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March 22, 2006

Contemplative "Christian" Wizardry

When you hear the word WIZARD, what probably comes to mind are Merlin, Gandalf, Harry Potter, or maybe even (I am dating myself) the cartoon lizard “Mr. Wizard” and his friend “Tooter the Turtle”.  But what about that well dressed guy with a Bible in his hand?  If he’s practicing or teaching Contemplative Prayer, say hello to a real life “Mr. Wizard”. 

Levi 19:31: Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God.

Wizard - (Hebrew “yidda oniy”) - a knower, one who has a familiar spirit.   “The Hebrew Lexicon” shows that a wizard is: (1) properly knowing {a magician}, wise, hence a prophet, always used in a bad sense of a false prophet.  (2) A spirit of divination, a spirit of python (see Kundalini below), with which these “soothsayers” were said to be in communication.

Gnostic – (From the Greek “gnosis” - knowledge) - a knower.  “The Catholic Encyclopedia” defines Gnosticism as: A collective name for a large number of greatly-varying and pantheistic-idealistic sects, which flourished from some time before the Christian Era down to the fifth century, and which, while borrowing the phraseology and some of the tenets of the chief religions of the day, and especially of Christianity, held matter to be a deterioration of spirit, and the whole universe a depravation of the Deity, and taught the ultimate end of all being to be the overcoming of the grossness of matter and the return to the Parent-Spirit, which return they held to be inaugurated and facilitated by the appearance of some God-sent Savior.

WIZARD = GNOSTIC = CONTEMPLATIVE

One of the most well known groups of Christian Gnostics were the Desert Fathers.  Christian Gnostic however is somewhat of a misnomer, as the Desert Fathers took their pre-existing pagan panentheist religion and incorporated Jesus and Christian terminology into it.  They believed the only way to know ‘God’ (to them an impersonal cosmic universal force) was through a personal mystical experience of union with this force.  They believed Jesus was a God sent savior (as mentioned above), but also only a man who had reached this state of union, and that they could achieve this state and be freed from the evil material universe.  They embraced the mystical practices of other pagan religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Egyptian Mystery Religions, etc.) because they offered a proven way to experience the spiritual realm and thus reach union.  These Gnostics were the first practitioners of what has become known as Contemplative Prayer.

Contemplative Prayer is a practice that uses repeated “sacred words” (a mantra), or controlled breathing techniques to help focus the mind until all thought is silenced, the mind is emptied of “self”, is totally subdued and compliant, and is then open for union with the “God”.

In reality the Gnostics were becoming wizards, opening themselves up to specific demonic spirits.  The Hindus call the effects of this demonic influence “Kundalini arousal” or the awakening of “The Serpent Spirit” (see spirit of python above).  This demonic power is released (given free reign over the individual) when this mystical union is achieved.  The Hindus and today’s New Age practitioners, achieve this union through practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM), a yoga technique that is virtually identical to the Contemplative Prayer spreading through the Evangelical Church today.

The Gnostics took the pragmatic view that what worked for pagans would also work for them.  They sought to know God through personal experiential understanding and mystical demonic influence.  They introduced their pagan practices into Christianity when they gradually started grouping together with monks in monasteries in the fifth century where Contemplative Prayer was quickly assimilated into the Catholic tradition. 

The basic beliefs of the Gnostics are the same underlying beliefs of today’s New Age practitioners.  They have the same root, the same source.  Today’s Christian Contemplative Prayer practitioners argue that it has a long history among Christians, but they fail to realize that the roots precede Christianity and those roots are pagan/demonic in origin.  They fail to see that the source of their knowledge is just as important as the knowledge itself, and the source of this knowledge is demonic.  They need to discern that you cannot get good fruit from a corrupt tree. They need to ignore the pretty flowering branches and smooth trunk, and see the rotten corrupt roots and the eventual evil fruit of Contemplative Prayer.

Matt 7:18-19: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

All forms of Contemplative Prayer as practiced today by undiscerning Christians (Centering Prayer, Mantra Prayer, Breath Prayer, Lectio Divina, etc.) are directly aligned with, and are the corrupt fruit of the Contemplative Prayer practices used by the Gnostics, who learned them from the pagan Hindus, Buddhists, and Egyptian Mystics.  There is no description of anything even remotely resembling the practice of Contemplative Prayer in the scriptures.  We are in grave error when we accept practices from pagan religions, with a coat of “Christianized Whitewash” slapped on them and passed off as practices sanctioned by God, just because they give us a “mystical” or “spiritual” experience. 

Deut 7:25: The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an abomination to the LORD thy God.

We are not to desire ANYTHING from the pagan gods/religions, not even if what they offer seems good and valuable, like the gold and silver on the pagan idols seemed good and valuable.  Even if some people see good and value in Contemplative Prayer, it comes from a polluted source.  If the source is polluted, then everything that spews forth from it is also polluted and is an abomination to God.

Contemplative Prayer is not the way to grow in the knowledge of God; it is not even a valid form of prayer.

Every example of prayer in the Bible has the individual that is praying actively involved in the process, and praying to God with words or tongues and/or asking a petition of God.  Never is there a mention of emptying our minds of all thought so that we can achieve “divine union” with God.

THE TRUTH

God provided the scriptures in order for us to obtain the knowledge of him as they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

2 Pet 1:3: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

John 8:31-32: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 16:13-15: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.

John 17:17-19: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

2 Tim 3:16-17: All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

How do we obtain everything dealing with life and Godliness?  Through knowledge of God.

How do we know the truth?  By continuing in his word.

Who is the truth that we know by continuing in his word?  Jesus.

Who will guide us into all truth?  The Holy Spirit.

What is truth?  His word is truth.

How are we sanctified?  Through the truth, e.g. his word.

How are we made perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works?  Through doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness provided by all scripture, his word, his truth.

Our only legitimate God sanctioned source of spiritual knowledge is pure, and holy.  It is the Bible, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, which will NEVER conflict with God’s written word, the holy scripture.

Roger (Rocky) Muse

Please send us any comments at: smuse@erwm.com