Lack of rationality lets frauds become ‘godmen’

Why, in an age that has deified freedom, do millions freely embrace slavery in the name of spirituality?

So-called godmen like Gurmeet Singh and Asaram Bapu among others are meant to deliver the truth and tenets about spirituality to followers. But this begs the question, do we need an angel from heaven to tell us that spirituality and covetousness cannot co-exist? Can we think of a single instance of an authentic spiritual being who became opulent in his lifetime, on account of his work? How is it then, that our hyper-modern godmen and godwomen are rolling in wealth?

Is there any precedent in any spiritual tradition of anyone who is godly creating a fortress of secrecy around himself? We associate spirituality with light. Are not dens akin to darkness, rather than light? Do we know of a single instance in which what is good or lawful ever needed iron curtains of secrecy?

What should worry us, besides the above, is the readiness of the masses to embrace slavery. The denizens of the dens of ‘godmanity’ – a perversion of divinity – are voluntary slaves. Why, in an age that has deified freedom, do millions of human beings freely embrace slavery in the name of spirituality?

From time immemorial members of our species have known that we are a body-mindspirit combine. To ‘grow’ humanly, therefore, is to grow in terms of all three dimensions. Fraud godmen thrive on the detritus of rotten religiosity that, by refusing to empower human beings with the light of reason, keeps them vulnerable to the predator that prowls in the darkness of blind faith.

A society that abdicates the duty to propagate a scientific temper and rational outlook abandons people to wolves in sheep’s clothing. Mistaking spirituality for psychological dependence, they become like creepers that need something to climb on. This is an open invitation to the Gurmeet Singhs of this world!

We have no excuse for not knowing that our godmen are not religious at all. They are like hunters in the wild. They are experts in knowing and plying the ropes of society, donning the attire that serves to deceive victims, and masking their perverse nature.

The pestilence of ‘godmanity’ will not subside with putting one Gurmeet behind bars. The antidote to this perversion is the education of the people and their all-round development as human beings. It is certain that no one with even minimal mental and spiritual discernment will succumb to the wiles of these wolves, with their mouths dripping with blood for those who have eyes to see. It is only the territory that the State abandons via quid pro quo that godmen annex. And that is where remedial action needs to begin.