OCC:Where have you gone, 'lord' Maitreya?  by Albert James Dager

   Last year, April 25, the world was stunned by the announcement in
some twenty major newspapers that "The Christ is Now Here." Large ads,
placed by an occultic New Age organization called Tara Center,
generated tremendous apprehension--even fear--in the hearts of many.
Its promise that this "christ" for our age--"Lord Maitreya" (pronounced
MY-TRAY-UH)--would appear within two months to guide mankind into a new
era of peace, prosperity, and brotherhood. It had the earmarks of
biblical prophecy regarding the anti-Christ.

   Our subsequent rebuttal in concert with Church by the Sea
(Huntington Beach, CA) appeared in the LOS ANGELES TIMES the following
week, May 2, scripturally defining the only true Christ--Jesus--and His
Second Coming. In our full-page ad we pointed out that anyone else who
would pretend to christhood is at least one among many anti-Christs, if
not THE anti- Christ. Our ad, also, generated pockets of interest
worldwide and opened the door for no small amount of evangelism.

   Since that time, with the failure of Maitreya to appear as
predicted, many have been asking what has become of him and his
followers. Our most recent issue of MEDIA SPOTLIGHT includes an update
to our orininal, 14,000-word special report on Maitreya, his chief
apostle Benjamin Creme (KREHM), and the Tara Centers.

   In our further investigations we found that discouragement has taken
a considerable toll among the ranks of Maitreya's disciples. Many
financial supporters of the Tara Center have withdrawn their backing.
In addition, the centers have had to close their New York office while
consolidating their two Los Angeles offices into one. Their five paid
staff members have had to seek other employment. In short, the
controversy has subsided considerably, and the efforts of Maitreya's
followers to aid in his appearance seemingly have come to a dead end.

   But in spite of the gloomy outlook from their point of view, there
is still much optimism among the ranks of "the faithful in Maitreya."
And lest Christians think the whole incident laughable, we should
remember that the Tara Center is only one of a network of over 10,000
New Age organizations still working for the establishment of a
one-world government under the spiritual direction of certain "Ascended
Masters"--men who have supposedly advanced up the evolutionary scale to
a higher spiritual plane.

   For those who may have never heard of these developments, or who
would like to learn more, we offer our original six- teen- page report,
IS ANTI-CHRIST HERE? A BIBLICAL LOOK AT BENJAMIN CREME'S "LORD
MAITREYA." An update, "Where Have You Gone 'Lord' Maitreya?" was
published in conjunction with a review of the movie, E.T. in the latest
issue of MEDIA SPOT-LIGHT. Included with a 14,000-word report are
copies of the Tara Center ad and a rebuttal.

   A few copies of both publications are still available from:

   Media Spotlight P.O. Box 1288 Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
