AN AUSTRALIAN poll a couple of years ago showed that nearly half of the population believed in psychics and 41 per cent believed in horoscopes.
A scientific experiment in London put two mediums to the test and concluded they didn’t really have psychic powers.
The experiment, at the University of London, asked two professional mediums to write something about five individuals who were concealed behind a screen.
This was a result that was“entirely consistent with the operation of chance alone”, said the researchers.
It seems three things are certain in life — death, taxes and failed psychics.
Clairvoyance is all an illusion. Mediums often use simple psychological tricks to convince clients they are speaking with a long-departed loved one. The client’s acceptance is based on suggestion rather than genuine spirit contact. People hiring mediums often desperately want to believe they can contact dead relatives.
It doesn’t seem to matter that so-called psychics bomb out on games shows, or that soothsayers on oh-so-serious crime specials fail to solve murders .
That doesn’t stop the vulnerable from seeking answers from horoscopes, mediums and psychics..
Just look at that widespread but banal practice of astrology. Psychologists believe its attraction lies in the hope that the world is governed by destiny mapped out in the stars.
Luck doesn’t really exist, None of us exist on this planet through sheer luck. We are part of the grand cosmic story.
We do not need a rabbit’s foot in our pockets. It will not bring us luck. It didn’t bring the rabbit much luck,
Bryan Patterson's Faithworks
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And what is the major factor that delivers this ??
When there is any perception of benefit to the person the self-centred of the person pushes aside all reason .
If the courts had a out in the open reward for jurists who delivered a bias verdict justice would be no more .
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Hi Bryan… speaking of psychic defectives, I was wondering when people make false, misleading, or deranged statements on this blog, and you don’t comment… then you condone it?
Or do you prefer to sit back and let your jaw drop out, like me?
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I was just reading this the other day about St. Teresa of Avila.
“St. Teresa never sought out the mystical experiences that she experienced, but resigned herself to God’s will and considers the experiences a divine blessing. She spent long hours in meditation
that she called the “prayer of quiet” and the “prayer of union.” During such prayers she frequently went into a trance, and at times entered upon mystical flights in which she would feel as if her soul were lifted out of her body. She said ecstasy was like a “detachable death” and her soul became awake to God as never before when the faculties and senses are dead.
St. Teresa being a contemplative (see Contemplation) is well known for her discussion on the grades of prayer through which the soul is focused upon the love of God passes before reaching the “central mansion” of the soul, where Christ lives. She distinguished sharply between the essence of mysticism, which is loving the contemplation of God infused by God’s own love and grace, and the tangential phenomena that may accompany the contemplative life, such as visions, audible sensations, ecstasy, levitation, and stigmata. She, as others, believed that Satan could manipulate such phenomena to corrupt the gullible even when they come from God. St. Teresa felt that the Devil could twist such things in order to cause the individual to be more concerned with these manifestations than with their true mission of loving God entirely”
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Trying to differentiate between psychic claims and spiritual mysticism must be very difficult for many. Best way is – does the person relaying information ask payment? If they do, I reckon it’s a sure bet they’re all frauds.
Even if the person is sincere, any claims should not be taken seriously unless they are ‘tested’ – that is, if they still linger or even strengthen when occurring when two or three are gathered together in the Lord’s name.
I know I’ve said that these things can happen when such a gathering is guided by what Jesus stands for, but in his actual name removes any risk.
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And St Theresa’s differentiation sounds spot on!
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Yes, I agree. Any gifts people are given are to be used in the way God intends and not to take advantage of vulnerable people or to focus on the gift itself rather than the purpose.
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“In 1 Thess. 5:19-22, St. Paul says: “Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not despise prophecy. Test everything; retain what is good”. So essentially Paul encourages us not to despise prophesy, but at the same time he tells us to be cautious and to test the spirits. The extraordinary life of the false mystic Sr. Magdalena of the Cross who was guided by the devil for 50 years is meant to be a warning to everyone of the dangers of false mysticism and phony visionaries.” – Mystics of the Church
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And it they ask for payment, political influence and tax exempt status then they aren’t psychic’s they are a church 🙂
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And it they ask for payment, political influence and tax exempt status then they aren’t psychic’s they are a church
They could be global warmists.
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I was at a party once where a supposed psychic told us things about ourselves. He told me water had recently figured in my life. It had been in all the news that we’d had huge flooding!
He told me I had to let go of past relationships – which was a great puzzle to me, until I realised he had spotted my mother’s wedding ring which I wore on my right hand for safe keeping, as well as my own on the left. Seems he jumped to the conclusion I’d had a previous marriage!
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And yet, I sat next to a clairvoyant at a shopping centre last year without realizing she was one of course, and she asked me how my flight was. I was waiting for my sister, who hubby and I had just picked up from the airport, to do some shopping. She certainly got the flight right but mixed my sister up with me.
I was so excited to meet a clairvoyant because I wanted to learn all that I could about her and how she sensed what she did, and used her gifting. So whilst she was obliging me by answering my many questions, I was secretly praying and asking God to reveal the truth to me. What happened next stunned me!
She looked at me with deferential awe and said, “You are so much more powerful than I am and you use your gift from a pure heart….not like me.” It just blew me away! She was obviously picking up on the power of God—not any ability I may have, because I am no clairvoyant. So, even though I know there are a lot of shysters out there, I would never make a blanket statement that all clairvoyance is an illusion. Some certainly are in contact with the spirit realm.
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Having said that, Christianity is rife with the spirit of Divination, and even though we may believe we are receiving words from God, as you say Strewth, there is safety in numbers. We must always test the spirits. We need checks and balances because it doesn’t take much to be deceived, and especially the more gifted Christians amongst us.
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This seems to be related to telepathy, which I believe science will one day validate following more investigation into alpha, beta, delta etc brain emissions. I don’t mean transmission of conversations, just sensations like having been at the airport.
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LOL, Bryan is correct—“All clairvoyance is an illusion”.
It pays to use my dictionary occasionally, doh!
Speaking of doh! where’s dabbles? Has his computer crashed again? God, I hope he’s not in jail. 🙂
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I was thinking the same thing Monica. I thought either his computer has crashed (most likely), or he needs a break cos’ he’s annoyed with us or maybe he’s unwell, which I sometimes worry about.
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I think Dabs is annoyed at me because I wouldn’t let some of his comments through. I love the guy but sometimes he goes too far.
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“What is the Christian view of psychics?”
The Bible strongly condemns spiritism, mediums, the occult, and psychics (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13). Horoscopes, tarot cards, astrology, fortune tellers, palm readings, and séances fall into this category as well. These practices are based on the concept that there are gods, spirits, or deceased loved ones that can give advice and guidance. These “gods” or “spirits” are demons (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). The Bible gives us no reason to believe that deceased loved ones can contact us.
So, if our loved ones cannot contact us, how do mediums, spiritists, and psychics get such accurate information? There have been many exposures of psychics as frauds. It has been proven that psychics can gain immense amounts of information on someone through ordinary means. Sometimes by just using a telephone number through caller ID and an internet search, a psychic can get names, addresses, dates of birth, dates of marriage, family members, etc. However, it is undeniable that psychics sometimes know things that should be impossible for them to know. Where do they get this information? The answer is from Satan and his demons. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Acts 16:16-18 describes a fortune teller who was able to predict the future until the apostle Paul rebuked a demon out of her.
Satan pretends to be kind and helpful. He tries to appear as something good. Satan and his demons will give a psychic information about a person in order to get that person hooked into spiritism, something that God forbids. It appears innocent at first, but soon people can find themselves addicted to psychics and unwittingly allow Satan to control and destroy their lives. Peter proclaimed, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). In some cases, the psychics themselves are deceived, not knowing the true source of the information they receive. Whatever the case and wherever the source of the information, nothing connected to spiritism, witchcraft, or astrology is a godly means of discovering information. How does God want us to discern His will for our life? God’s plan is simple, yet powerful and effective: study the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and pray for wisdom (James 1:5).
Got Questions Org
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So where does this leave the Roman Catholic Church when it encourages its members to pray to Mary and its cohorts of saints?
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You know, after many years of soul searching and seeking answers…..and truth, I have come to the conclusion that God will meet us where we are at. When I was a Catholic, the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke to me….so too did my deceased father, but that was before I knew God as my Abba Daddy (Father) and before I knew right from wrong. Their words to me were brief….words of correction and warning, and as I was to later find out, certainly God’s words to me. I never sought them out but my deceased father would speak to me in dreams and so too would Mother Mary.
BUT, when at long last I came to personally know and accept the love of God, I realised that it was God Himself speaking to me all along through the only two people I loved and trusted because I could never have received those words directly from a God who I was angry with and hated in those early days; the beginning of my faith journey. That’s called grace. God will connect with us in ways that we may not approve of. Why? Because He loves us!
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BUT, to Catholics who do pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saints, I would say please, at least consider these words and ask God to show you His truth:
See further down down the page
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To stir a cup of tea, the action is done by the spoon, but itis guided by your hand. Your hand is guided by your nervous system, using muscles. These are guided by your brain, the source.
God can speak to you through various people, that’s true. I have no idea who the intermediaries are when I receive guidance, but what does that matter when I’m sure of the source, sure that it is Goodness, God.
Just be sure, test it as I’ve said before.
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It may be a scam, but there is a certain amount of skill and awareness to allow the scam to be successful. It just goes to show how easily people will fully believe in partial truths – which I would suspect isn’t so different from believers in religion.
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Reblogged this on Christianity Simplified and commented:
There is a certain amount of skill and awareness to allow the scam of psychics and horoscopes to be successful. Half of Australia’s population seems to believe in it! It just goes to show how easily people will fully believe in partial truths – which I would suspect isn’t so different from believers in religion.
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A DECEPTION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Taken from “Prepare for War” by Rebecca Brown MD
Chapter 11— A Deception
In this chapter I want to challenge everyone reading this book to stop and consider just what role the Bible plays in his or her life. Do you consider the Bible to be God’s word to us human beings? Do you consider that the scriptures were written under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit? If so, do you consider the Bible to be the final authority in your life?
If your answer to these questions is “No,” then there is no reason for you to read any further. In fact, I would suggest that you close this book right here and not finish it. It is pointless for you to read further because this whole book is based on the fact that the Bible IS God’s inspired word for us and IS our final authority.
However, if your answer is “Yes, I consider the Bible to be God’s truth for man today and the final authority in guiding my actions and life,” then I praise the Lord for you and encourage you to read on.
Now, I must challenge you once again. IF you do in fact accept the Bible as God’s final authority in your life and all your actions, then I must ask, “Do you search the scriptures to test and see if everything in your life measures up to them? Have you read the Bible for yourself? Do you test everything you see and hear against God’s word? If your answer is “No,” then you are not obeying what is written in God’s word. Each one of us is individually responsible for studying the Bible and learning what is in it. All of us are individually responsible before God to think for ourselves and test everything. The Bible highly commends the Bereans for doing just that.
Acts 17:10-12 “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”
You will note that the Bereans not only were commended for studying and searching out the scriptures to see if what Paul and Silas was preaching was true or not, they also received God’s greatest blessing – salvation through Jesus Christ.
How many precious souls are there in the world today who miss God’s gift of salvation simply because they have not searched out the scriptures? We would be overwhelmed if we knew the number! These souls, most of them, sit in many different churches, assuming that because they follow what the leaders of the church tell them to do that they will “get to heaven” in the end. How tragic! It is ONLY through personal searching, and a personal decision to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior that anyone gets to heaven.
We could spend pages and even books looking into the doctrines of many different churches who claim to be “Christian.” But, I am commanded by the Lord to specifically look at one religious belief system at this time. That is the Roman Catholic Church. I want to make a clear statement that I am NOT writing in hatred or prejudice. I am writing out of love. I am NOT saying that “all Roman Catholics are going to hell.” I am NOT saying that they are terrible people. I want to gently challenge them as I challenge myself and anyone else who claims to be a “Christian.” Have you measured your actions and beliefs against God’s word as found in the Bible? If not, would you please do so now?
It is my prayer that every person reading this book will soberly and carefully consider their own doctrines as well as the Roman Catholic doctrines in the light of what the Bible has to say about them.
First, let us look at some scriptures.
Romans 6:16-23 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This scripture shows us that we serve one of two masters. We serve Satan through sin, or God the Father through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The wages of serving Satan is death. The wages of serving God is eternal life.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus’ claim is absolute. There is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ and the terrible price He paid for our sins when He died on the cross. However, Satan always works by deception. His plan down through the ages has been to deceive the masses of people into thinking they are serving God through Jesus Christ, when in fact, they are actually serving Satan.
Jesus himself spoke about Satan’s deception in this area while He was here on this earth.
Matt 24: 4-5, 23-24 “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many…. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
We are clearly warned by the scriptures that many people will claim to worship “Jesus,” when, in fact, they are not worshiping the Jesus of the Bible.
…..to be cont’d
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(Page 2)
The Jesus of the Bible was born of a virgin (Luke 1:26-35), was God incarnated into human flesh (Philippians 2:5-11), was sinless (Hebrews 4:14-15), walked this earth for 33 years, died on a cross for our sins, arose from the dead on the third day (Luke 23 & 24), and then ascended to sit in heaven at the right hand of God the Father where He IS today (Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9-11, Acts 7:55). Any “Jesus” that does not fulfill all these things, is not the Jesus of the Bible. This is why we are told to test all spirits.
1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
THE PRAYERS TO DEAD PEOPLE
“If anyone says that it is a deception to celebrate masses in honor of the saints and in order to obtain their intercession with God, as the Church intends, let him be anathema.” (Council of Trent, p. 149, Canon 5)
The Council of Trent made the following comment regarding masses to dead people:
“And though the church has been accustomed to celebrate at times certain masses in honor and memory of the saints, she does not teach that sacrifice is offered to them but to God alone who crowned them; whence, the priest does not say: ‘To thee, Peter or Paul, I offer sacrifice,” but, giving thanks to God for their victories, he implores their favor (meaning the saints’ favor) that they may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven whose memory we celebrate on earth.” (Ibid., p.146.)
This canon clearly states that the Catholic people are directly praying to, communicating with, and asking, the spirits of dead people to intercede for them with God.
The intercession of Mary is a central doctrine of the Catholics. This was made very plain in the Vatican II Councils.
“This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross. This maternity will last without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. For, taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving role, but by her manifold acts of intercession continues to win for us gifts of eternal salvation….Let the entire body of the faithful pour forth persevering prayer to the Mother of God (Mary) and Mother of men.” (The Documents of Vatican II, Walter M. Abbott, 5.l., Editor, Guild Press, 1966, pp.91,96.)
This prayer to and communion with dead spirits is no different than occult séances which are held to summon spirits of dead people to obtain their help. The Bible expressly forbids such communication.
We have only one mediator between God and men – Jesus Christ of the Bible.
I Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
The Bible does not give us permission to contact the dead at any time! Again, this is pure witchcraft.
Three Portuguese children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, had a series of visits from what was assumed to be an angel in 1916, and in 1917. Later, they received monthly visits from, (if you judge according to Scripture, can only be non other than) a spirit which, manifesting in a physical manner, spoke to them claiming to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. The spirit has since been referred to as “Our Lady of Fatima” because she appeared in Fatima, Portugal. A national shrine has been built where the apparitions occurred and yearly hundreds of thousands of Catholics make pilgrimages to the shrine to dedicate their lives to the service and worship of Mary. On May 13th, 1946, Pope Pius XII solemnly crowned a statue of “Our Lady of Fatima” and proclaimed her Queen of the World. On May 13, 1983, Pope John Paul II reenacted the ceremony of crowning the statue. In 1986, he issued Acts of Consecration of the whole world to “Our Lady of Fatima.” In other words, the pope has declared the entire world to be the property of this demon who masquerades as Mary. He went one step further and dedicated the year, 1987, as a special year of worship and honor to Mary.
The final statement by the demon telling Lucia and her cousins to sacrifice for Jesus and to make reparation (payment of damages) for the “sins committed against the Immaculate (sinless) Heart of Mary” is completely against scripture. If they had read the Bible they would have immediately known that this statement completely contradicts the principles set forth in God’s word, and therefore, were not of a Godly nature, but were spoken by a demon.
Scripture says, Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Nowhere in scripture is an exception made for Mary. Jesus had to die on the cross to obtain salvation for Mary just the same as He did for everyone else. Our sins are committed against God, not Mary. If only those precious souls had known to test the spirits! Nowhere has it been recorded that the spirit posing as Mary passed the test given in (1 John 4:1-2) and the declarations it made did not agree with the Bible. Therefore, it was not from God, it was not really Mary, it was a demon. How many souls have been led straight into Hell because these people did not test the spirits?
…..to be cont’d
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(Page 3)
IMMACULATE HEART
Lastly, I want to address the issue of the “immaculate heart” and “immaculate conception” of Mary. The word “immaculate” means “without sin.” Most people attending the Roman Catholic Church do not realize that the doctrine stating that Mary was born without sin because she was the “mother of God,” is a relatively new doctrine. In fact, it first received acceptance within the church in 1854. I would like to quote here from a book written by a man who was a member of the Roman Catholic Church for 50 years, and who served as a Roman Catholic priest for many of those years. He lived during the time that this doctrine was first introduced into the church. He describes its beginning as follows:
“The 8th of December, 1854, Pope Pius IX was sitting on his throne; a triple crown of gold and diamonds was on his head: silk and damask – red and white vestments on his shoulders; five hundred mitred prelates were surrounding him; and more than fifty thousand people were at his feet in the incomparable St. Peter’s Church of Rome. After a few minutes of most solemn silence, a cardinal, dressed with his purple robe, left his seat, and gravely walked towards the pope, humbly prostrating himself at his feet, and said:
‘Holy Father, tell us if we can believe and teach that the Mother of God, the Holy Virgin Mary, was immaculate in her conception’
The Supreme Pontiff answered: ‘I do not know; let us ask the light of the Holy Ghost.’’
The cardinal withdrew; the pope and the numberless multitude fell on their knees; and the harmonious choir sang the ‘Veni Creator Spiritus.’
The last note of the sacred hymn had hardly rolled under the vaults of the temple, when the same cardinal left his place, and again advanced towards the throne of the pontiff, prostrated himself at his feet, and said; ‘Holy Father, tell us if the Holy Mother of God, the blessed Virgin Mary, was immaculate in her conception.’
The pope again answered: ‘I do not know; let us ask the light of the Holy Ghost.’
And again the ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ was sung.
Again the eyes of the multitude followed the grave steps of the purple-robed cardinal for the third time to the throne of the successor of St. Peter, to ask again:
‘Holy Father, tell us if we can believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God was immaculate.’
The pope, as if he had just received a direct communication from God, answered with a solemn voice:
‘Yes! We must believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary was immaculate in her conception….There is no salvation to those who do not believe this dogma!’
And, with a loud voice, the pope intoned the Te Deum; the bells of the three hundred churches of Rome rang; the cannons of the citadel were fired. The last act of the most ridiculous and sacrilegious comedy the world had ever seen was over; the doors of heaven were forever shut against those who would refuse to believe the anti-scriptural doctrine that there is a daughter of Eve who has not inherited the sinful nature of Adam.
She was re-declared exempt when the God of Truth said, “There is none righteous; no, not one: for all have sinned!” (Roman 3:10 & 23)
No trace of this teaching is found in the first centuries of the Church.”
From: (50 Years in the “Church” of Rome, The Conversion of a Priest, by Charles Chiniquy, Chick Publications, 1985, pp. 233-234 [c. 1886])
What a tragedy it is that so many people have accepted such doctrines without ever once looking into God’s word to see what God Himself has to say about Mary. Our salvation is ONLY through Jesus Christ, NEVER through another human being!
Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 16:31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
You are not saved by your membership in the Roman Catholic Church or by taking communion at mass. You can be saved only by asking the Jesus Christ of the Bible to forgive your sins, turn away from your sins and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and life and give you the precious gift of the His Holy Spirit. Read the Bible and ask our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus His Son to show you all that it means. As you commit your life to the true Jesus of the Bible, the Holy Spirit will come and live within you and enable you to understand what you are reading as you read the Bible.
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A friend sent me this list of beliefs of a group/sect/cult he has joined.
“God is that perfect force of pure and divine love and power, and that we are a part of that love. We flow from that source.
Accepting the brotherhood of mankind through the leadership of the Christ Energy.
Belief in the communion with God, with his angelic ministers and with the souls functioning in dimensions other than earth life.
To believe in the survival of the human soul and its individuality after physical death.
To take personal responsibility for all sins/deeds committed, and to understand that these actions can only be recertified by the individual, and not by the forgiveness of another person i.e. priests.
All words/deeds and actions done on earth must be redeemed by the person himself/herself, through redemptive power of Jesus Christ, by repentance and service to others, either in this life, the next or in spirit.
That through the divine laws governing all life and death, we have the opportunity even after death to redeem our soul.”
Is this considered Christian? Opinions, please!
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Definitely not!
It sounds like a Spiritualist Church.
I have a dear friend who is a Spiritist. We knew each other 26 years ago when we were both searching and into palm reading, horoscopes, astral travel, ghosts….all that paranormal stuff. I found God and she found the Spiritualist Church.
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You assume a lot Monica. Your world is poor on colours, just black and white. Just because you don’t agree with something, you attack it instead. There is so little tolerance in your posts.
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I think for some, the words “through redemptive power of Jesus Christ, by repentance and service to others,” might have held some weight.
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Hi Strewth,
This is written by the pastor of Sunflower Chapel, a NSAC Spiritualist Church :
http://sunflowerchapel.org/articles/the-differences-between-spiritualism-and-christianity/
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And from a Christian perspective:
Excerpt
“Spiritualism is a pseudo-religious system of shared concepts in which a key feature is the belief that a soul survives after the death of the physical body and these disembodied spirits are both willing and able to communicate with living persons. Like Christians, spiritualists believe in a single God—whom they refer to as “infinite Intelligence”—and that God holds each soul accountable for his actions and life choices. Unlike Christians, however, spiritualists do not believe that death marks the final point of judgment for a spirit, but souls have the capacity to learn, grow, and evolve after death to progressively higher planes of knowledge and perfection. They do not believe that Jesus’ death paid the penalty for sin and that salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ, but rather souls gradually progress after death through a series of steps toward a state of spiritual perfection. It is, therefore, a works-based route to “salvation” after death.
Paul referred to religious belief systems that deny the truth of the gospel, the atonement for sins through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, as “having a form of godliness but denying its power”—Timothy 3:1-5. Although many spiritualists attend Sunday services, sing hymns, and worship a single God, spiritualism and Christianity are not compatible belief systems. In addition to their belief in an evolutionary movement of souls through progressively higher celestial planes, spiritualists seek their truth from contact with spirits through séances, Ouija boards, and mediums. Many spiritualists maintain that they have their own personal spirit guides, from whom they receive all kinds of information and direction for their lives. For spiritualists, the Bible is not the primary source of truth and knowledge about the afterlife and God.
The Bible, in fact, contains many stern warnings against spiritualism (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 21:8; Deuteronomy 18:9-13). The first king of Israel, King Saul, broke God’s commandment not to engage in spiritualism and ultimately lost his kingdom because of it (1 Samuel 15:23; 1 Chronicles 10:14). When the Apostles encountered people who had powers of divination from contact with spirits, they cast these spirits out as demons (Acts 16:16-18). Many scriptural references point out a chief reason that Christians should not seek contact nor counsel with spirits, namely, that spirits that are contacted may give unreliable or even deceptive information (1 John 4:1).
It is highly likely that many so-called encounters with departed loved ones through the use of Ouija boards, mediums, and séances have actually been encounters with demons, who intentionally deliver false information. One common lie that many people receive through supernatural contact is that there is no hell and no final judgment by God. But Hebrews 9:27 expressly states, however, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Death is inevitable, and so is judgment. Sin brings about that judgment, and all persons are guilty (Romans 3:23). The only way for any person to escape judgment is to receive an unmerited pardon from God by acknowledgment of sin, acceptance that Jesus died for that sin, and a willingness to submit his life to Christ before his death (John 3:16; Romans 3:24). The Bible clearly reveals that those who die apart from Christ will suffer an eternity in hell (Matthew 25:41). Believing in false teachings derived from “spirit guides” will lead many persons away from the sound doctrine of the Bible, which is the intent of Satan (1 Peter 5:8; 1 Timothy 4:1).
Those who dabble in activities that seem innocuous actually open the door for contact, harassment and even possession. Many followers have been traumatized and harmed psychologically, if not physically, by contacts that began with séances, Ouija boards, psychic consultations, Reiki healing, and encounters with mediums. For all those who seek the truth, Jesus unequivocally stated in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/spiritualism.html#ixzz2v55GytVP
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Thank you Monica for both links. My friend didn’t mention spiritism. I’ll pass your info on.
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Monica, I see you often refer to http://www.gotquestions. I believe questions there are usually answered by people from Calvary Bible College, often students, and supervised by a past student, his first ‘ministry’ after leaving college. It is supposed to be non-denominational, but of course has its own bias.
It may suit you very well, but I don’t believe it’s the final word on Christianity.
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