Dear Mr. Whalen,

To counter the wide-spread public misconception that cults don't generally respond to their critics, we here at Elan Vital have committed to a new policy of answering some of your questions as soon as our Forum Eight Monitors report them.  Of course we reserve the right to ignore most of what you say but then, let's not forget who the treacherous traitors are here and who ever valiantly chose to stay the course and ride Prem Rawat's ship down to the bottom of the ocean, God willing.  That is, while we respect your right to say what you will, that's a far cry from respecting you.  We don't.  We hate you and pray for some legal justification to drive you into the ground.  In the meantime, though, please allow me to address your questions.

You have asked us whether or not the following quote proves that Prem Rawat once claimed to be divine:

The greatest problem all around the world today, whether in America, Japan, China, Russia, India or anywhere else in the world, is that people are not in peace. People want peace. Today, if two people fight, the government is supposed to settle them down. But when governments fight, who is going to settle them down? The only one who can settle the governments down is the Perfect Master, the incarnation of God Himself, who comes to Earth to save mankind.

Tokyo, Japan, October 3, 1972 (And it is Divine, July 1973)

Clearly it does not.  There are several reasons why.  Indeed, if I gave it more than a moment's thought (which I assure you I will not), I could make up several more.  But here's what I've come up with just off the top of my head.  For one thing, if you look closely, you'll see that Maharaj Ji (as he then was) said that the only one who could settle the governments down was the Perfect Master, etc.  It doesn't take a genius (which I assure you you're not) to see that Prem Rawat has by no means whatsoever settled the governments down.  Hardly.  It follows, therefore, that this quote is not about him.  So there.

Furthermore, lest you have any lingering doubt on this, may I point out that the publication in question was entitled And it is Divine.  Now, if it were called And He is Divine, yes, I could see that you might have actually caught us in a lie regarding Prem Rawat's former claims.  But it doesn't and you haven't and so, if you don't mind, I'll simply say that don't prove nothing. 

If you have any further enquiries please either email them directly or simply post them in on your hate group's forum with a clear subject line.  We're watching you like hawks.

Sincerely (not you, me)

Elan Vital FAQ Editor