William Aitken’s Sai Baba Book. Major Flaws Says Scholar
 

Date: 01-29-08

By: Ex Baba admin

At his blogsite Call For Media and Government Investigation of Sathya Sai Baba - http://barrypittard.wordpress.com/ - Barry Pittard has posted:

William Aitken’s Sai Baba Book. Major Flaws Says Scholar

http://barrypittard.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/william-aitkens-sai-baba-book-major-flaws-says-scholar/

Retired Spanish language expert and lexicographer from one of Australia’s top universities, Steel critically assesses a book by William McKay ‘Bill’ Aitken: Sri Sathya Sai Baba. A Life (New Delhi, Penguin Books India, 2004. Paperback edition, 2006).

The present blog contains some quotes from Brian Steel’s article Bill Aitken and Sathya Sai Baba. A Writer’s Dilemma, a link to Steel's William Aitken piece and a link to Pittard's related article:   Sai Baba Researchers’ Huge Debt To Scholar Brian D. Steel
 

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‘Bill’ Aitken

Aitken’s Methodology Badly Flawed, Says Steel

Quote from:  Bill Aitken and Sathya Sai Baba. A Writer’s Dilemma

'Equally disappointing for the general reader is the author’s superficial treatment of recent controversies. On more than one occasion he issues blanket condemnations of all criticisms of Sathya Sai Baba, dismissing them out of hand and even implying interference by “certain rival missions” (p. 189) or speculating that someone “could be a paid informer of the missionary lobby”. Also, Aitken’s preoccupation with the sensational, headline-grabbing sexual allegations (by Tal Brooke, or David Bailey, for example) does not leave him time to deal with more serious aspects of past and present critical research on Sathya Sai Baba …'

 Forthcoming at:  http://barrypittard.wordpress.com/
 
  • A look at Robert Priddy’s articles on William McKay ‘Bill’ Aitken
  • Barry Pittard looks at Steel on Aitken and on other topics