For those who think that there is no correlation between New Age precepts and Hinduism, I would suggest reading the following article:   http://www.probe.org/content/view/692/0/

And for an enlightening overview of Oprah’s recent spiritual journey I would also recommend the following link: http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2930

Food for thought …..

As some of you may have noticed, I have taken part in on going discussions, both on this blog and others, with regard to Eckhart Toole’s book, “A New Earth”. “A New Earth” echos many of the main themes or perspectives of the “New Age” way of looking at how one can formulate an understanding or methodology that moves us supposedly forward towards the goal of finding spiritual truth and fulfillment. As to whether the “New Age” perspective is the correct perspective, is what the on going discussions have been all about. There are those within the “Christian Community”, and I use that term loosely, that agree and disagree with the New Age or A New Earth approach.

The fact that so many people are finding the New Age approach thought provoking and yes, even gratifying, speaks of the universal need for humanity to find meaning in life beyond the physical plain. And it also speaks of the failure of the Christian Church to fill this obvious need.

I am a Christian and the perspective that I adhere to is that we, i.e., humanity, have been given a revelation from God and that revelation is contained within the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. There are many that agree with me and there are also many who would disagree with me.

Either side of the coin can and often does, make a reasoned case for their particular perspective. The variables that can come into play are many, and criticism, within and without is often justified.

And I wonder, where did the Christian Church and what it stands for go wrong. I believe with all my heart that Jesus did not go wrong, I believe that what He proclaimed and what He exemplified (and still does) has never changed. But we, His followers, His disciples have often gotten it wrong. Don’t misunderstand me, there are millions of individuals and groups within the body of Christ that have exemplified the love of God (and still do), but collectively, historically, we have often fallen short. Sometimes I think that we focus too much on our mental adherence to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable and we fail to focus on reaching out in the love of God, accepting others where they are, much like God accepts us where we are and takes us from there to a greater understanding.

Is it wrong to know what you believe and why you believe it? Absolutely not, in fact, it is of necessity, an absolute requirement. Even the New Age perspective, which also has many variables, is, in itself, a belief system or methodology of perspective per sec. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is really simplistic. There are sound reasons why the various creeds came into existence. There are reasons why the Reformation took place and there are sound reasons why divisions continue.

I have always marveled that Jesus did not leave us with any of His personal writings. When you stop and think about it, that in itself is really amazing. From a humanistic perspective, one would think that a person who said that He was an equal with God would lay down the fundamentals in written format, but He didn’t. It almost goes against the grain to leave something of that importance to chance, or perhaps He (Jesus) had a perspective that most of us don’t take to heart. He wasn’t leaving it to chance, He knew what was going to happen and He had no doubt how His message would be dealt with by humanity, even more specifically towards the latter days, so what we are experiencing should not come as a surprise. But still, I can’t help but feel that sometimes we just missed the mark and it does not have to be this way. And yet, maybe it is I that am wrong, maybe human nature being what it is, does paint a picture of perpetual conflict. Consider these words from Jesus as recorded in Luke chapter 12: “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”

Division within the church was always been problematic and there is a reason for that. The church, that is the collective members of the body of Christ here on earth are imperfect. That would be you and I. The Good News that Jesus came to declare, the sacrifice He made on the cross for our sins, the life He exemplified doing the will of the Father, are all without error. There never has been a man like Jesus again and He was and is truly unique. How we react to the truths that He gave us, has been and continues to be a source of division. At what cost do we move towards unity? When does watering down the Gospel equate to walking away from the truth rather than towards it? If what Jesus proclaimed is the truth, then how can one just focus on things that He said that we can agree on and ignore the rest that may make us uncomfortable?

Christian apologetics is in itself a good thing because it can provide answers to many of the questions we have all thought of at one time or another. But ever here there is variance, even here what is acceptable to one may not be acceptable to another.  I don’t see anything wrong in understanding why we as Christians have faith in the written word of God, in fact I think it of paramount importance. But, the way we live our lives, the way we interact with others, the way we offer out God’s love in our dealings with our families and fellow workers and humanity in general is also of equal or even greater importance. If we are to be lights in the darkness, then why do we not shine more brightly?

The more one tries to imitate the way Jesus dealt with people He met, the more we become aware of the distance between His perspective and our own. His work was to do the will of the Father, too often we have our own agenda. This, I believe, is our biggest failing. Do Christian apologetics change non-believers minds, I am sure they have and do, but even more important I suspect is the day to day demonstration of the love of God as defined in Ist Corinthians chapter 13, to our family, our friends and our fellow human beings on this earth. Because, when all is said and done, if I understand 1st Corinthians 13 at all, it is the love that is manifested in all our dealings with others that is pivotal and of utter importance, because no matter what we are doing in response to God’s calling on our life, if we do not do it in love, then we clearly fall short. And yet, I also ponder, is there such a thing as righteous indignation? When Jesus cleared the Temple because they had made it into a den of thieves, was this an act of love on Jesus part? I think it was, love towards His Father in what had been subverted from one representation into another. Maybe our understanding of the demonstration of love needs to be critically reviewed.

For the time being, it is my perspective that different perspectives will always be a reality, the magnitude of the number of those who hold different perspectives, is limited only by our willingness to serve God in truth and in spirit.

Finding a well thought out and balanced Christian resource covering a broad area of topics is not as easy a task as one might think it is. There are so many variables and discernments to take into consideration. But, I have found a jem and I would love to share it with you. We are talking video, audio, study guides, powerpoint presentations and pod casts. Check it out …..

http://www.whchurch.org/content/page_26.htm

and there is an excellent resource available on “New Age” Questions and Answers also.

http://www.whchurch.org/content/page_883.htm

I just finished watching “Unlocking the Mystery of Life”. It is a compelling documentary that examines an idea with the power to revolutionize our understanding of life… and to unlock the mystery of its origin. In 1859, Charles Darwin published, On the Origin of Species . In it, he argued that all of life on earth was the product of undirected natural processes. Time, chance, and natural selection. Since Darwin, biologists have relied on such processes to account for the origin of living things. Yet today, this approach is being challenged as never before. “Unlocking the Mystery of Life” is the story of top-notch, contemporary scientists who are advancing a powerful idea — “the theory of intelligent design.” Using state-of-the-art computer animation, “Unlocking the Mystery of Life” transports you into the interior of the living cell to explore systems and machines that bear the unmistakable hallmarks of design. Discover the intricacy of a microscopic bacterial rotary motor, which spins at 100,000 rpm. Within the nucleus explore the wonder of DNA, a thread-like molecule that stores instructions to build the essential components of every living organism. It is part of a biological information processing system more complex and more powerful than any computer network.

You can view it on youtube at the following link. If you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend you take the time to view it. http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=FSi353iB020

The following link provides an excellent article authored by Stephen C. Meyer on the reasoning behind the Intelligence Design position. Stephen C. Meyer is director and Senior Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute, in Seattle.

Meyer earned his Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University for a dissertation on the history of origin of life biology and the methodology of the historical sciences. Previously he worked as a geophysicist with the Atlantic Richfield Company after earning his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Geology.

http://www.discovery.org/a/3059

Chuck Colson is just one of an ever increasing number of Evangelical Christians to raise the alarm about Eckhart Toole’s book “A New Earth”. You can read his viewpoint at the following link:

http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=7792

The links at the end of the article also provide additional insight….

I have read many books and visited many web sites over the course of years of my existence and there is one that stands out at the forefront for sound information access and well balanced reasoning. I heartily recommend the following site and it’s publications for both young and old.

http://www.knowgodpersonally.org/index.php

I must admit that this topic is amazingly interesting. The advancements of scientific knowledge has brought to the forefront truly astonishing discoveries, and yet in many areas we seem entrenched in a humanistic gridlock that steadfastly continues to deny the existence of an intelligence that is greater than our own. As a Christian, I would attribute this intelligence to my God, in the person of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. That being said, I put forward the following links as points for discussion and/or consideration.

Back To the Beginning

http://www.y-origins.com/article1.htm

What Are the Odds?

http://www.y-origins.com/article2.htm

Options for Origins

http://www.y-zine.com/options.htm

The Problem With Half An Eye

http://www.y-zine.com/eye.htm

The Language of Our Cells

http://www.y-zine.com/cells.htm

The Case of the Missing Links

http://www.y-zine.com/missing_links.htm

The Human Enigma

http://www.y-zine.com/enigma.htm

Imagine the Designer

http://www.y-zine.com/imagine.htm

Today, more than ever, there is a dire need to know and understand the basis by which we define and defend our Christian faith. From time to time I shall provide links to recommended articles which shed light on this responsibility that all believers share. The first recommended article deals with “A Biblical Guide to Orthodoxy and Heresy”. Don’t let the title scare you. I will add more as time goes by.

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/d01.html

While looking around the Internet I found another chapter by chapter review of Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”. The link to the site is as follows:

http://beyondfaith.wordpress.com/

The site belongs to a young man named Hunter who works with youth in his church. Look under New Earth Reviewed. Well worth the visit…..

Here is Chapter Two:

http://beyondfaith.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/tolle-me-a-story-a-new-earth-reviewed-%e2%80%93-chapter-2/