Sai Baba, an Indian guru and believed manifestation of god, who had thousands of followers and a $9 billion trust fund, passed away this morning (a Monday in India). Ironic since it is so close to Easter.
I first heard about him from Sam Harris. In the YouTube I watched of Harris, he was expounding his thoughts on how Jesus isn't that special, as many people have been able to garner a following, miracles or not. Harris then cited Sai Baba as a current example of a god-man with many miracles to his name and a following to boot, just like Jesus had while he was here on earth.
Of course, the big distinguishing characteristic between Jesus and any other guru/god-man/great guy is the eyewitness report of his resurrection. Like Sai Baba, Jesus died leaving his followers despondent. But then he rose from the dead demonstrating his divinity by overcoming the inevitable force of death. My own and the allegiance of billions of others rests on that fact.
From what I've read about Sai Baba, he predicted he would die about 10 years from now, so he left a little early. And since he himself was reportedly a reincarnation of another guru, the reincarnations will probably continue absent a resurrection. I think that leaves things a little open ended, contrasted to the finality of Jesus' resurrection. Were he to rise from the dead in a few days, that would warrant investigation at the least. We will see what happens with ol' Sai Baba, but I think I know the outcome already. I hope his followers are able to find true comfort.
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