The Religious Philosophy of the Spirits Behind Channeling

By: Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr.John Weldon; ©2012

Most people consider the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible to be exemplary in wisdom, ethical content, and in the positive impact they have had throughout history. It would be difficult to argue that teachings which deny and oppose them should be considered good. If the spirits’ teachings reject biblical instruction, on what logical basis can they be considered as the advice of good spirits? It makes more sense that the origin of anti-Christ teachings is from something evil.

The Religious Philosophy of the Spirits Behind Channeling

Most people consider the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible to be exemplary in wisdom, ethical content, and in the positive impact they have had throughout history. It would be difficult to argue that teachings which deny and oppose them should be considered good. If the spirits’ teachings reject biblical instruction, on what logical basis can they be considered as the advice of good spirits? It makes more sense that the origin of anti-Christ teachings is from something evil.

So, what are the religious views of the spirits? In general, the spirits agree theologically, which is very interesting. Channeling authority Jon Klimo observes, “Time after time, through different kinds of channels and channelings, similar messages are given.^[1]” First we will present a brief summary to compare the spirits’ views from channeled literature with biblical teaching. Then we will quote individual spirits in more detail to further document their unbiblical beliefs.

God. The spirits teach that God is ultimately an impersonal force (an “it”), like electricity, or a universal life-energy that constitutes everything. God is “infinite power,” “all life,” “universal consciousness,” and so on. The consensus of “most channeled material” is that “God is all that is,” and that “the universe is a multi-dimensional living Being,” i.e., God.^[2] Thus, “Seth” teaches, “There is no personal God… in Christian terms.”^[3] But the Bible teaches that God is a personal, holy, and loving Being who created the universe distinct from Himself (Gen. 1:1; John 3:16).

Jesus Christ. The spirits teach that Jesus is an evolved spirit or a man just like us. Jesus was the person who highly emulated the “Christ spirit,” which is said to be part of us all. The spirits say that Jesus died and evolved to a higher state of existence. One spirit confesses that Jesus was only a representative of the impersonal divine force living in all men (the Christ spirit), and that Christians who believe in the biblical Jesus “worship a dead Christ.”^[4] But the Bible teaches that Christians worship a living Christ, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He is fully man and fully God in one Person. He is the unique Son of God (Luke 2:11; John 1:1; Rom. 1:4; Phil. 2:1-9; Titus 2:13).

Man’s Nature. The spirits teach that human nature is perfect and one in essence with God. “White Eagle” says to all people, “You too are part of God.”^[5] Another spirit teaches it is a “vicious abomination” to teach men that they are evil or sinful.^[6] On the other hand, the Bible teaches that man is a created being and not part of God. Man was created good and innocent, but he sinned by disobeying God, resulting in his being separated from God’s fellowship (Gen. 1:27; 3:3-8).

Sin. The spirits teach that sin is merely “mistakes,” “an illusion,” or ignorance of one’s own deity. Sin (in a biblical sense) is nothing God is concerned with. One spirit teaches that “talk of sin and guilt” is the true evil, even though it “may be camouflaged by the use of religious buzz words such as ‘Jesus loves you’ or ‘praise the Lord.’… If the minister or priest happens to be one who loves to rant and rave about sin and guilt, the forces he draws in will be dark and ugly.”^[7] But the Bible teaches that sin and guilt are real. Sin is disobedience to God’s law (1 John 3:4; 5:17), which apart from repentance and faith in Christ will result in God’s judgment (John 3:16, 36; Matt. 25:46).

Salvation. The spirits teach that “salvation” involves realizing that one is already part of God. Each man must accomplish this for himself by practicing various occult techniques. According to the spirits, salvation does not occur by the atoning death of Christ, which one spirit characteristically claims is “a tragic distortion of the real nature of God’s love….”^[8] Spirits speaking through medium Carl Japikse teach that the Christian view of the atonement is a great social and spiritual evil. Being “born again” for salvation is a “hysterical belief,” an “escape from responsibility.”^[9] Believing in Jesus “does not serve the plan of God.”^[10] Accepting Christ as one’s Savior at a religious gathering is like “a circus sideshow.”^[11] Thus, man’s “struggle is not between salvation and damnation,” and Christians who believe so are “ignorant fanatics” who prefer “spiritual darkness.”^[12]

But Jesus and the Bible both teach that salvation means receiving the gift of forgiveness of sins from a loving God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Salvation has been provided for people by God’s grace and is received by man through faith in Christ’s death (Eph. 1:7; 2:8, 9), because “He [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2 NASB).

Death. The spirits teach that at death there is no final judgment because death is merely transition into the amazing spirit world. “All ‘spirit teaching’ [agrees]… there is no hell, no punishment.”^[13] But Jesus Christ and the Bible both emphasize repeatedly that death brings judgment and entrance either into an eternal heaven or hell (Matt. 25:46; Heb. 9:27).

Satan. The spirits teach there is no devil. As one spirit argues, “There is no devil…. It is utterly absurd to believe [in] a ‘prince of darkness.”^[14] But the Bible teaches that Satan and his demons are real, as Jesus Himself taught (Matt. 4:1-10; 8:16; 17:18).

Individual Spirits’ Teachings

Now we will cite the words of some of the most popular spirits in America, because millions of people believe that what these spirits teach is consistent with the Bible and Christian faith. As you read the spirits words, ask yourself some questions. Are these teachings true or false? Are they good or evil? Are they what we would expect from good spirits or from deceiving spirits?

1. “Ramtha”—the spirit speaking through medium J. Z. Knight in Douglas Mahr’s Ramtha, Voyage to the New World, Ballentine, 1987 (citations are listed by pages):

“Ramtha’s” teaching on God. “The Christian God is an “idiotic deity” (p. 219). “God, the principle, is all things…” (p. 250).

“Ramtha’s” teaching on man. “You are God” (p. 61). “God the Father is you” (p. 136). “Everyone is what you call a psychic…” (p. 139); “Love yourself… live in the moment, to exalt all that you are” (p. 149).

“Ramtha’s” teaching on sin. “There is no such thing as evil” (p. 60). “For 2,000 years we have been called sinful creatures… [but] we are equal with God or Christ” (pp. 180-81).

“Ramtha’s” teaching on salvation. “Do not preach to this world… the world doesn’t need saving-leave it alone” (p. 130). “Relinquish guilt… do not live by rules, live by feelings…. You are the Lord of Hosts, you are the Prince of Peace” (p. 149). “Now to become enlightened is to make the priority of enlightenment first-the priority of love of Self first” (p. 227).

“Ramtha’s” teaching on death. “God has never judged you or anyone” (p. 62). “No, there is no Hell and there is no devil” (p. 252).

“Ramtha’s” teaching on Satan and demons. “Devil? I looked far and wide for the creature… I found him nowhere, [but] I found him thriving in the hearts of frenzied entities in a fervor of madness to save the world from its sins…. That is where he is. [Do] you understand?” (pp. 252-53). “The devil is not really evil… because he’s really God…. Who else would he be?” (p. 251).

2. “Jesus”—The spirit who worked through medium Helen Schucman in A Course in Miracles, 1977 (citations are listed by volume and page):

“Jesus’” teaching on God. “The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There is no separation of God and His creation” (1:136).

“Jesus’” teaching on Jesus. “There is nothing about me [Jesus] that you cannot attain” (1:5). “Christ waits for your acceptance of Him as yourself” (1:187). “Is [Jesus] the Christ? O yes, along with you” (1:83).

“Jesus’” teaching on man. “God’s Name is holy, but no holier than yours. To call upon His Name is but to call upon your own” (2:334). “You are the Holy Son of God Himself” (2:353-54).

“Jesus’” teaching on sin. “Sin does not exist” (3:81). “Sin is the grand illusion… joyously [release] one another from the belief in sin” (1:375,377-78). “See no one, then, as guilty… [within all men] there is perfect innocence.” “No one is punished for sins, [and you] are not sinners” (1:88).

“Jesus’” teaching on salvation. “[Divine] forgiveness, then, is an illusion…” (3:79). “[It is] a terrible misconception that God Himself [judged] His own Son on behalf of salvation…. It is so essential that all such thinking be dispelled that we must be sure that nothing of this kind remains in your mind. I was not ‘punished’ because you were bad” (1:32-33, 87). “A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need to correct.” “Salvation is nothing more than ‘right-mindedness.’… “[Y]ou are one with God” (1:11, 53; 2:125). “Do not make the pathetic error of ‘clinging to the old rugged cross.’… This is not the gospel I… intended to offer you” (1:47).

“Jesus’” teaching on death. “There is no death, but there is a belief in death” (1:46). “Death is the central dream from which all illusions stem” (3:63).

3. “Seth”—the spirit that spoke through Jane Roberts, written down by her husband in Seth Speaks, Prentice Hall, 1972 (citations are listed by pages):

“Seth’s” teaching on God. God is “All That Is” (p. 405).

“Seth’s” teaching on Jesus. “He [Jesus] will not come to reward the righteous and send evildoers to eternal doom” (p. 389).

“Seth’s” teaching on sin. “A strong belief in such [concepts of good and evil] is highly detrimental …” (p. 191).

“Seth’s” teaching on salvation. “The soul… is not something you must save or redeem, and it is also something you cannot lose” (p. 89).

“Seth’s” teaching on Satan and demons. “The devil is a projection of your own psyche…” (p. 7). “There are no devils or demons…” (p. 405).

4. “Lilly” and other spirits—channeled through medium Ruth Montgomery. (Note: Some of Montgomery’s following statements reflect the teachings of spirits which she adopted as her own beliefs.):

The spirits’ teaching on God. “God is the name of What Is.”^[15]

The spirits’ teaching on man. “God wishes that it [psychic ability] be utilized and developed to the fullest potential.”^[16] “We are God….”^[17]

The spirits’ teaching on death. “There is no such thing as death.”^[18] “God punishes no man.”^[19]

The spirits’ teaching on Satan and demons. “I have seen no signs of a devil on this side of the veil [‘veil’ here means death].”^[20] “The devil was not a person ever….”^[21]

5. Various spirits who allegedly knew Jesus on earth, as written through medium Kahlil Gibran in Jesus, the Son of Man, New York: A. A. Knopf, 1959 (citations are listed by pages):

The spirits’ views on God. “Israel should have another God…” (p. 32).

The spirits’ views on Jesus. “Jesus the Nazarene was born and reared like ourselves…. He was [only] a man.” “Jesus was a man and not a god…. It’s a pity his followers seek to make a god of such a sage” (pp. 43, 109, 113).

6. “The Christ”—dozens of spirits call themselves by this name. For example: One claims to be the biblical Jesus who, after 2,000 years in the spirit world, has “acquired new ideas and experiences.” He endorses occultism, teaches all men will become God, and encourages his listeners to reject Christian teachings and accept spirit contact.^[22]

Another explains how the biblical doctrine of an atoning sacrifice was invented through the early Christians’ spiritual neuroses and immaturity. The “Jesus” channeled through Mark Thomas recalls: “Young and baby souls tend to learn through pain. Because of their lack of ability to look inside themselves for the ‘redemption’ they were seeking, they had to have a ‘savior’ who would give it to them…. I tried to make it clear that I indeed did not come to ‘save the world’.”^[23] This “Jesus” says of heaven, “… no such place… exists.”^[24]

Consider what you have just read. Do the spirits endorse the occult when God forbids it (Deut. 18:9-12)? Do the spirits deny that there is a devil when Jesus taught the Satan was a real, personal being (Matt. 4:1-10)? Why do you think the spirits claim people are not sinners when all people know in their hearts they are? Why do the spirits teach that God is impersonal when God has revealed Himself in the Bible as a personal Being? Why do the spirits teach people to be selfish when such behavior is universally condemned? Why do the spirits deny that Christ died to forgive sins when Christ Himself taught that this was the reason He came (Matt. 20:28)? Why do the spirits claim that Jesus was simply a man when all the evidence proves He was God incarnate, the only begotten Son of God, as He Himself taught (John 3:16; 5:18; 10:30; 14:6)? Why do the spirits say that people are God, when people know they are not? Why do the spirits deny the existence of evil when its reality is obvious to all?

The point is this: The spirits’ religious teachings are exactly what one might expect from evil spirits. The problem is that the very theory that is true, that Satan and demons do exist, is the one most rarely considered by those involved in the very practices. One reason for this is the spirits’ ingenious ways by which they hide themselves. We offer examples below under the general themes of “impersonation” and “creative psychology.”

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NOTES

1. ↑ Jon Klimo, Channeling: Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources (Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1987), p. 183.
2. ↑ Ibid., pp. 151,173.
3. ↑ Jane Roberts, The Seth Material (NY: Bantam, 1976), p. 270.
4. ↑ Robert E. Leichtman, Carl Japiske, The Life of the Spirit, Vol. 1 (Columbus, OH: Ariel, 1987), pp. 137-38, 146-53.
5. ↑ White Eagle Publishing Trust, Wisdom from White Eagle (Liss, Hampshire, England, 1978), p. 26.
6. ↑ Leichtman and Japiske, Life of the Spirit, Vol. 1, pp. 83-84.
7. ↑ Ibid., pp. 138, 141.
8. ↑ Ibid., p. 149.
9. ↑ Ibid.
10. ↑ Ibid., pp. 83-87.
11. ↑ Robert E. Leichtman, Carl Japiske, The Life of the Spirit, Vol. 2 (Columbus, OH: Ariel, 1987), p. 43.
12. ↑ Ibid., pp. 41-42, 67-69.
13. ↑ Colin Wilson, The Occult: A History (NY: Vintage, 1973), p. 523.
14. ↑ Leichtman and Japiske, Vol. 1, p. 67.
15. ↑ Ruth Montgomery, Here and Hereafter (Fawcett Crest, 1968), p. 74.
16. ↑ Ruth Montgomery, A Search for Truth (NY: Bantam, 1968), p. 160.
17. ↑ Ruth Montgomery, A World Beyond (NY: Coward McCann and Geoghegan, 1971), p. 12.
18. ↑ Ibid., p. 66.
19. ↑ Montgomery, Here and Hereafter, p. 174.
20. ↑ Montgomery, A World Beyond, p. 64.
21. ↑ Ibid., p. 65.
22. ↑ The Christ, New Teachings for an Awakened Humanity (Santa Clara, CA: S.E.E. Publishing, 1987), pp. 2, 21, 35, 51, 53, 62, 72, 82, 92-95, 139, 188.
23. ↑ The Michael Digest Group, The Michael Game (Orinda, CA: Warwick, 1988), p. 85.
24. ↑ Ibid., p. 86.