Posts by Brian Hines

Thanks to a comment from Rohit on a recent post, I learned about a story in the Economic Times that points to some serious potential legal problems for Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Providing background on those problems means delving into some complex financial issues. So be warned. This post will be long, but interesting for those willing to put in the time to read all of it. First, this was Rohit's short comment, which  provides a good overview of what's going on here. GSD means Gurinder Singh Dhillon. Delhi HC means Delhi High Court.…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. RSSB LIFESTYLE RULES SUMMARY OF RSSB RULES RSSB lifestyle rules are lacto vegetarianism (no meat fish eggs) teetotalism (no alcohol or drugs) meditate (2.5 hours daily at the cost of sleep or socialising) attend seva (voluntary service) attend satsang (sermons) celibacy (if unmarried and even encouraged within…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. What Anon describes about the demands put upon RSSB initiates seems particularly true for Indian members of the organization, whether or not they live in India. The pressure to be viewed as an exemplary RSSB member seems greater when a person's culture and family connections encourages this.…

It's a pleasure to share a guest blog post critical of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) from a different person than Anon, who has written quite a few guest blog posts that I've shared here on the Church of the Churchless. Below you can read this person's description of how the RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon (GSD), treats women in an insulting and misogynistic way. After the message, I'll share links to blog posts I've written that point in the same direction: the RSSB guru is a misogynist who insults women. Keep in mind that according to the RSSB teachings,…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Well, based on what you'll read below, the other posts Anon has shared, what many other RSSB initiates have told me since I started this blog in 2004, and my own experience with RSSB, there's good reason to say that RSSB isn't so much a faith, as…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Things I don't miss about RSSB Initially when I joined RSSB it was all "light and love" but things changed. I did end up running for the door and I could never seem to get out. It reminds me of that song "Hotel California" by The Eagles.…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Anon had sent me "RSSB manipulation tactics" and "RSSB culture" as separate guest blog posts. But they seemed fairly closely related, so I decided to combine them. RSSB manipulation tactics Lovebombing: Showering you with praise, acceptance, attention, validation, warmth at first in order to win you over,…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. Anon makes some perceptive points about RSSB. Based on my experience, RSSB is like other religions in that after someone has embraced it for a while, they absorb the culture of RSSB without realizing how different it is from normal non-religious everyday life. Some RSSB members are…

Below is another in a series of guest blog posts from Anon, an ex-RSSB initiate. RSSB stands for Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years, which explains my interest in sharing criticisms of the faith that I also found lacking. I used to give frequent talks at RSSB meetings (satsangs). Having an iconoclastic slant even when I was an active member of RSSB, I'd do my best to keep people awake during my talk, even though sometimes this was a losing battle. Humor, quotes from non-RSSB sources,…