Posts Tagged ‘dr. hyman’

Note: As we prepared the news story below about Rick Warren’s recent endorsement of Dr. Daniel Amen’s new book, it came to our attention that Rick Warren has also this year placed his endorsement on the back cover of Dr. Mark Hyman’s new book, The Blood Sugar Solution.  Hyman, like Amen, is a proponent of eastern-style meditation practices. In his book, Hyman calls New Age meditation advocates such as Deepak Chopra, Dean Ornish, Dr. Oz, Daniel Goleman, and Christiane Northrup his “co-creators in medicine’s transformation” (p. 374). Rick Warren’s endorsement sits on the back cover along with the names listed above. His endorsements of these two books will have profound implications on untold numbers of people, including Christians.

“Rick Warren Gives Hearty Endorsement for Dr. Amen’s Meditation-Promoting Book, “‘Use Your Brain to Change Your Age”"

“I want to stay sharp, and that’s why I read everything Dr. Amen writes, and you should too!” – Rick Warren, (back cover, Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, May 2012

When Dr. Daniel Amen’s book Use Your Brain to Change Your Age came out this year, it was somewhat surprising to learn that Rick Warren’s name was on the back cover, giving a hearty endorsement of the book. Clearly, we could see Warren is very much drawn to Dr. Daniel Amen to say that the book is “another incredibly helpful book” and that he reads “everything Dr. Amen writes.”  Amen is part of the trio-doctor team that Rick Warren has partnered with to present the Daniel Plan (a health program that includes meditation techniques) to Saddleback Church members and to thousands of Purpose Driven churches around the world.

Dr. Oz and Dr. Hymen are the other two doctors in the team, and all three are proponents of eastern-style meditation practices. After receiving criticism about his partnering with the three doctors for the Daniel Plan, Rick Warren came to his own defense, saying that he does not believe in New Age meditation and promotes only “biblical meditation.” But his recent endorsement on the back of Dr. Amen’s book, Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, sends out the opposite message.

While Rick Warren denies that he is an advocate of eastern-style meditation practices, his statements, promotions, and endorsements over the last nearly two decades paints an entirely different picture. Lighthouse Trails has documented his resonance with New Age type meditators for almost ten years. We also sent Warren a copy of Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing, when it first came out when we naively thought we could warn and inform him of mystical spirituality. He wrote back a personal note thanking us and admitting that the issue was a “hot topic.” What we didn’t know at the time was that Warren was already promoting spiritual formation (contemplative spirituality) at least as far back as his first book in 1995, The Purpose Driven Church, where he identified the movement as a valid message and a wake up call for the church.

Along with lots of common sense practical advice such as eating healthy, exercising, and taking supplements, Amen’s new book encourages the use of meditation practices and yoga. This would certainly be expected in one of Amen’s books. In his book, Making a Good Brain Great, he promotes “Sa Ta Na Ma” meditation, a form of Kirtin Kriya yoga. His website also tauts these types of practices. So the big deal here isn’t that he has written this book – that’s what New Age meditation teachers do. The big deal is that Rick Warren, who so many look to for spiritual guidance, continues to point his followers toward New Age mystical practices and do it in the name of Christianity. Those who realizes the significant role meditation will play into end-time deception throughout the world as we move closer to the return of Jesus Christ will find this information sobering and troubling.

As the video below illustrates where Amen is talking about the benefits of meditation, Rick Warren is affirming what Amen is telling him.

The following article has been posted on Dr. Mark Hyman’s website. Dr. Hyman is one of the three New Age mysticism promoting doctors who Rick Warren is using to teach Christians about good health. While Rick Warren has defended his actions (and been virtually unchallenged by Christian leaders) in turning to three New Age doctors for counsel and leadership for possibly millions of people, this article below is a perfect example why it is harmful and misleading for Christian leaders to associate with and promote those teaching mysticism and New Age ideologies.

by Mark Hyman [this is not an endorsement but is posted here for informational and research purposes]

“THE MIND HAS GREAT influence over the body, and maladies often have their origin there.” — Moliere

What were Dean Ornish, Mehmet Oz, Dan Brown, the Dalai Lama, and I all doing in Woodstock, New York?

We — along with an assortment of Tibetan monks and doctors, Buddhist scholars, meditation researchers, and prize-winning biomedical scientists in the field of aging, the immune system, stem cells, genetics, brain aging, stress physiology, and more from MIT, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Duke, and UCSF — were all part of a special conference at the Menla Center. Click here to read more. (please use caution and discernment when on Dr. Hyman’s website.)

Our coverage on this story:

Special Report:Rick Warren’s New Health and Wellness Initiative Could Have Profound Repercussions on Many

Saddleback’s Response to Criticism Over Daniel Plan – An Unscriptural Paradox!

A Visit to Rick Warren’s Health Seminar – The Unfolding of a Global New Age Plan 

Rick Warren Speaks Out Against Those Warning the Church of Meditation 

Eye-Witness Account: Global Peace Forum at Saddleback with Rick Warren and Tony Blair Raises Serious Questions About Global Peace Plan  

Emanuel Swedenborg’s Occultic Beliefs Influence Rick Warren’s Health Advisor and Now the Christian Church

Rick Warren’s “Daniel Plan” currently recommends hypnosis, Eastern/new age meditation

From The Berean Call

Question: Why are you and other “discernment” writers so critical of Rick Warren and his new Daniel Plan? What difference does it make that Rick Warren turns to some of the best secular doctors in the nation to help the church with its battle over obesity, physical fitness, and mental health? After all, Christians don’t have to ensure that their cars are repaired only by Christian mechanics, and their toilets unstopped only by Christian plumbers. If you’ve got a problem with your physical body, isn’t it far more important to have the very best doctor’s advice, regardless of their religious background?

Response: As long as one’s mechanic or plumber isn’t incorporating unbiblical spiritual content in his service to a believer, his religious background shouldn’t be a problem. However, that is not the case with the eminent doctors that Rick Warren has selected to minister to his congregation and those hundreds of thousands who follow his ministry. All three of the medical doctors are practitioners of various forms of Eastern mystical meditation and occultism, which they promote in their well-being programs of body, mind, and spirit. No doubt their medical science education gives them valuable insights into the workings of their patients’ bodies, but what of mind and spirit? The mind is not the brain; it’s part of man’s nonphysical makeup. There is no objective science of mind. There is only the metaphysical kind. There is no objective science of the spirit. There are no scientific instruments for evaluating a person’s spirit. It’s purely a subjective religious matter.

Furthermore, your question reflects the religious pragmatism (“whatever works”) that leads many believers to abandon biblical authority, compromise their faith, supplant the gospel, and even endanger their very lives. The journey of departing from the Truth may not begin with such stark choices, but often ends with tragic spiritual consequences. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Gal 5:9). Click here to continue reading.

Related Articles:

Special Report:Rick Warren’s New Health and Wellness Initiative Could Have Profound Repercussions on Many

“Saturday Jan. 15th, 2011 will go down in the history books as the day Saddleback Church was sold a bill of goods. The masses had come out in droves for answers to their weight loss difficulties & health problems, but unbeknownst to them, they were being given a prescription for restructuring society & population control . . . ‘Saddleback community’ would be an example of “sustainable living” and would set the course to “change this world” … and the crowd went wild!”

by Jennifer Pekich
Used with permission
Ponderings from Patmos

I first arrived to Saddleback’s campus only to be told that “all parking lots were full.” I drove across the street to see if there were any spots available in the business lots, and they were full too. I ended up parking in a housing tract and walked a mile or two back to Saddleback’s campus. As I arrived, I overheard a parking lot attendant say they estimated about 6,000 people had come to the seminar.

I was a little late, so I was grateful to my nephew who went online and began to relay what was being said in the opening comments, as I didn’t want to miss what was to be the foundation of the talks that day. I was a little taken aback when my nephew told me the first speaker, Dr. Amen, made reference to the Egyptian pyramids and how they were built upon an “idea,” and if man could build something like that all those thousands of years ago, what could he do today if he put his mind to it? I found that to be somewhat disturbing, as the pyramids, no matter how impressive they were, represent the ancient pagan religions which got their start in Babylon when Nimrod gathered men (the community) together to commit idolatry by building a tower to honor themselves as gods (Gen. Ch. 11). [1] And yet here it was, the analogy that was chosen to illustrate this new “idea” Saddleback would launch their 52 week program with. No matter what Dr. Amen’s intent was, I believe the analogy was appropriate, and the subtle message is telling…”MAN CAN DO ANYTHING HE PUTS HIS MIND TO.” Sound familiar? (Read Gen. 3:4-5). [2]

As I began to head up the hill toward the main sanctuary, a Saddleback tram pulled up and the driver asked if I wanted a lift. I said I preferred to walk, but thanks. The driver yelled, “Let’s all give her a hand folks, she’s started the Daniel Plan already!” And the people on the tram cheered. Nevermind the fact that I have been walking my entire life because I enjoy doing so, not because of some health and fitness campaign. I sensed I was entering a nightmare.

The main sanctuary was full, & it was standing room only. They told me the overflow areas were full too. So I found a spot on the patio outside the main sanctuary looking in. I had a good view and could see the stage perfectly. Their outdoor sound system made it so I could roam around, observe the audience, continue to listen to the guest speakers, and take notes.

To begin, I’d like to state that Saturday Jan. 15th, 2011 will go down in the history books as the day Saddleback Church was sold a bill of goods. The masses had come out in droves for answers to their weight loss difficulties & health problems, but unbeknownst to them, they were being given a prescription for restructuring society & population control.

The prescription goes by the name Agenda 21, a.k.a. “Sustainable Development” or “Smart Growth.” Agenda 21 is a published document put out by the United Nations with the intent to put limits on population and to restructure nation-states into a global society. [3] Rick Warren’s “new friends” had dubbed it, “The Daniel Plan – God’s Prescription For Your Health.” A more appropriate title would’ve been, “Sustainable Living – Destroying Inalienable Rights, One Community at a Time.”

By the time I settled into listening more intently, the second speaker, Mark Hyman, began. It didn’t take too long to figure out what the basis of his message was: We “need to heal with community” (he termed this “accompaniment”), “we’re here for the sake of each other,” this plan “is our way out,” this plan “saved me,” and in fact will “change the world.”

Saddleback was being told they were a “test community” to show the world how to live “healthy and sustainably.” When I heard these words, my heart sank. It was as I’d feared. I knew which buzzwords to listen for, and he was hitting them all. The audience was told they would be champions in health to show the world what “living sustainably” was all about, but Dr. Hyman is a leftist who is more than a champion in health, he’s a change agent for the global elite, as is Dr. Oz & Dr. Amen. Dr. Hyman is the founder and medical director of the Ultra Wellness Center, he advises Dr. Oz’s healthcore group, and he’s a nominee to President Obama’s advisory group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health. [4] Hmmmmmm. I smell an agenda.

Dr. Hyman practices what’s known as “functional medicine,” which means he uses a “whole systems” approach to medicine; in other words, he practices medicine “wholistically,” This is also known as “Mind Body” medicine. At Saddleback’s seminar, “mind body” or “functional” medicine was presented as if it’s completely scientific. Any scientist worth his salt will tell you that yes, the body can be measured scientifically, but the mind falls into an entirely different category which can never be measured by science. As stated by Dave Hunt in his book Occult Invasion – The Subtle Seduction of the World and Church, “Physical science, by very definition, can make no judgments concerning a nonphysical realm” as is the mind & the soul. [5] In other words, the mind and the soul are scientifically immeasurable.

It’s the same with the religions of “Mind Science.” Calling a religion “Mind Science” or “Scientology,” when there’s nothing scientific about it, is the same as calling a cereal “Grapenuts” when it contains no grapes or nuts. But we live in an era when the masses have been sufficiently dumbed down, and all it takes to impress is clever packaging and branding. If “they” say it’s science, then dog-gone-it, it’s science! After all, “these doctors are on television.”

As I sat through all 3 presentations by Dr.’s Hyman, Amen, & Oz, what came to mind were the traveling salesmen of the 1800s. They talk fast, so fast that the message that’s really being given, goes right over people’s heads. They used tactics to tug at the heart strings such as videos of sick little girls who suddenly got well from being on “the program” and have been “set free” from relying on medications. Then they flooded the audience with “facts” and “statistics” to scare any grandmother, such as “a tsunami of disease is hitting us,” “life expectancy is going down,” “1 out of 2 people are diabetic or pre-diabetic,” “70% of all agricultural land is taken up by growing animals to feed all the people,” “the bigger your body gets, the more your brain shrinks,” etc.

I about fell off my chair when Dr. Hyman stated, “The key to the success of the “Daniel Plan” is “group living” … “individuals” will not succeed, our only hope lies in “community.” [LT Note:This is exactly what the emerging church is teaching.]  And with that, it was announced that the “Saddleback community” would be an example of “sustainable living” and would set the course to “change this world” … and the crowd went wild!  [LT Note: Remember, when we reported how Rick Warren talked glowingly about a critical mass needed to change our world?]

Dr. Hyman said that he is a Jew, Dr. Amen said he is a Christian, and Dr. Oz said he is a Muslim. And doesn’t that represent the demographic of “most of the population of the world”? But then he said, “we’re all the same underneath.” True to his salesman fashion, Dr. Hyman didn’t define his terms. What in the world does he mean “we’re all the same underneath”? That can mean a number of things. Since he was speaking to a religious crowd, I’d venture to say some of the folks present took that to mean we’re all children of God (Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.), which is patently false according to the Bible. The Bible says there are only two groups, children of wrath and children of God. You’re either one or the other, a believer in Christ Jesus, or a non-believer. We aren’t “all the same underneath.” (Ephesians Ch. 2). [6]

The only way in which we’re “all the same underneath” is we’re all sinners in need of a Savior; and the Savior isn’t “sustainable living.” [LT Note: Remember, the New Age says the era of the single savior is OVER!] The Savior is Jesus Christ, and He is the only way unto salvation (John 14:6). [7] And to become a child of God, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John Ch. 3). [8] The tragic thing about this day at Saddleback is, Jesus was never mentioned … and I mean NEVER. There were a few passing references to God; Daniel Amen mentioned that our bodies were “a temple of the Holy Spirit and the brain is the inner sanctum” [Amen means that all humans are the temple of the Holy Spirit], but Jesus never made the cut –  ”sustainable lifestyles” and “group living” did.

Following Dr. Hyman’s talk, my best friend arrived to observe the day with me, only to hear Dr. Amen mention in his presentation that he did a brain scan on one of his clients who had a habit of cheating on his wife. The brain scan showed that there were “holes in the pre-frontal cortex of his brain” which controls the impulses. In other words, this man wasn’t sinful, he was “mentally ill.” All he needed was to get on the “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body” program, and his personal struggles with sin were remedied. Once again, Jesus was removed from the equation. My friend and I were dumbfounded when we listened to the Saddleback crowd cheer. My best friend couldn’t contain it any longer and let out a, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” My thoughts exactly!

Dr. Hyman recommended Yoga and meditation to the crowd. Dr. Amen gave a diplomatic denunciation of Yoga (which is contradictory since he has recommended it himself), but about 5 sentences later mentioned a study done by a friend of his named Andy Newberg who did brain scans on Tibetan nuns and Franciscan priests while in “prayer and contemplation” and the study showed that “spiritual connection” is healthy. Dr. Amen has been an advocate of “Sa Ta Na Ma” meditation. [9]

If by chance any attendees of the Saddleback “Health and Fitness Seminar” read this blog post, I encourage you to educate yourself about what globalism truly is. You also need to research Agenda 21. As stated earlier, the purpose of Agenda 21 is to restructure society. Sounds conspiratorial, I know. But it isn’t a conspiracy; it’s a published document of the United Nations that’s in full swing. Anywhere you hear the terms, “Sustainable Development,”  ”sustainable living,” “smart growth,”  ”going green,”  etc., rest assured you’ve just been exposed to the U.N.’s Agenda 21. [10]

It shouldn’t surprise us that Rick Warren would allow a seminar of this nature at Saddleback; after all, he himself has “GONE GREEN.” [11] He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. [12] This illustrates the natural progression of one being unequally yoked with non-believers & buying into heresies such as “Kingdom Now,” “Dominionism,” or “Restoration Theology.” Where these heresies reign, as they do at Saddleback, you will find that the focus subtly shifts from salvation in Christ alone, through faith alone, to misguided efforts to restore mankind & the earth through “community” works, sustainable living, and social justice. How convenient that these just happen to be the vehicles which the United Nations is using to further it’s own agenda to restructure society & unite the world under its governing body of global elites.

TRUE TRUTH:
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

(I found it to be slightly humorous that, on page 9 of the booklet which Saddleback passed out to attendees, the symptom of “itchy ears” was listed in the “Medical Symptom/Toxicity Questionnaire”…oh, the irony!) (source: Ponderings from Patmos)

Jennifer Pekich is included in Warren B. Smith’s book, A “Wonderful” Deception in chapter 12, ” Fractals, Chaos Theory, Quantum Spirituality, and The Shack.” It was Jennifer who alerted Warren to the Fractal Theory in the best-selling book, The Shack. If you haven’t read Warren’s cutting edge, one of a kind book, we highly recommend you do, especially if you have know anyone that thinks Purpose Driven or The Shack are ok.

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Lighthouse Trails Comment: We encourage Christian leaders and pastors, such as Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel who in front of thousands of people allowed Rick Warren to give the opening prayer of Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade and called him his ”good friend,” to publicly speak up in this matter. Thus far, Christian leaders are remaining utterly silent about Rick Warren’s New Age health fair done in the name of Christianity. The silence of Christian leaders is deafening.

Related Articles:

Special Report:Rick Warren’s New Health and Wellness Initiative Could Have Profound Repercussions on Many

Emanuel Swedenborg’s Occultic Beliefs Influence Rick Warren’s Health Advisor and Now the Christian Church

Feedback About Reiki – Many Christians Have Already Been Influenced!

SPECIAL REPORT: Rick Warren’s “Apologetics” Weekend Should Apologize for Representing “Another Gospel”

Endnotes:
1. Genesis 11:4 – “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’”

2. Genesis 3:4-5 – “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

3. Agenda 21 – http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21 

4. Mark Hyman’s presentation at “Authors @ Google” titled, The UltraMind Solution: Healthy Body, Powerful Mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAZVpsd2Nao

5. Occult Invasion – The Subtle Seduction of the World and the Church, Dave Hunt, Harvest House Publishers 1998, pg. 61

6. Ephesians Ch. 2:1-5 – And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

7. John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

8. John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

9. Dr. Amen recommends “Sa Ta Na Ma” meditation a form of Kirtin Kriya yoga.
http://richardeward.com/kirtin-kriya-sa-ta-na-ma-meditation/

10. Agenda 21 – The U.N. Plan for Your Sustainable Community
http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/la21_198.html

11. A Greener Spirit: Evangelicals Embrace “Creation Care”
http://environment.change.org/blog/view/a_greener_spirit_evangelicals_embrace_creation_care

12. Council on Foreign Relations Membership Roster
http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=W

For more information on Reiki and the New Age plan, read For Many Shall Come in My Name.