BEWARE OF "CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER!" - PART ONE: THE ORIGINS OF AND THE PRACTICE OF "CENTERING PRAYER."

"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.

 

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.

(Source: file:///C:/Users/My%20Pc/Downloads/cp-english%20(1).pdf )

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:

"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."

(Source: file:///C:/Users/My%20Pc/Downloads/cp-english%20(2).pdf )

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)

CENTERING PRAYER AND INDUCED ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

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 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."

(Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/28/psychedelic-drug-brain-effects_n_7455368.html )

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)

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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."

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THE "NEW AGE" IN THE CHURCH IN WALES - A CASE STUDY.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, 

so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, 

or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, 

which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

(2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

St. Rhian's Church, Llanrhian, Pembs. (Photo: Keith Salvesen)

INTRODUCTION

When Paul declared in the Scripture above, "Ye might well bear with him," in modern parlance he might have put it something like, "You're perfectly OK with this!" There are many professing Christians today, including a great many ordained ministers, who are perfectly OK with the preaching of "another Jesus" and who have readily received "another spirit" and accepted "another gospel!"  

Revd. Don MacGregor is one such "man of the cloth." He is the Priest-in-Charge of the five Pembrokeshire churches in the villages of Llanrhian, Mathry, St. Nicholas, Granston and Jordanston, this quintet of rural parishes being joined together in 2013 to form the North Dewisland Benefice within the St. David's Diocese of the Church in Wales.

But Revd. Don MacGregor is no tip-toeing traditionalist country clergyman, happily sitting on the sleepy straw-hatted sidelines of spiritual affairs. No sirree! He is a man on a mission, and an integral part of that mission is evidenced in his being a member of the core group of an organization called CANA, which stands for 'Christians Awakening to New Awareness.' And what does that mean exactly? Well, once you know that CANA originally stood for 'Christians Awakening to a NEW AGE' you should much better understand just what it is that this cohort of "Christians" are actually awakening to!

CANA AND THE RADICAL RE-DEFINING OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

"The first of two well attended conferences entitled 'Christians Awakening to a New Age' was held in 1991. Exposure to teaching from other faiths and learning to meditate had caused people to re-examine their Christian beliefs. Many experienced a great relief in finding others who were similarly expanding their understanding of Christianity and CANA was formed. Later, the name was changed to 'Christians Awakening to New Awareness'."

(Source: http://www.christiansawakening.org/about/ )

Don MacGregor is the author of 'Blue Sky God: The Evolution of Science and Christianity,' in which he states that "Christianity has to evolve to be credible for every new generation as the worldview evolves." A central tenet of the book, he informs us, is that "God is the consciousness, the Ground of Being, that sustains the material reality in which we live, stemming from the concept of consciousness in quantum physics." Its Amazon description concludes by telling us that "it outlines a spiritual path that includes elements from all of the world's great religions, is not exclusive, and yet has a place of centrality for Jesus the Christ as a Wisdom teacher of the path of transformative love."

MacGregor's illusory "inter-faith" and theoretical science fusion does not allow for the Biblical Jesus as Lord and Saviour, only a "Jesus" who is just  an enlightened guru. His "Christianity" is not the only Way, and rather than being the once-and-for-all-time-delivered Faith that it is, his faith (which is actually unbelief!) is ever changing. His "God" is not the One as revealed in His Word, but simply a universal "consciousness." He was one of that core group of CANA leaders who met on 6th. December, 2013, whose discussion focused upon their priorities, when the concept of an all-embracing "Christ Consciousness" came to the fore, defined as doing "the contemplative practices that affect consciousness, but not to rest there." Their shocking ultimate conclusion:

"Jesus called his disciples to do greater things than he did. We understand this to mean he calls each one of us to be a Christ."

Just let the implications of that assertion sink in for a moment. These people actually believe and teach that we are called not to be followers of Christ, but to be a Christ ourselves! And so that there's no possibility of misunderstanding where they're coming from - or where they're going! - and just how outrageously aberrant their theology really is, just consider the following. This is taken from a joint article by Gillian Paschkes-Bell and the Revd. Don MacGregor, on their perceptions of how Christianity has developed since "the Jesus event" as they call it, entitled 'A CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY - WHAT TO DITCH?' dated 27 November, 2015.
(See: http://www.christiansawakening.org/category/features/)

(Note: To clarify, words highlighted in red are from the text of the Paschkes-Bell/MacGregor article, while words in blue are my own observations on the meaning and implications of that text.)

What accretions have gathered during this process that are not helpful and life-affirming? Can we ditch them? Here are some examples that we feel need to be revisited:

Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God.

- In other words, we are as much an Incarnation as was Jesus Himself.

The inheritance of the idea from temple worship that God demands a sacrifice.

- In other words, Calvary was unnecessary and Jesus read everything wrong!

The wrath of God.

- In other words, there's no Tribulation, Judgment or Lake of Fire.

Salvation as a promise for the future afterlife rather than a path of wholeness for now.

- In other words, Heaven is not the reward for repentance from sin. "Heaven" is now.

Male patriarchy and language derived from it.

- In other words, feminism is fine, and God can be seen and addressed as a He, She or It.

The virgin birth and the nativity story as literal, not metaphorical.

- In other words, Jesus was not the Son of the Most High but had a human not a Heavenly Father. (And so would not have been sinless, and could not have redeemed us as a Lamb without spot or blemish).

And after this incredible exercise in extreme heresy, what - we may well ask - do they want to replace these fundamental truths with? The article continues:

What omissions are there? What has been squashed or eradicated in the process? For example:

Jesus as a wisdom teacher of the path of transformation. This path has a long lineage in other indigenous and Mystery traditions.
- In other words, Jesus was not the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, but merely another guru equal to the teachers of pagan and esoteric schools of spirituality.

The lost Christianities that were gradually quashed in the early centuries.
- In other words, heretical departures from "the Faith once delivered" are to be re-embraced.

The other scriptures that were left out of the canon of the New Testament, such as the recently rediscovered Gospels of Thomas, Philip and Mary Magdelene.
- In other words, the Gnostic false gospels are to be added to the Bible.

The lost doctrine of reincarnation or rebirth.
- In other words, being "born again" is a cyclical journey towards "nirvana."

And with a final flourish of falsifying the Faith:

What needs to be added from our current understanding? For example:

New insights from areas of physics, biology, sociology, psychology and systems theory.
- In other words, man's wisdom (which is foolishness to God) is all to be fully taken on board.

Insights from other faiths.
- In other words, syncretism is to be enshrined in defiance of the Living God; Jesus is NOT the only Way!

WE MIGHT SIMPLY DESCRIBE THIS DOCUMENT AS A CHARTER FOR THE DECIMATION OF SOUND DOCTRINE. AS IT IS WRITTEN IN GOD'S WORD CONCERNING SUCH A THING:

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."

(1 Timothy 4:1)

DON MACGREGOR: HERALD OF 'THE AGE OF AQUARIUS'

"There are other forces at work in this universe, whether we call them Mother nature, divine love, the Source, God, the Universe, Spirit or whatever language we choose. But the direction of these energies is to move us, that is the whole human race and the whole planet, to move us on to a better place, a higher level. This has both societal and ecological consequences for how we live together.

As we enter the age of Aquarius, this is the transition we are going through."

- Don MacGregor, in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

Here we see that his "God" is not the One as revealed in His Word, but an "energy," an impersonal pantheistic "force" which may be referred to by many names, moving us to a "higher level." This is classic New Age thought, and surely no-one can doubt that he is a dyed-in-the-wool New Ager when he dizzily declares that we are entering the Age of Aquarius?

Very revealingly, on his own website http://www.donmacgregor.co.uk/ MacGregor informs us that "his spiritual path has included New Age, Theosophy and Christianity from evangelical/charismatic to liberal, mystical and holistic." Quite a cocktail! A mind-blowing mix indeed, and it is quite obvious that his concept of what constitutes "Christianity" is New Age to its very core. As he admits in the preface to his book:

"Although a recognizable Christian, I always knew, somewhere in my being, that my previous experience in and understanding of the New Age sphere was not wasted, and would need to be integrated at some stage... 

I have been drawn to the silence of contemplative prayer and meditation, the wisdom of the mystics, and a more liberal and radical theology."

- from 'Blue Sky God' published by Circle Books, 2012.

New Age spirituality, in a nutshell, is simply a Hinduism/Buddhism amalgam re-packaged for the Western mindset. At its heart is the belief that God is in all, that we are all God, so we have no need to look for Him externally, but rather should delve within our own selves and recognize and unlock through meditation that "Christ Consciousness" which is common to all humanity, and which all paths ultimately lead to. That MacGregor holds to such a view can clearly be seen here:

"We have largely put God 'out there', not 'in here'. Yet the good news of the New Testament is that God is in us, that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, that Christ is in us, the hope of glory. If we can find that God within, and begin to see the aspect of  God within every human being, then we begin to recognize the real potential of humanity to live in peace and abundance, and in harmony with the natural world. That ability has been largely locked up within us, because we think it rests with God 'out there', not God 'in here'. The potential for humanity to live in peace rests within each one of us."

- Don MacGregor, in 'Divine Reality is Within' published Sept. 15, 2010 and re-published as 'The Divine Reality Within' by CANA April 23, 2015.

In New Age thought, evil and Satan simply do not exist; they just represent interior conflicts not yet resolved. It's all about the inner struggle to transcend from one's lower to one's higher Self, which is essentially the acknowledgement and acceptance of our own - and everyone else's - godhood. As MacGregor puts it:

"We are to let go of our lower egoic desire nature, to awaken into our higher, compassionate, godly self, a movement from a poorer place to a better place, which is our salvation."
- Don McGregor, in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

"We see this 'letting go of self' in Jesus in the temptation narratives at the beginning of his ministry, where he is constantly tempted by what the bible calls 'the devil', but which I think we could see now as the egoic, selfish desires that arise within ourselves."
- Don MacGregor, in 'New Humanity' published July 26, 2015.

"The kingdom of heaven is not a place, it is a way of being. It is what you can become when you have entered the mind of God."
- Don MacGregor in 'What Makes a Person a Christian?' published Dec. 29, 2012.

Having totally re-defined salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven, and dismissed the Devil as being but a metaphor for self-interest, he relegates the Son of God Himself to the status of an enlightened guru, a human being exactly like us, with an equally egocentric "false or lower self" which He had to divest Himself of in order to achieve union with God (who is actually the "higher self" who we can all become!) 

This is the "Jesus" who MacGregor believes in:

"Jesus was able to transcend his egoic-desire nature, his false or lower self, and awaken fully into God's consciousness, his true or higher self. And yet he was fully human, the same as us, so he had an egoic nature.

The story of his years of ministry show him repeatedly going beyond that ego, that self-centredness, and becoming one with God, fully divine, or as fully divine as a fully human being can be. He repeatedly emptied himself and surrendered his lower desire nature."

- Don MacGregor, in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

His "Jesus" is plainly another Jesus as warned about in the Scripture which headed this article, as unlike the perfect Biblical Jesus - the Word made flesh, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (Ref. John 1:14) - this other SELF-CENTRED "Jesus" had a FALSE NATURE which he had to rid himself of in order TO BECOME AS FULLY DIVINE AS A FULLY HUMAN BEING CAN BE! Just as we can become too! Consider carefully the following, which in rejecting what the Bible explicitly teaches about peace coming to the world only when Jesus the Messiah returns to rule from Jerusalem in His millennial Kingdom, presents MacGregor's own entirely New Age take on such things:

"So when will the world be at peace? When we all become universal humans, when we harness the energies of love, when we change ourselves - in other words, when we enter the kingdom of divine-human consciousness."
- Don MacGregor, in 'New Humanity' published July 26, 2015.

Divine-human consciousness, no less! Ye shall be as gods! It's just Eve's temptation re-visited! Of a truth, as the Scriptures declare:

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

(Ecclesiastes 1:9)

There's no such thing as a "new Christianity" as MacGregor trumpets. There is but one unfailing Faith which was once and for all time delivered to the saints. Unchanging. Unchangable. There's only an old, old lie from the Pit of Hell, endlessly regurgitated to lead each successive generation away from immutable Truth!

There is so much more in his writings that could be quoted to demonstrate that this man is as full as an egg of all things New Age. There is so much more that could be said about such persons as have much influenced him, like New Age futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard, the Sufi (mystical Islam) poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, the Jesuit evolutionist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, or New Age founding father Sir GeorgeTrevelyan. 

MacGregor's and CANA's articles are shot through with New Age buzz-words and phrases, like Oneness, interconnectedness, spiritual transformation, transition, being awakened, a new story, paradigm shifts, universal spirituality, etc., etc., etc. But I will conclude this case study with an examination of MacGregor's belief in the first of the concepts mentioned in this particular paragraph, namely Oneness.



DON MACGREGOR: ADVOCATE OF "ONENESS"

"I believe there is a universal path of wisdom that underlies all true spiritual paths, and it is to do with the dawning realization of our interconnectedness at the energetic level. We are One in the divine matrix of consciousness that holds us all in being - and that Jesus knew it... His teaching was to love, and that is the way to develop higher wisdom and interconnectedness - love is about compassionate relationships, which is what is needed in the world at all levels. This is the spiritual journey - into Oneness."
- Don MacGregor in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

You'll note that he asserts that we are One (rendered with an upper case O), and our spiritual journey is into Oneness (again with a capital O). So let's have a look at what Oneness means to those who use this term, as to do so will be very revealing and disturbing indeed! It is never used randomly, but is of deep meaning and great significance to anyone who has been or is currently involved in the New Age movement. Let's go to a major primary source for a definition of what Oneness is:

"What is Oneness?

Oneness is the open secret. Like a fish that doesn't notice water, many human beings overlook our essential Oneness. When we fully discover our inextricable unity with the Divine and all life it radically transforms our lives. We fulfill our deepest yearning for love, freedom, and Divine truth. We also gain an entirely new orientation to how we live our lives. We naturally serve the greatest good for all beings. Oneness is a timeless truth. Mystics and philosophers have proclaimed it for thousands of years. For over a century, science has proven the connection of consciousness and matter, our genetic connection with all life, and our biological and psychological interdependence. We are One. At this time an unprecedented number of human beings are awakening to Oneness. In terms of our evolution as a species and of all life on Earth the timing could not be more perfect. Our awakening addresses the root cause of all our problems: the illusion of separation. In Oneness we can find the solutions needed to avoid global calamity and create a world of health, well-being and abundance that works for all."
(Source: http://www.globalonenesssummit.org/)

The reason Oneness sports an upper case O is that it is believed that to achieve Oneness is to achieve Godhood! There is a spirit behind this, and it is the spirit of antichrist which avers that we are One, One again given that capital O to proclaim our supposed Divinity. 

Oneness is emphatically not a timeless truth, but a Genesis-old lie from the father of lies; this whole assumed "open secret" of Oneness is absolutely diabolical in its utter falsehood and Pit-deep deception! Separation is not an illusion but the basic grim reality of our fallen condition, which has caused the complete alienation of us all from our Creator and our desperate need of a Saviour, who is not to be found within ourselves, but sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven making intercession for those who are truly His.

Man has no unity with the Divine whatsoever, and rather than naturally serving the greatest good for all beings we naturally serve ourselves in our wretched sinfulness. We are not an evolving species of Darwinian delusion, but a carnal creature that has not changed one iota since Eden, Hell-bent on our own and everyone else's destruction. We are not awakening in any sense, but continuing to sleep-walk our relentless way to Armageddon, Judgment and Hell! Oneness is but "philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men" (Colossians 2:8), "profane and vain babblings, and... science falsely so called." (1 Timothy 6:20).

The New Age doctrine that "we are One" is as wrong as it is possible to be. It's not we, but He - the triune, Sovereign Lord God of all creation - who is One. When the truth and authority of His Word has been rejected, there's nothing to test anything by, and we're in spiritual free-fall. Rather than being like a fish that doesn't notice water, overlooking our mythical Oneness, we don't - or won't - perceive that we have bitten the bait, swallowed the hook, and are being reeled in on Satan's line. "Hath God said?" the serpent hisses seductively. "Ye shall not surely die... ye shall be as gods!" (Genesis 3:1-5). Same old line. Same old itchy-eared suckers falling for the pitch. There's only one Answer, and it's most certainly not Oneness. It's found in the Person of Jesus Christ, the real Biblical Jesus who is indeed the only begotten Son of the Living God. And we have to come to the foot of His Cross to ask His forgiveness with a genuinely penitent heart and find our redemption in the only Way that has been made available to us, that by His grace and His grace alone, we can find true peace and Rock-solid salvation.

CONCLUSION

The late Dave Hunt of The Berean Call summed up the whole tragic New Age delusion so succinctly, in the 'Gods of the New Age' documentary, when he remarked: "We're not separated from our Higher Self - we're separated from God by sin!"

TAKE HEED, ALL WHO LIKE DON MACGREGOR WOULD VENTURE DOWN THIS PATH, A PATH THAT LEADS NOT TO INNER ENLIGHTENMENT... BUT TO OUTER DARKNESS! NOT TO PEACE... BUT TO UTTER DESTRUCTION!

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

(Matthew 7:13-14)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

(John 14:6)

"But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD."

(Ezekiel 11:21)

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FURTHER READING/VIEWING:
I would particularly recommend the writings and videos of Warren B. Smith, Caryl Matrisciana and Johanna Michaelsen, who were all heavily involved in the New Age movement before accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. They have great insight into just how deeply New Age thought and practice has penetrated into the professing Church today.

IN PREPARATION:
Central to Don MacGregor's quest for "spiritual transformation" is the practice of meditation. Contemplative practices are taking off big time in "Christian" circles today, and many are completely ignorant of their origins and the deep dangers they are exposing themselves to by indulging in such disciplines. A 2-part article on contemplative prayer is in preparation and should be available shortly, dealing firstly with "centering prayer" and secondly with "Christian meditation." 

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