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SALAM IN THE NEWS
THE DECATUR DAILY ON
SALAM
Few books you read this
summer will be Divine Revelations. According to Shyam D. Buxani, "educated
businessman and spiritual person," living "in the United States," his book "Salam"
is just that. From 1984 to the present, Mr. Buxani has been the recipient of
divine locutions from the Actual God that have resulted in this lengthy book.
Helpfully, this treatise, which you are warned about "ridiculing and rejecting,"
is carefully paragraph marked, including a silk page marker for proof texts.
Fortunately the commands of the Actual God are relatively easy to follow. For
instance, man must only worship the Actual God directly. OK so far. Even the
mandatory pilgrimage can be waived. Salvation is wrapped up in two short
segments. The rest of the book shows me that The Actual God is something of a
puritanical Republican. He eschews capital gains taxes, is for swift and sure
punishment, and forgiveness is of the devil. Of course, a lot is of the devil.
In fact, pages and pages tell you what is of the devil. Immodesty, bad
character, and drinking come from the devil, but then it got more interesting. I
couldn't help flipping quickly to the chapter on worshipping in the nude. That
too, luckily, is of the devil, since it surely would not lead to a mass
conversion, at least in America.
Much of what Mr. Buxani denounces is formal religion. That is, he disdains all
"'visual-worship" of objects, prophets, saints, and gurus. While this may get
him in hot water in India, his next point will surely get him few converts among
Christians here. He makes a point of saying that the Actual God sent no
emissaries, nor does he do miracles. To be sure, you must be on guard against
all devilish plots (which are many, and seem to be whatever won't make you
personally well off.) To become enlightened, be sure you don't do any form of
visual worship, and only pray directly, eyes closed (Get it, no visual worship?)
hands open and extended, facing the West. Why? Read Mr. Buxani's transcriptions
of his enlightenment directly from God and find out.
Sadly we aren't told where Mr. Buxani lives, or we could communicate with him.
Nevertheless, the Actual God stays in touch with him, for Buxani promises to
pass along more revelations as he receives them.
This tome is sure to rile anyone from your personal guru to preacher Fred, but
then this is America, where every dreamer, charlatan, prophet and Shyam can have
their say.
John Davis
Special to The Decatur Daily
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