THE 9/11 DISASTER
and how the Sathya Sai Organisation tries to capitalise on it
The official Sathya Sai Organization International Chairman Dr. Goldstin affronts the 9/11 victims' memory by claiming that Sathya Sai Baba intervened to save his members' lives (but not those of others)!
In a live TV programme on Zona de Investigacion (Azul TV, Argentina), Dr. Michael Goldstein is reported on by the Argentian journalist and TV director, Agnostelli as follows: Dr. Goldstein “gave some news that left the sweating audience mute: On September 11, the devotees that worked at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon didn’t go to work that day or were late getting to their jobs. ‘Thanks to our beloved Bhagavan,’ pontificated Goldstein, ‘all the New York and Washington devotees are safe.’ I shuddered to think that the public might applaud the news. But nobody did. Baba’s divine powers only benefit those faithful to him, or was this news passed on to avoid more desertions?”
In the same programme, Leonard Gutter, Central Coordinator of the South American Sathya Sai Organizations, said: “Baba’s love encompasses all: There were 50,000 people working at the Towers and only 3,000 died; then Baba saved 47,000, not only devotees. Each person has his own karma: that was the destiny of those who died there.” The TV programme (first part) is transcribed here]
An article by Alejandro Agnostelli entitled 'Divine Sin' reflects the contents of the Azul TV programme
The deluded conjectures by Dr. Goldstein and Leonardo Gutter towards all those whose dear ones died in the Twin Towers catastrophe and the total lack of judgement and blind faith beyond all reason it expresses is not in the least uncommon among Sathya Sai followers. See more about Dr. M. Goldstein here.
Dr. William Harvey is a member of the top policy-making ‘Prashanthi Council’ of the International Sathya Sai Organization. He spoke at the Sai Public Meeting in St. Louis, September 11, 2005, prematurely - and for no valid calendar reasons - celebrating Sathya Sai Baba’s 80th birthday (11/23) and the announcement of the Mayor that 9/11 is offically Sathya Sai Baba day in St. Louis! (see here - if unavailable see here) The report of Dr. Jack Feely, Regional President, Mid-Central Region US stated: “The program was held at the 1904 World’s Fair Pavilion, a magnificent open-air shelter in the center of Forest Park. The 1300-acre park, considered
the “Crown Jewel” of the city, was a picturesque setting worthy of a public program about Sathya Sai Baba, the Divine Crown Jewel of the universe. (see here if unavailable see here) ”The Sai Organization proclaimed that they had sent "personal letters of invitation went out to 49 professors of philosophy and theological studies of the major universities and colleges in the area, followed up with telephone message reminders. Press releases went to the major
TV and radio stations, along with the major newspapers. Quarter-page ads promoting the meeting were put in a widely distributed spiritually oriented newspaper. That same paper accepted a 700-page article about Sathya Sai Baba and His teachings.”
Before introducing the speakers, Dr. Jack Feely, regional president, asked the guests to join in a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, were hurt, or lost loved ones during the tragedy of 9/11 four years earlier.
Dr. William Harvey, a member of the Prasanthi Council, was the first speaker. He focused his talk on the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. He began his presentation by explaining to the attendees, “It is our belief that viewed from a cosmic prospective there are no accidents and that everything happens for a reason, though it is often not obvious to us at the time. Hence, we can assume that everyone present here today is destined to be here and to be a part of this event.” After sharing some of the miracles he has witnessed, he added, “Yet, I consider that the even bigger miracle that Sai Baba performs is His ability to turn people God-ward. Turning God-ward in the sense of inspiring one to begin to recognize and accept that an all- powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and all-loving Unseen Force controls his or her destiny and the events that occur in the world.”
(Comment: Who but a truly committed Sai worshipper could be bothered to read seven hundred pages? Most of what Sai Baba writes and says is sheer repetition anyhow. It would no doubt take 49 philosophy professors to do that job. But how many responded to the letters and phone calls? That is a carefully-guarded fact no doubt, as it seems most unlikely that philosophy professors would be so naive as to support that scandalous misuse of September 11 to propagandise for an Indian fraudster who is so widely accused of male sex abuses and murder cover-up?
Naively and without joking, Dr. Feely informed of the selfless service provided to participants as follows: “Cold bottled water, served to attendees throughout the program, offered physical comfort that added to the spiritual comfort the speakers’ words provided.” What are mere physical comforts, though... Sai Baba constantly despises them in discourses (though he has all of them for himself)
Further links about the Argentinian TV programme, see here and here
See also this article at http://barrypittard.wordpress.com/2007/09/12/memories-of-911-discredit-sai-baba-and-his-global-cult/
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