(from
A
Time of Departing) "The
meditation most of us are familiar with involves a deep, continuous
thinking about something. But New Age
meditation does just the opposite. It involves ridding oneself
of all thoughts in order to still the
mind by putting it in the equivalent of pause or neutral.
A comparison would be that of turning a fast-moving stream
into a still pond. When meditation is employed by damming
the free flow of thinking, it holds back active thought and
causes a shift in consciousness. This condition is not to
be confused with daydreaming, where the mind dwells on a subject.
New Age meditation works as a holding mechanism until the
mind becomes thoughtless, empty and silent." Read
more...
Mantra
Meditation Goes Nation Wide! TIME
Magazine ...
Devotes August 2004 issue to meditation!
"The
popularity of Buddhist practice among Christians has grown
substantially during the last two decades, said John Cowan,
author of Taking Jesus Seriously: Buddhist Meditations for
Christians ..." read
more
"
We that are Born Again have been spiritually
birthed into a personal relationship with God. We know
Him for ourselves and we commune with Him one-on-one.
Nothing is more contrary to us than for someone to prescribe
a religious mantra or to create a system that makes
us bound within that system".
Joseph Chambers Paw
Creek Ministries
"Meditation
is clearly a form of self-hypnosis as the participant
repeats the phrases over and over again concentrating
on the sound not the meaning." —Mike Oppenheimer,
Let Us Reason Ministries
"Contemplative Prayer is not Biblical prayer
at all, rather it is a type of mystical meditation
leading the mind into an altered state of consciousness.
It goes beyond thought, providing an experiential
union with so-called God or with nature producing
body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections.
It is based on "experiences" rather than
sound doctrine. " ... give attendance ... to
doctrine." 1 Timothy 4:13.
Faith
is to be based on God’s word rather than experiences.
"So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God." Romans 10:17, "For
we walk by faith, not by sight:" 2 Corinthians
5:7.
Contemplative Prayer is also known as centering prayer,
listening prayer, breath prayer, and prayer of the
heart. It is just one of many mystical practices taught
within a confusing, mixed-up movement called Contemplative
Spirituality.
Mystical
practices are now widely embraced and taught in
secular and professed Christian seminaries, colleges,
universities, organizations, ministries and seminars,
etc. throughout the United States.
Academic
promoters have introduced these practices into the
fields of medicine, business and law while countless
secular and Christian books, magazines, seminars
and retreats are teaching lay people how to incorporate
them into their daily lives.
Promoters
promise physical, mental and spiritual benefits
desiring to bring about positive social change.
One promoter of mystical practices, the "Center
for Contemplative Mind in Society," states:
They
"can play a part in the positive transformation
of governments, businesses, and organizations. We
are dedicated to the idea that contemplative awareness,
when incorporated into contemporary life, can help
produce a more just, compassionate, and reflective
society." —CONTEMPLATIVE
PRAYER: SEDUCING SPIRITS AND A DOCTRINE OF DEVILS
by Christine Narloch
"The
nervous system in a state of quiescence, alert, awake but not
active, is comparable to what Buddhists call the highest state
of dhyana or deep meditation. The conscious recognition of the
Clear Light induces an ecstatic condition of consciousness such
as saints and mystics of the West have called illumination." TIMOTHY LEARY, Your Brain is God, pp. 66-67
Mantra
Meditation Goes Nation Wide!