

I remember one particular kenshū during the time I was a member, and remember looking around a year later to see how many of those people were still active members. Only about 5% were still there. In those days, the majority of new recruits would last less than a year. A small percentage would still be members 5 years later, and an extremely small percentage would make it to 20 years of membership. Most of these would now be kanbu (center leaders and dōshis). A surprising number of kanbu, after years of full-time dedicated service, have eventually come to the conclusion that Sūkyō Mahikari is false and have left.

I've heard that, these days, new recruits are asked to prepare very thoroughly for kenshū, and typically receive okiyome many times before kenshū. From what I hear, this appears to have reduced the drop-out rate, but also greatly reduced the recruitment rate.

From even just the above, I think we can assume that, for every member you see now, at least 10 members have joined at some stage and already left Sūkyō Mahikari. Piecing together the little information I do have suggests that, these days, the total membership for the US and Australia, put together, is no more than two (or perhaps three) thousand. These figures include children and young adults who were born into the organization.

If any Sūkyō Mahikari staff wish to supply more accurate figures, I will be delighted to update the estimates I've presented here.

Despite the unfortunate lack of firm data, I think that we can safely assume that an awful lot of people have left Sūkyō Mahikari over the years...despite the kenshū promise that practicing Mahikari would bring health, peace, and material prosperity...despite the teachings that say that any criticism of Mahikari is the work of disturbing spirits, and should be dealt with by increasing our divine service...and despite the Goseigen (p. 161) warning that God will surely manifest the phenomenon of Judgment clearly upon them [people who reject Okada's teachings] at an unexpected moment and carry out the Art of beating them to a pulp.

Incidentally, I've not heard of any of the many thousands of former members being beaten to a pulp.