Michael Goldstein, the international chairperson of the Sathya Sai Organization, a physician from California, spoke with a once devoted couple who told them that their son had been sexually molested, responded by saying "I hate to think that 25 years of my life have been wasted", and continues to ignore the sexual abuse scandals.The craziest example is Swami Premananda who is now in jail for rape of his female followers who were minors which has been proven by DNA testing of a baby. He still gives darshan in his jail to his followers at the other side of the bars and still has a worldwide following.
I understand this loyalty. I had read some discourses by Premananda and they were just very beautiful and elevating and I sincerely believed that someone who could hold such discourses and could perform miracles must be innocent. I even signed a petition for his release, if I remember it well.
Robert Priddy, an ex-follower of SSB, has argued that the difficulty that a follower has to leave a religious organization provides a power base that is open for abuse.
http://www.sripremananda.org/english/e1_swami/e1c_case/e1c_case01.htm
