God and perfection

Personally, I like meditation and centering contemplation. I have been a vegetarian most of my life and I believe my soul will move on to a better place when I leave this body. If you hate to meditate, never met a beer or a pork chop you didn't love and you fear hell and damnation, fine. You are not less  Spiritually "Advanced " than me. We are all pretty much ok just the way we are. Everything I listed above is people stuff not God stuff.
SRF teaches that we are "diamonds covered with mud" and we have to follow a bunch of hoopey doopey laid out by the Organization before God will stamp us with the seal of approval. This is hard to explain unless you have actually been involved in  SRF,  but this whole idea of people walking around without any affect and a pasted on Sunday school smile is not a sign of Spiritual advancement.

Be the best person you can be. Live a healthy life.  All good stuff. The thing is, I have seen really good people who have terrible self esteem after taking and applying these SRF lessons. Here is the deal, the idea is you have to reach "perfection" or "sainthood". This level of "perfection" is defined by the organization. Didn't make it? Well that will be another round of endless reincarnation for you. We are taught that the Guru and the top SRF monastics are "perfect". He wasn't and they aren't.

Since the droids that make up the  membership of the organization don't want anyone to know that THEY aren't "perfect" there is a lot of what my Grandma used to call "Putting on airs". I think you get the picture.

There is also this idea that keeping the Guru on the front burner of your consciousness at all times is pleasing to God and Guru so this alone may get you the coveted "Sainthood" if you can successfully stick with it. Salvation after all comes from the grace of the Guru. People literally apply everything that happens around them to the Guru. Everything. I once was in a room with a group of devotees and the lights (which were on an automatic timer) came on. Everyone suddenly started gushing "Thank you Master!" it was ludicrous.
Thats the other thing. To be a bliss zombie you have to call Yogananda "Master". Pretty creepy stuff, really, but I did it, so I understand the mindset necessary to devalue yourself in this way.

Its kind of like what happens in the mind of victims of domestic violence. It doesn't happen all at once, they slowly work you into submission over time. In SRF you start off with 'just take the lessons. Try it and see what you think'. By the time you get to Kriya (which is the grand prize) you are pledging your loyalty to them for eternity. In between there are indoctrinating lessons, mind numbing chanting, sensory deprivation techniques and groveling before pictures of the Guru.
They also keep members on the hook and boost their egos at the same time by telling them "You must be very Spiritually advanced or you wouldn't be here. You are almost there just keep it up"

If you believe that God made the world then God made you. You are a-ok. Relax and enjoy life. It is a gift.

Peace and Best Wishes,

KD