www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Jump to content

User:Andries/Share International

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Share International, formerly called the Tara Center[1]is an organization, sometimes labeled as a movement, that grew out of the teachings of Benjamin Creme with its main office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. [2][3].[4]

They believe that a great teacher named Maitreya has returned to the everyday world and is currently living in the Asian community in London, specifically in the Bangladeshi Brick Lane area.[5][6]

Beliefs and claims[edit]

Share International's publications claim that the coming of Maitreya 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 as Jesus 2000 years ago. [7]After that Maitreya meditated in the Himalayas and on 8 July 1977 descended from the Himalayas and took on the 19th July 1977 an airplane to Heathrow airport near London and is now living in the Brick Lane area.[8][9][10][11]Journalists had been invited to find the Maitreya in the Brick Lane area but were unable to find him.[12]According to Creme, the Maitreya was responsible for the ending of the cold war, the German reunification, and the ending of apartheid in South Africa [13]

In 1982 Creme placed full page advertisements in newspapers around the world saying, "The Christ is now here". [14]According to Creme the "Christ", whom he also called "Maitreya", would announce his existence on world wide television broadcasts, and that he would do that within several months of the initial newspaper advertisement. This created a sensation within some New Age groups, and even among some Evangelical Christians; but, when the promised television broadcasts of the Maitreya/Christ failed to occur, most of Creme's followers lost interest. Creme, who is independently wealthy, continues to fund newspaper advertisements and press conferences, as well as to fund his journal and websites [15].[16] According to the religious scholar Gordon J. Melton, Creme's statement served as a catalyst to the assessments by Christian Evangelicals of the New Age movement.[17]A week after these advertisements, other advertisements appeared in the Los Angeles Times accusing Creme of being an instrument of the Antichrist. The Evangelical Christian Constance Cumbey maintains that Creme is the Anti-Christ and that the Share International version of Maitreya is a satanist conspiracy.[18][19]Other Christian Evangelicals distanced themselves from Cumbey's conspiracy theory.[20]


The beliefs and claims of Creme have been described as fantastic and outlandish by the British journalist Mick Brown.[21]

Share International promote their own form of meditation that they call "Transmission meditation". [22][23][24]

Share International claims that Maitreya appeared before a Christian gathering in or near Nairobi, Kenya in June of 1988. This event was widely published among others by CNN and pictures of the Jesus-like apparition were distributed worldwide.[25].[26][27][28]

Share International and Benjamin Creme have been strongly influenced by Alice Bailey's version of theosophy.[29]

Magazine and organization[edit]

Share International's headquarters are located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.[30] It publishes a monthly magazine, also called Share International. [31] In it, Creme has published a number of articles that he claims were dictated to him telepathically by a Master of Wisdom, an elightened human being. The magazine treats many miracles that they assert appear all over the world.[32]

The organization has branches in Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands, USA, and several other countries.[33]

Further reading[edit]

Critical from Christian perspective
  • Cumbey, Constance Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow: The New Age Movement and Our Coming Age of Barbarism, Huntington House Publishers 1985, ISBN 091031103X
Journalistic
  • Brown, Mick. "Messiah is alive and well and in London." The Sunday Times, 23 October 1988, p. A15.
By affiliated, self-published, and by adherents
  • 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

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Groothuis, Douglas R. Unmasking the New Age 1986, InterVarsity Press, ISBN 0877845689, page 120
  2. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 13
  3. ^ Limpt, Cokky van 23 December 1997 'Rouw om Diana teken van Zijn komst'/'Mourning about Diana sign of His advent' in Dutch newspaper Trouw English translation: ""Share International knows how the wold teacher looks in his present outfit. For years publications of the movement have been showing one picture in which Maitreya would be visible i.e. a dark colored man with a black beard, a moustach, dressed in white and with a white tulban-like hat [...]"
    Dutch original:"Share Intenational weet ook al hoe de Wereldleraar er in zijn huidige gedaante uitziet. In de publicaties van de beweging circuleert namelijk al jaren één foto waarop Maitreya te zien zou zijn: een donkere man met een zwarte baard en snor, gehuld in een wit gewaad en met een wit, tulband-achtig hoofddeksel; [..]"
  4. ^ Melton J. Gordon, Gale Research Inc, Jerome Clark, Aidan A. Kelly Original from the University of Michigan, New Age Encyclopedia, 1990, ISBN 0810371596, entry nr. 96, page 135
  5. ^ Barrett David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 347
  6. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 8
  7. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 8
  8. ^ Barrett David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 347
  9. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 8
  10. ^ Mick Brown. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 8
  11. ^ Nagel, Alexandra De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba/The Sai paradox: contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba in the series Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland/Religious movements in the Netherlands, 'Sekten/Cults, 1994, nr. 29. published by Free university of Amsterdam press. "Vroon schreef verder over Maitreya, waar Benjamin Creme al jarenlang de verkondiger van is. Creme beweert dat in 1977 de nieuwe wereldleraar, Maitreya genaamd, in Londen is gearriveerd. Deze zou ook een avatar zijn, degene die de aarde zal helpen de geestelijke revolutie welke naar zijn zeggen gaande is, te begeleiden. Het is een revolutie die liefde als middel en als doel heeft. Maitreya belichaamt in dit gebeuren het planetaire liefdesaspect, Sai Baba het kosmische. Volgens Creme staat Sai Baba hoger in de 'hiërarchie der meesters' dan Maitreya en is hij op aarde gekomen om Maitreya te helpen bij zijn werk.13 De relatie tussen Sai Baba en Maitreya werd door Vroon niet vermeld, maar deze informatie verscheen prompt via een ingezonden brief in de krant." Partial English translation "Vroon wrote further about Maitreya whose apostle is Benjamin Creme. Creme claims that in 1977 de new world teacher, called Maitreya has arrived in London. He would not only be an avatar, the one who will help earth in it spiritual revolution that according to Creme is taking place. The revolution has love as its aim and method. [....] "
  12. ^ Barrett, David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 347-349
  13. ^ unknown author (2006-11-25). "Messias in aantocht" (in Dutch). Het Parool. Retrieved 2008-05-17. In spite of this, Maitreya remained busy, according to Creme. He was for example responsible for the end of the cold war, the unification of Germany, and the ending of apartheid in South Africa"
    Dutch original: "Toch heeft Maitreya volgens Creme allerminst stilgezeten. Zo was hij verantwoordelijk voor het einde van de Koude Oorlog, de eenwording van Duitsland en de beeindiging van de Apartheid in Zuid-Afrika.     {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ Melton J. Gordon, Gale Research Inc, Jerome Clark, Aidan A. Kelly Original from the University of Michigan, New Age Encyclopedia, 1990, ISBN 0810371596, entry nr. 96, pages 136-137
  15. ^ [unreliable source?]THE NEW AGE CONSPIRACY
  16. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 13
  17. ^ Newport, John P. The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0802844308, pages 180-181
  18. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 23 "Creme was agent for the AntiChrist. I had come across a pamphlet published by an organisation called the Christian Research Institute declaring its belief that Mr. Creme was indeed 'deriving his inspiration from a spiritual realm, albeit a malevolent one'."
  19. ^ Barrett, David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 349 Quote "Sensing a good offbeat story, a number of journalists search the Brick Lane area, but no one could point them at the returned Christ. Creme lost credibility and supporters, and gained some serious enemies among Evangelical Christians. An Evangelical book, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow (1983) attacked all New Age and esoteric movements - especially Creme and the Maitreya - as a satanic conspiracy [..]"
  20. ^ Newport, John P. The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0802844308, pages 180-181
  21. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist, Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 10
  22. ^ "Transmission Meditation". Share International offical website. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  23. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist. Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 250
  24. ^ Melton J. Gordon, Gale Research Inc, Jerome Clark, Aidan A. Kelly Original from the University of Michigan, New Age Encyclopedia, 1990, ISBN 0810371596, entry nr. 96, page 136
  25. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist, Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 349
  26. ^ Barrett, David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 348
  27. ^ unknown author (2006-11-25). "Messias in aantocht" (in Dutch). Het Parool. Retrieved 2008-05-17. English translation: Pictures of the Jesus-like were distributed worldwide"
    Dutch original: "Foto's van de Jezusachtige verschijning werden wereldwijd gepubliceerd.     {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  28. ^ Limpt, Cokky van 23 December 1997 'Rouw om Diana teken van Zijn komst'/'Mourning about Diana sign of His advent' in Dutch newspaper Trouw English translation: ""Share Internationls knows how the wold teacher looks in his present outfit. For years publications of the movement have been showing one picture in which Maitreya would be visible i.e. a dark colored man with a black beard, a moustach, dressed in white and with a white tulban-like hat [...]"
    Dutch original:"Share Intenational weet ook al hoe de Wereldleraar er in zijn huidige gedaante uitziet. In de publicaties van de beweging circuleert namelijk al jaren één foto waarop Maitreya te zien zou zijn: een donkere man met een zwarte baard en snor, gehuld in een wit gewaad en met een wit, tulband-achtig hoofddeksel; [..]"
  29. ^ Barrett, David V. The New Believers 2001 ISBN 0-304-35592-5, page 348
  30. ^ Melton J. Gordon, Gale Research Inc, Jerome Clark, Aidan A. Kelly Original from the University of Michigan, New Age Encyclopedia, 1990, ISBN 0810371596, entry nr. 96, page 135
  31. ^ Limpt, Cokky van 23 December 1997 'Rouw om Diana teken van Zijn komst'/'Mourning about Diana sign of His advent' in Dutch newspaper Trouw English translation:"Their clube magazine Share international [..]" Dutch original "Hun verenigingsblad Share International [..]"
  32. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist, Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 257
  33. ^ Brown, Mick. The Spiritual Tourist, Bloomsbury publishing, 1998. page 13

References[edit]

External links[edit]


Category:Theosophy Category:New Age

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Andries/Share_International&oldid=983309883"