Thoughts From Non Thinkers

Working on a New Site

2012-04-11T06:24:00.001-07:00

Hey All. New blog is up www.nonthinkers.com. I will no longer blog from this site!!

Teenage Sex: The Underlying Issue

2012-04-07T10:28:00.004-07:00

According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 46% of high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse, 34% had sexual intercourse during the previous 3 months, and, of these 39% did not use a condom the last time they had sex. What is scary is 14% of high school students had sex with four or more people during their young life; remember, 39% of which did not use a condom. When taking a high school of 1,000 students, 460 of them have engaged in sexual intercourse; seven of which had sex with four or more people. The social network of these 460 students results in all 460 having sex with each other through various degrees of separation!

The focus of this blog post is how the church should deal with the underlying issue regarding teenage sex. First, adultery is the underlying issue, not age, or sex. Essentially, we are dealing with sin and therefore the inherent carnal nature. Now God explains an interesting and unpsychological means of handling teenage sex.

The church's role in teenage sex and all sin for that matter is simple, yet leaves us somewhat inadequate. "Read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and give the sense, and help them to understand the reading" (Nehemiah 8:8). God will do the rest because "the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV).

It is then when Godly sorrow will produce repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted..." (2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV). For it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4), not protests, and a message of self-help (how to be a good little Christian). As it is, the following picture is how the church at large responds to such behavior.

From Sympathy to Empathy: A Must in Ministry and Psychology

2012-04-06T11:26:00.002-07:00

When looking at sympathy-the conformity of feelings, inclinations, or temperament that makes persons agreeable to each other; community of feeling; harmony of disposition-there are limitations in sympathy by the mere nature of conformity. Because conformity occurs in three ways: acceptance, compliance, or obedience; so too does sympathy. Essentially sympathizing with another can happen for the sake of sympathy rather than the true assimilation of two people, where one undergoes distress and the sympathizer does not. Empathy, on the other hand, defies the limitations of sympathy.

Empathy is the power of projecting one's personality into (and so fully comprehending) the object of contemplation. In other words two walk entirely together; although not physically, rather personally. I do not use emotionally because emotion is a superficial response to many events. This is not to say that emotional responses are not byproducts of empathy because they are. Empathy is more than emotional enticement; it is truly to experience distress with another, which takes special elements: transparency in the distressed and maturity in the empathizer. Empathy should be the focus of both ministry and psychology, which are inseparable. If counseling is without empathy, the counselor should simply go home.

I learned this simple truth in my minimal experience with ministry and psychology and within two special books in which the authors lay themselves on the table for examination as one author lives with autism and the other with cerebral palsy. These two books (Trapped by Fran Macilvey and Now to Him by Faith Rose) are not yet published but I hope a publisher finds them soon. It is in these two books where the differences between sympathy and empathy are realized. I highly recommend all to visit these two books and read the first chapter, at least! Perhaps the authors will visit this post, answer questions, and provide any new publishing developments

Stress Sweats Blood

2012-04-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hematohidrosis is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, and occurs under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress (Patel & Mahajan, 2010). The famous case of Hematohidrosis is Jesus Christ's bout with Hematohidrosis in the Garden of Gethsemane, "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44 NKJV). What was Jesus' agony, and what caused that agony? "Acute fear and intense mental contemplation are the most frequent causes, as reported in six cases in men condemned to execution" (Patel & Mahajan, 2010, p. 31).

Patel, R. M., & Mahajan, S. (2010). Hematohidrosis: A rare clinical entity. Indian Dermatology Online Journal, 1(1), 30-32.

Romney Easily Deceived: An Expose of Mormonism

2012-04-04T11:39:00.001-07:00

Let us assume the claims that President Obama is a Muslim are true and America elected a President who lied about his faith. Okay, I will accept that. Perhaps McCain would hold the presidency. However, I am astonished how far Romney has come given his professed faith: A Mormon. For the record, Mormonism is just as far from Christianity as Islam; there are no lesser of two evils here.

What is the purpose of the Mormon Church? That man can become God:

"I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was god from all eternity, I will refute that ideas, and take away the veil, so that you may see.

It is the FIRST PRINCIPAL OF THE GOSPEL to know for certainty the character of God, to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us, yea that God Himself the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ did...Here then is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, the same as all Gods have done before you"
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 346, 347.

So far, we have a man running for the presidency who wants to become a god! Does anybody see a problem with this? Another fundamental doctrine of the Mormons-The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints- if that is not enough to get you thinking is that Joseph Smith lived and died a true prophet of God - Joseph Smith, The Prophet, p. 485. Additionally, nothing can stop Joseph Smith's prophecies from coming true - Journal of Discourses, Vol. 25, 1884, p. 98. What was Joseph Smith's Prophecy concerning the Temple?

"Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints. Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the court-house" (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 57:1-3).

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri, July, 1831.

Joseph smith repreached this same message in 1832 with clarity. "For verily, this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of The Lord, which shall fill the house." Joseph Smith preached the same message two more times affirming that the generation of 1832 would not pass away until the "Mormon Temple" is completed.

Elder Orson Pratt continue to preach after thirty nine years had passed, that the generation of 1832 would still build the temple on the spot that had been selected. Within his proclamations, details changed (the size of the church and number of people involved). Was the temple built by the generation of 1832, and was the prophecy of 1832 considered a false prophecy by Joseph Fielding Smith in 1972?

No, the temple was not built, and yes, it is a false prophecy because no soul living in 1832 was still alive. The Latter-day Saints never built a temple in Missouri at the place appointed. They do not own the property. In fact, Zion was moved out of her place two weeks prior to Smith receiving this prophecy. He was in Kirkland, Ohio, and unaware of the Missouri problem when he gave the revelation.

Is America going to vote for a man as its president who believes in a doctrine of demons, and is easily decieved? Probably... I believe Harold Camping should run as his Vice President! There is much more about the mindlessness of Mormonism, but that should do for now.

The Trayvon Martin Case: A Race to Move Toward Social Profiling and Below Reproach-The Perfect Storm

2012-04-03T18:23:00.003-07:00

I continue hearing statements like, "Race is not an issue in this case" from both sides of the Trayvon Martin versus George Zimmerman curtain. Let us stop avoiding truth for the sake of political etiquette. Race is a factor in everything regardless (sports, politics, education, justice, and population). The question is where the racial factor becomes the focal point: When all else fails? The media has failed to expose the underlying factors in this case. There are two primary factors: wearing a persona-not a hooded sweater-and a desire for blood. When you look for blood, you find blood. Additionally, when you look like you are up to no good, you are up to no good.

Profiling a human is actually profiling the personification one carries. When you place a man or woman, white or black, Latin or Oriental, old or young into a cloaked hooded sweater; you have a personification of "up to no good." This personification did not spawn from blacks wearing hoods, rather an individual hiding his or her face prior to mischievous activity. Is it to anybody's surprise that George approached Trayvon fulfilling his dubious responsibility? Honestly though, Zimmerman reminds me of Paul Blart the Mall Cop.

However, just as George has a right to approach Trayvon, so too does Trayvon have a right to don a hooded cloak. Is placing oneself under reproach by putting on the universal personification of up to no good wise? The death of a young man is upsetting (my heart goes out to the family). My desire is that he was born again before tasting the first death. Nevertheless, placing oneself under reproach is never wise. Neither is looking for blood.

Reports say that Zimmerman continually sought power (police academy, neighborhood watch, etc). This was no case of protect and serve, I know what looking for blood looks like and Zimmerman wears the signs. This is a trigger-happy man waiting for an opportunity to strike at somebody up to no good. Call it a perfect storm. However, this incident, although racial, is not racial discrimination.

How Natural Disasters Affect Individual Levels of Stress in a Community: The Christian Principle

2012-04-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Health psychologists refer to the process by which we perceive and respond to events thought of as harmful, threatening, or challenging as stress. The means by which events, such as natural disasters, effects an individual is through either biological processes, psychological influences, or sociocultural influences (Clayton & Myers, 2009). Although many theories exist in an attempt to identify causation; biology, cognition, and social factors all influence levels of stress-the three are inseparable.

Because an individual's physiology is unique, he or she reacts to events differently. For example, a hyperactive autonomic nervous system creates higher stress levels than that compared to an individual with a hypoactive autonomic nervous system (Clayton & Myers, 2009). Consequentially, Hurricane Katrina affected people differently despite the similarity in circumstance. On the other hand, perception too is a factor regarding the reaction to Hurricane Katrina.

How people appraise a potential natural disaster also affects individual levels of stress in a community. Studies show environments prone to natural disasters affording little or no warning increases community awareness and therefore stress (Kar, 2009). For that reason, the potential of a disaster striking at any moment keeps the community in moderate to severe states of arousal. However, factors such as social economic status and disaster response also affect individual levels of stress (Kar, 2009). Therefore, how an individual perceives imminent disaster depends on his or her perception of said natural disaster; thus, the differences in stress levels among a community.

Social influences do not replace cognitive influences on individual levels of stress in a community. Social influences rather facilitate the reaction to a natural disaster pre-disaster and post-disaster (Yoosun & Miller, 2006). This is not to say that a cultural norm cannot mold an individual's cognitive schemata thereby dictating the perception of a natural disaster. Nevertheless, an individual's unique physiology and cognition can seemingly break the dictated norm.

The Bible has a play in stress management and even prevention. If an imminent disaster was to strike, yet the world knew about it, and sources report that there is nothing to stress over-all will be fine; people should go about life as normal. The Bible states clearly what will unfold (natural disasters, immorality, etc). Should the world worry? That depends on your position on Jesus Christ and His claims.

Clayton, S., & Myers, G. (2009). Conservation Psychology: Understanding and promoting human care for nature. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Kar, N. (2009). Natural disasters in developing countries: Mental health issues. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 63(8), 327-329.

Yoosun, P., & Miller, J. (2006). The social ecology of hurricane Katrina: rewriting the discourse of "natural" disasters. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 76(3), 9.

A Sith Lord in America?

2012-04-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

An Extended Presidency.

It is Star Wars revisited. Why do I feel as though we have a Sith Lord in the White House? The idea of an extended presidency? Is this even a serious thought? Although Granderson makes some good points, are we headed for a quasi-monarchy? I am willing to bet that the idea of an extended presidency in this term will receive much attention.

As we slowly move away from the vision of our founding fathers had when saying life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and toward the embracement of a carnal nature under the pretence of the pursuit of happiness America will inevitably join the ranks of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Rome; a fallen society. What caused the fall was these societies looked to an entity outside of God for direction and purpose. The people wanted affirmation of a choice lifestyle, which brought about happiness for a while.

Government can serve the same purpose of pagan idols because it is an entity in and of itself. Here is a thought, is there a difference in the legalization of immorality and the practice of immorality? Well those who, know the righteous judgment of God who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:32). I do notice the calls to arms from the hristian community. However, is this cry having an effect?

Unfortunately, the louder the cries of Christians become, the deafer the masses are. There is something at work in America, and it is having its way at the moment. I am at the point of supporting the election of the most debaucherous candidates, that way Christ will come that much sooner for his church. As it is, I have the decision of an easily deceived candidate placing his faith in the most ridiculous religion ever, and the deceiver. The course of this nation is defined by the picture below, can anyone guess the two books?

Spirituality

2012-03-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Looking at a definition of spirituality is to expose first what is not spiritual. As such, dispositions such as happiness depend on what happens and is therefore not spiritual. However, I see spirituality defined many ways. Hussain (2011) provides a definition: "a way of being and experiencing that comes about through awareness of a transcendent dimension and that is characterized by certain identifiable values in regard to self, others, nature, life, and whatever one considers to be the ultimate" (pg 188).

The Hebrew language provides insight into spirituality's definition. Ruwach is the transliteration of spirituality meaning the seat of emotion, moral character, and rarely speaks of will. Therefore, one's disposition is not a definition of spirituality, rather a manifestation; symptoms of spirituality/ruwach. Spirituality in the Greek is pneumatiko relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ. Essentially spirituality is not how we act, rather what sets us into action; God, self, or other spiritual influences.

Spirituality and religion, however, does influence mental health both positively and negatively. Spirituality through obligatory works causes a decrease in mental health and physical fatigue (Voltmer, Thomas, & Spahn, 2011), which is a sign of religion rather than relationship between God and self. However, spirituality founded on faith-which produces nonobligatory works increase mental health (Hussain, 2011). There is an advantage of understanding a person's spirituality (obligation or faith) cross-culturally.

Knowing whether one is spiritually alive by grace through faith or spiritually dead by religious obligation provides a point of reference when explaining mental health. Because spirituality transcends cultural boundaries, so too does the relationship between obligatory religion and relational spirituality. Therefore, it is important to understand the two are different when studying cross-cultural psychology because spirituality, or their lack of, is fundamental in all cultures.

Hussain, D. (2011). Spirituality, religion, and health: Reflections and issues. Europe's Journal Of Psychology, 187-197.

Voltmer, E., Thomas, C., & Spahn, C. (2011). PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH AND SPIRITUALITY OF THEOLOGY STUDENTS AND PASTORS OF THE GERMAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. Review Of Religious Research, 3, 290-305.

Book: God, Why Was I Born Gay?

2012-03-26T21:24:00.003-07:00

No I have not changed my sexual orientation, just ask my wife! The title came from an actual question from a gay man named Robbie. The real question is Did God create some to be gay, some to be bisexual, some to be lesbians, and some to be transgendered? God does give an answer.

Six conversations not only changed the way six men viewed homosexuality, but also how they viewed God. Derrick and Beau believed they were born gay, although Derrick could not explain why. Dr. Braxton, an affiliate of the American Psychological Association, discussed with me not only the biological implications of homosexuality but also Division 44's mission: further the understanding of homosexuality. Eric combated his homosexuality until he eventually accepted who he was. Matt, a church elder, sought counseling from a psychiatrist wanting to understand his sexuality. Matt's family did not know he was gay. To a degree, Matt did not know he was gay
either.

So what does God say about homosexuality? Did God create some to be gay, some to be bisexual, some to be lesbians, and some to be transgendered? Through His own Word, God gives us the answer, which is the scope of this book. The question is now, are both sides of the sexual orientation debate prepared to put aside their presuppositions. God does answer the long debated nature verses nurture argument. God not only solves the debate; God also simplifies it.

I am sincerely excited about how my latest endeavor is shaping. A few responses from iconic organizations, such as the National psychology Club, Campus Ministries, the Health Care Administration, and Writers United have given me a ninth wind-as a result of responses like "Your work does not fit our editorial agenda." As I now wade through the mediocre publishing contracts in pursuit of the perfect fit, I am considering self-publishing. Then again, who wants to drop a tax refund on a good self-publishing package? All I hear is watch and wait, that fit will present itself soon enough.

Are You a Teacher of Israel and Do not Know These Things?

2011-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Nicodemus was timidly inquisitive concerning the teachings of Jesus. In John 3 the Holy Spirit does not tell us why Nicodemus approached Jesus but we know what Nicodemus needed to understand, becoming born again. I find a man with great credentials such as Nicodemus who did not understand his own sect's fundamentals ironic. You have to ask yourself, what was he teaching? Fundamental doctrines of the Pharisees were a belief in the human future state, resurrection of the dead, freedom of will and a work of fate. Jesus covered all this in what 17 verses? Was Nicodemus simply preaching these things because his fathers did, or was he explaining them from personal studies of scripture? I will cut Nicodemus some slack. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed whereas the New Testament is the Old Testament reveled. Therefore, I completely understand his confusion. Jesus had just then revealed this truth to him so he could not have known this prior, or could he.
My criticism is not focused on Nicodemus' ignorance about becoming born again. My criticism lays in the fact that the Pharisees did not understand their own doctrines. I see this many times in all denominations. There is the irony.

I see all the denominational factions and their position on many doctrines. Some I agree with others I do not. I do not mind agreeing to disagree but what chaffs my rear end is an ill-supported claim regarding doctrine. My most recent debate was on the doctrine of sanctification. I hear this word tossed around in the Pentecostal circles.

The claim: Sanctification is a process. Now, a strong deductive argument poses a premise/claim and follows it with great support that either demonstrates or proves the premise true. The total argument looked something like this, "Sanctification is a process because the term 'In Christ' is used X amount of times." According to that logic, perhaps one day I will be sanctified and thereby saved. Moreover, maybe I should earn my salvation if I am not yet saved by faith through grace. At least then, I could boast...I am glad to see a man such as Nicodemus is humble enough to receive sound instruction.

My point is the Pharisees should have studied for themselves rather than accepted some idea passed down.

The Math Teacher vs. The Biblical Preacher

2010-12-22T18:35:00.000-08:00

Imagine how astute America's sons and daughters would be if its math teachers simply proclaimed how important mathematics are without ever teaching mathematics. Although empirical evidence of math's existence would cover billboards, be interjected into children's songs, made mention of on TV, and argued over; nobody would be proficient at math. But hey, "At least America would know what math is." Moreover, how competitive would America be against a mathematical superior superpower such as China? So, what is the difference between one who proclaims math and one who teaches math. The answer is in their product. The same argument holds true when speaking of Biblical teachers and preachers. In other words, preaching is mentioning what the Bible says whereas teaching explains why the Bible says it. Over the past several months, I have listened to many preachers under the guise of a teacher proclaiming scripture so far from what the author intended to convey; their application seemed out of a completely different book because the premise was certainly not the authors'. Preaching is necessary for the under preached. However, America is an over preached under taught society who cannot defend itsef against the adversary-Satan.

Saying a student's education level depends on what school he or she attends is a safe assumption. If one attends a school of culinary arts then he or she will know about cooking but that does not make them a cook. One attending police academy will learn about law but that does not make him or her a knowledgeable police officer. The same concept holds true to denominational churches. Because one attends seminary; that does not mean he or she is doctrinally sound or that he or she is a teacher. Attending school means you have some knowledge on the subject. However, how sound was the formal instruction? My point is because one holds formal knowledge; that does not mean what he or she shares is truth; nor does that mean he or she is qualified. For you "teachers" out there, you say you are a teacher. Well let us see how you compare to the definition.

A "teacher's" (notice I am holding the word in quotations) speaking style defines him or her; not what he or she defines themselves as. Let me first clarify how the word "preach" has evolved. All my definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary. The original meaning of preach was to proclaim-to announce or declare in an official or formal manner or to utter a serious or earnest exhortation. Preach now has evolved into," You must apply the Bible to the congregation because the Holy Spirit is unable to even if that involves taking scripture out its context." Now let me define teach. Teach (abbreviation of teacher): One who or that which teaches or instructs; an instructor; also fig.; spec. one whose function is to give instruction, esp. in a school. The key difference is in the declare/exhort vs. instruct. Therefore, there is a difference between teach and preach.
A preacher is spotted a mile away because the preacher will sermonize each verse. Yes, the Bible can be preached verse by verse. Whereas, a teacher will instruct others what the Bible says, whom the Bible is written to, why the recipients are addressed, and what the author means. Now tell me, are you preached at or instructed?

Eckhart Tolle, A peer reviewed article

2010-10-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Eckhart Tolle -- one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our age, or perhaps the anti-Christ in a beige sweater vest -- has left the door ajar. He greets you in the foyer of his Vancouver condominium with a quick smile and a soft handshake, and leads you inside. He is trim and compact, and -- thanks, he says, to near total absence of stress -- he looks younger than his 61 years. With his sandy fringe of beard, and aura of inviting calm, he seems, let's be frank, as threatening as a garden gnome.

But his spiritual teachings are another matter: they are seismic. He has a global audience numbering in the tens of millions. They read his books, absorb his musings via DVDs and the Internet. They flock by the thousands to his lectures. He sits at the right hand of Oprah. He is a heretic. He is God, if only in his sense that the divine rests in all things. "I don't believe in an outside agent that creates the world, then walks away," he will later explain. "But I feel very strongly there is an intelligence at work in every flower, in every blade of grass, in every cell of my body. And it is that intelligence that," he says, "I wouldn't say created the universe. It is creating the universe. It's an ongoing process." As for the world's established religions, he feels they have all lost their way -- the purity of their message long since twisted into rigid ideology and buried under edifice, ritual and ego. All he has really done, he says, is rediscover their essence. "I have great respect for the truth that is, one could almost say, hiding, concealed, in the great religions."

A refreshing liberation from doctrine, or dangerous stuff? "He gives a certain segment of the population exactly what they want: a sort of supreme religion that purports to draw from all sorts of lesser, that is, established, religions," says John Stackhouse, a professor of theology and culture at Vancouver's evangelical Regent College. "In fact [he] so chops, strains and rearranges the bits that it borrows that it ends up as a nicely vague spirituality that one can tailor to one's own preferences." James Beverley, a professor of Christian thought and ethics at the evangelical Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, has read Tolle's books "in gory detail," and finds Tolle denies "the core" of Christianity by claiming there is no ultimate distinction between humans and God and Jesus. "From a Christian perspective, Tolle misquotes the Bible to assert his strange mix of Hinduism, Buddhism and New Age pop," he says. "He misrepresents the teaching of Jesus about the self and ignores the clear claims of Jesus as Saviour, Lord and Son of God."

Evangelicals, Tolle concedes, are among his harshest critics. "Yes, there is a certain interpretation of the Bible that people have where every word is literally true and anybody who doesn't share that particular interpretation actually becomes an opponent," he says. He calls it a throwback to the bloody Crusades of medieval times. "Five per cent of his beliefs are different so he's evil, you must burn him," Tolle says with a chuckle. "It's completely insane and so we still have remnants of that, unfortunately."

Author and Vancouver Sun writer Douglas Todd is one of the few mainstream religion and ethics journalists to seriously look at Tolle's work. "I think Eckhart is a very smart guy, but whether he deserves the attention he gets is a whole other matter," he says. "I don't think he's the devil incarnate or anything. I just want people, if they're going to read him, to read 10 more books in the same vein by people who don't get nearly as much attention and are probably more mature and deep." That asks a lot in an era of growing spiritual illiteracy and plunging church attendance. (The Anglican Church in Canada, for example, has lost half its membership in the past 50 years.) Tolle and his ilk fill a hunger for a kind of replacement secular spirituality, a subject explored in Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia, a recent book of essays edited by Todd on the unchurched spirituality of the Pacific Northwest. Civil religion, Todd calls it.

But enough with the theological heavy lifting. Let's look at the impact of the man himself. Eckhart Tolle is hotter than Hades (the existence of which can be debated another day). The two foundational books of his teachings, The Power of Now, initially published in Vancouver in 1997 with a press run of 3,000, and its follow-up, A New Earth, have North American sales alone of three million and five million copies respectively, and are sold globally in 33 languages. The latter, an Oprah Winfrey book club choice, warranted both coveted appearances on her daytime talk show, and an unprecedented 10-week "webinar" last year in which Tolle and Winfrey explored its teachings, chapter by chapter. Total number of times the series has been accessed from her website: more than 35 million.

"It's been the most rewarding experience of my career to teach this book online," Winfrey would later write, prompting American Internet evangelist Bill Keller to dub her "the most dangerous woman on the planet" and Tolle a purveyor of "spiritual crack." The webinar also inspired Chuck Norris, the bare-knuckle movie action hero and Christian columnist, to lay a verbal beating on the two. "To me, it is more evidence of the paradigm shift in our culture from its moral absolute and Judeo-Christian basis to a relativistic world view in which anything goes and everything is tolerated," Norris wrote, using more big words in one sentence than he's uttered in his entire movie canon.

Time magazine has kissed off Tolle's books as "awash in spiritual mumbo jumbo," but his influence is not so easily dismissed. Consider the company Tolle kept at the recent Vancouver Peace Summit -- an event top-heavy with five Nobel laureates among a stellar cast. Tolle was on stage Sept. 27 for the summit kickoff with the Dalai Lama, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, for a discussion on personal peace. Two days later, he was on a panel, Educating the Heart, again with the Dalai Lama, and Murray Gell-Mann, winner of the Nobel in physics, among others -- an A-list event that can only enhance his spiritual credentials.

This month, California-based New World Library released Tolle's thinnest, but perhaps most accessible work: Guardians of Being. It is an unusual collaboration featuring the Zenlike thoughts of Tolle, illustrated by the colour cartoons of Patrick McDonnell, the New Jersey-based creator of the syndicated Mutts cartoon strip. It is a meditation on the divinity of pets and the natural world, and of their ability to draw humans into the "Now," a central tenet of Tolle's teaching. "Millions of people who otherwise would be completely lost in their minds and in endless past and future concerns are taken back by their dog or cat into the present moment, again and again, and reminded of the joy of Being," Tolle writes. Guardians distills Tolle's teachings into fewer than 1,000 words. "It's such great thoughts but he's able to tell it in a way that is simple and direct," says McDonnell, a long-time devotee. "I guess as a cartoonist I admire that -- not to compare what we do."

But that's the thing about Tolle: what to make of a sentence like, "We don't fall below thinking. We rise above it." Even the thinnest of his insights carries gravitas. But beneath the surface is one diving into the deep end, or the shallows? "Profundity," replies Tolle, "doesn't have to be complex."

People used to regularly sit like this in his living room discussing the big questions of life, but that was before the Power of Now went stratospheric, and definitely pre-Oprah. Meeting with a reporter now, apart from those from a handful of sympathetic New Age journals, is a rarity. "I'm always a little reluctant to agree to an interview, especially with big mainstream publications," he concedes. He doesn't like his life's work reduced to a few clichés: "like self-help guru, promoted by Oprah, such and such number of books sold," he says. He was burned by Time and has turned down the New York Times, and now he faces a Maclean's reporter of unknown sympathies. Tolle's Vancouver office staff has ensured that any recording of the interview "is solely for the purpose of writing your article and no other usage is granted." The photographer's undertaking required that further use of the photos "either foreign or domestic, must be agreed to in writing by Eckhart Teachings." Clearly this is one businesslike guru.

And yet he has invited the reporter to his home. He is warm and unguarded and alone, save for the uplifting presence of Maya, his King Charles spaniel. He is dressed in beige pants and a beige sweater vest. But for a crisp blue shirt, he is at risk of vanishing into his beige couch. His walls are a pale taupe. Later, for a walk in the forest behind his condominium tower, he dons a windbreaker. It is beige. Maybe in such neutral colours is a quest for anonymity, a treasured friend he lost to fame. "I always loved watching people sitting in cafés and just watching the flow of life," he says. "Now often when I sit in a café, they watch me instead of my watching them."

On a shelf above the couch is a small framed picture of a beaming Tolle and Kim Eng, his wife and an "associate" in Eckhart Teachings Inc. The Vancouver-born Eng is slim, dark-haired and attractive. They were drawn together after "a transformational spiritual experience" at one of his retreats in 1998. Later, hearing her speak on his website, there is a striking similarity in their speech patterns: soft and soothing and slow. With pauses . . . long pauses, as though drawing someone under hypnosis.

Tolle's voice carries the soft remnants of his German birth. He was born into the unhappy marriage of a strong-willed mother and an eccentric journalist father. By age 13, after his parents' divorce, Tolle refused to attend school, and she sent him to live in Spain with his father, who was content to let his son school himself. Formal education did follow. By 1979, he was a Ph.D. student living in London, and a neurotic, near-suicidal mess. And then one morning -- shazam! -- he wasn't. Like Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, or Paul on the road to Damascus, he was born anew. "I went through this inner transformation when I was 29 from being depressed and basically insane -- normal insane, I mean -- to suddenly feeling a sense of underlying peace in any situation," he says.

Insane is a much-used word in Tolle's lexicon; it is the natural state of the human condition, he believes. "If the history of humanity were the clinical case history of a single human being," he writes in A New Earth, "the diagnosis would have to be: chronic paranoid delusions, a pathological propensity to commit murder and acts of extreme violence and cruelty against his perceived enemies . . . Criminally insane, with a few brief lucid intervals." He looked to Buddhism for an explanation for his new bliss. "I could suddenly see the truth in what the Buddha had said. Suffering and the end of suffering, that's the Buddhist teaching," he says. "Wow. And then a little later I read the New Testament again and I saw there is a very deep truth there also expressed, of the kingdom of heaven." In Tolle's interpretation, though, heaven isn't God's milk-and-honey paradise, it is an inner awakening.

That awakening is largely where his teaching leaves off. Don't look to him for any grand strategy for social change. That will come through the transformation of individual consciousness -- one person at a time, he says. In that quest, religion is more of an impediment than a guide, Tolle says. "The important thing, I think, is to differentiate between religion and spirituality." While the two can coexist, "religion without spirituality, unfortunately, is very common."

But spirituality's solitary quest only takes one so far, says Michael Ingham, bishop of the Anglican diocese of New Westminster, encompassing all of the B.C. Lower Mainland. He first read Tolle a decade ago. "I don't have any criticism of his message," he says. As far as it goes. "I think the proper attitude to take with new spiritual movements is one of wait and see," he says. "Christianity at one time was a new spiritual movement. All of the world's religions began somewhere and were all a fresh expression of something new. There is an inevitability about spiritual movements that endure," he says. They organize and ritualize into a community of common purpose -- a religion. "I think, in the long run, if it is to go anywhere," Ingham says of Tolle's spiritual community, "it has to go in the same direction."

To Tolle, religion presents more danger than opportunity. The Buddha, he says, had similar concerns 2,600 years ago. "The essence of his teaching is emptiness, so the Buddha probably thought, 'Okay, I'll give them something that they cannot possibly make into conceptual belief.' " For a few hundred years it worked, and then the first Buddha statues appeared. "He did his utmost to prevent people from making him into a god, or his teaching into an ideology," says Tolle. "And yet, it happened." He says he keeps his organization as small as possible, and yet his product lines and plans for global reach grow ever more ambitious. He still talks occasionally to Oprah and there is a possibility of another joint project, he says. "It's necessary for it to get out into the world, but one needs to be careful that the organization doesn't become self-serving."

Tolle did not immediately sort out the puzzle of his awakening 30 years ago. He drifted for years: poor, happy, but aimless, sharing with fellow seekers his evolving thoughts, rather like an itinerant monk. In 1995 he washed up in Vancouver -- one of the least formally religious and most spiritually restless places in North America, as poll after poll has revealed. He was home. "There is an openness here on the West Coast, anything is possible," he says. "It could be that the lightness here has something to do with the relatively little past. Obviously there were people here before the Europeans came but they didn't accumulate past the way Europeans do. They didn't keep records of the past. They probably lived naturally in the present moment." Professor Mark Shibley, a specialist in the sociology of religion at Southern Oregon University, puts the attraction in more base terms. "Spiritual entrepreneurs" like Tolle, he says in The Elusive Utopia, "relocated to this region because they perceive an open religious marketplace."

In fact, eckharttolle.com reaches everywhere. The site sells an impressive product line of Tolle's books, with the message recycled into music, cards, calendars, CDs and DVDs, as well as meditations from Eng and her instructional Qi Flow Yoga video. Tolle lives well, though not ostentatiously, on what must be substantial royalties. There is this high-end condo in one of Canada's most expensive neighbourhoods, and a property on Salt Spring Island. He drives an Infinity, because he loves the name. Now comes Eckhart Tolle TV, an Internet site with streaming video of monthly group meditations, video responses to life's tough questions ("To Think Or Not To Think?", "What is Self?") and perhaps most important, unlimited access to an "online community to chat with members worldwide." The cost: $14.95 a month; six months, $74.75. "We think we have a winner here," says Anthony McLaughlin, its executive producer and founder.

ET-TV had a soft launch in the summer and will be more heavily promoted this fall. "You can travel the world and teach 2,000 to 3,000 people at a time, but that's got limitations," says McLaughlin. "The idea of the online model is to make it really affordable and be able to go worldwide on demand." The message board is already abuzz, with a discussion string on "sexual energy in the process of awakening" drawing particularly enthusiastic attention.

The site is at once technically advanced and decidedly unslick. A case in point is Tolle's meditation, broadcast Sunday, Sept. 20, "a live transmission of stillness," as he describes it. The camera fixes on a black backdrop, a table with a vase of flowers and an empty chair. Tolle enters the frame. He sits silent, staring into the camera -- a concept that would be death on Oprah, or 100 Huntley Street or the emotive theme-park excess of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's old Praise The Lord Club. Finally, he speaks. "I trust that everybody is comfortable with stillness," he begins, with an uncharacteristic hint of steel. "If you're not, then get comfortable."

The camera draws close and for the next 46 minutes he expands on achieving the virtues of stillness and emptiness through "a cessation in the stream of thinking." He stops speaking at the 41-minute mark. "And that's it," he says with a slight smile and a bob of his head. There follows five minutes of unblinking silence, broken just three times as Tolle delicately strikes two Tibetan meditation bells. Then he walks off camera.

No communion. No choir. No saints. No sinners. No benediction. And yet, in the bells, chiming into infinity that Sunday afternoon, in the silent meditation, in the online congregation, there is something akin to liturgy. One is reminded of Bishop Ingham's musing on the well-travelled arc from spirituality to religion. Tolle may be farther down the path than he cares to admit. "How does one get closer to God?" an admirer would later post on the site. "Listen to Eckhart Tolle."

To Act, or Not To Act. What's Your Question?

2010-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

A brother and his older sister are in the front yard playing catch with a baseball. The brother is slightly off with his throw and the ball passes by his sister then crashes through a car window, who's to blame? Most would point the finger at the boy who threw the ball, but what about the sister? She could have intervened. The omission theory states that if one does nothing, he or she cannot receive blame.
Because discerning the omitter's intentions is difficult, their character must be taken into consideration before placing blame. Consider the sister's character. She is an extraverted softball star who is also highly competitive. Now could she share blame because she smirkingly allowed the ball to pass by. Several minutes prior, the sister got into trouble because she didn't wash the dishes. Allowing the ball to go crashing through the car window would certainly take her out from the spotlight. Deception aside, studies show that the "bench warmer" has some similar dispositional traits.
Those who are Self-pitying, vulnerable, and insecure are known to sit back and do nothing about a situation. They see themselves as, " always being criticized" and, "unable to do anything right." They lean their omission on the cliché, "I'm damned if I do, and damned when I don’t." Unfortunately what these neurotics do not foresee is the grave they dig for themselves. There are other types of "bench warmers."
If one is not warming the bench because of neuroticism, then they are being deceptive. In the case of the sibling game of catch, the sister could have intervened. She is not physically responsible for the damage, but she is morally responsible. What the sister doesn't understand is car windows are easily fixed, but guilt and shame last much longer. What about those who, "Wait on God." Are they bench warmers?
Jesus says, "Repay no evil for evil; vengeance is mine." Okay so we take the bench regarding vengeance. There are several other instances in the Bible where God says to, " Be still, for the battles is of the Lord's." Well if God says to be still in a particular instance then amen. I maintain that when a specific revelation has not been given, then action is a duty.
Yes bench warmers are to blame. How far would the 9'ers have gone if Montana would have sat on the bench every time he threw an interception, or was booed? Putting ourselves into the game is our duty and moral obligation. I look at these men who pity themselves and wonder when the last time they grabbed a hold of those dangling things to make sure they are still there. To you I say, get off the bench embrace that adrenaline rush and throw the ball. Otherwise don't even sit on the bench. Just go home. And to the "Boo birds", boo all you want while you enjoy your overpriced beer and fattening hotdog; from the stands. Perhaps on the way home a baseball will find its way through your car window… you sultans of hypocrisy.

What are Your Credentials?

2010-05-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was asked, "Where did you go to seminary?" Before I answered I paused for a moment to consider why I was asked that question. Before I could answer he continued, "Well you're a preacher right? Don't you have to go to school for that?" I couldn't help but laugh. First because I am not a preacher. I like to think of myself as a teacher regardless of how good or bad that may be. My answer was, "I never went to seminary." His facial expression read, "You must not be very good then." I think people who are called to the ministry but are measured up by the amount of formal instruction they have is a shame.
Consider the poor man who studied law from second hand books. He spent all he had on the bar exam and passed in the top 75%. He applied for a position as an attorney, but was rejected on the basis that he does not have a degree. A few days later the state received a call from the President of the United States. The President gave an excellent reference to this poor man. After a few lost cases and 1.2 million dollars later the poor attorney was hired. The state never lost another case. However, the attorney with a 6 year degree from Tulane cost the state several millions. How unfortunate.
I turned the conversation with this gentlemen by asking him how well he thinks Satan knows the Bible. After explaining Lucifer's fall, and his mission as Satan, he answered, "More than anyone man this earth." I liked where this conversation was now headed. Unfortunately it stopped there because he saw my point.

Every Man's Battle

2010-05-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

To no man's surprise a direct correlation was identified quite some time ago between eating and sex. Contrary to popular belief, hunger pangs felt in to stomach does not mean the body requires food for energy. If indeed hunger pangs were a result of lacking energy, obesity would not sit on 50% of America. Funny, we can be obese and malnourished at the same time. Hunger is identified with the anticipation to eat tasty food. The metabolic cephalic phase kicks in as soon as the anticipation to eat comes to mind either by sight, smell, or thought. Physiological changes in this phase are increased insulin levels, decreased blood glucose, salivation, and hunger pangs . When the body does not consume the anticipated food these levels return to normal. I want to emphasize the desire to eat arises from environmental stimulants (learned taste preferences, smell, and sight). Did you know many food factories remove the pleasurable taste of nutritious foods and increase taste in cheap fatty foods for higher profit? Now the interesting part.
Sexual desire is described much in the same way as hunger, but instead of hunger pangs an overwhelming desire for immediate sexual gratification takes the place of hunger pangs. The body doesn't require sex physiologically . The body is simply anticipating sexual pleasure. Like hunger, I want to emphasize the desire of sex arising from environmental stimulants (learned pleasure, sight, and thought). For every MacDonald's on a corner and television commercial break, there is also a topless bar, provocative billboard, and provocative commercial. At the very thought of sex the body speeds into a rapid chemical and neurological panic. Not at the need for sex, but at the anticipation of it. Physical characteristics include increased heart rate, and the obvious erection; some more than others. Once the body recognizes it will not experience gratification, the body returns to normal… and all that implies. The next question is what to do about it.
Physical obesity and spiritual obesity have become socially acceptable, so if the decision to change is made, the odds are already against you. However, the ball is and will remain in your court. Here is what to do about it, the first step is found in Romans 12:2. You'll figure out the second step after the first one is taken.

Strongholds Exposed

2010-03-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ask a little child why do people kill and they usually respond saying, "Because they want to." Such a simple, yet accurate, answer to a complex question. Amazing isn't it, a young child has some concept of what motives are? But as adults we tend to dig deeper than the surface by asking, "why." We wonder why that person committed murder. Usually some superficial motive like greed, lust, hate, or revenge is argued. Although greed, lust, hate, and revenge are motives, they are superficial in that they are simply surface motivators; the source motive may run much deeper then greed, lust, hate, and revenge. Call these core source motives dynamic traits. Sinful dynamic traits are what strongholds are built on. Strongholds are tricky in that they build walls around these dynamic traits hiding them from the conscious mind leaving us in the dark and feeling hopeless. If traits are hidden from us do we really know ourselves? Also what can we do to not only expose strongholds, but tear them down and address the dynamic trait?

God says in Jeremiah 17:9 our heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it. David cries out saying, "Search me O God and know my heart and see if there is any wicked way in me." The Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15 admits what he is doing he does not understand. Two prolific men of the Bible saying they do not really understand themselves? What is going on? Apparently these guys needed some counseling, but who counsels these counselors?

Allow me to introduce a close personal friend, mentor, guide, and counselor who addresses these strongholds. His name is the Holy Spirit. One of his roles is performing long division on the heart. Let me first warn you, this flawless surgeon leaves no remainders when He is done with his mathematical surgery. The Holy Spirit's method is quite intriguing. Here is what I suggest.

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). But if you regard iniquity in your heart, the Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18). However, God heeded their prayer because they put their trust in Him (1 Chronicles:20).

Freud's Psychodynamic Theory

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Sigmund Freud had it right; well almost. In his psychodynamic theory Freud claims human motivation and behavior stems from instinctual impulses, mainly sexual and aggression. Freud continues by saying, the Id (area of the mind where instinctual impulses of sex and aggression and their derivative wishes, fantasies, and inclinations come from) is the root of all neurotic desires and debaucheries. Further, these instinctive desires are unavoidable. Next, Freud coins the superego as the primitive internalized representation of the norms and values of society as acquired through identification with the parents. Finally, Freud explains the intermediary between the Id and Superego labeling it the Ego.

The Id is better defined as sin. Yes we all have a sinful instinct and a willful desire to gratify these desires. The superego is the Holy Spirit. He gives us correction, direction, and encouragement; not some omniscient parental advice as Freud suggests. Then there is the Ego. The individual self is the ego.

Humanity is being pulled between the debaucheries of sin fostered by Satan and the purity of righteousness Fostered by the Holy Spirit. Our conscious decision is hung in between the two. The coping mechanism shouldn’t be repression, rejection, denial, sublimation, displacement, regression, or rationalization. The coping mechanism between sin and God is Jesus Christ and what He provides: Redemption, justification, forgiveness and remission of sins. Freud almost had it.

Behavior is not Inherited

2010-03-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

You did not inherit your personality from your parents simply because personality is not an inheritable trait. As a matter of fact the only inheritable personality trait is sin (oh boy I went there). Yes your personality can be an exact replica of your parents, but this is due to their level of nurturing. If you are a selfish irresponsible person with little self-efficacy comparable to your parent, then I’m sorry to say your parent nurtured you that way; not your fault; yet curable (Good news!). Of course there are other variables to factor in when explaining behavior like the nurtured environment (childhood neighborhood, peers, and role models). But this post is centered on the idea behavior is not inherited, so I’ll save that for another time.

Here is food for thought, did you know family legacy alone can nurture an adolescent to early adulthood based exclusively on pride and without parenting? However the family legacy’s flaws are too learned and incorporated. Just like the example above, if you are a fun loving, affectionate, reliable person comparable to your parent, then I’m pleased to announce your parent nurtured you that way and they did their job.

Parents remember this: the next time you disregard tough love, that conscious derelict of duty may land your child in jail regardless of how good you are. And contrary to popular belief good behavior is not inherited; it is learned. So, if your children know how many pairs of underwear are needed to numb the pain, then you are doing your job as a parent.