Prophecies - Myths used to substantiate Sūkyō Mahikari (Part 2)

The next substantiating myths of Sūkyō Mahikari that I want to look at are the Biblical and Buddhist prophecies that Mahikari say refer to Okada. I must admit, I did not find these quoted prophecies particularly convincing, or particularly relevant, even when I was a dedicated kumite.

In kenshū, Jesus is quoted as saying, When He, the spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. The wording of this quote can certainly be seen as being consistent with Okada's claim that he, for the first time ever, conveyed all the truth rather than just part of it. Isn't there something a little illogical here though? Okada claims that Christianity is a brake religion that contains only part of the truth, so why should we think that this part of the Bible is correct? Is it logical for Okada to rely on something that he regards as "partial truth" to prove that Okada himself knows the full truth?

In addition, kenshū cites various Biblical mentions of "Light from the East", etc. The East is a very wide area. Perhaps these quotes refer to Rev. Moon, or Muhammad, or the founder of any of the numerous Japanese sects.

What about the word "Light"? We are told that Okada studied the Bible, amongst other things, before starting Mahikari. You'll recall that Okada originally called his new religious organization L. H. Yōkōshi Tomo no Kai, but soon after changed the name to Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyōdan. Did he perhaps change the name to emphasize the "Mahikari" (translates as "True Light") aspect, and therefore conform to the Biblical prophecies of Light from the East? Incidentally, I can think of other reasons for abandoning a name like that...it is a strange name!

Since Sūkyō Mahikari uses Biblical quotes in an effort to substantiate Okada's claims, it seems fair to point out that there are many other Biblical quotes that Christians might like to use to do the opposite. I don't put great store in Biblical quotes myself, but here's one from a Christian website:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matt 24:24

Let's move on to the prediction attributed to Buddha that is used to bolster Okada's credentials. This one is probably already well-known from this page of the Mahikari Exposed site. Buddha said, The man who preaches the true spiritual path will appear from among laymen 3000 years after my death.

This one is very broad in meaning indeed, and could refer to almost anyone (most people are "laymen"). At first glance, it merely seems presumptuous to assume that Buddha was referring to Okada. At second glance...do the math!

You know, for many years after I received kenshū, I assumed, on the basis of the way this quote is used, that Buddha must have died about 1000 BCE. Well, I just checked Wikipedia, and no...Buddha lived from around 563 to 483 BCE. We still have to wait another 500 years!

[PS: (Dec. 2006) A reader has just pointed out to me that there are conflicting opinions on the date of Buddha's death, and that the Nichiren branch does claim that Buddha died about 3,000 years ago. When I wrote the original post above, I checked several sources, all of which placed his date of death about 2,500 years ago. Obviously, I did not check enough sources!]

[Feb 2007 note: Koya Okada (the acting leader) refers to Buddha on a number of occasions in his monthly teachings. In each case he says that Buddha lived about 2,500 years ago. Huh? I'm not sure what we should conclude from that... ]

It seems quite foolish of Okada and/or the Sūkyō Mahikari organization to try to use this quote as verification. At best, it is laughable. However, it becomes very foolish indeed when you consider that they had to lie about Okada's years as a kanbu of SKK in order to make this prediction "fit".

I might not have bothered to comment on this particular prediction at all if it weren't for the fact that this prediction has now become the core of a major comedy of errors. I think ordinary kamikumite would not have been particularly fussed to know that Okada was once a kanbu in another religion, but the fact that blatant lies have been told concerning this point has damaged Sūkyō Mahikari's reputation enormously.

Kenshū used to state categorically that, Before he received the revelations from God and started saving people by raising his hand, Sukuinushisama was absolutely no official religious practitioner (e.g. priest etc) as regards religions. I imagine that statement is omitted from kenshū these days...can anyone who left Mahikari recently confirm that?

In All the Emperor's Men, Greenwood tells the story of how his wife wrote to Keishu and asked if Okada was ever involved with SKK. Mr Tomita, who is (or was) her secretary, a tertiary kenshū lecturer, and a long-term personal friend of Okada, replied on her behalf and denied that Okada had ever been a member of SKK. Tomita's letter said, It seems that Yoshikazu Okada, our great saviour, studied the organization, but it is not true that he was a member of it. He and Keishu must both have known this was a lie (Keishu herself was a member of SKK at the same time Okada was).

Greenwood talked with various members of SKK (Sekai Kyūsei Kyō) who remembered Okada well from when he was a member and kanbu of their organization. They gave Greenwood a photograph taken of some SKK kanbu in 1949...you can see this photo on the Mahikari Exposed site here.

In the light of this evidence, the Mahikari organization has been forced to admit that Okada was a member of SKK at one time. The following quote can be found here: In order to further his spiritual development and deepen his spiritual practice of humility, Okada undertook a period of ascetic training at a Zen Buddhist temple. He also joined several religious organizations (one of them was Sekai Kyusei Kyo) and studied the Bible extensively.