... life knows that there are times when we confront a profound silence on the other end of our prayer line. North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina houses the center of an international cult called “The Lovers of Meher Baba.” Meher Baba means “loving father” in Hindustani. Baba was a real person, born Merwan S. Irana in 1894 in Poona, India. He proclaimed himself the new incarnation of Jesus Christ. He recruited many wealthy followers thereby establishing many orphanages, hospitals, schools, and shelters ...
... to us through the Spirit. This is what the old happyologist hymnwriter proposes when he specifies that "to be happy in Jesus" means to "trust and obey." Bobby McFerrin's 1989 overnight hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (the phrase was lifted from Meher Baba, the Indian spiritual leader who died in 1969) encapsulated much of what was wrong with the greedy, grasping 1980s. Its simple, sweet little message, sung with a Caribbean lilt and calypso beat, evoked images of carefree lolling on sun-drenched beaches. That ...
