A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle

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_darin-houston
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A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle

Post by _darin-houston » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:01 am

Our church women's book club is reviewing this book as it is apparently becoming a national spiritual "movement" of sorts. I had not heard of this book until this past Sunday when someone spoke of our need to be aware of it and be ready to defend against its message.

Is anyone aware of it?
A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose is a book by spiritual author Eckhart Tolle. It is the follow-up to the bestselling book, The Power of Now.

It was first published in 2005. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller list,[1] and has grown in popularity since Oprah Winfrey recommended it for her book club in January of 2008.[2]

The book is a spiritually focused self help book that is of no specific religious denomination.
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Post by _Mort_Coyle » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:44 am

What about it do we need defend ourselves against?
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Post by _darin-houston » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:52 am

What about it do we need defend ourselves against
Poor choice of words on my part - it is truth that will likely need to be defended and correction to be provided (in love, I pray). I'm not as concerned to confront the world on these subjects, but to guard against intrusion in our believers.

Again, I am not familiar with this teaching and don't suggest it fits that category, but it was portrayed that way to me, which is why I'm curious if anyone was familiar with its teachings.[/quote]
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Post by __id_2417 » Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:09 pm

I just saw your posts about Tolle. There is a popular Youtube of Oprah expressing her views on Jesus that are not biblical. This is from a letter I wrote to our son who is studying Tolle’s books.

I listened to Eckart Tolle with great interest. Many of his truths, you can just put the word 'God' in there and it speaks. A lot of what he says about spiritual life is what church life should be, but our organized systems have made church lifeless, the people passive spectators and the pastor a man who needs to hold on to his job - so if God is telling him to stop preaching, he can't, or the deacon board will get all over him. So everyone is stuck, and everyone goes down doing his religious duty.

From my notes (the caps is Tolle or Oprah) -
JESIS SAID “CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD - THEY ARE NOT ANXIOUS TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DIMENSION OF DEPTH WITHIN THEM.
USE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE OF TREES AND FLOWERS – BUT DO NOT BE IN THE GRIP OF KNOWLEDGE.

In Christian-ese, the dimension is a state of thankfulness and appreciation for the creation - like when we meet someone and with a willingness to love them and think the best of them, we look for where we can communicate with one another.

ECKART SAYS THAT MAN MADE GOD IN HIS OWN IMAGE AND WORSHIPS THAT.

We are shown the 'boxed' God (that Oprah spoke of) all handy with four spiritual laws and a 'repeat after me' prayer. When Jesus asked His disciples if they knew who He was and Peter gave the right answer - Jesus replied that Peter was blessed because Peter had the revelation of who Jesus is - it was not revealed by flesh and blood. My thought has been that some people believe in a God they were taught as a child, and they never get into a position where they are desperate for their own revelation of God as He really is, and that is possibly from never seeing themselves as they really are - we are so well-taught to think of ourselves as a 'good person'. I am always interested to ask people who have been brought up 'in the faith' if they have ever had a 'crisis of faith.'

Oprah – I DON”T BELIEVE JESUS CAME TO START CHRISTIANITY.

Yes - He came to bring us into relationship with the Father.

This one really got me -
RELIGION CAN BE AN OPEN DOOR TO SPIRITUALITY OR A CLOSED DOOR TO PREVENT YOU GOING DEEPER.

A lot of what I see at the denominational church that I attend is the closed door. The class leader often says, "We will always be fearful people" - for one. Here are three proof texts and that is that. And, thank you, we will tell you what to think about when the instrumental music is playing, and we will tell you what to sing, and when to stand up and when to sit down. Here is a sermon designed to get the children's attention (they get a candy bar if they hear the pre-determined word the pastor is going to stick in there to test them) and we guarantee it will be short enough to get you home in time to take the roast out of the oven before it burns.

THERE ARE SOME JEWELS IN THE BIBLE, DEEP TRUTHS THAT ARE DEEPER THAN HOW THE CHURCH INTERPRETS IT.

Oh, and here is a devotional book for your 'quiet time' - it will tell you how to interpret the scriptures so you don't go getting some crazy ideas about what they mean - and accompanying it is a little story so shallow you will never thirst for more - you will be glad to get away to wash the diapers - because that would be a lot more interesting.

The sad thing is this man (Eckart) does not know there is a true church that lives as Jesus came to establish it in relationship to the Father. He does not know Jesus.

OLD SPIRITUALITY – YOU ARE TOLD WHAT TO BELIEVE – VERSUS THE NEW – YOU DISCOVER HOW TO LIVE.

This is how the Church was meant to be. Listen for God to speak and discover how to live.

OLD, THERE IS ONLY ONE PATH, ALL OTHERS ARE WRONG. NEW – THERE ARE MANY PATHS.

This is a problem. I believe the Holy Spirit woos people who are sitting in their Zen postures and when they finally hear the true story of who Jesus is, they recognize Him right away and they come to the Father through Jesus (there are many accounts of this). Jesus is the way. He is known to have appeared to Muslims and many are saved that way - but He never says that He is Allah or Buddha. When I began doing yoga, sitting still, my conscience began to bother me until finally five years later I met some real Christians and while at their house, revelation came. The 'awakening' came - and I couldn't stop reading the Bible. My new age and occult books paled by comparison. Some friends told me I needed to burn them right away, but I had to find out for myself or I would always be looking back, so I disobeyed them, thank God.

Some red flags from my notes:

Tolle said he had to move because the energy field on the ". . . the West coast is necessary for the book to be born".

“Now we have to awaken to make it to the next evolutionary level – or we will destroy ourselves.”

I recently heard someone say that radical Islam can be the agent to purify the Church and bring it to the place where we are so destitute of our own self-power that God will be able to trust us with His power - I have often prayed, God, whatever it takes to get us to this place.

Tolle - “You need to look at your own mind – mental processes. Don’t amplify negativity around you –Be there as the witness of your mind.”

We are to be witnesses of Jesus' having come to the earth to reconcile mankind with the Father - relationship with the Father - so others will come and the family will grow. God is about family - not so much about individual private personal growth so we can add to the 'universal consciousness pool'.

I felt for the woman who called in (to the Oprah – Tolle program) because she felt guilty about not going to her dead church to be a passive spectator. We should go to church to make relationships with people who are at least interested in being Christians - but how would this girl know that? Presenting true Christianity is the tough part.

Oprah. “It is not just Sunday at 11 am.”

For many, the attraction to Islam is the stress on it being all day in everything you do. But Christianity is even more than that - not only actions, but motives and intents of the heart - more than rolling your pants two inches above the ankle before you pray five times a day.

Our son was particularly interested in the third chapter which is on ego - I intend to check it out one day. They are all up on Oprah's site.

I look forward with great anticipation to seeing the Church of Jesus Christ come into the fullness of power and love that it was intended to.

Jepne
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