It seems that John has gone from one extreme into the other with his apology. I do not find this suprizing because cult involvement is a complicated, ununusal experience that is difficult to interpret.

Of course, both the guru and the follower are responsible for being a follower for such a long time. Like John, I have been thinkingn about this question, in my case due to the the writings of David G. Bromley and Anson Shupe.

I think to answer the question who is repsonsible one has to ask whether there has been any false advertisement (or even deception) or whether it was just a contagious illusion. I do think that there was some false advertisement (e.g. Maharaji's drinking habits) so it is not entirely the mistake of the followers.