To add to Jethro's and the other great posts, I remember a time when it was common to hear "Satguru is greater than god because only the Satguru can show you god".
I don't recall Rawat ever saying that, but this thread is as much about what he didn't do as it is about what did say and do.
It's what he never did that continues to irk me. Although premies may say that he corrected the record with (as Steve said) nudge, nudge, wink, wink statements such as "I'm just an ordinary human being" (followed by darshan, Arti and hands and knees bowing!), he never apologized, set the record straight or put an end to premies' worship of him (not to mention all the "invisible friend" -- shall we say conversations -- that surely continue).
Laughable as it is to say, if he'd come out and said something like:
"Yeah, I was young, dumb and stupid throughout all that and I'm really sorry for saying all those ridiculous things. Not to make excuses, but it had a lot to do with my upbringing. So please, I'm going to stop pretending and playing this perfect master guru game and ask for your forgiveness. I'm not any of that, so let's put an end to this nonsense and let it all go. If these techniques help you in any way, fine. Feel free to practice them, but for crying out loud, don't connect them to me, god, life or anything else. I don't know where life comes from any more than you do."
I'm ducking now
