Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Occult

Lewis Spence wrote an extensive five hundred and some page highly condensed, "handbook" of the occult in an attempt to clarify what he saw as misconceptions, and he thus described his work as, "literary and scientific necessity."[1] In introducing his work, Spence expressed discount for Christianity as he viewed it as, "alien to the bulk of humanity", and Spence then went so far as to indicate that one must rely upon psychology instead of material proof for future enlightenment.[2] Spence also blamed science for having a lack of vision (or dream), and Spence thus went so far as to remind readers that it was alchemy that chemistry evolved from and astrology that astronomy evolved from.[3] In order to offset works like that of Spence's the purpose of the following paper thus is to investigate much of the historic primary occult sources as well as contemporary secondary occult sources in order to offer a Christian critique to mainstream occultism. By offering such a Christian critique of occultism, the paper will prove both that Christianity can relate to occultism and that Christianity is greater than occultism.

Summary of the Worldview

Spence, a profound occult scholar, divided the subject of the occult into what he termed, "occult sciences", and he stated that in the twenty years of investigations by scientists of his time the veil that divides man from the supernatural could not be penetrated.[4] A world view that thus emerged was that the occult sciences provided insights into the world and potential answers to scientific problems that could not be otherwise understood. In a similar way, occultism would have also been seen to offer the inquisitive mind truth that Christianity could not relate to and that was valuable for purposes of discovering man's place in the world or relationship to it. Unfortunately in this regard the book of Enoch shows fallen angels teaching mankind many things and even getting humans pregnant as they provide enlightenment to mankind and direction,[5] and this account is confirmed by Genesis 6:1-4 (prior to the flood).

The father of psychology and occultist Sigmund Freud, for example, described in his work Totem and Taboo a time in prehistory when a father horded all women to himself leaving his male children with unfulfilled sexual cravings and desires.[6] The male children are thus said to have formed a mob, killed their father, ate him, indulged themselves with the women, and formed a religious and moral order.[7] In the end, Freud describes, "sanctification through participation in a common meal",[8] and in this way the type of exploration of psychology that Spence promoted actually is seen to slander Christian communion in Freud's own writings.

What is even worse is that Freud wrote a book entitled Moses and Monotheism that promoted the teaching that Moses brought the religion of the Egyptians to the Israelites, was murdered, and thus his teachings would live on to inspire Judaism and Christianity.[9] Clearly, psychology from its very founder was developed out of a rejection of biblical truth. Overall, the world view of Spence to rely on psychology for truth instead of material proof could easily lead a person to agree with and adopt the views of Sigmund Freud that ultimately denounced the central most teachings of Christianity such as communion and the exodus.

Discussion about the Flaws of the Belief System

In a classic book Leadbeater describes seven astral vortices (Chakras) that for most people are said to be the only link between the physical world and higher planes of existence,[10] and these spiritual organs are even diagramed and are organized in a table with their corresponding ancient Sanskrit names.[11] Robert Bruce who has researched and advised people for more than twenty-five years on matters such as out-of-body experiences[12] has produced a book with thirty-six chapters and almost six hundred pages on the exact details of how the Chakras would work for a person to have an out-of-body experience. Over the course of a decade Bruce's book has had almost one hundred book reviews just on one online retailer alone, and almost all the reviewers report extraordinary results regarding the experiences that the book has provided them with.[13] The fact of the matter is that Spence also described the seven Chakras, but he also noted an additional three Chakras that should only be reserved for use in black magic.[14] The question that one should ask is, "is it safe, good, and godly to induce an out of body experience through use of the Chakras?"

A famous demonologist Gerald Brittle that investigated over three thousand supernatural and paranormal disturbances over three decades[15] described a case so bad that a rare inhuman demonic spirit[16] began to take physical form out of a swirl in front of him.[17] In contrast in Frost's book on Astral Travel coordinated by the Canterbury Institute in England with over a thousand participants[18] no regard for demons is shown in the following learning axioms,

"Graduation -- Moving up through the astral realms by discarnate spirits in a process of learning and graduation. The most significant lessons to be learned in these graduations seem to be the virtues of selflessness and the relinquishing of individual biases and desires. Melding -- A necessary part of the learning process is surrender of individuality in which three small spirits meld into a larger entity and individuality and ego are necessarily suppressed. The new entity combines the learning of the three spirits that it contains but during the melding process many cultural and sexual biases seem to be eliminated." [19]

Lawrence Obisakin a Nigerian diplomat and pastor[20] yet in another contrast describes Satan as operating by a gradual method for taking over the life of the victim just as a whole pig will wiggle into a fence if its snout gets in.[21] Overall, what Frost calls, "learning axioms" Obisakin might call, "stages of demonic possession."[22]

Unfortunately for Conway, the problem of demons or evil spirits does not appear to be an issue. Conway thus states that,

"Having a spirit lover is an experience that one must undergo in order to fully understand. ...This being loved you before you were born this time, and probably has loved you for centuries of lifetimes. ... You can renew this wonderful relationship during your astral travels. This astral relationship can have the same tenderness, warmth, and satisfaction of a physical one." [23]

Clearly the New Testament reminds readers that even Satan himself goes around as an angel of light,[24] and clearly Satan or demons could gain a vast wealth of knowledge about each person and even appear to love them when they really don't.

A Plan for Sharing the Gospel with a Believer of the Worldview

What can be assumed is that anyone that has serious dealings with the occult will have likely had experiences with the seven or ten Chakras since the Chakras (or similar concept sometimes under a different name) can be identified as the central focus for most if not all serious occult practices. The Messianic Jewish Rabbi John Patrick Martin had a seemingly plausible solution to the problem of getting back into God's grace, and he thus writes,

"If the word or the Aleph-Taw spoke everything into existence and everything is fashioned by the word, then how much more the righteous had to speak and fashion themselves according to the language of the word or Aleph- Taw. As a matter of fact, the language of the word was explained in the Torah which was given to Abraham and recorded by Moses when he received it on Mt. Sinai. In brief, the Torah represented a covenant between Israel and YHWH, consisting of 613 commandments which was divided into 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments that Israel was to keep for longevity and life. As a result, in order for the righteous not to transgress this eternal Torah, they had to probe the layers or its soul utilizing four levels of interpretation which was defined by the acronym PARDES or paradise. This acronym means pashat (simple/literal), remez (hint), drash (parable/story), and sod (secret). The final level of understanding scriptures is called sod meaning "hidden or secret". The righteous knew this study as kabbalah. In other words, kabbalah is derived from the root word kabal which means to receive and involves the inner secrets of the Torah that initiates received to affect the world supernaturally. The kabbalistic creed states that the Hebraic language (Aleph-Taw) is a divine tool for creating in the universe. For example, in Genesis 1:3 in the Torah, the Elohim says let there be light and light appeared. Its speech precedes, activates and creates existence."[25]

The problem is that the world famous Torah scholar Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan[26] in his commentary on the tenth century Kabbalistic text the Sefer Yetzirah[27] (that Rabbi Martin bases his work on) describes in his commentary of Sefer Yetzirah 2:5 a process used to make a human body for either purposes of astral projection[28] or for making a physical being by way of a similar process that God mad man with.[29] The point is that some Kabbalah authorities would or may try to use Kabbalah for witchcraft. One should at this point be reminded that demons would seek to weaken the church through false teachers,[30] and this includes witchcraft.

Sefer Yetzirah 1:6 describes the throne of God and an appearance of lightning[31] much like Revelation 4:5, but the difference is that Revelation 4:5 will provide the seven golden lamp stand in the same verse. Much like the Chakras, Sefer Yetzirah 4:6 describes seven gates of the soul and seven universes (or plains).[32] Also much like the ten Chakras model, Kaplan describes ten sefirot that are purely spiritual but associated with physical direction,[33] he gives an example from the Zohar[34] of a flame arising like something spiritual while the physical material that burns is linked to that, "spiritual" expression.[35] Overall, although the Chakras and the sefirot would appear to be completely non biblical concepts that in no way Christianity can relate to, the fact of the matter is that the Bible has a lot to say about the subject.

The best way to explain to a person that has experience with the Chakras or the sefirot the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is as follows. A person should explain that the church of Jesus Christ is actually the body of Christ, and Revelation 1:20 thus will describe the seven lampstands as being the seven churches. When the body of Christ was torn on the cross, the curtain in front of God's throne room in the temple was torn before the seven golden lampstands.[36] The curtain represents the body of Christ,[37] and the seven golden lampstands are the spirits of God[38] that project into the world and see from the world just like the example of the seven horns and seven eyed Lamb of God in Revelation 5:6. In fact Isaiah actually names the seven spirits of God (this is the seven fold spirit or Holy Ghost) in Isaiah 11:1-3.

The four fold level of interpretation called PARDES that Kabala holds dear represents the four living creatures,[39] and this is similar to the medieval system known of as the Quadriga.[40] The term Quadriga is used in the Latin Vulgate in Zechariah 6:1-6 to describe four spirits going forth from heaven like houses for victory, and these are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John that give four different layers of interpretation. The idea is that just like the four living creatures support the throne (like the ark would be supported by four sides when carried) so too a person would ascend Matthew, Mark, Luke and John[41] to arrive at God's throne in order to receive the divine revelation of the person of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Just like the ten Chakras and the ten sefirot Christianity teaches something very similar but with profoundly different implications. The arc of the covenant has within it the Law of Moses representing the Father, the bowl of manna representing the son, and the staff that had budded representing the Holy Ghost. As seen earlier, Christ's body is the curtain and the seven golden lampstand is like the spiritual centers that Christ's body interacts with the world through (this is why the seven churches had been described as the seven golden lampstand). The fact that man is made in the image and lankness of God would render the same type of spiritual layout of 10 spiritual parts on each individual person, and this is what unfortunately makes occult practices possible.

Future study on the subject of the Chakras from its early roots can occur by investigating the work of the ancient Vedas, and the teachings of the Pythagorean School can be investigated for clarification regarding the early western tradition of occult science as documented in works like Strohmeier's Divine Harmony. The Talmud makes reference to various works of Kabbalah, and the Talmud shows reference to the Sefer Yetzirah as oral teaching.[42] When the period of the Talmud closed what also closed was the study of the occult among Jews,[43] and Kaplan makes a point to state that most of the main texts of Kabala have never been published but instead libraries and museums have the originals in manuscript form.[44]

The fact of the matter is that people should not be engaging in astral projection purposely. God can stimulate people into the spiritual realms by his own doing, and this is why for example Paul talks about a man that was caught in the third heaven either in or out of the body in 2 Corinthians 12:2. One should thus also learn a lesson from the Tower of Babble that attempted to reach god in order that man can be like God, and that taught man that God confused the languages of the world as a result. The result however was that by no human effort God reversed the curse of the tower of Babble on the day of Pentecost such that people spoke words that everyone of every language could understand without any special human effort. Overall, the conclusion is that one should not try to have a spiritual experience, but instead a person should humbly ask God for the gift of the Holy Ghost to discern even the deep things of God.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Augustine, Saint. St. Augustine on Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels and Homilies on the Gospels: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Part 6. Translated by Philip Schaff. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2004.

Brittle, Gerald and Daniel Brittle. The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, 2002.

Bruce, Robert. Astral Dynamics: A New Approach to Out-of-Body Experience. Charlottesville, Virginia: Hampton Roads Publishing Company Incorporated, 1999.

Charles, R. H. The Book of Enoch: Ethiopic Text and Edited with Enlarged Introduction, Notes, and Indexes, Together with a Reprint of the Greek Fragments. Escondido, California: The Book Tree, 1999.

Conway, D. J. Flying Without a Broom. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1998.

Dickason, C. Fred. Demon Possession & the Christian: A New Perspective. Westchester, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1989.

Freud, Sigmund. Moses and Monotheism. Translated by Katherine Jones. New York, New York: Vintage Books, 1967.

Freud, Sigmund. Totem and Taboo. Translated and edited by James Strachey. New York, New York: W. W. Northern & Company, 1989.

Frost, Gavin and Yvonne Frost. Astral Travel: Your Guide to the Secrets of Out-of-the-Body Experiences. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser Incorporated, 1986.

Kaplan, Aryeh, ed. Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice. San Francisco, California: Weiser Books, 1997.

Leadbeater, C. W. The Chakras. 1927. 9th Reprint, Wheaton, Illinois: Quest Books Theosophical Publishing House, 2001.

Martin, John P. Sacred Science of the Early Hebrews: Elohim (God) & Hatzimtzum (The Womb) (The Theory of Everything). Raleigh, North Carolina: Lulu, 2005.

Martin, John P. Sacred Science of the Early Hebrews: Quantitative Proof for Yeshua (Jesus) (Et Haor/ The Light = 613). Raleigh, North Carolina: Lulu, 2005.

Obisakin, Lawrence. Dislodging Demons: A Systematic Approach to Deliverance Ministration. Jerusalem, Israel: Yanetz Ltd., 2002.

Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism: A Compendium of Information on the Occult Sciences, Occult Personalities, Psychic Science, Magic, Demonology, Spiritism, and Mysticism. New York, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1920.

Sperling, Harry, trans. Maurice Simon, and Paul Levertoff. The Zohar: An English Translation, 2^nd edition. 5 vols. London, England: The Soncino Press, 1984.

Sproul, R. C. Knowing Scripture, 2^nd edition. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2009.

Strohmeier, John and Peter Westbrook. Divine Harmony: The Life and Teaching of Pythagoras. Berkeley, California: Berkeley Hills Books, 1999.

[1] Spence, ix.

[2] Ibid. xi-xii.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Charles, 18-19.

[6] Freud, 176-177 Totem and Taboo.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid, 182.

[9] Freud, back cover Moses and Monotheism.

[10] Leadbeater, 73.

[11] Ibid, 6-7.

[12] Bruce, 560.

[13]http://www.amazon.com/Astral-Dynamics-Out---Body-Experiences/dp/B000HWY5MU/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308980710&sr=1-2

[14] Spence, 98-99.

[15] Brittle, 2.

[16] Ibid, 5.

[17] Ibid, 3.

[18] Frost, back cover.

[19] Frost, 203-204.

[20] Obisakin, back cover.

[21] Ibid, 82.

[22] See Ibid.

[23] Conway, 113-114.

[24] 2 Corinthians 11:14

[25] Martin, 2 Sacred Science of the Early Hebrews: Quantitative Proof for Yeshua (Jesus).

[26] Kaplan, v.

[27] Ibid, ix.

[28] Ibid, 127.

[29] Ibid, 128.

[30] Dickason, 68.

[31] Kaplan, 51.

[32] Ibid, 167.

[33] Ibid, 64.

[34] Sperling, 162 volume 1.

[35] Kaplan, 63.

[36] Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45

[37] Hebrews 10:20

[38] Revelation 4:5

[39] Revelation 19:4, 15:7, 14:3, 7:11, 6:6, 6:1, 5:14, 5:8, 5:6, 4:8, 4:6, Ezekiel 1:15, 1:5

[40] Sproul, 60.

[41] See Augustine, 80-81.

[43] Ibid, xxi.

[44] Ibid, ix.