Testimonial letter from Ma Deva Anurago

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This letter is one of a remarkable series of over 2650 letters amassed in 1983 to support Osho's attempt to get permanent resident status in the US at the time of the Oregon ranch. The image is reproduced here with the kind permission of The Oregon Historical Society. Information about their collection of these letters and other supporting material -- the "Jeffrey Noles Rajneesh Collection", named for Osho's immigration lawyer Jeffrey Noles, who compiled them in 1983 and donated them to the OHS -- can be found at this page. The wiki is grateful to the OHS for making access available for these documents. For more information and links to all the letters, see Testimonial letters.

This letter is from Ma Deva Anurago (Cornelia Wilhelmina Farrow). It is "Exhibit A-69" in the Noles collection.

The text version below has been created by optical character recognition (OCR), from the images supplied by OHS. It has not been checked for errors but this process usually results in over 99% correct transcription. Most apparent "errors" are correct transcriptions of typos already in the original. The image on the right in the text box will link to a pdf file of the original letter when the pdf is created. It has 2 pages.

AFFIDAVIT

I, Cornelia Wilhelmina Farrow, also known as Ma Deva Anurago, being duly sworn do depose and say as follows:

I studied theology and comparative religion at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands and at the Wilhelms Universität in Munster, West Germany for 5 years and was trained to be a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. During my studies I experienced a growing disappointment with the existing churches which did not seem to be able to convey Christ’s message in its original freshness and directness as it is conveyed in the Sermon of the Mount. I turned to the World Council of,Churches hoping for some clarity there. I participated in a course on Russian Orthodoxy, visited conferences and monasteries in search of something or somebody to satisfy my religious thirst. Disappointed in the Dutch Reformed Church and in its negative attitude towards women in ministry, I started to work as a journalist for NCRV and IKON, broadcasting stations in the Netherlands, (the first being of Protestant and the second of ecumenical denomination).

During my work 'as a journalist, I moved further away from the established churches as I gained insight in their political structure of conformity and repression. Even the World Council of Churches seemed to lack power and inspiration to affect a change towards a more humane and loving world.

When I came in contact with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s teachings, I was struck by the feeling of freshness - here was someone speaking straight from the source, with an insight I had never met in any living theologian or churchleader. There was a feeling of coming home, of clarity and of authority. With the background of five years of theological studies behind me, I could also clearly see that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh has an immense and varied knowledge of religious and philosophical traditions. Never did religious beliefs become so clear to me as in His books and discourses. It is my belief that the contribution of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to comparative religion is outstanding and will be valued highly among scholars of religion in the years to come. In my opinion, it is extremely valuable for the advance of religious studies to have a scholar of such wide knowledge and deep insight as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh live in the United States of America. Not only has America been a haven for believers of different faiths, it is also the only country, to my knowledge, that would know how to benefit in a creative way from Rajneesh’s insight.

The above is within my personal knowledge and belief and if called upon as a witness I would competently testify thereto.

[signed]

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 16th day of July, 1983.
[Oregon notary stuff]


(Please note: We assume that the above letter is still copyrighted, but we regard its historical interest to constitute a Fair Use exception for publication in this wiki.)