n today's social media age, we will find literally hundreds of postings daily regarding the "guru issue". Those in support of Srila Prabhupada's remaining ISKCON's diksa guru will usually recycle arguments provided by the IRM's literatures. And those attempting to oppose Srila Prabhupada remaining ISKCON's diksa guru will recycle the arguments already defeated by the IRM many times long ago. A stunning example of the latter is provided below from a social media posting, which claims to "expose the rtvik argument" and "analyse" The Final Order ("TFO"). Statements in the shaded boxes are from the said posting.
"The ritviks claim that the word "henceforward" in Prabhupada's letter of July 9, 1977 means that the ritvik initiation system must continue forever. [...] Their doctrine rests on one word [henceforward - Ed.]."
The above claims form a key part of the attack on TFO and the "rtvik" arguments it puts forward. We can note:
1) The above arguments are not even put forward by TFO and thus are "straw man" arguments. It is impossible for such straw man arguments to ever defeat TFO, as they do not even refer to what TFO states.
2) The same false arguments were also made by ISKCON India in their attempt to defeat TFO, as we documented on pages 8-9.
"The ritvik system was a temporary measure due to Prabhupada's desire and then serious illness."
This "illness doctrine" was also claimed by ISKCON India, and we have defeated it many times in previous BTP issues and also again on pages 4 and 8-9.
It is as if all those who attempt to defeat TFO have read the same book called "How Not to Defeat The Final Order", but in their excitement, missed reading the word "not", and thus all of them end up recycling the same defeated arguments.
"Diksa is not a ritual, but the beginning of practice. Formality is not important. [...]
Ignoring the essence of diksa.
Problem: Emphasis on ritual, not knowledge."
Not only is the above a "straw man" argument that TFO does not make, but the refutations given to these straw man arguments are themselves provided in toto by TFO itself! Thus, from pages 45-48 of TFO, we present a whole series of quotes to establish that:
a) The essence of diksa is transcendental knowledge.
b) The ceremony formality is not important.
Thus, we have the absurdity of trying to "defeat" TFO 30 years later – by claiming something TFO does not say – with something it does say. Thereby simply establishing that what TFO does say is correct! That this is the best they can do only demonstrates just how hard it is to defeat TFO.
"Conclusion: Ritviks repeat the mistake of the GBC – they replace the essence of diksa with the power of intermediaries."
Again, displaying their absurdity and difficulty in defeating the conclusions of the IRM, they repeat the basis of what we state in an article from BTP as being the rebuttal to TFO. Please see BTP 55, "What Is Diksa?". Therein, we expose, replete with a diagram, that those who claim that the ceremony is important are doing exactly the same as the GBC, and "replacing the essence of diksa with the power of intermediaries".
At the beginning of this article, we noted that there are many postings on social media daily trying to "defeat" the IRM's position. However, it should be apparent, as shown again here, that even after 30 years, such postings have nothing new to say, nor anything for us to respond to, since they are only recycling arguments that were already defeated long ago. Though recycling garbage is supposed to be good for the environment, recycling these already defeated garbage "arguments" is not good for the environment at all, as it simply spreads ignorance! It has also been shown how, in a new low of desperation, our own arguments have also been copied to try to claim they are supposedly defeating those very same arguments!
All this also shows how, due to TFO being so undefeatable, one is forced to make up something TFO does not say and answer that, rather than try to answer what TFO actually states.
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