The Breath of Babylon Book One

Divided We Fall

Book 4: The Breath of Babylon

Parts 1-3

Copyright 2012 Don Wigton

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Part One: Seeds of Corruption

Chapter One: The Soul of an Empire

America Complains

Not By Works

The Tower of Babel

The Mysteries of Babylon

Mindless Worship

Fixing Eyes on God

Nothing to Know

Nimrod and Semiramis

God's Plan

The Tabernacle

An Empire Torn in Half

Brahman the Deification of Man

Material Answers

Mystical Answers

The Clear Winner

Satan Joins the Church

Chapter Two: Pinnacles for Stargazers

Astrological Nonsense

I Am Food

Trusting in Man

A Space Odyssey

Evidence of the Flood

Proving the Bible True

Chapter Three: The Call of Babel

A Builder of Towers

Nimrod: The First Assyrian King

Nimrod: The God King

Nimrod Reincarnated

Nimrod: The Conqueror

Abraham: God's Design for Mankind

Nimrod: Deliverer and Protector

Nimrod: Life After Death

Nimrod: Mystery Babylon

Nimrod: Captivating the Church

Chapter Four: The War With the Saints

Dominion by Force

God's Dominion of Love

The Threat of Christianity

The War Against Children

Christian Haters

Martyrs for Truth

Perseverance

Justified by Works?

Paying the Price

No Compromise

Crying Peace, Peace

Chapter Five: As the Birds Make Their Nest

Babylon's Deliverer

Babylon: Invading the Church

Satan's False Trinity

The Fair Blonde Goddess

Baptismal Regeneration

Justification by Works

Self Mutilation and Abasement

Sacrifice of the Mass

Apostasy for the Dead

Idol Worship

Holy Relics

Pilgrimages and Wax Candles

The Sign of the Cross

Confessionals

The Wine of the Adulterous

Chapter Six: The Stupor of Wine

Against Heresy

The Persecuting Church

Julian the Apostate

Eradicating Paganism

Saved by Fire

The Ruin of Paganism?

Chapter Seven: Pontiff Paganism

Antichrist Speculation

The Beast From the Sea

When Faced With Paganism

Chapter Eight: The Arm of Apostasy

The Persecuting Church

Gregorian Apostasy

Mass Heresy

Music to Idols

Devil Worship

Chapter Nine: The Proud Heart

Babylon in America

The Greatest Sin

God's Staff

A Dog and His Vomit

Exalting the Humble

Part Two: Return of the Prodigal

Chapter Ten: Give Till It Hurts

Those Times Were A Changin'

Indulging in Indulgences

Tyranny of the Tithe

Making Biblical Sense Out of Money

Above the Rest

Give to People and Give to God

Building the Church into an Empire

Using Our Money Wisely

Church State and the Tithe

Chapter Eleven: The Call

The Wittenberg Door

Liberated from Babylon

The Swiss Get it Right

A New Creature

The Feet of the Reformation

Musical Reformation

Bringing Music Bach to God

Chapter Twelve: Grace of Graft?

Divine Election

Eternally Secure

Free Will or Predestination?

The Bondage of the Will

Free Will - A Gift From God

Free Will and Making Man into God

Can Man Save Himself?

Arminianism Raises its Humanistic Head

The Reformation Reponds

Barth's Existential Subversion of the Truth

Man's Will vs God's Sovereignty

The Seeds of Christian Disobedience

When God Remains Preeminent

Chapter Thirteen: The Confession

A Bad Start to a Gifted Life

The So Called Problem of Evil

Coming to the Lord

Born under God's Wrath

A Changed Life

Chapter Fourteen: The Revelation of God

The Mystery of Christ

One in Christ

Faith in Action

Chapter Fifteen: Trouble in Paradise

The Church Divided

Fighting Over the Lord's Supper

An Open Door to Heresy

Weakening the Reformation

Magic Words

Dispensational Madness

Saved from Sin

By Faith

God Does Not Change

Theology That Makes Sense

Existential/Hedonistic Eternal Security

Without Repentance There Can Be No Grace

Christianity's Moral Bankruptcy

Created in God's Image

Chapter Sixteen: Ample Apathy

Taking a Stand

The Circle of Life

Taking Your Place in Life?

Ineffective Pacifists

The Roots of Pacifism

The Deceit of Ghandi

The King of Pacifism

Bohemian Pacifists

The Balkans, Religious Heresy and Pacifism

Pacifism and the New World Order

The Declaration and the Charge to Fight For the Rights of Children

Chapter Seventeen: The Pilgrim

A Time for Holiness

Pilgrims in a Forsaken Land

Chapter Eighteen: What Trent Meant

Chapter Nineteen: The Revenge of the Serpent

Against Faith

Against Heretics

Defining Heresy - According to the Roman Church

A Persistent Inquisition

The Cost of Faithfulness

The Blame Game

Multiculturalism and Pagan America

A World Gone Mad

Turning the Tables on God?

Part Three: Faith and Freedom

Chapter Twenty: Governing Those Who Govern

We Have Forgotten God

Who Governs Those Who Govern?

How Can We Evangelize?

True Revival Changes Society

By the Power of God's Spirit

The Harvest is Ready

Dealing With Wrong

The Promise Land

All Life is a Void

Who is in Charge?

Chapter Twenty One: A Sure Foundation

The Founders Speak Out

Casting Blame

The Cost of Disobedience

The Remnant in America

The Mockers

Taking Morality Out of Man's Hands

Chapter Twenty Two: The Foundation of Freedom

World View Confusion

Remembering the Past

A Cut Above the Rest

Hating America

From Revision to Confusion

The Foundation of Freedom

A Mutual Understanding

Chapter Twenty Three: The Society of Christ

Under God

Church and State

Seeds of Capitalism

Don't Work and Don't Eat

Consumed in Wealth

Economic Revival

Protecting the Church From the State

God's Rule Over the Nations

A Church Finds a King

True English Reformation

Bloody Mary

Appeasing Rome

Protestant Reformers in England

The Reformation at the Forefront

A Step Backwards

Freedom of Worship?

Religious Freedom in the New World

Flocking to America

A Great Awakening

America as One

Chapter Twenty Four: Faith on the Run

The Roots of the First Amendment

Attacking the Boy Scouts

Attacking Jews

Attacking Children

God on the Outside

About the Author

References and Suggested Readings

Foreword

Do you ever wonder what is going on? Are things going on that you never would have imagined could have happened? Did you ever think that we'd come to the point that we were discussing homosexual marriage? Did you ever think that you'd live in a society that endorsed wholesale infanticide? Did you ever picture a world where everywhere you looked you'd witness portrayals of elicit sex and horrific violence? Did you ever envision a country where so-called free citizens would be punished simply for speaking their minds? Did you foresee an America where a Muslim president would set his mind on taking away your guns? Could you have predicted a world where big brother had taken over to watch your every move using everything from your bank statements, Internet usage to drones? Did you think that an American president could institute a policy wherein the military would be used to kill American citizens at home? Did you consider that there would be a resurrection of Hitler's Gestapo right here in America? Could you ever have imagined that you'd live in a culture that endorsed every outlandish religion while persecuting Christians? Did you ever picture America as a place where the leaders of society would not only blaspheme God, but would openly talk of eliminating Christians from our culture? Did you conceive of the fall of the Republic of America in favor of a Communist dictatorship?

Has the world gone mad? Do you ever wonder why and what can be done about it? Or are we forever doomed? Are we about to witness the fall of America along with all of its values?

The answers to those questions are the journey that you are about to embark on. It is a long voyage that goes back to ancient times and the formation of two cities. One of the cities is the city of man that has given us all of the horrific consequences that we witness today. The other city is the city of God which has produced everything good that we have inherited from our fathers. These two cities are warring for the soul of America today.

The winner of that battle will determine our future. Will we wind up in bondage to a totalitarian antichrist or will we continue to receive the blessing of self-rule? The answer to that question lies in the future of the church and whether-or-not the people of God return to the faith that has freed us from the tyranny of Satan.

For, as we will soon discover in this book, it is the church that is responsible for the mess we have found ourselves in. The church has become Babylon and out of Babylon our current pagan culture has emerged. And only when the church frees herself from the clutches of that abominable woman will America return to true liberty and freedom.

Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad. (Jer 51:7)

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Part One: Seeds of Corruption

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.

Matt 13:31b-32 niv

Chapter One: The Soul of an Empire

America Complains

By the summer of 1994, the country was inundated with explanations for America's problems. From every corner ushered a different opinion.

Many decided that the problems came from the government's inactivity on crime. Even though Washington had passed crime bill after crime bill, Wayne Konecny, a pipe fitter from Chicago mumbled, It's all smoke and mirrors. . .It's not going to do anything but raise my taxes. The Democrats want more social programs. The Republicans want more prisons. Neither one's going to do any good. . . The problem is we got $5-an-hour jobs in a world where it takes $10-an-hour to live.

Postal worker Janell Mullin complained, We've got a serious problem, and I don't think midnight basketball is going to cure it. . . I think they should stop worrying about Bosnia. If they want to send the troops somewhere, they should send them to the South Side of Chicago.

Tex Griffin, a lawyer shared his insight in the maneuverings behind President Clinton's Crime Bill of 1994: You had the Black Caucus joining forces with the Christian Right. You know that's just politics, just more gamesmanship.

Bill Biagi had quit reading the news from Washington while murmuring, I voted for Clinton because I thought he could pull it all together. After all, he's got a Democratic majority. But he can't. Maybe nobody can.

Yet America was just as discontent about healthcare as they were crime. Those guys in Washington are still playing games instead of working to solve the country's biggest problems, blazoned Catherine Forester, a trauma surgeon from Oakland, Ca.

I feel like my opinion doesn't count, protested Bob Currie, a machine shop foreman from Franklin Park, Ill. The common person just doesn't have a voice. The problem isn't Clinton. It's not even the Republicans. It's all about money. It's the National Rifle Association. It's the tobacco companies. They've got the dollars and they get the attention of the politicians. The people in office really aren't concerned about me.

Don't get me started on the government -- it's a sore issue, warned Diane Ortel while standing next to a statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. ". . .Everybody wants to cut things, so they all get up and say, 'I'll cut, cut, cut.' Well, one of those jobs they cut was my husband's. And we found out he was loosing his job the same week we found out I was pregnant with my third child.

I'd like these politicians to know what these cuts mean -- to real people, with real families. My husband has a master's degree, and I'm a registered nurse. And we're struggling, man. We're driving an '87 van with 150,000 miles on it. And college money for my kids? We just don't have it.

Clean up the act, it's ridiculous, advised Ellen Siebenschuh, a law student in Cleveland. Every other day, there's a story about the greed and lying and the not giving straight answers. Like, just be honest and do your job and stop fooling around.

Everybody wants everything, and nobody wants to pay for it, added Paul Thrasher, a factory worker in Springfield.

Maurice Patrick, a Chicago computer consultant who supported none of the above in the last presidential election, felt that there were days when Americans stuck together. . . back then it was 'us against the world' he lamented. Today, with so much bitter fighting in Congress, Maurice contended, It's more like 'us-against-us.'

Sandy Self of Houston felt hopeless -- kind of in limbo. . . They tried in the last election to throw out all the bad ones and try to get some good one in there. It's the same thing. So what can you do?

What was the problem with America? Was it the lack of love and tolerance? Was it the evil politicians? Was it the corrupt system? Was it government gridlock? Was it our foreign policy? Was it the fact that Washington is run by money and power rather than conceince? Was it the NRA or the NAACP? Was it the president? Was it the fact that no one in America has a voice anymore? What was the problem with America? What caused her demise?

To uncover the answer to this pressing question, we will have to go back to the empire of Rome. It is here, in the years before and while Caesar Augustus was building his dream of empire, that the inhabitants adopted an ancient religion that would ultimately spell spiritual ruin for the modern Western world.

Not By Works

The religion of ancient Rome came from a long conflict between two modes of thought that have been vying for the attention of the world since the Fall of man. Saint Augustine in The City of God described the conflict in terms of a division between two cities. One, the city of man, is the glory of the humanistic spirit: the pride of man and the glory of Satan. The purpose of the city of man is to lead its followers to everlasting torment. The City of God on the other hand is comprised of the servants of the Most High God who have dedicated themselves to the purpose of proclaiming God's glory. The message of the City of God leads to eternal life with Christ.

When Adam and Eve encroached on God's dictums in the garden, they were left naked in their sin. The glory of God's Holy Sprit had departed from them at that point. Though they attempted to fashion fig leaves to cover up their nakedness, their efforts ere in vain. (Gen 3:7-8) This exertion by man to fix himself through his own strength was the first expression of the humanistic spirit. Humanism is the attempt of man to reach up to God through the power of himself. It rests upon the foundation of salvation through works.

However, God could not accept man's feeble attempts to resurrect himself from his own sin and, therefore, God answered man's attempt at self-justification with the curse. (Gen 3:9-20) Yet the ultimate work of God was to restore man to a place where he could one again dwell in the presence of the glory of His Holy Spirit. This could not be accomplished through man's works. Humanism had no place in the plan of God. Therefore, it was God who, according to His grace, covered man with His glory. (Gen 3:21)

Since the Fall of man, two lines of worship have proceeded out of mankind, representing Augustine's two cities. The humanistic line, or the city of man, which is characterized in the Bible as Babylon. In this religious system, that we will soon find encompasses all non Judeo-Christian beliefs, is based upon the notion man covering himself up to atone for his own sin. In this Babylonian religious system, man worships God in his own way, and fashions for himself a god made in his own image.

However, throughout history we find the City of God at work, opposing the fallacy and utter futility of justification through works. This city is comprised of those individuals who will worship God on His own terms. It is not based upon the works of men, but the grace of God. In worshipping God His way, these individuals understand that man has been created in God's image.

The first time that we see these two cities in action is in the dispute between Adam's two sons, Cain and Abel. (Gen 4:1-4) The very meaning of their two names indicate the two cities upon the earth. Cain means vanity. Abel means possession (from God).

In the story of Cain and Abel we find that God had no respect for Cain or his offering. (Gen 4:3-5a) Indeed, the Scriptures tell us that Cain merely offered up whatever fruit came to his mind. Likewise, Cain's offering was not offered in faith.

Abel, on the other hand was righteous, and, therefore, God accepted his offering. (Matt 23:34-25) In addition, Abel offered the best that he had, the first fruit of his flock. Indeed, Abel gave from his need, rather than his abundance. (Mark 12:41-44) Lastly, Abel submitted his offering with an eye for God's will, his rule, and His glory. Therefore, Abel's offering was not according to works, but according to faith.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (Heb 11:4 nasb)

Indeed, Abel still speaks to the world today. He is heard through the outcries of the City of God which beckons mankind to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the grace of God which was manifested in the act of God's sacrifice. Those who follow in the manner of the sacrifice of Abel are the true worshippers of God.

As we know, Cain in his jealousy killed Abel. This is the way it has always been with the city of man. Humanism cannot bring itself to hear the words of grace. It cannot bear the fact that its offerings of self-righteousness have been rejected by God. Yet those who reject God's grace are accursed. Therefore, God cursed Cain. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work on the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. (Gen 4:11-12 niv)

Indeed, the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the city of man, because it is based upon man's righteousness rather than God's, cannot and will not yield fruit. Cain was to become a man with no home, even as the city of man is without a home in God. Indeed, Babylon has inherited an eternity of unrest with no fulfillment.

Thus says the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink but there is not enough to become drunk, you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put in a purse with holes. (Hag 1:5-6 nasb)

Cain was banished from the presence of God who demanded that Cain would be a wanderer. But Cain, in defiance to God's judgment, built the city of Nod. (Gen 4:16-17) Here we have the genesis of city-building in the name of the spirit of mankind. Indeed, Nod means shaking or trembling. This is the position of those who live in the city of man.

As we see the early history of the word unfold, we realize that it was the city of man that was to gain the upper hand in the world. By the time of Noah, Babylonian apostasy had become so profuse that only Noah and his family were left to represent the City of God. This was a time of decision. When apostasy reaches its apex of development, God always takes measure to curtail it. In the days of Noah, God destroyed the world with a flood, and only Noah and his family were spared. (Gen 6:1-9) From that point onward God determined to start the propagation of man through the godly seed of Noah.

However, right away things began to go wrong. (Gen 9:20-27) Noah became drunk and uncovered himself. Noah's son Ham witnessed the incident and told his brothers about it. However, Ham's brothers, Shem and Japheth, covered up Noah's nakedness. When Noah woke up from his debauched state, he realized what had happened and cursed Canaan, who was the son of Ham. Ham at this point became the bearer of the bad news of Satan to the world. His seed gave birth to the bellows of Babylon. This was the city of man. Shem, on the other hand, received a blessing, and it was through his seed that God's Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come to redeem the world from its sin. This would be the City of God.

The plan of God was that man should disperse throughout the world after the Flood. (Gen 9:5-6) The central purpose of this decree was to constrain the influence of Babylon. It is when man is made one that he begins to think that he can make something of himself. Again, in rebellion to God, during the years after the Flood, mankind refused to disperse and gathered around the person of Cush who incited them to build a tower dedicated to their own pride and rebellion.

The Tower of Babel

This tower, which represented man's efforts to reach up to God through his own strength, was located at Babel in the Euphrates valley. (Gen 11:1-9) This was the same place that Eden, where man's first sin occurred, was located. (Gen 2:10-14) Now, the vicinity of Eden would become the harbinger of Babylon. Eden was a place where God once dwelt with man. But now it became a place where Satan dwelt. (Rev 9:13-15) Though it was a fertile valley, its fruit would be that of rebellion and apostasy to symbolize that fact that is was there than man first rebelled against his God.

There was not any stone or mortar in the Euphrates valley, so the inhabitants of Babel built their tower out of brick that was covered with tar to make it waterproof. This demonstrates the extent that mankind will go in order to rebel against God. They built the city to fortify themselves in a hostile world. They gathered together proclaiming that they were wiser than God who had ordered them to disperse. The tower itself was an affront to God; demonstrating man's defiance and rival-ship to Him. It was the ultimate act of humanism as man attempted to reach God through his own work in order to make a name for himself. Mankind would not believe God when He promised He would no longer send a flood to destroy the world. (Gen 9:11) Their tower would be an insurance policy in the event that God broke His promise. But that was not all. The tower was built for the purpose of worshipping false gods.

Tower-building became the typical among Babylonian worship systems. The tower of Babel was the prototype of all of them. It was erected in six (six being the number of man and the antichrist) stages built upon a platform with a sanctuary on top. The total height of the structure was 300 feet, which was equal to its breath.

Around the tower was an outer court, which was called the Grand Court. The wall of the court had six (the number of man and the antichrist) gates which admitted men to the various temples of worship.

The Babylonian worship center also included a walled platform, square in shape with four gates. Inside the enclosure was a large building which measured 200 feet each way.

Around the base of the tower were small temples or chapels dedicated to the various gods of the Babylonians. To the east were 16 shrines. The principle buildings stood on the west-side. In these chambers rested the couch of God and a golden throne.

The tower itself was in the center of all of these buildings. Though it was six stages high, it had an upper temple resting upon these stages, which was the sanctuary of their god, Bell-Merodach. The Babylonians, because they had a common religious base in the God of Noah, recognized one Supreme Being. However, they had their own self-devised multitude of gods to accent the One God. The manner in which they approached Bell-Merodach was to climb up 300 ft to the top of their tower. Indeed, the tower of Babel was a true representation of man ascending up to his own god through his own works, rather than the True and Living God descending to man. In this upper sanctuary, Bell-Merodach was represented by a statue, demonstration the idolatry of the Babylonian worship system.

Babylonian towers were commonly seen throughout the regions where paganism was practiced. They were rectangular and built in stages, with an ascent along each side to the top. They were places of pagan religious ceremony, always surrounded by chapels where sacred images were kept. Babylonian towers were called Zigguratu, which means peak or the highest point of a mountain. This was to represent the mountain top where Noah offered a sacrifice to God after the Flood. (Gen 8:20) The Babylonian towers were locations for astrologers who peered into the heavens seeking spiritual revelation.

The Mysteries of Babylon

Though the Babylonians acknowledged the existence of a superior God, they were polytheistic. They practiced animism, wherein every object, whether it is animate of inanimate, has a spirit. This is how the historical American Indian understood the world about him. This is nothing other than a statement of pantheism. In order to get in contact with the spiritual world, the Babylonians contacted the world of the dead through ghosts.

Babylon was considered the religion of mysteries because it offered secret knowledge of spiritual things. The more that a person became involved in this religion; the more he was entrusted with its secrets. Spiritual enlightenment came through contact with spirit helpers, guides, or the gods who were, in actuality, demons whose sole purpose was to lead the Babylonians into the occult. In order to enter into the divine mysteries, the Babylonian priests utilized drugs, sacred sex, and meditation which included incantations (or mantras) which repeatedly called out of the name of some God. Thus, through these means they would be transported into the spirit world. Sex rituals, both heterosexual and homosexual, were basic to the Babylonian worship system.

In the Babylonian system all actions became good and, thus, ideas of morality were abandoned. Moral restrictions, according to the Babylonians, only kept people in bondage. In contrast the concept of distinct moral values initiated by a moral God, the Babylonian was allowed, because of freedom from morality, to rise above the moral code because he wasn't limited by the outdated ideas of right and wrong as was the rest of humanity. God to the Babylonian is morally inert. He is neither good nor bad. Therefore, morality has nothing to do with Babylon. In the Babylonian religious system, morality is an individual matter.

Ultimately, Babylon is rooted in the deception of Satan in the Garden. It was Satan who enticed Eve with the notion that God could not be trusted. Therefore, Satan promised to reveal hidden knowledge. (Gen 3:1-7) In Revelation, Babylon is defined terms of this secret knowledge that was revealed by Satan:

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead:

MYSTERY

BABYLON THE GREAT

THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF

THE EARTH

(Rev 17:4-5 niv)

It is Babylon who will be judged in the last day as God fills the earth with His wrath. For that reason, God has instructed His people to come out of her. (Rev 18:2-5)

Indeed, since the Tower of Babel mankind has desired to peer into the mysteries of God through some sort of ascent or other. The act of doing this has been designated as mysticism. Those who are involved in mysticism, whether they are pagans or Christians, are universally concerned about being translated, by experience, into the supernatural world. Consistently, because the understanding of truth is based upon those experiences, doctrine is lost.

Mindless Worship

Mysticism has established itself firmly in pagan cults such as Buddhism. This Chinese religion clearly demonstrates the pagan adherence to the mystical experience and the relative and non-dogmatic truth base that results from a worship system that has focused itself on the supernatural at the expense of truth or doctrine.

Bodhidharma originally brought Zen Buddhism to China. He was born in Southern India around the year 440 CE. His spiritual instructor, Prajnatara, told him to go to China. He traveled there by ship, and arrived in Southern China around 475. It is thought that he spent nine years in meditation, facing the rock wall of a cave that's about a mile from the Shaolin Temple (of kung fu fame).

During his life Bodhidharma had very few disciples, only three of which even made it into the history books. Right after Bodhidharma transmitted the patriarchship of his lineage to Hui-k'o, he died in 528. A few years after his death, a Chinese official said that he met Bodhidharma in the mountains of Central Asia. Bodhidharma was apparently carrying a staff from which hung a single sandal. He told the official that he was returning to India. When word got back to the home of the Chinese official, his fellow monks decided to open Bodhidharma's tomb. Inside the tomb they found only a single sandal.

According to Tao-husan's Further Lives of Exemplary Monks, the sermons in The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma were delivered by Bodhidharma. Seventh- and eighth-century copies of this manuscript have been identified. Some excerpts from The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma reveal interesting aspects of mysticism in action.

Mysticism generally is very antagonistic to doctrine. This is because doctrine appeals to the mind and is unchanging. Mysticism is more interested in finding truth through feelings. This is how mystics discover the mysteries of God. Therefore Bodhidharma was quoted as saying, If you know that everything comes from the mind, don't become attached. Once attached, you're unaware. But once you see your own nature, the entire Canon becomes so much prose. It's thousands of sutras and shastras only amount to a clear mind. Understanding comes in mid sentence. What good are doctrines?

In another instance this Buddhist mystic declared, The ultimate Truth is beyond words. Doctrines are words. They're not the Way. The Way is wordless. Words are illusions. . . Don't cling to appearances, and you'll break through all barriers. . . Again he stated, Erudition and knowledge are not only useless but also cloud your awareness. Doctrines are only for pointing to the mind. Once you see your mind, why pay attention to doctrines?

Another source of Buddhist dogma can be found in the Dhammapada. This work is an anthology of verses, belonging to the part of the Theravada Pali Canon of scriptures known as the Khuddaka Nikaya. Following is a paraphrase of a short segment of this work: Gotama's disciples, whose recollection is always established day and night on the Buddha, experience a complete awakening. This sentence demonstrates a theme that is constant throughout mystical understandings of man's pursuit after God. The intent of the mystic worshipper is to concentrate on the person or God he is worshipping. It is contended by mystics that by going directly to the source, for example concentrating on Buddha, that the worshipper will experience an awakening as the mysteries of this god are revealed even as the worshiper connects directly to the god.

A poem supposedly written by the Third Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Chien-chih Seng-ts'an (in Japanese, Kanchi Sosan) who lived in the late 500's AD is equally revealing. The Poem is called Verses on the Faith Mind. Excerpts from this work again demonstrate what little value the mystic places on the mind: The mind does not have a shape, it does not have a form, it is not a thing, it is a no-thing.

The Buddhist avidly believes that there is no way that the mind can understand the nature of God. Therefore, The eye never sleeps: Striking to the heart of Zen It is vast and wide, boundless and limitless reads in regards to the knowledge of God, Trying to grasp it by thinking is like trying to contain the whole ocean in a single cup. Thinking is so limited, while the One Mind is vast and wide like infinite space. There is no way that thoughts or words can touch it.

Later the text continues, It is natural to have thoughts, but thinking requires effort. In the most natural state, there is nonthinking. What do we mean by nonthinking? Simply allowing thoughts to bubble up into the mind and pass away is nonthinking. Nonthinking is that which goes beyond either thoughts or no thoughts: it is neither blank mind nor busy mind. When the mind is allowed to rest naturally, there is no problem. We create a problem only if we don't like the thoughts that arise spontaneously and want to get rid of them. Then our thoughts persist all the more.

According to the mystic, the knowledge of God is attained through non-thought, because thoughts get in the way of seeing God. As the Buddhist text clearly states, this non-thought is the open door to relativism: More and more, I have come to realize how thoughts and concepts are all that block us from always being. . . in the absolute. . . When the view is there, thoughts are seen for what they truly are: fleeting and transparent, and only relative.

Since the understanding of God is not through conventional disciplines of active thought upon a doctrinal and/or scientific truth base, the goal of knowing God must be attained through another means. This results in meditation. It is through meditation that the worshipper comes in union with God and, thus gains enlightenment. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying spells this out very well. This contemporary Tibetan Buddhist work therefore declares, The real glory of meditation lies not in any method but in its continual living experience of presence, in its bliss, clarity, peace, and most important of all, complete absence of grasping. The diminishing of grasping in yourself is a sign that you are becoming freer of yourself. And the more you experience this freedom, the clearer the sign that the ego and the hopes and fears that keep it alive are dissolving, and the closer you will come to the infinitely generous 'wisdom of egolessness.' When you live in the wisdom home, you'll no longer find a barrier between 'I' and 'you' 'this' and 'that,' 'inside' and 'outside' you'll have come, finally, to your true home, the state of non-duality.

Again we see the philosophy of non-absolutes coming out. There is no right or wrong according to the mediator, for all is one. Certainly, without any doctrine to hold onto in the context of an existential philosophy where feelings are the basis of truth, this would be the case.

(While meditating), the The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying states, I sit quietly and rest in the nature of mind; I don't question or doubt whether I am in the 'correct' state or not. There is no effort, only rich understanding, wakefulness, and unshakable certainty. When I am in the nature of mind, the ordinary mind is no longer there. There is no need to sustain or confirm a sense of being: I simply am.

A Zen Buddhist work written by a Japanese monk around 1600 AD called The Unfettered Mind explains where the mystic puts his mind when he worships: When a person does not think, 'Where shall I put it?' the mind will extend throughout the entire body and move to any place at all. . . The effort not to stop the mind in just one place - this is discipline. Not stopping the mind is object and essence. Put it nowhere and it will be everywhere. Even in moving the mind outside the body, if it is sent in one direction, it will be lacking in nine others. If the mind is not restricted to just one direction, it will be in all ten.

Doctrine certainly would have no place within the context of this non-thinking postulate. According to the mystic, blocking out all traditional thought processes is a discipline that enables the worshipper to get close to the god who he pursues. Obviously the better one gets at this process, the more suitable will be the results. Therefore, The Unfettered Mind attests, When this No-Mind has been well developed, the mind does not stop with one thing nor does it lack any one thing. It appears appropriately when facing a time of need. Evidently the answers to all mankind's needs lie in the ability to become mindless!

The Hindu culture, upon which Buddhism was based, does not lack in its enthusiasm in regard to the pursuit of God. Their sacred texts tell us a lot in that regard. The Bhagavad Gita is one of Hinduism's most sacred works. The Bhagavad Gita records Sri Krishna's advice to the warrior Arjuna just prior to the outbreak of war on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Gita describes the Hindu's meditation techniques in relation to the total concentration upon the Hindu god. In the text Krishna speaks, Make your mind one-pointed in meditation, and your heart will be purified. . . With all fears dissolved in the peace of the Self and all desires dedicated to Brahman, controlling the mind and fixing it on me (God), sit in meditation with me as your only goal. With senses and mind constantly controlled through meditation, united with the Self within, an aspirant attains nirvana, the state of abiding joy and peace in me.

Therefore, success in the meditation technique is found through the act of making a complete connection with the person of the Hindu god. The attainment of the awareness of this person must be the only goal of the mediator. He must pursue this course without any distracting influences. His mental capacities must be very disciplined: Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the Self.

Nothing other than full concentration upon the presence of God can be allowed if the dynamic of pagan worship is going to be obtained. Therefore, the Gita proclaims, (God) am easily attained by the person who always remembers me and is attached to nothing else.

Nothing else other than concentration upon the fixed image can enter into the mind. If the connection with God can be obtained then the person's union with that God will be complete. As the text says, But those who worship me with love live in me, and I come to life in them.

Those who approach the Hindu god in this manner must be purified first. This purification, according to pagan tradition, is accomplished through fire: He who knows me as his own divine Self breaks through the belief that he is the body and is not reborn as a separate creature. Such a one is united with me. Delivered from selfish attachment, fear, and anger, filled with me, surrendering themselves to me, purified in the fire of my being, many have reached the state of unity in me

This belief is quite the opposite of Christian understandings of worship. The pagan worshipper must first cleanse and purify himself before he can enter into the presence of his lord. According to Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons this is typically accomplished by participation in fire rituals or water baptism. The Christian worshipper, on the other hand, lives daily in the presence of his God who dwells in him. This dynamic is not the result of some kind of self-purification effort through fire or water. Rather the cleansing of the Christian occurs because of a sovereign act of God through grace as he gave his blood on the cross. It is based upon this cleansing through the sacrifice of Jesus that God is approached. (Heb 10:19-22)

The Upanishads is another part of the Hindu sacred literature. It dates from about 700 BC and reveals a considerable amount about the nature of the ancient religion of Hinduism. A passage from the Upanishads demonstrates the Hindu understanding that oneness with God is not something that can be obtained through the intellect: The ignorant think the Self can be known by the intellect, but the illumined know he is beyond the duality of the knower and the known. According to Babylonian religion, God is completely unknowable through the intellectual mind. Hence, the intellectual mind is seen as a hindrance to true worship. It is no wonder, therefore, that doctrine is abhorred among pagan superstitions.

Indeed, according to the Hindu, God cannot be known through the mind, but rather the heart. Hence, the Upanishads contends, Bright but hidden, the Self dwells in the heart. Everything that moves, breathes, opens, and closes lives in the Self. He is the source of love and may be known through love but not through thought. He is the goal of life. Attain this goal!

Doctrine is not primary in life according to the Hindu. The goal is the attainment of God and doctrine, because the understanding of it necessitates the intellect, only gets in the way of that goal. The means of attaining oneness with God, therefore, is through the act of thinking through no thing. As the Upanishads states, Brahman is beyond all duality, beyond the reach of thinker and thought.

According to pagan superstition the mind must be directed towards only one thing:

"Brahman is the first cause and last refuge.

Brahman, the hidden Self in everyone,

Does not shine forth. He is revealed only

To those who keep their mind one-pointed

On the Lord of Love and thus develop

A superconscious manner of knowing.

Meditation enables them to go

Deeper and deeper into consciousness,

From the world of words to the world of thoughts,

Then beyond thoughts to wisdom in the Self."

The Triadic Heart of Shiva is a scholarly exposition of the works of Abhinavagupta. Abhinavagupta is one of the greatest exponents of non-dual, Kashmir Shaivism and he was also a prolific Hindu writer. He talks of the Hindu quest for union with God: The Ultimate is, in a very real sense, hidden within the manifest: the infinite is present within the finite. The process of the tantric {spiritual discipline}, then, involves the search for the supreme reality, which, during the nirvikalpa state, is located first in the Heart, in the deepest recesses of consciousness.

Fixing Eyes on God

Hindus adhere to pantheism, a belief that contends that God is everyone and every thing and, thus, all are one. Therefore, God can be found by searching deep inside in the consciousness. God, therefore, can be fully unveiled through an inner experience utilizing an altered state of mind to reach inside. At first, he writes, as this process occurs, consciousness simply encounters more and more of its own contents. Finally, a powerful moment of recognition occurs when the beam of consciousness becomes conscious of itself and nothing else. This is termed the entrance into the 'fourth,' turiya, and here the condition of simple nirvikalpa ensues.

Pagans concentrate on this inner experience in order to contact their god through the imaginations. Abhinavagupta explains the device that is utilized to attain this goal: The primary instrument for the attainment of this condition of freedom is the mantra. The mantra is a repeated phrase or word that enables the pagan worshipper to concentrate on the object of his worship. The mantra allows him to focus deeply on the inner self while blocking out external distractions that would inhibit union with his god.

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is a translation of a journal in which Mahendranath Gupta (better known as M) recorded the interactions between Ramakrishna and Ramakrishna's disciples. Ramakrishna lived in India between 1836 and 1886. He was Hindu, and devoted himself to the worship of the female manifestation of God known as Kali. However he was convinced that the one God had revealed Himself in different aspects to mankind, which resulted in the world's various religions. He also believed that all religions had the capacity to lead the sincere devotee to God. Therefore, Hinduism and Christianity, if practiced sincerely enough would lead to the same god. Ramakrishna insisted that instead of wasting time disputing which religion was the one, true religion, individuals should devote themselves to their own spiritual realization within the framework of their own religion. Hence, his ideas provided a real building block for the New Age movement today which contends that all religions lead to the same god. His ideas also paved the way to the world prejudice that is slowly building up against intolerance of other religious ideas and exclusionism. Of course, this New Age belief is very antagonistic towards orthodox Christianity which, by its very nature is intolerant to other belief systems and exclusionist in nature.

Many Hindus regard Ramakrishna as an incarnation of God. According to Mahatma Gandhi, The story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face.

Thus, pagan superstition today promotes the universality of God and the attainability of God by everyone. According to the pagan, everyone can see God face to face. Is it any wonder, therefore, when we see the church becoming more focused on inclusion and tolerance that the worship liturgy emphasizes that particular face-to-face with God phrase over-and-over-again?

Ramakrishna declared in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna : The mind of the yogi is always fixed on God, always absorbed in the Self. Yoga is the methodology that is utilized by the Hindu to find union with this universal god. Notice again the recurring theme that insists that the mind must remain fixed upon this god. True to Babylonian traditions, this attainment of the universal god's spiritual and supernatural presence requires some help from a worship leader or priest who is experienced in leading individuals into the mysteries of God. In the Hindu culture this master of mysteries is called the yogin.

According to Ramakrishna, To fix the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning, unless one practices meditation in solitude. When a tree is young it should be fenced all around; otherwise it may be destroyed by cattle. Again we see the discipline that is necessary in order to enter into the supernatural world. However, the reward of these strenuous efforts is the revelation of deep mysteries that could not otherwise be seen. Of course, since the knowledge of this god is not attained through doctrine, the worshipper is left without any constant and definable characteristics or attributes: . . . One who constantly thinks of God can know His real nature; he alone knows that God reveals Himself to seekers in various forms and aspects. God has attributes; then again He has none. Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various colours, and he knows further, that at times it has no colour at all. It is the others who suffer from the agony of futile argument.

The result of this theology is obvious: God becomes whoever the seer wants him to be. One can say that God is this or that merely by insisting that He was experienced in this way or that way. The experience itself becomes the validation. Something is regarded as true merely because it happened. Any worship practice could be validated in this way and any god could be proclaimed as true. The worshipper merely says, It is true because I experienced it. Whether or not that truth conflicts with written revelation, such as the Bible, becomes irrelevant in this worship system. It happened, therefore it is true, and that is that, the pagan existential worshipper will insist.

Enlightenment requires an unwavering disposition. According to Ramakrishna: Unless the mind becomes steady there cannot be yoga. It is the wind of worldliness that always disturbs the mind, which may be likened to a candle flame. If that flame doesn't flicker at all, then one is said to have attained yoga.

Indeed, the pagan worshiper does not hold back his praise for his god. Yet these praises are not based upon any external, knowable truth as presented by sound doctrine. Rather they are the praises elicited by the worshippers of an undefined god. As Ramakrisha says, My desire is to sing God's name and glories. It is very good to look on God as the Master and on oneself as His servant.

Indeed, it is not enough to glorify the Lord. One must glorify the specific God of the Bible. Unfortunately, many of the praise choruses written today do little to define which god they are praising. Ramakrisha could revel in the praise of his god within the context of much of the liturgy that is being produced by Christendom today!

The Hindu text How to know God: the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali is a translation of a Hindu work known as the Yoga Sutras. The Yoga Sutras supposedly were written somewhere between the fourth century BC to the fourth century AD. The text again reveals that pagan meditation methods are dependent upon the ability of the mind to focus on the object of worship: Our thoughts have been scattered, as it were, all over the mental field. Now we begin to collect them again and to direct them toward a single goal--knowledge of the Atman. As we do this we find ourselves becoming increasingly absorbed in the thought of what we are seeking. And so, at length, absorption merges into illumination, and the knowledge is ours.

Once again we see the meditation technique utilized as the vehicle in order to unveil the mysteries of God. Indeed, according to pagan theology, God us not understood through doctrine that has resulted from divine revelation. Rather, the nature of God is revealed to each person individually as the worshipper seeks after a supernatural encounter with the object of his worship. In order to accomplish this supernatural feat, the worshipper must become completely detached from the world: We have to start by training the mind to concentrate, but Patanjali has warned us that this practice of concentration must be accompanied by non-attachment; otherwise we shall find ourselves in trouble. If we try to concentrate while remaining attached to the things of this world, we shall either fail altogether or our newly acquired powers of concentration will bring us into great danger, because we shall inevitably use them for selfish, unspiritual ends.

The text of How to Know God: the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali thus explains the entire purpose of the Hindu yoga meditation practice: A yoga is a method--any one of many--by which an individual may become united with the Godhead, the Reality which underlies this apparent, ephemeral universe.

Notice that the Hindu designates the supernatural world as the true reality whereas the material world is only an illusion. This is consistent with the dualistic persuasion of paganism which contends that the material world is evil and the supernatural world is good. Hence, worship for the pagan is an escape from the natural into the supernatural. Only in the supernatural, where goodness is supreme, can illumination in regards to God be attained. The purpose of pagan meditation-style worship is to become united with God through a concentrated effort of the flesh. The purpose of Christian worship is to praise the Lord who has built the bridge between himself and man through His death on the cross. Pagan worship is about attaining God. This worship can be accomplished by anyone who wants to work hard enough. Christian worship is about responding to God who has reached out to man. This worship can only be accomplished by those who have entered into God's fold through His sacrifice on the cross.

Nothing to Know

The last pagan religious system that we will consider is Taoism. Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tsu is the foundation of Taoism. This work explains:

"In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.

In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.

The pursuit of God, according to the mystic obviously is quite the opposite of learning. Learning involves coming to an understanding through the use of knowable truth. Mysticism is a methodology of understanding undertaken through the pagan system of non-truth. After the Tao Te Ching Lao Tsu wrote Hua Hu Ching. Again the mystic attacks the concept of knowing God through learning: Don't imagine that you'll discover (the truth) by accumulating more knowledge. Knowledge creates doubt, and doubt makes you ravenous for more knowledge. You can't get full eating this way.

It is interesting that the mystic believes that knowledge creates doubt. The Bible, for example provides humanity with a very exacting knowledge base of God. According to Christian theology, the Bible is to be used as instructional tool that, in turn will increase the believer's knowledge of God and, therefore, increase his faith. (Rom 10:17) Mysticism, just like modern philosophy, is opposed to knowable truth. Truth is antagonistic to the pagan system because truth insists that God is definable in specific terms. Paganism is relativistic. Because of its very nature, knowable and absolute truth undermines relativism. Hence, knowledge would create doubt in regards to the pagan belief system that is firmly founded in anti-knowledge. Therefore, according to Lao Tsu, teaching is out: I confess that there is nothing to teach: no religion, no science, no body of information which will lead your mind back to the Tao. Today I speak in this fashion, tomorrow in another, but always the Integral Way is beyond words and beyond mind.

God, according to the mystic is completely beyond anything that can be described and understood in knowable terms. The Bible, by carefully describing God and His nature, opposes this teaching. Yet the mystic is completely convinced, as Lao Tsu stated:

"... These are notions of the mind, which is like a knife,

"Always chipping away at the Tao,

"Trying to render it graspable and manageable.

"But that which is beyond form is ungraspable, and

That which is beyond knowing is unmanageable.

Of course, if one worships a god who is beyond definition, then this god, as Lao Tsu put it, would be ungraspable and unmanageable. Thus he concludes, Distortion upon distortion: . . . the more one uses the mind, the more confused one becomes. Obviously, this is a statement of non-truth and totally in opposition to orthodox Christian understandings of God.

When the Christian worships, unlike the Babylonian, he does so with his mind. Thus Jesus declared, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind. (Mtt 22:37). The Apostle Paul clearly agreed stating: I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind: I will sing with my spirit but I will also sing with my mind. (I Cor 14:15 niv) According to the Scriptures, doctrine has everything to do with true understanding in relation to God. (I Tim 6:3-4) Without doctrine there is nothing upon which one can understand, for doctrine provides the knowledge of God upon which understanding is based. That is why the Bible so clearly details that sound doctrine is something that must be pursued. (I Tim 4:16; Tit 2:1)

Indeed, as the Apostle Paul clearly delineated, the knowledge of God's mysteries is clearly revealed through understanding which, as we have demonstrated, is based upon the knowledge of sound doctrine. Thus he wrote, My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:2-3 niv) The mysteries of God are not some mystical concept as the Babylonian proposes, but firmly based upon His work upon the cross and the spiritual position of Christians and indwelling of His Holy Spirit as a result of this work. (Eph 3:2-6; Col 1:26-27) The true mystery of God is that He dwells in the believer and, therefore does not need to be pursued as the Babylonian persists in telling us.

In contrast to this, according to Lao Tsu, knowing God is a journey into mindless nothingness. The worshippers who have lifted themselves up to the highest level are those who have done the most to obliterate their mental resources. Those who are highly evolved, he wrote, maintain an undiscriminating perception. Seeing everything, labeling nothing, they maintain their awareness of the Great Oneness. Thus they are supported by it.

Again we see that, according to mystical traditions, knowledge of the mysteries of God comes not through teaching and instruction in knowable facts, but keeping one's attention focused on the god that is being worshipped. According to Lao Tsu, this is a journey into absolutely nothing: To manage your mind, know that there is nothing, and then relinquish all attachment to nothingness.

Apparently, the mystic believes that the worshipper must be empty-headed in order to fellowship with and know God. Hence, Lao Tsu concluded, Can you let go of words and ideas, attitudes and expectations? If so, then the Tao will loom into view.

The Way of Chuang Tzu contains both the writings of Chuang Tzu and writings by others about him and his teachings. Chuang Tzu was a Taoist sage, living sometime before 250 BC. Thomas Merton, who compiled the text, stated in his introductory note, You enter upon the way of Chuang Tzu when you leave all ways and get lost. Again this work demonstrates the thoughtlessness of the mystic way:

"To exercise no-thought and rest in nothing is the first step toward resting in Tao.

To start from nowhere and follow no road is the first step toward attaining Tao.

Mysticism is a journey to nowhere on nothing. This is how the mystic expects to know God. A dialogue from the Way of Chuang Tzu describes that knowing God in this way is not an intellectual matter but a spiritual one:

Yen Hui: What is fasting of the heart?

"Confucius: The goal of fasting is inner unity.

"This means hearing, but not with the ear;

"Hearing, but not with the understanding;

"Hearing with the spirit, with your whole being...

"The hearing of the spirit is not limited to any one faculty, to the