| Apr 23 @ 8:56 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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southernlass
Posts: 2,240
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Well know biblical scholar, Tim LaHey, writes about the "religion of the future," and warns people of spiritual deception in his book entitled "Seduction of the Heart." He explains how views of humanism and relativism are creating a kind of New Age style theology that is destined to become something that will insidiously gain control of even our politics as a nation. His wonderful book was written in 2002 and much of what he stated in it has already occurred and is occurring now. Take a look:
"The first wave of attack on the foundations of our Judeo-Christian heritage has been the wave of secularism. Most of our schools and our public educational systems have been totally engulfed in the rising tide of humanistic and secular beliefs that eliminate God from any relevance to our culture. Today, we have kids without convictions because our adult generation has sacrificed them on the alters of intellectualism. They have been taught there is no God, life is an accident of biological chance, and there is no real meaning to our existence. It is no wonder that teen suicide is at an all time high. It should not surprise that school shootings are out of control or that teen pregnancies are at record levels. Secularism has poisoned the intellectual minds of today's generation.
Relativism follows quickly on the heels of secularism. It is the belief that all truth is relative to its context. It is the end result of a rationalism that loses its rationality. Once we reason that belief in God is not a rational option, we open our souls into believing in the irrational. Attempting to be wise, we become fools. We create our own agendas for life. Relativism basically tells us, if "if it feels good, do it!" Absolutes of truth and morality are swept aside in favor of a new philosophy of life that exalts self gratification and eliminates all absolute standards of human behavior."
Tim says that:
"the best way to nullify human prayer is to get people to "turn their gaze away from Him (God) toward themselves. This is precisely the danger of the New Age cults. The objective focus is shifted away from God toward self and results in some of the most incredible self-deception ever perpetrated on the general public: channeling, visualization, astral projection, altered consciousness, reincarnation, even time travel!
New Age theology represents a do-it-yourself form of religion. A person can pick and choose whatever ideas, beliefs, concepts and concerns happen to appeal to him personally. The rest can merely be set side; they need not be rejected."
New Agers see great spirituality in many different belief systems but there is one thing they all have in common, according to Tim LaHaye:
"They are united in their rejection of the God of the Bible, the deity of Christ, and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is repackaged as "the Cosmic Christ." In a do-it-yourself religion we ought not to be surprised to find a make-your-own-Jesus!
Desperately seeking answers to the great human problems of our time, the New Age believer turns to himself, the planet, the forces of nature, and the spirit world for help. But in his quest, he misses the true Christ-the real source of the peace, security, and stability he seeks.
In the meantime, people who follow New Age thinking are left hoping for some great cosmic deliverer to rescue the world and preserve its peace. Constance Cumbey is right when she says "For the first time in history there is a viable movement - the New Age movement- that truly meets all the scriptural requirements for the antichrist and the political movement that will bring him on the world scene."
http://www.amazon.com/reader/0849917263?%5Fencoding=UTF8&query=spiritual%20deception#reader
Tim's book is excellent and may cause many rational, intelligent people to pause, contemplate, and possibly reconsider what they've created for themselves as spirituality.
Discuss.
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| Apr 23 @ 9:35 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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Peabianjay
Posts: 1,790
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Eek?
This looks a lot like criticism of me, my beliefs. Not that I mind criticism. 
The general comments regarding New Age mentality kinda/sorta apply to me, though I'm not entirely sure I agree with the conclusion: "[New Agers are] left hoping for some great cosmic deliverer to rescue the world".
In fact, my belief system puts a greater obligation on mankind to fix our own problems. "Died for our sins" takes on a different meaning than in Christianity, there is no option to simply "ask for forgiveness". Forgiveness is earned through actions & behaviour, and granted to society, not the individual.
Err....I'll stop now. As noted in SL's post, New Age religion is highly varied, since it is a "do-it-yourself form of religion", so it's difficult to discuss anything specific.
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| Apr 23 @ 10:05 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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iam01
Posts: 6,294
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Another ignoramus post.
It should not surprise that school shootings are out of control or that teen pregnancies are at record levels. Some of the shooters were Christians and the record level teen pregs and abortions occurs in the Bible Belt.
This is precisely the danger of the New Age cults. The objective focus is shifted away from God toward self and results in some of the most incredible self-deception ever perpetrated on the general public: channeling, visualization, astral projection, altered consciousness, reincarnation, even time travel! Only a moron would believe this statement because all that crap are old age beliefs predating Christianity. Christinity itself was a new age cult 2000 years ago but not original. Its a plagiarism of older man-god myths of virgin birth, half man/half god saviors, birth, death and resurrection motifs. All copied including the miracles.
Christianity has always been threatened by competing faiths, spiritualites and religions especially those of superior quality. This is why Christians throughout history murdered and tortured others and forcefully indoctrinated indigenous cultures around the world most notably South Pacific Islanders, African Americans and Native Americans.
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| Apr 23 @ 11:10 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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Jankia
Posts: 11,912
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...and more childish drivel from the class clown.  
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| Apr 23 @ 11:50 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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uncrazy
Posts: 2,382
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Christianity has always been threatened by competing faiths, spiritualites and religions...
I would add the word "other" in front of the word "religions".
This is a common thread in all three religions from Abraham. Each has the only true revelations from the same God, each has text and clergy to identify enemies of our common God to rail against, each has an apocalyptic vision to justify the destruction of the false believers in the same God who is mine, and each a resultant world where their group gets through it generally unscathed to live in utopia.
Think for a moment...what kind of god would create such a condition for man but one who is either at war with himself or at war with other god's that monotheism lets us forget are in the backround? This god of three religions might be seen as having a very sinister agenda, especially when the churches all stress blind obedience to whatever vile order God has given, instead of teaching man about the love of God.
Jesus taught love...all three religions are willing to kill in God's name. I often wonder that the men of religion desire more to be right than happy among their fellows.
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| Apr 24 @ 12:13 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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iam01
Posts: 6,294
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How are Christians so mentally vacant to not know the historical facts? Weren't there Inquisitions, Crusades, witch hunts, Martin Luther's antisemitism and a Holocaust? They were all supported by Christian dogma. As for reincarnation, astral travel, etc are not new things. The part about altered consciousness and time travel can be found in hallucination accounts in Acts and Revelations and as well as other parts of the bible.
What is called New Age is nothing but a re-packaging of very old pre-Christian beliefs. The Jesus myth was a re-packaged copy of older myths. There were dozens of virgin birth saviors who died and were resurrected. Mithras, Dionysus, Horus, Attis , Adonis, Krishna,etc..there were so many. A common theme seen around the world including Voodoo where death and resurrection is played out in a ritual. So what what is really New Age besides the UFO cults and Scientology?
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| Apr 24 @ 4:55 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 931
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Exactly right except for one thing. Blindly exactly wrong. If I was to believe in the whole trilogy afterlife thing the most important concern in my life would have to be ME.
When I die............?
Instead I have lived my life very concerned about doing the right thing. I live by the words of a conjured man named Jesus and forgive. Much to the chagrin of my friends everything lands in my lap. Some would believe in booolee booolee magic. I believe if I work very hard to always make the right decision no matter how difficult, no especially when personally difficult the world at large will see me as righteous so to speak and decisions made in my absence will favour me.
My own wife comments often about my apparent luck and how things strangely always go my way. To drop your ego and self importence and live by only what is right is very challenging. I can see how some would invent a surrogate proxy, pseudo higher power as being responsible.
If you where to study emotion as it pertains to literature the bible is an impressive work of early man but by todays standards very weak.
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| Apr 24 @ 5:10 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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CPUfan
Posts: 7,983
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...and the Holy Roman Empire held a social, political, religious and intellectual monopoly of the West for almost one and a half millenia...
Didn't stop its church from becoming the richest organisation in history up to that point either, with soul certificates for access to the afterlife and torture (to death) of heretics.
Watch out for the latest Dan Brown movie "Angels and Demons" if you want to know about the histories of both religious monopolism and the growth of secularism.
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| Apr 24 @ 6:45 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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sail_dancer
Posts: 9,866
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SL,
This is part of the Tim LaHey biography that can be found on Wiki:Early life
LaHaye's mother was the former Margret Palmer.[3] and his father, Frank LaHaye, was a Ford auto worker. He died of a heart attack in 1936 and his death had a significant influence on LaHaye, just nine years old at the time.[3] He had been inconsolable until the minister at the funeral said "This is not the end of Frank LaHaye; because he accepted Jesus, the day will come when the Lord will shout from heaven and descend, and the dead in Christ will rise first and then we'll be caught up together to meet him in the air." LaHaye later said that, upon hearing those remarks, "all of a sudden, there was hope in my heart I'd see my father again."[4]
LaHaye enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1944 at the age of 18, after finishing night school. He served in Europe as a machine gunner aboard a bomber.[5]
LaHaye received a B.A. from Bob Jones University in 1950. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Seminary. In 1958, the LaHaye family moved to San Diego, California, where he became pastor of the Scott Memorial Baptist Church (since renamed "Shadow Mountain Community Church") in El Cajon, serving there for almost 25 years. In 1971 he founded Christian Heritage College, which is now known as San Diego Christian College.
In the 1980s he was criticized by the evangelical community for accepting money from Bo Hi Pak, a longtime Rev. Sun Myung Moon operative.[6] He was additionally criticized for joining Moon's Council for Religious Freedom, which was founded to protest Moon's 1984 imprisonment.[7] Despite the criticism he did not sever ties to Moon and even spoke at a Moon event in 1996.[8] You are supporting a person that supports and participates in Rev. Moon's activities. 
Are you a closet MOONIE? 
Talk about associating yourself with cults ! 
Peace
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| Apr 24 @ 7:22 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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Forgiveness is earned through actions & behaviour, and granted to society, not the individual.
Forgiveness can never be earned. It is either given or not, received or rejected. Nothing anyone can do will "earn" forgiveness from any entity no matter what you may choose to believe. It is something that is freely given by whomever has the authority to give it. What one does with the offering is another story.
S
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| Apr 24 @ 7:25 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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Peabianjay
Posts: 1,790
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Forgiveness can never be earned. Such is your belief. Not mine.
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| Apr 24 @ 8:24 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 931
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Watch out for the latest Dan Brown movie "Angels and Demons" if you want to know about the histories of both religious monopolism and the growth of secularism. Good morning Central Processing Unit. I will be watching for this movie very closely. Dan Brown makes some very provocative associations. I would suggest we take his holy grail and call it Sans Graal or the wool that has been pulled over your eyes since the days of Constantine. The Graal or holy blood line is a complete fabrication and necessary for the church to hold onto followers. Strangely as little as 150 years ago it was understood that the bible was an abstract learning tool. How in the age of sciences did it become literal?
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| Apr 24 @ 8:39 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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iam01
Posts: 6,294
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Forgiveness can never be earned Rather stupid individuals would say such things. They might even be antisocial sociopaths. No one should bother caring what they think. There is no point for anyone who actually feels remorse to express their feeling to idiots like this. Civilized courts of law take into consideration in sentencing whether the guilty party is remorseful or not. One can earn leniency which is a form of forgiveness. People generally forgive easier when they know the offender is sorry for whatever deed caused them pain. This is possible because of the compassion of the injured party.
So such morons who harbor hardness in their hearts want revenge. One could never earn forgiveness from such people. In this case, the offender shouldn't feel so bad for such bastards even though they are accepting responsibility for their own acting.
[Edited on 4/24/2009 8:44 AM]
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| Apr 24 @ 9:42 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 18,620
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"They are united in their rejection of the God of the Bible, the deity of Christ, and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is repackaged as "the Cosmic Christ." In a do-it-yourself religion we ought not to be surprised to find a make-your-own-Jesus!
I speak for nobody but myself, but you do realize that the reason for my rejection of the God of the Bible and the deity of Christ is that I believe the Bible is about a made up God and a made their own Jesus? Why would I fear someone else's nightmares or seek someone else's fantasies?
I came to the conclusion that I'm part of God, as are we all. I believe that what I do and what I think actually matters in determining the direction of mankind. If it were up to 'real Christians', historically we'd still be a British colony, if not even a Roman one; slavery would still exist; and there would be no such thing as even an attempt at equal rights. Not to mention we'd still be convinced the earth was the center of the universe. This country was created as a secular entity, allowing freedom of religion for all, which seems to be anathema to fundamentalist christians.
Thomas Jefferson's bible denied the divinity of Jesus as well as his resurrection:
The Jefferson Bible begins with an account of Jesus’s birth without references to angels, genealogy, or prophecy. Miracles, references to the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, and Jesus' resurrection are also absent from the Jefferson Bible.[5] The work ends with the words: “Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus. And rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” These words correspond to the ending of John 19 in the Bible.
His contention was that the priests generally conspired with rulers like Constantine to curry their own favor and enrichment, and to use my own phrase, 'scare people stupid.' His bible was an attempt to extract the morals that Jesus taught, without the attendant dogma, which he considered, as do many, to be falsehood.
As for absolutes of truth and morality, please read both the old and new testaments and point out consistencies in morality - fornication is one in particular - various penalties are stoning to death, ordering the marriage of the fornicators, or forgiveness. If that's absolute morality, I'll have to learn a new definition for absolute.
I truly believe the only seduction of the heart is an attempt to go back to an ideal time that never existed and shirk responsibility for mankind to reach adulthood.
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| Apr 24 @ 9:51 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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iam01
Posts: 6,294
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Why would I fear someone else's nightmares or seek someone else's fantasies? Much of the past 2000 years those beliefs and fantasies were translated into action. The Inquisitions, Crusades, Witch hunts, Holocaust, condemnation and forced indoctrinations of native cultures, destruction of the education system, political process, religious agendas forced on secular society,etc..
Its not a matter of what they believe but what they do with those beliefs.
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| Apr 24 @ 10:14 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,291
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We are not living with the religions from 2000 years ago we are living with a new age form of those religions, like it or not. Every time a religion enters a new area and civilization it either adjust to the peoples of the new area or it simply disappears in that area over time.
This is true of living belief systems that existed before Monotheism and Monotheism as well. If you ever have studied the migration of ancient peoples, how they changed and adapted to new areas of living you would soon understand that the lifestyle of the middle east nor their religions can be picked up and placed elsewhere in other societies and then practiced the same as it was in the middle east.
Tim LaHey is not saying anything original he has at hand hindsight that he is interpreting in his own way. He is using todays lifestyle then comparing it to more ancient customs and when that is done anyone can build a case pro or con about anything.
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| Apr 24 @ 11:02 AM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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Gallows_Humor
Posts: 13,679
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We are not living with the religions from 2000 years ago we are living with a new age form of those religions, like it or not. Every time a religion enters a new area and civilization it either adjust to the peoples of the new area or it simply disappears in that area over time.
 ...... 
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| Apr 24 @ 3:17 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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uncrazy
Posts: 2,382
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seal,
Forgiveness can never be earned....
This then provides a justification to owe no restitution or amends to repair the harm I've caused others.
By your book we are to forgive 7 times 70, perhaps the book suggests that it is not to be earned by those that harmed me, but given without limit.
A spiritual solution locatable in Jammin's read-lines.
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| Apr 24 @ 4:04 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation
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10zie
Posts: 174
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New Age theology represents a do-it-yourself form of religion. A person can pick and choose whatever ideas, beliefs, concepts and concerns happen to appeal to him personally. The rest can merely be set side; they need not be rejected."
Examining the ever-changing face of religion over the ages, we find ample evidence that the churches take "pick and choose" liberties themselves. This practice has been used to keep peace among diverse groups, appease the beliefs of rulers and even increase a churches folds...and consequently it's tithes. Every church has struggled with popularity, because without it there is no congregation to administer. Even the steadfast rules and rituals of the Amish are bent to accommodate the times. My point is that anyone who believes that the methodology of any given organized religion is working on it's original premise is kidding themselves. It doesn't make it right. I'm just saying that's how it is. I'm certain this history plays no small role in how readily willing we are to interpret and re-interpret religious concept today.
...channeling, visualization, astral projection, altered consciousness, reincarnation, even time travel!
I'm afraid Tim LaHey needs a history lesson if he is considering most of these practices as "New Age". With the exception of time travel, most of these practices go back to primitive, even prehistoric times. They were used as prayer methods...a means in which to communicate with the gods. Just sayin...nothin new about it.
[Edited on 4/24/2009 4:23 PM]
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| Apr 24 @ 4:21 PM |
Seduction of the heart - the deception of a nation |
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uncrazy
Posts: 2,382
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Without a knowledge of history, I would remain stuck believing the truths of men who don't know history.
It is very easy to make claims for pearls when history is ignored.
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