"...contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."- Jude 1:3
Showing posts with label paganism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paganism. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

From Paganism to Christianity interview by Inspiring Philosophy

 

Former pagan and defender of paganism claims he had an encounter with Christ that lead to his conversion to Christianity. Listen to the testimony with a grain of salt. The video description says this:

"Steven Dillon was a polytheist for years. He wrote books arguing from polytheism and had encounters with pagan gods, but then one day something happened that changed all that. "



From Paganism to Christianity
https://youtu.be/0wqR62c1D2g




 

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

The Dangers of Kundalina Yoga

 

 Kundalina Yoga: Just a Harmless, Physical Exercise?   Kundalina Yoga: Just a Harmless, Physical Exercise? 
https://illinoisfamily.org/marriage/kundalina-yoga-just-a-harmless-physical-exercise/

 

An excerpt:

"The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis lists over fifty possible dangers from hypnosis in their American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (Volume 31, Number 1, July 1988, pg. 46). It’s no coincidence that many listed are the same risks yoga instructors warn about. Dangers of these practices include: severe headaches, depression, uncontrolled weeping or laughter, spasmodic jerking, feelings of intense heat or cold, electricity passing through the body and itching or crawling sensations, memory impairment, hallucinations, identity crisis, mental illness/insanity, suicidal thoughts/suicide, anxiety/panic attacks, heart palpitations, heart attack and death. On the other hand, one may experience intense feelings of a beautiful oneness with the universe, infinite love, and ecstatic bliss.

In his book, The Awakening of Kundalini,” Gopi Krishna warned that prana (energy or life-force), can lead to blissful experiences, but if it isn’t “properly attuned” can lead to feelings of fear, depression, anxiety and even “horrors of madness.” He attributes years of unbearable, burning physical pain and mental anguish, to the practice of Kundalini Yoga and revealed: “I have passed through almost all the states of different mediumistic, psychotic and other types of mind; for some time I was hovering between sanity and insanity” (E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York, 1975, pgs. 96, 97, 124).

Writing about Kundalini Yoga, Theosophist/occultist/medium, Alice Bailey, noted in her work, A Treatise on White Magic, that “only one in a thousand aspirants” are at the stage to begin such a practice and that may be “too optimistic.” She warned it could “produce insanity” and made clear “it is a most dangerous undertaking when induced before the mechanism is ready to deal with it” (Lucis Publishing Company, New York NY, 1951, pgs. 590-591).

Well-known spiritual teacher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, suffered for years with excruciating headaches, visions, convulsions, shuddering and moaning, “much as a person possessed” – but called this “an inward cleansing” (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen, Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, Harper SanFranciso, 1991, pg. 318).

Properly practiced or not, these and many other dangers exist, including spiritual ones. Besides the possibility of having one’s worldview and definition of God altered, there is also the very real possibility of seeing, being oppressed by, and/or possessed by dis-embodied spirits (Christians call them demons). This is a well-known phenomenon and frequent occurrence to those deeply involved in the occult.

El Collie, a widely-recognized practitioner of Kundalini Yoga, wrote of her experiences with “outrageous telepathy, clairvoyance, and visitations from entities from other realms” in her online book, Branded by the Spirit. Collie, who saw herself as a shaman/priestess (witchdoctor) and a “conduit for the Spirit,” described Kundalini as the Goddess who came to her when she “least expected it, pouring herself into her “through megavolts of energy” that turned her body into an “electrified living temple” (http://www.elcollie.com/st/chap1.html). Brilliant flashes of white light are common during a Kundalini awakening, said Collie, and are “often perceived in the presence of spirit guides or during divine visitations” (http://www.elcollie.com/st/light.html).

While some practitioners claim to see “Christ” or other “angelic” spiritual beings, others have had haunting, terrifying experiences they probably wish they could forget. Carole, a friend of author John Weldon, took up Hatha yoga for health reasons. “The night after receiving her mantra, Carole was visited by a spirit being who claimed to be the spirit of Swami Rama himself…She experienced wonderful powerful forces and energies, while thoughts entered her mind with a magnetic-like force.” Carole believed she was communicating with the spirit world and had found God. But, after two weeks of meditation, “Carole became engulfed in a nightmare of utter dread and terror.” The beings she thought were angelic turned demonic and viciously attacked her (see http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/new-age/NA1101W1htm)."

Thursday, December 19, 2019

May Christians Celebrate Christmas?


The objection that Christians ought not to celebrate or observe Christmas is usually based on four reasons. 1. It has pagan origins and therefore Christians ought not to observe it. 2. it is a Roman Catholic tradition that involves the Catholic Mass and therefore Protestants shouldn't be involved in it; 3. it violates the Reformed doctrine of the Regulative Principle of Worship; 4. it involves images and statues of Christ as a baby. Which is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments against images of God. Since most professing Christians are, in principle, Trinitarians, Christmas involves images and statues of Christ who is God in the flesh.

I'll answer objections 2-4 quickly, because the main purpose of this blogpost is to address objection 1. Since this issue is:
a.) being used by cultists to lure people away from Christianity, and
b.) by non-Christians (e.g. some atheists) as a case of hypocrisy on the part of Christians.

While I'm a Calvinistic and Continuationist Baptist, and therefore loosely "Reformed", I don't currently hold to the Reformed doctrine of the Regulative Principle of Worship. The reasons for that are beyond the scope of this blogpost. Regarding the claim that Christmas or Christmass is Roman Catholic, I would simply say that when Protestants observe Christmas they usually don't do so in conjunction with the Catholic Mass or other Catholic approaches to worship. So, Protestants can stripe the holiday of Catholic worship. Similar to how most Christians who use the names of the days of the week aren't worshipping Thor on Thursday, or Woden/Odin on Wednesday, or Saturn on Saturday [etc.]. When it comes to the objection that it involves images of Christ, I don't believe it is inherently sinful to have images of Jesus since He was a historical person with flesh, bone and blood. To deny that Jesus can be portrayed in art is to tacitly (usually unintentionally) deny the incarnation. That the Son of God really and truly entered space and time. I don't see a problem in celebrating Christmas so long as it's understood [or at least not denied] that no one really knows how Jesus looked like in the flesh and therefore the images of Christ are artistic suppositions/speculations. And so long as the images aren't being used as aids in worship. While I'm often uncomfortable with images and statues of Christ, I think they are permissible for the stated reason that the incarnation teaches Jesus was not only truly God, but also truly man. A true historical man can be portrayed in art. To deny that Jesus can be portrayed in art is to deny His true humanity.

With that said, here are videos that address the claim that Christmas is pagan.

Christmas is Not Pagan PARTS 1 & 2 by InspiringPhilosophy [Michael Jones]
1. Christmas is Not Pagan (Scripture)
https://youtu.be/ca_Yx3aMCiE




2. Christmas is not Pagan (History)
https://youtu.be/DfcvJWPTY64


Is Christmas PAGAN? In defense of Christmas by Mike Winger
https://youtu.be/ugxJBb0lPXQ


Is Christmas Pagan? by Marie Wood
https://youtu.be/IvW7A8-CqnY




InspiringPhilosophy has also DEBATED the issue:

Does Christmas have Pagan Roots? - Michael (of InspiringPhilosophy) vs Ocean Keltoi
https://youtu.be/dlgGHZBFH38



Christmas Trees Are Pagan - Debate!
https://youtu.be/YnTmOOgpYF8


Debate: Is Christmas A Pagan Holiday?
https://youtu.be/8Bg8A3Sa_og




InspiringPhilosophy has also been interviewed on the topic:


Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? at David Wood's channel:
https://youtu.be/lvXP-6Shq_4



IS CHRISTMAS PAGAN? | "Inspiring Philosophy" Interview at Vocab Malone's channel:
https://youtu.be/uRsSDcUlJfU