Posts Tagged ‘Lucas Ralli’

(Late) Ron and Peggy Laing: Deeply Alienated From Sathya Sai Organization

Posted by Barry Pittard on November 14, 2009

Even before the worldwide onslaught of revelations – greatly facilitated by the sudden, dynamic growth of the Internet – of Sathya Baba’s serial and widespread sexual abuse of boys and young men (and other abuses far beyond), well-loved devotees like Ron and Peggy Laing (UK) saw that Sathya Sai Baba’s worldwide organization did not bear fair and reasonable scrutiny. Ron Laing was in the unusual position of being the only non-Indian (at the time) on the Sathya Sai World Council.

It appears that among the Laings’ other grave concerns was the extremely rude and autocratic conduct of the then world head of the Sathya Sai Organization, Indulal Shah. It was the latter who summarily sacked two widely-respected UK organization heads, Lucas Ralli and Aime Levy, simply because they disagreed with him. Summary sacking is much the way in this cult, and spells finis to its claims to being all about light, love and spirituality.

In his article ‘Sociological evidence on the Sathya Sai Organisation’, academic sociologist (University of Oslo) and former head of the Sathya Sai Organization in Norway, Robert Priddy, has written:

“On my visit to the highly-respected Peggy Mason of The Embodiment of Love, and her husband and co-author, Ron Laing in UK in 1987, Ron spent most of two hours telling me in detail of his negative experiences on the World Council and in the Sathya Sai Organization, strongly criticising it and not least Mr. Indulal Shah. After resigning from it, Ron Laing wrote, in the Spring 1988 edition of Peggy Mason’s ‘Sathya Sai Baba – quarterly magazine’, as follows:

‘Organisation has been the bane and pollution of all world religions. How can administrators and bureaucrats not fail to misinterpret and travesty the teachings of the great mystics who have founded the world religions and who have not been able to embody their spiritual insights into limited human language? There is bound to be distortion, misunderstanding and man-made theology. In my opinion, with man’s growing consciousness, this is why the age of churches is dying out, and the age of spiritual truth is emerging.

It is vital to understand that in the Sai Movement the Organisation is quite separate from the Divine Mission. This is why Swami has recently said: “Those who are organisation-minded are those who do not understand the meaning of love. They continue to believe in reports and organisational detail, none of which is important.” Love knows no rules. There is room for freelancers and individuals in the Sai Movement’ “.

Resources

Peggy Mason and Ron Laing [Mason], Sathya Sai Baba. Embodiment of Love, London, Sawbridge, 1982. [3rd ed., Bath, Gateway Books]

Mrs Mason reports that Sathya Sai Baba told her – see the Chapter ‘The Second Coming has Come’ p. 149-160 – that he is the ‘Cosmic Christ’

General

Barry Pittard’s comments in regard to the Public Petition) -:

Petition For Official Investigation Into Sathya Sai Baba Cult

Posted by Barry Pittard on July 10, 2009

Public Petition For Official Investigations of Sathya Sai Baba and His Worldwide Organization

There is a Spanish version available:

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA PARA ”INVESTIGACIONES OFICIALES DE SATHYA SAI BABA Y SU ORGANIZACIÓN A NIVEL MUNDIAL)

Posted in Opinion, South Asia, Uncategorized, World Religions | Tagged: Aime Levy, Embodiment of Love, Lucas Ralli, Peggy Mason, Ron Laing, Sociological Evidence | 7 Comments »

Sathya Sai Baba’s Followers Face Alienation In Their Wider Communities

Posted by Barry Pittard on April 4, 2009

Among those who defame and libel former devotees who have stood forth (indeed who have done so at considerable personal sacrifice) is the deputy chairman of the Sathya Sai Baba Organization, Dr G. Venkataraman. See:

Sathya Sai Baba’s ‘Minister of Propaganda’ – Dr G. Venkataraman

Indian Nuclear Scientist Now Sai Baba’s Global Radio Chief

Sathya Sai Baba’s Deputy Head, Dr G. Venkataraman, Speaks of “Mr Idi Amin”

The Declaring of Non Persons and Annihilation of Personal History

There were earlier leaders – very nice men! Such as Harry Mansbridge, Ron Laing, Lucas Ralli – all of them significantly disillusioned. One who was tenacious in following up reported cases of anomaly and betrayal was the Australian head, Terry Gallagher, who eventually resigned on a matter of highest principle. Lucas Ralli was told in great detail about the Sai Baba abuse-suicide case of Keith Ord but was in deep psychological denial. See the tragic Keith Ord story, Times of London: Monday August 27, 2001. Three die after putting faith in guru. By Dominic Kennedy -: “The Times has learnt that three Britons have apparently taken their lives after placing hope in India’s most popular holy man”.

More recently, an important former UK Sathya Sai Organization leader, Aime Levy, has had awakenings but has not wished to make these public.

However, there are many in the Sathya Sai Organization who suppress a palpable fact: namely, that many of those who have left it, having investigated the allegations – particularly in their own Sai centers – were held in high esteem for decades. This is one of the facts that people like Goldstein, Venkatarman, Moreno (see below) and other cultists are bent upon obscuring.

These continuing Sai Baba center members have allowed themselves, year after year, to be party to defamation of many former devotees by the core leaders, and by Internet defamers – chiefly Gerald Moreno with whom some of them league closely (e.g., the slightly less-than-official Saibabaofindia.com group) – which has been echoed all the way down the leadership hierarchy. See: Gerald “Joe” Moreno on Wikipedia, and refutation of his allegations against Robert Priddy.

Moreno began his activity in earnest against practically any individual who criticized his idol, Sathya Sai Baba. By reference to the Internet Wayback Machine, a likely candidate for focused commencement of this activity is: 31 Mar 2009, at 19:28. Highly qualified, independent lawyers in three countries have stated emphatically that Moreno’s many defamations, and acting on them by intruding into community settings, jobs and professions in a number of countries and attacking individuals and families, are highly actionable. But who can afford the time, energy and money? He plays on this restrictive factor and the fact is that the Internet is a sort of Wild West for the unscrupulous and sociopathic. Furthermore, some former devotees have not been in favour of legal recourse if it were encompassable – for what they deem to be spiritual reasons: e.g., ‘take not thy brother to court’ …

Dereliction of Duty of Care: Some Key Sai Baba Leaders

Top leaders from around the world who have:

Ignored the afflicted individuals and families and
Hidden vital facts from many rank-and-file devotees include:

Michael Goldstein, John (Jack) Hislop, Indulal Shah, William Harvey, Bob Bozzani, Hal Honig, Jagadeesan, Ashok Bhagani, Thorbjørn Meyer, Steen Piculell, Leonardo Gutter, T.Sri Ramanathan, Pal Dhall, Bernard Gruber, Pietro Marena, Jörgen Möllgård, Richard Friedrich, John Behner.

(Note the incredible top-heaviness of males in the Sathya Sai hierarchy!).

Sathya Sai Baba Sect Alienates Wider Communities

As the siftings and sortings of both documentary and psychological history portray themselves, it will be to their lasting shame that so many Sai devotees have stifled their consciences and commonsense.

As the Sathya Sai Organization has only too potently seen, ever wider political, civic, religious, academic institutions now shy away from them when the sect attempts to gain outreach in communities around the world. In regard to the Hindu community, see the note to me from one of the most notable Hindus in his country: Sathya Sai Baba: ‘Considerable Concern’ In Wider Hindu Community

There has been a huge effort by former devotees to bring to international attention the facts relating to:

serial sexual abuse of young males
police killings in Sai Baba bedroom (V.P.B. Nair. B.Premanand. R.Priddy: Sai Baba Bedroom Killings)
financial scandals concerning vast donations from many countries
scams involving the sale of apartments at Puttaparthi
cover up by successive Indian governments
repeated failureof Sai Baba’s prophecies and promises disease cure
huge misappropriation of funds from donors worldwide, deployed to incredible pomp and extravagance
Sai Baba’s very serious errors in regard to scientific and historical facts (covered very well by the Australian scholar Brian Steel: my commentary and links to these groundbreaking pieces are found in – Revealing Materials On Sai Baba Of India and Huge Sai Baba Gaffes)