Dear Farmer, thank you for graciously accepting your initial topic to be “hijacked”. While you said your interest was in the origins of the beliefs in India, I didn’t want to minimize it. I was instead addressing the influence of those beliefs in the Christian Church, particularly in these days and in the United States. This engulfs most of the modern protestant denominations other than Catholicism. Catholics have received a lot of influence from all kinds of traditions and beliefs. I think it would be accurate to say the Catholicism is generally the same all over the world but it has its own set of idiosyncrasies and deviances sectioned by geographic regions and beliefs in those regions. However, the same happens in the USA within some denominations where some fringe beliefs are concentrated in some regions.
The importance of the chronology was clear when OT2 shows the tremendous dent and influence of Hinduism in our lifetime. OT2’s experiences are remarkable proof that Hinduism in its modern forms has been very successfully introduced in the USA. As a corollary, one could say that the Christian Church ignored this invasion and was passive as a result. It is a blanket statement but results from my limited knowledge in Church history and is backed up by the reality of our present. I head recently that, for example, a large percentage of Christians believe in reincarnation. One could say that those people are not really Christians but it would be a way of denying a reality.
It begs the question of where do these beliefs come from?
Well, being so inclined to believe in conspiracies, I find it uncanny that in the end of the 1800s and the beginning of 1900s these beliefs were introduced in what seems a concerted effort, and their popularization continued until the critical mass of the 60s let it shine! From then on it was an easy road and by natural dispersion it has been gaining space. Kriya Yoga, in all its forms, is here to stay, just like Berg’s teachings.
Acceptance of a bastardized christianity in both cases came from our own lack of knowledge about Christianity. Berg, an ideological profiteer, took advantage of that ignorance and as empty yet thirsty bottles we took in anything and everything. The same happened and still happens with the teaching about Hinduism in any of its forms. It takes hold of people’s imaginations because they are not prepared to defend themselves. Christians cannot defend themselves because the Christian Church is not aggressive enough to teach them.
Teaching is not just exposing the enemy and the bad things they do, yet that is the extent of Christian teachings as done by the Churches. Again, a generalized statement but true for the most part. In this field, Berg found excellent soil for his manure. But many of us are out. I leave the image here for you to continue. Let’s do our part in exposing and also in teaching, those of us who can, want and are willing.
Meanwhile, Peace.