Thanks to Lisa De Witt for service to Sathya Sai fraternity in 2000s through her blog refuting unproven allegations of anti-Sai crusaders
Warning: This post refers to a blog that, in the process of critically analyzing and refuting nasty and vicious unproven allegations of anti-Sai crusaders, has had to refer to some of their allegations. Those readers who get put off by reading such nasty and unproven allegations should skip reading the rest of this post. end-Warning
Recently I was having a public comment exchange with Lisa De Witt on my Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2227521714131060?comment_id=2227618410788057. That's when I came to know of her blog - https://persecutorsofsathyasaibaba.blogspot.com/. It is titled, "Persecutors of Sathya Sai Baba", and sub-titled, "Addresses the suspicious accusations regarding Sathya Sai Baba." There are around 8 posts which are dated from the years 2004 to 2009.
I have given below some of the comments (slightly edited) I made on that exchange as I had a quick look at her blog:
Hey Lisa, just had a quick look at your blog. Great service done by you for the Sathya Sai fraternity. Thanks a ton!
...
Lisa, While I was with the Sai university (Jan 2003 to Mar. 2012 - free service), the unwritten policy was to ignore the criticism on the Internet. I did come across some such anti-Sai stuff but never commented as that was the unwritten policy.
But later (after I had parted ways with the Sai university in March 2012), especially in 2013 when I assisted Prof. Haraldsson with the update to his book, I experienced the power of the anti-Sai propaganda to spread a false view among the public at large.
So the work that you, Joe Moreno and others have done in the past to counter this anti-Sai propaganda on the Internet has been really a great and much required service. I am sure quite a few people would have benefited from your writings and been able to escape from the anti-Sai propaganda trap laid by the anti-Sai guys.
...
[In response to Lisa's comment that people are still looking at her blog everyday, I wrote:]
Wow! So the benefit is an ongoing one.
----
--- end some of my comments from comment exchange ---
Ravi: I later had a somewhat closer look at Lisa's blog - https://persecutorsofsathyasaibaba.blogspot.com/. I think Lisa has done a great job in refuting false allegations by anti-Sai crusaders and sharing published views of people like parapsychology scientist and academic Prof. Erlendur Haraldsson.
Lisa commented that she was attacked (verbally, I guess) for her writings on her blog. As a blogger who exposed Muddenahalli group Asathya & Adharma, I too have been viciously (verbally) attacked mainly in 2016 and 2017, with false and malicious allegations made against me by some Muddenahalli group supporters and promoters, some of which created problems for me in my (outside ashram) Puttaparthi life. So I can appreciate what Lisa would have gone through then (2000s) when she critically analyzed the allegations of the anti-Sai crusaders and exposed them, and so came under attack from them and/or other anti-Sai people.
I am sure that this blog of Lisa De Witt would have significantly contributed to saving some, especially newbie, Sathya Sai devotees in the 2000s particularly, from coming under the sway of the anti-Sai crusaders and so losing faith in the divinity of Sathya Sai.
I thank Lisa for this great contribution she has made to the Sathya Sai fraternity. Jai Sai Ram!
Recently I was having a public comment exchange with Lisa De Witt on my Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2227521714131060?comment_id=2227618410788057. That's when I came to know of her blog - https://persecutorsofsathyasaibaba.blogspot.com/. It is titled, "Persecutors of Sathya Sai Baba", and sub-titled, "Addresses the suspicious accusations regarding Sathya Sai Baba." There are around 8 posts which are dated from the years 2004 to 2009.
I have given below some of the comments (slightly edited) I made on that exchange as I had a quick look at her blog:
Hey Lisa, just had a quick look at your blog. Great service done by you for the Sathya Sai fraternity. Thanks a ton!
...
Lisa, While I was with the Sai university (Jan 2003 to Mar. 2012 - free service), the unwritten policy was to ignore the criticism on the Internet. I did come across some such anti-Sai stuff but never commented as that was the unwritten policy.
But later (after I had parted ways with the Sai university in March 2012), especially in 2013 when I assisted Prof. Haraldsson with the update to his book, I experienced the power of the anti-Sai propaganda to spread a false view among the public at large.
So the work that you, Joe Moreno and others have done in the past to counter this anti-Sai propaganda on the Internet has been really a great and much required service. I am sure quite a few people would have benefited from your writings and been able to escape from the anti-Sai propaganda trap laid by the anti-Sai guys.
...
[In response to Lisa's comment that people are still looking at her blog everyday, I wrote:]
Wow! So the benefit is an ongoing one.
----
--- end some of my comments from comment exchange ---
Ravi: I later had a somewhat closer look at Lisa's blog - https://persecutorsofsathyasaibaba.blogspot.com/. I think Lisa has done a great job in refuting false allegations by anti-Sai crusaders and sharing published views of people like parapsychology scientist and academic Prof. Erlendur Haraldsson.
Lisa commented that she was attacked (verbally, I guess) for her writings on her blog. As a blogger who exposed Muddenahalli group Asathya & Adharma, I too have been viciously (verbally) attacked mainly in 2016 and 2017, with false and malicious allegations made against me by some Muddenahalli group supporters and promoters, some of which created problems for me in my (outside ashram) Puttaparthi life. So I can appreciate what Lisa would have gone through then (2000s) when she critically analyzed the allegations of the anti-Sai crusaders and exposed them, and so came under attack from them and/or other anti-Sai people.
I am sure that this blog of Lisa De Witt would have significantly contributed to saving some, especially newbie, Sathya Sai devotees in the 2000s particularly, from coming under the sway of the anti-Sai crusaders and so losing faith in the divinity of Sathya Sai.
I thank Lisa for this great contribution she has made to the Sathya Sai fraternity. Jai Sai Ram!
Comments
Post a Comment