Introduction to New
Discussion Group:
Uniting East and West in Christ
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 9:21 PM
Subject: [888] East & West Apostasy
and Restoration -- New List
This is a time of crisis in my life. I've learned so much of value from
those who have immersed themselves in the teachings of Eastern religions, and
yet these same individuals usually carry with them an often sacrilegious
disregard of the gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ. I found this
relentless disparagement of this central element of Christianity to be so
burdensome to my soul that yesterday I finally unsubscribed from the
"Keys of Knowledge" e-mail discussion group, which is centered
around the teachings of J.J. Dewey, who leans strongly to the New Age himself.
I've penned a detailed response to a post he sent me this morning offering the
olive leaf. I will post that separately.
The eastern sacrilege is not the only thing that was troubling me. The
Western orthodoxy was wearing on my nerves as well. For that reason, earlier
in the day yesterday, I unsubscribed from David's Outcasts list. I found the
dogmatism and unbending orthodoxy that is found so often there something that
I needed to take a break from as well, even though I was the list founder and
administrator. I needed to get away from yet another round of bantering about
whether or not a person needed to live polygamy to be saved.
Crisis times can be wonderful opportunities for break-throughs, and so it
has been with me.
This morning I had a major flash of revelation.
I am going to log back on to the keys of knowledge list and David's
Outcasts to post this and see what sort of response I get from both camps.
My specialty or gift of understanding has been regarding the apostasy of
Mormonism. In that study and the series of revelations that have come in the
process of learning over the years about this and all of its ramifications, I
have seen basically an unfolding of the parable of the wheat and the tares. We
started with something good, but then the enemy came in and sowed counterfeit
paradigms along side the good truths, which in their early stages are nearly
indistinguishable, but later become manifest. I have seen how Satan has
infiltrated the LDS Church to the point that most of its highest leaders are
blinded to the extent of their own apostasy as the shepherds of the flock.
Meanwhile, co-mingling in the Church of Jesus Christ are the Remnant who
will redeem Zion along side those who will fight against the work of the
Father. On one hand are the hypocrites who draw near him with their lips but
their hearts are far from him, and on the other hand, are those whose hearts
are given wholly to God and the walk of righteousness, having received a
genuine mighty change of heart, whose actions of good stem from the heart, not
from the expectations of others.
The LDS Church is BOTH the bride of the Lamb -- a bride that will be
purified -- AND the Great and Abominable Church. Both elements are present in
the same institution.
Gratefully, out of all this chaos is prophesied to be born a man-child, the
kingdom of God, brought forth by a small remnant from the midst of that
apostasy who awake and put on strength.
SO IT IS WITH THE NEW AGE AND EASTERN MYSTICISM.
There are many good, sound truths to be found there. Indeed, the origins of
Eastern Mysticism may have been relatively pure.
But like Christianity or any other truth revealed from God, immediately,
the enemy went forth and sowed his evil tares along side the wheat, which
counterfeit teachings and individuals who expounded them were nearly
indistinguishable from the truth and the true messengers of God.
Co-mingled in the esoteric/mystical/New Age are both grand and glorious
truths as well as damnable lies which will destroy. Furthermore, among those
who adhere to the Eastern Religions are found both those who could be
considered aligned with the church of God as well as others who are aligned
with the church of the devil -- side by side, indistinguishable to the casual
observer. In the midst of that circle of teachings that might be classified as
"New Age" is both goodness that will exalt a person and evil that
will damn him.
And emerging through the fires ahead will be a remnant who will awake and
put on strength, helping to bring forth the man-child, the kingdom of God on
earth.
I think anyone hearing this analogy will resonate with it and perceive
instinctively/ intuitively with their common sense that it is true. The
parable of the wheat and the tares is applicable to all religions -- to all
movements of God.
A corollary of this is that there needs to be among the remnant who will
redeem Zion, including among those who gravitate toward the Eastern/New Age
approach to God, a sense of watching out, of being alert, of looking out for
counterfeits, falsehoods, that Satan may have introduced to thwart the truths
found therein, lest someone be caught in a snare.
In these end times, the "fullness of times," all truth is going
to be circumscribed into one great whole. Falsehoods, like dross, will be
skimmed off in the fires through which we will pass.
I would submit to you that one of the most profound lies introduced by the
devil to mysticism/ esoteric/ Eastern Religion, especially in its
manifestation in the West in the form of New Age philosophy, is the redefining
of Jesus Christ into just a role model (molded of course to their own making)
and denying the gift of salvation that he offers.
Likewise, one of the most profound lies in circulation among the Mormons/
Christians, is the inapproachability of godhood and of individual spiritual
contact with God.
In the coming kingdom of God we will realize that there is BOTH (1) a God
in heaven who governs in the affairs of man, who sent his only begotten Son,
to save us from our sins, and to fill us with his Spirit to guide us in our
path, AND (2) latent godhood within each of us, actuated as we bring ourselves
into harmony as a function of our free will with the universal oneness as
epitomized by Jesus Christ. We as the children of God have the destiny to
ourselves one day become God. There is BOTH an individual and a collective
level of application for the coming of Christ, not one or the other. He is
coming (or has already come in many cases) (1) to our hearts, AND (2) to the
world in glory.
Now I would like to make some observations and a proposal regarding the
keys of knowledge list.
My observation is that in general list members lean heavily in the
direction of the New Age -- mainly the apostate version, that dethrones Jesus
Christ as our Savior. This has to do in large measure because of where the
list is located -- www.spiritweb.com which web site is archetypal New Age, the full-blown apostate version that is
fundamentally, gut-wrenching anti-Christian occultism. No wonder so few from
the Western/Christian affinity end up there. They wouldn't get past page one
of www.spiritweb.com; and in the rare instance that they do, if they have any conviction at all
about Jesus Christ being the Savior (dependent upon our choice to actuate that
salvation, so in that regard we are our own saviors as well), then they are
soon disenchanted and leave.
My hope and expectation at the time I joined the keys of knowledge list was
that J.J. was doing a good job of extracting the best from East and West,
including a true understanding that Jesus Christ is indeed our Savior. If you
go back to my original introductory post to the list, you will see that this
is where I was coming from.
I have it posted at http://www.greaterthings.com/Bio/DeweyIntro.htm. A similar statement that proceeding it by a few days may be found in the
first review of "The Immortal" I posted at
http://www.greaterthings.com/Bookstore/Spirituality/Immortal.htm
I then posted a link to that review to the bottom footer that appears on
each of the 1000-some pages at my web site. I removed that link yesterday
because of the misgivings I have had about where J.J. seems to be taking
things.
Did I over-react? Is J.J. a deceived disciple of apostate New Age
philosophy, along with most of the other keys of knowledge list members, or is
he one who will "awaken" to the fact that the New Age has its tares
too, the most significant being its zealous anti-Jesus Christ as Savior?
If I can be convinced (by reason and Spirit) that J.J. is willing to see
this fallacy of the New Age movement, and that he stands as I do on the hope
of uniting the best of East and West in Christ (latent Christ in each of us as
well as Christ Jesus our savior), then I am with him in this cause that both
of us share. But if he is unalterably convinced that Jesus is not our actual
Savior, but just a role model, then I will be bidding you farewell.
Perhaps what I am getting at here is exactly what J.J. has said in other
words. Indeed, I can call to mind that he does put Jesus in a Savior role,
though it varies from the Biblical stance. I'm willing to adopt higher truths,
so long as they do not require me to deny the witnesses of the Spirit I have
been given thus far.
It seem that what is needed is voluntary purging. Just as I have labored
among my Mormon remnant outcasts acquaintances to help awaken people to the
fallacies that have been introduced to Mormonism, and have been instrumental
in helping to "gather out the wheat;" so also do I think the Lord
calls upon all who have ears to hear to carry out a similar awakening among
those who affiliate with the New Age movement. Take with you the beautiful
truths, but turn away from all the entrapments.
I've posted for your consideration a modified list of "Dangers of the
New Age" which I extracted from another site. The theme of this page is
that most New Age methodologies for spiritual advancement entail the
involvement of demonic powers.
http://www.greaterthings.com/Topical/NewAge.htm
Also, rather than expect that the "Keys of Knowledge" list will
conform to my expectations, I have begun a new discussion list and would like
to invite any who feel so inclined to join in -- not that I expect full
agreement with me, but I am hoping for at least agreement on some fundamental
premises (which is hardly the case at the keys of knowledge list along these
lines). Information about the list and instructions of how to join are found
at
http://www.greaterthings.com/OpenForum/East_West
The name of the list is "Uniting East and West in Christ." It
will be an open forum that anyone may join, with a mission statement as
follows: "Wheat and tares have together been planted in the Eastern and
Western Religious traditions. We seek to gather the ripened wheat -- those
nuggets of truth from both traditions -- combining the cognitive left-brain
strengths of the Western orthodox with the intuitive right-brain strengths of
the Eastern mystical, like man and wife. We recognize the latent God within,
but acknowledge our need for God in heaven in order to achieve our full
potential. We realize we each are part of the body of Christ, but that we need
the gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ in order overcome all things and
become as he is, becoming one with all things."
Any of you who feel so inclined are free to give it a try. I'm sure we will
be including in our discussions the teachings of J.J. Dewey, but different
from the keys of knowledge list, we will be considering what he says in light
of the ideals just mentioned -- and we wont feel like backward Bible thumpers
for believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins. We will extract the truths
and leave the rest behind.
And maybe, just maybe, we might be able to do it in a spirit of oneness and
not of contention, having a more sure foundation upon which to rally.
Sterling
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