The Danger of Service Without Spirituality

SC: The point you make about the frequently meaningless usage of the term spiritualism is a good one. I tried to make the same argument in my short essay “Rejecting Spiritualism.” The points you make about me are less legitimate. First, please don’t mistake a well-voiced opinion with being “really upset.” When a notion like that of Meher Baba is not only narrow-minded, but also offensive, it strikes me as appropriate to say so in no uncertain terms. This is particularly important since there is some subtlety to the odiousness of Meher Babas dissertation and because it fits into a standard trope of bigotry which spiritual seekers often fail to appreciate. Don’t worry about my feelings, which I assure you are quite in tact. Second, I am reasonably well-acquainted with Meher Baba’s conceptions of spirituality, though I confess to be more troubled than he was by the apparent contradiction between his adherence to the oneness-of-god-in-everything metaphysics and his declaration that he was an avatar and direct descendant of God. (I guess when you manage to convince a bunch of folks that you are The Man, little things like philosophical coherence don’t seem to matter as much. And if you aren’t talking, the faithful might assume that you could have explained stuff, had you wanted to.) MBJ