Image from screen capture of Radio Sai propaganda
but only in some few things, evidently!
Many Sai Baba devotees say that he is Jesus, and Sai Baba himself told Peggy Mason and Ron Laing that he is the Cosmic Christ. (in their book ‘The Embodiment of Love’ in the chapter ‘The Second Coming has Come’ p. 149-160, See also here). Of course, there are thousands who have claimed to be Christ and even now many are in psychiatric care in Jerusalem and elsewhere around the world. However, when Hislop had identified Sai Baba with Jesus in a talk, Sai told him not to confuse devotees, that Sai Baba and Jesus are different persons. Sathya Sai Baba has also claimed in a discourse to be Jesus’ Holy Father, the one who sent Jesus to earth etc.! It is evident that he has very considerable difficulties in explaining himself in all this, and the amazingly ignorant howlers he has stated concerning Jesus through the years rob him of all credibility on the subject. (see the academic Brian Steel’s analysis of Sai Baba on Jesus under ‘Christmas Declarations’)
Various other Sai-devotee authors (eg. Victor Kanu) have tried to show the similarity between the teachings of Sai Baba and Jesus. Interestingly and typically, none of these writings contain source references either to the Bible or to Sai Baba’s discourses and some contain quotes that are not even correct. Incidentally, such similarities can also, of course, be shown between the teachings of hundreds of Indian and other spiritual figures and Jesus. That Sai Baba plagiarises the actual words of spiritual figures without acknowledgement (such as Gandhi, Vivekananda, Shivananda, Ramana Maharshi etc.) has been proven, and he has evidently also taken much from the scriptures on Jesus, sometimes in garbled fashion as if filtered to him through the conversation of a third person more literate than himself, such as Prof. N. Kasturi. However, the apologists for Sai Baba always conveniently neglect the large discrepancies between Jesus and Sai Baba in both word and action. Perhaps most significant is that Jesus was never widely and credibly accused of child abuse, pedophilia or sexual abuses against boys and young men, nor was he in any way involved in a governmentally quashed murder case.
Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed 