According to Osho, being called the Antichrist is merely an old, empty strategy by frightened orthodox minds to condemn what they cannot refute. It's a label to demonize, justify repression, and avoid argument against someone challenging all religions, praising and critiquing even Christ, and teaching godliness and awakening. Such accusations reveal their poverty of intelligence and boiling anger, not truth.
It’s just a scary name people use when they can’t argue with someone who questions their rules and helps others wake up.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved Osho, one of the things I have heard some people say about you is that they think you are the antichrist. Would you please comment?
In Italy, sixty-five eminent people in different fields -- Nobel prize winners, painters, dancers, directors of world fame, actors, actresses, writers, poets, all kinds of creative people -- have signed a petition to the government that I should not be prevented from entering Italy -- why am I not being given a visa? But the pope is preventing it. The government does not say yes or no because that will create a great uproar all over the country. They cannot say yes because the pope is against it, and Catholics may not support them in the coming elections so they want to just keep it in limbo. But they should see that their most talented people and their geniuses are asking that I should be allowed and I should be listened to. I have said to my sannyasins, "You go to the pope too with the protest to sign. If…
Osho, please talk about the antichrist and tell us what it could be. I have always heard it being commented upon with great fear and with no explanation. People don't know what it is and yet they fear it.
In the middle of the night the archbishop came with a candle in his hands, fell down on the earth in the feet of Jesus and said, "I had recognized you, but I cannot do it in a public place. You will destroy our whole business! Forgive me, and listen to my advice: you are no more needed -- we are doing perfectly well -- and if you don't listen to my advice, we will have to crucify you again." Jesus could not believe his eyes, his ears, what he is seeing, what he is hearing. He said, "You belong to me, you serve me, you pray to me... I have seen you kneeling down before my statue. And now I am here alive in front of you, and you say you have recognized me -- and still you don't want me to appear before the people?" The archbishop said,…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT IS THE ANTICHRIST? AND WHO IS IT? It is Paul who founded Christianity. He was the first pope. That's why you will find many popes, when they become pope, using Paul's name in their name. That is the most glorious name, the first founder. So you will find many popes... somebody is John Paul, somebody is something else, but they use Paul, because Paul is the most glorious person in their history. In fact they are not connected with Jesus. And this Paul who was going to kill Jesus and his friends, now turned towards the enemies of Christianity. He declared that Christ would come again -- just the old Jew he was, his whole life waiting for the messiah, although now he has become a Christian.... But you can change only the clothes, you cannot change those ideas so easily.
Osho, why are the common masses against you, when what you say appears to us the very truth?
The king simply slipped away, took his fastest horse and rushed as fast as it was possible, away from the palace where the dream had happened. By the evening he had gone hundreds of miles, and he was very happy that he had come so far away: "Now it will be difficult for death to find me at the place, at the fixed time." The sun was setting. He had reached the outskirts of the city of Damishk. Just to rest... because the whole day he had not eaten, he had not even taken a cup of water. Time was so precious! Thirst is not going to kill you just in one day, hunger is not going to kill you just in one day. He was going to rest in a garden just outside of the city. He went into the garden and was tying the horse to a tree,…
Question: OSHO, WHY DO PEOPLE CRITICIZE YOU AS A SELF-STYLED AND SELF-APPOINTED GOD? The people who go to the churches, to the temples, to the synagogues, are going for absolutely wrong reasons. What are their reasons for going there? They are going there to pray to God to grant them some of their wishes, so that some of their desires will be fulfilled. They have tried hard and they are not succeeding, and they would like God to do some miracles for them. Here is an English public schoolgirl's prayer: 'Holy Mary, I believe that without sin thou didst conceive. Now I pray in my believing that I may sin without conceiving.' They are going there in search of some miracles, they are not interested in discovering the truth.