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Science of Identity Foundation

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Science of Identity Foundation
AbbreviationSIF
FounderChris Butler
Founded atHawaii, United States
TypeReligious organization; 501(c)3 organization
99-0177647
PurposeEducational, Philanthropic, Religious studies, Spirituality
HeadquartersHonolulu, Hawaii, United States
Region served
Worldwide
ServicesYoga classes
Websitescienceofidentity.org Edit this at Wikidata
Formerly called
Hari Nama Society
Holy Name Society

The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) is a new religious movement that professes to combine some teachings of yoga with aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology. It was founded by Chris Butler in the 1970s, and is based out of Hawaii, United States. Its views on homosexuality and alleged hostility toward Islam have been criticized in the media.

History

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Chris Butler, son of a communist anti-war activist, had entered the 1960s counterculture while enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi.[1][2] Soon, he joined the burgeoning Hare-Krishna movement as a guru, with the name Sai Young, and soon got a group of disciples.[1][3]

However, after being publicly denounced by Swami Prabhupada, the leading exponent of the movement in U.S.A, Butler initiated under Prabhupada himself, joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and received the name Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa.[4][2][5] Within a few years, however, their relationship had soured as Butler deviated from ISKCON's ways, choosing to marry and allowing his disciples to keep their heads unshaved.[4][2] After the death of Prabhupada in 1977, Butler broke away from ISKCON and founded SIF, then known as the Hari Nama (lit. Holy Name) Society.[6] Simultaneously, he began to deemphasize ISKCON's rigid adherence to Vaishnava texts and promoted a range of eclectic views.[1][4]

In 1976, SIF's disciples launched a new political party — called the Independents for Godly Government — presenting themselves as a "multifaith coalition of conservative-minded reformers", and ran for the House of Representatives and Mayoral elections; the candidates did not disclose their links with SIF and explicitly claimed to have no affiliation with any religious organization including the Hare Krishna faith.[1] The party was funded by a variety of businesses, including two local newspapers and a health-food store chain, run by the disciples themselves.[7]

In the 1980s, he ran a late-night television show called "Chris Butler Speaks" on Channel 13.[8] Since the 90s, Butler has kept a low profile, rarely speaking in public; in 2017, The New Yorker reported that Butler presents himself less as a Hare Krishna dissident and more as a member of a worldwide Vaishnava movement.[1] Butler's wife Wai Lana has received acclaim for popularizing yoga through the Wai Lana Yoga show; in 2016, she was conferred with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.[9]

Theology

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The organization combines the teaching of yoga with aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology.[10] Followers must practice vegetarianism and are not allowed to gamble, engage in any sexual contact outside marriage, or consume caffeine or intoxicants.

Criticism

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Butler's teachings included condemnation of homosexuality,[1][4] hostility towards Islam, and skepticism of science.[11] The New Yorker notes that Butler's teachings from the 1980s assert that engaging in bisexual relations would lead to pedophilia and bestiality.[1]

Multiple ex-members of SIF have described it as a "cult"; Butler was "akin to a God" and not willing to be questioned.[4][11][12] They note Butler to have regularly engaged in mocking his devotees, publicly; it was said to be "a form of Krishna’s mercy".[2]

Butler denies these allegations;[1][4] he had threatened to sue the Honolulu Star-Advertiser when it planned to publish accounts of ex-followers in 2019.[13]

Gabbard family's association

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SIF received renewed media coverage around 2020 when some columnists found that Tulsi Gabbard, a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election had been associated with the SIF during her childhood, and had even mentioned Butler as her spiritual guide in her school years.[1][11] Her father, Mike Gabbard, a Hawaii State Senator, has also been associated with SIF.[1][10][14][15] His wife, Carol Gabbard, was the treasurer of the SIF.[10]

Tulsi Gabbard has since clarified that she considered Mr. Butler "essentially like a Vaishnava Hindu pastor" during her school years [16][17] As a teenager, Gabbard moved away from SIF and "fully embraced Hinduism", and "follows the Vaishnava branch that believes in the Supreme Lord".[18][19] Gabbard identifies herself as Vaishnava Hindu,[20][21] and often participates in Hindu festivals such as Diwali with Hindu-Americans[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sanneh, Kelefa (October 30, 2017). "What Does Tulsi Gabbard Believe?". New Yorker. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Howley, Kerry (2019-06-11). "Tulsi Gabbard Had a Very Strange Childhood". New York. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  3. ^ Wright, Walter (August 22, 1977). "Rebel against power trips. Chris Butler, maverick --with 1,000 followers. Hawaii's other Krishnas". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. p. 1. Retrieved November 17, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f Han, Yoonji. "Tulsi Gabbard's ties to the Science of Identity Foundation, a controversial religious sect that some call an abusive 'cult'". Insider. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  5. ^ McMaster University; Lagace, Marc Lodge Andrew (May 2024). ""Mother of Yoga": Zhang Huilan, Chris Butler, and the Popularization of Yoga in the People's Republic of China". Journal of Yoga Studies. 5: 39–67. doi:10.34000/JoYS.2024.V5.002.
  6. ^ Jones, Constance A.; Ryan, James D. (2007). "Siddhaswarupananda, Jagad Guru". Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Encyclopedia of World Religions. J. Gordon Melton, Series Editor. New York: Facts On File. pp. 411–412. ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9. [Butler] remained with ISKCON until after Prabhupada died in 1977. [...] He founded the Science of Identity Foundation as a vehicle to facilitate his teachings. [...] The Science of Identity Foundation (originally the Hari Nama or Holy Name Society) is located in Honolulu, Hawaii.
  7. ^ "How the American Sangh built up Tulsi Gabbard". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  8. ^ Christensen, John (November 23, 1982). "Chris Butler: About this guru business". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. B-1.
  9. ^ Sarbacker, Stuart Ray (2021). Tracing the Path of Yoga: The History and Philosophy of Indian Mind-Body Discipline. State University of New York Press. ISBN 9781438481210.
  10. ^ a b c Bolante, Ronna (2004-08-01). "Who is Mike Gabbard?". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  11. ^ a b c Hurley, Bevan (2022-10-16). "Tulsi Gabbard's ties to secretive cult may explain her perplexing political journey". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  12. ^ "Whose side is Tulsi Gabbard on? | Oliver Wiseman". The Critic Magazine. 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  13. ^ Cocke, Sophie (2019-01-27). "Chris Butler and Science of Identity Foundation criticize media, decline interviews". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  14. ^ Issenberg, Sasha (2021). The Engagement: America's Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage. Knopf Doubleday. pp. 112–114. ISBN 9781984898517.
  15. ^ Columnist, Lance CollinsKa Leo Staff (2002-04-04). "Politics hide real issues". Ka Leo O Hawaii. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  16. ^ Bowles, Nellie (August 2, 2019). "Tulsi Gabbard Thinks We're Doomed". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2019. She was raised in part on the teachings of the guru Mr. Butler....'he's essentially like a Vaishnava Hindu pastor'
  17. ^ McCarthy, Tom (March 19, 2019). "Who is Tulsi Gabbard? The progressive 2020 hopeful praised by Bannon and the right". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Sacirbey, Omar (November 2, 2012). "Hawaii Democrat poised to be elected first Hindu in Congress". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019. Gabbard, whose first name refers to a tree sacred to Hindus, fully embraced Hinduism as a teenager, and follows the Vaishnava branch that believes in the Supreme Lord Vishnu, and his 10 primary incarnations. Her primary scripture is the centuries-old Bhagavad Gita, whose themes include selfless action, spirituality, war, and serving God and humanity.
  19. ^ Kumar, Arvind (November 15, 2012). "The first Hindu in US Congress". Indian Weekender. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  20. ^ Bowles, Nellie (August 2, 2019). "Tulsi Gabbard Thinks We're Doomed". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved September 21, 2019. Ms. Gabbard … would be the first female president, the first American Samoan, the first from Hawaii, the first surfer, the first vegan.
  21. ^ "US commemorates the inaugural International Yoga Day". economictimes. June 19, 2015.
  22. ^ "Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Launches Campaign For Diwali Stamp In US". July 1, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
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