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The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) is a new religious movement that professes to combine some teachings of yoga with aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology. It was founded by Chris Butler in the 1970s, and is based in the US state of Hawaii. Its condemnation of homosexuality and hostility toward Islam have been heavily criticised.
| Abbreviation | SIF |
|---|---|
| Founder | Chris Butler |
| Founded at | Hawaii, United States |
| Type | Religious organization; 501(c)3 organization |
| 99-0177647 | |
| Purpose | Educational, Philanthropic, Religious studies, Spirituality |
| Headquarters | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
Region served | Worldwide |
| Services | Yoga classes |
| Website | scienceofidentity |
Formerly called | Hari Nama Society Holy Name Society |
Chris Butler, son of a communist, anti-war activist, had entered the 1960s counterculture while enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi.[1][2] Soon, he joined the burgeoning Hare-Krishna movement as a guru, with the name Sai Young, and soon got a group of disciples.[1][3]
Sfter being publicly denounced by Swami Prabhupada, the leading exponent of the movement in U.S.A, Butler joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and received the name Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa.[4][2][5] Within a few years, their relationship had soured as Butler deviated from ISKCON's ways, choosing to marry and allowing his disciples to keep their heads unshaved.[4][2] After the death of Prabhupada in 1977, Butler broke away from ISKCON and founded SIF, then known as the Hari Nama (lit. Holy Name) Society.[6] Simultaneously, he began to deemphasize ISKCON's rigid adherence to Vaishnava texts and promoted a range of eclectic views.[1][4]
In 1976, SIF's disciples launched a new political party — called the Independents for Godly Government — presenting themselves as a "multifaith coalition of conservative-minded reformers", and ran for the House of Representatives and Mayoral elections; the candidates did not disclose their links with SIF and explicitly claimed to have no affiliation with any religious organization including the Hare Krishna faith.[1] The party was funded by a variety of businesses, including two local newspapers and a health-food store chain, run by the disciples themselves.[7]
In the 1980s, he ran a late-night television show called "Chris Butler Speaks" on Channel 13.[8] Since the 90s, Butler has kept a low profile, rarely speaking in public; in 2017, The New Yorker reported that Butler presents himself less as a Hare Krishna dissident and more as a member of a worldwide Vaishnava movement.[1] Butler's wife Wai Lana has received acclaim for popularizing yoga through the Wai Lana Yoga show; in 2016, she was conferred with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.[9]
The organization combines the teaching of yoga with aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology.[10] Followers must practice vegetarianism and are not allowed to gamble, engage in any sexual contact outside marriage, or consume caffeine or intoxicants.
Butler's teachings included condemnation of homosexuality,[1][4] hostility towards Islam, and skepticism of science.[11] The New Yorker notes that Butler's teachings from the 1980s assert that engaging in bisexual relations would lead to pedophilia and bestiality.[1]
Multiple ex-members of SIF have described it as a "cult"; Butler was "akin to a God" and not willing to be questioned.[4][11][12] They note Butler to have regularly engaged in mocking his devotees, publicly; it was said to be "a form of Krishna’s mercy".[2]
Butler denies these allegations;[1][4] he had threatened to sue the Honolulu Star-Advertiser when it planned to publish accounts of ex-followers in 2019.[13]
SIF received a great deal of media coverage when some columnists found that Tulsi Gabbard had been associated with the SIF.[1][14][failed verification] During her childhood, Tulsi Gabbard was influenced by SIF and considered Butler as her mentor, and in 2015, she acknowledged Butler as her guru in a video statement for an ISKCON anniversary event.[1][11] Her father, Mike Gabbard, a Hawaii State Senator, has also been associated with SIF[1][10][15] and his wife, Carol Gabbard, was the treasurer of the SIF.[10]
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