Science of Identity Foundation

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Science of Identity Foundation
AbbreviationSIF
FounderChris Butler (aka Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa)
Founded at Hawaii, United States
Type Religious organization; 501(c)3 organization
99-0177647
Purpose Education, philanthropy, religious studies, spirituality
Headquarters Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Region served
Worldwide
Services Yoga classes
Website scienceofidentity.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Formerly called
Hari Nama Society
Holy Name Society

The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) is a new religious movement started in the 1970s. It was founded by Chris Butler after he broke from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is based in the US state of Hawaii.

Contents

Its theology combines yoga with aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and adherents must practice vegetarianism. It includes condemnation of homosexuality and hostility toward Islam. A secretive group, it has come under a great deal of media focus due to politician Tulsi Gabbard's ties to the group.

History

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 acquired disciples. [1] [3] Butler joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and received the name Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa. [4] [2] [5] Within a few years, Butler began to deviate from ISKCON's ways, choosing to marry and allowing his disciples to keep their heads unshaved, leading ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to publicly denounce him. [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, Butler'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 candidates for the House of Representatives and mayoral elections; the candidates did not disclose their links with Butler 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

The organization combines the teaching of yoga with aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology. [6] Followers must practice vegetarianism and are not allowed to gamble, smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs or have "illicit sex". [8]

Butler's teachings included condemnation of homosexuality, [1] [4] hostility towards Islam, and skepticism of science. [10] 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's status has been characterized as "akin to a god" and not willing to be questioned. [4] [10] [11] They say Butler regularly mocked his devotees, publicly, calling it "a form of Krishna’s mercy". [2] Butler denies these allegations; [1] [4] he threatened to sue the Honolulu Star-Advertiser when it planned to publish accounts of ex-followers in 2019. [12]

Association with Tulsi Gabbard

SIF has received a great deal of media coverage due to Tulsi Gabbard's strong ties with SIF. [1] [13] [14] [15] Gabbard was raised in the SIF community in Hawaii and considered Butler as her mentor. [16] Her parents, Mike Gabbard [1] [17] [18] and Carol Gabbard, [17] are members of SIF. [15] [19] In 2015, she acknowledged Butler as her guru in a video statement for an ISKCON anniversary event. [1] [10] Butler has likened her to a star pupil. [1] [13] Gabbard has worked to minimize and hide her relationship to Butler and SIF. [15] [20] [16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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. 1 2 3 4 Howley, Kerry (June 11, 2019). "Tulsi Gabbard Had a Very Strange Childhood" . New York . Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Han, Yoonji (October 18, 2022). "Tulsi Gabbard's ties to the Science of Identity Foundation, a controversial religious sect that some call an abusive 'cult'" . Insider. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  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. 1 2 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. ↑ Friedrich, Pieter (August 1, 2019). "How the American Sangh built up Tulsi Gabbard". The Caravan . Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  8. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Hurley, Bevan (October 16, 2022). "Tulsi Gabbard's ties to secretive cult may explain her perplexing political journey". The Independent. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  11. ↑ Wiseman, Oliver (October 29, 2019). "Whose side is Tulsi Gabbard on?". The Critic . Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  12. ↑ Cocke, Sophie (January 27, 2019). "Chris Butler and Science of Identity Foundation criticize media, decline interviews" . Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Bowles, Nellie (August 2, 2019). "Tulsi Gabbard Thinks We're Doomed". The New York Times . p. A1. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  14. ↑ Godfrey, Elaine (January 21, 2025). "What Everyone Gets Wrong About Tulsi Gabbard". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 Feng, Brett; Forrest, Caitlin; Ostroff, Rebecca (January 29, 2025). "As a Rising Political Star, Gabbard Paid to Mask Her Sect's Ties to Alleged Scheme". WSJ. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Grube, Nick (December 10, 2024). "Senators Urged To Examine Gabbard's 'Deep and Intense' Ties To Hawaiʻi Sect". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  17. 1 2 Bolante, Ronna (August 1, 2004). "Who is Mike Gabbard?". Honolulu Magazine. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  18. ↑ Issenberg, Sasha (2021). The Engagement: America's Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage. Knopf Doubleday. pp. 112–114. ISBN   9781984898517.
  19. ↑ Williamson, Elizabeth; Homans, Charles (January 27, 2025). "Tulsi Gabbard's Unorthodox Path to Trump's Intelligence Team". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  20. ↑ Lubin, Rhian (January 29, 2025). "Gabbard 'paid to mask connections' to alleged pyramid scheme tied to her Hindu sect". The Independent. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
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