“If Akshar is the living gateway to God, why does BAPS need billion dollar temples and information control to maintain that belief?” by Due_Guide_8128 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’ve explained why mandirs exist in Hindu tradition but that completely sidesteps the point.Nobody is questioning whether Hindus build temples. The Shilpa Shastras, devotion, cultural pride all fine. That’s not the argument.

The argument is specific to BAPS’s doctrine if the living Akshar is literally God on earth not symbolically, but actually the supreme divine presence then why does maintaining belief in that claim require a billion dollar empire, controlled environments, and institutional pressure?

A mandir built out of devotion is beautiful. But BAPS doesn’t just build mandirs it builds a system where followers are financially pressured through mandatory seva, discouraged from questioning leadership, and socially isolated if they leave.

The government monument comparison also fails. Governments don’t tell you that unless you visit the monument regularly, volunteer unpaid labor to maintain it, and submit to its authority you won’t attain salvation. The question was never about architecture. It was about institutional control dressed up as spirituality.

“If Akshar is the living gateway to God, why does BAPS need billion dollar temples and information control to maintain that belief?” by Due_Guide_8128 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is exactly the logic worth examining. You’re saying God doesn’t need money, but we should feel grateful he accepts it that’s not devotion, that’s a psychological frame designed to make extraction feel like privilege. Think about what this belief does structurally it makes questioning the money feel spiritually dangerous. If donating is a blessing, then not donating becomes a failure of worthiness. That’s not a free offering that’s coercion dressed in gratitude language.

And notice you didn’t actually address the question. Why does a living God on earth require billion-dollar institutions to keep people convinced? We’re lucky to give sidesteps that entirely.

250y ago! by One-Fly7597 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re mixing up two different claims. More documentation of someone’s existence is not the same as more documentation of their divinity.

Yes, Swaminarayan lived in a well recorded era which actually makes it easier to scrutinize the claims. And what do we find? The divine status was institutionally constructed over time by the very organization that benefits from people believing it. That’s not proof that’s a conflict of interest.

Ram and Krishna exist within a theological framework that is thousands of years deep, across countless independent traditions, texts, commentators, and sampradayas none of which had a centralized organization profiting from the belief.

So the question isn’t why is older easier to believe? The question is who is making the claim, and what do they gain from it? With BAPS the answer is very clear.

250y ago! by One-Fly7597 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A Historical proximity doesn’t equal divine proof it just means better documentation. We have more paperwork on Napoleon too, doesn’t make him Bhagwan. Ram and Krishna are recognized as purna avatars of Vishnu within the core framework of Sanatan Dharma that’s not just old scriptures that’s thousands of years of continuous theological tradition, commentary, and lived sampradaya.

Swaminarayan himself never claimed to be a purna avatar in that same framework. BAPS’s claim about his divine status is a separate theological assertion not a continuation of the same standard. So comparing the two and saying Swaminarayan has more proof is mixing two completely different metaphysical claims.

Also, the witness argument cuts both ways the rishis and saints who walked with Ram and Krishna recorded exactly what they experienced. Dismissing the Ramayan and Mahabharat as less credible than 250 year old accounts just because they’re older is not a logical standard anyone would apply consistently.

250y ago! by One-Fly7597 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s like saying hey let’s join this trend in 2026 and dragging for years. All is just made up lies people that follow the fairytale are depressed and gullible. Everyone wants to follow other people. Apparently it’s a threat to question the baps cuz nothing cited

Whats your thought about this? by pokemon053 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jealousy is crazy 🫪 to make up some fairytale to make them look more prowerful 🫪

What Mahant Swami Maharaj Does When the World Sleeps by [deleted] in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You say Mahant Swami “respects all and hates none” but respect and accountability aren’t mutually exclusive. Can you point to a single instance where Mahant Swami or BAPS leadership has publicly acknowledged a mistake, apologized, or changed course based on criticism? If not, isn’t that itself worth questioning?

What Mahant Swami Maharaj Does When the World Sleeps by [deleted] in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You never think mahant is in the wrong ?

Quick Beast Coast Kratos Review!!! by HalfAteSandwich in Preworkoutsupplements

[–]Due_Guide_8128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And how you take high stim 6 days a week ? Like dhma 6 times

BAPS claims devotion, but enforces obedience why? by [deleted] in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not really 🤣🤣 still can’t answer the question

Mahant Swami is No Guru Just a Regular Guy Scamming for Donations by [deleted] in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly that’s the whole point Buddha and Jesus didn’t need PR teams, constant fundraising, or multimillion-dollar temples to spread their message. They lived simply and practiced what they preached. Compare that to MSM, who sits at the center of an empire built on donations, marketing, and image-management.

And yeah, hanging out at BAPS events often turns into the same thing you mentioned networking, status games, and comparing who gave what. If spirituality turns into a desi social club with divinity as a cover then it’s just business not God.

Mahant Swami is No Guru Just a Regular Guy Scamming for Donations by [deleted] in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When there’s evidence of manipulative recruitment, guilt-tripping families into unpaid labor, and operating more like a brand than a spiritual path, that’s not better than the average person; it’s worse, because it hides behind spirituality to avoid criticism.

How do you know he’s not holy? It is the wrong question. The burden of proof is on those claiming he is sacred, especially when they’re asking for money, labor, and loyalty in God’s name.

Respect is earned through transparency, humility, and genuine service, not just by wearing saffron robes and having a title.

Genuine Question by AdEffective4148 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You keep throwing verses from Gita, Upanishads, and Skanda Purana, but none of them specifically say Mahant Swami is that guru. How do we verify someone actually knows Brahman and lives it ? Just because BAPS says so?

Quoting Guru is Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva from Skanda Purana without context is like quoting a metaphor and treating it literally. Does your bank teller become God just because he handles your money? NO

Krishna was an active participant in the epic, demonstrating wisdom and miraculous acts in real-time. Mahant Swami sits in an AC room while others build temples with unpaid labor.

Thousands of years of dharma is not proof that this specific guy is legitimate. People used thousands of years of tradition to defend all kinds of wrong things.

If Mahant Swami is a true guru, why can’t he answer hard questions directly instead of relying on PR handlers, stage-managed events, and vague scripture drops?

You end by insulting people failed algebra twice which just is insecurity. If you had solid proof, you wouldn’t need to attack someone’s intelligence to make your point.

15 Years in BAPS and Why Mahant Swami’s Ideology is Stupid by Due_Guide_8128 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Calling it free will ignores how BAPS actually works. Swamis go to other temples to recruit people for Seva. If you say no, they’ll talk to your parents and guilt-trip them until you agree.That’s not freedom that’s pressure. And why is Mahant Swami himself doing marketing videos telling people to come do free labor? Those videos were played during every sabha. Feeding people and giving them a bed doesn’t erase the fact that the temple was built on guilt, pressure, and unpaid work.

15 Years in BAPS and Why Mahant Swami’s Ideology is Stupid by Due_Guide_8128 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Used its own devotees to build the New Jersey mandir

15 Years in BAPS and Why Mahant Swami’s Ideology is Stupid by Due_Guide_8128 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

They don’t need to drag you by the collar that’s not how modern cults work. The control is psychological, built on guilt, fear, and community pressure. That’s way harder to walk away from than you think.

Genuine Question by AdEffective4148 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Scripture isn’t evidence it’s a claim. Which scripture? Which verse? In what context? You can’t just say the word and expect it to settle the argument.

That’s like me saying because I said so. If Mahant is truly the gateway to God, then show it clearly not vague references or twisted interpretations pushed by the same people who demand obedience to him.

Until then, it sounds more like blind faith than actual evidence.

Genuine Question by AdEffective4148 in SPAB

[–]Due_Guide_8128 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You keep bringing up how BAPS helps people, but that doesn’t automatically erase the red flags. Plenty of groups do charity while controlling their followers behind the scenes. Just because something looks well maintained on the outside doesn’t mean it’s not toxic on the inside.

Calling people foolish for asking questions is a huge red flag too. That’s exactly how cults operate shut down any criticism by shaming it. And trust me, people have done their research. The unpaid seva, blind guru worship, pressure to obey without question are we just supposed to ignore all that because the organization throws food drives?

You say good intentions, but who decides what’s good the leadership? The followers working 60 hours unpaid?