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David Christopher Lane (b. April 29, 1956, Burbank, California) is a professor of philosophy and sociology at Mt. San Antonio College, in Walnut, California. He has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in the sociology of knowledge from the University of California at San Diego. Additionally, he has another M.A. in the history and phenomenology of religion from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and a B.A. from California State University, Northridge. Lane received his A.A. from Los Angeles Valley Community College. He is also a lecturer in religious studies at California State University who specializes in the study of new religious movements including cults. He has been critical on the internet and elsewhere about groups such as Eckankar, the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Radhasoami, gurus, and the Indian gurus Sathya Sai Baba, Satchitananda, Muktananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Yogi Bhajan.

Lane was raised Roman Catholic, but went on to be initiated in 1978 by Sant Charan Singh of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. He later had a change of heart and renounced some but not all of the teachings. ^[1].

In 1978 Lane wrote a thesis about what he saw as plagiarism by Paul Twitchell of his former teachers. Twitchell is the founder of Eckankar, a worldwide religion, and Lane's writings about Twitchell and Eckankar resulted in an enduring controversy with some people. Lane's writings have been cited by some religious scholars and critics of new religious movements. Doug Marman, a member of Eckankar, wrote a book published online Dialogue in the Age of Criticism [2] that debates the criticisms of Lane and others.^{[2] [3]}

He has published books and contributed articles to the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Fate, Laughing Man, the Movement Newspaper, and also to encyclopedias. His review of Francis Crick's life and work was featured in the University of California's science and mathematics magazine. He has appeared in television broadcasts that deal with the subject of cults^{[citation needed]}. His life and work was featured in a cover story in the San Diego Reader in 1995^{[citation needed]}.

Lane was instrumental in helping Peter McWilliams write his book, LIFE 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You, which caused a world-wide uproar in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, lead by John-Roger, (Roger Delano Hinkins).^{[citation needed]}

He previously taught at the University of California, San Diego, The California School of Professional Psychology, the University of Humanistic Studies, Palomar College, Mira Costa College, and the University of London and other academic institutions. He has given invited lectures at the London School of Economics, California State University, Fullerton. He has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in the sociology of knowledge from the University of California at San Diego. Additionally, Lane has another M.A. in the history and phenomenology of religion from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and a B.A. from California State University, Northridge. Lane received his A.A. from Los Angeles Valley Community College.

Lane's M.A. thesis, Radhasoami Mat, was passed with highest honors at GTU. He has presented talks to the American Academy of Religion, including paper presentations at Stanford University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and the University of California, Berkeley and served as a Research Assistant at U.C. Berkeley. His genealogical work was featured in Radhasoami Reality (Princeton University Press, 1991).

In an interview in the San Diego Reader published on June 22, 1995, Lane complained about receiving death threats from defenders of several new religious movements. He has also been involved in a number of law suits due to his critical stance on several new religious movements. [3]

Lane's booklet, Why I Don't Eat Faces: A Neuroethical Argument for Vegetarianism, was published in 1993 and is featured worldwide on a number of vegan and vegetarian websites and is widely cited and referenced. Lane has been a lacto vegetarian for more than 32 years.

Lane has also produced a number of short films, including Vertical Geometry, Moving Water, Liquid Air, and Digital Baba.

Lane received a Regents Fellowship to attend the University of California, San Diego, for his Ph. D. He has also received an OGSR Travel Grant in 1987 to collect rare books and manuscripts in India. Lane was a recipient of an NEH grant in 1993 at the University of Hawaii.

Lane frequently joins discussions and debates between current and former members of new religious movements, especially on Yahoo! group he set up for use with his classes. He puts some of his discussions on The Neural Surfer, the Mt. SAC philosophy department web site which also contains Lane's online diary and essays of a satirical nature on religious topics.

Contents 1 Personal 2 Bibliography 3 Other 4 References 5 External links 6 See also

David Lane has had a successful bodysurfing career. He won the World Bodysurfing championships in 1999 and he won the International Bodysurfing Contest four times: 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2004 in addition to other numerous placings. Most recently he came in fourth at the World Bodysurfing contest in Oceanside in 2003, fifth at the United States Cold Water Bodysurfing championships, and first at the International Bodysurfing Contest in Manhattan Beach in 2004.

Lane has one child. His father, Warren James Lane, was an attorney before he died unexpectedly on December 6, 1973. His mother, Louise Lane worked as a Talent Coordinator for the television show General Hospital.

• Making of a Spiritual Movement (1978)
• The Radhasoami Tradition (1992)
• The Unknowing Sage (1993)
• The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar, del Mar Press 1993, ISBN 0-9611124-6-8
• Exposing Cults (1994)
• DA: The Strange Case of Franklin Jones (1995)
• The Enchanted Land (1995)

• French Encyclopedia on Bodysurfing.

• Official homepage 2005 version
• Neural Surfer, Online diary of David Christopher Lane, Ph.D.
• Document from CESNUR describing David C. Lane's battle against MSIA
• Legal document from CESNUR, MSIA versus David C. Lane

• List of cult researchers
• Cults

Sathya Sai Baba v • d • e
Shirdi Sai Baba · Prema Sai Baba ·Sathya Sai Baba Movement · Sathya Sai Organisation · Sri Sathya Sai University
Other related articles
Bibliography · Prashanthi Nilayam · Puttaparthi · Sai Global Harmony · Sanathana Sarathi ·Shrinivas Sugandhalaya
Followers
Bill Aitken · Vladimir Antonov · Joan Brown · Alice Coltrane · Maynard Ferguson · Dana Gillespie · Erlendur Haraldsson · Abdul Kalam · Narayana Kasturi · Girija Prasad Koirala · Howard Murphet · P. V. Narasimha Rao · Arnold Schulman · Isaac Tigrett · Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Critics
Tal Brooke · Abraham Kovoor · H. Narasimhaiah · Basava Premanand · Robert Priddy