The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his075/selfreal.lzh/SELFREAL.TXT

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CUL:Self realization fellowship  by Elliot Miller

   Self Realization Fellowship was founded by Swami Paramahansa
Yogananda and was brought to America in l920. International
headquarters for SRF is in Los Angeles on Mt. Washington. Yogananda was
a Hindu Yogi and mystic of the early twentieth century. He emphasized
that union with God is the chief end of man. By submitting to the
necessary Hindu training, he earned the title of "Swami", and through
his teachings gained a following in the United States, where he as
aided by the enthusiastic support of horticulturist Luther Burbank.

   His followers are convinced that he as a Prem-Avatar; that is, an
incarnation of the love of God. Yogananda was a devout, well educated,
personable man, who was acquainted with many dignitaries in his native
India, including Mahatma Gandi.

   The basic tenets of SRF are summarized as follows: (1) They hold
pantheism, (the belief that ultimately, God is the only reality:
everything is a part of God, and all things find their true identity in
God) as a primary supposition in their view of things. (2) They teach
that the basic ills of man's spirit, soul, and body may be overcome by
becoming one with the "cosmic consciousness"; i.e., by realizing that
one's true self is not his finite, temporal ego, but that one eternal
Self that exists within each of us. (3) They believe that this goal may
be reached through disciplined observance of certain practices. These
include physical yoga (hatha and kriya), with an emphasis on breathing
excercises, meditation (preferably upon God rather than a word or
object), living a good, moral life and abstaining from all vices,
restricting one's diet to health foods, and reading holy writings, such
as the BIBLE, the BHAGAVAD GITA (Hinduism's most popular Scriptures),
and Yogananda's AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI. (4) They emphasize the unity
of all religions, teaching that Hinduism and Christianity, as they were
originally taught, are in perfect harmony. (5) They laud Jesus as a
great prophet, and quote the Bible profusely. (6) They consider
mystical experiences important as a means of realizing one's union with
God. Yoganda's life was replete with supernatural signs and miracles,
according to his autobiography. The faithful are encouraged that when
they reach a certain point of spiritual growth they too will experience
contact with the spiritual world in such manifestations as trances, or
visions of departed masters. (7) They also hold the classical Hindu
doctrine of reincarnation.

   Although SRF's attempts to promote unity between Hinduism and
Christianity appear commendable, such a goal can only be realized by
subtly glossing over significant, irreconcilable differences between
the two. The end result finds Hinduism unscathed by the transaction,
while Christianity becomes stripped of its essential and distinguishing
characteristics. The characters and terminology of Christianity are
retained, but their historic meaning and significance are traded for
the esoteric pantheism of Hindu theology.

   Let's examine some of the reasons why Christianity, in its original
form, can not be harmonized with Hinduism, or any other religion.

   The God of the Bible is distinctly an infinite, personal Being,
whose essence is Spirit. (2 Chronicles 6:18. Jeremiah 10:10. Exodus
3:14,15. John 4:24.) He created the world out of nothing, not out of
Himself. (Genesis 1:1. The Hebrew word for "create" is "bara", which
indicates something coming out of nothing). Thus the universe
essentially is not God, although His infinite Spirit is present in all
parts of it. God created man as an entity distinct from Himself, to
exist into eternity as a finite reflection of His own image; spiritual,
personal, and moral. (Genesis 1:26,27, Psalms 94:9, Numbers 23:19, 1
Corinthians 2:11, 1 Peter 1:16.). His purpose for creating man was so
that He and man might experience a personal, intimate fellowship for
all eternity (John 17:3, 1 Cor. 1:9, 1 John 1:3). The Christian goal of
union with God is not to lose one's identity through absorption into
the Divine Self. Man does not need to be freed from his own personal,
finite identity; it is a gift from God, created in His image. For the
Christian, to be united with God is to enter into a unity of will and
devotion with that distinct Person who is the Absolute. Earthly
marriage speaks to us of this union in that two persons become
intimately united without losing their individual indentities. Self
realization then is realizing one's own dignified identity as a being
created in God's own image, and going on from there by faith in Christ
to become a child of God (Jn. 1:12), in order to find our ultimate
fulfillment; eternal fellowship with God. It is not realizing that our
true Self is God, for such thinking is the very thing that has always
led man away from the true God (Genesis 3:4,5, Isaiah 47:8-10, Ezekiel
28:2).

   This brings us to the question of how one reaches this union with
God. SRF's approach will only lead one into contact with fallen spirits
posing as God, or departed masters: it can never lead one into contact
with the true God. This failure is due to an ignorance of the true
nature and cause of man's separation from God. Man is not separated
from God because he is ignorant of his true union, as SRF affirms. Man
is separated from God because he is guilty of breaking the moral laws
which God established in the universe for the good of His creation.

   This disobedience originated with Adam, and has spread throughout
the entire human race (Romans 5:12). According to the Bible, even the
most moral, disciplined man is still a sinner (Romans 3:23), and thus
incapable of reaching God through his own efforts, for God will not
overlook his sin, or its just penalty. With man incapable of bridging
the gap, it was up to God to do something about it, which He did by
sending His Son, in the form of a man, sinless, to pay man's penalty
through his sacrificial death. For those who recognize that through
their own efforts they can not please God, and are willing to accept
that through Christ's finished work in the cross all that was necessary
for their salvation was done, God, in response to their faith, will
reinstate them into union with Himself. This true form of enlightenment
brings one into awareness of a living, loving, personal God who
transcends the universe, not an impersonal cosmic consciousness who is
the universe. Such experience as cosmic consciousness is counterfeit
and dangerous, because of the demonic element, and even more, because
of the eternal loss such deception can lead one to. Hindus would be
bette off totally rejecting Christianity than trying to unify it with
Hinduism. Jesus Himself made it all too clear. "JESUS SAID TO HIM; "I
AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE; NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT
THROUGH ME." (John 14:6). "JESUS THEREFORE SAID TO THEM AGAIN, "TRULY,
TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP. ALL WHO CAME BEFORE ME
ARE THIEVES AND ROBBERS; BUT THE SHEEP DID NOT HEAR THEM. I AM THE
DOOR; IF ANYONE ENTERS THROUGH ME, HE SHALL BE SAVED, AND SHALL GO IN
AND OUT, AND FIND PASTURE. THE THIEF COMES ONLY TO STEAL, AND KILL, AND
DESTROY; I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE
FOR THE SHEEP." (Jn. 10:7-11) If they want to consider Jesus a prophet,
then to be consistent with the definition of the term "prophet", they
must acknowledge that the words He spoke were the true words of God.

   These are only two of many passages in the New Testament that
demonstrate the exclusiveness of Christianity. We must recognize that
Christianity springs directly from Judaism, and in the Hebrew
Scriptures one truth is continually hammered home: "FOR ALL THE GODS OF
THE PEOPLES ARE IDOLS, BUT YAWEH MADE THE HEAVENS." Psalms 96:5). The
personal God who, for the ultimate benefit of the entire human race,
revealed Himself in a unique way to the nation Israel, is sharply
distinguished from the gods of the other nations, including the gods
that were and still are worshipped in India.

   Rather than teaching reincarnation, the Bible tells us that it is
appointed unto all men to die once, and afterwards to be judged
(Hebrews 9:27). It would be easy and tempting for a member of SRF to
simply close his eyes to the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. Many
seek to appease their consciences by giving honor to Christ, and yet
they refuse to make the absolute surrender to Jesus alone that He so
clearly demands (Matthew 10:32-39). Truly, it is acknowledged
everywhere, even among Hindus, that no man in history has deserved more
honor than Jesus Christ. Yet, if one truly honors Christ, the wisdom of
giving serious consideration to the things He said, in the context in
which He spoke them, should be self-evident. To take His words out of
context, and attempt to conform them to a foreign theology, is to risk
facing the above mentioned judgement unprepared.

   Prepared by Elliot Miller, Research Consultant.

   Copyright l979 by Christian Research Institute, Inc.