ARE BELIEFS IN SCIENTOLOGY SIMILAR TO CHRISTIANITY?

As I have mentioned in the past, the youth at Fellowship Bible Church in Fort Smith are learning about the cults. Last night we talked about the influence of Hollywood and the beliefs of Scientology. I shared with the students an interview with Will Smith posted online by Access Hollywood through MSNBC.com. When asked about Scientology, Smith said, "I'm a student of world religion...(and) the ideas of the Bible are 98% the same (as) Scientology." I put that claim to the test by examining the core teachings of Scientology in contrast to Christianity. Below is the information I shared with the students.

ORIGINS OF MAN ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY

Trillions of years ago, long before anything as we know it existed, there were countless immortal beings know as 'thetans,' who found themselves bored with eternal life. In an effort to rid themselves of the doldrums, they decided to collectively create the universe and everything in it. Their hope was to have a realm in which to play the 'Game of Life' and pass the time. But the thetans soon faced a problem on which they had not planned. As spiritual beings, they could not function with their physical creation. The thetans solved this dilemma by building bodies for themselves, the human form being only one of many different appearances. The problem that developed for these thetans is that they eventually became entranced with their creations so that they lost awareness of their true identity as thetans (immortal spirits.) (79).

TWO MAJOR DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY

Problem: Engrams (Learned behavior and conflicts from the past, including previous lifetimes and prenatal experiences), prevent individuals from realizing divinity.

Life After Death: Reincarnation of soul (thetan) until it attains a state of spiritual awareness and liberation from matter, energy, space and time (M.E.S.T).

KEY TERMS FOR SCIENTOLOGISTS

Clear
- A person free of engrams. All Scientologists aspire to become Clear. Until that point, they are know as pre-Clear.
E-Meter
- A device used in auditing sessions (similar to counseling) to help identify engrams, often compared to a type of lie detector.
Engram
- Mental-image pictures of past events which contain pain and unconsciousness, considered the reason for failures and unhappiness in life. The goal of Scientology is to erase engrams.
M.E.S.T
- The Scientologist expression for matter, energy, space and time. Operating Thetans are not restricted by these components of the universe.
Thetan
- The spirit or soul: who the person really is. A person is a thetan with a body and a mind. An Operating Thetan is a Clear person who has fully realized his or her divinity.

Will Smith Defends Tom Cruise. Access Hollywood-msnbc.com. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22088489/

Abanes, Richard. Cults, New Religious Movements, and Your Family. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1998. 79.

HOW CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENTOLOGY DIFFER

"Quote" of the Week

"Contrary to Scientology's portrayal of man as a powerful thetan, the Bible indicates that human beings are intrinsically weak, helpless, and dependent on God. The apostle Paul affirmed, 'Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God' (2 Cor. 3:5). Jesus said, 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing'" (John 15:5). -Ron Rhodes

THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY

This school year, I have been teaching the kids of Fellowship Bible Church the Bible Chronologically. Although we have not had time to discuss each character and story in detail, we do, like a history class, discuss major characters and key events in Scripture. Yesterday we discussed the two most important events in all of Scripture—the death and resurrection of Jesus. To skip these would be like an American History professor skipping the Revolutionary War. The entire Bible either looks forward to or reflects back upon these events and discusses at length their necessary ramifications. Yesterday, we read these accounts from Scripture and I shared with them the implications shown below.

IMPORTANCE OF THE CRUCIFIXION

The Crucifixion...

1) shows a person the severity of sin and the need for repentance.
Anyone who believes that God does not take sin seriously has not examined what Scripture teaches about the cross. Isaiah affirms, “(Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Because of this verse and others like it, Jesus is often referred to as “mankind’s substitute.” He endured physical death and the wrath of God in our place. F.F Bruce affirms, “God’s only son experienced wrath on our behalf” (1322).

Many, when reading or hearing about the Crucifixion, often become overwhelmed with sadness. Other emotions that should be felt, however, is anger toward and remorse for the sin in our lives and in our world. According to Bruce, “The people of God are to hate what God Himself hates with an absolute hatred—sin (Deut. 12:31; Is. 61:8; Heb. 1:9)” (544). He also asserts, “True repentance is a ‘godly sorrow’ for sin… (and) is God’s will and pleasure (Luke 15:7-10; 2 Pet. 3:9), as well as His command (Mark 6:12; Acts 17:30)” (1078).

2) demonstrates the great love of God.
Paul makes this point by affirming, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Scriptures clearly teach that in spite of our rebellion, God sent Christ to die for us. Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."


3) brings hope to a seemingly tragic story.
Because all have sinned against God, the only way one could settle matters with Him is by spending eternity in Hell. Paul, however, shows that it is God who is the only one who can settle matters between Himself and mankind in a way that prevents condemnation. Paul affirms, “God put forward (Christ) as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). The key word in this verse is “propitiation,” which simply means that Jesus’ death satisfied God’s wrath against all who place their trust in Him.

IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

Many have said that even if Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would not make a difference. The Apostle Paul, however, says otherwise in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. Chris, our pastor, preached a sermon last Easter from this passage and shared what the implications would be if there was no resurrection. I have used his outline below.

If Christ is not raised from the dead…

1) the Gospel message is useless.
The Corinthians may not have realized what they were denying when they denied the resurrection. Paul helps to remind them that denying Christ’s resurrection meant denying the Gospel. What they believed was a contradiction. The Gospel means good news, but without the resurrection the opposite is true.

2) the believer’s faith is useless (14)
What brings us hope as believers is the fact that Jesus has been raised so that we too can have eternal life. According to R.C. Sproul, “Paul…show(ed) them that the resurrection of Jesus cannot be separated from the resurrection of those who are His (vv. 20-23).”

3) then those who preach the Gospel are deceivers (15)
Paul has already said that the Gospel message is useless. Now he takes it one step further and says it is not only useless, it is deceptive. The basis for being an authentic preacher is not being nice. The basis for being a preacher is the content of the message. Paul is saying that if preachers have gotten this wrong, then they are scandalous because they are misrepresenting God. When Christ called his disciples to be witnesses, he wanted them to testify of truth. If Christ has not been raised, then our testimony is untruthful.

4) the believer is still dead in sin (17)
Once again Paul indicates that if the resurrection had not occurred, our faith is useless and we are still separated from God.

5) then those who have died believing in Christ have perished (18)
This is a continuation of the fourth point.

6) the Christian is an object of pity (19)
When explaining this verse, Sproul says, “Our hope of salvation is so glorious that if we were still in our sins and lost (vv. 17, 18), we would have experienced the greatest and cruelest of all deceptions (vv. 31, 32).”

Bruce, F.F. New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1995.

Sproul, R.C. 1 Corinthians. The Reformation Study Bible. Orlando: Ligonier Ministries. 2005.

"Quote" of the Week

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the culmination of redemptive history, the primary events of God's plan of salvation. -John MacArthur

HOW NEW AGE BELIEF SYSTEMS CONFLICT WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

Last night, I taught our youth about the religious and philosophical beliefs of those who are involved in New Age occultism. Because this movement is a loosely structured network of individuals and organizations, I was forced to make generalizations which may or may not apply to every participant across the board. Below are some of these beliefs followed by a biblical response.

NEW AGE BELIEFS

• They believe the Bible must be interpreted esoterically. This means that it is to be understood symbolically and never simply literally and/or historically.
• They affirm many sources of revelation. This is called eclecticism, which means that they draw from many sources of truth that includes the teachings of the Bible along with writings from other leaders of differing belief systems.
• They are Monistic believing that "all is one" and that everything is interrelated. They are also pantheistic believing that "all is God."
• Many believe Jesus to be a "guru." They teach that Jesus (human) discovered his divinity and that we should follow his example by discovering the divine within ourselves.
• They teach that man is not sinful, but forgetful. They believe that since humans are divine, they are a law unto themselves and cannot be held guilty of "sin."
• New Age "salvation" involves individuals recognizing their own divinity. Many believe that reincarnation can eventually lead to one's reuniting with "god." This is very similar to Hinduism.

BIBLICAL RESPONSE

• The Bible is to be understood in its historical and grammatical context.
• The Bible is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). It alone is our sole authority.
• Christianity is exclusive meaning it does not draw from other sources, but affirms the authority of God's Word alone.
• What connects created things is that they all exist because God created them and is sustaining them.
• The Scriptures reject pantheism by making a distinction between the Creator and all He has created. Although man is created in the image of God, he is different from Him. For example, man is not infinite, unchanging, self existent, omnipresent, eternal, holy etc.
• The Bible teaches that man has a sin problem, not an ignorance problem (Rom. 3:10, 23).
• Jesus is not a "guru." He was God before taking on flesh, was fully God during his entire earthly ministry and will always be God (John 1:1, 14).
• Salvation occurs when one repents of their sin and places their faith and trust in Christ alone (Acts 3:19, 4:12).

Rhodes, Ron. The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2001. 129-152.

"Quote" of the Week

"The biblical Jesus did not teach that human beings have an ignorance problem; rather, he taught that humans have a grave sin problem that is altogether beyond their means to solve (Matt. 12:34; Luke 11:13). The biblical Jesus further taught that salvation is found not by enlightenment but by placing faith in Him (John 3:16) who is the Light of the World (John 8:12). And the present life is the only opportunity we have to place faith in Him, for the doctrine of reincarnation is nothing but a false man-made doctrine." -Ron Rhodes

Many times it has been said and many songs have been sung about “Fools Rush(ing) in.” Everyone, if they were honest, would admit that at one time or another they have acted from the “heart” (impulse) rather than from the head when making decisions. God’s word is also filled with examples of people who have made these mistakes (e.g. Adam and Eve, Abraham, Aaron, Moses, David etc.).

One of the most well known is Peter from the New Testament. The reason why he continually comes to mind is because there are numerous references made about him, in the Gospels, speaking and/or acting on impulse. He was the disciple who walked out onto the water to meet Jesus. The story tells of him sinking moments later and being saved and rebuked by Jesus for his lack of faith (Matthew 14:22-31). He also tried, more than once, to prevent Jesus from going to the cross and eventually told him that he would be willing to die with him yet he denied knowing him a few hours after this confession (Matthew 16:21-23; John 13:37-38).

Yesterday, I taught the kids of Fellowship Fort Smith how Peter responded to Jesus’ arrest in John 18. After Peter cut off the right ear of Malchus, who was one of the officers there to arrest Jesus, Jesus rebuked him saying, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me” (John 18:11)? The account in Luke tells us that Jesus then heals the officer.

Peter, like many of us who act on impulse, felt as if he was doing an honorable thing by defending Jesus. Instead, what he does is doubt Jesus’ control over the situation and go against the purposes of God. Warren Wiersbe affirms, “Jesus did not need Peter’s protection. He could have summoned legions of angels had He wanted to be delivered” (Matt. 26:52-54). According to Wiersbe, “Peter made every mistake possible! He fought the wrong enemy, used the wrong weapon, had the wrong motive, and accomplished the wrong result? He was openly resisting the will of God and hindering the work that Jesus came to accomplish. While we admire his courage and sincerity, it was certainly a demonstration of zeal without knowledge” (374).

Although our society places significance on eloquent speech and taking initiative, James emphasizes listening. He says that we are to be, “…quick to hear, (and) slow to speak” (James 1:19). He continues by stating that our growth in godliness depends upon it. He asserts that those who are quick to listen, “…produce the righteousness that God requires” (James 1:20). May we as believers demonstrate zeal with knowledge so our speech and our actions will be God-honoring and will help us to grow in godliness.

Wiersbe, Warren. John. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 1989. 374.

"Quote" of the Week

"Christ should be preached and made known in all the world, as the victorious and invincible King against sin, death and the power of the devil and all the world for those who are oppressed and tormented, and as a Lord with whom they shall find abundant grace and mercy, as their faithful Priest and Mediator before God." -Martin Luther