Roman Catholic Mysticism of "Contemplative Prayer"
| Warning Note: The much of the material on this page is from a website that promotes this deadly heresy. It is reproduced here only for the purpose of countering the movement to bring this form of spiritualism into the SDA Church. Pray for discernment before reading! |
The Following webpage "clippings" illustrate the origins of the "new way to pray" being introduced into the SDA Church. The techniques of "relaxation", "imaging", "visualization" and "journaling" are not new inovations, but are barrowed from the Roman Catholic Church, who themselves barrowed this mysitcism from pagan religions!
John Main (1926-1982) believed that the contemplative experience is open to all and creates community. His genius was to recover and re-present a way into the contemplative experience for ordinary people within the Christian tradition. In the teaching of the Desert Fathers on pure prayer he found the practice of the mantra. Realising that this way of prayer could further the search of many modern people for a deeper spiritual life, he recommended two regular daily periods of meditation to be integrated with the usual practices of Christian life.
Find a quiet
place. Sit down with your back upright. Sit still. Gently close your eyes and begin to
recite your prayer-word, or mantra, silently, interiorly and lovingly throughout the time
of your meditation: "Ma-ra-na-tha." Say it as four equally-stressed syllables.
It is an Aramaic word (which is the language that Jesus spoke) and it means "Come,
Lord." It is found in the Scriptures and is one of the earliest prayers in the
Christian tradition. Do not think about the meaning of the word. Just give your attention
to the sound of it thoughout the time of your meditation, from the beginning to the end.
Whenever distractions arise, simply return to your mantra. Meditate for 30 minutes each
morning and each evening, every day of your life. Father John always said: "Just say
your word." Meditation is a way of pure prayer marked by silence, stillness, and
simplicity.
(Photo: Father Laurence meditating at the 1994 John
Main Seminar.)
It is an interesting to note that these people do not even try to hide the fact that this mysticism is barrowed from the pagan eastern religions, even un-ashamedly embracing the use of a "mantra"!
What has been done with all the Biblical warnings against asimulating the religious practices of the pagan world?:
When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. ---Deut. 18:9
But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works...Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. ---Psalm 106:35,40When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee... and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them...and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.... What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. ---Deut. 12:29-32
Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen... for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain....: ---Jeremiah 10:1-3
Look What Roman Catholic Mystics and Bhuddist Mystics are contemplating! Here is a short excerpt of a web page form the WCCM, outlining their eccumenical plans centering on their common spiritualistic meditaton exercises:
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In September 1994 His Holiness the Dalai Lama accepted the
invitation of Dom Laurence Freeman OSB, Director of The World Community for Christian
Meditation, to lead the annual John Main Seminar. "The Good Heart" became an
historic event in which the familiar concepts of inter-religious dialogue were enriched
with fresh meaning. During the Good Heart seminar the Dalai Lama read and commented on the Gospels from his Buddhist perspective, as a monk, and as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Christians and Buddhists declared how their experience of friendship through meditation and dialogue together had changed their outlook and views of each other in profound ways. Published in many countries the book of The Good Heart has reinforced the growing awareness that the future of world peace cannot be ensured without meaningful inter-religious dialogue rooted in the compassionate power of meditative silence. |
| In February 1997 the Dalai Lama and Dom Laurence Freeman met again in Dharamsala to discuss how to build on what The Good Heart had achieved. Thus, the idea of The Way of Peace was born. The Way of Peace is a three-year initiative which will employ different means to express the urgent relevance to the world of the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and inter-religious dialogue as a whole. These means are: Pilgrimage, Retreat, and Peace-Making. In December 1998 the first of these means -- Pilgrimage -- will bring a broadly-based group of monks, lay-people and scholars to India. They will visit a number of sacred sites in a spirit of prayer and friendship. Between December 13th and 16th they will join with the Dalai Lama and other Buddhists for three days of prayer and reflection at BodhGaya, the most sacred of Buddhist sites, where the Buddha was enlightened. This time will be focused by meditation together. There will also be reflection together of the different meanings of enlightment, liberation and salvation. |
This same mysticism is being imported into many Protestant Churches (including SDA). Does this bring to your mind the "three-fold union" of Apostate protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Spiritulaism prophecied to occur during the final events of the great contoversy?
Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. ---The Great Controversy, page 588
God gave us ample warning against adopting the spiritualism of mysticism:
We need not the mysticism that is in this book. Those who entertain these sophistries will soon find themselves in a position where the enemy can talk to them, and lead them away from God. ---1SM 202
"The study of the Bible should take the place of those books that have lead minds into mysticism and away form the truth"? ---6T 132
There are many who would shrink with horror from the thought of consulting spirit mediums, but who are attracted by more pleasing forms of spiritualism. Others are lead away by the teachings of Christian Science, and by the mysticism of Theosophy and other oriental religions. ---PK 210
