A PERSONAL TESTIMONY: WHY CHRISTIAN LEADERS SHOULD NOT PROMOTE HENRI NOUWEN

Please read the important article at Lighthouse Trails
Why Christian Leaders Should Not Promote Henri Nouwen
that inspired the diatribe which follows:

I became a big fan of Henri Nouwen after discovering him on the reading list of the Spiritual Formation syllabus at a seminary where I took a few classes a couple of years ago. As an author, I found him to be warm, honest and engaging. He appealed to the scholarly side of me as well. I ended up choosing to write one of my papers for the Spiritual Formation class about two of the books he wrote. (It was a required class - I was enrolled in the Marriage and Family Counseling program).

I decided to go down to my basement to unearth this paper to see what I had written about him two years ago. Referring to my own walk with the Lord I wrote (the book mentioned is Nouwen's The Genesee Diary): "One of the first things that came to mind about how my walk would different, and has even begun to become so in the process of reading this book, is that of learning to wait quietly on the Lord. This is something I have been aware of the need to do for some time already, but in reading Nouwen's account I have seen the importance of meditation in the process".

Another book I read and wrote about for the same course was Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mulholland. In this paper I wrote: "Mulholland's use of the personality characteristics as tools to understand the spiritual paths we take was a novel one for me, especially the depth of his explanations. I found this concept helpful in understanding the directions my own path has taken, and in seeing areas I need to work on to have a well-rounded spiritual life. I would like to take more time to examine them and get another person's perspective on which areas I need to grow in and how to incorporate them into my lifestyle. I believe meditation would be a discipline I would benefit from".

Please listen to me, people!! Meditation in the scriptural way of mulling over the meaning of a certain passage of scripture so that I could remember and apply it is not what I had in mind. The type of meditation I was learning about was a method of emptying the mind in order to "fill it with God" so that I could reduce my stress level. It is the process of attempting to leave the conscious mind in order to "experience God" and be intimate with Him in a new and different way. On the surface this may sound okay. People who are teaching contemplative prayer say that the verse in Psalm 46 that says, "Be still, and know that I am God", means that we are supposed to still our minds: i.e. stop thinking about God and all other things and just experience (or rest in) Him. But if you read the verse in context, and in its plain and literal meaning, what it really means is that we are to quit striving against God and trust Him to take care of things, not leave our rational minds behind and enter an altered state of consciousness. But this was the conclusion that I came to while I took this Spiritual Formation course and before I had even heard the term "contemplative prayer". I was definitely on the contemplative mystical road that leads to the same place Henri Nouwen ended up: denying that Jesus Christ is the only way to God, which he did in the last book he wrote before his death, Sabbatical Journey. Only he had reached the end of it, and I was just beginning.

When I got home after completing the course I promptly set up a little "meditation corner" in one of the rooms of our basement. I was already familiar with the concept, having been introduced to it on the Oprah Winfrey Show through one of her guests, another New Age/New Spirituality teacher, Sarah Ban Breathnach. It had sounded like a really neat idea to me at the time, and now I had validation from other Christians (misled ones), to do it.

Before taking this Spiritual Formation course I had already been through the wringer emotionally for a number of years. My marriage was struggling and one of my children was acting out with self-injury and thinking of committing suicide. I don't think my situation was all that unique considering the times we live in and the spiritual condition many Christians are in these days. We live in desperate times and many have left the solid spiritual roots of the Bible's authority and the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We have become so busy that we don't take the time to study our Bibles as we should and the foundation starts to erode as the storms of life beat against it.

Well, praise God, He opened my eyes to the folly of the Spiritual Formation movement since then. My meditation corner is gone and my Bible sits open beside me as I write this. It has become a faithful companion. The Lord brought me through a time of repentance for my involvement with this deceitful spiritual movement, and has given me a renewed love for His Word. I have probably read more of my Bible in the last two years than I had in my whole lifetime previous, and I'm no spring chicken anymore! When I look back at the healing that God has wrought in my life (there needed to be a lot) I can see how clearly He has used His Word to bring conviction where there was sin, faith where there was doubt, hope where there was once despair, and an identity in Christ which has become firmly settled. It is through God's Word that my mind has been renewed and my thinking corrected. No ritual or "spiritual discipline" can accomplish such a thing. Practicing such things put me into an ethereal spiritual place that set me up in my mind above other Christians with a false sense of humility (yeah, it is pride). I can now praise God for a marriage which He has restored, three children who all love the Lord and respect their parents, and the ministry I have on this blog because God delivered me from the folly of the Spiritual Formation/Contemplative Prayer movement. Have every one of my problems been solved? Absolutely not, since I still live on this planet in a body which is aging faster than I care to admit. But I can say with confidence that "God is so good!" and I look forward to seeing Him soon when Christ calls His Bride, the Church, home. He has placed my feet on the path of life once again, and has forgiven me for slipping off of it. And He will do it for you too if you are willing to let Him!

Please pray for those who are in spiritual leadership over us and in our Christian educational institutes. The majority of them are well-meaning Christians who sincerely love the Lord, but they have been deceived and are passing the deception along to others. I once again affirm the importance of a solid foundation in God's Word by which we are to test all things. The Contemplative/Spiritual Formation movements are the trojan horse of the New Age/New Spirituality movement. They DO NOT PASS THE TEST OF SCRIPTURE. Their methods of prayer and meditation are not found in the Bible, but the New Age movement is full of it and has come in under the radar with the endorsement of pseudo-christians into the Church. Beware of wolves and false teachers, find out as much as you can about the movement, and then warn everyone who will listen to you. Believe it or not, there are still many people who don't understand what has crept into their churches, and especially their youth programs.

PLAYING WITH FIRE: TURNING PRISONS AND HEALTH CARE FACILITIES INTO MEDITATION CENTRES

Image above courtesy of freefoto.com by Ian Britton.

Hebrews 12:1-10, 25-29

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire.

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Leviticus 10:1-11

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: and that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

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The purpose of GOD'S fire is to purify the children of obedience and make them holy, not to destroy them. In the Old Testament God put Nadab and Abihu to death for disobeying His command and offering strange fire to Him. God makes a clear distinction between what is holy and what is not, what is from Him and what is not, what is acceptable and what is not. The Israelites were warned not to adopt heathen practices or entertain heathen gods. Are Christians today able to distinguish between the two? We must examine carefully the origins of the fire we encounter, to distinguish between the holy fire that brings repentance and purifies us from sin, and the strange fire that deceives and destroys.

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The latest newsletter at Lighthouse Trails gave an update on the growth of the practice of meditation at an astonishing rate of approximately 1.7 million people a year since 2003, when the number was at 10 million in the United States of America. They report that according to Dr. Rick Levy`s book, Miraculous Health, that the number of practitioners in the United States alone is currently 17 million.

The newsletter goes on to say:

Keep in mind that we are not talking about people that have just embraced a particular belief system intellectually or rationally. We are talking about mystics, people who are in touch with the supernatural realm on a continous basis. We believe this remarkable acceleration is due to two factors.

First is the tremendous explosion of the interest in Yoga. Yoga, for those that don't know, means union, as in the mystical sense, the union with the divine or the Hindu concept of the divine. Most people may think it is just stretching and a form of calisthenics but Yoga and meditation are supposed to go together. You can't really have one without the other and still call it Yoga.

Secondly, and more important from the perspective of Lighthouse Trails is the explosion of the interest in contemplative prayer, which is a westernized form of meditation.

The newsletter states that the explosion of interest in contemplative prayer is due to rise of the Purpose Driven movement and the Emerging Church movement. I would like to add to that the
Roman Catholic Church, as it has a growing contemplative movement as well.

At the beginning of January I began writing a post which I never completed that deals with this topic. It contains several examples of how and where the growth of meditation and yoga is taking place here in Canada. Below is an edited version of that post.

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Has anybody noticed how big yoga is these days? Several weeks ago I was at a grand opening for a Mark's Work Wearhouse store. As I was browsing through their clothing section an advertisement came on over their sound system promoting their yoga wear and extolling the virtues of the practice. Then several days ago I was in Wal-mart and I saw an ad on the shopping cart I was pushing that was also promoting yoga.

On January 5th I decided to watch some television and came across a program on VisionTv called The Fires That Burn, an hour-long documentary featuring a Roman Catholic nun, Elaine MacInnes who has been recognized for her work as a Zen Master and made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2001. Sister Elaine MacInnes is a member of Our Lady's Missionaries, an order of Roman Catholic nuns and is associated with The Phoenix Trust, a meditation and yoga program for prison inmates in Ireland and the UK. The VisionTV website states that her mission now is to introduce meditation and yoga classes into Canadian penitentiaries through a Toronto organization called Freeing the Human Spirit.

It is interesting to note in the promotional picture for the documentary (directly above) that there is clearly a connection between eastern and western meditation. Those promoting meditation within the Roman Catholic Church seem to have no problem with this connection and recognize it openly. However, whenever an evangelical Christian is confronted with this issue, it is quickly denied. Are they naive or just in denial?

Ascent magazine (Yoga for the Inspired Life) contains an article profiling Sister Elaine MacInnes entitled not broken by Talya Rubin. In it MacInnes is quoted:

"I was never moved to be a Buddhist,” she says. When people in Japan asked her about it, she would say, “Look, I was just brought up in Moncton, New Brunswick. I can’t all of a sudden say I have had a hundred lives beforehand. I was born on March 7th in 1924 and I was fresh and clean and I have my own personality. I’m not another hundred thousand people behind me.” When her teacher noticed her first breakthroughs in Zen practice, he simply said, “Now you go out and be a better Christian and a better Sister.”

Sister Elaine speaks of Zen as being about direct experience, not words or objects. “There was never anything but the right now, right here.” Even the Buddha requested that his words not be recorded. He taught from experience and it was these practices that were later to be the basis for Zen teachings, but the terms themselves and the religious elements of Buddhism were recorded later. “Scholars say the Buddha grew up in a Hindu country so that he just went back to the religious matrix of his time.”

Of her own teaching Sister Elaine says, “I have Jewish people and I have Muslims and I have people with no religion and it doesn’t bother me at all. I just try to use quite a few different terms so that people won’t get stuck on one. We don’t find it necessary to impose a god on you, we just ask you to sit down and keep quiet.” She laughs heartily at this.

“My teacher in Japan used to say ‘we are all born to be mystics.’(1.)

Rubin goes on to say:

The yoga and meditation taught are a practice of “silent body, silent mind,” and apparently it works. By the time she retired from the Trust, Sister Elaine had set up eighty-six teachers in prisons across the UK and they receive thousands of letters each month from the inmates. “I would say our discipline is therapeutic and that is why it is so important for prisoners."

The kind of zazen they teach is Shikantaza. “‘Shika’ means ‘only’ and ‘ta’ means ‘to hit’ and the ‘za’ is squatting on the floor. It is something that will hit the mark.” Simple counting of breath is emphasized, as well as correct posture. “The bottom line of meditation for a teacher is that you’re bringing people to a deeper state of consciousness and that involves something very, very touchy. There is something in practising silence the way we teach that is very safe, and to my knowledge it has never been known for anyone to crack up.”

In her prison programs, Sister Elaine felt it necessary to balance meditation practices with yoga instruction. Yoga Outreach, a charity organization based in Surrey, BC, was asked to implement a yoga program for the correctional institutions in Canada. The yoga postures taught are breath-centred to facilitate a link between body and mind.

The practice of yoga and meditation brings a space of silence to the prisoners, and with this seems to follow discipline, productivity, a sense of purpose, an alleviation of depression, a reduction in violence, and in the long run, a reduced rate of recidivism. This approach fits in with a paradigm shift slowly being introduced into the judicial system called Restorative Justice.

When thinking about Sister Elaine, the image I am left with is from a documentary film made about her life and work called The Fires that Burn. The image of an inmate – shaved head and tattooed arms, his muscled body suddenly looking very fragile as he holds himself in Plank pose. I have never seen anyone do yoga with such tenderness and fear before. This is clearly fertile ground – the space for things that are broken to mend in silence. (2.) (emphasis in bold is mine)

There is no doubt left to the readers mind that this is an eastern practice being promoted by a Roman Catholic nun. And she makes no bones about where she learned it, although she willingly promotes it as being available to all regardless of their faith. She emphasizes that it is the method that is important and makes the practice effective, not its eastern origins. This should cause anyone professing the Christian faith to realize that you can call the practices of yoga and meditation by any name you like (contemplative prayer), but they will all lead down the same pathway ~ to a union with "the divine", and a belief that "all is one".

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Meditation for Health is a website promoting its community-based medical program in Toronto, Canada run by M.D. Lucinda Sykes, "a Toronto physician psychotherapist with over twenty-five years experience in general practice psychotherapy. She trained with Jungian analysts, Marion Woodman and Fraser Boa, and has twice participated in MBSR professional training programs under the direction of Dr. Kabat-Zinn. She is a past board member of the General Practice Psychotherapy Association. Dr. Sykes has had a personal practice of hatha yoga and meditation for over twenty years, and has lead Meditation for Health groups since 1997."(3.)

I'm sure this is just one of myriads of these types of programs available to people these days. It seems just about every hospital, clinic, massage or chiropractic office has posters up that promote them; in fact, it is difficult to find one that doesn't. The program used by Meditation for Health is called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The site says that MBSR

"develops our capacity for mindfulness, with a program of simple meditation exercises and body stretches"...and ..."Although the practice of mindfulness has been most developed in the traditions of Asia, it is taught without a particular religious or philosophical belief. It is a basic awareness technique, a way of looking at things, that people of all faiths can share."(4.)(emphasis in bold is mine)

Meditation for Health website has a page listing resources with "Books of Interest to Christian Meditators" containing a total of 27 books! The authors include Brother Lawrence, Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington, Richard Foster, Thomas Keating, Willis Jager, and of course, Sister Elaine MacInnes (Zen Contemplation for Christians), among others.

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I came across another interesting website while I was doing some research on a book that my daughter was required to read as part of a Bible School course she was taking (called Devotional Classics, by none other than Richard Foster). The quotes (given below) from this site illustrate the New Age/Hindu teaching regarding "Christian" mysticism. Although their teachings about Christ are unfaithful to Scripture, they illustrate the occultic nature of these practices.

About.com had this in its section on Alternative Religions about Mystic Christianity in an article written by Yogi Ramacharaka (William Walker Atkinson):

That there is a Secret Doctrine of Christianity is not generally known to the majority who claim the name of "Christian." But it has always been known to the mystics in and out of the church, and its flame has been kept steadily alight by a few devoted souls who were chosen for this sacred task.

The Secret Doctrine of Christianity did not originate with Jesus, for He, Himself, was an Initiate of Mysteries which had been known and taught for centuries before His birth. As St. Augustine has said:

"That which is called the Christian Religion existed among the ancients and never did not exist, from the beginning of the human race until Christ came in the flesh, at which time the true religion which already existed began to be called Christianity.

"Origen states that:

"The Scriptures have a meaning, not only such as is apparent at first sight, but also another, which escapes the notice of most men. For such is written in the forms of certain Mysteries, and the image of divine things. Respecting which there is one opinion throughout the whole Church, that the whole law is indeed spiritual; but that the spiritual meaning which the law conveys is not known to all, but to those only on whom the grace of the Holy Spirit is bestowed in the word of wisdom and knowledge." (De Principiis.)

We could fill page after page with live quotations from the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, and their successors, showing the existence of the Inner Teachings. But we must rest content with those which we have given you, which are clear and to the point, and which come from undoubted authority.

The departure of the Church from these Inner Teachings was a great calamity, from which the Church is still suffering. As that well-known occultist, Eliphias Levi, has said:

"A great misfortune befell Christianity. The betrayal of the Mysteries by the false Gnostics--for the Gnostics, that is, those who know, were the Initiates of primitive Christianity--caused the Gnosis to be rejected, and alienated the Church from the supreme truths of the Kabbala, which contains all the secrets of transcendental theology.... Let the most absolute science, let the highest reason become once more the patrimony of the leaders of the people; let the sarcerdotal art and the royal art take the double sceptre of antique initiations and the social world will once more issue from its chaos. Burn the holy images no longer; demolish the temples no more; temples and images are necessary for men; but drive the hirelings from the house of prayer; let the blind be no longer leaders of the blind; reconstruct the hierarchy of intelligence and holiness, and recognize only those who know as the teachers of those who believe." (The Mysteries of Magic, Waite translation.)

And now, you ask, what were taught in these Christian Mysteries--what is the Inner Teaching--what the Secret Doctrine? Simply this, good students--the Occult Philosophy and Mystic Lore which has been taught to the Elect in all times and ages, and which is embodied in our several series of lessons on THE YOGI PHILOSOPHY AND ORIENTAL OCCULTISM, plus the special teaching regarding the nature, mission, and sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, as we have tried to explain in the present series of lessons. The Truth is the same no matter under what name it is taught, or who teaches it. Strip it of the personal coloring of the teacher and it is seen to be the same--THE TRUTH. In these lessons we have tried to give you the Key to the Mysteries, but unless you have studied the other lessons in which the Occult Teachings have been set forth, you will not be able to see their application in Mystic Christianity. You must bring Knowledge to the lessons, in order to take away knowledge. (5.)(emphasis in bold mine, emphasis in capital letters theirs)

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Isn't it odd that a Hindu Yogi recognizes the occultic nature of Christian mysticism, while many Christians are unwittingly adopting it. Ramacharaka-Atkinson consistently misuses and misinterprets quotes from Scripture and other historical theologians throughout this article (which you can see if you read the entire article) to suit his occultic worldview. I wonder how long it will be until the barriers separating the east from the west (occultic mysticism from contemplative prayer) will cease to exist in the mind and heart of the Christian church? It is evident that they don't make such a distinction within the New Age and occultic camps. Scripture tells us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, as our adversary, the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I again direct you to the book of Jude (1-5, 17-25)and its warnings:

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
to them that are sanctified by God the Father,
and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you
of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares,
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,
and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will therefore put you in remembrance,
though ye once knew this, how that the Lord,
having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,
afterward destroyed them that believed not.

But, beloved, remember ye the words
which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time,
who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
These be they who separate themselves,
sensual, having not the Spirit.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire;
hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and ever. Amen.

(1.) http://www.ascentmagazine.com/articles.aspx?articleID=
192&page=read&subpage=past&issueID=30
(2.) ibid
(3.) http://www.meditationforhealth.com/bio.html
(4.) http://www.meditationforhealth.com/index.html
(5.) http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_
mysticchristianity27.htm

THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 2

To read THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 1 click HERE.

As I noted in part 1 of this series, Scarborough Missions' version of the Golden Rule is interfaith in its agenda, and it appears to be targeting children in particular. It is expedient for the parents of young children in school these days to pay attention to what is being taught in the classroom.

Above is a picture of The United Buddy Bears, the brainchild of Eva and Klaus Herlitz. Take note of the religious symbols on the right bear. The Golden Rule in the various faiths are represented on the bear on the left side of the picture. These bears(in the foreground) and 140+ others (in the background) representing different countries have been on tour to major world cities since 2002, the last one being Jerusalem in November, 2007. Artists representing their countries created the bears, and the proceeds from any funds raised relating to the their exhibition go to Unicef and other charitable organizations. The bears are exhibited in a circle to represent love, peace, friendship, tolerance, and international understanding. You will notice the Golden Bears at the front of the picture which stand outside of the circle. They symbolize one of the requirements for a peaceful co-existence of the people in this world, and represent the global ethic or Golden Rule. Another name for them is The Golden Rule or Global Ethic Bears. Here is a statement on the United Buddy Bears official website about their interpretation:

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As the peaceful co-existence of people, nations and states often breaks down because of conflicts between the different religions, the GLOBAL ETHIC BEAR is dedicated to this subject.

No peace among the nations without peace among the religions.

No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions.

No co-existence on our globe without a global ethic.

These are the theses that Prof. Hans Küng puts at the beginning of his “Project Global Ethic“. It is not intended to create a new religion with Global Ethic, it is much more the effort to identify and emphasize the similar thoughts that all religions have in common, in order to enable and support the dialogue between the religions. Without this dialogue a peaceful co-existence is not possible.

“From my own experience I know all the dark sides of the religions – the Christian religion as much as all the others. Up to the present day religions have often played a fatal role in many conflicts all over the world” writes Prof. Hans Küng in the preface to his brochure.

“WORLD RELIGIONS – UNIVERSAL PEACE – GLOBAL ETHIC “



but he continues: “However, I also know the bright sides of religions: As doctrines and ways of salvation they can provide a sense of purpose and can be patrons of peace and reconciliation. They can provide ethic standards and personal orientation for the people of our days.“

Our modern society is increasingly characterized by a lack of orientation which is mainly due to a lack of an education for young people giving them a sense of purpose.

Thoughtlessness, an increase in crime rates and more violence are the results.

In our pluralistic society it is becoming increasingly difficult to acknowledge a universally binding formula for all people in one single religion, philosophy or ideology. “The “Project Global Ethic“ is supposed to show that the religions of this world can only contribute to peace in this world, if they think about what they already have in common. In 1993 in Chicago, at the “Parliament of the World’s Religions“ 200 delegates representing all religions and continents signed the “Declaration towards a Global Ethic”. On the GLOBAL ETHIC BEAR the four basic commandments of this declaration branch out in rays from the seven main world religions.

Above all is the so-called “Golden Rule”, its original quote from all the world religions can be read on the back of the GLOBAL ETHIC BEAR.

These are the original quotes of the "Golden Rule" as you can find them on the back of the “Global Ethic Bear”.

They are quoted from the brochure "WORLD RELIGIONS, UNIVERSAL PEACE, GLOBAL ETHIC" (www.global-ethic.org).

HINDUISM

This is the sum of duty: do nothing to others which would cause you pain if done to you.

Mahabharata XIII, 114,8

JAINISM

A person should treat all creatures as he himself would be treated.

Sutrakritanga I.11.33

CHINESE RELIGION

Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.

Confucius talks 15,23

BUDDHISM

A state that is not pleasant or delightful to me must be so for him also; and a state which is not pleasant or delightful for me, how could I inflict that on another?

Samyutta Nikaya V, 353.35 – 354.2

JUDAISM

Do not do to others what you want them to do to you.

Rabbi Hillel, Sabbat 31 a

CHRISTIANITY

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.

St. Matthew 7,12; St. Luke 6,31

ISLAM

None of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.

40 Hadithe (The Book of Muhammad) by an-Nawawi 13

Please find further information on this project under www.global-ethic.org.
You’ll find ideas for school projects on the subject under www.berlin-message.com.

This especially concerns our children. Having in mind that this way of thinking is an important tool for a peaceful coexistence, I would like to apply to all teachers and nursery-school teachers. This homepage can be used for finding information on this topic as a part of your teaching. Thank you!

Eva Herlitz(1)

To see a larger view of what is on each of the Golden Rule Bears click HERE.

To go to Global Ethic Foundation for Intercultural and Inter-Religious Research, Education and Encounter click HERE.

To read the DECLARATION TOWARD A GLOBAL ETHIC by the Parliament of the World's Religions click HERE.

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There is a video on Youtube of a grade 2 class talking and singing about the Golden Rule in which young students recite some of the different aspects of it, including color, race, etc. and then religion, implying that this is something that all people share that is equal, in its message. This is really sad, when you think of these children growing up to think that they all contain the way of salvation. This makes the work of the cross of no effect to them. They will die in their sins if they don't accept God's gift of grace, His Son, as the atonement for sin. This is an abuse of the Golden Rule, which should act more like a mirror reflecting the inability of man to obey God. Instead it is promoting it as the means of salvation for the world. (The embedding for this video has been disabled, but you can view it by clicking HERE if you want to see it.

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Below is a video labeled Religious Tolerance: The Golden Rule which is made by an older student as a class assignment. It includes depictions of witchcraft, spiritism and animism in it. This is the message that children are receiving in school, believing and sharing with others. This will lead to the persecution of anyone considered intolerant by this new religious order.

So as you see, from their point of view there is no need to eliminate any religions from this picture. One must merely lay aside fundamental differences within the religions and unite in the areas of commonality. It seems to me that the "Golden Rule" is about the only thing they do have in common. All this says is that these religions all recognize the presence of the conscience within every man. However, only one of these religions deals with mankind's fallen, sinful state in an effective manner, and that would be Christianity. If Christianity is willing to lay down its claim on the truth and its claim to the only way for the salvation of man, it would fit nicely with its agenda. Within Christendom, those who will not lay this aside will be considered intolerant and counter to the peace process they so dearly want to promote. They will be labeled extreme and divisive. Unfortunately, many Christians are unaware of where this is leading and will likely be duped by the syrupy rhetoric of those who will purchase peace at the expense of truth. This Utopian type of thinking was present in Hitler's day too, don't forget. This is why so many German people followed him. The Holocaust had moral underpinnings; but without the anchor of truth it became a regime of brutality.

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Are you prepared to honor all religions, agreeing that they are all truth? Attempting to witness to and win someone of another religion to your own will be forbidden as this will be seen as claiming to have something better than another, rather than equal to it. The Bible is very clear that there is salvation in no other than Jesus Christ. To deny that this is so would be to deny the very faith I base my life on. If you are a Christian and hold to God's Word as your standard it is time to prepare for persecution. At the rate these false religious ideals with their false unity are being spread, it won't be long before it happens.

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Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:10-12

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:6

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:7-10

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Read the THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 1
Read the ADDENDUM TO THE GOLDEN RULE ~ PART 2
Read the THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 3

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(1) http://www.united-buddy-bears.com/de/bears/showinter.php?lang=en&bbbyear=2007&spbears=yes&bearid=1010

THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 1

A few days ago I was reading some recent articles at Watcher's Lamp and came across one entitled "A Sign of Things to Come" (click on the title to read the article for yourself). I sat up and took notice of it because of the symbols on the page representing interfaith cooperation. I had come across a similar combination of symbols some time ago and had stored it on my computer. In fact, as I was deleting some unused information on my computer several days ago I saw it and decided to delete it too. Well, I just downloaded it again so that I could place it on this post, as I now have a better understanding of how it is relevant to what is happening in the churches today, especially with regard to the ecumenical movement.

This movement has now gone beyond crossing denominational borders in its early days, to crossing the borders to different faiths or religions. Tolerance is the by-word of the interfaith movement, regarding all religions as equal and having the same God. No one religion is considered to possess the truth, as they all have their own truth. Those who would remain faithful to God's Word, the Bible, which says that Jesus is the ONLY way to God would be excluded and considered intolerant. Only "nominal Christians" who don't believe that the Bible is the final authoritative Word of God for ALL of mankind will be accepted into this movement. That definitely places me in the "intolerant" and "politically incorrect" category.

In this and following posts you will find a number of resources which will expose the driving force behind this movement, where it shows up, and some of the implications for Bible-believing Christians.

The Roman Catholic church in particular has been at the forefront of this movement. A Roman Catholic organization called Scarborough Missions is heavily involved in interfaith dialogue. They have created a "Golden Rule" poster (the picture at the beginning of the article) and an interactive movie to promote their agenda, with the premise that they can create world peace by implementing it. They say that since every religion has its own golden rule that it can be used to bring harmony amongst the different religions. (Watch the movie by clicking HERE).

The Golden Rule Meditation Exercises on Scarborough Missions' website gives these recommendations on preparing yourself to meditate on their interfaith Golden Rule:

• Choose an appropriate time for your meditation/reflection-a time when you will not be disturbed by other persons, the phone, the TV, and so on.
• Unplug your house phone and turn off your cell phone 10 minutes before your meditation. Do not reactivate your phones until a period of 10 minutes has elapsed after the meditation/reflection.
• It is likely that your meditation will be enhanced if, just prior to your meditation/reflection, you avoid distracting activities e.g. watching television.
• For your meditation, find a suitable place in your home or a favourite locale in nature.
• Take time to slow down your mind, your emotions and your body. You may want to do some deep breathing exercises, yoga or another form of physical movement. Or you may want to simply sit in stillness.
• Realize that harmony of body and spirit is important. Adopt a body stance that is peaceful, balanced, relaxed and alert. Try to keep your back as straight as possible
• You may want to light a candle and close the curtains in order to create a meditative atmosphere.
• Open your heart and mind. As a final preparatory gesture, you may want to centre yourself by:
  • maintaining silence
  • repeating a mantra
  • asking for spiritual help
  • making a prayer of offering or dedication
  • using any appropriate preparatory practice in your faith tradition
  • using any preparatory practice that works for you(1)

Scarborough Missions has created a school curriculum which it promotes, and its products are also available at the official United Nations Bookshop. Below is an account of the presentation of the Golden Rule Poster to the United Nations. It contains some rather interesting information. Please note that it says that schools are one of their biggest audiences for the poster. Guess what junior is learning in the classroom these days?!!

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United Nations gets the Golden Rule poster

The Scarboro Missions Golden Rule poster is now on permanent display at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. On January 4, 2004, Mrs. Gillian Sorensen (pictured here), Assistant Secretary-General of the UN, accepted the poster as a gift from the North American Interfaith Network.

The presentation was part of an interfaith ceremony in which it was pointed out that the Golden Rule is not just a moral ideal for relationships between people, but also for relationships among nations, cultures and religions.

In presenting the poster to the Assistant Secretary-General, a statement was read by a representative of the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN). Read the full statement.

The Progress of a Poster

Scarboro Missions' Golden Rule poster makes its way around the world

The Scarboro Missions Golden Rule poster is making its way around the world. What began as an obscure idea in the basement of Scarboro Missions' headquarters is now emerging as a 'coat of arms' for the international interfaith movement.

This striking and beautiful four-colour poster features a written and symbolic depiction of the Golden Rule in 13 religions. Scarboro Missions has been overwhelmed by both the success and the universal appeal of the poster.

Most striking is the diversity of audiences that are purchasing this piece of multifaith art. This audience includes penitentiaries, airports, seniors' homes, corporate offices, hospitals, schools, religious institutions, universities, social justice groups, stores, Sunday schools and private homes.

Various institutions use the poster as a healing tool. For example, a network of addiction recovery homes in Calgary, Alberta, utilizes the poster in its programs. Jeff Archambeault, chaplain to North Bay Psychiatric Hospital in Ontario, has discovered some very creative ways to use the poster with patients and staff at the hospital. In the words of Archambeault, "this amazing poster just keeps on giving."

In the weeks following the September 11 tragedy, multifaith prayer services took place all over North America. Organizers of many of these prayer services used the Golden Rule poster in a number of ways in their efforts to promote forgiveness and healing.

Schools are the biggest audience for the poster, with accompanying lesson plans now being planned for elementary and high school classes. World religions classes find the poster extremely useful. Joe Wey, a teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Toronto, begins his world religions program with the poster. Says Wey, "Most of the students have studied only Christianity, so some of them are surprised to see the similarities among the religions...We teach not just tolerance, but respect for other religions."

In tune with Scarboro Missions' global vision, the poster is travelling the world. Fr. Tony Cereskos of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales writes from Divine Word Seminary in the Philippines: "Thank you very much for the kind gift of the Golden Rule posters. We plan to have one framed for one of our classrooms. The message of the poster is very timely for the Philippines. As you are probably aware, Muslim-Christian relations here are very tense and problematic, especially in the South."

In the coming years, Scarborough Missions will join with people all over the world in translating the poster into several languages. Indeed, we have every reason to believe that this piece of theological art will continue to work its wonders in terms of interreligious healing, unity and reconciliation.(2)

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It will certainly be interesting to see how this all is connected in the one-world government and one-world antichrist religion in the coming days. To those who are alert and watching, the information I am presenting here and in the coming days will be no surprise, although it can be disheartening at times; so I leave you with Jesus' words from Luke 21:28-36

"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Then He told them a parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees;

as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.

"So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

"Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

"But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

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Read the THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 2
Read the ADDENDUM TO THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 2
Read the THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 3

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(1)http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Golden_rule/meditation_exercises.php
(2)http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Golden_rule/poster_at_un.php