Sholomanarchy writes:
There is a pervasive mentality in the Frum world of "I don't like the direction that Lubavitch has taken since his death, but the Rebbe was a great man." I hear this expressed repeatedly in many different forms, and I wholeheartedly disagree.
One does not become a god overnight, there is a deification process that takes place. In a Western (Jeroboamite) theological context, deification requires two primary elements - the establishment of a godlike ideal, and the rejection of all others; אנכי and לא יהיה לך.
Yerov'om is viewed in the Talmud as a חוטא ומחטיא את הרבים, a sinner who causes others to sin. Yerov'om was a sinner because he rejected the original לא יהיה לך with his declaration of הנה אלהיך ישראל אשר העלוך מארץ מצריים.
He is considered a מחטיא את הרבים because, due to political motivation, he outlawed pilgrimage to the Yahwistic temple in Jerusalem; thereby coercing others into worshipping his twin idols, as stated elsewhere.
By implicitly or explicitly encouraging the various rites of deification associated with his life and teachings, the Rebbe turned himself into an idol. He built a "cult of personality" around himself, or allowed one to be built around him.…
This is difficult to argue with. It is spot on and as perceptive as one can possibly be. This is a true portrait of the last Chabad-Lubavitch rebbe and, by extension, of those who still follow him.