Sufism Reoriented and spiritual fascism

The global political response to climate crisis- the dominant global threat along with nuclear Armageddon, is denial and a retreat into nationalism and fascism, with the US leading the way. This is a stunning example of ironic and tragic American Exceptionalism.

The organization, Sufism Reoriented– nicknamed Sufism re-Reoriented for the massive lie embodied in its foundation myth, believes it is the very definition of  American spiritual exceptionalism in that its destiny lies in guiding America and the world for the next 700 years. They believe this is a mandate from the the Avatar of the age, Meher Baba, as he was instrumental in approving their charter in 1952. Toward this end, the organization has recently completed a massive, largely underground complex, larger than the White House, of marble clad “petrol domes” in Walnut Creek, Ca., designed to last 700 years, when the Avatar’s reappearance is expected.

Meher Baba’s mandali, or close disciples, completely disavowed this fascist overreach in SR’s interpretation of their mandate. Ivy Duce, murshida of SR, announced after Meher Baba “dropped the body” in 1969, that he had promised her a continuous lineage of saints or masters leading “her” organization for the next 700 years. There is absolutely no proof or corroboration for this assertion on the one hand, and complete agreement on the part of Meher Baba’s close ones that this is a fabrication, on the other hand. The disabusing of this monstrous lie includes Don Stevens, a reoriented sufi himself, and who was in fact the primary liaison between Ivy Duce and Meher Baba. But Ivy Duce perversely insisted to her students and SR leadership that this is what indeed made their order so exceptional, i.e. that the Avatar himself had promised to spiritually indemnify the order until his return.

Surprisingly, this perverse and outrageous claim has managed to gain currency among followers of Meher Baba despite compelling evidence that SR has in fact become a cult. The problem is that SR is very wealthy; It is bankrolled by the world wide syndicated Cheesecake Factory, and it contributes monies to struggling Baba projects, like The Glow magazine, Baba centers and most especially, the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust in India which administers Meher Baba’s Tomb-Shrine and home. Because the Trust needs massive amounts of money to support its charitable projects, it has not taken a critical position in the past 35 years on this problem.

America is certainly living up to its reputation for supporting fascist mundane and spiritual exceptionalism.

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