Hindu article tarring all spiritual gurus with Radhe Maa kind of brush; Differentiating between good giver-spiritual-guru and bad taker-spiritual-guru
Here's an article in The Hindu, Brokering deals with god, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/brokering-deals-with-god/article7550944.ece, dated August 18th 2015
It is not a balanced article as it does not talk about the good done by so many spiritual gurus of India. However, here are two short extracts from the article that may be relevant for some readers:
The heady mix of money, power and religion without responsibility, and the knowledge that even the state is scared of meddling with religious affairs, make godmen and women acquire a larger-than-life image.
...
They no longer seek or appeal for donations; they place orders. There are reports in the media of people who sell their property, even abandon their families at the command of their so-called gurus.
--- end short extracts ---
Ravi: My view is that one simple way to differentiate between the good giver-spiritual-guru and the bad taker-spiritual-guru is to examine the way fund collection is done for their ashram/mission. If there are no appeals for donation, or the appeals for donation are without any element of coaxing, then it is an important sign of a good giver-spiritual-guru. But if the appeals for donation are more like appeals you cannot refuse (as otherwise one may get punished/cursed in some way), or even orders, then it is a bad taker-spiritual-guru from whom one should run away as fast as one can.
It is not a balanced article as it does not talk about the good done by so many spiritual gurus of India. However, here are two short extracts from the article that may be relevant for some readers:
The heady mix of money, power and religion without responsibility, and the knowledge that even the state is scared of meddling with religious affairs, make godmen and women acquire a larger-than-life image.
...
They no longer seek or appeal for donations; they place orders. There are reports in the media of people who sell their property, even abandon their families at the command of their so-called gurus.
--- end short extracts ---
Ravi: My view is that one simple way to differentiate between the good giver-spiritual-guru and the bad taker-spiritual-guru is to examine the way fund collection is done for their ashram/mission. If there are no appeals for donation, or the appeals for donation are without any element of coaxing, then it is an important sign of a good giver-spiritual-guru. But if the appeals for donation are more like appeals you cannot refuse (as otherwise one may get punished/cursed in some way), or even orders, then it is a bad taker-spiritual-guru from whom one should run away as fast as one can.
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