I'm also surprised I'm not dead yet

I enjoy getting comments from readers of this blog, even those who want me dead. Can't resist making some observations on what Kaur said.

Looks like President Trump's oft-repeated "fake news" lie has made its way to India. On behalf of all rational journalism-loving Americans, I apologize for this export of ours.

Here's some real news. Actually, I started this blog in 2004 because Christian religious fundamentalists played a big role in re-electing George W. Bush as president. And, I'd come to see the downsides of all religions. 

Thanks for the compliment about me being shrewd. And for spelling it correctly. I don't use the word "shrewd" much and struggled to type it just now. But my blog isn't forced on anyone. So far as I know, everyone has to search it out. But if some higher power is forcing it upon people, let me know. That's a higher power I could worship (for an entirely selfish reason).

I'm surprised I'm not dead yet also. Of course, that's because I'm alive. When I'm not surprised, I assume I'll be dead.

If someone wants me dead, it sure seems like they could come up with worse ways of dying than a heart attack. How about flesh-eating bacteria? Or being hacked to death by a Saudi Arabia murder squad? Just some suggestions.

I've started working on a book that will be a compilation of some favorite posts from the early years of this blog. Those posts criticize several religions, including Christianity and Islam. I'm an equal opportunity critic of religious fundamentalism. I just tend to write the most about the religion I'm most familiar with, Sant Mat.

Regarding my narrow mindedness, actually I have a pretty wide brain. Can't remember my hat size, but it is quite large. At my last physical exam I don't recall any mention of an evil heart. I'll have to ask my doctor if I might have that diagnosis. 

Comments

[Mike England]

My horrible death would be slowly eaten alive by zombies then becoming a zombie with all my gizzards hanging out

[Jen from Austin Texas]

Brian I don’t agree with most of what you say but I wish nothing but the best for you.
IF that was from someone on the path... I apologize on their behalf.
Like I always say there is no need to be rude/mean/disrespectful or dirty. We are all co travelers in life and while we may take different routes we are still all the same made of the same and come from
The same, to wish negativity on your brother or sister isn’t right.

[Brian Hines]

Jen from Austin Texas, you're right -- wishing negativity on someone is wrong. I do my best to avoid that, and I'm a proud atheist.

What surprises me is how negative supposed religious believers are. The most hateful comments I've gotten about me are invariably from "spiritual" people. Which makes me wonder what good their spirituality is doing them.

[Mike England]

Dear Brian
I think you are the coolest cat on the blog.
Even though you are a dog lover 🐶

[Jen from Austin Texas]

My view on this is if one is truly spiritual they can’t be negative. Ofcourse no one is perfect and mistakes happen and we are all learning. But spirituality is all about love and realizing that power within us. The minute you see or rise to that power within yourself you will realize the same power is within everyone else. There is no difference then, we just like to label ourselves man/woman, American/Indian, uneducated/PhD, atheist/spiritual. But at the core we are all the same so your wouldn’t even wish harm/pain or negativity on anyone.

But that doesn’t mean I agree with you Brian. In fact I respectfully completely disagree. 😂

[Jesse]

"wishing negativity on someone is wrong"

I disagree with this completely. Along with leaving religion I also left those sorts of morals.

There are only goals and objectives and much of our preference for peace and "positivity" is culturally relative. People who come from high trust societies tend to think well wishing works in everyone's favor, which is good for them personally. If you're from a low trust society ie not northern Europe, you'll be eaten alive pretending that you're exempt from dunbars number.

Wishing people the worst is often useful and that's the honest impetus behind human behavior. Self benefit.

Morality is only a convenience.

[Georgy Porgy]

What surprises me is why you are surprised that someone says negative things in response to your negativity over what they cherish and hold most dear.

Hell its all a gigantic surprise.

Why would you be surprised? You know exactly what you are doing and this negativity is often carried out with great glee. You don’t have a problem when the people that support your viewpoint say even more negative things, but when you get it back - then it’s all a major surprise.

If I go a take a large dump on my neighbors carefully manicured lawn, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not happy with my behavior.

Personally I don’t have a problem with any of it, or anyone airing their own beliefs, so long as they have the balls to take it.

Isn’t that the premise of karma or life is fair or just plain decency? Action and reaction.

If it’s truly free speech, a blog with a free-flowing conversation and exchange of frank views, a search for the truth - great. That’s interesting, and you created something special, but then let it be free and ppl can all learn about different perspectives, and respond to your posts , not just eulogize your own sanitized edited version of the truth according to Brian.

[E.M.]

Congratulations, Blogger Brian.

Who would have thought such a narrow minded, evil hearted, spreader of hatefulness is worthy of the shrewd, corrupt and "fake" epitaph offered by Kaur.

I suspect Kaur is a troubled soul seeking out easy categories in which some people are good and others are bad. In the words of David Brooks, "They seek out certainly to conquer their feelings of unbearable doubt. "

In The Age of Anxiety, W.H. Auden Wrote,

We would rather be ruined then changed
We would rather die in our dread
Then climb the cross of the moment
And let our ilusions die.

[Turan]

The comment from Kaur doesn't surprise me at all. I recall reading of a Christian clergyman who said that whenever his beliefs are questioned or criticised it is as if someone was threatening his very life. This is how tied up we all are with our own thoughts, beliefs and opinions.

Every living creatures' primary purpose is to survive and we are no exception. But we have introduced an interloper – thought. Nothing wrong with thought in practical matters, except where it has created the separate 'me' concept. It has many names (depending on the time, place and society we were born into) such as me, self, ego, spirit, soul, mind, I, id, Atman and so on. Continuity of its existence is all that matters to it. Hence the letter from Kaur. All he is doing is maintaining his illusory self-structure – as we all do with our particular thoughts opinions, beliefs and comments, (including this comment).

I don't think any of our opinions are true or matter – they are all impermanent; they change, die and wither in time. Perhaps all we can do is to accept that they are simply exercises in maintaining our particular minds' contents at this moment and see them as insights into how our minds, how our thoughts deceive us into believing its ad hoc contents to be true or reflect reality

[Nick UK]

So much for love and peace from a fundamentalist religious perspective! The two just do not fit together. People like Krishnamurti flagged this time and again. For free and open speech and dialogue fair play to Brian, including all good wishes.

[Amar]

Well, looks like the Delhi HC has ordered garnishee orders against GSD, his family, Sanjay and Sunil Godhwani. With particular references to the shell companies that siphoned off the funds.

Also of note, the RSSB website no longer has the news links to the scandal from last year. It's been wiped from the website.

Link from the Business Today article from today is below:

https://www.businesstoday.in/buzztop/buzztop-corporate/delhi-hc-orders-recovery-from-rssb-chief-gurinder-dhillon-wife-and-sons-to-pay-singh-brothers-due-to-daiichi/story/354797.html

[Juan]

I think it was 10th June 1990 when Babaji ascended to Guru Gaddi ( Gaddi Nashin)

[J]

Cult devotionalism to the point of violence existed long before the current POTUS (who btw has received countless death threats from citizens, even celebrities, though he's issued none himself). On that note, we should pray that Cher and Kathy Griffin aren't satsangis.

The True Believer's impulse to resort to violence to protect the guru is a very real thing. Given that there are no instances of RSSB violence in the last 100 years, which includes Gurinder's tenure, some religions are less prone to acting out on violence than others.

[Brian Hines]

J, you are sort of correct about RSSB violence. But let's not forget two recent examples of reported death threats made against people who rubbed the RSSB guru the wrong way. See;

https://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/2019/03/sheetal-talwar-talks-about-death-threat-made-from-rssb-satsang-office.html

https://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/2019/02/gurinder-singh-the-rssb-guru-accused-of-making-death-threats.html

So threats of violence appear to have been made by RSSB initiates and the guru himself.

[Jen from Austin Texas]

Brian you wrote
“So threats of violence appear to have been made by RSSB initiates and the guru himself.”

I’m sorry you are completely wrong on this l. The threats were made by the initiates or the lawyer. Nowhere has it been proven it’s been made by the guru. So please Brian don’t lie.
Next you will say Kaur threatened you through the Guru. Nonsense!!!

[Brian Hines]

Jen from Austin Texas, it appears you didn't read the blog posts that I wrote about the death threats. Here's an excerpt that is a quote from an India Today story. So I'm right and you're wrong. Again. Sure, it hasn't been proven that the guru made death threats, but this is Malvinder Singh's allegation in his criminal complaint. See:
------------------
Malvinder Singh's February 5 criminal complaint before the EOW has alleged that Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, has been threatening from time to time to sign a family settlement that absolves "Sh. Gurinder Singh Dhillon of any wrongdoing whatsoever and agreeing that no liablities or legal proceedings or criminality would be attributable to Sh.Gurinder Singh Dhillon whatsoever under any circumstances". Malvinder has recordings of these threats which can be made available as and when required.

It also says that his younger brother Shivinder Mohan Singh has already signed the 'family settlement' "in his greed to become the next spiritual head of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas".

The complaint alleges when Malvinder refused to sign the settlement, "Sh. Gurinder Singh Dhillon has threatened the complainant through his lawyer Smt. Ferida Chopra that if he did not agree to the demands of Sh.Gurinder Singh Dhillon he would be eliminated by persons from the Radha Soami Satsang and that Sh.Gurinder Singh Dhillon was a powerful person who had contacts in the bureaucracy and polity at very high levels".

[Spence Tepper]

Jen who isn't Jen from Austin but not really from Austin, doesn't live there, never did....

If you can't be honest, how can you expect anyone to take you seriously?

[Jen from Austin Texas]

“Sure, it hasn't been proven that the guru made death threats, but this is Malvinder Singh's allegation in his criminal complaint. ”

Yes exactly it HAS NOT been proven anyone can say anything. I don’t appreciate using half news and making it look like something else. Please say Malvinder says he got a death threat from lawyer NOT that death threats appear to be made by the guru.

Kaur could have made a threat and claimed it from the guru to you. We won’t immediately believe that. You might we won’t.