All Religions are Not the Same

I'm currently reading "Reason to Believe," by Dr. Dr. R.C. Sproul.

I'd planned to review it anyways, but because of my last posts, I decided to move my schedule up by a week. I'm going to take license and post some quotes of Dr Sproul's because they're too profound to summarize. I hope you get a copy of this book. It's a unique book that deals with the common objections to the Christian Faith. The foward is by Lee Strobel, author of "A Case for Christ."

"Under the principle of religious tolerance, all religious systems are guaranteed freedom of expression and equal treatment under the law. No one religion has exclusive claim to legal rights and government establishment.

"With the principle of equal toleration has come the idea that no religion has exclusive claims to Truth...many have drawn the implication that equal toleration means equal validity.

When Christians...or any religions make claims of exclusivity, their claims are met with shock and anger at such narrow minded posture."

Dr. R.C.Sproul

According to Dr. Sproul, we struggle with this (narrow-mindedness) due to the impact of comparative religions that came into the colleges in the 19th century. Scholars began to study the similar characteristics of the major religions. Books began to be published in an attempt to get to the basic core of religious truth, that which founded is in a all religions.

It became that at the heart of their studies all were working, toward the God experience, their goals were the same. "Then came the famous mountain anthology." God is at the peak and man at the base. The story of religion was man's effort to get to the top.

The mountain has many roads, etc.

"There are only two possible ways to maintain the equal validity of all religions. One is by ignoring the clear contradictions between them by a flight into irrationality; the other is by assigning these contradictions to the level of insignificant nonessential. The latter approach involves us in a systematic process of reductionism. Reductionism strips each religion of elements considered vital by the adherents of religion themselves and reduces the religion to its lowest common denominator. The distinctives of each religion are obscured and waterd down to accommodate religious peace." Dr. R.C. Sproul, Reason to Believe.

In today's society people who know absolutely nothing about Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduisum, etc., declare these religions as all leading to God, and they are the same the one caviate that their road is the golden road and everyone else is diluted. They have a highway to heaven...no the supper jumbo jet and everyone else is pushing a bullcart! When I came to Christ I had to get that bullchart out of my head!

Now, that is other religions perogative to believe what they believe, but for the sake of education all sides should be reviewed with a critical and objective eye.

It's important to understand that each person is responsible for knowing God, and whorshiping God. No religion, culture, person, or guru is responsible for the individual soul. But when people are told not to seek out other answers, that's a problem for weak minded people, of which I was one.

Now, when Christians make claims of exclusivity, their claims are often met with shock or anger at such a narrow mind...

It is pointed out in the New Testament that Christ is "the ONLY--begotten of the Father, and that there is no other name under heave which men must be saved." Dr. R.C. Sproul

A church shouldn't hijack Jesus Christ and claim the Bible is not authentic, but written by corrupted men when they have no bases for the claim. This phony Jesus is seen in other religions.

Hundreds of thousands of theologists have studied and still study every word in he Bible, compare it to historical fact of that time, and have never been able to make such claims that it's not true.

There is not one single piece of evidence that Jesus went to India to learn Kriya. He was a Jew! He practiced and preached Judaism of his time! Whether someone believes he was resurrected or not is one thing, but you can't dispute his Jewishness or the references he himself makes from the Old Testament! There are historians of Jesus' time that were not part of his movement who documented his being in Judah, just as the Bible claims.

Jesus preached from the Old Testament not from the Vedas.

New Testament: "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22:31-32, cf.Mark 12:26, 27, Luke 20:37-38)

Old Testament: Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God." (Exodus 3:6)

New Testament: "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." (John 6:45)

Old Testament: "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children." (Isaiah 54:13)

How many people would take the time to refute the claims that Jesus is just a guru who taught Yoga when his biographies of the gosples there is no reference? The Bible is not written in hidden language. Because of better translations we know now what each word really meant. Jesus didn't say one thing, then, wink wink, give secrets to others. The claims are outrageous and absurd!

Jesus tells us in the Bible who he was, and I encourage you to read the Bible and books like "Reason to Believe." Get a good study Bible, such as the new English Standard Version.

Jesus did not become the Christ as an adult but rather was the one and only Christ from the very beginning. Christ did not say to people, "You too can have Christ within." *

*ESV Study Bible

Father of the Faithful

PBS produced a movie, titled, "The Bible's Buried Secrets," and it aired on November 18, 2008. It is now available online. It is considered an "an archaeological detective story tracing the origins of the Bible."

Every time I see a production like this advertised, I'm certain it will be "bent" towards devaluing Christian beliefs. First things first. Our God is a God of emotions and he gets angry about these kinds of productions. Let's take just a moment to read just how angry God can get, and what is the "typical human response to that anger."

Numbers 21

4. They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5. they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" 6. Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

God sent snakes to kill those who grumbled against him; and the people cried to Moses to pray for them. This is what happens. People strike out, rebel, curse the name of the Lord, but when troubles come--down on their knees they go looking for that miracle.

This PBS Documentary suggests the Exodus is not real and will upset anyone who claims a literal and inerrant interpretation of Scripture. "It challenges the Bible's stories if you want to read them literally, and that will disturb many people," says archaeologist William Dever, who specializes in Israel's history. The program claims the Bible was written by hundreds of authors in sixth century BC, at least five books of it during the Babylonian exile. It challenges Abraham, Sarah and their offspring as actual historical figures.

This is more than grumbling, isn't it? People have absolutely no fear of the Lord, none. They seek to disprove him entirely, or his Word--that alone can save us.

What do these kinds of programs mean to Christians? How does does it impact our beliefs? Should we turn a blind eye and just "keep the faith" when there's material evidence, or lack thereof? This is one Christian who doesn't ignore claims against the Bible, especially something so profound as a missing Abraham! If we're missing Abraham, we're missing Jesus!

A little genealogy:

1. A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3. Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4. Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5. Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6. and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, 7. Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8. Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9. Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10. Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11. and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13. Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14. Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, 15. Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16. and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

If we don't have Abraham, we don't have Jesus Christ. But the producers of these kinds of programs are not going to tell you that--they assume that most people are Bible illiterate and it doesn't matter if someone is deleted from the Word of God. Even worse, they simply do not believe in the Christian God. Self included for a swath of my life. Not all faith is righteous faith. You can have "faith" in absolutely nothing.

I've been there before--blind by fake faith. I had such allegiance to a guru that I believed that anything discovered about him or the organization (church) was a lie. I went so far as to never question anything about this church. Looking back now, I can actually laugh at some of the absurd stories that we believed to be "truth."

I thought I was "right" and my pride nipped all other doubts. Pride is a downfall for many of us. We'd rather live a lie than have to admit we were wrong.

Not to bore my readers "again" with my rant against spiritual disciplines (even though that is what this blog addresses), but the point is--if someone is decrying our Christian God, and producing"evidence," we've got to saddle up alongside of them with our magnifying glass and have a look at what they've found. If our faith is "real," we'll discover they've found nothing at all to undermine our God. Who do they think they're dealing with but our most powerful sovereign God who created everything?

How much do we believe when evidence is presented in the "ah, la concrete realm of archaeology?" Now that we know what we know about DNA and carbon dating, do we bury our heads and think, "I won't believe anything that conflicts with my belief." We have to ask ourselves if Jesus would have done the same? What does he expect from us as believers? I believe he expects us to know our Bible. He expects us to dig deeply into it's message, and from there all the answers to everything will be revealed.

Is there a place for science and God?

If God created everything (and apparently this is one thing every religion can agree upon), that means he created science. Science can determine many things, and everyday they discover something new. But science cannot tell us how this universe began--exactly. They have theories. Unbelievers, archaeologists, atheists, agnostics, etc., are quicker to believe theories than the Word of God. They rebel, as they have done since the time of Moses. Man is evil, and nothing can save us but the blood of Christ. This truth is more than science can handle. It blows their mind. It can't be examined in a test-tube. It bothers them so much that they're setting out to prove he doesn't exist. They're looking at rubble for their Truth.

Think about that for a moment.

Since they can't find the leader of the Hebrew Nation, he doesn't exist--he was a fable. This is news to Abraham and to God.

Now, I know that many blog Christian readers will skip this post because they frankly don't care about a PBS documentary that makes this claim. Many just don't care what is "found" or not "found" in archaeological digs in the Holy Lands because they're "faith" is like a rock, and they'll just ignore these claims. By ignoring it, we allow it to spread, we give carta blanca to Satan. Maybe they have their head in their righteous sand, and that's enough for them. Or, those who don't believe in Jesus anyways, lean toward agnosticism, or who-knows-what, these kinds of docu-movies just affirm what they think they already know about God.

Giving erroneous fuel to disbelief in God's Word with statements such as "hundreds of authors in the 6th century BC," wrote the Bible, needs to be addressed by Christians. Especially when it broadcasts on a public radio station supported by the public and major corporations. Just because the producers of this program can't find evidence that Abraham lived, doesn't mean he didn't. There are billions of people who lived on this earth and all of them can't be found and categorized by sifting through sand. God's ways are not man's, and yet, man continues to belittle God by making such outrageous claims.

This is what God told Abraham, it it still rings true today: "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward."

First we must remember that Abraham was the "Father of the Faithful." That means we must have the same "faith" that the claims made against him and our God are false. The second thing to remember is hundreds of authors, or story tellers, surely would have re-written his yarn if given the chance. One of the things that makes the Bible so real, is the human qualities. The "Word of God" was written by God and no doubt it was copied by men, but these particular writers (we can not compare to writers now) took particular care in not changing one coma. Paul says, "Now, we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might now...not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches," (1 Cor. 2:12-13).

Jesus believed in the authority and inspiration of Scripture. He said, "The scripture cannot be broken," (John 10:35). He said a person cannot treat a historical event in the Bible as though it never happened. Jesus Christ has declared nothing can or will be changed.

First patriarch, Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew nation. In Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition, he emerges as a father-figure--dignified, firm in his faith, humane, respected.

Abraham can't go missing. It's just not possible to dismiss him because they can't find his DNA. But, this show came and went without much of a bleep on the Christian radar. And there you have it.

Stand up to the truth about our God.

Jesus Psychology

What did Christians do before there were so many self-help books written on the subject of being…well, a Christian? A quick search of Amazon shows 23, 288 Christian books that will bring us closer to God. Not one is the Bible.

There is a large Christian reading audience who might not realize that some books published by Christian publishers and sold as Christian books, are more psychology than Christianity. And the writers have captive audiences. They hawk their books on the church summer tour schedule, standing in the place of a vacationing pastors.

Each year Americans purchase millions of self-help books, and though they’re not geared specifically toward the Christian audience, they often carry a generic spiritual message. Recently self-help has migrated successfully into Christianity with similar behaviorism messages, such as weight loss, how to be smarter, richer, and happier, only these themes lose the generic spiritual note for Biblical authority.

How does a discerning Christian know what to read, and are the writers qualified to interpret the Bible as a self-help guide?

1 Corinthians 3-4, Peter explains that each of us builds on the foundation of Christ, but we should be careful how we build. He also tells us that though you may have ten thousand teachers in Christ, you do not have many fathers. “Through the Good News I became your father in Christ Jesus.” The good news is the Bible.

Besides questioning if Christian self-help books over simplify physiological problems that perhaps a trained professional should evaluate, reading is way down the list for most people. Everyone’s life is jam packed these days. TV and the Internet vies for any down time. So I question churches pushing books on how to be a better Christian on Sunday’s rather than encouraging their congregation to spend free time reading the Bible, the first source of answers.
Is there an underlying message being delivered that the average Christian can’t interpret the Bible message and we must go “outside” the source and seek interpretation? There could be something dangerous about that, as it can give Christian writers celebrity status, taking the glory away from Christ.

All well said, and from an author who left the secular publishing to write for the Christian market. Still, my questions do force me to think about what I want to put into print and why I want to put it there and if the Holy Spirit is leading the way.

In 1 Corinthians Paul also talks about the gifts from the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, such as writing, and we can glorify God through this gift. The Spirit gives the person wisdom to speak with knowledge about God, and this can be written for other Christians. But are psychological concepts Biblical?

I recently went to a Sunday service that had a guest speaker who wrote a book about weight loss. This service had me thinking that psychological concepts can be oversimplified in a church setting, produce shame, worry and guilt, emotions many come to church already carrying as their painful yokes.

Self help should be a personal choice. Essentially we’ll never change unless we want to change. The first step is making the decision. Churches can offer courses to better our lives, and instill Biblical principles into those programs, but is Sunday the place to sell psychology mixed with Christianity?

I suppose there’s nothing wrong with reading books that will improve our lives, but a little awareness of what we’re reading, who wrote it and why we’re reading it, will keep us from watering down the Word with pop-psychology. God can answer all our questions without interpretation, and he can work through trained physiologists if we’re battling more serious problems such as depression or addictions. Books can often spark ideas, give encouragement, offer another way of understanding the Word, but they never do the work that we need to do on our own.

Remember the next time a guest speaker is tackling a humanistic topic on Sunday morning that he’s selling a book. If the Holy Spirit has anointed it, we’ll know through the heart. The most important place to find the truth about all of our life is in the Bible and prayer.

Read the Bible for Life and trust God will speak directly to us.

Selling Green in Religions

"Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that build your house." Proverbs 24:27

I had some ideas of my own based on simple observation of ecological dialog that things in the "green zone" were leaning heavily toward eastern philosophy.

But it wasn't until I stumbled upon the writings of Lynn Townsend White, Jr. (April 29, 1907 – March 30, 1987) a professor of medieval history who wrote, The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis (Published in 1967), did I see the post-modernism link with ecology and religion. According to White, Judea-Christian theology was fundamentally exploitative of the natural world because the Bible asserts man's dominion over nature and establishes a trend of anthropocentrism. Or, Christianity makes a distinction between man (formed in God's image) and the rest of creation, which has no "soul" or "reason" and is thus inferior--Christ followers don't care for anything but themselves.

The jest of his theory, which is spreading, is western Christianity literally separated humans from nature in the garden of Eden and created dualism, but other religions saw the divine in every tree, river, animal and bird, and therefore, are more environmentally friendly. Before you point out that Prof. White wrote the article back in 1967, his philosophy is currently in vogue, and eastern religions now enjoy a "superior," attitude toward Christians in the Green Zone of marketing pagan ideas.

There have been signs for sometime time that east beats west in environmental issues. As far back as 2001, USA Today featured an article by Micheal J.Strada, a political science professor and author of, "The tenets of Eastern religion are more compatible with nature than their Western counterparts." I encourage you to read this entire article and see how some of the earlier points made in this series are brought up, and how as Christians we need ready explanations for the accusations against the Christian God. The Dalai Lama said that the need for environmental responsibility dovetails with Buddhist teachings on valuing human life, whether that is one person or the world's entire population.

Statements like these are like car wrecks, you can't look away without wondering how it happened that western Christianity is viewed as the exploiter to everything BAD that's happened to the environment. Volcanoes release more than 120 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year! Why isn't that in the news?

A full scale marketing campaign is ensuing as a guilt trip, a burden for Christians to bear--that the only answer out there is to reform the entire kit-and-caboodle known as Christianity, and get a composter! Or convert to Hinduism or Buddhism if you give a fig about the environment!

To many young Christians, reform is the answer, rather than education, especially when it comes to the environment and truth. Satan pushes his agenda. Don't forget that!

As a Christian we can end the discourse by mentioning, India has one of the ten most polluted areas in the world, and so does China.

Linfen, China, where residents say they literally choke on coal dust in the evenings, exemplifies many Chinese cities. Ranipet, India, where leather tanning wastes contaminate groundwater with hexavalent chromium, made famous by Erin Brockovich, resulting in water that apparently stings like an insect bite. What is the Hindu government doing about pollution? The Ganges River, the Hindu's most sacred place is filled with tons of chemicals, sewage waste and other filth which is dumped into the Gangels daily, by Hindus, spreading disease among the 350 million who live along its shores.

Ask those who preach their eco-friendly eastern message why the Western USA is not listed in the top ten?

People who believe that Christians are polluters are going to tell you that the Hebrew Yahweh, tends to denigrate ecology, since most of the values associated with modern environmentalism were considered feminine traits in Biblical times. Eastern religions embrace both mother and father in God. "If you're closer to the Mother than to the Father, address God as Mother." There's something appealing to a female God, and you'll find some evidence of this in Catholicism, where Christ's mother is an intercessor to her Son.

God of the Bible created this world with all its beauty and perfection. It was called the Garden of Eden. There is no scientific evidence that those practicing eastern religions are happier, healthier, or more earth friendlier than Christians--the total opposite! Don’t be too easily fooled no matter how many degrees (or IMDb credits) are attached to the person’s name pushing the idea that Christians don't care about the environment. Research where these “new ideas” originated from, and who they benefit.

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace, and the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of thorn-bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Isaiah 56:3

Left Alone in Our Vanities

As you can see there’s a gap in my blog of missing articles for the past few months. I am dealing with my father who is quite ill with stroke related problems that mimic--or resolve into Alzheimer's symptoms. The situation has been quite grave and taking up most of my days.

Truly, I would not know where to begin to explain the journey I’ve been on—and still travel with a man who made no arrangements for his future, even knowing he was getting sick. From what I’ve learned from other caregivers, the denial factor of having Alzheimer's is about 95% in those over 70. Younger patients seem more willing to get involved with their healthcare and future. Those who remain in denial leave their illness to loved ones (wives and adult children), saddling them with the responsibilities of handling every aspect of their lives, including financial, person and healthcare. Daily it is the job of an advocate because no one can care for your loved one as well as you.

My dear and loved father lived in the moment and in later years strayed into that which gave him pleasure and promised he would not be alone.

God has held this up before and showed me Ecclesiastes. Verse after verse reminds me that our lives are not held up to vanity, to self pleasure and selfishness but to serve God. When Solomon speaks of vanity, I think of dad, not that he preened before a mirror but the deeper meaning; that he sought that which gave him pleasure. After mother died, he had no barometer to keep him from going deep into his own sin and selfishness. Thus, when reading the commentary of Matthew Henry, I am warned to change the course of my life, lest I be alone like dad, solely dependent upon the kindness of strangers if his children were unwilling to forgive his shortcomings.

I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity. Ecc 2:1

This is the proposition he lays down and undertakes to prove: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. It was no new text; his father David had more than once spoken to the same purport. The truth itself here asserted is, that all is vanity, all besides God and considered as abstract from him, the all of this world, all worldly employments and enjoyments, the all that is in the world (1 Jn. 2:16), all that which is agreeable to our senses and to our fancies in this present state, which gains pleasure to ourselves or reputation with others. It is all vanity, not only in the abuse of it, when it is perverted by the sin of man, but even in the use of it. Man, considered with reference to these things, is vanity (Ps. 39:5, 6), and, if there were not another life after this, were made in vain (Ps. 89:47); and those things, considered in reference to man (whatever they are in themselves), are vanity. They are impertinent to the soul, foreign, and add nothing to it; they do not answer the end, nor yield any true satisfaction; they are uncertain in their continuance, are fading, and perishing, and passing away, and will certainly deceive and disappoint those that put a confidence in them....Matthew Henry

As time allows I will be posting some more information on those who are seeking non-Christian belief systems.

Can I Pray For Myself?

“The greatest gift Christianity gave to me was the approval to pray for myself…” Turtle-Dove

As a member of a church—strongly tied to Hinduisum with a smattering of Christian ideology and a guru. Prayer was taught to me in a universal way, which is taught in religions that practice pantheism.

Webster defines pantheism as a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe and the worship of all gods of different creeds, cults, or peoples indifferently.

Our prayers in this church (which still has a worldwide base) were directed “outward” towards the universe in general.

Think of the planet covered by a blanket and if part of the blanket is torn, the entire fabric is compromised.

Prayer was explained as an energy force that we could project towards the world crises and that we could actually control. They teach we’re divine beings, a bubble in God’s ultimate sea. We were told that we could create an energy force that would heal what ailed our world without having to leave our meditation cushions.

Everything we did, even on an individual bases affected some other part of the world, and that was their theory on prayer.

Prayer involved creating energy in our hands by rubbing them together and "thrusting" this energy into the air, chanting OM, and whirling our hands around and and around and chanting OM, imagining our healing energy going out to whoever needed it. Thus we were God, healing people.

I myself led this technique in what they called a World Wide Prayer Circle every Thursday night at a local temple.

When you pray in this manner, you disassociate with self, as you are praying in an impersonal way to pray. Also, where is God in this? We can not heal anyone, unless we're a doctor!

If someone you love dies of cancer; you’ll blame yourself for not throwing enough energy their way.

We were told that asking God for anything personal was “begging,” and we were not to be beggars before God. Coming to our Lord and petitioning him was selfishly wrong.

Though I meditated and loved God, I only approached Him as a great universal energy, a cosmic force to experience in deep meditation, not a loving, caring, embracing Father who could help me if I asked. We were told to only consider the needs of others—to “be aware beyond self,” and never to reflect on the needs of our own; otherwise we were succumbing to ego. Nor were we to have “predetermined expectations from God.”

Jesus says we are to expect answers! “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:23.

When Our Bible Isn’t Enough

Today I was introduced to the practice of Lectio Divina in a Christian church. When I asked our group leader what Lectio Divina meant, and its origins, she couldn’t say with any certainty, suggesting I research it later. She then led the group in a modified ancient spiritual discipline. I read the Bible instead, since I practice nothing without knowledge of what I’m practicing before God. Having spent 30 years seeking God through disciplines, I’m of a discerning mind.

Paul addresses worshiping without knowledge of Christ in Acts 17:22-25. He understood that God works in all peoples, and it’s important to build off their existing beliefs and longings rather than assuming they know nothing of value [1] but that doesn’t mean we practice their beliefs.

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6) Not one of the ways, but the only way. This is the idea that marks the Christian faith. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10,12). [2]

I’m sure I’m the only person today who went home and researched Lectio Divina, and that kind of acceptance—the willingness to try something else without stopping to ask for the reference to it in our Bible, is a short coming of current modern Christians.

There’s nothing wrong with reading philosophical or inspirational books, but Christians need some discretion when practices are transposed into their churches by lay people, and in some instances, by ministers. If we don’t believe the Bible is the final word, then we’re sure to seek answers from other sources. There’s nothing Satan loves more than Christians looking for Truth elsewhere. “Is there an underlying message being delivered that the average Christian can’t interpret the Bible and we must go outside the source and seek interpretation?" [3]

But I bring to the table 30 years of experience in spiritual disciplines, and know the dangers and damage inflected when told we should incorporate a discipline into our prayer life. Having found glorious freedom in Christ, I now stand firm in Biblical Truths and must point out possible deviations that can lead to problematic dogmas, even though it won’t leave me very popular in today’s emergence culture. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)

Lecto Divina was presented to us as a way to deepen our study of the Word. If we repeated phrases in the Bible, and meditated on those phrases, we would get greater insight into the meaning of God’s word by allowing God into our beings. What I later learned is Lectio Divina is rooted in early Catholicism, practiced by monks, and considered a Stairway to Heaven -- a 4-runged ladder to Heaven, each rung being one of the four steps in a method of Bible reading. [4]

Hinduism also practices a step-by-step path to God, Patanjali’s Eight Fold Path. [5]

Having studied and practiced eastern philosophies, I’m well acquainted to the devotion of meditative disciplines as a means of seeking God and salvation, and the entanglements.

Most people aren’t familiar with meditation, beyond knowing it lowers blood pressure. Years ago, Christians were highly suspect of meditation, linking it to eastern religion, and rightly so. Our current media has defused the practice by promising better health by way of yoga and meditation. Physical changes do occur during meditation by affecting the brain, which in turns controls the body. Deep and continued meditation releases dolophine endorphins (natural body pain killers) giving us a “feel good” emotion that, when incorporated into a prayer life, can be misunderstood as connecting with God. Because these endorphins relax us and are a pleasing sensation (blissful), we’re apt to seek that experience rather than our study of God’s Word. Like mood-altering drugs, meditation is addictive and why monks have been known to do it for 10,000 to 50,000 hours, over time periods of 15 to 40 years. [6] But there’s more, and that reality is the danger we must question.

Its hypothesized that the mental states commonly referred to as altered states of consciousness seen during certain spiritual/ religious practices are principally due to transient prefrontal cortex deregulation. [7]

A Washington Post article reported on a study by the University of Wisconsin: “It (meditation) demonstrates…that the brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in ways few people can imagine…meditation not only changes the workings of the brain in the short term, but also quite possibly produces permanent changes." [8]

Most of us want to change something about ourselves, and the “idea” sounds great. But if meditation through repetitive prayer is introduced as a means to become closer to God, then we’re essentially saying that it is through this discipline we know God, not through Grace. Even more damaging, and an often over looked aspect of meditation, is the door being opened to hypnotic suggestion, or brainwashing. Participants while under group meditation can be influenced by their moderator’s ideas, or in a church setting, their theologies.

Repetitive praying can produce a hypnotic state, and that can produce the feeling of well-being and misunderstood to be something divine. Remember, repeating a Biblical phrase will produce the same mood-altering effect as repeating a Hindu phrase, or a transcendental meditation mantra.

Those who’ve practiced meditation with religiosity find it nearly impossible to believe anything but what they’re involved with, such as eastern philosophies. The depth of their convictions is literally ingrained into their brains by way of a physical change.

Deprogramming is difficult and current Christian apologetics aren’t able to reach into their subconscious and undo years of damage. Reasoning, rationalizing, even proof of Christ’s salvation will not unhinge their beliefs. Hence, it’s imperative to be vigilant when introduced to any techniques that use repetitive prayer or meditations as a mean to higher God awareness or consciousness.

One could assume I’m just biased because I once practiced meditation, similar to an ex smoker railing against tobacco companies. However, my concern for practicing ancient rituals is justifiable, and no compromising should be made regarding our Christian faith.

Practicing techniques of prayer from other religions in a Christian church is in essence, saying that there’s a kernel of truth in all religions and we can take some of other teachings and integrate it—or blend it into our Christian religious life to give us something fuller than what’s promised in the Bible. All the while congregants aren’t told where these methods are originating.

The concept of “blending” religions is not new, only given a different title within the Christian community. Churches of “all religions,” have existed in America since the early 20’s when eastern gurus came ashore and taught the concept that God is within all teaching. [9] They boondoggled the American public, so desperate were they for mystical experiences, and robbed them blind to support their own lavish lifestyles. Though the 1960’s generation wants to take credit for introducing eastern religions to America, it’s been around for a long time. The flower children didn’t do their homework, and neither are some of our Christian brother’s and sisters today. Deception is everywhere. The packages are very pretty, disguised as deeper understandings of the Bible.

Why shouldn’t it be okay to take a little of this, and a little of that, and make it our own walk? Because Jesus said, “I am the way,” and for a Christian that should be enough.

Nor should we limit God’s power to change us in his way, or seek other sources for revelations. That’s not to mean we’re to be closed minded, it means we’re discretionary. There’s a difference.

Christ is superior to anyone or anything we might come across in our studies. Faith pleases God, and seeking other sources questions our faith. If “doing something” is going to make us holy and closer to God, then we’ve just set a limit on God’s glorious power.

Had God waited for Rahab (Joshua 2:1) to become holy, he would not have used her to welcome the Israelite spies, nor spared her life when Jericho fell.There’s one final aspect to this discussion. If Christians are told to do “something like Lectio Divina” by someone perceived with authority, then without discretion, without praying to God about the matter at hand, one might believe they’re failing God if they question the practice, or aren’t comfortable doing it. I heard one woman say about Lectio Divina, “but I don’t feel comfortable or understand this,” and she was told, “don’t worry, you’ll get it,” in other words, she hadn’t gotten it yet even though she was saved by Jesus Christ, by the blood he shed.

Sadly, not everyone questions what they're told to do (especially by someone they hold in authority), nor seek the Bible’s wisdom or even God’s. Without proper understanding and discretion Christians can be led to shame for not practicing something their church is pushing, and shame puts distance between us and God. Maybe that’s the most important message I can share.

God wants us to question everything. God wants to talk directly to you. You don’t have to do anything but talk to him. God made us in his image. If my daughter sat before me repeating phrases I’d be bored to tears! That isn’t communicating with God and it’s putting a limit on his glorious power.

For further reading, you might check out Please Contemplate This, an extensive article about programs and practices rife with occult methodologies and techniques at work in churches and youth ministries around the country: Taizé, Lectio Divina, The Labyrinth (prayer walk), Renovaré, guided imagery, Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo, Centering Prayer, Ignatian Awareness Examen, The Jesus Prayer, and The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, to name but a handful. [10]

[1] Faith in Action Bible NIV

[2] Crossroads Church

[3] Debra Twardowski – Jesus Psychology

[4] Lectio Divina

[5] Patanjali’s Eight Fold Path

[6] Washington Post

[7] Neurobiology of spirituality

[8] Washington Post

[9] Gurus In America - Wikipedia

[10] Apologetics Coordination Team