# Science of Identity Foundation The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) is a secretive new religious movement based in Honolulu, Hawaii, founded by [[Chris Butler]] (also known as Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa) after he broke from the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] following the 1977 death of ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Originally called the Hari Nama (Holy Name) Society, SIF is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) and professes a theology combining yoga practice with elements of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Since 2019 the group has drawn sustained national media scrutiny because of its ties to [[Tulsi Gabbard]]. ## Origins and lineage Butler entered the 1960s counterculture as a student at the University of Hawaiʻi, gathered disciples under the name Sai Young, then joined ISKCON and received the name Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa. He soon deviated from ISKCON norms — marrying, and letting disciples keep their heads unshaved — which prompted Prabhupada to publicly denounce him. After Prabhupada's death Butler split off entirely, deemphasizing ISKCON's strict adherence to Vaishnava texts in favor of a more eclectic teaching centered on his own authority. His 1984 book *Who Are You? Discovering Your Real Identity* uses scientific framing to argue against materialism and for the eternal nature of the self. ## Doctrine and conduct Followers are expected to practice vegetarianism and to refrain from gambling, smoking, alcohol, drugs, and "illicit sex." Reporting and ex-member accounts describe Butler's teachings as including condemnation of homosexuality, suspicion of Islam, and skepticism of mainstream science; in the 1980s he reportedly argued that bisexuality would lead to pedophilia and bestiality. The organization publicly disavows the homophobic and Islamophobic views attributed to it. Butler's wife, who performs as Wai Lana, popularized yoga through a long-running television program and was awarded India's Padma Shri in 2016. ## Cult allegations Multiple former members have described SIF as an abusive cult, characterizing Butler's status among devotees as "akin to a god" and beyond question, and saying he routinely mocked followers in public, framing the humiliation as "a form of Krishna's mercy." Butler — who has kept a low public profile since the 1990s — denies these allegations, and in 2019 threatened to sue the *Honolulu Star-Advertiser* over a planned story drawing on ex-followers' accounts. These characterizations come from journalism and former members; the group rejects them. ## Politics in Hawaii SIF has a documented history of organized political activity that masks its religious origin. In 1976 Butler's disciples launched a political party, the Independents for Godly Government, presenting themselves as a "multifaith coalition of conservative-minded reformers" while explicitly denying any religious affiliation, and ran candidates for the Hawaii legislature and for mayor. The effort was funded by disciple-run businesses including two local newspapers and a health-food store chain. This template — devotees entering electoral politics without disclosing the Butler connection — is the backdrop against which observers read the later political career of [[Tulsi Gabbard]]. ## Connection to Tulsi Gabbard [[Tulsi Gabbard]] was raised in the SIF community and has called Butler her guru, acknowledging him as such in a 2015 video statement for an ISKCON anniversary event. Her parents [[Mike Gabbard]] and Carol Gabbard are members, and both Gabbard and her husband Abraham Williams grew up in SIF families. Reporting by the *Wall Street Journal* (January 2025) alleged Gabbard's circle paid to obscure the sect's connection to an alleged financial scheme, and a June 2026 *Washington Post* investigation described a trove of communications between Gabbard advisers and Butler allies aimed at elevating her national profile while advancing Butler's politics. Gabbard has consistently worked to minimize and downplay the relationship. The SIF tie is the most distinctive — and least conventionally "right-wing" — strand in her trajectory, and a recurring lens for understanding her ideological idiosyncrasies. ## KB significance SIF is a rare case of a small, secretive religious movement with measurable reach into national politics, and it complicates any tidy left-right reading of [[Tulsi Gabbard]]. Its early playbook — undisclosed devotees running as nonsectarian "reform" candidates, financed by member-owned media and businesses — is a clean illustration of how a closed religious organization can project influence into electoral and, eventually, intelligence-community power while keeping its hand hidden. ## Related - [[Chris Butler]] — founder and guru - [[Tulsi Gabbard]] — raised in the community; its highest-profile public figure - [[Mike Gabbard]] — member; Tulsi's father and the family bridge into SIF - [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] — parent movement Butler broke from - [[Hinduism]] — Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition SIF draws on