Ask the Pastor

By Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship, Shambaugh, IA
Clarinda Herald Journal Publication Date : 10/17/2007

Eastern Mysticism (Part 3 of 4)

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

Christianity and Eastern Mysticism are conflicting foundational worldviews. Christianity approaches its core understanding of God in what is called an "Open System." Eastern Mysticism is a "Closed System."

Imagine with me a large circle. Inside of that circle are all things created by God. Within that circle lie trees, rocks, planets, stars, people, devils, and angels. God alone—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—exists outside that circle. God is separate, distinct, and transcendent above everything that is not Himself. God is all-present in within the circle, but His presence does not make those things God. That is why we say God is holy—set apart from His creation.

Quite a different view is inherent in Eastern Mysticism. Imagine again that same circle. Place all created things within the circle. This time, however, include God, who is not the personal creator, but the impersonal force within all living things. In this view, nothing exists outside of the circle. All things are within the circle, and all things are God. The God (or gods) of Eastern Mysticism is in all things, and all things themselves are God.

This Closed System is portrayed in the Yin-Yang symbol (pictured). The Yin-Yang is a Tao concept that combines many elements contrary to one another, i.e., male/female, positive/negative, light/darkness, active/passive, life/death, and good/evil. The white area reflects the good and the black the evil. Notice, however, that there is a little bit of evil in the good, and a little bit of good in the evil, blurring the distinction between the two. Eastern Mysticism portrays this impersonal god-force as both evil and good. There is no absolute evil or good, for all are one. Therefore, all that happens to you in this life is neither good nor evil, and the one who "self-realizes" the god-within, comes to accept all things as equal.

Christians fall prey to the influence of Eastern Mysticism when they attribute spiritual power to some other source than the holy God who stands outside of His creation. Such thinking is not only found in Eastern Mysticism, but also in witchcraft and the dark arts of the occult. Christians may pray for people to be healed, but the power is not in the mind, the hands, or the words, but in the God who hears and answers prayer.

Before coming to Christ, I went to a demonstration of Transcendental Meditation (TM). We were told that TM was a scientific means to enlightenment—not spiritual at all. We were told that people only use 10-15% of their brains, and that meditation helps us tap into the latent power of the soul to achieve peace, happiness, and healing, for ourselves,. In reality, TM is Eastern occultism in Western garb, showing up in practices such as “centering prayer.” And what of those Christians that use Tai Chi for stress relief or Yoga for exercise? Are they not also told that these are merely natural means of tapping those inner resources?

Next week, in my final article on this subject, I will provide specific examples of the ways in which Eastern Mysticism has wormed its way into the Church. Many Christians have acted in sincere ignorance as they practice the abominable (Deut 18:12). And for those who know better, the Bible gives the strongest of all warnings (Matt 18:6).

Why would so many turn to worthless and enslaving pseudo-spiritualities, when everything we need is in Christ Himself, whose "divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him" (2 Peter 1:3). Perhaps the answer lies in our culture's quest for shortcuts, and our unwillingness to deny self and to pick up our cross and follow (Matt 16:24). Hey, why deny self when the public face of evil promises a less rocky road?

--Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)