20 Ways the Cults Misread the Bible

When a ‘Christian’ twists God’s word it is no different to what religious cults do. In order to raise awareness, especially if you are new to the Bible is to get a copy of James Sire’s book, Scripture Twisting:

Here is a summary of Sire’s work.

1. INACCURATE QUOTATION: A biblical text is referred to but is either not quoted in
the way the text appears in any standard translation or is wrongly attributed. Example: The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi says, “Christ said, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’” Whereas this text is found ONLY in Psalms.

2. TWISTED TRANSLATION: The biblical text is retranslated, not in accordance with
sound Greek scholarship, to fit a preconceived teaching of a cult. Example: the Jehovah’s
Witnesses translate John 1:1 as “In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with
God, and the word was a god.”

3. BIBLICAL HOOK: A text of Scripture is quoted primarily as a device to grasp the
attention of readers or listeners and then followed by a teaching which is so nonbiblical that
it would appear far more dubious to most people had it not been preceded by a reference to Scripture. Example: Mormon missionaries quote James 1:5 which promises God’s wisdom to those who ask him and, then, follow this by explaining that when Joseph Smith did this he was given a revelation from which he concluded that God the Father has a body.

4. IGNORING THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT: A text of Scripture is quoted but removed
from the surrounding verses which form the immediate framework for its meaning.
Example: Alan Watts quotes the first half of John 5:39 (“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life”), claiming that Jesus was challenging His listeners’ over emphasis of the Old Testament, but the remainder of the immediate context reads, “and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (verses 39-40), which shows that Jesus was upholding the value of the Old Testament as a testimony to Himself.

5. COLLAPSING CONTEXTS: Two or more verses which have little or nothing to do with
each other are put together as if one were a commentary of the other(s). Example: The
Mormons associate Jeremiah 1:5 with John 1:2,14 and thus imply that both verses talk about the premortal existence of all human beings; Jeremiah 1:5, however, speaks of God’s
foreknowledge of Jeremiah (Not his premortal existence) and JOhn 1:2 refers to the preexistence of God the Son and not to human beings in general.

6. OVERSPECIFICATION: A more detailed or specific conclusion than is legitimate is
drawn from a biblical text. Example: The Mormon missionary manual quotes the parable of the virgins from Matthew 25:1-13 to document the concept that “mortality is a probationary period during which we prepare to meet God.” But the parable of the virgins could, and most probably does, mean something far less specific, for example, that human beings should be prepared at any time to meet God or to witness the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

7. WORD PLAY: A word or phrase from a biblical translation is examined and interpreted
as if the revelation had been given in that language. Example: mary Bake Eddy says the
name Adam consist of two syllables, A DAM, which means an obstruction, in which case,
Adam signifies “the obstacle which the serpent, sin, would impose between man and his
Creator.”

8. THE FIGURATIVE FALLACY: Either (1) mistaking literal language for figurative
language or (2)mistaking figurative language for literal language. Example of (1): Mary Baker Eddy interprets EVENING as “mistiness of mortal thought; weariness of mortal mind; obscured views; peace and rest.” Example of (2): The Mormon theologian james Talmage interprets the prophesy that “thou shalt be brought down and speak out of the ground” to mean that God’s Word would come to people from the Book of Mormon which was taken out of the ground at the hill of Cumorah.

9. SPECULATIVE READINGS OF PREDICTIVE PROPHESY: A predictive prophesy is
too readily explained by the occurance of specific events, despite the fact that equally
committed biblical scholars consider the interpretation highly dubious. Example: The stick
of Judah and the Stick of Joseph in Ezekiel 37:15- 23 are interpreted by the Mormons to
mean the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

10. SAYING BUT NOT CITING: A writer says that the Bible says such and such but does
not cite the specific text (which often indicates that there may be no such text at all).
Example: A common phrase “God helps those who help themselves” is not found in the
Bible.

11. SELECTIVE CITING: To substantiate a given argument, only a limited number of text
is quoted: the total teaching of Scripture on that subject would lead to a conclusion different
from that of the writer. Example: The Jehovah’s Witnesses critique the traditional Christian notion of the Trinity without considering the full text which scholars use to substantiate the concept.

12. INADEQUATE EVIDENCE: A hasty generalization is drawn from too little evidence.
Example: The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that blood transfusion is nonbiblical, but the
biblical data that they cite fails either to speak directly to the issue or to adequately
substantiate their teaching.

13. CONFUSED DEFINITION: A biblical term is misunderstood in such a way that an
essential biblical doctrine is distorted or rejected. Example: one of Edgar Cayce’s followers
confuses the eastern doctrine of reincarnation with the biblical doctrine of being born again.

14. IGNORING ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS: A specific interpretation given to a
biblical text or set of text which could well be, and often have been, interpreted in quite a
different fashion, but these alternatives are not considered. Example: Erich von Daniken
asks why in Genesis 1:26 God speaks in the plural (“us”), suggesting that this is an oblique
reference to God’s being one of many astronauts and failing to consider alternative
explanations that either God was speaking as “Heaven’s king accompanied by His heavenly
host” or that the plural prefigures the doctrine of the Trinity expressed more explicitly in the New Testament.

15. THE OBVIOUS FALLACY: Words like OBVIOUSLY, UNDOUBTEDLY,
CERTAINLY, ALL REASONABLE PEOPLE HOLD THAT and so forth are substituted
for logical reasons. Example: Erich von daniken says, “Undoubtedly the Ark [of the
Covenent] was electrically charged!”

16. VIRTUE BY ASSOCIATION: Either (1) a cult writer a ssociates his or her teaching
with those of figures accepted as authoritative by traditional Christians; (2) cult writings are likened to the Bible; or (3) cult literature imitates the form of the Bible writing such that it sounds like the Bible. Example of (1): Rick Chapman list 21 gurus, including Jesus Christ, St.Francis and St. Theresa, that “you can’t go wrong with.” Example of (2): Juan Mascaro in his introduction to the Upanishads cites the New Testament, the Gospels, Ecclesiastes and the Psalms, from which he quotes passages supposedly paralleling the Upanishads. Example of (3): The Mormon DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS interweaves phrases from the Gospel of John and maintains a superficial similarity to the Gospel such that it seems to be like the Bible.

17. ESOTERIC INTERPRETATION: Under the assumption that the Bible contains
hidden, esoteric, meaning which is open only to those who are initiated into its secrets, the
interpreter declares the significance of biblical passages without giving much, if any,
explanation for his or her interpretation. Example: Mary Baker Eddy gives the meaning of
the first phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven,” as “Our Father-
Mother God, all harmonious.”

18. SUPPLEMENTING BIBLICAL AUTHORITY: New revelation from post biblical
prophets either replaces or is added to the Bible as authority. Example: The Mormons
supplement the Bible with the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl
of Great Price.

19. REJECTING BIBLICAL AUTHORITY: Either the Bible as a whole or texts from the
Bible are examined and rejected because they do not square with other authorities – such as reason or revelation = do not appear to agree with them. Example:Archie Matson holds that the Bible contains contradictions and that Jesus himself rejected the authority of the Old Testament when he contrasted His own views with it on the Sermon on the Mount.

20. WORLD-VIEW CONFUSION: Scriptural statements, stories, commands or symbols
which have a particular meaning or set of meanings when taken within the intellectual and
broadly cultural framework of the Bible itself are lifted out of that context, placed within
the frame of reference of another system and thus given a meaning that markedly differs
from their intended meaning. Example: The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi interprets “Be still, and know that I am God” as meaning that each person should meditate and come to the
realization that he is essentially Godhood itself.

Unity Church is a false religion

Charles Sherlock Fillmore (August 22, 1854 – July 5, 1948), born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, founded Unity, a church within the New Thought movement, with his wife, Myrtle Page Fillmore, in 1889. He became known as an American mystic for his contributions to metaphysical interpretations of Biblical scripture. He married Myrtle in Clinton, Missouri on March 29, 1881 and the newlyweds moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where Charles established a real estate business with the brother-in-law of Nona Lovell Brooks, who was later to found the Church of Divine Science. In his later years, Fillmore felt so young that he thought that he might be physically immortal, as well as believing that he might be the reincarnation of Paul of Tarsus. Charles Fillmore was an ethical vegetarian who did not eat animal flesh.
Myrtle Fillmore died in 1931. Charles remarried in 1933 to Cora G. Dedrick who was a collaborator on his later writings. Charles Fillmore died in 1948, and the Unity School and Association of Unity Churches (founded as the Unity Ministers Association in 1934) continued, growing into a worldwide movement.

The Unity Church is rooted in the concepts of metaphysical or “divine” healing. Unity is considered a cult because of their beliefs and teachings that deviate significantly from the biblical truth about God, Jesus, Bible, sin and salvation. Heavily influenced by many other religions, Unity attempts to incorporate the preferred parts of all religions, cults, and beliefs. It’s by definition, a pick and mix religion not much different from any other new age cult. Additionally, it has many similarities with other cults arising in the mid-19th century such as Christian Science, although the teachings differ at various points.

The core Unity beliefs that make it a cult include (my comments below begin with GP):

UC: God is a principle, not a personal God, and the “force” of love in all people and things.

GP: This is a classic signature of a cult, the depersonalisation of God. It’s interesting the Fillmore makes such claims without offering any explanation to back up his principals. It’s not then surprising then to find the gaping hole he has left with the Bibles clear definition of God.

The Bible speaks of Him as the living God.

“By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites” (Joshua 3:10).

As a youth, David realized that the giant Goliath was defying “the living God” (1 Samuel 17:26).

For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light (Psalms 36:9).

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King (Jeremiah 10:10).

UC: Jesus the man represents the path toward a higher consciousness.

GP: No surprise there then.Fillmore, in order to inject his beliefs from a worldly, human view he must first humanise Jesus Christ. In this case he was made Jesus a symbol, a representation of a desired outcome and stripped away any reference as to the true reason of his existence. This is blasphemy, Jesus said ” Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Rather than acknowledging salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, they turn this into self enlightenment (higher consciousness). This is the oldest lie in the Bible and millions are falling for even today “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ” Genesis 3:5.

UC: Jesus the Christ is the universal love and wisdom within all of us – the perfection of consciousness – independent of religious beliefs.

GP: Another blatant contradiction. If you remove Jesus or change him then what was the point of his sacrifice for humanity? Fillmore clearly does not accept that Jesus Christ of the Bible and therefore makes up their own one to fit their needs.

UC: The Bible is not the inerrant Word of God nor the final authority.

GP: Fillmore denies the Bible as the final word of God, so does Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons etc.

UC: The fall of man is spiritual amnesia from his evolution toward the divine correctable by changing thought patterns from negative to positive thoughts, which is the process of salvation.

GP: This is veiled Hinduism, the ignorance of one owns divinity and the Karmic cycle which is highly incompatible with the Word of God.

UC: There is no literal heaven or hell, but the heaven or hell created by a person’s thoughts, words, and actions.

GP: Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15).

UC: Reincarnation is the means by which believers are regenerated for eternity.

GP: This a denial of judgement for those outside of Jesus Christ. Fillmore is saying for those that follow him and his doctrine, they will receive eternal life. So not only has he replaced Jesus, he has become the replacement Jesus.

In conclusion, Fillmore has discarded the fundamental Christian beliefs in exchange for a new gospel. Galatians 1:6-9 (King James Version (KJV)).

 

Christian Science is a false religion

In 1875 Mary Baker Eddy, an associate of Freemasonry published Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, a set of teachings contrary to the Bible. Christian Scientists lean heavily on her work believing this to be on par with the Bible (the Word of God). Putting knowledge above or on the same level as God always leads to false religions. This is exactly what happened when people took on the teachings of Joseph Smith to form the Mormon Church and there are many more examples this including the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology and the church of Satan.  All false religions to be effective must either replace Jesus Christ or remove him altogether. L Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology infamously said that there was no Christ. Mary Baker Eddy taught that ‘The Christ’ is a divine nature available to all mankind to overcome sin, sickness, and death. The term ‘The Christ’ is commonly used in New Age circles and as Mary so clearly explains, she is not referring to Jesus Christ of the Bible. Alarmingly, she goes on to explain ‘The Christian who believes in the First Commandment is a monotheist. Thus he virtually unites with the Jew’s belief in one God, and recognizes that Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but is the Son of God’. She goes onto state ‘The Science of Mind disposes of all evil. Truth, God, is not the father of error. Sin, sickness, and death are to be classified as effects of error. Christ came to destroy the belief of sin. The God-principle is omnipresent and omnipotent. God is everywhere, and nothing apart from Him is present or has power. Christ is the ideal Truth, that comes to heal sickness and sin through Christian Science, and attributes all power to God. Jesus is the name of the man who, more than all other men, has presented Christ, the true idea of God, healing the sick and the sinning and destroying the power of death. Jesus is the human man, and Christ is the divine idea; hence the duality of Jesus the Christ.’

Can you see the emergence of a false doctrine contrary to the Bible? If Mary is correct then the Bible is wrong. For example she mentions that “Christ is the ideal Truth, that comes to heal sickness and sin through Christian Science, and attributes all power to God.” which is in conflict with the Bible “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” – 1 peter 1:18-19. She goes on to stating that salvation is achieved through works and not by faith. “By these sayings Jesus meant, not that the human Jesus was or is eternal, but that the divine idea or Christ was and is so and therefore antedated Abraham; not that the corporeal Jesus was one with the Father, but that the spiritual idea, Christ, dwells forever in the bosom of the Father, God, from which it illumines heaven and earth; not that the Father is greater than Spirit, which is God, but greater, infinitely greater, than the fleshly Jesus, whose earthly career was brief.” This is just the tip of the iceberg, her work is littered with false doctrine and I think anyone who’s consciousness hasn’t been seared with a hot iron would agree. So I leave you with the word of God, Galatians 1:6-9 (King James Version (KJV))

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Is it ok to practice Yoga as a Christian?

What is all this fuss over Yoga and why are some people saying it is not biblical? Come on guys, its just relaxation, right?  Wrong!

Please hold on there… let me explain because everything I am about to reveal is true.  Did you know that Yoga is a component of Hinduism?  It is right out of the Hindu faith and has been brought to the west and now practised by people thinking it is a harmless set of relaxation exercises.  

Many practitioners claim the more they engage Yoga the better they will feel.  For the hindu, Yoga is a method to work out their Karma and discover their own God hood or inner enlightenment.   The practice requires different poses which as named after Hindu gods which is in fact a method of invocation, that’s right, the worshipping of false gods.  ”You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” – Exodus 20:4-5a (NIV).

Yoga actually means ‘union’ and follows the theory that everything is divine, this means that everything is god.  The goal is to reach union with Brahman or sometimes referred to in occult/new age circles as the ‘higher self’.  The combination of postures, poses and breathing exercises is preparation of the body to engage an occult power known as Kundalini, the serpent fire.  This power travels up the spine of the practitioner through spiritual points of the body known in Hinduism/new age as Chakra’s.  The unwitting victim believes that when kundalini reaches the crown Chakra (an imaginary point just above the head) they will reach union and achieve enlightenment.  This opens up the victim for spiritual attack and even possession.  Here are some common side effects after experiencing kundalini.

Category	Symptoms
Sensory and motor symptoms	the feeling of cranial pressures
	the perception of inner sounds
	experiences of inner lights
	vibrating or tickling sensations in the lower back
	tachycardia (rapid heart rate)
	changes in breathing
	spontaneous bodily movements
	sensations of heat or cold moving through the body
	localised bodily pain that starts and stops abruptly
	vibrations and itching under the skin
	unusual, or intense, sexual sensations
Mental and affective symptoms	fear
	anxiety
	depersonalisation
	intense positive or negative emotions
	spontaneous slowing or speeding of thoughts
	spontaneous trance states
	experiencing oneself as larger than the physical body
	experiences of paranormal consciousness

Still, don’t take my word for it, Let’s hear it from an expert.  Gopi Krishna, founder of one of the many kundalini research centers, records his own experience, ”It was variable for many years, painful, obsessive, even fantasmic. I have passed through almost all the stages of different mediumistic, psychotic, and other types of mind; for some time I was hovering between sanity and insanity.”

In Matt 6:24 we are told that no man can serve two masters.  So even if you just do Yoga for the physical benefits you are at risk of engaging demonic spirits through this alternative false spiritual practice.  Deut 18:10-12 says “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord…” .  

Please take a look at this video, a former Yogi now Christian.

Yet another new ager blatantly promoting the original lie of “Genesis 3:5″

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:5

Have you heard of New Thought?

New Thought promotes the ideas that “Infinite Intelligence” or “God” is omnipresent, spirit is the totality of real things, true human self hood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and “right thinking” has a healing effect which this latter point shares with Scientology.

The New Thought movement is a spiritually-focused or philosophical interpretation of New Thought beliefs. Started in the early 19th century, today the movement consists of a loosely allied group of religious denominations, secular membership organisations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of new age beliefs, positive thinking, the law of attraction, healing, life force, creative visualisation, and personal power. The three major religious denominations within the New Thought movement are Religious Science, Unity Church and the Church of Divine Science. There are many other smaller churches within the New Thought movement, as well as schools and umbrella organisations.

Last night I was minding my own business (as usual) and decided to fire up facebook on my phone (as you do).  I checked into the ‘New Thought Movement’ group and read through the various posts, even added a comment to one of them.  I then noticed an unusual post titled “Michael Hamlin: Speaking God” which kind of threw me, what could Michael mean by this title, who was Michael? I observed his photo which revealed a smartly dress man with a cheerful smile.  His captions noted “The language of peace, joy and love”, he sounded like an authority on the subject that raised a red flag.  I know he meant well and I had no issues with him, however I wanted to get into dialogue with Michael, to ask him about his beliefs in order to introduce him to the potential dangers of his message.  As usual. I got immediately accused by one of his foll lowers as being negative since I asked him to clarify what God he was talking about.  When I asked her to clarify she told me that she thought I was trolling the group.  It was a misunderstanding and was able to resolve this false accusation with firm clarification.  Bottom line was of course, most new agers hate Christians, it irritates them but they are mistaken thinking the source of their irritation is coming from them alone.  Michael was quick to ‘LOL’ at the concept of the biblical God but (at the time of writing this post, failed to reply to me question asking if he believes he is a God?  I went to his website, a blog appropriately named ‘speakinggod’. I noticed a number for articles promoting the concept of homosexuality however What caught my eye was an article titled “Hearing the voice of God”. Anyone who knows me, who follows my blog has listened to my occasional podcasts knows I am not going to take such a title lightly.  I felt empathy for him, he seemed genuine and interested in helping others, I was sure he just wanted to promote his work, maybe make it as a new age leader perhaps?  Who knows?  Below is an extract from his article posted here: http://speakinggod.com/hearingthevoiceofgod#more-155.  My comments are in italics.

MH: “Within our own consciousness, we have two distinct voices that we have the choice of listening to. One comes from our Higher Self, the God-within.  This is the voice that speaks love, encouragement, and joy.  When we are living from this state of being we are naturally kind to one another, and to ourselves.  All motivation from this state is simply love.  The other voice that we have the choice of hearing is our Lower Self. This is the voice that some religions have labeled as the devil, or the tempter.  This is the voice that finds its motivation in fear. The lower self tells us that we don’t have enough, that others are against us, and that we must work hard and strive through life. This is the voice of Ego.”

GP: “Unknowingly to Michael, the term higher self is an occult term adopted by the new age which is meant to represent completeness, or the true identity of a human being.  When I was operating as a medium we was encouraged to either contact the higher self or our so called spirit guide.  It’s not difficult to achieve, its just a case of giving the spiritual entity permission to oppress you,  Michael, along with a growing trend of new age followers believe this entity is them, their inner self, their own God potential. He claims to be coming from a place of love and never fail to label religion (a veiled term for Christianity) as fear based.  Michael has clearly not read the Bible or understood it but what new ager has?  The other voice which Michael refers to as the lower self is nothing more than internal chatter.  People who suffer from anxiety for example often do so because they get caught up in negative loops of thought.  When we are under pressure our minds are triggered into a state of flight or fight, the mind doesn’t know the difference between imagination and reality and begins to present different scenarios in order to motivate us to survive the danger. It’s no different to a young person suffering from exam nerves.  It’s certainly not the ego but he is at least slighty corrent that some religious people have mistakenly labelled this natural brain function as demonic”

MH : “He who knows well his lower self, know the illusions of the world, knows of the things that pass away; and he who knows his higher self, knows God; knows well the things that cannot pass away.”   -The Aquarian Gospel (8:15)

GP: “He’s quoting from Levi H. Dowling’s book that claims Jesus is the Christ of the Piscean Age, it makes lots on nonsensical claims with nothing to back it up. Nothing should surprise you however, new agers have lost their ability the think critically, otherwise they would never quote such error ridden nonsense such as “The Aquarian Gospel”.  Here are just 5 points that Dowling got wrong.

1.         Dowling misidentified the ancient ruler known as Herod, identifying Herod Antipas as the ruler of Jerusalem, during a period when Herod the Great actually ruled.
2.     The book depicts Jesus as visiting the cities of Lahore, India (pre-Partition in India, now in Pakistan); Shri Jagannath in temple at Puri in Orissa, India; and Persepolis in Persia. Only the temple at Puri existed at that period, but, Lahore did not exist during the period in question, and Persepolis had already been destroyed by Alexander the Great.
3.     The book asserts Jesus Christ had remained in the Jagannātha Temple of Puri for 4 years for preaching the downtrodden and low caste people.
4.         Dowling and Edgar Cayce both claimed to have produced an account of the life of Jesus through the transcription of the Akashic records, but there are significant differences between their accounts.
5.     Dowling claimed that Jesus knew Meng-tse of Lhasa, Tibet but Meng-tse lived 300 years before Jesus’ time.

MH “Sometimes I visualize Jesus, but other times it is someone else. I picture this person in front of me, and I ask him/her any question that I may have on my mind.  I then let the person answer in the way I believe they would really answer if they were with me.”

GP: “This is mediumship, the communication with demonic entities parading as angels of light.  The techniques may be slightly different but the end result id the same.”

MH “I find that after meditation, I am in a more peaceful, loving state for several days afterwards”

GP “Meditation is a process of tuning out bu emptying your mind. The mediator goes into an alhpa brain wave state and becomes passive to spiritual influence.  They can and often do experience strange sensations, thoughts and feelings attributing to this as good.  During this state they are open to demonic oppression”

In conclusion, Michael is evidently parroting the same message that the luscious trust (formally the Lucifer Trust) talks about.  I wonder if he has ever heard about Helena Blavatki, Anne Besant or Alice Bailey?

Breaking the cycle of addiction

Who have you forgiven today?  Was it a family member who did not live up to your expectations or was it some random person who happened to annoy you in some way?  Whoever it was the Lord encourages us to forgive others as he does.  Forgiveness is an amazing thing, by forgiving we let go of negative emotions that would otherwise lead us to become bitter or worse. So what happens when we forget to resolve our own issues, when we live in sin and ask forgiveness only to re-enter that same cycle over and over?  Well, this leads to guilt and guilt if not dealt with will lead into several other possible issues.  This could manifest as bursts of anger (projection), or frustration leading to depression, or someone might cope by attempting to block out such feelings by taking drugs, drinking or watching porn. The latter issue leads to addiction since porn for example is not an addiction but watching it can become an addiction.  You need to things to create a successful addiction, that is a continued problem and a comforting distraction.  So lets look at the problems that can lead to addiction, we have covered guilt but we also have depression and don’t forget anxiety, oh and low self esteem which includes an inferiority complex and feelings of self worth.  While I’m at it I need to mention anger, bitterness, hatred and self pity. With drink and drugs we can easily chemically blot out such ‘nagging’ feelings for a short while.  This is self medication and once it becomes a regular thing we have effectively set the foundations of an addiction.  The downside of drink and drug abuse is the after effects which only amplify the original feelings.  So the addict re-medicates in order to tone down or blot this out so continuing the cycle.  There is nothing logical about this, its an emotional response to unwanted feelings.  We can apply this model to anyone type of addiction including Porn which is probably the widest form of abuse only we don’t hear much about it as it doesn’t kill people (ok, apart from the odd heart attack ect.).  The short term gains do not require an explanation but we can attribute them to a temporary distraction.  What’s so destructive about porn addiction is it will often lead to feeling of guilt,shame and quite possibly depression.

So what is the answer?  How do we break an addiction?  First of all, don’t think for one second that will power can break all addictions all the time because emotions are much stronger than logical thought.  For example, imagine driving a car along a busy high street with people and car dodging in and out.  You, the accomplished driver copes with the situation, is able to focus and not hit anything or anyone.  Now imagine trying to do the very same task but being told that you have only three days to live.  What then will you direct your concentration on?  Would it be the road or the prospect of dying?  So regarding a solution to a particular issue such as drink, drugs or porn we should automatically rule out anything chemical.  Talking to someone might help but personally it could also lead the other way, not work and lead to feelings of humiliation.  You could also spend a fortune and waste a lot of time trying different therapies but even if you do break the addiction it may not break the negative feelings.  I believe that we need to treat both the mental, physical and spiritual aspect of an addiction.  There is a process to recovery and will only work if you acknowledge the spiritual aspect, otherwise the issue will either return or manifest as something else.  If you know of anyone struggling with addiction or has tried different therapies but failed then here is an approach they may find useful.

1) Identify and acknowledge your addiction.
Rationale: You cannot resolve an issue that does not exist.

2) Identify the times, events or feelings that lead you to engage the addiction.
Rationale: when does the desire to carry out the addiction happen, how are you feeling at the time? The point of this exercise is to identify the emotions you felt.  Write this down and also whenever you get this urge always write it down. If its more than one feeling then include this in the list.

3) Do you want to break the cycle?
Rationale: Are you serious about stopping for good?  If not, then quit now because if you tackle this half heartily it will fail and re-enforce doubt and the inability to escape this misery.

4) Pray to the Lord.
Rational: The Lord may have saved you but the Lord knows what he is doing when sometimes issues still remain.  I wonder if the Lord only takes away those issues you truly do not want and lets you retain the ones you are reluctant to let go of (see step 3).  Tell the Lord of your concerns, and that you are out of control.  Confess your sins and ask him to break any strongholds (demonic oppression) that may be leading to these negative feelings.  Remember, the action of drinking, taking drugs or using porn is a distraction from the negative feeling, a process of self medication.  The Lord knows this but he wants you to confess it so that he can forgive you.

5) Acknowledge your own limitations.
Rationale: There is no saying what God may or may not do?  Some people would find their problems are resolved right away whilst I suspect many will struggle to break the cycle.  If you fall back into ‘self medication’.  Ask for God’s forgiveness and guidance, but do not beat yourself up over it.  It’s early days and the Lord will put this right for you, trust in him.

6) Prevention.
Rationale: Revert back to step 2.  Identify the emotion, understand this is the trigger. Also think about the after effects, that nothing will be resolved and will only result in increased negative feelings.  Ask the Lord to keep you strong and resist temptation.  Always uphold faith in God, he is not a liar and if you stand firm in the faith he will take away the issue.

Jason’s new blog launches, check this out!

Jason Street is working on a project to help expose the deceptions of the enemy. He is in the early stages of the project and has an interesting proposal.

He is currently building an online ministry to help people expose the deception of the world as we enter the end times as described in the bible. He believes that by learning about and exposing these deceptions as mentioned in Ephesians 5 and elsewhere we are better equipped to fight against it. Even though the bible gives all we need to fight the minions of the devil, he suggests it is always a good idea to know what you are fighting against, so we can minister to people trapped in deception more effectively.

Hi is considering a podcast with another person to discuss topics and news items relevant to exposing deception and tracking the progression of the end times as described in the bible as well as equipping ministers of the word to come against these deceptions more effectively. So if you are interested please contact him (email address at the bottom).

The content for the show would be to amass news items from the media and discuss them, exposing any deception and biblically putting it into context of the spiritual war waged against humanity by our enemy. Additionally, he expects to do bible studies on topics relevant to the problems facing people in this day and age.

His overall aim is to help people trapped in deception to get out of it and have a happier life following Jesus.

To find out more about Jason’s work and proposals I recommend taking a look here:http://endtimedeception.org/forumdisplay.php?4-End-Time-Deception-Podcast

You can also find his beliefs to get an idea of his current stance on the bible and God here: http://endtimedeception.org/?page=belief

You can also contact him as this address: contactus@endtimedeception.org

Spiritualism exposed

Spiritualism is just a branch of the new age movement, it shares similar values, practices and denies the Biblical version of Jesus Christ.  To the non-believer Spiritualism is highly deceptive and extremal enticing. Spiritualism is a recognised religion and is practiced world wide.  It’s core belief is that we all possess an indestructible soul that survives death and can be contacted through a practice known as mediumship (modern day channelling).  Spiritualism’s prime tools of deception is what the Bible calls ‘familiar spirits’, these are deceptive unclean entities that can appear (in the mind of the medium) as deceased relatives.  A technique they use is to first describe the ‘dead ralative’ as a method of authentication then ask the entity to provide a message.  The latter stage of the method is considered as proof for survival of death since the medium would have no way of knowing such information.  The medium is also con viced since tragically they have delivered similar messages time and time again. 
The deception happens because the entity can project any image it cares to choose (telepathically) in order to convince the medium and the audience.  Since the entity is operating supernaturally and from a different dimension it is not subject to our earthly limitations and clearly has the capacity to gain access to information in ways foreign to us. 

The practice, if pure should be infallible but it often gets things wrong.  Sometimes predictions are made that do not come true and even the top mediums claim to getting at least 20% wrong with the most 50-60% error.   This is often discarded as issues such as interference of ‘mischievious’ or ‘lower plane’ spirits but this is an excuse taught by the very spirits the medium is communicating with. 

Since authenticity is only based upon ‘evidence’ projected from the entity the practice is actually faith based.  The medium along with the audience puts total faith into what the entity has to say.  This is no different from someone sending you an email claiming to be the Price in line to the throne of some African State but requires your bank account details to deposit money to you.  Some people have of course fallen for this scam but most do not, however, when you add a supernatural element to the deception such as with mediumship more people are inclined to accept on faith alone. 

As i have already stated, spiritualism is just a branch of the new age movement since it shares similar values, practices and denies the Biblical version of Jesus Christ.  The evidence can be found within spiritualism’s seven  principles, which, in their words “act as guidelines for the development of a personal philosophy of how to live one’s life”.  Baring in mind these principals have been dictated by faith from the same spirit entities we will now look at each principal and try to make some sense of each one (Their comments are in italics) :

1. The fatherhood of god.

“Each of us has his or her idea of God.  To some, He is an austere personality instilling fear in his believers and meting out wrathful judgement to wrong doers, seated on a throne in heaven. To others he is a benign Father, caring for his vast family of every colour and creed and personified in everything that is beautiful around us.  The latter is the broad Spiritualist viewpoint as envisaging the one supreme power.”

Gaz: This is an attack on judgement by making God of the Bible seem unjust and reckless.

“We regard Him as the author of a divine plan, the natural law through which the universe which He created is governed and based on love, not fear.”

Gaz: It’s interesting to know that the Masons who at the highest levels are Lucifarian (Albert Pike, morals and dogma) also refer to the ‘devine plan’.  They then put a spin on God by re-emphasising that God of the Bible rules by fear and not love. 

When we transgress these laws we are betraying a trust for which we shall have to pay, either here, on in the life hereafter. Our relationship with God is therefore determined by our obedience to these laws.”

Gaz: Now here’s the twist, either obey these laws or ‘pay’ the price either in this lifetime or ‘hereafter’.  Can you see how this contradicts the first two paragraphs of their first principal?

2. The Brotherhood of man.

Gaz: No, this is not the British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with “Save Your Kisses for Me”.  It’s far more sinister.

“If we accept the Fatherhood of God then it naturally follows that we are his children, brothers and sisters in one family of all race and colour. This confers upon us a dual responsibility – to our Father and to each other, which we can sum up in one word – SERVICE. The inequalities of modern society, the rich and the poor, the weak and the strong, the wise and the ignorant, provide an incentive for love and service.  In our daily lives we meet those who need material help, to whom a kind word or small act may work wonders.If we would extend this call to service beyond the confines of our family, our town, our country, out into the wide world, pain and suffering, tumult and wars would cease and we would bring into being “that peace which passes all understanding”.

“It goes further than that.  The real meaning of our existence is not only our obligation to our fellow men. Man being himself a spirit here on earth, is immortal and the brotherhood of man is extended into the spirit spheres. Spiritualism therefore gives a new and higher meaning to our mutual interdependence and to Brotherhood”.

Gaz: The Biblical reason for humanity has nothing to do with serving man, only loving thy neighbour.  This principal primes the spiritualist for Principal number three, mediumship.

3. Communion of spirits and the ministry of angels.

“This is the key around which our whole philosophy turns. Orthodoxy denies the reality of communion with departed spirits, whereas for the past one hundred and twenty years we have proved conclusively that man not only survives physical death but is able, through mediums, to commune with those left behind. Not only that, they spend quite a lot of their time giving us help and guidance in various ways with our earthly problems.”

Gaz: Remember that their proof is purely based on faith since they have no other known method of testing the spirits.  Therefore, such claims are subject only to what the spirit entity is dictating but who actually is this spirit? 

“There are certain persons among us who are called mediums who are so highly sensitive to ‘spirit vibrations’ that they are able to establish contact with those who have passed over and wish to communicate with us. Each one of us has a spirit guide or helper – a ‘guardian angel’ if you like, who uses the medium as an instrument through whom he can talk.”

Gaz: The spiritualist views the ability to communicate with spirits a gift and rely on another entity known as a spirit guide as their mentor.  If for example the medium receives a message that is rejected by someone in the audience they we rely this back to their guide for further clarification.  This is what I used to do and thus by doing so the medium places total faith in the spirit guide.  

“We are thus able to learn how our loved ones are faring in their new environment and in their new way of life. This proof of survival is of great help to those who are bereaved.”

Gaz: So for those that blindly accept the word of these prevailing familiar spirits they automatically have to deny Jesus Christ as saviour.  The rationale is simple, if we as familiar spirits claim survive death without judgement or acceptance of Jesus Christ then why bother with Jesus?  Evil spirits want nothing more than you to deny Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and this cruel method of spirit communication is so effective in deceiving people. 

4. Continuous existence of the human soul.

“All the great religions of the world subscribe to some form of life after death in some nebulous heavenly existence, but because they have failed to prove it to the satisfaction of modern realists, they have lost their hold on the people.”

“Spiritualism on the other hand does prove this fact in no uncertain manner and in so doing has profoundly revolutionised our lives in that our behaviour is not encompassed within the narrow limits of our earthly lives, but extends into eternity. Our mode of living here will determine our spiritual status in the life to come.”

Gaz: This is a dig at Christianity in which the familiar spirits is claiming spiritualism fits into the modern world because it is the only religion that can ‘prove’ life after death. They of course fail to mention Jesus Christ.  Notice the other dig at Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate…”?  It’s so subtly deceptive.

5. Personal responsibility.

“This is the major doctrinal difference between Spiritualism and orthodox religions. The basis of the Christian religion rests on the belief that Jesus died on a cross to save us from our sins. This we most strongly repudiate. Jesus was put to death by crucifixion for political reasons. This was the then normal method of execution for most offences – including robbery. The Jewish priests were afraid He would usurp their power through his teaching and healing and the Romans that he might raise a rebellion against them – “He stireth up the people”Spiritualism asserts that no one can save us from our wrong doing but ourselves. Man, through his conscience knows the difference between right and wrong and is given free will to choose which road he will take. No one, be he religious or an atheist can escape the consequences of his own mistakes. God does not sit in judgement over us, we have to be our own judges.”

Gaz: There you have it! Up until principal 4 spiritualism only made reference to ‘all the major religions but the gloves are off and in this blatant attack on Jesus Christ.  You see, if Jesus Christ exists then these very spirits along with their agenda are exposed.  When Jesus died sinless at the cross he not only defeated satan but sealed the doom of satan and his minions.  They know their time is short and want to take as many people with them as possible so denial of Christ is high on their agenda.

“What the church calls sin, we regard as the violation of the divine natural laws made by God, which Paul interpreted when he wrote “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” Man alone has to atone for his sins and not shirk his responsibilities.”

Gaz: This is a misquote from Galatians 6:6-8, notice they never make include Bible references?  This is because if you actually read the verse you would quickly discover how inaccurate the claim of spiritualism is. 

 6Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

 7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Gaz: In other words, he that soweth to the commodities of this present life shall reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

6. Compensation and retribution hereafter for all good and evil deeds done on earth.

“This follows on what has been said above. The orthodox church would have us believe that on this awful “day of judgement” God will sit on his throne and cast each one of us into heaven or hell. 

Heaven and hell are states of mind of our own creation and not celestial localities. Our code of life on this earth will determine our spiritual status in the world of spirit.”

Gaz: They are referring to Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Many people are disgruntled at the idea that a God would cast someone into a lake of fire to be tormented forever. It was legendary author, Mark Twain (1835-1910), who said: “If there is a God, he is a malign thug.” This is how the majority of the world views God. With all the suffering, hatred and religious fighting going on all over the world, many people get angry at God. Why does God allow pain, sorrow and suffering?
The truth is that mankind is responsible for his own woes. I know that’s the last thing people want to read, but it’s the truth. Did God put the United States government into debt? No. Did God make the cocaine that continues to kill thousands of people? No. Did God invade Iraq and murder over one million people? No. Yet, many people find it convenient to blame God for everything. It’s not God’s fault that wicked people banned God, prayer and the Bible from the public school system beginning in 1962 in the United States. It’s not God’s fault that most Americans are woefully ignorant of truth and saturated with a love for sin.

Gaz: It is not God’s fault that a generation of hippies in the 1960′s decided to rebel, abuse themselves with illegal drugs, and live in fornication.  This is a direct consequence of Rock ‘N’ Roll.  As a result, a group of evil people made abortion legal in 1972 at a federal level. We are paying the price today.  Therefore, ultimately we have a choice and God has made that very clear.

“It is equally wrong to think that because one attends church regularly, or performs evangelical or “other good works” one will automatically be given pride of place in the hereafter. “

Gaz: Yes, this statement is correct we are not saved by deeds, we are saved by faith.

“It will be our everyday deeds and motive for them that will count and how well we have carried out the precept “Do unto others…” Neither is it true that after our passing we will become a saint. Death does not make us spiritually aware.”

Gaz: On who’s authority is this untrue? It’s an outrageous claim that is not backup by anything.  If the Lord is prepared to show us mercy then at the very least we should show mercy to those around us?  What their statement suggests is it doesn’t matter how you treat others, hardly a message of love and compassion.

7. Eternal progress open to every human soul.

“The idea of eternal progress may seem hard for us to understand in this world where everything has an ending, but in the world to come, where there are neither clocks nor calendars, time is immaterial. Spiritualism points to the certainty of eternal progress, but the rate of our own particular advancement will depend upon ones desire to do so, remembering that we shall have free will as we have here.We shall by no means be idle in the spirit world, in fact, we shall be extremely busy pursuing those paths which will lead us toward perfection – and we shall have eternity in which to do it.

The transition from our earthly world to our new existence in the higher life does not alter our present make-up or character.  We shall be just the same as we were before the passing, retaining our free will to fashion our new life with the sure knowledge that we shall be given the opportunity to make spiritual progress with no limit to time or the heights we can reach. Once again, we come face to face with our personal responsibility even on the other side.”

Gaz: This final principal just re-emphasises what has already been stated.  The bottom line is they just want people to reject Jesus Christ and suffer the same fate they are already doomed to take.  If you are not saved then there is still time.  Jesus Christ loves you, turn to the living Christ today and he will give you the gift of eternal life, Amen.

New moons, the G8 and mass destruction and the coming Solar Eclipse.

I just took out a very boring tasking of looking at the NASA site regarding Moon phases.

I had a hunch and wanted to see if there was a pattern between the dates of G8 meetings and world changing events.  My analysis covers 2001 – 2011 (10 years).  What I found was interesting.

What I discovered was unusual.  Within a decade the G8 coincided with a new moon cycle only twice, these years were 2001 and 2005.  2001 was of course the 9/11 tragedy and 2005 was the infamous 7/7 bombing in the UK.

Jul 20  2001 19:44
Jun  6 2005 21:55

The next year that the G8 coinsides with the new moon cycle is May 2012 20  23:47 which will be an Annular Solar Eclipse.  I wonder what joys we have to look forward to during this year?

Does Alex Jones realise he is fueling the New Age Movement?

Other than scaring the hell out of people and introducing them to New Age leaders with Lucifarian philosophies.  What positive solutions does Alex Jones bring to the table in this war on evil?

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not bad mouthing Alex, I used to listen to Alex Jones everyday a few years ago. I am thankful for Alex for his videos that lead to my understanding of the new world order.  Alex of course comes under constant criticism and slander however his radio station remains the leading conspiracy based shows in the world. A self confessed Christian, he admits that he does not press his beliefs on his show because his show is not religious so its fair to say that people are not lead to God via Infowars. Putting any personal or emotive beliefs about Alex aside, in your opinion can you constructively answer these questions?

1) Does his show and/or videos lead to a constuctive solution?

2) Do you think he is aware of the New Age Deception and the global spiritual agenda behind the UN?

3) Is he aware of how people are being recruited into new age principals by organisations that prey on those seeking the truth?

4) Why does Alex have prominent New Age leaders such as Jordan Maxwell, Micheal Tsarion and David Icke (all debunked – *1) on his show when they clearly denounce Christianity and support the very teachings of the Elite (Blavatky/Bailey?bessant)?

5) If a president of the US or a famous movie actress can be assassinated then why does the most influential conspiracy host in the whole world evade extermination?

6) If Alex could improve his show, what action(s) would he need to make it more effective?

NOTE:

*1:

David Icke Debunked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbEgvx1qelw

Jordan Maxwell Debunked: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3119679914965262207

Michael Tsarion Debunked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeIVz9lCZqQ