Eckankar teaches that there is only one God - called the Sugmad - but this being is remote and inaccessible to everyone and anyone except the Mahanta/Living Eck Master, i.e. Twitchell and now Klemp. This God also avoids interacting in the affairs of humanity. Thus, the individual is discouraged from trying to interact with God on his/her own. Instead, the Mahanta/Living Eck Master takes the place of the highest being and the Eckist deals only with the Mahanta. Hopefully, at some always undetermined and future time, the student will "develop" himself enough to be worthy with an audience with the Supreme Being. As you can guess, only the Mahanta can arrange such a meeting. And only Eckankar has the Mahanta and only paid members of Eckankar can get the guidance and protection of the Mahanta. I think you see where this is going.

What many have found to be most insidious in this teaching is Twitchell's (and now Klemp) attempts to constantly insinuate himself between the individual soul and the Creator. This greedy attempt at self enrichment has entrapped many a sincere questing soul and diverted them from forming their own intimate relationships with the One. It's non-existent to hear an Eckist speak of having their own experiences with God, but quite common to hear them ramble on about their dream experiences with the Mahanta - that is, Klemp.

One of the writers Twitchell stole from quite liberally was the respected new thought teacher Neville Goddard. Apparently he liked what Neville had to say but here's something Neville wrote that Twitchell didn't bother to steal - it didn't square with his efforts at building his profitable enterprise Eckankar:

     Today there is so much said about Masters, Elder Brothers, Adepts and initiates that numberless truth seekers are being constantly misled by seeking these false lights. For a price, most of these pseudo-teachers offer their students initiation into the mysteries, promising them guidance and direction. Man's weakness for leaders, as well as his worship of idols, makes him an easy prey of these schools and teachers. Good will come to most of these enrolled students; they will discover after years of awaiting and sacrificing that they were following a mirage. They will then become disillusioned in their schools and teachers, and this disappointment will be worth the effort and price they have paid for their fruitless search. They will then turn from their worship of man and in so doing discover that which they are seeking is not to be found in another, for the Kingdom of Heaven is within. The lesson learned will be this: There is only one Master and this Master is God, the I AM within themselves.

Your Faith is Your Fortune - Neville