I have a friend that was just telling me about this book and how excited she was to start reading it.  She was telling me that the author takes "stuff" from the Bible.  All I was thinking was uh-oh, what is she getting herself into.  My husband has been trying to witness to her husband and even HE (her husband) was excited about this.

When Darrell (my DH), saw this video, he was very concerned about their getting led astray.  We need to pray really hard about this.   

Bible trivia:
What was the lie the serpant told Eve? He told her that she would surely not die and that she could be like God knowing good and evil.
The serpant of  old is still telling the same lie.  Eckhardt Tolle said that "Man made God in his image"  he then says that "there is no death"  and "we are part of God"
Remember if you are a Christian than you are in a war. We are in constant battle against invisble forces, spirits, principalities of this world. It is sad to see that Oprah is being used to bring these lies to mainstream TV to millions every week. The Bible says that we should be ready to give a defense for the Gospel. We should be ready in and out of season.
People Get ready, Jesus is Coming
Be blessed in Christ
Sterling

about a year ago the movie came out way of a peaceful warrior which was leading people astray also. I have to admit I bought these books and when I started reading them I automatically knew I did not need to be reading them. So many subtle things we have to deal with on a daily basis and if we aren't careful we can find ourselves being led astray by false prophets. We really need to pray for those individuals that are searching for answers and are lead astray by big stars like Oprah. 

Millions of people today are still falling for the first lie that Satan got Eve to believe.
One thing i wanted to add or question. Tolle quotes Jesus....why? Does this mean he is more credible b/c he quotes Christ? And he quotes Christ as if he believes in what Christ says. Christ did say that we are lights to the world, but he never said that we were LIFE Christ said in John "I am the way, the truth, and the life. Noone comes to the father but through me." If someone truly believed in what Christ taught than they could not accept anything this man says as truth. Man this just fires me up! If we have Christian or Non-Christian friends that read this junk, than we must not sit around and let them be deceived. We must defend the Gospel out of LOVE for our unbelieving friends and confused seekers.

The thing is that it reminds me of what Pastor Ron said on Sunday about that God told him to get us ready because He is coming. 

I have heard that one of the many signs of Jesus' return will be many false prophets spreading their beliefs thru the world, confusing many.  Pastor Ron told us that the Word of Jesus has now made a full 360 around the world (another sign of the coming). 

I am very sad for those that are being misled by this woman's celebrity status.  I have never really been a fan of hers, but I did enjoy to watch the occasional show (especially the give away shows). I was utterly shocked when she said "Who is Jesus?"  I couldn't believe that would come out of her mouth.  I don't really know why I am so shocked as there are many who have denied the exsistence of the only way to Heaven.  

Another thing I was shocked was how she mentioned that her Pastor told her that God was a jealous God.  She immediately thought it was about her.  Can anyone say "EGO"???!!!! No sweetie, God is not jealous of you, but for your love (just as Sara mentioned above).  

Ok, venting over.  I am praying for her and all these people that they will see the Truth.   

I am interested in providing an alternate perspective on the unanimous response to this post about Oprah and Eckhart Tolle.  What started out as a simple comment turned into two blog posts that might not be what you expect to find in this community. Hopefully we can agree that open minds are what the world needs right now.

Here is what I wrote:

What you see is what you get

Top 4 Second Coming methods

Thanks WayOutWest, but I will stick to my opinion that this is just another cult in the rising.  And I don't need to read the first chapter in the book to see that. 

The simple fact is that if one doesn't accept Christ as their Savior and believe that He died for their sins and was raised from the dead, then they will not be going to heaven.   HE is the ONLY way to heaven.  When someone denies Christ (as Oprah did, they will not be going to heaven, no matter what kind other of ways they try to "find God")

You can call me closed minded all you want, I know what my Bible says and I know that the Bible is the truth.

Here is a video that I feel is a great parable about all those false religions and the only one that can save us is Christ.

A Man Fell in a Hole 

Hi Karen -- I would very much appreciate continuing this discussion, if we may.  My desire is to understand your belief system in better detail.  I believe it's important that the people of the world reconcile their beliefs.

Jesus was a Jewish man created in God's likeness. He was the Son of God.

I believe his steadfast intention is that we follow his example and become like him, to become children of God.

John says those who receive Jesus are granted the right to become children of God.  What if every human on the planet received Jesus in his or her own way?  How would we relate to each other then?  Is it possible that our wisdom would inform our journeys into the fathomless depths of human consciousness?

 God wants us to increase our wisdom. We were given powerful minds for a reason. 

Thank you for your time.
Mark

Wayoutwest - You said "Jesus was a Jewish man created in God's likeness. He was the Son of God." 

I don't know if I am misunderstanding you, but my first question to you is if you believe that the Bible is infallible.  I DO believe it's infallible.  Therefore I believe that Jesus was more than JUST the Son of God and a great teacher.  Yes, He was both, but He is also God. 

I don't know exactly what you mean about "receiving Jesus in his or her own way".  The Bible states that in order to have eternal life, one has to confess with their mouth and believe with all their heart that Jesus died and rose again for their sins. 

If one does this, they are saved.  They will never perish and have eternal life.  This, I believe is the only way to heaven.  Yes, we are to follow Jesus' commandments.  We are to follow His teachings, but just doing that alone will not get us into heaven.  He said it Himself that He was the only way to God.   

Have you ever heard the term "born again"?  That is what the verse that you quoted from John means.  We will not be born of blood, or flesh, but we become children of God when we accept Christ into our hearts.  

I hope I explained this well, as I am not a good debator at all.   

Believing in Jesus Christ as our only savior, and following in his footsteps, or as you put it-"Doesn't it make 1,000,000 times more sense to set your heart upon thinking, feeling and behaving as Jesus did?  To have faith that the spirit of God is alive and kicking within you?  To recognize that awesome creative force and let it flow into your triumphant victories and your painful lessons? To empathize with every living being, have mercy, and make sacrifices." - are not two seperate things. But I want to add that our behaving like Christ is not what saves us. Only His blood can, but rather our taking on His spirit is our way of testifying our faith in Christ and that His sacrifice is the only true way to Heaven. He alone was perfect and no matter how much we strive to follow the spirit's guidence and live a righteous life, and "to be connected with God" we ourselves can never achieve that perfection. Only by beeing bathed in Christ's perfect blood can God see perfection on us. No matter how much "enlightenment" or "meditation" on our own abilities and powers are going to get us to the point of being connected with God. Only Jesus Christ is our vehicle to God. As it is written in God's infallible word.  "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father but through me."  This certainly bares repeating.

He is the way! The only way! God's word is the only Truth. And Jesus Christ is the only way to God! 

Also on what alot of this type of "church"  is based is that society today wants us all to be politically correct and open minded. But I'm afraid that God sets the rules. Just like a parent who sets curfews and house rules, God is our Father and we are living under His roof so-to-say. And just as children don't like the rules their parents make foe them they must at some point ackknowledge that the rules are there for there own good to teach what is acceptable and what is not. God is very clear on what is right and wrong. God was not "open minded" or "accepting" when His children did not obey Him. He smote an entire generation of Israelites in the desert for this sort of attitude. (worshiping idols and engaging in sexual immorality) He does not say I prefer that you behave this way, but since I am a "loving God" I will let it slide if you go against my commands. No! God is a loving God, and He wants none of His children to parish, but that doesn't mean that they can not choose to reject Him.

41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matt.13:41-43
 

I don't know if I agree with all of what Mr. Tolle writes, I've never read one of his books. But, judging from this short video, I would imagine we agree on quite a lot. As for Oprah, she appears to be quite genuine in her search and desire for discovery, and may G-d bless her.

What I find more troubling, actually, is the alarmism, ignorance, and self-righteousness displayed in the editorial commentary surrounding the video, and certainly not lacking in some of the comments posted here. It would be quite funny, actually, if unyielding sectarianism wasn't the global scourge it is today.

I'd like to take one example from the beginning of the video as emblematic of my larger point, which is that there is an offense to ones belief that can exist where greater knowledge and understanding would produce none. Reacting negatively towards the "offender," however, precludes the possibility of expanding ones understanding, and only entrenches the pre-conceived belief.

For example, at the beginning of the video, with boilerplate cinematic foreboding, we are told that, "they believe 'Heaven is not a location, but refers to the inner realm of consciousness.'" The Horror!

However, I would say thats EXACTLY what a close reading of scripture indicates it is. Such an understanding as this is also backed up by experiment, and, to me, is far more satisfying to soul and mind than the commonplace and nebulous idea of flying off to the 'pearly gates.' The latter being, as I see it, merely an expression of the desire to escape life. Exactly why I say that a close reading of scripture supports the former view is perhaps too technical to get into deeply here, but I will provide an outline.

The Greek word translated to English as 'Heaven' is Ouranos, indicating Sky and the Greek Sky God of the same name. Uranus is associated to the Hebrew letter Aleph, which is itself associated with the Life-Breath and, hence of course, Spirit, or Pneuma. It is the progenitor of creation, as is by legend Ouranos who laid over Gaia, Mother Earth, echoing the Genesis account, 'and the Spirit moved over the face of the waters'.

Aleph and Uranus are also attributed to Super-consciousness; omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence. If Our Father art in Heaven, what location could contain Him? None of course. He is Spirit and omnipresent and that means, by definition, within you, without you, in the midst of you and everywhere else!

frater_arc:  I would like to see where you quoted Jesus.  You didn't site the verse or book that Jesus spoke that quote about Heaven being in us. 

Also, where in the Bible is the gospel of Thomas.  I have a Bible right in front of me and there is no book of Thomas.  

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your response, the citations for the verses quoted above are (in order of appearance):

Actually, the Dead Sea Scrolls are a library of Jewish materials, including Old Testament scriptures, found near the Dead Sea. Some of the scrolls include teachings of a Jewish sect generally identified as Essenes. The materials are generally preChristian, written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. On the othe hand, the Nag Hammadi collection is a batch of post-New Testament writings, mostly from the 2nd, and 3rd centuries of the Christian era, attributed to a group generally described as Gnostics who were in conflict with Bible believing Christians who respected the authority of the apostles and their writings.

 Yes, indeed, God is omnipresent in the created cosmos, able to see and touch everywhere all the time. He is not contained with in it, did exist before it, and will continue after it is gone. It is not a part of him, nor he of it. Rather, the universe is a physical reality which he made from nothing, by the power of his word, not by a sex act (Hebrews 1:1-4, 11:1-6).

The same word "heaven" is indeed used to identify where birds fly, and where stars shine, and by analogy, where God dwells (as in 2Cor 12:2-4) and Jesus is described as having come from that non-physical (but greater than physical) place and returned to it (as in John 3:13). In context, the reference to God's presence in heaven and hell in Psalm 139:8 of the KJV is about the physical sky of the created cosmos, and the place of the dead who await the resurrection, Sheol in that Hebrew language passage, or Hades in the Greek version of the word, not the spiritual dwelling place of God or the lake of fire that is described as the devil's destination.

Regarding Acts 17:28, Paul was not at all suggesting that humankind are part of God, nor vice-versa. Rather, speaking to a group of Greek philosophers, Paul said, regarding the limits God had set on human habitation, "27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" (Acts 17:27-28
NIV) We don't find God by looking within, but by looking out, by reaching, by searching, not by turning within ourselves in any sense at all. All mankind originates in God's creative act and is sustained by his power in the universe he made, but we learn of him through external means, information he has provided in his works and in his words (Psa 19).

When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-21 he was not talking specifically about the destination of the saved, or the dwellig place of God. (Actually, the NIV footnote on that verse suggests "among you," a more literal rendering, instead of "within you.") A kingdom is a realm ruled by a king. The king under consideration is God. Is God's kingdom a distant place? No, Jesus taight that the kingdom of God, the rule of God, would not be distant, rather than he came to bring it into being. Consequently, after he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven (see Acts 1:1-11), his apostles, his chosen messengers, taught that he had been glorified and begun to reign on the throne of David at the right hand of God (Acts 2:29-36). In Revelation John spoke of the kingdom Jesus rules as being comprised of those people who are purchased by his blood.

 Rev 1:5b-6
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
NIV

One comment about John 1:12-13 which was mentioned further up the line on this series, the poster there suggested people everywhere could receive Jesus "in his or her own way." Once the words "own way" come into play, we're no longer talking about receiving Jesus. Doing our own thing isn't doing his thing. In the very verses cited, the description is of children "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." God has a will in the matter of how children are born to him. He has expressed that will in a verbal way in the New Testament. I can't come to him in my "own way" and neither can anyone else. It is God's will that makes it possible to come to him at all, in spite of our failures, and it is a shame that loud voices are constantly promoting other ideas as though they will suffice for what God has willed and said.