Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 97
The effects of Campbell's study may be difficult to predict, but the need for it in light of the
continued attraction of Western seekers, particularly women, for exotic “enlightened”
teachers is inestimable.
Joe Szimhart
Cult Information Specialist
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India. Linda Johnsen. Yes
International, St. Paul, MN, 1994, 128 pages.
The myths of India are rife with female goddesses both terrifying and placid. From the
blood-filled mouth of Durga to the generous beneficence of Lakshmi, the varieties of
religious experience are conveyed through graphic images. In Linda Johnsen‟s naïve treatise
on women “saints” in India, we get a true believer‟s take on a few individuals who have
become well known in today‟s spiritual marketplace. Goddess worship is embraced by many
“New Age” Westerners as the cutting edge of millennial spirituality yet, it often ignores the
ancient traditions of the East. Those Westerners, both male and female, who idealize their
teacher‟s status as divine risk getting caught up in a culture they neither understand nor
have fully explored. It is often the exotic or eccentric that gets mistaken for the Divine.
Much of what is laid out in the early part of the book are anecdotes and stories handed
down by teachers to convey the difficulties that women have had to confront in a culture
where roles were, and to a great extent still are, defined by men. Where those individuals
triumphed over the disapproval of the society around them, it is a testament to their
courage and determination to realize their spiritual goals at all cost. Unfortunately, Johnsen
gives credence to some individuals who represent a “tradition” with a controversial history.
A case in point is the group led by Gurumayi Chidvilasanada, Sidha Yoga, founded by Swami
Muktananda, who reportedly took advantage of young female disciples while acting as guru
and spiritual teacher. Muktananda is revered to this day by Gurumayi and her many
followers.
In contrast, it was refreshing to read of Anandi Ma‟s exhortation to test the teacher “a
thousand times” yet, “Once you have accepted no questions to be asked. Then you follow.”
In the environment around the teacher, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to express
one‟s concern without being ostracized. This leads many to “jump into” a group they hope
has all the answers without looking critically at the history and qualifications of the teacher.
Among others whom Johnsen has confidently proclaimed saints is Ammachi, a simple
woman who speaks no English, yet has thousands of Western devotees. Her elementary
charm and emotional singing at first glimpse seem innocent enough. Yet, controversy has
swirled around her in India, where questions about the management of an orphanage she
founded raise concern about the integrity of her mission. Also described is Maya Amma, an
avadhut, or unconventional sage, whose age is estimated at 80 years, and who “does not
bother about any of the material concerns of the rest of us, including clothing.” She roams
Southern India with a pack of half-wild dogs. To the faithful, this is a sign of her
commitment to a life of nonattachment. Unfortunately, such behavior on the part of gurus
along with the devotional and unquestioning attitudes of some followers leaves me
concerned for those individuals impressed by the “exciting atmosphere” created around
these individuals.

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997, page 98
Johnsen is a good storyteller who engages the reader in her fascination with the people and
culture of India. What I found lacking is a healthy dose of skepticism and balance. Giving
oneself over to any “saint” --male or female --carries with it certain risks, and each group
should be thoroughly researched. Johnsen‟s work can be only a part of that research.
Joseph Kelly
Thought Reform Consultant
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Moon Sisters, Krishna Mothers, Rajneesh Lovers: Women’s Roles in New
Religions. Susan Jean Palmer. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY, 1994, 287
pages.
A lecturer in the religion department at Dawson College in Quebec, Susan Palmer carried
out an investigation of women‟s roles in Anew religious movements” (NRMs). Her goal was
to examine feminine conversion and opportunities for leadership in contemporary communal
or millenarian groups. Using interviews with primarily current members, along with firsthand
data from her own attendance and participation in some of these movements, Palmer
concludes that female “spiritual seekers” are voluntarily embarking on
romantic/ascetic/erotic ordeals and taking part in “extravagant new forms of marriage and
sexuality,” through which these women astonishingly “find themselves” or claim new roles
for themselves, roles that are lacking in “normal” society.
Although the book contains some interesting details about the groups studied and some
rather revelatory insights into the thinking and rationale of the members, the author herself
focuses almost exclusively on her positive reframing and apologetic interpretations. Early in
the book‟s Introduction, Palmer makes her position clear when she writes that her approach
“self-consciously repudiates ...the tendency among anticultists to condemn the extreme
and often deviant patterns of sexuality found in „cults‟ as „brainwashing‟ or ...as social
control” (p. xii). True, women may be experiencing a sense of “rolelessness” caused by
enormous changes and shifts in our society‟s structure and, as a result, women may be
overly susceptible to the lure of certain psychological con men and cult recruiters (see, for
example, the article by Shelly Rosen in this issue). But, in my opinion, that reality does not
excuse the behavior of those who would take advantage of such a situation, nor does it
mean that women are not psychologically coerced into accepting less-than-healthy roles in
these so-called new religious movements under the guise of their own spiritual
advancement.
Palmer describes seven groups, some more known than others. They include the
International Society for the Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) the Rajneesh movement
the Unification Church the Institute of Applied Metaphysics (IAM, an eclectic, Canadian-
based group with a female founder named Winifred Barton) the Institute for the
Development of the Harmonious Human Being (founded by E. J. Gold, and based in Grass
Valley, California) Northeast Kingdom Community Church (led by Elbert Spriggs, and
sometimes known as Island Pond or The Community) and the Raelian movement (a group
of French origination, founded by a former race car driver, Claude Vorilhon). Palmer
provides a nutshell history of each group, and then examines each according to one of three
model typologies: sex polarity, sex complementarity, and sex unity.
Palmer‟s three types are meant to be labels defining the concepts governing the
woman/man and body/soul relationships in these groups. For example, the author puts
ISKCON and Rajneesh into the sex polarity category, where the reigning idea is that men
and women are not spiritually equal, and in most cases men are viewed as superior and
women need men to protect them. Sex complementarity as a category includes groups that
emphasize marriage to unite two souls to form one and as the means to salvation. Here