OTHER POPULAR CULTS
Chapter 34

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History

 

he origin of The Hare Krishnas (International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON) dates back to the fifteenth century AD, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu developed the Doctrines of Krishnaism from the Hindu sect of Vishnuism.

Simply stated, Vishnuism believed Vishnu, the Supreme God, manifested himself at one time as Krishna. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught the reverse: Krishna was the chief God who had revealed himself at one time as Vishnu. The doctrinal system of Krishnaism is Hinduistic and denies personality in God's ultimate state while believing every individual must go through a series of successive lives (reincarnation) to rid himself of the debt of his actions (karma).

Krishnaism was one of the early attempts to make philosophical Hinduism appealing to the masses. While pure Hinduism's god is impersonal and unknowable, Krishnaism (and other sects) personalize their god and promote worship of and interaction with the personalized aspects of the god, such as Krishna.

In 1965 Krishnaism came to America by means of Abhay Charan De Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, an aged Indian exponent of the worship of Krishna. He founded ISKCON and remained its leader until his death in 1978. Presently, ISKCON is ruled by two different groups, one group of eleven men who rule over spiritual matters, and another group, a board of directors, who head the administrative matters. This wealthy organization presently has about ten thousand members in America. Part of ISKCON's wealth comes from soliciting funds and distributing its lavishly illustrated literature including the Bhagavad-Gita: As It Is, and its periodical, Back to Godhead.

ISKCON's beliefs are those of Hinduism and are wholly incompatible with Christianity. This can be observed by a comparison between the statements of ISKCON on matters of belief with those of the Bible.

Salvation

The Bible teaches that all of us have sinned against a holy God and are therefore in need of a Savior: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23); "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

According to ISKCON, salvation must be earned by performing a series of works. To eliminate ignorance, one must practice disciplinary devotion: chanting the name of God, hearing and singing His praises, meditating upon the divine play and deeds of KRSNA, engaging in the rites and ceremonies of worship, and repeating the name of God to the count of beads. 38/326 Cult experts, Robert and Gretchen Passantino, have done extensive research in this area, and they offer pertinent comments regarding salvation in ISKCON:

Salvation in Hare Krishna is thoroughly entwined with the Hindu concept of karma, or retributive justice. This teaching, which requires belief in reincarnation and/or transmigration of the soul, says that one's deeds, good and bad, are measured and judged either for or against him. Only when his good deeds have "atoned" for his bad deeds (and he is thus cleansed of this evil world) can he realize his oneness with Krishna and cease his cycles of rebirth. 37/150

» Transcendental Meditation (UC/105-11)

The History of TM

The founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM), Mahesh Brasad Warma, later known as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, was born in India around 1910. After graduating from Allahabad University in 1942 with a degree in physics, Mahesh became the disciple of the Indian religious leader Guru Dev. It was Guru Dev who taught Mahesh a meditation technique derived from the Vedas (part of the Hindu scripture).

The Maharishi (as he is referred to) was devoted to fulfilling the plan of Guru Dev in bringing his teachings to the world. In 1958 Maharishi founded the Spiritual Regeneration Movement in India. He came to America the following year and set up his organization while spreading the gospel of Guru Dev. Today, several million people in the United States and around the world have been taught the Maharishi's meditation techniques, said to be nonreligious, although thoroughly Hindu.

The Claims of TM

How would you like to have your health improved, your self-image and productivity increased, and your intelligence and creativity heightened without stress or tension?

According to its advertisements, these are some of the ways TM will benefit individuals. Allegedly all this can be done within any religious or nonreligious system since TM supposedly has no religious basis.

Under a World Plan, 350 teaching centers of the Science of Creative Intelligence have been founded in the largest cities throughout the United States and the world. In fact, resolutions drawn up by the Maharishi and promoting TM have been adopted by legislatures throughout the country.

TM can appeal to all segments of society, including the famous (such as the Beatles in the mid-'60s), the counter-culture, the business community and the intelligentsia. Stanford law professor John Kaplan testifies, "I use it the way I'd use a product of our technology to overcome nervous tension. It's a non-chemical tranquilizer with no unpleasant side effects." 18

TM, however, is not a neutral discipline that can be practiced without harm to the individual. In actuality, TM is a Hindu meditation technique that attempts to unite the meditator with Brahman, the Hindu concept of God.

The Religious Nature of TM

Despite claims to the contrary, TM is religious in nature. The following is a translation of part of the Puja, the initiation ceremony read in Sanskrit by the TM instructor. 

PUJA

Whether pure or impure, whether purity or impurity is permeating everywhere, whoever opens himself to the expanded vision of unbounded awareness gains inner and outer purity.

Invocation

To Lord Narayana, to lotus-born Brahma the Creator, to Vashishta, to Shakti, and to his son, Parashar, to Vyasa, to Shukadava, to the great Gaudapada, to Govinda, ruler among yogies, to his disciple, Shri Trotika and Varttika-Kara, to others, to the tradition of our masters I bow down. To the abode of the wisdom of the Shrutis, Smritis and Puranas, to the abode of kindness, to the personified glory of the Lord, to Shankara, emancipator of the Lord, I bow down. To Sharkaracharya, the redeemer, hailed as Krishna and Badarayana, to the commentator of the Brahma Sutras, I bow down again and again. At whose door the whole galaxy of gods pray for perfection day and night, adorned with immeasurable glory, preceptor of the whole world, having bowed down to him, we gain fulfillment. Skilled in dispelling the cloud of ignorance of the people, the gentle emancipator, Bramananda Saraswati -the supreme teacher, full of brilliance, him I bring to my awareness.

From the translation of the Puja, the religious nature of TM can clearly be seen. In 1977, a New Jersey federal court barred the teaching of TM in the schools of that state, the presiding judge concluding,

The teaching of SCI [Science of Creative Intelligence]/TM and the Puja are religious in nature, no other inference is permissible or reasonable ... although defendants have submitted well over 1500 pages of briefs, affidavits and deposition testimony in opposing plaintiffs' motion for summary judgement, defendants have failed to raise the slightest doubt as to the facts or as to the religious nature of the teaching of the Science of Creative Intelligence and the Puja. The teaching of SCI/TM courses in New Jersey violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, and its teaching must be enjoined. 52

Is It Harmless?

Many of the statements made by the Maharishi concerning the Science of Creative Intelligence and the Age of Enlightenment are disturbing:

There has not been and there will not be a place for the unfit. The fit will lead, and if the unfit are not coming along, there is no place for them. In the place where light dominates there is no place for darkness. In the Age of Enlightenment there is no place for ignorant people. The ignorant will be made enlightened by a few orderly, enlightened people moving around. Nature will not allow ignorance to prevail. It just can't. Nonexistence of the unfit has been the law of nature.

It is only childish and ridiculous to base one's life on the level of thinking. Thinking can never be a profound basis of living. Being is the natural basis ... thinking, on the other hand, is only imaginary.

It is disturbing to think that Maharishi would eliminate opposers and that thinking is useless! The Bible says that judgment belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:22,27) and that one should examine and test all things by God's Word (1 John 4:1).

The Religious Beliefs of TM

We have already observed that TM is religious in nature, based upon Hinduism, consequently their theology is in direct contrast to Christianity.

GOD

This "supreme being" is identified with nature: "Everything in creation is the manifestation of the unmanifested absolute impersonal being, the omnipresent God." 23/266 "This impersonal God is that being which dwells in the heart of everyone."

Man is also identified with God: "Each individual is, in his true nature, the impersonal God." This same God is controlling evolution: "God, the supreme almighty being, in whose person the process of evolution finds its fulfillment, is on the top level of creation." "He [God] maintains the entire field of evolution and the different lives of innumerable beings in the whole cosmos."

Maharishi's view of God and man is not in accord with the Bible. Scripture teaches that God is infinite while man is finite. Man can never become God or attain Godhood for he is part of God's creation. Man is the creature, God is the creator.

JESUS CHRIST

The Maharishi does not have much to say about Jesus but when he does, he contradicts the Bible.

Due to not understanding the life of Christ and not understanding the message of Christ, I don't think Christ ever suffered or Christ could suffer. ... It's a pity that Christ is talked of in terms of suffering.... Those who count upon the suffering, it is a wrong interpretation of the life of Christ and the message of Christ.... How could suffering be associated with the one who has been all joy, all bliss, who claims all that? It's only the misunderstanding of the life of Christ.

It is the Maharishi who misunderstands the purpose of Christ's coming, which was to die for the sins of the world. "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29, NASB); and, "Just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28, NASB). Jesus Christ, contrary to the teaching of the Maharishi, suffered on the cross for our sins so we might receive forgiveness from God for our sins. His suffering was real.

» The Unification Church - The "Moonies" (UC/133-39)

The founder and leader of the Unification Church is Sun Myung Moon who was born in Korea on January 6, 1920. His family converted to Christianity when he was ten and became members of the Presbyterian Church.

At age 16 young Moon experienced a vision while in prayer on a Korean Mountainside. Moon claims that Jesus Christ appeared to him in the vision admonishing him to carry out the task that Christ had failed to complete. Jesus supposedly told Moon that he was the only one who could do it.

The years between his "conversion" experience and his coming to America are shrouded in much controversy. For documentation on those intervening years we would recommend The Moon Is Not the Son by James Bjornstad.12

After achieving success with his new religion in the Far East, especially South Korea, Moon came to America at the end of 1971 and his cult began to flourish. Today they claim some two million members worldwide.

The Claims of Sun Myung Moon

Sun Myung Moon has made it clear that he believes himself to be the Messiah for this age.

With the fullness of time, God has sent his messenger to resolve the fundamental questions of life and the universe. His name is Sun Myung Moon.

Moon has also said, "No heroes in the past, no saints or holy men in the past, like Jesus or Confucius, have excelled us."

Even though Moon's doctrines are opposed to Christianity, he claims that it was Jesus who revealed them to him. "You may again want to ask me, 'With what authority do you weigh these things?' I spoke with Jesus Christ in the spirit world."

And, like almost all cult leaders, Moon claims exclusive knowledge. "We are the only people who truly understand the heart of Jesus, and the hope of Jesus."

Source of Authority

In the Unification Church the writings and teachings of Moon take precedence over the Bible: "It may be displeasing to religious believers, especially to Christians, to learn that a new expression of truth must appear. They believe that the Bible, which they now have, is perfect and absolute in itself." For the members of the Unification Church, the Divine Principle is the ultimate authoritative work, superseding even the Bible. The Divine Principle is known as the completed testament because it supposedly contains the present truth for this age which heretofore had never been revealed. The assertions of Moon are at complete odds with the Bible. The Scriptures testify that the Word of God is eternal: The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8 NASB).

Jesus said, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35).

Moreover, the Bible records the strongest condemnation for those who would add to what the Scriptures have revealed:

You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it. That you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you (Deuteronomy 4:2, NASB).

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book; if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18, NASB).

Unification Doctrine

Basic to Moon's world view is the concept of dualism. All of existence is dual: Father God and Mother God; Male and Female; Light and Dark; Yin and Yang; Spirit and Flesh. Each part of existence has its dual aspect. Moon's God (with dual male/female aspects) always acts in a dual manner with his dual creation.

THE FALL OF MAN

According to the Divine Principle, until now no one has correctly understood the Genesis account of the fall of man. The Divine Principle teaches there were two falls, one physical and one spiritual. Moreover, both falls were sexual in nature. Eve supposedly had an illicit sexual relationship with Lucifer causing the spiritual fall. Afterward, her sexual relationship with spiritually immature Adam resulted in the physical fall.

JESUS CHRIST

When Jesus Christ came to earth, He was supposed to redeem mankind both physically and spiritually, but He failed in His mission: "Jesus failed in His Christly mission. His death on the cross was not an essential part of God's plan for redeeming sinful man."

Moon believes the major reason for Jesus' crucifixion was John the Baptist's failure. John was supposed to clear the way for Jesus to come to the people of his day but he failed because he lost faith. This caused the people to abandon Jesus and eventually resulted in His death. The crucifixion was not something God desired because the work of Christ was unfinished. It is here where Sun Myung Moon picks up where Jesus left off. Moon is supposedly the "third Adam," the one who is called to redeem mankind physically.

Moon has a non-biblical view of the person of Jesus Christ by denying the unique deity of Jesus Christ. "It is plain that Jesus is not God Himself." Moon tells his followers that they are able to not only equal Jesus, but they can also excel Him. "You can compare yourself with Jesus Christ, and feel you can be greater than Jesus Himself."

Speaking of the work of Christ, the writer to the Hebrews said, "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). The Scriptures testify that the work of Christ on the cross is complete, sufficient to secure the salvation of the individual. Jesus accomplished all that was necessary for the full salvation of mankind. He was not a failure.

The Scriptures teach that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself' (2 Corinthians 5:19). But Moon declares, "The physical body of Jesus was invaded by Satan through the cross."

Conclusion

Rev. Moon has stated, "God is now throwing Christianity away and is establishing a new religion, and this new religion is the Unification Church."

Although the Unification Church makes astounding claims for itself, the facts speak otherwise. The teaching of the Divine Principle is at odds with the Bible at all of its central points and therefore cannot be a completion of God's revelation. Moon has no messianic credentials and must be considered as a false prophet, of which Jesus warned us:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15,16, NASB).

» The Worldwide Church of God - "Armstrongism" (UC1153-61)

History

The founder of the Worldwide Church of God was Herbert W. Armstrong, born on July 31, 1892, in Des Moines, Iowa. As a young man, Armstrong worked in the advertising business and showed little interest in spiritual things. In a dispute with his wife over the issue of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, Armstrong began an intensive personal study of the Bible. This resulted in his agreeing with his wife on observing the Saturday Sabbath. Further Bible study convinced Armstrong that much of what he had been taught in traditional churches was wrong.

I found that the popular church teachings and practices were not based on the Bible. They had originated, as research in history had revealed, in paganism. Numerous Bible prophecies foretold it; the amazing unbelievable truth was, the SOURCE of these popular beliefs and practices of professing Christianity, was quite largely paganism, and human reasoning and custom, NOT the Bible!

According to Armstrong, the Worldwide Church of God began in January 1934.

Armstrong at this time began his radio broadcast and the publishing of the magazine The Plain Truth. Since its inception, the Worldwide Church of God has experienced significant growth reaching into millions of homes through the distribution of its magazine and the "World Tomorrow" radio broadcast.

The Claims of Armstrong

Herbert W. Armstrong makes no small claim for his work in the Worldwide Church of God.

AD 69, the apostles and the church fled to Pella from Jerusalem according to Jesus' warning (Matthew 24:15,16). That was the END of the organized proclaiming of Christ's gospel by His church to the world! ... For eighteen and one-half centuries, all worldwide organized proclaiming of Christ's gospel was stamped out.

And listen again! Read this twice! Realize this, incredible though it may seem -no other work on earth is proclaiming this true gospel of Christ to the whole world as Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10! This is the most important activity on earth today!

GOD

Like the Mormons, Armstrong believed in a plurality of personal gods, based upon the Hebrew word for God, "Elohim."

And as I have explained previously, God is not a single person, but the Hebrew word for God portrays God as a FAMILY of persons.

"Elohim" is a uniplural or collective noun, such as "church" or "family" or "kingdom." In other words, Elohim stands for a single class composed of TWO or MORE individuals. Elohim, then, is the "God Kingdom" or "God Family."

THE TRINITY

There is no biblical Trinity in Armstrong's theology. Presently the Godhead is limited to the Father and the Son but in the future more persons will be added to the Godhead. "God is a family - not a trinity. God's family will not be limited to an intractably closed circle of three ... God's family is open."

Simply stated, the Bible teaches there exists one God who is three separate persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three persons are the one God. There is no teaching whatever in Scripture that suggests God is a family.

MAN

The final destiny of man is to become God: "You are setting out on a training to become creator - to become God!"

The PURPOSE OF LIFE is that in us God is really recreating His own kind-reproducing Himself after His own kind-for we are, upon real conversion, actually begotten as sons (yet unborn) of God ... we grow spiritually more and more like God, until, at the time of the resurrection we shall be instantaneously changed from mortal to immortal-we shall be born of God-WE SHALL THEN BE GOD!

The idea that man will someday be God can be found nowhere in the Bible. God is God by nature. He was, is and always will be God. Man cannot attain Godhood for he is finite, limited by his nature. There is no other God, neither will there be any other God:

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after me" (Isaiah 43:10, NASB).

SALVATION BY WORKS

As is the case with all non-Christian cults, Armstrongism teaches that salvation is achieved by the individual's self-effort rather than relying only on God's grace.

Salvation, then is a process! But how the God of this world would blind your eyes to that!!! He tries to deceive you into thinking all there is to it is just "accepting Christ" with "no works" -and presto-chango, you are pronounced "saved." But the Bible reveals that none is yet "saved."

Armstrongism claims salvation consists of repentance, faith and water baptism. No one is saved in this life. It rejects, in the strongest of terms, the doctrine of "simply" coming to Christ for salvation:

People have been taught, falsely, that "Christ completed the plan of salvation on the cross" -when actually it was only begun there. The popular denominations have taught, "Just believe, that's all there is to it; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are that instant saved!" That teaching is false! And because of deception, because the true gospel of Jesus Christ has been blotted out, lo these 1900 years by the preaching of a false gospel about the person of Christ - and often a false Christ at that - millions today worship Christ- and all in vain!

According to Armstrong, a person must be baptized in order to be saved: "God commands water baptism; and for one who is able to either defy the command and refuse, or neglect ... certainly would be an act of disobedience which would impose the PENALTY of sin, and cause loss of salvation."

Moreover, the Saturday Sabbath needs to be observed to attain salvation: "Thus did God reveal which day is HIS SABBATH, and also that it DOES MAKE LIFE-AND-DEATH DIFFERENCE-for to break God's Holy Sabbath is SIN and the penalty is eternal DEATH." 7/35

Contrary to Armstrong's statements, the Scriptures teach that salvation is a free gift from God. The Scriptures further declare that salvation cannot be earned by doing any work, whether it be water baptism or the keeping of the Sabbath. Salvation comes as a result of a person simply placing his faith in Jesus Christ:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9, NASB).

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, NASB).

THE NEW BIRTH

Armstrong and his followers have a peculiar view regarding the new birth. They believe an individual is not born of God until the resurrection. Rather, he is only "begotten" (like pregnant) of God at his conversion.

When we are converted, our sins forgiven, we receive the Holy Spirit, we are then BEGOTTEN of God -not yet BORN of God.... Even as Christ was BORN AGAIN, born of God by his resurrection, even so WE -the brethren -shall be BORN AGAIN as sons of God, through the RESURRECTION of the dead. 5/4o

Until now Christ is the only person who has been born again. The rest of the believers must await a future resurrection to experience the new birth.

Armstrongism is incorrect in this assertion. A person becomes born again the moment he trusts Christ. The apostle Peter, while speaking to believers, said, "For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding Word of God" (1 Peter 1:23, NASB, italics ours).

 

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