Maharaji?

Flipping through the channels I stumble upon a broadcast of one man on a podium. His words are eloquent, precise and clear. On the bottom right hand corner of the screen the words "Words of Peace" are permanently placed in position. 'Uh oh' I think to myself, 'another televangelist.' Curious as I always am I try to wait for his next spout of god propaganda.

I listen and wait for the key word, but it never appears. He begins by saying "Peace is not exclusive to any religion. Peace can be achieved by you and I." I sit there attentively trying to wait for the words among his long list of colourful metaphors. When he speaks, he is a very passionate speaker. He holds on the every important word and pauses dramatically to leave some rhetorical thought. It's odd, if this man hadn't said "Life is a [divine] miracle" I probably would have listened to the whole broadcast.

I was of course watching Prem Rawat, the guru, speaking to a large crowd of people at a peace event. There's no doubt that Rawat means good with his teachings, but it seems a bit washy with very banal observations about life. I think the only thing that may be of attraction to his speech would be his colourful metaphors about existence and the human race as a beautiful garden with a gardener. If I didn't know any better I would have fallen into his trap and purchased all his books and tapes about achieving inner peace. It's amazing what a little charisma can do.

I often wonder how Atheist charisma could be presented. Trying to imagine Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris to do what Parem Rawat does for his awakening methods would cause the mind to explode. These three are with a passion against religion, yet they do not succumb to impassioned speeches to prove a point. It really is for those listening to find what drives them to listen. During a Q& A session in Lynchburg, Kentucky, I found myself cheering on Dawkin's responses to the religious while he would calmly state his case without unnecessary filler. Religion or so called enlightenment speeches always seem to be all about sprinkling the truth with spectacle; while the other side of the coin, the truth is more of the spectacle without unnatural emphasis put upon by the speaker. The lies are the ones that need sugar coating.