Weird thing about "The Temple Issue", aka "Everybody has to hate Nichiren Shoshu forever because they embarrassed Daisaku Ikeda that one time"

In a nutshell, the Soka Gakkai's former organized religion parent, Nichiren Shoshu, excommunicated Daisaku Ikeda and removed the Soka Gakkai from its list of approved lay organizations back in 1991 because Daisaku Ikeda was being a complete prat. Ikeda has never been able to get over it - that's why "Soka Spirit", aka "The Temple Issue", remains a topic on every SGI Study Exam and why, despite its charter paying lip service to "interfaith" and religious freedom and tolerance and whatever bullshit appears expedient, the Soka Gakkai/SGI remains committed to wiping Nichiren Shoshu off the face of the earth. (Never mind that Nichiren Shoshu and SGI-USA jointly own several properties - now, a full generation [25 YEARS] after said excommunication - move along, nothing to see here...)

ANYhow, I remember shortly after we were notified by our SGI leaders about the excommunication, I and several others suggested that perhaps we should chant for the horriblyhorribly misguided Nichiren Shoshu priests, because surely they were deeply unhappy and MISERABLE because misguided, right? Wouldn't it be a Buddhist thing to chant for their happiness, since they were fellow human beings, after all? Didn't we in the SGI promote something along the lines of "world peace through individual happiness"??

I remember the local pioneer, a Japanese war bride, saying, in response to that suggestion, "Sure - you can chant for them to have more Mercedes and more money if you want!" Other top adult division leaders echoed this sentiment, even though they weren't Japanese expats themselves.

O_O

I challenged people on the topic, saying that, if High Priest Nikken (the original devil du jour) were to change his beliefs, would we welcome him to our discussion meetings? Almost everybody reacted with horror at the idea. Why? Whatever happened to "From this moment forward" and "human revolution"? "Changing karma for me but not for thee"?? It seemed so odd to reduce the most basic, important doctrines to a smirking eye roll.

"The Temple Issue" is a convenient microcosm of everything that's wrong with the Soka Gakkai and SGI.