Jim writes: Some here have applauded John for at least acknowledging that Maharaji's human too and for, acknowledging as well that he simply went too far.

I can't find where anyone (other than active premies) has applauded John for his acknowledging Rawat's humanity and for his publicly flagelating himself for taking liberties with journalistic boundries. I'm not trying to infuriate you or pick a fight, Jim, but, to me, it seems like most people are just willing to excuse John's apology as utterances due to an acute case of Stockholm syndrone.

I think it is great that you reposted John's article. It had a HUGE effect on me when I was grappling with my involvement a few years back. And it speaks volumes in terms of John's journalistic talents in dealing with a life-altering problem. Anyone who is currently involved in Elan Vital ought to at least read that article to gain some perspective on the history behind Rawatism. Jim, I think you hit the nail on the head here, because by reposting his article, you are re-affirming MacGregor's talent as a journalist.

My point yesterday was to acknowledge John's efforts in spite of his apology.  For me, it just seemed more accurate to understand John's apology as a kind of forced confession, even though it probably was not forced (maybe coerced).

This is a crude analogy, but here goes: when Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journalist, was about to be assassinated by his Afgan  kidnappers, the cruel demons recorded Mr. Pearl uttering all sorts of conspiracy theories. Nobody in their right mind believes that Mr. Pearl actually supported those theories. Rather, most people acknowledge Mr. Pearl's heroic journalistic efforts, despite his last, forced utterances recorded on videotape.

John MacGregor's confession seems to contain some similarities to Pearl in terms of his back-tracking and side-stepping his previous convictions.