*This development may be of some small consolation to the Catholic Church this season. "Guru centipedes." They're non-denominational.
*You have to wonder how long it will take net-assisted sex scandals to reach the Long Tail of minor religions like Zoroastrianism and Falun Gong.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/100402/sex-india-gurus
(...)
"India has long held a thrall in the Western mind as a land of wandering fakirs and saffron-robed holy men with matted hair. In this birthplace of several leading religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, magic and mysticism still rule.
But rapid urbanization is making the holy men of the old all but disappear from the landscapes of cities and towns.
"In their place, a new breed of modern charismatic god men are holding sway, some of them saffron-robed, some of them bejeweled and others sporting wild hair-dos.
"Many of them command cult following, run huge ashrams on large expanses of land, own luxury cars, television channels and lavish homes. They flourish as their supporters make large donations in cash and kind. The god men jet set around the country and the world serving their flock of devotees.
"But here's the problem. The god men aren't, exactly, godly.
"In recent weeks, in New Delhi a holy man called Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakootwale was exposed for running a huge call girl racket with over a 1,000 girls that serviced, among others, politicians and influential people.
"In Bangalore, Swami Nithyananda — whose ashram had several branches in the United States and all over the world — was caught on camera having sex with an actor. Even as his shell-shocked devotees called for action, Nithyananda first said he was being framed by a digitally altered video. When a second tape with yet another actor surfaced, he admitted to the incident and fled the ashram with police hot on his tail...."
*One among many:
http://www.slate.com/id/2249853/?from=rss
*There are reasons why these networked sex-scandal events are all happening at the same time:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/05/sarkozy-rumours-inquiry
