Since the United States immigration policy has dictated to a large measure the numbers of foreigners who may legally enter the country, it has in turn determined how various cultures will impact on the American melting pot. Johnson rescinded the immigration laws set back in the earlier part of the twentieth century. But the doors to foreigners did not officially open until 1965, when L.B. Shortly after the World Parliament many Indian groups began to set up shop in America, including the Vedanta Society in 1894 and the Self-Realization Fellowship in the 1920s. Americans seemed to like what they heard: an appealing religious universalism, a non-ascetic orientation, and the idea that they did not have to leave their religion to appreciate or to be affiliated with Eastern thought.
Several Indian teachers, particularly Vivekananda and Dharmapala, were well received. A major step for Eastern religions occurred in America when Unitarians, many of whom were Transcendentalists, set up the World Parliament of Religions in 1893. American Transcendentalists were attracted to these newly translated Indian writings and incorporated in their philosophy Eastern idealism with nature mysticism and Western individualism. First of all, a fertile soil for Eastern ideas was sown when Indian literary material became available to the West through the translations of nineteenth century British scholars, like Sir William Jones, Charles Wilkens and Sir Edwin Arnold. To fully understand the reasons for this several historical and political factors must be considered. Specifically, Eastern religions have been quite successful in the United States. Throughout the history of the United States, on the other hand, religions (including alternative ideologies) have generally prospered, perhaps due to America's Enlightenment principles of tolerance and individualism coupled with a laissez-faire type government. Today, of course, Russian society has seen a great increase in the number of new religions and new converts. Therefore it is not at all surprising to learn that Radhasoami had made very little headway there until the latter part of the 1980s. For example, when the Soviet Union officially banned religion, it had an amazingly chilling effect on the growth of new religions. To be sure, Radhasoami masters have not necessarily explained away such increased numbers to better telephone networks, but they have been well aware of how the evolution of the communication industry has led to new opportunities to advance the message of Sant Mat.Įqually related to this, of course, are political regimes. At each stage where there has been a technological revolution, there has been in turn an influx of new initiates to the Radhasoami path.
Even within Radhasoami circles this is well known, as evidenced in the Introduction to an in-house Beas Satsang publication entitled Dawn of Light wherein the author writes that the great advances made in communications have led to the world-wide spread of shabd yoga teachings, especially in Europe and North America. Why? Because in many ways the growth of Radhasoami in countries outside of India has been hitched, for better or worse, to the advancement of technology.
The history of Radhasoami in the United States is a case in point. That this is obvious is one thing (from speech to written words to printed books to radio to television to worldwide computer networks), but that it is rarely focused on in appraising how new religions develop is quite another thing altogether (and is something which should not be neglected in any history, religious or otherwise). Thus all histories of religion are to some measure histories of human development, especially as it relates to the transmission of information. To understand the limits of the latter is to also understand the limits of the former's potential for growth. The evolution of religion is directly connected to the evolution of communication technologies. The History Of Radhasoami In The United States
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