Julian Johnson

Julian Philip Matthew Johnson (1873–1939, Beās, British India) was an American surgeon and author of several books on Eastern spirituality. He spent much of the 1930s in India, was associated with the Radha Soami Satsang Beas movement and Surat Shabd Yoga, and wrote five books (one unpublished) as a result of his experiences.

The writings of Paul Twitchell, the founder of Eckankar, show many close similarities to Johnson's, and Twitchell has in fact been accused of extensively plagiarizing from Johnson's works, particularly Johnson's The Path of the Masters.

Johnson grew up in a staunch Christian family in the southern United States, became a Baptist minister at age 17, graduated Bachelor of Divinity in Bolivar, Missouri, and received an appointment as a missionary to India at age 22. Johnson claimed that experiences during his three-year stay in India, however, rendered him surprised by the deep understanding possessed by Indians he had sought to convert, and urged him towards further study.

Back in the United States, he earned two master's degrees (M.A. theology) at the University of Chicago, resigned his 17-year Baptist ministership, and earned an M.D. from the State University of Iowa. He served as an assistant surgeon in the United States Navy during World War I, and later went into private practice. He also owned and flew his own airplanes.

Over the years, he took to studies of various religious and philosophical teachings, including Christian Science, Freemasonry, New Thought, Rosicrucianism, Spiritualism, Blavatskyan Theosophy, and world religions. His spiritual explorations culminated when he visited an old friend (Julia McQuilkin in Oregon) who was a disciple of Bābā Sāwan Singh of Beās, Pañjāb, India. Convinced that he had found his path, Johnson requested initiation, which was arranged for by Dr. Harold Brock and performed on 21 March 1931. After a year, Johnson left once more for India on 24 March 1932. (At the two-week stopover in Hawaii, he had discussions on religion with the English Jōdo Shinshū priest Ernest "Shinkaku" Hunt [1876–1967] of the Hongwanji.)

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