(Following are excerpts from the book, Masonic Rites and Wrongs, Steven Tsoukalas, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 1995)

As we begin our critique of Masonic theology, there is a fundamental principle that needs to be understood. Common among Grand Lodges throughout the world is the practice that initiates state a trusting belief in a Supreme Being. He may believe in Allah, Jehovah, God [generically], Jesus, Krishna, Brahman, or another Deity.

Blue Lodge rituals throughout the world feature a prayer in the Entered Apprentice [first] degree: “Vouchsafe Thine aid, Almighty Father and Supreme Governor of the Universe, to this our present convention, and grant that this Candidate for Freemasonry may so dedicate and devote his life to Thy service as to become a true and faithful Brother among us. Endue him with a competency of Thy divine wisdom, that assisted by the secrets of our Masonic art, he may the better be enabled to unfold the beauties of true godliness, to the honour and glory of Thy Holy Name” (Emulation Ritual [London: Lewis Masonic, 1986], 67).

The Masonic name for God is T.G.A.O.T.U., “the Great Architect of the Universe.” The Masonic designation for God is a canopy designation, since, as will be shown, T.G.A.O.T.U. is able to contain in Himself all the various deities of different Masons. If Freemasonry requires of its initiates belief in a Supreme Being, then it is possible for men who believe in either Krishna or Jesus, Brahman or Vishnu, Allah or Jehovah to be Masons.

Now what happens when a Muslim, a Hindu, a Unitarian, and a Christian attend the same Lodge meeting and bow their heads to the preceding prayer?

The answer is that during ritual [again, see the preceding prayer], prayers are offered, addressing T.G.A.O.T.U., and the person praying uses the pronouns “we” and/or “our,” meaning that T.G.A.O.T.U. is addressed by someone in behalf of all the Masons assembled…. [This] strengthens my observation that T.G.A.O.T.U. is a canopy designation for the Masonic God.

[Noted Masonic scholar Allen E. Roberts writes:] “You have learned that Freemasonry calls God ‘The Great Architect of the Universe.’ This is the Freemason’s special name for God, because He is universal. He belongs to all men regardless of their religious persuasion. All wise men acknowledge His authority. In his private devotions a Mason will pray to Jehovah, Mohammed, Allah, Jesus, or the Deity of His choice. In a Masonic Lodge, however, the Mason will find the name of his Deity within the Great Architect of the Universe” (The Craft and Its Symbols [Richmond: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., 1974], 6).
This strongly implies that ritual seeks, at the very least, to take up all the various possible deities of Masons in any one particular Lodge room and bring them under the canopy designation T.G.A.O.T.U. Thus, Blue Lodge [foundational Masonry, the first three degrees] Freemasonry does define God! It does so in a most subtle way by not initially obligating the candidate to define which God he believes in, but then in practice placing all candidates’ gods under its canopy designation. By doing this the Craft [a synonym for Masonry] defines who God is.

End of excerpts

The canopy Deity of Freemasonry is clearly not the God of the Bible. Rather than defining God as He reveals Himself in the Bible–as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–Freemasonry in offers an all-inclusive Deity.

As Christians we are sure to come into contact, either directly or indirectly, with Freemasonry. And we may need to communicate to a Mason who claims to be a Christian that Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity.

I recommend asking them these questions: (1) Who is the God of the Bible? [answer should be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] (2) Does Freemasonry call God “The Great Architect of the Universe”? [answer should be “yes”] (3) Can Masons be Hindus, Unitarians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.? [answer should be “yes”] (4) I s this prayer given in your Lodge (read to them the “Vouchsafe Thine aid…” prayer)? [answer should be “yes”] (5) Is it possible for Hindus, Buddhists, Unitarians, Muslims, and Christians to pray together in a Lodge room? [answer should be “yes”] (6) Is ONE Deity being addressed in this prayer and in other prayers in your Lodge? [answer should be “yes”] (7) Does Freemasonry define this God as the biblical triune God? [answer should be “no”] (8) Then just who is being prayed to?

In Atlanta, the summer of 1996 was “Olympic” focused. So were many of the locally represented cults. One in particular was the Baha’i Faith. They had two “Racial Unity Celebration – Mankind is One” events in community parks before the Olympics came to town. They wanted to put their best foot forward by having them open to the public and by inviting local community leaders such as the Mayor of Roswell, a retired Police Chief and an Evangelical Baptist Preacher. And it had lots of cultural music. A good friend of mine – Jeff Miller – found one of their pamphlets and told me about the first event being held in the City of Roswell. We decided to go and talk with them about their redefinition of who Jesus Christ is and was, and what He did for them on the cross. God used that event to start us on several one-on-one discussions and a couple of group meetings with Baha’i believers.

Some of their basic beliefs are clearly stated in one of their tracts: ”God has revealed His Word in each period of history through a chosen Individual Whom Baha’is call ‘the Manifestation of God’. He restates in every age God’s purpose and will. His teachings are a revelation from God. Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad were Manifestations of God. Since there is one God, these Manifestations of God have each taught the same religious faith” (Basic Facts of the Baha’i Faith [Wilmette, Illinois: Baha’i Publishing Trust, n.d.], 3). Thus, the unique, eternal deity of Jesus is denied by the Baha’i Faith. Add to this a denial of the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and the bodily resurrection of Christ.

It all started in 1844 when a young man from Iran, calling himself “the Bab” (the Gate), began teaching God would soon “manifest” Himself in a “World Teacher.” In 1863 Baha’u’llah (the Glory of God) announced to the followers of Bab that he was that “manifestation.” He began writing and teaching the people to unite, have a common faith, and strive for a one world order. This, he stated, would lead to an enduring peace. Before he died he appointed his eldest son – Abdu’l-Baha – the “Exemplar of the Faith.” Under his leadership (and later the leadership of his grandson, Shoghi Effendi) the Baha’i Faith spread to parts of Europe and America. Baha’i followers consider it the ‘Preferred religion of the United Nations’ because of its attitude of unity.

The first event had 50+ Baha’is in a park in Roswell. It broke my heart as I listened to them reveal the writings of their faith, and how they distort the scriptures to fit their world view. It reminded me of listening to Mormons teach about additional revelation. We talked to a couple of the followers and one of the leaders of the event. They were very inclusive with all religions. We told them that Christ was not a religion but a relationship. We handed out several copies of the SDM Booklet on the Baha’i Faith and challenged them to examine their beliefs. My heart was further grieved when I heard the Baptist Preacher speak of unity with the Baha’i Faith. His influence would have given him an opportunity to say, “spiritually we stand apart. My cause is Jesus Christ – not Baha’i – and only through Christ can we have true unity.” The Preacher fell short of making that statement. The cause of Christ was silent on his lips. He and I spoke later and as a brother in Christ I had to tell him that he had been used to promote a cult. He could see it, but did nothing to change the situation.

The story of Bab and Baha’u’llah sounds a lot like John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. That afforded me the opportunity to contrast the teachings of Christ with the Baha’i Faith. They wanted to keep in front of us the ‘unity of mankind’ and that we are all one faith. When we spoke of Christ they were ready to include Him. But when it came to sin and salvation through Christ alone and nothing else, they had problems. They shared with us how the ‘Golden Rule’ shows up in every major religion. We stated that the principle shows up in other religions but the truth only shows up in one – Christianity. John 14:6 is the clear truth of Christ – “I am THE way, THE truth, THE life, no man comes to the Father but through Me.”

At a later event in a large downtown park in Atlanta with 200+ Baha’i followers, five of us went to proclaim the truth of Christ. When we arrived we recognized one of the leaders from the last event and he quickly told us not to hand out any literature. We said that we would only if someone asked. He then pointed us to a table that we could set up and display our literature and booklets! There were many displays from Baha’i followers, and even a lady who was invited there because she sells Christian books and Bibles. She had no idea that the Baha’i Faith was a cult, and that their teachings go against God’s word. She was not willing to tell others about her relationship with Christ, she only wanted to sell books. We didn’t keep our table very long because the leader’s wife remembered us from the last event in Roswell. She didn’t like the literature we gave to people. We had many discussions one-on-one with several people. Their main focus was social issues.

The next time God brought a Baha’i follower in my path was at a local playground at a nearby Church. Ramaro was wearing a T-shirt that read “Baha’i – life’s final assurance.” We talked about who he thought Jesus is and who He was, and the contrast in the Bible and Baha’i writings. We exchanged phone numbers and within a week he called inviting me to his home to a Baha’i “Fireside Meeting.” Another friend (Steve Danforth) and I went to their meeting and with 20+ Baha’i followers present. The leader told of how the Baha’i Faith came to be the foremost religion, then he opened the meeting up to questions. After a couple questions were asked about the history of Baha’i, he turned to me, knowing that I wrote some questions down as he spoke. I asked questions about the historical Jesus and their opposing his spiritual message. We looked into the Bible and went over scripture that stated who Jesus said He was and what His mission was. It was then discussed to have a Bible Study to look at Christ further. Three weeks later 7 of us met with 4 of them and with many saints praying. We went over the differences of who the Bible says Jesus is and who Baha’u’llah says Jesus is, the contradiction between the teaching of the Qur’an and the Bible, the falsehood of teaching about “another Jesus,” and about how we are not to have another revelation other than the one from Christ. The debate went on and their thinking made it hard to nail them down. However, a couple of times the leader had nothing he could respond with to refute what the Bible had to say. He was building on sand and Christ was a stumbling stone to him. We even pointed out that Christ had something to say about Baha’u’llah: he is a false Christ (Matt 24:5). As much as the Holy Spirit talked to them that night, and as far as we know, they still have chosen to stay deceived and spiritually blind. With the love of Christ we requested that they repent of following the false teachings of Baha’u’llah. They remain to this day silent. Whenever you see or talk to Baha’i believers – pray for them – the spiritual deception they have is deep.

In the beginning was the Word,
en arche en ho logos

and the Word was with God,
kai ho logos en pros ton theon

and God was the Word.
kai theos en ho logos.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Here we have John stating without hesitation his view of the preincarnate Christ as God before all ages, and the eternal fellowship between the Father and the Son. In reality, the sameness of essence of the Word with the Father is attested, along with the distinctness of the persons of the Father and the Son. I shall now examine the three clauses of John 1:1.

In the beginning was the Word. John’s first two words in Greek echo the LXX (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) of Genesis 1:1–“In the beginning” (en arche). Thus, John’s primary intent is to draw the reader back to the Genesis account, when all things in the universe were created. At this time, writes John, the Word (logos) was (en). The imperfect tense form of the verb eimi (I am) is employed, signifying continuous action in the past. Thus, when all things in the universe were created, the Word already was, i.e., already existed. John is relating to us the eternal existence of the Word. Note also the entirely different verb ginomai (I become) in John 1:3 referring to the created cosmos. This verb tells of coming into existence: “All things came into being (egeneto [lit. “it became”], the imperfect tense form of ginomai) by Him…” John marks a clear distinction between the Word who always was, and the created order which came into existence. Here Jehovah’s Witnesses miss the point by numbering the logos with the rest of creation. The Word is not to be numbered among created beings, but is creator of all things. John 1:1a speaks of the eternal existence of the Word.

And the Word was with God. Again the imperfect was occurs–the Word always was with God. With (pros) means face to face, so implied here are two persons in eternal fellowship. Important also is the identity of “God,” with whom the Word was eternally. Not apparent in the English translations is the definite article (“the”; Gr. ho) with John’s first use of “God” (see ton theon)–“The Word was with the God.” What does John mean to communicate here? Who is “God” in the second clause of John 1:1? Our cross reference to 1 John 1:1-2 supplies the answer. Speaking of the incarnate Word in terminology reminiscent of the prologue to his Gospel, John states that He “was from the beginning,” He is “the Word of Life,” and that He “was with the Father” (en pros ton patera). Thus in John 1:1b “the God” with whom the Word eternally was is the Father.

And the Word was God. This all important clause is either mistranslated or reinterpreted by cults. This clause, however, teaches that the Word in His essential being is God, and that He is distinct from the Father in person. Two points drawn from the syntax of this clause will substantiate this.

First, recall that in the previous clause John uses the definite article when referring to the Father. In this context it is important to note that in John 1:1c the definite article is missing: kai theos en ho logos (and God was the Word). The text does not read kai ho theos en ho logos (and the God was the Word). Had John written “and the God was the Word” (and given that the identity of the God is the Father [clause b]), he would have taught that Jesus was the Father! By elimination of the article for theos in this clause, John carefully distinguishes the persons of the Father and the Son. The distinction of persons is also contextually warranted, for the Word was with the Father. Had John taught that the Word was the Father, it would have resulted in a contradiction of his use of pros (with, face to face) in 1:1b.

How, then, does theos function in 1:1c? It functions to express what the Word is in His essence or being. In other words, the Word is Himself God by His very nature, just as the Father is. The position of theos in 1:1c is before the verb was, and therefore describes what the subject of the clause (ho logos, the article makes it the subject) is ontologically, or in His essential being. Translating 1:1c as “the word was a god” (as do the Jehovah’s Witnesses) is therefore erroneous and misleading.

What do Malcom X, Muhammad Ali, and the Million-Man March have in common? All have to do with the Nation of Islam (NOI), otherwise known as the Black Muslims.

One of several Black Islamic sects, NOI was founded by Wallace D. Fard (Wallace Fard Muhammad), the incarnation of Allah. After his mysterious disappearance in the 1930’s, Elijah Poole (Elijah Muhammad) was named the sect’s leader. Upon Poole’s death in 1975, leadership passed to Poole’s son, Wallace D. Muhammad. Due to several changes made by Wallace D. Muhammad (one such change was the acceptance of whites into membership, moving to integration), Louis Eugene Wolcott, popularly known as Louis Farrakhan, emerged to salvage the teachings of Poole and broke away from Wallace D. Muhammad in 1978, founding a new NOI.

With headquarters in Chicago, NOI sells many books and tapes by its leaders. They also publish their own newspaper named The Final Call.

Farrakhan has been in the media limelight on several occasions, and I’m sure many people wonder what it is he believes (that is, in addition to his racial beliefs). Christians should be aware that NOI’s theology is anything but Christian.

Anthropologically, the central myth of NOI is that blacks are the original race (The Supreme Wisdom, p. 19) that was deported from the moon 66 trillion years ago (Our Saviour Has Arrived, p. 35). Some time after the deportation (more than 6,000 years ago) a scientist named Yakub discovered a way to graft a race of people from this original race, thus the explanation of the white race (Ibid., p. 116), and the superiority of black people.

As for the Bible, the white race tampered with the divine scriptures, distorting it to make them suit themselves. Thus: “The Bible is now being called the poison book by God Himself, and who can deny it is not poison?” (The Supreme Wisdom, p. 12) As a result, the Qur’an is viewed as the true word of Allah (see ibid., p. 20).

NOI’s view of God is complex. They see God collectively as the black race, with Allah being supreme over them. Louis Lomax, a black journalist, once interviewed Elijah Muhammad in 1959: “Lomax: Now if I have understood your teachings correctly, you teach that all of the members of Islam are God, and that one among you is supreme, and that one is Allah…? Elijah Muhammad: That’s right.” (recorded in The Black Muslims in America, p. 69) Consequently, all white people are blue-eyed devils (see ibid.).
NOI denies that Jesus is God the Son, second person of the Trinity: “He (Jesus) was only a prophet like Moses and the other prophets…” (The Supreme Wisdom, p. 16) To justify their view, in part NOI twists the same passages in the Bible as the Jehovah’s Witnesses do to deny Christ’s deity (Colossians 1:15; John 14:28). In Jesus’ place NOI sees Wallace Fard Muhammad: “We believe that Allah (God) appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July 1930; the long-awaited ‘Messiah’ of the Christians and the ‘Madhi’ of the Muslims.” (Our Saviour Has Arrived, p. 224)
Of course, with such beliefs there can be no Christianity. But that does not deter NOI: “Christianity is a religion organized and backed by the devils [whites] for the purpose of making slaves of black mankind.” (The Supreme Wisdom, p. 13)

In reaching Black Muslims for Christ we should be aware of how NOI views the different races, Christians (by the way, NOI sees black Christians as those who have sold out to the devil), Christian doctrine, and understand what Black Muslims believe. For more information on NOI theology and witnessing tips, contact SDM.

Bibliography:

Elijah Muhammad. The Supreme Wisdom. Chicago: The University of Islam, 1957.

___________ . Our Saviour Has Arrived. Chicago: Muhammad’s Temple no. 2, 1974.

C. Eric Lincoln. The Black Muslims in America. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994.

They publish magazines named Daily Word and Unity. They have one of the largest religious mail order services in the world. They are the Unity School of Christianity (USC), and they are a pseudo-Christian cult.

The Daily Word is read by some Christians who are not aware of the heresy behind the biblical terminology it uses. Sometimes Christian study groups use the Daily Word as a devotional guide.

Founded in the last decade of the 19th century by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, this offspring of Christian Science (Mrytle was a student of Mary Baker Eddy) denies virtually every essential Christian doctrine.

Regarding Jesus Christ, USC teaches that Jesus and Christ are really two separate entities. Jesus was a man who displayed the Christ principle in His life. As a matter of fact, “Christ existed long before Jesus.” (The Revealing Word, 34. All books cited are published by USC in Unity Village, Missouri) This Christ principle is called “The incarnating principle of the God-man [not exclusively Jesus]; the perfect Word or idea of God.” (Ibid.) Consequently, Jesus is not the Christ, and the Christ dwelled in Jesus in such a special way that “Jesus is the Way-Shower.” (Ibid., 111) USC even goes so far as to state that it is error to believe that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God (See Talks on Truth, 166-67).

This counterfeit Jesus of USC is far removed from the biblical Jesus, who is the Christ (Matt 16:16), the only begotten (unique) Son (John 1:14, 18), God the Son (John 1:1; 20:28), and the way (John 14:6). Moreover, the apostle John gives a stern rebuke to those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, stating that such a person is the antichrist (I John 2:22).

According to USC, humanity is not to look outwardly to the cross for salvation: “The belief that Jesus in an outer way atoned for our sins is not salvation.” (The Revealing Word, 173) In addition, “Jesus of Nazareth played an important part in opening the way for every one of us into the Father’s kingdom. However, that way was not through his death on the cross…” (Talks on Truth, 164) Therefore, “Each of us has within him the Christ, just as Jesus had, and we must look within to recognize and realize our sonship, our divine origin and birth, even as He did.” (The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, 150) Yet, we find that Jesus did atone for our sins in an outer way by His shed blood on the cross (Eph 1:7; 2:16). We must believe in Him and His work on the cross in order to have eternal life.

As stated earlier, USC denies Jesus is the only begotten (unique) Son of God. The outcome of USC’s heresy regarding Jesus and humanity is found in the following exhortation to each of us: “Reveal yourself to yourself by affirming, ‘I am the Christ, son of the living God.'” (Ibid., 150) And this is not all: “God is I AM, and man, His offspring, is also I AM.” (The Revealing Word, 100)

“Trinity” is a Christian term used by USC, but its definition is entirely different from what we find in the Bible. Trinity is defined as “mind, idea, and expression, or thinker, thought, and action.” (The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, 664). We also read, “The Father is Principle. The Son is that Principle revealed in a creative plan. The Holy Spirit is the executive power of both Father and Son carrying out the creative plan.” (Ibid., 629)

Contrary to the biblical teaching that Jesus was resurrected after he died, and that His resurrection was bodily (see John 2:19-22; 20:24-27; Luke 24:36-40), USC teaches that Jesus “projected the divine-body idea, and through it His mortal body was transformed into an immortal body. This was accomplished before the crucifixion.” (Mysteries of John, 173) Since “resurrection” is redefined to mean “The restoring of mind and body to their original, undying state” (The Revealing Word, 169), Jesus’ mind was elevated to become one with God, or Principle, when He walked the earth before His crucifixion.

With the growth of the cults, and with the apathy among Christians concerning the necessity to learn and apply the essentials of the Christian faith to their lives, the teachings of USC can easily escape detection. All too often I have entered Christian homes only to find some form of heresy on the coffee table or book shelf. Satan is the master counterfeiter, and the cults that he energizes are polished counterfeits. Let us study the Word of God and pray for discernment in these last days.

“There is a new book that offers you fresh solutions to age old problems, reassurance about the future, and personal peace of mind. It’s called The Urantia Book (Urantia means Earth). The Urantia book is a treasury of spiritual truth and intellectual insights…. illuminated by spiritual wisdom, its teachings address your problems and your needs.” Introduction to the Urantia Book (Boulder, CO: The Jesusonian Foundation, 1988).

I and a friend of mine entered the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on a Saturday afternoon in November. We found the registration desk and paid our admission fee. “To what?” you ask? To the Whole Health Expo. Being on Sound Doctrine Ministries’ mailing list, you are probably familiar with Congress ’95. And you may even be planning to attend Congress ’96 in January. (For those not familiar with Congress, every year the Evangelical Association of New England sponsors a huge gathering of Christians and Christian ministries. There are hundreds of ministries who have booths you can visit, there are seminars you can attend, etc.). Well, the New Age Movement has an answer to Congress — The Whole Health Expo.

Before roaming the exhibition hall to visit various booths, we proceeded straight to a seminar. A woman was going to give a lecture on The Urantia Book (see over for an account of my conversation with this woman). What is The Urantia Book? What does it teach?

The Urantia Book (Chicago: The Urantia Foundation, 1955) is a 2,097 page “revelation” given to a select group of earthlings during the second quarter of this century by beings not of this world. There are, according to proponents of the book, “trillions of inhabited planets, heavenly worlds, and spirit personalities” (Introduction to the Urantia Book, 2).

The book is divided into four parts: 1, the Central and Superuniverses; 2, the Local Universe; 3, the History of Urantia (Earth);

and 4, the Life and Teachings of Jesus. Since the book deals with Jesus (as most “revelations” do, it seems), we would do well to examine a few of its teachings concerning Him. Keep in mind that followers of The Urantia Book claim that it “generally [some say “perfectly”] corresponds with the Bible,” though “it stands unique, packed with new information and fresh insights” (Ibid., 7). Does it correspond or contradict? Let’s find out.

On page 1323, Jesus is described as “Michael of Nebadon,” “a Creator Son” (see also pp. 53, 1145), by “the Melchizedek director of the revelatory commission” (apparently one of these other-worldly beings). Thus, Jesus as the unique Son of God (see Jn. 1: 14, 18) is denied. Regarding Jesus’ crucifixion, page 2,002 reads, “It was man and not God who planned and executed the death of Jesus on the cross.” Yet this flatly contradicts Acts 2:22-23. Consequently, what are to Christians cardinal and essential doctrines relating to the Gospel of Christ (“propitiation, repentance, atonement… sacrifice… salvation, redemption, covenant,”) are to readers of The Urantia Book a product of “primordial ghost fear” (p. 1,005). Finally, regarding the bodily resurrection of Christ (see Jn. 2: 19-21; 20:24-27; Lk. 24:36-40), the book recalls “the formulation of a belief which was not true: the teaching that the material and mortal body of Jesus was raised from the grave” (p. 2,023).

Extra-biblical revelations abound. And for each and every one of them it is not a matter of adding more insight to the Bible, as adherents of these claim. Rather, it is a matter of contradiction. If the Bible is the word of God (and it is), any other “revelation” coming to us that contradicts the Bible must be rejected outright.

The book A Course in Miracles (CM), first published in 1976 by the Foundation for Inner Peace in Tiburon, CA, has, it seems, taken the country by storm. Millions of Americans have come to the spiritual buffet table called the New Age Movement (NAM) and have selected this book as their main course. As a result of its popularity, thousands of CM study groups have formed. Being led by facilitators (group leaders, though they dislike this phrase) and attended by people from various religious backgrounds (including Christian), CM offers psycho/spiritual nuggets that tickle the ears of all who come. Within the last few years it has become even more popular, largely thanks to Marianne Williamson and her book, A Return to Love, and Oprah Winfrey, who has given Williamson an international platform for the promulgation of the belief system of CM.

I have attended several CM study groups. My opinion is that the people there share in mutual admiration and denial. The former because we are all the holy and precious sons and daughters of God, the latter because we always remain so, since sin and evil are in reality illusions. From a Christian perspective, CM seems nothing more than a mixture of pop psychology and the Advaita Vedanta school of classic Hinduism.

In the mid-1960’s and early 70’s, CM supposedly came from “The Voice” to Helen Schucman, then a professor of medical psychology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, by way of “inner dictation” (preface). She took down the messages in a shorthand notebook (ibid.). What are some of these messages?
As mentioned above, CM advocates Advaita Vedanta philosophy. This philosophy was made a fixture in Hindu thought by the philosopher Shankara (780-820 A.D.). Shankara claimed that the Upanishads (Hindu holy writings) taught that the material world was illusion, and that ultimately sin and evil are illusory, since all is God (pantheism) and the only reality is God (monism). CM masquerades as Christian, however, as it teaches Hindu philosophy and couches it in Christian terminology.

Regarding pantheism and monism, “God created nothing beside you and nothing beside you exists, for you are part of Him. What except Him can exist?… nothing except Him is real” (Text, p. 168). Consequently, “The world you see has nothing to do with reality. It is of your own making, and it does not exist” (Workbook, p. 23). In addition, “The body is a dream” (Ibid., p. 415).
One of the most startling statements of the denial of the human condition (which the Bible defines as sinful) is seen in these words: “Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred…. It sees there was no sin (Workbook, p. 391).

Throughout CM the Bible is quoted out of context, making for the denial of virtually every essential doctrine of the Christian faith: Jesus is seen as God only in the sense as we all are; and “Is he the Christ? O yes, along with you” (Manual, p. 83; but see Jn. 1: 1, 14 cf. Matt. 16: 13). CM separates the seeming man Jesus (remember that matter is unreal) from the Christ — the SELF (God Self) in all of us (see Manual, pp. 83-84; Workbook, p. 421; but see 1 Jn. 2: 22). Resurrection is also redefined: “That is what I [Jesus] meant when I said, ‘Blessed are ye who have not seen and still believe’… the resurrection is the complete triumph of Christ over the ego” (Text, p. 192; but see Jn. 2: 19-21).

As for the crucifixion: “The message of the crucifixion is perfectly clear: Teach only love, for that is what you are… The Apostles often misunderstood it” (Text, p. 87; but see 1 Cor. 15: 1-4; Col. 1: 20).

As Christians, we should first know why we believe what we believe. This comes through study of the Bible. Second, we must have at least a basic understanding of Hindu philosophies, especially Advaita Vedanta. Third, we must be aware that Advaita Vedanta has been utilized by many NAM groups (and Christian Science) while using Christian terminology (ex.: Christ is the SELF [Hindu — Atman] of every person, i.e. the God within). Only then can we effectively defend the faith once for all entrusted to the saints, give objective reasons as we warn others fooled by counterfeit Christian teachings, and evangelize those ensnared by CM.

How to view Benny Hinn has been hotly debated among Christians for many years, more so since 1993 when Hinn announced to the masses that he had repented of false teaching, particularly Word-Faith teachings. Hinn’s announcement of repentance was met with skepticism from those engaged in apologetics-type ministries. This was mostly because Hinn had done the same before, repenting only to turn back to former teachings. This time around, however, Hinn has added credibility to his repentance — in 1994 the Assemblies of God denomination ordained Hinn.

I have had, and still have, problems with Benny Hinn. The following should show why this is so.

In the fall of 1990 Hinn wrote a book that was to become a national best-seller. Good Morning, Holy Spirit (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN) raised the eyebrows of many Christians, several of which were theologians. The book was riddled with theological error. For example, according to Hinn the Father and the Holy Spirit, though not possessing bodies like Jesus, look like Jesus looked like on earth (p. 87). “God the Father has a form,” Hinn says, “but no man knows what it looks like (Phil. 2: 6)” (p. 72; see also p. 82). On page 82, Hinn uses Isaiah 30: 27-28; 66: 4; and Exodus 31: 18; 33: 20, 22, 23 and states, “To my amazement I found that God has the likeness of fingers and hands and a face.” Hinn then concludes, “If God is nothing more than a spirit, how was it possible that Adam and Eve heard His footsteps?” But Hinn has more: “God also has a heart… (Gen. 6: 6)” (p. 83).

Regarding the above, however, it is important to mention Hinn’s epistemology / hermeneutic (how he arrives at truth / how he arrives at biblical interpretation). In chapter one Hinn relates to his readers his account of the Holy Spirit’s appearance to him three days before Christmas 1973. “For the next eight hours,” Hinn states, “He [the Holy Spirit] gave me the answers to my questions.” (p. 1; see also pgs.
48, 50) We might gather then, that it is the Spirit of God who gave Hinn the teachings of this book. Moreover, it was this same Holy Spirit Hinn describes on page 87! Finally, Thomas Nelson Publishers states on the back jacket of the book: “In Good Morning, Holy Spirit, Hinn presents the insights and truths God has taught him through the years.”

As mentioned above, Christian leaders protested the contents of Hinn’s book. The result was that Hinn and his publisher issued a “revised” edition. I place revised in quotes because both Hinn and the publisher make no mention at all that most of the book’s theological errors were corrected! Nowhere is it mentioned that the book had been revised or that it was in its second edition. Two questions arise — (1) why was there no formal notice of revision and, (2) more importantly, if the teachings contained in the first “edition” came from God, why did they have to be changed?

Following all this was Hinn’s latest claim to repentance. First, in September 1993 Hinn appeared on the 700 Club to be interviewed by Pat Robertson. There Hinn repented of his errors, particularly his Word-Faith teachings. Hinn stated that for the last couple of years God showed him that Word-Faith was incorrect (Hinn did not mention the many concerned Christians who admonished him to repent!). However, only a few months later I bought Hinn’s latest (at that time) book, Lord, I Need A Miracle (Thomas Nelson, 1993). In this book typical Word-Faith theology shines through. Hinn exhorts his readers to remove “if” (perhaps alluding to the phrase, “Father, if it be Your will….”) from their prayers and turn their faith loose (p.61); Hinn’s claim to speaking “words of power” and that it is “His [God’s] will” that

believers “live in health until He calls you home” (p. 63). Christians should not be sick (p. 67), proof-texting from Isaiah 45:11 that we are to command God for our healing (pp. 74-75, in Isaiah 45:11 the Hebrew phrase should be considered virtually interrogative in light of the context; in other words, “concerning the work of my hands, you command Me?). Hinn also dedicates a whole section to Words of Power (pp. 90-91).
Second, in the Fall of 1994 I and seven of my students from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary attended Hinn’s Healing Crusade at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts. At the beginning of the service there was much singing, followed by an appeal from Hinn for money. Quoting 3 John 2, Hinn stated that it was not God’s will for us to be in debt. “Debt is not of You [God],” Hinn prayed, then Hinn proceeded to ask for money from the people. Hinn used himself as an example to the people, saying in common Word-Faith fashion that when he wanted to be out of debt he prayed for that and began to thank God for it already, even though it hadn’t happened right away. At this point Hinn informed the 15,000 attendees that the buckets were going to be passed around by ushers, and if we did not have cash we could write out a check or use our credit cards! (God does not want us in debt?). Just before this Hinn told us, “I’m going to ask for everyone to give at least one hundred dollars.” Hinn also prayed for healing, quoting 1 Peter 2:24b (“By His stripes you were healed”). “People are going to receive what is theirs,” Hinn exclaimed (using 1 Pet. 2:24, Word-Faith teaching is that we were healed, i.e., we already have it). Hinn also stated: “The Bible says, when you praise God the demons attack one another.” Following this Hinn told of a past experience. While praying during one of his crusades, Hinn was at a loss for what to do concerning the service. “Benny, you’re in charge,” said the Holy Spirit! Some time after the healing was about to begin, Hinn told the several hundred crippled people in wheel-chairs, “if you say ‘Yes,’ He’ll [God will] get you up out of that bed.” An hour or so later all of the people in wheel-chairs exited the auditorium… still in wheel-chairs. At one point before the healings were to begin, Hinn announced, to thunderous applause, that he just saw the devil bow down to him!

Why the great emotional response at Benny Hinn’s crusades? Concerning Hinn’s overall “performance,” my opinion is that he is a master hypnotist. He leads people on a 1-2 hour emotional roller coaster using fast and slow songs in such a way as to be shouting one minute, and whispering the next, all the while planting suggestions in the minds of people. These suggestions include, “Many of you are
going to feel electricity throughout your bodies tonight,” and, “Many of you are going to feel heat on your bodies at the place God is healing you tonight.” Naturally, the overwhelming amount of testimonies of healing that night at the auditorium consisted of just the above — people feeling heat or electricity and claiming they were healed. And these “healings” were of internal maladies that could neither be viewed nor confirmed by witnesses.

Hinn claims that the source of his “revelations” is the Holy Spirit. If this is so, it is the Holy Spirit who is giving Hinn these theological errors, contradicting what He has already revealed to us! Would the Holy Spirit do such a thing? I think not. I must stand on God’s already revealed Word.

As I walked by the First Church of Christ, Scientist outside the campus of Harvard University, I could not help but notice the verse of Scripture on the sign in the front lawn: “I am God; there is none else.” This quotation from Isaiah 45:22 stopped me in my tracks. “Amazing,” I thought. “It is just amazing how two people can read the same verse from the Bible, and yet interpret it in two entirely different ways!”

Why? How can this happen? The answer lies in one’s world view. We define the phrase as a person’s view of the world (and universe) and her/his place in it. As a Christian Scientist your world view is quite different from mine. Though most of you probably never have thought about it, the world view espoused by the writings of Mary Baker Eddy is that of Absolute Pantheism. (Yes, I am well aware of Mrs. Eddy’s Christian Science Versus Pantheism contained in the Prose Works, but her argument is unconvincing.) Absolute Pantheism sets forth the thesis that absolutely all is God, and that therefore the material world is illusory. Accompanying this is a Monistic view of reality. From the Greek monos (one, only, alone), Monism is the belief that there is only one reality. Now, if all is God (Mind), then that reality must be God. If God is Spirit, and all is God or Mind, then the material world must not be real. As Mrs. Eddy States: “There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind, in its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all..” (Science and Health, p. 468)

Most, if not all, Christian Scientists are not aware that this world view is a grandchild of one particular philosophical school of Hinduism known as Advaita Vedanta. Advaita means non-dualism. In this philosophy the non-dualism pertains to Spirit (God or Brahman) vs. Matter. The Indian philosopher Shankara (780-820 A.D.) set forth from what he considered to be the true interpretation of the Hindu Upanishads (one of many sacred writings of the Hindus) that absolutely all is Brahman and the material world is Maya (illusion). All this, you say, may be coincidental. True, but there is evidence that Mrs. Eddy gleaned from, and was familiar with, Hindu thought. In texts of Science and Health up to the 33rd edition there are quotations from the sacred Hindu text The Bhagavad Gita, as well as allusions by Mrs. Eddy to Hindu philosophy. These were omitted in later editions, causing modern-day Christian Scientists to be unaware that their founder gleaned from Hindu philosophy.

Back to our Bible text quoted at the beginning of this letter. What does Isaiah 45:22 mean to you? Well, if you were to impose your world view upon the text, it means that there is none else but God — no material world, no disease, no death, no evil. Yet, to me it means that Yahweh is the only true and living God, and that His material creatures are not to worship idols (other “so-called” gods).

My world view is Theistic (which lends to the view that God is personal and His material creatures, as well as the material world, are very real; so are death, disease, and sin, and these terms are to be defined in the classical Christian sense) while yours is Pantheistic. Thus my interpretation of the text will be quite different from yours.

“All well and good,” you say. “If that’s your interpretation, fine!” I do not wish to argue with that. I do, however, take issue with your imposing this world view upon the Bible and interpreting it with this world view when the world view itself cannot be taken from the Bible! Allow me to illustrate: “Babe Swats Homer!” What if someone were reporting this news to you? Do we not owe it to the author of this statement to find out what he/she intends for us to learn by it? Of course. In order to properly do so, we must engage in several things: (1) find out in what context this phrase occurs; (2) find out what each word means in this context; (3) find out why the author wrote this; and (4) endeavor to get at the intent of the meaning of the author. After all, the phrase could mean that a baby slapped a man named Homer. And this interpretation would be correct if the writer were reporting “family community events” in your neighborhood. But if this phrase appeared in the Brooklyn, NY sports pages in the Summer of 1927, would not the author be concerned if you interpreted the phrase in the former way? Yes. Moreover, could the interpretational framework of “family community events” be drawn from any portion of the sports pages? No.
The point is that we cannot read the Bible and spiritually profit from God’s intended meaning for us if we read into the Bible a world view that does not come from God or the Bible itself. Thus, the challenge goes out to Christian Scientists to seriously answer the following:

Can you disprove that Mrs. Eddy quoted from and gleaned from the Bhagavad Gita and Hindu Philosophy?
Can you disprove the similarity between Advaita Vedanta Hinduism and Mrs. Eddy’s view of God and the material world?
Can you prove that your world view is substantiated by the Bible? To do this, can you prove by using scholarly resources (Hebrew-English and Greek-English Lexicons for the meaning of words, theological dictionaries for cultural studies and word studies) that your world view was Moses’, Jesus’, Paul’s, Peter’s, Matthew’s, etc. world view?
If Mrs. Eddy restored primitive Christianity, can you point to any ancient Christian sources containing your philosophical world view? If not, can your world view be found in non-Christian sources such as Advaita Hinduism and ancient Gnosticism?

Especially in light of #3, how do you defend interpreting the Bible the way you do?