Ask the Pastor
By Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship, Shambaugh, IA
Clarinda Herald Journal Publication Date : 10/10/2007

Eastern Mysticism (Part 2 of 4)

“What is Eastern Mysticism and how does it conflict with Christianity?”

We are faulty in our understanding of history to think that all world religions sprung up independent of each another. From the very beginning there has always been the One True God--the God of the Bible. He created all things and all men. Man had no other religion than God alone. The worship of other gods and the forming of other religions came to be as people willfully turned from God to follow the gods of their imagination (at best) and demons (at worst).

Eastern Mysticism never existed until it first appeared in the descendants of Noah. Those who turned from God, raised a temple--a ziggurat--to other gods, in Abraham's hometown of Ur of Chaldees. At the same time in nearby Babylon, Nimrod built a ziggurat in Babylon--the tower of Babel. They rebelled against God, and formed their own religions which today form the starting points for all Eastern Religions--all about 3000 B.C. (Gen 10-11).

However, the tenets of Eastern Mysticism trace back to the garden of Eden--from the mouth of a snake. His subtle lie to Eve; "you shall be as God" (Gen 3:5), is at the core of all Eastern Mysticism, as the initiates seek "self realization," that is godhood, or oneness with the god-force. This is sought through various mantras, chants, breathing, and meditation--to name a few. Even the straight spine of Yoga's lotus position and combined with rhythmic breathing is intended to open a path of power through which spirit beings assist the initiate towards this oneness. In its pure Eastern form, few Christians would be deceived, but in Western cultures, such as the USA, these things have been repackaged into more acceptable forms that far too many have fallen prey--more on this in the next two articles.

Now, it is true that in every religion of the world, Eastern or otherwise, you will find some remnants of that early connection to God before their defection. Satan knows that deception requires some truth so as not expose his involvement. It is this blurring of the lines that have lured in unsuspecting Christians. As a result, there are some who today, would try to legitimize and accept other world religions as acceptable ways to find God. But whether a religion is one day old or 5000 years old, it cannot be sanitized by time. If it was wrong on its first day, then it is still wrong today.

--Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)