100 years ago: The death of Shirdi Sai Baba

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; I Timothy 2:5

On October 15, 1918, Indian mystic and guru Shirdi Sai Baba died at a reported age of 83. He was something of a syncretist, as he preached the importance of self-realization and promoted the reading of both Hindu and Muslim scriptures, while opposing religious orthodoxy, whether it be Christian, Muslim, or Hindu.

Shirdi Sai Baba founded a movement that still has Hindu and Muslim devotees throughout the world who regard him as an avatar, an incarnation of the Hindu deities Shiva and Dattatreya. The later guru Saithya Sai Baba (1926-2011), who also founded a worldwide movement devoted to himself, claimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. Both Sai Babas were mistaken.