Share International
Encyclopedia
Share International Foundation is a spiritual movement founded by Benjamin Creme
with its main offices in London
, Amsterdam
, Tokyo
and Los Angeles
. The organization has also been referred to as Tara Center, which was a name used for the Los Angeles office for work carried out in the USA.
The organisation believes that a spiritually advanced being named Maitreya
, the World Teacher, has returned to the everyday world and has been living among the Asian community in London
since 19 July 1977. They assert that when Maitreya first arrived in London he lived in the Brick Lane
area for several years before moving to another unspecified location in the city.
(meaning "friendly" in Sanskrit
) fulfills not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named Maitreya, but also the prophecies of a number of other world religions - including Christianity
(the second coming of Christ
), Hinduism
(the Kalki
avatar of Vishnu
), Islam
(the Imam Mahdi) and Judaism
(the Jewish Messiah
). Creme claims that Maitreya manifested himself through (or overshadowed) Jesus
2,000 years ago, that Maitreya resided in the Himalayas, and that in 1977 he descended from his ancient retreat in the Himalayas
and took an aeroplane to London
. His belief is that Maitreya took up residence in the Indian-Pakistani community of London in the Brick Lane area and has been living and working there, seemingly as an ordinary man, his true status known to relatively few. Furthermore, that Maitreya has been emerging gradually into full public view so as not to infringe humanity's free will. Journalists had been invited to find Maitreya in the Brick Lane area but were unable to do so. According to Creme, Maitreya influenced the ending of the cold war, the German reunification
, and the ending of apartheid in South Africa
.
In 1974, Benjamin Creme introduced a meditation called Transmission Meditation which he says is a way of transmitting spiritual energies through the meditators to create a pool of positive, spiritual energy for the benefit of humanity. Share International says there are 600 Transmission Meditation groups all over the world. The groups sit silently while spiritual energy is transmitted or 'stepped-down' by the Masters of Wisdom (also called by some groups Ascended Master
s). This group meditation is a form of service, rather than the traditional personal meditation, which can be continued as well as this service activity. Transmission Meditation is a non-denominational meditation and people from all faiths (or none) take part in this form of service.
Benjamin Creme is a student of the teachings of Alice Bailey
, Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich
.
Share International says that Maitreya appeared before a Christian gathering of 6,000 people on the outskirts of Nairobi
, Kenya
on 11 June 1988. This happening was widely published, among others by CNN
, and photographs of the Jesus
-like apparition were distributed worldwide. Since then, it is claimed that he has made many more appearances. From 1991 to 2002, they say Maitreya
appeared before gatherings of orthodox religious groups worldwide. He addressed them briefly in their own language and was recognized by the majority of people in attendance as their awaited Teacher. Maitreya also apparently created healing springs of water in the areas near these appearances. These healing waters in Mexico
, Germany
, and India
have drawn millions of visitors. The organisation has published a list of Maitreya's alleged appearances.
in the Northern hemisphere
). When this did not occur, Creme continued to assert that Maitreya would emerge when the world was ready for him. Creme, who continues to claim that time is now very near for Maitreya's emergence, does not receive any money for this work or royalties from his 14 books, and has for over 30 years given lectures around the world by invitation only. A worldwide network of volunteers work with Benjamin Creme to inform the public of this information.
In 1997 Creme made similar announcements that there would be imminent global TV broadcasts from Christ/Maitreya, though with far less media interest.
as a religious leader, or that he is to found a new religion, but that he is a teacher and guide for people of every religion and those of no religion. They believe this to be a time of great political, economic and social crisis, that Maitreya will inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global cooperation.
They highlight the main goals that Maitreya will immediately recommend dealing with after the 'Day of Declaration.' They say that he will call to action the people of the world to save the 862 million who are starving and hungry in a world of plenty. Among Maitreya's recommendations will be a shift in social priorities so that adequate food, housing, clothing, education, and medical care become universal human rights
.
Believers claim that through the years, Maitreya has given 140 messages. Share International quotes him as saying, "See your brother as yourself". They say that Maitreya says only through sharing can the world be renewed, and that only sharing will bring justice and peace, and that his can only be achieved by the perception of brotherhood.
Share International has offices in Amsterdam
, London
, Los Angeles
, Tokyo
and several other countries. It publishes a monthly magazine, also called Share International. In it, Creme has published a number of articles that he claims were dictated to him telepathically by a Master of Wisdom
(Ascended Master
), an enlightened being who apparently has already passed through evolution on this planet
and has an expanded consciousness and therefore does not have to reside in a fixed human body (the same is true for Maitreya who is claimed to have made appearances in many different bodies.) The magazine documents many miracle
s sent in by people experiencing them, that they assert appear all over the world.
/Maitreya
(or future Buddha
)" as having been born in 1972, traveled to London
from India
in 1977, been dark-skinned, and having a stutter. Shortly after the economist Raj Patel
appeared on the TV show The Colbert Report, to promote his recent book, The Value of Nothing, Creme stated the Messiah had appeared on a popular television program in the United States.Raj Patel
was identified as this messiah by Creme's followers as he fulfilled Creme's previous predictions. During the March 15, 2010 show, Colbert
claimed this was product of a Colbert Bump, mocked people who were worshiping Patel, and called him personally on the telephone to humorously confirm his status as the deity, which Patel denied. Benjamin Creme had also predicted that the Messiah would deny his status, reinforcing his followers' belief in Patel
's divine status. Patel's family reportedly jokingly brought him clothes from London bearing the slogan from Monty Python's Life of Brian
: "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
Creme protested to the New York Times journalist Scott James over what Creme stated were inaccuracies in James's article about Patel (James was first to write about the subject). Creme said to James that the article did not present a full account of Creme's activities while traveling around the world last 35 years and later through the internet. Scott replied that he only wrote about people who already declared Patel as Maitreya. Creme responded that Maitreya created his own body in 1977, so Patel being born in 1972 could not be the same person. He said that he had never stated in his lectures that Maitreya had been born in 1972, was dark-skinned, or had a stutter.
In an article for the Guardian, Patel wrote that, even when Benjamin Creme, while interviewed by the journalist Mick Brown
, suggested that he was not the messiah, this "has not stopped the internet from churning out its particular brand of speculation, and for the media to amplify the frenzy." In response to Patel's article, Benjamin Creme wrote, that "he and those involved with him in Share International has nothing to do with this mistaken identity, which was the result of coincidences and circumstances beyond the control [of] any of them and that they regret the incovenience caused." Creme said, in his magazine Share International, that he never pointed to a person and called him Maitreya. As he already told journalist Scott James he never heard of Raj Patel, never met him and know only what others are saying about him. And as he said to Mr. James, it is not his work to say that anyone is or is not Maitreya, nor will he do so until Maitreya acknowledges His true identity on the Day of Declaration.
, Creme's statement served as a catalyst for assessment of the New Age
movement by Evangelical Christian
s. A week after the advertisements in 1982, other advertisements appeared in the Los Angeles Times
denouncing Creme as an instrument of the Antichrist
. Constance Cumbey
(an Evangelical Christian and a Detroit area attorney and author) holds that "Maitreya" is a pseudonym for the Antichrist and regards Share International as an openly Luciferian movement.
Other Christian Evangelicals distanced themselves from Cumbey
's conspiracy theory
. Some Christian
pastors maintain that Maitreya is the Anti-Christ, citing passages in the Bible
where Christ warns the disciples to beware of false teachers. Even among Catholics there are a number of voices denouncing Creme and Maitreya as of occult origin and potentially the Anti-Christ. Father Jack Ashcraft, a sedevacantist Byzantine Catholic priest, author and radio host, has gone so far as to postulate the theory that Creme may be the "false prophet" spoken of in the Apocalypse of Saint John
.
The beliefs and claims of Creme have been described as fantastic and outlandish by the British journalist Mick Brown
.
Benjamin Creme
Benjamin Creme is a Scottish artist, author, esotericist, and editor of Share International magazine, a monthly non-profit magazine and website....
with its main offices in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The organization has also been referred to as Tara Center, which was a name used for the Los Angeles office for work carried out in the USA.
The organisation believes that a spiritually advanced being named Maitreya
Maitreya (Benjamin Creme)
In the Neo-Theosophical teachings of Benjamin Creme, founder of Share International, it is promulgated thatthe near-future coming of Maitreya sometime in the 21st century will fulfill not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named Maitreya, but also the...
, the World Teacher, has returned to the everyday world and has been living among the Asian community in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since 19 July 1977. They assert that when Maitreya first arrived in London he lived in the Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Brick Lane is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It runs from Swanfield Street in the northern part of Bethnal Green, crosses Bethnal Green Road, passes through Spitalfields and is linked to Whitechapel High Street to the south by the short stretch of...
area for several years before moving to another unspecified location in the city.
Beliefs, practices, and background
Share International's publications claim that the coming of MaitreyaMaitreya (Benjamin Creme)
In the Neo-Theosophical teachings of Benjamin Creme, founder of Share International, it is promulgated thatthe near-future coming of Maitreya sometime in the 21st century will fulfill not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named Maitreya, but also the...
(meaning "friendly" in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
) fulfills not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named Maitreya, but also the prophecies of a number of other world religions - including Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(the second coming of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
), Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
(the Kalki
Kalki
In Hinduism, Kalki is the tenth and final Maha Avatar of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time...
avatar of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
), Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
(the Imam Mahdi) and Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
(the Jewish Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
). Creme claims that Maitreya manifested himself through (or overshadowed) Jesus
Master Jesus
The Master Jesus in Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, refers to the theosophical concept of Jesus as opposed to the Jesus Christ of the Christian religion.-Position in the Hierarchy of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom:...
2,000 years ago, that Maitreya resided in the Himalayas, and that in 1977 he descended from his ancient retreat in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and took an aeroplane to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His belief is that Maitreya took up residence in the Indian-Pakistani community of London in the Brick Lane area and has been living and working there, seemingly as an ordinary man, his true status known to relatively few. Furthermore, that Maitreya has been emerging gradually into full public view so as not to infringe humanity's free will. Journalists had been invited to find Maitreya in the Brick Lane area but were unable to do so. According to Creme, Maitreya influenced the ending of the cold war, the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, and the ending of apartheid in South Africa
.
In 1974, Benjamin Creme introduced a meditation called Transmission Meditation which he says is a way of transmitting spiritual energies through the meditators to create a pool of positive, spiritual energy for the benefit of humanity. Share International says there are 600 Transmission Meditation groups all over the world. The groups sit silently while spiritual energy is transmitted or 'stepped-down' by the Masters of Wisdom (also called by some groups Ascended Master
Ascended master
Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom or "Mahatmas", though they differ in important aspects...
s). This group meditation is a form of service, rather than the traditional personal meditation, which can be continued as well as this service activity. Transmission Meditation is a non-denominational meditation and people from all faiths (or none) take part in this form of service.
Benjamin Creme is a student of the teachings of Alice Bailey
Alice Bailey
Alice Ann Bailey , known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB to her followers, was an influential writer and theosophist in what she termed "Ageless Wisdom". This included occult teachings, "esoteric" psychology and healing, astrological and other philosophic and religious themes...
, Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich
Helena Roerich
Helena Ivanovna Roerich was a Russian philosopher, writer, and public figure. In the early 20th century, she created, in cooperation with the Teachers of the East, a philosophic teaching of Living Ethics . She was an organizer and participant of cultural and enlightened creativity in the U.S.,...
.
Share International says that Maitreya appeared before a Christian gathering of 6,000 people on the outskirts of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
on 11 June 1988. This happening was widely published, among others by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and photographs of the Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
-like apparition were distributed worldwide. Since then, it is claimed that he has made many more appearances. From 1991 to 2002, they say Maitreya
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
appeared before gatherings of orthodox religious groups worldwide. He addressed them briefly in their own language and was recognized by the majority of people in attendance as their awaited Teacher. Maitreya also apparently created healing springs of water in the areas near these appearances. These healing waters in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
have drawn millions of visitors. The organisation has published a list of Maitreya's alleged appearances.
1982 onwards
In the spring of 1982 Creme placed advertisements in newspapers around the world saying, "The Christ is now here". According to Creme the "Christ", whom he also called "Maitreya", would announce his existence on world wide television broadcasts. Creme stated in these newspaper advertisements that the Second Coming of Christ would occur on Monday, 21 June 1982 (the summer solsticeSummer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
in the Northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
). When this did not occur, Creme continued to assert that Maitreya would emerge when the world was ready for him. Creme, who continues to claim that time is now very near for Maitreya's emergence, does not receive any money for this work or royalties from his 14 books, and has for over 30 years given lectures around the world by invitation only. A worldwide network of volunteers work with Benjamin Creme to inform the public of this information.
In 1997 Creme made similar announcements that there would be imminent global TV broadcasts from Christ/Maitreya, though with far less media interest.
Main priorities of Maitreya and the idea of sharing
Share International does not claim MaitreyaMaitreya (Theosophy)
Maitreya or Lord Maitreya is described in Theosophical literature of the late 19th-century and subsequent periods as an advanced spiritual entity and high-ranking member of a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom...
as a religious leader, or that he is to found a new religion, but that he is a teacher and guide for people of every religion and those of no religion. They believe this to be a time of great political, economic and social crisis, that Maitreya will inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global cooperation.
They highlight the main goals that Maitreya will immediately recommend dealing with after the 'Day of Declaration.' They say that he will call to action the people of the world to save the 862 million who are starving and hungry in a world of plenty. Among Maitreya's recommendations will be a shift in social priorities so that adequate food, housing, clothing, education, and medical care become universal human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
Believers claim that through the years, Maitreya has given 140 messages. Share International quotes him as saying, "See your brother as yourself". They say that Maitreya says only through sharing can the world be renewed, and that only sharing will bring justice and peace, and that his can only be achieved by the perception of brotherhood.
Share International magazine and organization
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and several other countries. It publishes a monthly magazine, also called Share International. In it, Creme has published a number of articles that he claims were dictated to him telepathically by a Master of Wisdom
Masters of the Ancient Wisdom
The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom are reputed to be enlightened beings originally identified by the Theosophists Helena Blavatsky, Henry S. Olcott, Alfred P. Sinnett, and others. These Theosophists claimed to have met some of the so-called Masters during their lifetimes in different parts of the...
(Ascended Master
Ascended master
Ascended Masters, in the Ascended Master Teachings is derived from the Theosophical concept of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom or "Mahatmas", though they differ in important aspects...
), an enlightened being who apparently has already passed through evolution on this planet
Initiation (Theosophy)
Initiation is a concept in Theosophy that there are nine levels of spiritual development that beings who live on Earth can progress upward through. Within these levels, there are four basic levels of spiritual development that human beings on Earth progress through as they reincarnate, although...
and has an expanded consciousness and therefore does not have to reside in a fixed human body (the same is true for Maitreya who is claimed to have made appearances in many different bodies.) The magazine documents many miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s sent in by people experiencing them, that they assert appear all over the world.
Raj Patel's identification as Maitreya
Creme has been reported to have made several pronouncements since 1982 identifying the coming "MessiahMessiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
/Maitreya
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
(or future Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
)" as having been born in 1972, traveled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1977, been dark-skinned, and having a stutter. Shortly after the economist Raj Patel
Raj Patel
Raj Patel is a British-born American academic, journalist, activist and writer who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States for extended periods. He is best known for his 2008 book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System...
appeared on the TV show The Colbert Report, to promote his recent book, The Value of Nothing, Creme stated the Messiah had appeared on a popular television program in the United States.Raj Patel
Raj Patel
Raj Patel is a British-born American academic, journalist, activist and writer who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States for extended periods. He is best known for his 2008 book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System...
was identified as this messiah by Creme's followers as he fulfilled Creme's previous predictions. During the March 15, 2010 show, Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
claimed this was product of a Colbert Bump, mocked people who were worshiping Patel, and called him personally on the telephone to humorously confirm his status as the deity, which Patel denied. Benjamin Creme had also predicted that the Messiah would deny his status, reinforcing his followers' belief in Patel
Raj Patel
Raj Patel is a British-born American academic, journalist, activist and writer who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States for extended periods. He is best known for his 2008 book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System...
's divine status. Patel's family reportedly jokingly brought him clothes from London bearing the slogan from Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film written, directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team...
: "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
Creme protested to the New York Times journalist Scott James over what Creme stated were inaccuracies in James's article about Patel (James was first to write about the subject). Creme said to James that the article did not present a full account of Creme's activities while traveling around the world last 35 years and later through the internet. Scott replied that he only wrote about people who already declared Patel as Maitreya. Creme responded that Maitreya created his own body in 1977, so Patel being born in 1972 could not be the same person. He said that he had never stated in his lectures that Maitreya had been born in 1972, was dark-skinned, or had a stutter.
In an article for the Guardian, Patel wrote that, even when Benjamin Creme, while interviewed by the journalist Mick Brown
Mick Brown (journalist)
Mick Brown is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph...
, suggested that he was not the messiah, this "has not stopped the internet from churning out its particular brand of speculation, and for the media to amplify the frenzy." In response to Patel's article, Benjamin Creme wrote, that "he and those involved with him in Share International has nothing to do with this mistaken identity, which was the result of coincidences and circumstances beyond the control [of] any of them and that they regret the incovenience caused." Creme said, in his magazine Share International, that he never pointed to a person and called him Maitreya. As he already told journalist Scott James he never heard of Raj Patel, never met him and know only what others are saying about him. And as he said to Mr. James, it is not his work to say that anyone is or is not Maitreya, nor will he do so until Maitreya acknowledges His true identity on the Day of Declaration.
Reception and criticisms
According to the American religious scholar J. Gordon MeltonJ. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
, Creme's statement served as a catalyst for assessment of the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
movement by Evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
s. A week after the advertisements in 1982, other advertisements appeared in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
denouncing Creme as an instrument of the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
. Constance Cumbey
Constance Cumbey
Constance Cumbey is a lawyer and activist Christian author.-Background:Cumbey was born as Constance Elizabeth Butler to a family of English, German, and French ancestry in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised as a Seventh-day Adventist.She was the first of seven children born to her parents...
(an Evangelical Christian and a Detroit area attorney and author) holds that "Maitreya" is a pseudonym for the Antichrist and regards Share International as an openly Luciferian movement.
Other Christian Evangelicals distanced themselves from Cumbey
Constance Cumbey
Constance Cumbey is a lawyer and activist Christian author.-Background:Cumbey was born as Constance Elizabeth Butler to a family of English, German, and French ancestry in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised as a Seventh-day Adventist.She was the first of seven children born to her parents...
's conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
. Some Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
pastors maintain that Maitreya is the Anti-Christ, citing passages in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
where Christ warns the disciples to beware of false teachers. Even among Catholics there are a number of voices denouncing Creme and Maitreya as of occult origin and potentially the Anti-Christ. Father Jack Ashcraft, a sedevacantist Byzantine Catholic priest, author and radio host, has gone so far as to postulate the theory that Creme may be the "false prophet" spoken of in the Apocalypse of Saint John
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
.
The beliefs and claims of Creme have been described as fantastic and outlandish by the British journalist Mick Brown
Mick Brown (journalist)
Mick Brown is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph...
.
See also
- Ascended masters
- Maitreya (Theosophy)Maitreya (Theosophy)Maitreya or Lord Maitreya is described in Theosophical literature of the late 19th-century and subsequent periods as an advanced spiritual entity and high-ranking member of a hidden Spiritual Hierarchy, the so-called Masters of the Ancient Wisdom...
- Master JesusMaster JesusThe Master Jesus in Theosophy and the Ascended Master Teachings, refers to the theosophical concept of Jesus as opposed to the Jesus Christ of the Christian religion.-Position in the Hierarchy of Masters of the Ancient Wisdom:...
- TheosophyTheosophyTheosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
- Aetherius SocietyAetherius SocietyThe Aetherius Society was founded by Dr George King , an English-born Master of Yoga, occultist, alleged spiritual healer and UFO Contactee. The society was first established in London in 1955, and later becoming incorporated in America as a not-for-profit organisation in 1960. Its guiding...
Further reading
- Cumbey, ConstanceConstance CumbeyConstance Cumbey is a lawyer and activist Christian author.-Background:Cumbey was born as Constance Elizabeth Butler to a family of English, German, and French ancestry in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised as a Seventh-day Adventist.She was the first of seven children born to her parents...
Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow: The New Age Movement and Our Coming Age of Barbarism, Huntington House Publishers 1985, ISBN 091031103X - Brown, MickMick Brown (journalist)Mick Brown is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph...
. "Messiah is alive and well and in London." The Sunday Times, 23 October 1988, p. A15. - Peterson, Wayne S. Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Beings: Experiences of an American Diplomat with Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2003, ISBN 1571743766
- See books by Benjamin Creme
External links
- Official international website
- Tara Canada
- Tara Network (Australia)
- Articles About Maitreya from Share International magazine—“The Blueprint of the Future” October 1999 and “Why Are We Here?” December 2001:
- Share Berlin
- Books published by Share International
- Jesus in an Age of Controversy. Douglas Groothuis. Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR, 1996, 373 pages. book review by Joseph Szimhart on the website of International Cultic Studies AssociationInternational Cultic Studies AssociationThe International Cultic Studies Association , formerly the American Family Foundation, describes itself as an "interdisciplinary network of academicians, professionals, former group members, and families who study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control,...
- Share international overview of beliefs on the website of the Christian Watchman FellowshipWatchman FellowshipThe Watchman Fellowship is, according to its website, an independent, nondenominational Christian research and apologetics ministry focusing on new religious movements, cults, the occult and the New Age...