"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
(Luke 11:1-4)
INTRODUCTION
Probably most of us - at least those of a certain age! - will be familiar with The Lord's Prayer, and can easily repeat it parrot-fashion in its standard stylized form. I place the relevant Scripture at the head of this article for a very good reason, for it has Jesus Himself teaching how His followers should pray. Men are now teaching us how to pray IN A DIFFERENT WAY, a way which has nothing to do with the Biblical model, and everything to do with Eastern pagan mysticism and New Age spirituality. This new - actually extremely ancient! - type of EXPERIENTIAL prayer isn't really prayer at all by any Judeo-Christian definition, but actually a deeply occult discipline for entering into a self-induced altered state of consciousness.
Contemplative Prayer, as it is most frequently referenced, is now practiced on a massive scale, and sadly by very many who would declare themselves to be of an evangelical, born-again persuasion. Mike Bickle's International House of Prayer (IHOP) has embraced it, Rick Warren encourages it in 'The Purpose-Driven Life' and it plays a pivotal role in the so-called Emergent Church. What can only properly be described as a formula for self-hypnosis, Contemplative Prayer comes essentially in two flavours: Centering Prayer and Christian Meditation. We will focus here in Part One on the former, with Part Two to follow when we will examine the latter.
CENTERING PRAYER: ITS ORIGINS AND ADOPTION WITHIN MODERN "CHRISTIANITY"
Centering Prayer - aka "breath prayer" - was developed in the 1970s by three Roman Catholic Trappist (Cistercian) monks at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, namely William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating (who was the Abbot). Their work was undertaken "as a response to the Vatican II invitation to revive the contemplative teachings of early Christianity and present them in updated formats."
The work to rediscover this lost form of contemplative spirituality, in a "Christian" context, commenced with Meninger's unearthing of a 14th. century manuscript called 'The Cloud of Unknowing.' This source, together with other mystical Catholic writings such as those of John Cassian and Teresa of Avila, led to his development of a type of silent prayer which he called The Prayer of the Cloud. He started to teach this prayer at the Abbey, and as interest grew Pennington began to hold retreats elsewhere. It was at one of these retreats that a suggestion was made that the name of the prayer be changed to Centering Prayer, referencing RC mystic Thomas Merton's description of contemplative prayer as being centred entirely on God, and so it has been referred to ever since.
The fact that the emergence of Centering Prayer into contemporary "Christianity" came via Roman Catholicism should in itself be screaming out a warning about the practice, but the sad reality is that few folks are inclined to trace a stream back to its source. They will drink deeply of the water, happily oblivious to its highly toxic origins. Catholicism, shot through as it is with a religiosity which actually reflects paganism far more than Biblical Christianity, was an ideally-suited conduit through which this particular stream could be made to freely flow. A ready, willing and able channel indeed, but only a channel, for what is now promoted as Centering Prayer was actually birthed millennia ago, and not here in the West but in the East.
It is highly significant that Centering Prayer was developed at St. Joseph's expressly because of the Abbot's desire to formulate a type of contemplative prayer akin to Eastern meditation. During Thomas Keating's 20-year tenure as Abbot of St. Joseph's, interfaith dialogue took place with teachers of both Buddhism and Hinduism, and a one-week retreat for the monks was held by a Zen master. This interaction with Eastern mystics cannot be understated, as the development of Centering Prayer by Fr. Keating and his colleagues came about as a direct result of this exposure to and absorption of Eastern religious traditions, and the melding of these traditions with ancient Roman Catholic mystical experience.
It should go without saying that Centering Prayer is completely off-limits to a professing Christian. It is the product of interfaith synthesis, completely against Biblical teaching which expressly forbids such a thing! As the Word of God unambiguously declares:
Dr. Andrew Newberg is a neuroscientist, who is the Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine Studies at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he studies the relationship between brain function and various mental states. His research includes taking brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals and trance states.
One such study examined the brains of nuns who engaged in Centering Prayer, and showed that a notable re-wiring of the brain occurs in a person engaging in Centering Prayer. Not only that, but these changes in brain activity parallel those of a user of psychedelic drugs. Newberg informs us:
The effects on a person's consciousness of "magic mushrooms" and Centering Prayer are thus essentially the same. And if this wasn't revelation enough, it has been demonstrated that perceptible and permanent physiological changes are the likely result of engaging in such activity!
IT CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH THAT "CENTERING PRAYER" WILL NOT BRING A PERSON CLOSER TO GOD, BUT ACTUALLY TAKE HIM OR HER CONSIDERABLY FURTHER AWAY FROM HIM! IT IS NOT A LEGITIMATE CHRISTIAN PRACTICE AT ALL, BUT RATHER AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS OCCULT DISCIPLINE WHICH URGENTLY NEEDS TO BE SEEN FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS, AND SHUNNED ACCORDINGLY!
FURTHER READING:
The purpose of this article has been to give an overview of "centering prayer," noting some of what was felt to be the more salient issues of concern. Much information about contemplative spirituality may be found on the following recommended website:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
TO FOLLOW:
Part Two - The Origins Of And The Practice Of "Christian Meditation."
Contemplative Prayer, as it is most frequently referenced, is now practiced on a massive scale, and sadly by very many who would declare themselves to be of an evangelical, born-again persuasion. Mike Bickle's International House of Prayer (IHOP) has embraced it, Rick Warren encourages it in 'The Purpose-Driven Life' and it plays a pivotal role in the so-called Emergent Church. What can only properly be described as a formula for self-hypnosis, Contemplative Prayer comes essentially in two flavours: Centering Prayer and Christian Meditation. We will focus here in Part One on the former, with Part Two to follow when we will examine the latter.
CENTERING PRAYER: ITS ORIGINS AND ADOPTION WITHIN MODERN "CHRISTIANITY"
Centering Prayer - aka "breath prayer" - was developed in the 1970s by three Roman Catholic Trappist (Cistercian) monks at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, namely William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating (who was the Abbot). Their work was undertaken "as a response to the Vatican II invitation to revive the contemplative teachings of early Christianity and present them in updated formats."
The work to rediscover this lost form of contemplative spirituality, in a "Christian" context, commenced with Meninger's unearthing of a 14th. century manuscript called 'The Cloud of Unknowing.' This source, together with other mystical Catholic writings such as those of John Cassian and Teresa of Avila, led to his development of a type of silent prayer which he called The Prayer of the Cloud. He started to teach this prayer at the Abbey, and as interest grew Pennington began to hold retreats elsewhere. It was at one of these retreats that a suggestion was made that the name of the prayer be changed to Centering Prayer, referencing RC mystic Thomas Merton's description of contemplative prayer as being centred entirely on God, and so it has been referred to ever since.
Father Thomas Keating and the Dalai Lama.
The fact that the emergence of Centering Prayer into contemporary "Christianity" came via Roman Catholicism should in itself be screaming out a warning about the practice, but the sad reality is that few folks are inclined to trace a stream back to its source. They will drink deeply of the water, happily oblivious to its highly toxic origins. Catholicism, shot through as it is with a religiosity which actually reflects paganism far more than Biblical Christianity, was an ideally-suited conduit through which this particular stream could be made to freely flow. A ready, willing and able channel indeed, but only a channel, for what is now promoted as Centering Prayer was actually birthed millennia ago, and not here in the West but in the East.
It is highly significant that Centering Prayer was developed at St. Joseph's expressly because of the Abbot's desire to formulate a type of contemplative prayer akin to Eastern meditation. During Thomas Keating's 20-year tenure as Abbot of St. Joseph's, interfaith dialogue took place with teachers of both Buddhism and Hinduism, and a one-week retreat for the monks was held by a Zen master. This interaction with Eastern mystics cannot be understated, as the development of Centering Prayer by Fr. Keating and his colleagues came about as a direct result of this exposure to and absorption of Eastern religious traditions, and the melding of these traditions with ancient Roman Catholic mystical experience.
It should go without saying that Centering Prayer is completely off-limits to a professing Christian. It is the product of interfaith synthesis, completely against Biblical teaching which expressly forbids such a thing! As the Word of God unambiguously declares:
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
(2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
Buddhism and Hinduism stand completely apart from and opposed to the One True Faith, and deny the One True God. They are imbued with the spirit of antichrist; their influences, far from being in any way benign, are utterly deadly! To embrace their traditions and methodologies is to spiritually self-harm, to defy the will and purposes of the living God and thereby to invoke His jealous wrath!
AN EMPTYING... BUT TO FILL WITH WHAT?
The basic guidelines for Centering Prayer are:
1) Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.
2) Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.
3) When engaged with your thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word. (Thoughts include body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections).
4) At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Instead of a sacred word, a simple inward glance toward the Divine Presence, or noticing one's breath may be more suitable for some persons. The same guidelines apply to these symbols as to the sacred word.
In this type of "prayer" - without any Scriptural mandate whatsoever - all thought, emotion, memory etc. is banished, effectively emptying your mind of all but that one "sacred" word, or noticing the rhythm of one's breathing (hence "breath prayers") or "glancing inwardly" for a minimum of 20 minutes, preferably twice-daily. Yet it's claimed not to be self-hypnosis! So if not a form of self-hypnosis, how exactly do its proponents define this contemplative practice? As follows:
THE VITAL QUESTION TO BE ASKED IS THIS: JUST WHAT "GOD" ARE WE OPENING OURSELVES UP TO BY THIS MEANS? WHEN WE EMPTY OURSELVES, WHAT ARE WE THEREBY ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BE FILLED WITH INSTEAD? SINCE WHEN HAS YAHWEH, THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, BEEN REFERRED TO CRYPTICALLY AS "THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY?" WE KNOW THE FATHER THROUGH THE SON, THE LOGOS, THE WORD WRITTEN AND THE WORD MADE FLESH, NOT THROUGH ANY SUCH METHOD AS CENTERING PRAYER, WHICH HAS ZERO BASIS IN SCRIPTURE BUT RATHER HAS MUCH TO DO WITH SUPPOSED GNOSTIC "ENLIGHTENMENT!"
Centering Prayer - "entering into the silence" - has as its focus the supposed "communing" with God, and not God as the EXTERIOR "Father, which art in Heaven" but as an INTERIOR God! Its focus is in the wrong direction entirely, WITHIN rather than WITHOUT, and is completely at variance with how Jesus taught his disciples to pray! As Holy Writ warns of such deceptive inventions:
CENTERING PRAYER AND INDUCED ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESSAN EMPTYING... BUT TO FILL WITH WHAT?
1) Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.
2) Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word.
3) When engaged with your thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word. (Thoughts include body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections).
4) At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
Instead of a sacred word, a simple inward glance toward the Divine Presence, or noticing one's breath may be more suitable for some persons. The same guidelines apply to these symbols as to the sacred word.
"We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. But this is only one expression. In the Christian tradition Contemplative Prayer is considered to be the pure gift of God. It is the opening of mind and heart - our whole being - to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words, and emotions. Through grace we open our awareness to God whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing - closer than consciousness itself."
THE VITAL QUESTION TO BE ASKED IS THIS: JUST WHAT "GOD" ARE WE OPENING OURSELVES UP TO BY THIS MEANS? WHEN WE EMPTY OURSELVES, WHAT ARE WE THEREBY ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BE FILLED WITH INSTEAD? SINCE WHEN HAS YAHWEH, THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, BEEN REFERRED TO CRYPTICALLY AS "THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY?" WE KNOW THE FATHER THROUGH THE SON, THE LOGOS, THE WORD WRITTEN AND THE WORD MADE FLESH, NOT THROUGH ANY SUCH METHOD AS CENTERING PRAYER, WHICH HAS ZERO BASIS IN SCRIPTURE BUT RATHER HAS MUCH TO DO WITH SUPPOSED GNOSTIC "ENLIGHTENMENT!"
Centering Prayer - "entering into the silence" - has as its focus the supposed "communing" with God, and not God as the EXTERIOR "Father, which art in Heaven" but as an INTERIOR God! Its focus is in the wrong direction entirely, WITHIN rather than WITHOUT, and is completely at variance with how Jesus taught his disciples to pray! As Holy Writ warns of such deceptive inventions:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
(Colossians 2:8)
Dr. Andrew Newberg is a neuroscientist, who is the Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine Studies at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he studies the relationship between brain function and various mental states. His research includes taking brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals and trance states.
"The nuns' brain scans showed similarities to people who use drugs like psilocybin mushrooms, and both experiences tend to result in very permanent changes in the way in which the brain works."
The effects on a person's consciousness of "magic mushrooms" and Centering Prayer are thus essentially the same. And if this wasn't revelation enough, it has been demonstrated that perceptible and permanent physiological changes are the likely result of engaging in such activity!
IT CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH THAT "CENTERING PRAYER" WILL NOT BRING A PERSON CLOSER TO GOD, BUT ACTUALLY TAKE HIM OR HER CONSIDERABLY FURTHER AWAY FROM HIM! IT IS NOT A LEGITIMATE CHRISTIAN PRACTICE AT ALL, BUT RATHER AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS OCCULT DISCIPLINE WHICH URGENTLY NEEDS TO BE SEEN FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS, AND SHUNNED ACCORDINGLY!
"The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought:
he maketh the devices of the people of none effect."
(Psalm 33:10)
* * * * * * *
FURTHER READING:
The purpose of this article has been to give an overview of "centering prayer," noting some of what was felt to be the more salient issues of concern. Much information about contemplative spirituality may be found on the following recommended website:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
TO FOLLOW:
Part Two - The Origins Of And The Practice Of "Christian Meditation."
* * * * * * *
