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| ''']''' (also called Maharaji and formerly known as Guru Maharaj Ji) has at times been the subject of criticism from religious scholars, individuals related to the ] of the 1970s, articles in the press and media, and former members. | |||
| ==Observations from scholars== | |||
| Scholars and authors that have written about Prem Rawat and related organisations without criticism include ],<ref>Kopkind, Andrew. ''The Thirty Years' Wars'' pp.233-4. Verso, ISBN 1-85984-096-5</ref> Charles H. Lippy,<ref>Lippy, Charles H.''Pluralism Comes of Age: American Religious Culture in the Twentieth Century'' p.114, M. E. Sharpe (2002), ISBN 0-7656-0151-6</ref> John Bassett McCleary,<ref>McCleary Bassett, John. ''The Hippie Dictionary: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the 1960s and 1970s''. p.140, Ten Speed Press(2004), ISBN 1-58008-547-4</ref> Ruth Prince and David Riches,<ref> Prince Ruth & Riches Davies, ''The New Age in Glastonbury: The Construction of Religious Movements'', pp.99-100, Berghahn Books (2001), ISBN 1-57181-792-1</ref> ],<ref> Wilson, Bryan, ''New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response''. pp.268-9, Routledge (UK), ISBN 0-415-20049-0</ref> Dennis Marcellino, Erwin Fahlbusch,<ref>Fahlbusch E. (Ed.) ''The Encyclopedia of Christianity'' (1998). p.861, ISBN 90-04-11316-9</ref> Tim Miller, Raymond Lee, Rosemary Goring,<ref>Goring, Rosemary. ''Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions''. p.145, Wordsworth Editions (1997), ISBN 1-85326-354-0</ref> ], David V. Barrett, Lucy DuPertuis ], ], Eugene M. Elliot III,<ref>] and Elliot III, Eugene M. '' "Divine Light Mission/Elan Vital" in ] and Bauman, Martin (Eds.) "Religions of the world: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of beliefs and practices" ABC-CLIO (2002), ISBN 1-57607-223-1 </ref> Sandra S. Frankiel,<ref> Frankiel, Sandra S. in Lippy, Charles H. and Williams. Peter W. (Eds.) ''Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience'' p.1521, Charles Scribner's Sons (1988), ISBN 0-684-18863-5 (Vol III)</ref> and ]. Barret, Dupertuis, Melton, and Lewis mention criticism by the media, Rawat's mother, Bob Mishler, and former members respectively. | |||
| ] criticizes Prem Rawat based on his personal experience with Rawat and treats the criticism by the ] left on him in the ]. | |||
| Some critical observations and comments about Rawat and his students are as follows: | |||
| ;Wim Haan | |||
| An article written by Wim Haan, published in the official magazine of the ] of Amsterdam in ], forwards several critical statements. In the article, Haan wrote that he was a member of a critical movement within the ] and that he was a student of theology at a Pastoral and Theology school in a small town in the Netherlands. In that article, based on his description of his involvement with the DLM over the course of two years in the Netherlands, he asserts that Rawat's battle against the mind sometimes degenerated into complete irrationality, that sometimes ]s branded every critical and objective approach as "mind", and that they often avoided discussions with outsiders because these discussions could possibly stimulate the mind.<ref>Haan, Wim (Dutch language) ''De missie van het Goddelijk licht van goeroe Maharaj Ji: een subjektieve duiding'' from the series ''Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland: Feiten en Visies'' nr. 3, autumn 1981. ISBN 90-242-2341-5 (Based mainly on the Dutch branch of the Divine Light Mission.) ''Note: Haan was part of a critical movement within the Catholic church''</ref> | |||
| ;Stephen Hunt | |||
| In ], ] wrote in ''Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction'' that Prem Rawat has left " his more ascetic life behind him, he does not personally eschews material possessions. Over time, critics have focused on what appears to be his opulent lifestyle and argue that it is supported largely by the donations of his followers". Hunt also writes that by keeping a low profile the movement has managed to escape the gaze of publicity that surrounds other new religious movements.<ref> Hunt, Stephen J. ''Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction'' (2003), pp.116-7, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8<br />" He claims only to encourage people to "experience the present reality of life now." Leaving his more ascetic life behind him, he does not personally eschews material possessions. Over time, critics have focused on what appears to be his opulent lifestyle and argue that it is supported largely by the donations of his followers. However, deliberately keeping a low profile has meant that the movement has generally managed to escape the gaze of publicity that surrounds other NRMs"</ref> | |||
| ;Reender Kranenborg | |||
| ], a Dutch religious scholar and Christian minister, wrote in a 1982 article that "''in Maharaj ji's ]s one can notice a speaking style that resembles very much some Christian evangelization campaigns: a pressing request, an emphasis on the last possibility to choose before it is too late and a terminology in which one is requested to surrender to the Lord, in this case Maharaj ji himself. The contents of the message is not Christian, though.''" Kranenbord's impression was that the person of Maharaj ji had become more central over the course of years, and that Maharaj ji's assertions about himself and his vocation went further as he became more aware of the extent of his divinity. Kranenborg asserted that Jos Lammers, whom he labelled as an "ex-premie", made similar comments as van der Lans about Maharaji's lifestyle in his interview with the Dutch magazine ]. He further wrote that when Christians get into dialogue with premies that the lifestyle of the guru is of great importance. He argued that a ] who drives an expensive cars and owns a big yacht may not be a problem for premies, but it is a problem for Christians and that they should ask premies why Maharaj ji does not live what he considers to be a normal and simple life.<ref>] (1982) ''Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen/Eastern faith movements in the West'' (Dutch language) ISBN 90-210-4965-1</ref> | |||
| ;Jan van der Lans | |||
| ], a professor of ] at the ], wrote about followers of gurus in a book published in ] commissioned by the ], a ]-inspired Dutch association that organizes conferences and publishes articles and books related to ], ] and ]<ref><br>''"Het KSGV onderneemt zijn activiteiten vanuit een christelijke inspiratie."''</ref>. Van der Lans wrote that Maharaji is an example of a guru who has become a charlatan leading a double life. On the one hand, he tried to remain loyal to the role in which he was forced and to the expectations of his students, yet on the other hand, his private life was one of idleness and pleasure, which was only known to small circle of insiders. According to van der Lans, one could consider him either a fraud or a victim of his surroundings. Van der Lans treated several gurus but was only critical about Rawat, but does not provided citations for his very critical assessment.<ref>Lans, Jan van der (Dutch language) page 117, written upon request for the published by Ambo, Baarn, ] ISBN 90-263-0521-4</ref> | |||
| ;Larkin, Foss | |||
| The sociologist ] with Daniel A. Foss wrote in 1978 that the DLM "emphasized formal structure without substantive content."<ref>Foss, Daniel, and Ralph Larkin. "Worshipping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality Among the Followers of the Guru Maharaji'ji." ''Sociological Analysis'', 39 (1978): 157-164. </ref> In response the religious scholar Dr. ], who is a student of Prem Rawat, accused them of bias, pointing to the number of students that were attracted to the DLM. <ref> Geaves, Ron. ''From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: An Exploration of Change and Adaptation'', Nova Religio, March 2004, Vol. 7, No. 3, Pages 45-62</ref> | |||
| ;Saul V. Levine | |||
| The ] ], who has published several articles about cults and new religious movements, wrote in an article titled ''Life in Cults'', published in ], that public perception is that the ], the ], the ], and the ] are seen as cults held in low esteem and that families' perceptions ''"that their children are being financially exploited"'' is one of the most pernicious and malevolent aspects of these groups, where ''"the leaders live in ostentation and offensive opulence."'' He also wrote that ''" in the Divine Light Mission, members are expected to turn over all material possessions and earnings to the religion and to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, meat, and sex"''. His analysis was based on practices, such as the monastic life in ashrams, that were abandoned in the 1980s when Prem Rawat threw off anachronistic Hindu religious and cultural trappings previously associated with his message.<ref>Levine, Saul V. ''Life in the Cults'', article that appeared in the book edited by Marc Galanter ], (1989), ''Cults and new religious movements: a report of the committee on psychiatry and religion of the ]'', ISBN 0-89042-212-5</ref> | |||
| ;Margaret Singer | |||
| {{sectstub}} | |||
| In the early ] the late ] included the DLM (since then disbanded and replaced by the non-religious, educational nonprofit, ]) in her list of ]s. In ], Dr. Singer mentioned the Divine Light Movement as one of a set of groups that have ''"intense relationships between followers and a powerful idea or leader"'', in an article in ''Psychology Today''.<ref>"Coming Out of the Cults", ''Psychology Today'', January ].</ref>. | |||
| ;Paul Schnabel | |||
| The sociologist Dr. ] wrote in a 1982 Ph.D. thesis about new religious movements and mental health that the message of the ] could be summarized in the person of Guru Maharaj Ji, in which divine love and truth are manifested, and that by completely surrendering oneself to the guru or perfect master (the revealer of that truth and love), one can be a part of it. He further wrote that Prem Rawat was at that moment one of the purest examples of ]. He characterized Rawat as materialistic, spoilt, and intellectually unremarkable. He asserted that Rawat stimulated an uncritical attitude of the students' view of the guru and their projections on him.<ref>Schnabel, Paul Dr. (Dutch language) ''Between stigma and charisma: new religious movements and mental health'' ], Faculty of Medicine, Ph.D. thesis, ISBN 90-6001-746-3 (Deventer, Van Loghum Slaterus, 1982), Chapter II, page 33, Chapter IV page 99, page 101-102, Chapter V, page 142</ref> | |||
| ==Criticism in the media== | |||
| {{sectstub}} | |||
| After Prem Rawat's first arrival in the ] and ] in ] at the age of thirteen and through the ] he, his students and his organizations attracted media scrutiny and attention. Examples of articles appearing in the mainstream press in that decade include a ] article in ] and a ] article in the ].<ref>Rolling Stone Magazine. ''The Seventies: A Tumultous Decade Reconsidered.'' Rolling Stones Press, 1998. p. 102, ISBN 0-316-75914-7</ref><ref>du Plessix Gray, Francine. ''Blissing out in Houston.'' The New York Review of Books. vol.20, no. 20 (December 13, 1973) </ref> | |||
| A ] article in '']'' reported that a Congressional Panel had singled out, among other controversial groups: ''"Guru Maharaj Ji's Divine Light Mission...as cults that employ manipulative techniques and turn children against their parents."''<ref>, '']'', ], ].</ref> An article which mentioned the Divine Light Mission appeared in '']'' in ]<ref>, '']'', ], ]<br>The modern era of cultism dates to the 1970s, when the free inquiry of the previous decade led quite a few exhausted seekers into intellectual surrender. Out from the rubble of the countercultures came such groups as the Children of God and the Divine Light Mission, est and the Church of Scientology, the robotic political followers of Lyndon LaRouche and the Unification Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. On Nov. 18, 1978, the cultism of the '70s arrived at its dark crescendo in Jonestown, Guyana, where more than 900 members of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple died at his order, most by suicide</ref>. A ] article in '']'' referred to Elan Vital as a "cult"<ref>"Former Guru on a Different Mission", '']'', ], ].<br>Nowadays, former cult members estimate Maharaji (he's dropped the Guru from his name and simplified the spelling) has 100000 to 200000 followers...</ref>. | |||
| In ], an article by the '']'' referred to the organization as the "Elan Vital cult."<ref>"Guru's followers flock to hear him speak", ], ], ], ]</ref> | |||
| ==Criticism by former members == | |||
| {{sectstub}} | |||
| A small group of former followers that have become vocal critics, call themselves "ex-premies"<ref>, ''Courier Mail'', ], September 4, 2002, Tony Keim<br>Neville Ackland, a self-proclaimed "ex-premie" (follower) of "Mahariji" Prem Pal Rawat, was yesterday stopped by police from driving into the Ivory's Rock convention centre to confront the "false guru".</ref><ref>, '']'', August 31, 2002.<br>In 1996, Canadian lawyer and ex-premie Jim Heller was cruising the early cult newsgroups on the Internet, looking for some mention of Maharaji. Nothing. Then, slowly, other ex-premies materialised, including one who happened to have web design skills: www.ex-premie.org was born. As bits of information - recollections, documents, photos - trickled in to the web site from all over the world, an entirely new picture of the Perfect Master began to emerge.</ref>. There is also a website that utilizes this term, <ref>"Former Guru on a Different Mission", '']'', January 30, 1998.</ref><ref>, ]<br>The Elan Vital - Divine Light Mission Papers | |||
| "The primary purpose of this website is to provide information to current and prospective followers of Divine Light Mission/Elan Vital, that is not made available on Prem Rawat's official sites."</ref> | |||
| Gordon Melton describes that in the mid-1970s several ex-members became vocal critics<ref>Melton, J. Gordon. ''Encyclopedia Handbook of Cults in America'' p.143, Garland Publishing (1986) ISBN 0-8240-9036-5<br>"several deprogrammed ex-members became vocal critics of the mission"</ref>. James Lewis wrote that a number of ex-members became critics of the movement, attacking it with charges of brainwashing and mind control<ref>Lewis, James, ''The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions'', p.210, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-57392-888-7<br />"a number of ex-members became critics of the movement, attacking it with charges of brainwashing and mind control"</ref>. | |||
| Some of the criticism leveled at Prem Rawat derives from Bob Mishler, a former president of DLM, and Robert Hand after they parted ways with Prem Rawat in the 1970s. <ref>Brown, Chip, ''Parents Versus Cult: Frustration, Kidnapping, Tears; Who Became Kidnappers to Rescue Daughter From Her Guru'', The Washington Post, February 15, 1982<br>"Suddenly there were new reports from people who'd actually managed the Divine Light Mission—Robert Mishler, the man who organized the business side of the mission and served for 5 1/2 years as its president, and Robert Hand Jr., who served as a vice president for two years. In the aftermath of Jonestown, Mishler and Hand felt compelled to warn of similarities between Guru Maharaj Ji and Jim Jones. They claimed the potential for another Jonestown existed in the Divine Light Mission because the most fanatic followers of Maharaj Ji would not question even the craziest commands. As Jim Jones convincingly demonstrated, the health of a cult group can depend on the stability of the leader.<br>Mishler and Hand revealed aspects of life inside the mission that frightened the Deitzes. In addition to his ulcer, the Perfect Master who held the secret to peace and spiritual happiness 'had tremendous problems of anxiety which he combatted with alcohol,' Mishler said in a Denver radio interview in February 1979."</ref> According to Melton in a 1986 article, Mishler's complaints that the ideals of the group had become impossible to fulfill and that money was increasingly diverted to Maharaji's personal use found little support and did not affect the progress of the Mission.<ref>Ibid. ''Encyclopedic Handbook'' pp.144-5 "However as the group withdrew from the public eye, little controversy followed it except the accusations of Robert Mishner , the former president of the Mission who left in 1977. Mishner complained that the ideals of the group had become impossible to fulfill and that money was increasingly diverted to Maharaj Ji's personal use. Mishner's charges found little support and have not affected the progress of the Mission."</ref> | |||
| ==Other criticism== | |||
| *The ] activist ], consultant ], and ] ] list links about Elan Vital on their websites.<ref>, and pages and links on Elan Vital (Retrieved September 2005)</ref> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| ;Media/Press | |||
| *, '']'', ], ] | |||
| *, '']'', ], ], refers to "]", headed by Prem Rawat from 1966-1983. | |||
| == References and footnotes == | |||
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| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| {{Prem Rawat}} | |||
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