Selling Spirituality

#20 ali offcourse you know much about these babas..but not shirdi..this guy was a fakir and lived in a mosque. so goats are more likely to bleat and not cows.

based on your research any recommendations on these babas?

i think the jee tv sales-VP is an ajmeri baba bhakt.

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``These claims cannot be tested by the disciples from any objective perspective. Pseudo-mystics promote blind faith rather than rational thinking.

Some of them perform “miracles” to amaze their followers and consolidate their power. They claim to be able to influence the weather, promise children to infertile women or say that they can magically intervene in disasters. Although the disciples are temporarily reassured, the problems remain, as they require realistic solutions rather than illusions. Rather than encouraging disciples to be independent, these pseudo-mystics create and foster emotional dependency. Rather than being good role models and source of inspiration their goal is to convert, control and exploit. ``

author:

what do you mean by ``pseudo-mystic``, i find the above qualities in basicly are the religions in the world. why single out only the pseudo-mystics????

if it were not for all the ``miracles``/pleasures that a particular religion promises to offer before and after death, who would really care to follow it?

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Re: # 22

good one.....

#1echoboom - did you forget the link to Naive British Converts article you refer to?
don`t forget the popular ghazal profiteers either, such as Sabree brothers! Allahoo all the way to the bank!

Re: # 20
Don`t forget Ali baba. He`s charismatic, charming, ambitious and is moving into ayurvedic medicine dealership.-)

5. Abuse of Religion, God and Spirituality

After gaining power, control, money and status, these pseudo-mystics rationalize their abuse of power by connecting it with the religious traditions of the community. They proclaim,
“God told me to do so.”
“I had a sacred dream.”
“I had a special revelation.”

These claims cannot be tested by the disciples from any objective perspective. Pseudo-mystics promote blind faith rather than rational thinking.

Isn`t it true what has been written by the author can be attributed to Mohammed too ?

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Re: # 16
dear ali-1......thank you for your information. I have two books with me

SAI BABA...the holy man....and the psychiatrist written by Dr. Samuel Sandweiss

and

SAI BABA...the embodimentof LOVE...written by Peggy Mason and Ron Laing

they are fascinating and disturbing at the same time....sincerely sohail

Bogi Yogi - harbajan singh yogi was such a charltan too......he amassed much wealth.....though his followers call themselves sikhs, they are Bogis.....

He was also accussed of sexual abuse of female disciples......the cult headquarters are in Espanola, NM.

Here is an account of Sai Baba`s spiritual powers

Date: November 13, 2001
By: John Bright

For me personally the Sai Baba debate is over. The bottom line is this: I am an American. I lived continuously in Sai Baba`s ashrams from 1994-1996. Like most devotees staying at his ashrams, I followed him wherever he traveled. (his ashram at Puttaparthi, Brindavan, and Kodaicanal etc. )
I was completely ignored by Baba for most of the two years until 1996 when I was called for an interview with a group of fellow American devotees. During the main interview he granted me a private interview. During this private interview he sexually molested me. There was no room for misinterpretation on my part and Sai Baba wasn`t trying to activate my kundalini or any of the hundreds of other rationalizations and denials that devotees and believers in Sai Baba come up with. Also, this wasn`t a matter of an impure, egoistic, finite mind of a mere mortal misinterpreting a pure god-man whose actions are born of of an infinite mind so vast and complex that it is beyond the capability of the limited finite human mind to accurately judge or understand. His actions were for his own sexual gratification. (If he is activating my kundalini why would he try to get me to put his erect penis in my mouth) Another point here:If not a blade of grass moves without his will why couldn`t he simply activate the kundalini of us young men (and in some cases boys) by his mere sankalpa or will or thought-power. And as for the argument that he does it to give the devotees the pleasure of human interaction with the divine, this simply doesn`t hold water. Anybody who has had this happen is usually severely traumatized and leaves Sai Baba forever.

Dr. Sohail, have you heard of Sai Baba, the most famous Hindian spritual personality who claims to be a bhagwan and and expert of kuldanini?

Dr. Sohail
Does Michael Jordan suffer from the Wendy Doniger disease?

Re: # 13
dear jang....your letter made me smile. thank you. rajneesh used to say if there are people

who want to buy then what is wrong in my selling spirituality as it is a commercial and

capitalistic world anyhow. if people are buying by their free will they are responsible too...sincerely sohail