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SAI BABA –
TRYING TO SHINE IN SCHOOLS
Followers of Sai Baba have been trying to
gain access to primary and secondary (high) schools in Australia and Papua
New Guinea. They have come up with a programme called
‘SHINE’
– ostensibly for
‘Spreading the Light
Through Human Values’. Under
the auspices of the Sathya Sai Organisation of Australia & Papua New
Guinea (and in Western Australia, the Sai Resources & Service
Centre) they have been circulating schools with brochures and
invitations to participate in their programme. The programme includes
having students express themselves in relation to suggested Human Values
topics through written essays and visual arts.
How many schools have become involved –
without checking the full background and details of the source – Sai Baba
himself?
One has to seriously wonder about
programmes for children and youth on human values in light of disturbing
claims and revelation from and about Sai Baba – the Indian guru claiming
to be an avatar – a living god on earth.
His followers believe he is a god and
that he performs many miracles.
After all, he himself has said that he is
a god and that his miracles are proof that he is a god – he has also
claimed that because he is a god what he does are miracles and not tricks,
because as a deity he doesn’t need to stoop to human trickery. (A
meaningless circular argument when you think it through!)
The reality is that an increasing number
of former top followers – actually people in leadership in his movement –
have come out and publicly expressed their deep disillusionment and horror
of the sexual abuse of boys and young men that has gone on for decades.
Many followers have admitted fooling themselves into believing Sai baba’s
sexual fondlings and more were a ‘spiritual test’ – instead of the abuse
of a dirty old man parading as one of India’s most holy men. As a result
of what he had done to them, and then some found out he had also been
doing it to their sons, many of his top followers and leaders have left in
disgust.
Sai Baba’s claimed ‘miracles’, with
producing so-called sacred ash (actually used incense ash) and gold
watches and crucifixes etc., have been exposed as nothing more than tawdry
human slight -of-hand trickery – including to world audiences of a BBC
documentary. Still the believers cling to him as a living god-man! There
are reports of murder in his bed room and much more, which have been
covered up and never properly explained or dealt with by authorities. He
has many powerful friends in India, including leading politicians.
At the same time as his followers are
trying to attract others to Sai baba by making him known in schools,
reports claiming to expose his perversions and deceptions mount up. A
petition, currently with some 495 names (many of former leading followers)
is being promoted on the Internet for presentation to governments and
authorities around the world to become aware and take action against this
guru:
‘To:
All governments, human rights institutions, all religious and spiritual
leaders, NGOs, politicians and official functionaries, and the media
organizations of all countries.
PUBLIC PETITION FOR
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATIONS OF SATHYA SAI BABA AND HIS WORLDWIDE ORGANIZATION
This Petition is to
bring attention to serious allegations of child molestation and homosexual
abuse by Sathya Sai Baba at his ashrams in South India, involving many
victims there including boys and young men visiting from other countries.
Another grave concern is the issue of unresolved murders at Sai Baba’s
main ashram in 1993. Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian man who claims to be the
full manifestation of God on earth, is worshipped by several million
followers from most countries of the world. These followers include heads
of state, royalty and other well-known dignitaries. In the highest
echelons of the Indian government, judiciary, and civil service (IAS) are
many followers, including Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee.
Sathya Sai Baba has
been charged by many individual victims of his assaults. The world’s
leading investigative newspaper media have reported on his alleged sexual
molestations of numerous boys and young men from all over the world, many
of whom were raised to believe that he was God Almighty. Some of the many
highly credible personal testimonies can be examined at
http://www.saiguru.net
or at
http://www.exbaba.com/
’
Is a man, accused of being a trickster
and paedophile really a likely source of ‘light’ on human values to be
promoted through schools? How well do, and SHOULD, principals, teachers,
and parents, check out the origins of programmes and activities promoted
for their children? Are we prepared to look beyond the self-promoted PR
images of so many groups and organisations?
The
following websites will spell things out in further detail, and are well
worth exploring for yourself:
http://dir.salon.com/people/feature/2001/07/25/baba/index.html
http://www.rickross.com/groups/saibaba.html
http://home.no.net/anir/Sai/
http://skepdic.com/saibaba.html
http://www.uni-giessen.de/~gk1415/sai-baba.htm
http://www.skeptica.dk/2001/01_1.htm?FACTNet
http://vclass.mtsac.edu:940/dlane/saidebates.htm
http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/english.html
http://www.sokaren.se/INDEX135.HTML
http://www.stelling.nl/simpos/shree_sai_baba.htm
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