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 spiritsā 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 spiritsā 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, āTime after time, through different kinds of channels and channelings, similar messages are given.[1]ā First we will present a brief summary to compare the spiritsā 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 āitā), like electricity, or a universal life-energy that constitutes everything. God is āinfinite power,ā āall life,ā āuniversal consciousness,ā and so on. The consensus of āmost channeled materialā is that āGod is all that is,ā and that āthe universe is a multi-dimensional living Being,ā i.e., God.[2] Thus, āSethā teaches, āThere is no personal God⦠in Christian terms.ā[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 āChrist spirit,ā 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 āworship a dead Christ.ā[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).
Manās Nature. The spirits teach that human nature is perfect and one in essence with God. āWhite Eagleā says to all people, āYou too are part of God.ā[5] Another spirit teaches it is a āvicious abominationā 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 Godās fellowship (Gen. 1:27; 3:3-8).
Sin. The spirits teach that sin is merely āmistakes,ā āan illusion,ā or ignorance of oneās own deity. Sin (in a biblical sense) is nothing God is concerned with. One spirit teaches that ātalk of sin and guiltā is the true evil, even though it āmay be camouflaged by the use of religious buzz words such as āJesus loves youā or āpraise the Lord.ā⦠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.ā[7] But the Bible teaches that sin and guilt are real. Sin is disobedience to Godās law (1 John 3:4; 5:17), which apart from repentance and faith in Christ will result in Godās judgment (John 3:16, 36; Matt. 25:46).
Salvation. The spirits teach that āsalvationā 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 āa tragic distortion of the real nature of Godās loveā¦.ā[8] Spirits speaking through medium Carl Japikse teach that the Christian view of the atonement is a great social and spiritual evil. Being āborn againā for salvation is a āhysterical belief,ā an āescape from responsibility.ā[9] Believing in Jesus ādoes not serve the plan of God.ā[10] Accepting Christ as oneās Savior at a religious gathering is like āa circus sideshow.ā[11] Thus, manās āstruggle is not between salvation and damnation,ā and Christians who believe so are āignorant fanaticsā who prefer āspiritual darkness.ā[12]
But Jesus and the Bible both teach that salvation means receiving the gift of forgiveness of sins from a loving God. āFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal lifeā (John 3:16). Salvation has been provided for people by Godās grace and is received by man through faith in Christās death (Eph. 1:7; 2:8, 9), because āHe [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole worldā (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. āAll āspirit teachingā [agrees]⦠there is no hell, no punishment.ā[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, āThere is no devilā¦. It is utterly absurd to believe [in] a āprince of darkness.ā[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 Spiritsā 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. āRamthaāāthe spirit speaking through medium J. Z. Knight in Douglas Mahrās Ramtha, Voyage to the New World, Ballentine, 1987 (citations are listed by pages):
āRamthaāsā teaching on God. āThe Christian God is an āidiotic deityā (p. 219). āGod, the principle, is all thingsā¦ā (p. 250).
āRamthaāsā teaching on man. āYou are Godā (p. 61). āGod the Father is youā (p. 136). āEveryone is what you call a psychicā¦ā (p. 139); āLove yourself⦠live in the moment, to exalt all that you areā (p. 149).
āRamthaāsā teaching on sin. āThere is no such thing as evilā (p. 60). āFor 2,000 years we have been called sinful creatures⦠[but] we are equal with God or Christā (pp. 180-81).
āRamthaāsā teaching on salvation. āDo not preach to this world⦠the world doesnāt need saving-leave it aloneā (p. 130). āRelinquish guilt⦠do not live by rules, live by feelingsā¦. You are the Lord of Hosts, you are the Prince of Peaceā (p. 149). āNow to become enlightened is to make the priority of enlightenment first-the priority of love of Self firstā (p. 227).
āRamthaāsā teaching on death. āGod has never judged you or anyoneā (p. 62). āNo, there is no Hell and there is no devilā (p. 252).
āRamthaāsā teaching on Satan and demons. āDevil? 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 sinsā¦. That is where he is. [Do] you understand?ā (pp. 252-53). āThe devil is not really evil⦠because heās really Godā¦. Who else would he be?ā (p. 251).
2. āJesusāāThe spirit who worked through medium Helen Schucman in A Course in Miracles, 1977 (citations are listed by volume and page):
āJesusāā teaching on God. āThe recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There is no separation of God and His creationā (1:136).
āJesusāā teaching on Jesus. āThere is nothing about me [Jesus] that you cannot attainā (1:5). āChrist waits for your acceptance of Him as yourselfā (1:187). āIs [Jesus] the Christ? O yes, along with youā (1:83).
āJesusāā teaching on man. āGodās Name is holy, but no holier than yours. To call upon His Name is but to call upon your ownā (2:334). āYou are the Holy Son of God Himselfā (2:353-54).
āJesusāā teaching on sin. āSin does not existā (3:81). āSin is the grand illusion⦠joyously [release] one another from the belief in sinā (1:375,377-78). āSee no one, then, as guilty⦠[within all men] there is perfect innocence.ā āNo one is punished for sins, [and you] are not sinnersā (1:88).
āJesusāā teaching on salvation. ā[Divine] forgiveness, then, is an illusionā¦ā (3:79). ā[It is] a terrible misconception that God Himself [judged] His own Son on behalf of salvationā¦. 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 āpunishedā because you were badā (1:32-33, 87). āA sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need to correct.ā āSalvation is nothing more than āright-mindedness.ā⦠ā[Y]ou are one with Godā (1:11, 53; 2:125). āDo not make the pathetic error of āclinging to the old rugged cross.ā⦠This is not the gospel I⦠intended to offer youā (1:47).
āJesusāā teaching on death. āThere is no death, but there is a belief in deathā (1:46). āDeath is the central dream from which all illusions stemā (3:63).
3. āSethāāthe spirit that spoke through Jane Roberts, written down by her husband in Seth Speaks, Prentice Hall, 1972 (citations are listed by pages):
āSethāsā teaching on God. God is āAll That Isā (p. 405).
āSethāsā teaching on Jesus. āHe [Jesus] will not come to reward the righteous and send evildoers to eternal doomā (p. 389).
āSethāsā teaching on sin. āA strong belief in such [concepts of good and evil] is highly detrimental ā¦ā (p. 191).
āSethāsā teaching on salvation. āThe soul⦠is not something you must save or redeem, and it is also something you cannot loseā (p. 89).
āSethāsā teaching on Satan and demons. āThe devil is a projection of your own psycheā¦ā (p. 7). āThere are no devils or demonsā¦ā (p. 405).
4. āLillyā and other spiritsāchanneled through medium Ruth Montgomery. (Note: Some of Montgomeryās following statements reflect the teachings of spirits which she adopted as her own beliefs.):
The spiritsā teaching on God. āGod is the name of What Is.ā[15]
The spiritsā teaching on man. āGod wishes that it [psychic ability] be utilized and developed to the fullest potential.ā[16] āWe are Godā¦.ā[17]
The spiritsā teaching on death. āThere is no such thing as death.ā[18] āGod punishes no man.ā[19]
The spiritsā teaching on Satan and demons. āI have seen no signs of a devil on this side of the veil [āveilā here means death].ā[20] āThe devil was not a person everā¦.ā[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 spiritsā views on God. āIsrael should have another Godā¦ā (p. 32).
The spiritsā views on Jesus. āJesus the Nazarene was born and reared like ourselvesā¦. He was [only] a man.ā āJesus was a man and not a godā¦. Itās a pity his followers seek to make a god of such a sageā (pp. 43, 109, 113).
6. āThe Christāādozens 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 āacquired new ideas and experiences.ā 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 Christiansā spiritual neuroses and immaturity. The āJesusā channeled through Mark Thomas recalls: āYoung and baby souls tend to learn through pain. Because of their lack of ability to look inside themselves for the āredemptionā they were seeking, they had to have a āsaviorā who would give it to themā¦. I tried to make it clear that I indeed did not come to āsave the worldā.ā[23] This āJesusā says of heaven, ā⦠no such place⦠exists.ā[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 spiritsā 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 spiritsā ingenious ways by which they hide themselves. We offer examples below under the general themes of āimpersonationā and ācreative psychology.ā
NOTES
- ā Jon Klimo, Channeling: Investigations on Receiving Information from Paranormal Sources (Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1987), p. 183.
- ā Ibid., pp. 151,173.
- ā Jane Roberts, The Seth Material (NY: Bantam, 1976), p. 270.
- ā Robert E. Leichtman, Carl Japiske, The Life of the Spirit, Vol. 1 (Columbus, OH: Ariel, 1987), pp. 137-38, 146-53.
- ā White Eagle Publishing Trust, Wisdom from White Eagle (Liss, Hampshire, England, 1978), p. 26.
- ā Leichtman and Japiske, Life of the Spirit, Vol. 1, pp. 83-84.
- ā Ibid., pp. 138, 141.
- ā Ibid., p. 149.
- ā Ibid.
- ā Ibid., pp. 83-87.
- ā Robert E. Leichtman, Carl Japiske, The Life of the Spirit, Vol. 2 (Columbus, OH: Ariel, 1987), p. 43.
- ā Ibid., pp. 41-42, 67-69.
- ā Colin Wilson, The Occult: A History (NY: Vintage, 1973), p. 523.
- ā Leichtman and Japiske, Vol. 1, p. 67.
- ā Ruth Montgomery, Here and Hereafter (Fawcett Crest, 1968), p. 74.
- ā Ruth Montgomery, A Search for Truth (NY: Bantam, 1968), p. 160.
- ā Ruth Montgomery, A World Beyond (NY: Coward McCann and Geoghegan, 1971), p. 12.
- ā Ibid., p. 66.
- ā Montgomery, Here and Hereafter, p. 174.
- ā Montgomery, A World Beyond, p. 64.
- ā Ibid., p. 65.
- ā 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.
- ā The Michael Digest Group, The Michael Game (Orinda, CA: Warwick, 1988), p. 85.
- ā Ibid., p. 86.
āWe are created in Gods image.ā What does that mean to you? That God is a fleshly being? Of course not. God called himself āI amā-why did God say that? We are one with God. Christianity seperates us from God which serves only to allow men to boast and give them power over many helpless souls. Christ said āThe kingdom of heaven is within you.ā What does that mean to you? Hindus and Buddhists also condone the Kingdom is within. Is everybody in the world wrong except you? I am a Christian in that i believe in Christ yet He has been misrepresented through out history. Distorted so as to give a hierarchy of men power. You neednt go to another man priest or pastor to discover God because God is within you. One day-you will understand our oneness with God because you will actually EXPERIENCE it. In the meantime you will continue to preach that we are seperated from God which is absolutely ludicrous.