Sathya Sai Baba’s life and preaching from an ordinary Christian viewpoint
Posted by robertpriddy on February 15, 2012
Sathya Sai Baba has made many declarations about the life of Jesus Christ and Christianity, not least that he was the father who sent Jesus to earth! (See proof at the foot of this blog) That claim cannot fail to offend nearly all remotely orthodox Christians. However, few Christian books or web sites ever mention Sathya Sai Baba in any connection. This can be accounted for partly perhaps as tolerant non-interference by Christians in the beliefs of others, but more likely that his life and message appear as some form of megalomania to which one need not pay serious attention. Sai Baba has claimed to know the inner thoughts of Christ as he suffered on the cross… a phenomenal claim of the same kind as his promise that he would lift a range of mountains (not just one, as Krishna is told to have done in Hindu mythology). Adding to healthy scepticism are the fantastic and amusing blunders Sai Baba made in numerous Christmas discourses about Christ, his disciples, other Christian or Judaic figures and the history of Christianity (see links below article).
Therefore I am posting an article by a Christian to give voice to that community… for once on this blog site. I concur with much of the critical content, though I am a non-theist and do not subscribe to ideas of Satan, exorcism, miracles etc.
Sai Baba compared to Jesus Christ – by Kristina Jure
1) In the New Testament Jesus Christ was acknowledged as the Son of God but He died on the Cross among the greatest sinners; Sai Baba was widely testified as a sexual abuser, also of children, but he was buried as a great saint.
2) According to the New Testament, Christ while fasting in the desert was tempted by satan by food, power and recognition by the world, but he refused all temptations;
Sai Baba had all of the best of life without working – food, shelter, unbounded power in India beyond the limitations of Law and recognition in the variety of circles all around the world… It is hard to guess which of the temptations he renounced, having visibly succumbed to most of them.
3) Most of the prophesies of Jesus came to pass;
Only Sai Baba’s minor prophesies had any significance, most were unfulfilled, such as lifting a mountain range, flying in the sky and living into his 90s.
4) After His death Christ was renounced even by his closest disciples – they put their faith in Him only after His ressurrection; Sai Baba’s devotees are still faithful and honour him even after realizing that he did not live up to his teachings… (and was of course not resurrected)
These contradictions between Jesus and Sai Baba can never be erased.
Teachings: Sai Baba vs Jesus Christ
1) Jesus taught profound truths which through millennia became the object of thorough analysis by many prominent world thinkers – His Sermon on the Mount is still regarded as a masterpiece by representatives of various faiths Sai Baba’s teachings are overly repetitive and simplistic – for a serious spiritual aspirant there is nowhere to dive for depths.
2) Jesus was a revolutionary teacher who presented new ideals of behavior and formed new ways of thinking; Sai Baba did not bring a slightest new message but parroted the famous sayings written long ago in Indian scripture and by famous people (he was keen on leisure reading).
3) The New Testament tells how Jesus was seen to cast out demons and cure the sick; Gandhi once said: “Sermon on the Mount pronounced by Jesus is the basics of all the ethics; the measures to distinguish between right and wrong should be based upon this sermon…” Thus we must acknowledge that for millennia he has been accepted as a teacher leading people towards right conduct beyond the boundaries of culture and religion.
Even closest Baba’s devotees acknowledged that the messages he spread bore the overly-simplistic character. This needed to be explained and the explanation was as well simple – the message needs to reach as broad audience as possible and Sai Baba stated that constant repetition makes it stick. But even Baba realized and commented that his messages had little effect on the minds of devotees. Besides his sermon he used to give trinkets from beyond his cushions and this created a strong effect on the minds of devotees, which cannot be underestimated or neglected. Moreover, especially in the last years Baba was known for not curing the sick (this was claimed by the leaders of Sai centers to sick pilgrims); people were supposed to go through their karmic challenges themselves.
4) Jesus was a friend and teacher of many sinners of that time – he came to convert them and he made them change their ways. In fact, multiple conversions were supposed to be as one of his most prominent miracles.
Sai Baba himself was widely accused of being a sinner: 1. Sexual abuses 2. Suicides. 3. Murder involvements. 4. Plagiarism. 5. Faith abuse (brainwashing). He never changed or repented,.
5) Prayer esp. for those who sin and are weak, as well as for those who are your foes, was the most important tradition in Christian spiritual practice. Jesus and his followers were praying for his tormentors while dying on the cross saying: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”.
This point is ABSENT in Sai Baba’s self proclaimed ‘new Jesus’ teachings. In his infamous Christmas Day discourse in 2000 – on that day of all days to be so unforgiving – not exactly in the spirit of Christmas he preached hate towards his critics (was he afraid of them?).
“With his condemnatory Christmas 2000 discourse, Sathya Sai Baba destroyed at a stroke what remains of his previous lifelong claims to never to condemn anyone, to love all and always to adhere to truth. He blackened those who criticize, spread negative news or raise doubts, even when there are valid grounds and openness is justified. He goes to the length of branding dissenters as ‘Judases’ implying that their actions can never be redeemed, and elsewhere he adds that they must all suffer shame throughout any number of future births.
Sathya Sai Baba has refuted the main tenet of his own lifelong teaching that ‘The Divine Spark is in everyone’ Further, in a later discourse he proclaims that there is not even a spark of divinity in his critics! [“… a hard-hearted person cannot be called a spark of Divinity; he is verily a demon.” {p. 323, Sanathana Sarathi, November 2002].
6) Jesus taught to be careful and to stay awake. In his prayer the Pater Noster given to his disciples Christians are encouraged to ask: “deliver us from evil”. Jesus believed that personified evil existed and he taught to stay awake and be careful against evil seduction.
Meanwhile, Sai Baba renounced the existence of personified evil as well as the presence of hell.
CONCLUSIONS. It is supposed in the Christian theology that the main work of evil in this world is to make people believe that he does not exist and lull them into the labyrinth of false teachings. Sai Baba’s claims about Jesus and his assertions about evil and hell contradicts the basics of Christianity, thus he simply cannot be called ‘nouvo Cristo’ by any measure, esp. by those who really follow Christ’s teachings.
Regarding the response from Christian leaders towards Sai Baba’s cult, it is not true that they gave no response. Pope John Paul II NEVER accepted Sai Baba as “nuovo Cristo”. A Catholic priest, Don Mario Mazzoleni, was formally excommunicated from the Catholic Church due to his endorsement of Sai Baba and his claims. Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina who lived in Rotondo and his disciples identified SSB as a “False Prophet” long before the 1970’s. For those who are interested in a more insightful journey regarding fundamental differences between the teachings of Baba and Jesus, please read:
Armando Pavese, Sai Baba. Anatomia del “Nuovo Cristo” e dei suoi miracoli attraverso la psichologia del profondo, la parapsichologia e la fede cristiana, Cesale Monferrato (Alessandria): Piemme, 1992
The same opinion regarding Sai Baba can be found in the books by exorcist Gabriele Amorth who shares the clear statement of the official position of all the exorcists of the Catholic Church.
Another most revealing statement, made by the Chairman of the International Sathya Sai Organization – Dr, Michael Goldstein – at a promotional lecture in London and filmed by the BBC – was that he believes Sathya Sai Baba actually “is Jesus Christ… is Buddha… is the founder of all the world’s religions…. has always been er er God” (!!) See the short transcript and brief video clip where Goldstein states this here. Goldstein was either unaware, or ignored, the fact that Sathya Sai Baba corrected the former Chairman of the US Sathya Sai Organization, Dr. Hislop, for saying that Sai Baba had been Jesus (in a former incarnation), saying that he never was Jesus. Instead he has claimed he was God the father who sent Jesus (see scan from his authenticated discourses below).
Some of Sathya Sai Baba’s many ‘howlers’ about Christ and Christianity can be viewed here:-
Professor Kasturi, Sai Baba’s official biographer and prime devotee for decades was so scared out of his skin that he lost the remains of his sanity.
Sathya Sai Baba Deceptions Exposed 
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