Ravenous wolves, who are they?

1. Jesus Warns against Ravenous Wolves

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

When the converts of Paul in Thessalonica were persecuted by the Roman Empire, they believed the end was upon them. [Matthew 24:15-22; Mark 13:14-20; Luke 21:20-33]

The gospel's Jesus that tells this, was born to a woman who according to the Law of her people (Deuteronomy 22:20, 23, 24) should have been stoned to death on her father's doorstep - with foetus Jesus in her belly. For she had got pregnant before marriage.

However, her fiancé came to the rescue and married her anyway. So we are told . . . The begetter was a Spirit, and not the carpenter Joseph, some early sources say, for example Matthew 1:18 and Luke 1:26-35. Yet Matthew 1:16 counts in Joseph in the family line of Jesus all the same. In the gospel of Matthew (15:24; 10:5-8), Jesus, makes it clear that his teachings, salvation and kingdom were for Jews only. Dr Geza Vermes sums up:

During his days of preaching, Jesus of Nazareth addressed only Jews . . . (Matthew 10:5; 15:24). His disciples were expressly instructed not to approach gentiles or Samaritans (Matthew 10:5). Jesus . . . was concerned only with Jews. On the few occasions that Jesus ventured beyond the boundaries of his homeland, he never proclaimed his gospel to pagans, nor did his disciples do so during his lifetime. The mission of the 11 apostles to "all the nations" (Matthew 28:19) is a "post-Resurrection" idea. It appears to be of Pauline inspiration and is nowhere else found in the Gospels (apart from the spurious longer ending of Mark [Mark 16:15], which is missing from all the older manuscripts). Jesus' own perspective was exclusively Jewish; he was concerned only with Jews. (Vermes 2012)

Who Jesus said he came for, is more nuanced, though. The Jews he said he had come to herd, were not healthy, but ill ones among them:

Jesus reserve his teachings and salvation for Jews (Matthew 15:24; 10:5-8; Vermes 2012), but only depraved Jews. Jews of sound moral and spirit are not called by him; the healthy ones do not need him and are better off than sheep (Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:12-13; 12:11) - Further, Jesus puts his sheep on a path to perdition in that he teaches what is opposed to sound self-preservation. Thereby eyes, limbs, property, fit living-conditions and life itself soon enough are at risk (Matthew 5: 29-30; 39-42). Finally, major losses are the lots of all Jews who call him 'Lord, Lord' without doing as he tells. (Luke 6:46)

For non-Jewish followers, all the disciples and the Holy Spirit dispensed with all but a few laws for Jews - not a single saying by Jesus for depraved Jews was included in the Apostolic Decree from around 50 CE either (Acts 15:19-29; 21:25). There are only four requirements for Gentile Christians. No to eating blood sausages (blood food) and wrangled chickens and other poultry (choked animals) are two of them.

Deep down . . . a still, small voice [keeps] whispering, "There is something not right." - Carl Gustav Jung

Go to the sources and derive benefits

If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else's. - Carl Gustav Jung, Swiss psychiatrist

Before you start believing this and that, check the sources and try to gauge if what is presented, adds up. The Bible is online, and it is very easy to check the sources of the abstracts given.

One - Two - Three

There is

• One old deal for Jews, called the Old Pact. Leviticus 16 explains that ruthless handling of two goats were all it took to be on a good foot with Jahve on a yearly basis.
• A deal of Jesus for depraved (ill) Jews only, and not healthy ones among them. Almost every Jew rejected him. Those he called his sheep did not want him. Humbling. So was the experience of being slaughtered at his Father's behest to save the Jews in vain. The plan failed.
• After that the net was cast over Gentiles - non-Jews: "Kill and eat," was the message that Peter got on a flat roof in Jaffa. It gave rise to the Deal of Gentiles, or Christians. All the apostles and the Spirit in them agreed (Acts 15:19-29; 21:25). Christianity took off by steps and stages after ca. 50 CE. Forgery became a common practice in it.

There is no way the four gospels in the Bible can be basic to real Christianity, for they were added tens of years after the Apostolic Decree from around 50 CE, all of them. That's when Christianity took off - without any gospels that we know of (Acts 15:19-29; 21:25). The four gospels that were chosen from among some twenty, were edited to appear "synchronised", but with several flaws and forgeries in some. The missionary commands are very likely forged, for example.

For now it ought to be clarified that commands of Jesus belonged to the largely failed mission for Jews. They preferred Barabbas to Jesus when a choice was to be made.

By not you have been furnished with a three-fold grasp on the main Deals in the Bible, and need not mutilate yourself to feel good on Jesus' command (for depraved Jews) [Details and more]. For substantiation one may read into books by Professor Bart D. Ehrman and other Bible scholars. That could help.

Many self-proclaimed followers of Jesus in the early church indulged in forgeries, and added things to the gospels that did not belong there. Dr. Bart D. Ehrman has written extensively about it, with examples. Besides, Joseph Wheless has checked intrinsic New Testament evidence and detailed how the missionary command is a forgery, fraudulent. The first flock was divided into many fractions. Unity was not a cardinal mark. It is much the same today, after many wars in the name of such a religion.

◎ Beware a lot of those who accept forgeries and live off them. (seeEhrman 2013, 2011, 2014 etc.)

False prophets

The sheer magnitude of early Christian forgery startles the modern reader," and "Varied motives . . . prompted ancient Christian authors intentionally to deceive their readers. - Professor Jennifer Knust (In Ehrman 2012)

Some manage to think that after Jesus had been executed and buried, wanted his teachings spread to people he had expressly forbidden his apostles to spread it to (Vermes 2010, 37, 41; Vermes 2012). Missionary forgeries are likely at the back of it. (SeeVermes 2012, above)

Granted that Jesus foretold the end of the world would come in the lifetime of his apostle disciples - according to gospels -, that would make him fit for being executed again after the world was over . . . according to the Law he vouched for in Matthew 5:17-19.

◎ The Law told what was to be done with Jesus in this world - when the end of the world did not come as foretold. However, he was not there at the time.

The Christian Christ concept took off and grew bigger and greater long after Jesus had been executed as a blasphemer, Dr Ehrman shows (op.cit). [More on forgeries] How could writers of forgeries were blessed with the Spirit of Truth? (John 16:13). Are Christians dragged down by forgeries, including the two later-added missionary commands? They are much likely forged. (See Vermes 2012; see1 John 4:1; Luke 6:43).

Instead of believing wrongly, one may pattern sound and sceptical thinking and go for benefits. Today, some who take to forgeries, may be termed criminals. In early Christianity, forged texts were common (Ehrman 2012).

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2. Babaji Lore

Marshall Govindan writes that a little-known yogi called Babaji has got remarkable medicine to stay alive for very, very long. 'Medicine' is a wide term.

In the following, some light is thrown on topics like:

• Are the mysterious yogi really in eternal communion with Jesus, those two "christs," as Yogananda tries to talk you into believing?

• Have they really planned another way of saving people than what the Bible claims is the only way, the way of God falling on people? Recognise a guess. [More]
• Is the New Testament basis - salvation by God [the Holy Spirit of God] getting into persons - outflanked by the pranayama method called Ujjayi with added elements from hatha-yoga? The core kriya yoga method is Ujjayi.
• What happened to the gospel's "Jesus, his teachings, salvation and healing ministry was for Jews only"? (Matthew 15:24; 10:1-10; Vermes 2012, etc.)

Here is something professor Jogesh Bhattacharya writes:

We do not know the exact name of [Babaji] but he is generally referred to as Babaji or the Father. . . . But Shri Shri Babaji Maharaj was also known as the ‘Tryambaka Baba' (one who has three eyes, including . . . the eye . . . between the eyebrows) . . .

Next to nothing is known regarding the life of Shri Shri Babaji Maharaj, as Mahayogis like him are generally far off from the contact of ordinary mortals. . . . [A]lthough Babaji Maharaj was very old, he possessed eternal youth, because after every hundred years or so he would renew his body . . . Babaji never appeared twice in the same form . . .

Of a sudden, one of the foremost disciples of Shri Shri Babaji Maharaj took off his turban which was 10 1/2 yards long. . . . This was just an example of the immense power reached by the Yogis in India.

(Bhattacharya 1964, Chap. 3, passim, abr.)

We could ask: "How could Babaji ("Honoured Father") team up with a Jesus-for-Jews-only - a Galilean who hardly said he was the Messiah (Ehrman 2014) and who maintained his teachings, salvatons and healing ministry were for ill Jews only?" Was there a real need to plan a different sort of salvation for others than the Ghost entering people, as Acts tells is salvation - that is, "put right with God"?

May Babaji's elaborate kriya yoga system be a means to go for glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), whatever that means? Is it based on the common hatha-yoga pranayama method called ujjaji, as they show in Satyananda Yoga? We are told in the Early Teachings of Satyananda it comes from Babaji through Satyananda's guru Sivananda. [More]

Tales and grandiose claims one may read about Babaji are in the Autobiography of a Yogi. It was first published in 1946, and subsequently "freshed up" in edition after edition to conform to the desires of the Self-Realization Fellowship: they wanted more monopoly on Yogananda's kriya yoga - which is different than Babaji's kriya yoga. But do they tell that in SRF, and how changed their kriya system is?

What also stands out is that Yogananda himself is for most part a mere secondhand source of Babaji tales, he too. It stands out that others, when writing the same tales, are more moderate, and not so much dealing in the fantastic. Professor Bhattacharya writes for example: "There are different and conflicting accounts regarding the meeting of the Yogiraj [Shyama Lahiri] with his Master Shri Shri Babaji Mabaraj, and his initiation. (Chap 3, emphasis added)" Yogananda's biographer says Yogananda

was a man who lived in the world of imagination and spiritual feelings. He saw some things directly and some things with the eyes of his feelings. Towards the end, he often did not perceive a difference between the two. In any case, in the perspective of a historical biographer, there is no believable evidence that the [Yogananda-]propagated picture of Babaji Maharaj [Honoured Father, Great King] was drawn from having seen the Divine Master [Babaji] directly. (Dasgupta 2006, 99)

"He saw some things directly and some things with the eyes of his feelings. Towards the end, he often did not perceive a difference between the two." One is to taste on that and find out what the biographer meant, if it is possible at all.

The ideas of Babaji and Jesus for Jews team up to save many and not just a few (Babaji's first goings) or Jews (Jesus' claim), were launched by Yogananda, that source (see quotation above). The ideas hardly go well with with the main content of the Apostolic Decree for non-Jews (see Acts 15:21-29 - copy and paste the reference in the address bar and get to a Bible version.].

Be that as it may. Some things hardly add up. It might be liberating in a way to be aware of them.

Trickeries abound in this world

There are way too many who tell that "Jesus is with us", but do not live the gospel messages of Jesus, and not the Apostolic Deal either if they eat wrangled poultry, eat black sausages and more.

Jesus vouches for the Law of Moses that institutionalises slavery, butchery of innocent animals, scapegoats and other cruelties. He adds self-molestations, embracing poverty, giving in to bullies, and other forms of self-discardment, and threatens fake followers with "No heaven for you. Away from me!" and so on.

Who wants self-molestations in a negative spiral downwards?

Jesus says the soul can be destroyed. Yogananda says the soul cannot be destroyed.

Jesus cautions against having other masters than himself. However, Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952) states there are six christs in the Self-Realization Fellowship he set up as a church in California in 1935, and that Jesus is one of these six guru christs. Yet the gospel's Jesus warned that there would arise false Christs who would claim much.

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3. Christ: A Dip into the Term's History

The term 'Christ' comes from 'Messiah', which means "the (oil-)anointed one'. [See 1 Samuel, chapters 8-10]

In troubled times the Hebrew people wanted a king, a messiah. Their first messiah, went insane. [1 Samuel 10:1] Their second messiah, David, wanted another man's wife and arranged so that her husband was killed, and then he took her. Afterwards he broke his own word and verdict concerning it, but complained. Their third messiah got a wife too much, perhaps or perhaps not, lost the throne and made his dynasty fall. Jesus called that third messiah the wisest man on earth before himself, and was soon executed.

The more errors you have made and yet survive, forms a basis for getting wise if you can. A Norse poem has it: "Wise in measure should each man be; / but let him not wax too wise . . ."

It may be better to learn from the falls and failings of others - since there is hardly time enough to make all the mistakes oneself, for one thing.

Jesus is presented as the "Son of David" by Joseph, who was not his father if the God of Jews was. Matthew 1 f, and Luke 3:23 f, differ widely.

'Jesus' stems from Yeshua (Jeshua). Yeshua taught among fellow Jews. As cited above, Dr Geza Vermes (1924–2013) concludes that his message was for Jews only. (Vermes 2012)

In letters of the New Testament, the Old Testament word that is spelled 'Messiah' in English Bibles today, was translated into the Greek Christós, "anointed" - and 'Christ' in English. The meaning of Messiah in the New Testament drifted and swelled to give greatness to someone that the authorities had executed as a blaspheming lunatic.

Jews at large still think Jesus was not a Messiah, and Bible scholars seriously doubt he claimed to be a messiah.

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Christianity-Saved - Too Bad?

The New Testament message of salvation is that it is a channeled gift of God coming on some, for example by getting a mate and get saved through having sex. It stands out from the New Testament (1 Corinthians). It might pay to be very careful. [Marco Polo Sex]

What is not much talked about or glorified, but rather ignored wholesale, is that Christian-saved means being sacrificed also. In the Old Testament it is indicated, and the apostle Paul talks of it too. "I urge you, brothers, . . . offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing . . . this is your spiritual act of worship. [Rom 12:1]

In Christianity, what is called salvation is being put right with a "I Am", as shown by a Ghost a href="tongues.html"> entering a host someone. Before them,

The Passover lamb "had to" be sacrificed. [See Luke 22:7] – God presented him as a sacrifice. [Rom 3:24-25] – Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. [1 Cor 5:7]

Jesus of the gospels told "they" would persecute his followers too. [John 15:20; seeJohn 16:2]

Now, there was hardly any real need for sacrificing Jesus for Jews, since two goats and a Jewish ritual once a year were all it should take to save that chosen people, the Jews. "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." This the Lord commanded Moses after detailing how to do it. [Leviticus 16:33]

Do these things add up?

Set Apart

The body of the Christian follower is to be a sacrifice, the apostle says above, obviously ignoring that two goats might remedy matters instead (Deuteronomy 16), and also the higher teachings of surpassing Jesus. You may look them up: Mark 9:23; 10:27; Matthew 17:21; Matthew 21:21; John 14:12 and so on.

Christians are said to be "set apart" (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 etc). There is an Old Testament parallell to people who were set apart to Jehovah as embodied, "consecrated sacrifices" (Numbers 6:2-21; seeJudges 13:2-24)

One could become a nazirite by saying "me too"

The term 'nazirite' comes from the Hebrew word nazir, which means "consecrated" or "separated". The nazirite is described as being "holy unto the Lord" (Numbers 6:8), yet at the same time must bring a sin offering. This has led to that some view the Nazirite as an ideal, and others view him as a sinner. The parallels to the "good Christian" are there (Luke 1:13-15).

Now, rabbis say that the nazirite may drink alcoholic beverages that are not derived from grapes, but the non-rabbinical interpretation is that a Nazirite is forbidden to consume any alcohol, and vinegar from such alcohol, regardless of its source.

Early Jewish Christians occasionally took the temporary nazirite vow, inspired by the text of Leviticus 21:5 "They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard nor make any cuttings in their flesh." The visible sign of this vow is dreadlocks. Some thinks such "locks" were simple braids. (WP, "Nazirite")

Away from Gospel Teachings

The Americanised guru Paramahansa Yogananda tells that Jesus is in "constant communion" with a secretive guru in the Himalayas and "have planned the spiritual technique of salvation for this age". But that is not the New Testament message of salvation as a direct gift by God coming on you at all, or coming on you through having marital sex either (Paul).

Jesus in the gospels says many things that cannot be reconciled with various Yogananda claims. Jesus of the gospels says

1. he came for Jews only [Matthew 15:24];
2. that salvation is only from the Jews [Matthew 10:5; John 4:22];
3. he warns explicitly against false Christs [Matthew 24:24];
4. and warns against having other masters than himself [Matthew 23:8].

In spite of this, Yogananda presents four of the SRF gurus as christs, and Jesus as one of the his fellowship's gurus, and claims perfect harmony with the teachings of Jesus, whose commands include "Maim yourself, embrace poverty, and not being self-assertive enough to keep a home, but be robbed (turn the other cheek, etc.)" and so on. Do they do all that in SRF? Think twice. They have been German Shepherds and guards to be met with on their premises . . . "Saying and doing are far apart in such a case. [More].

Moreover, theological problem is that his Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and soul concepts differ drastically from what the early Church concocted in the Articles of Faith [See for yourself],

The now deceased professor Mateo of the Catholic Church found Yogananda was bringing heresy.

As for Yogananda's Babaji tales, he is a good source, only a secondhand source for almost everything he tells about Babaji. He hardly met him.

Remarkable in Yogananda's church is that salvation is from a set of breathing techniques to train in, while in Christianity is called a sacrifice and to be put right with Christianity's God.

Since the spiritual part of man is so subtle or lies so deep that most people hardly sense it unless concience "knocks on the door" or something heartfelt threatens and so on, the scenario might be: The "saved" sinner gets his or her delicate inner sides consumed as a secret sacrifice to a Ghost and may not realise it until two thirds of his inmost spirit is lost to him or her. You would not think of that as pertinent, or what?

Old warning: "Big fish eat little fish." The fish used to be a prominent symbol of Jesus in the olden days. The Jesus fish (Greek: Ichtus and ichthys) consists of two curved lines that resemble the image of a fish. The Jesus fish is perhaps the earliest symbol for Christianity. Some reports of its use date back to the end of the 1st Century AD and it is believed to predate the symbol of the cross. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus tells many disciples that if they would follow him, he would make them fishers of men. There are somewhat different translations of it, including "I will teach you to catch people" (GNB)", but "fishers of men" is the most common one.

New Testament warning: The apostle Peter was to cast the net over heathens and bring them as a sacrifice to God. Saved, as it is called, but not saved from deadly difficulties, discord, warfare among Christians, a Great Inquisitions and further, the Church History documents so well. The neurotic defence maneuvre termed Idyllisation may hardly solve underlying problems if there are any. "God's people" are not peaceful people, not all of them. Some are marching soldiers, for example. That is how it has been from olden times, after "sacrificing" the dictum on pacifism by Jesus, the turn-the-other-cheek matters. Solders have sacrificed Jesus-dictums -

Sacrifices on some levels

Sacrifices are had on the levels of spirit (attention, of which the soul is like a mouth; on the levels of mind (of formed awareness); and on the level of the body (askesis) and one's social living (being set apart, etc.). Thus, there are subtle, fine sacrifices and raw, gross ones, and sacrifices equal losses many times. It could be losses of bad contacts - and there are deep losses and other losses.

Reduction of spirit signifies mishaps, dire losses of spirit could mean disasters. Sacrifices of mental sides signifies being stultified, and so on.

Some signs of being united with a Low Spirit - according to Jesus, that is - may include the ability not to greater works than Jesus [John 14:12]. To avoid being taken in by a wrong spirit that poses as God, allow for a little demonstration, just to be a true follower "discerning the spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10; Matthew 21:21)

During a life-time there can be many losses before death comes, dearly loved ones die or get odious, and further. The question is what remains of us or with us after death. If there are lots of dragons in the beyond, losses could go on. Some good knowledge of what might await a person after death - annihilation or better - could prove beneficient. Padmasambhava tells of layers or levels in the beyond, and how to get to a good one, or better. It is in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. There are many versions of it in English by now (See the book list at the end).

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Yogananda's Babaji Christ

Once we know the history of the largely inflated term 'Christ' (from the Jewish 'Messiah', through 'Christos, it may not seem all that attractive. Each to his tastes.

Much is told about Babaji and how old he could be. Conclusive evidence is missing. [More]

Much comes down to what is acceptable for each individual.

In the SRF and Yogananda's tradition, four of the kriya gurus of that line teach the world is a swindle, an illusion, (but they not, nor their teachings in that world, oddly). Note inconsistencies - [A story]

Almost all the words of Jesus pertain to Jewish followers exclusively, he says. Christianity arose in Acts 15 (and 21:25). But Yogananda evidently thought Jesuanism was the marketing thing after "Learn conscious death by kriya yoga" made little headway for him. [Yogananda 1953, 78]

One obvious glitch: Only depraved Jews are commanded by Jesus, another Jew, to give up property and maim themselves for almost nothing worth telling about. Proper discipleship is for no one else than ill Jews, says Jesus (Matthew 15:24; 10:5-8). He also tells healhty ones do not need him. [Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:13]. Make your choice and go for deep and holistic health rather than sell well by deciding to catch fish on two legs. In short, one should not want Jesus and gurus out to catch two-legged fish for other reasons. Yogananda once looked at his future biographer from the corners of his eyes and said:

Look, I want to throw the net far and wide, so that at least a couple of big fishes can be caught. (Dasgupta 2006, 79)

What is a rather common fate of fished fish, you think?

SRF stands for a variant of Jesuism as off the mark as many. SRF spreads Yogananda ideas through books and other means. He says he was sent by Babaji to help scientists . . . As Yogananda claims Jesus as one of the SRF gurus, and that he wanted to fish people far and wide himself too, the first thing to do is to shun being fished - what else would a normal, healthy fish and scientist do? (See Matthew 5).

If inconsistencies abound in a field - beware! It is enough to keep assertions out of the ordinary well in suspense (hold them at bay), often labelled as "speculation" or "hearsay" too. Always consider the evidence. The one who claims a thing is the one to carry the burden of proof.

"Twin fools; the one believes everything, the other nothing (American proverb)." Rational enquiry should be welcomed. So what could be the age of Babaji, you suppose? Some useful links in the matter:

• The 11 current SRF's Aims and Ideals with comments
• The SRF Church deed of 1935 with 18 points to teach under par. 2d. (PDF) Compare: [◦Article of Incorporation] from late March 1935.
• A previous series of 15 aims and ideals by Yogananda, commented on lightly

The SRF deed says the SRF church was established for the purpose of such as "to teach that human life is not given for physical pleasure [2d.13]"

How dreary and bleak. The SRF management silently removed many Yogananda articles from its charter in 1954, just a few years after his death in 1952, while officially taking the stand that his guidelines are without flaw . . . Their actions reveal them.

Yogananda was also against much sex among followers. He was for no sex at all for singles.

Self-Realization Fellowship, SRF is not significantly marked by "scientific." The SRF church is registered to promote a religion. Its belief-system includes a form of Jesuism as it was dreamed up by Yogananda so that it conforms to his Hinduism mainly. In SRF you are supposed to believe him, believe it, believe them. Scientific activity, on the other hand, leaves you free to doubt things and apply various methods of investigation, think well and further. Against this: cult fares.

Babaji on pangs and yogic science in return

A stranger met the SRF guru Yukteswar. The stranger said he would send an emissary, known as Yogananda, for the sake of great men of science and others in the West. From a meeting:

Yukteswar: "I have been thinking of the scientific men of the West, greater by far in intelligence than most people congregated here, living in distant Europe and America . . . They are the men who could benefit greatly by meetings with India's masters. But . . . . . . [F]amous in science and philosophy, do not recognise the essential unity in religion."

Stranger: "I saw that you are interested in the West, as well as the East." . . .

"India has much to learn from the West in material development; in return, India can teach . . . yogic science.

"I shall send you a disciple whom you can train for yoga dissemination in the West. . . . I perceive potential saints in America and Europe, waiting to be awakened. [. . .]."

"Please . . . write a short book . . .?"

Yukteswar: "Maharaj [great raja, great king, an appellative, or title given]," I answered . . . "Shall I be able . . .?

Stranger (laughing softly: 'My son, why do you doubt? . . . Indeed, Whose work is all this, and Who is the Doer of all actions? Whatever the Lord has made me say is bound to materialise as truth." [Comment: Not so. Far from it.] (Yogananda 1998, 371-75, extracts)

Some time after the meeting Yukteswar was told that the stranger was the mysterious Babaji.

As for harmony: The so-called harmony between two different religions with different textual bodies, is that they are both religions of man. But speaking of yoga. Quite regardless of age, sex, faith, or race you may get ◦results from Transcendental Meditation, TM, and from hatha-yoga too - radiant health, increased energy and stamina, a more fit body, relaxation, improved concentration and peace of mind, says James Hewitt in his Teach Yourself Yoga [Lsy 23].

There is reseach to support many of these claims, although longevity a la Babaji - as claimed - seems out of question for folks in general.

Some might say with the Autobiography of a Yogi that Babaji flew about among Himalayan peaks and did not teach kriya to the masses before the 1800s. Was not salvation by kriya yoga so important for many hundreds of years?

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"Very Original"

To be phrase-independent can show yoga grandeur.

What about a Plot-Dummy?

Is it reasonable and likely that by Jesus Christ Yogananda referred to a yogi's dummy, drummed up by voodoo or things like that? Much likely it is not. Yogananda believed Jesus was on his side after having a vision of him. To what degree is a vision a proof? Yogis learn to induce visions - can see what they want. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras describes such feats [ch. 3:32, 36, 37]. James Hewitt [Lsy, ch 10] elaborates on ch. 3:30, telling that the powers referred to in that sutra ("thought-thread") are the eight majestic ones. They include having all one wants fulfilled; controlling all nature; and having the ability to create. Yukteswar, the guru of Yogananda, lists them in The Holy Science [Hos 95]

If Yogananda or Babaji speak of a magically created backyard dummy called "Jesus Christ of the Bible," it might lead astray Americans. [Psy 9, 112 etc]. Consider several alternatives and probabilities and grade them. Is a Jesus-dummy in the Himalayas an alternative that is less likely than Jesus going against many sayings ascribed to him in gospels, and the basic Christian salvation, you think?

A little yak-yak again

"[Babaji] . . . have the power to become invisible at will." [Autobiography of a Yogi, Chap. 33]

In SRF, Babaji and not Jesus is said to be the Supreme Guru in the Indian line of master who assume responsibility for the spiritual welfare of all members . . . who faithfully practice Kriya Yoga [Pa 501].

Assume: Undertake, usurp, pretend to have, suppose, to take over as one's own. To think or accept that something is true but without having proof of it. (Some dictionary definitions)

There is quite an interesting puzzle embedded in this line of thinking. Some think that "assume responsibility" means "take responsibility", but how can that be? After all, all four in the line of Indian gurus (parampara) teach the world is illusory. Accordingly, whatevery reponsibility they seem to take is illusory, something assumed. Further, three of them teach the Lord is the Sole Doer - which spells something like "The Lord is the Sole Doer of illusory responsibility". "The Lord . . . does everything," decrees God through Yogananda, [Self-Realization Magazine, Spring 1972, p. 20], etc. Through others, however, the Sole Doer surely goes for much that is different from that. without flaw".

These points . . .

We might profit from reflecting on:

• What took Jesus so long to find a suitable partner outside the flock of Jewish followers that were allowed to do greater works than himself, on his word (John 14:12)?
• Note that Jesus gave the secrets of the kingdom to his disciples, and they were to hand it over for nothing, he said. You have to swear an oath to learn kriya pranayama through SRF. It seems wrong in the light of "for nothing" and "Do not swear" of Jesus, but there is more:
• Among the first followers and later Christians, being saved is to be put right with God, to have the Spirit of God imparted. There is no mention of some extraneous technique needed, or guru-speculation about it either [Possible abuse of Paul].
• However, there is a call to "watch and pray" and "lift up the Son of Man" here and there in the gospels. Things depend on what is put into the words (in their context). A yogi like Yukteswar reads yoga teachings into Bible passages. It is unconvincing. [The Fall of Yukteswar?]
• There is also the view - from words of Jesus - that salvation comes only from the Jews, and there are no other masters or Christs one should seek salvation from. The scriptural facts seem to be that Jesus never said that delicate, yogic pranayama was needed; but that being saved is a gift of heaven. That gift is The Thing in Christianity, even its sine qua non (without which, naught, i.e. what is indispensable). [Mark 14:36, etc.].

Consider the textual evidence and that humble obscurity may be fit for some who teach the world is unreal.

The Father's Jesus-declared save-the-Jews mission failed.

Apostles of Jesus and the Holy Spirit soon enough established Christianity as shown in their Apostolic Decree. They waived the need for Gentile followers to be circumcised [Acts 15], the other of the two key criterions for being God's own - added to the enforced sabbath rest. In the end it stood out that eating blood food and wrangled poultry were perhaps as bad as adultery - maybe worse for what we know. It is one of the four requirements for all Christians. [Acts 15].

"Fallen is Virgin Israel" - destroyed, and never to rise again

Jesus says he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." [Matthew 15;24]. How lost were they, and who were they? If by that he meant the ten northern tribes of Israel, God had already crushed and killed them all, say Amos and Hosea, and they were never to rise again. It is in the Bible, and Jesus said he came to fulfil the prophets and the Law (Matthew 5:19). The prophets tell there were no lost sheep to save, and to the degree he tried [Matthew 10:6; 15:24], he and his sent disciples were on a wild goose chase.

"I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel." [Hosea 1:4] "I will crush you". [Amos 2:13] "Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again". [Amos 5:2].

"You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper. (. . .) In my anger I gave you a king". [Hosea 13:9,11]

As for Judah,

• "Judah is falling." [Isaiah 3:8]
• "I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate. [Isaiah 7:34]"
• "I will lay waste the towns of Judah so none can live there." [Jeremiah 9:11]

There are Bible words that there were no lost herds of sheep (read: Jews) at the time of Jesus. Israel was fallen long ago (in the 700s BCE), destroyed, says Amos and Hosea, even though King David (10th century BCE) bragged, "The Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever . . . He was pleased to make me king over all Israel. [1 Chronicles 28:4]." Israel did not last. Further, 1 Samuel 8 describes the king as a slave-holding enemy of his people. Jesus as a Jewish king? Ow-oo.

◎ It could prove hard to save dead people who are long gone and not there.

Corruption

The Norwegian poet Johan Herman Wessel (1742-85) wrote a poem about how the people of a town executed an innocent baker instead of the smith who had killed someone. For the town had no smith to spare, but two bakers - and corruption.

Normal people understand that if a father loves his fairly all right son or is just, or both, he won't have his son slaughtered for the misdoings of others. We can see that Jesus prayed to the Bible God as "righteous Father" [John 17:25]. However, God of the Old Testament (and Bible) instituted not only slavery, but also a scapegoat religion with heavy butchering of innocents - prime cattle, other animals and birds were to be killed for sins, neglects and gross offences of guilty guys. In psychology, those who succumb to primitive scapegoating may turn into nutcases. It could be good to be warned.

According to the gospels and against Leviticus 16, which said two goats on a yearly basis were good enough for all time to come, God had Jesus slaughtered "like a lamb." The metaphor is there. Today we call brutal ones who kill innocent people to favour criminals, something else than righteous. Besides, the Bible tells a couple of goats could have averted the calamity that year, if anyone had remembered what is in the Old Testament. Two goats were enough to clean the Hebrews for a year. "You will be clean from all your sins . . . it is a lasting ordinance . . . This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement [by two goats] is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites," the Lord commanded Moses. [Leviticus 16:21-22; 29-34].

Jews

In the home town of Jesus, "All the people in the synagogue were furious . . . got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff." (Luke 4:28-30). All the people in the synagogue must have included the relatives of Jesus as well.

Some Jews tried to stone him for his great claims on another occastion too. "They picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away." (John 8:59)

Jesus chose largely illiterate persons and a deceiver to follow him.

You are luckily called to ignore Jesus as a non-Jew, or surpass Jesus as a Jew (John 14:12). The question is how you will do it.

Of course one may serve two masters; many do that. It just depends on how they are. You can serve two parents, for example, so it can be done. Compare John 14:12. One should choose one's friends carefully: Jesus came for sinners, not healthy ones, who absolutely do not need him, says Jesus. Sinners and some they abduct and misbehave against, may turn Christians through insane indoctrination. [Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:13]

Accordingly, healthy individuals should not need Babaji and Yogananda in "constant communion" and league with Jesus, if Yogananda and others got it right.

◎ Be as classy as you can and live well.

So

"I will ask the Father will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth." [John 14;12-3,15 - Excerpts]. "The Spirit of truth" - it sounds so good. But could Judas die both by hanging himself and falling headlong - in two such different ways? (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18)

Yogananda claims that Babaji sent him spread kriya techniques among Americans and other Westerners. A carrot is followed by a whip, that is an oath - Beware of certain wolves, says Jesus in the New Testament.