By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Last time we looked at the two competing worldviews of today, and throughout human history—Oneism (monism) and Twoism (biblical theism). How did Christianity (Twoism) begin to lose its influence? There are different ways of answering that question depending on how far back one wishes to go. I want to focus on recent developments.
There is a flow to human history, and cultures like ours don’t just emerge from nowhere, nor do they remain static. During the 20th century secular humanism was seen as the arch-enemy of biblical Christianity. However, recently even non-Christian scholars are saying (even celebrating) that we now live in a post-secular culture, as well as the rebirth of ancient paganism. Indeed there is a wedding of the ‘New” science with spirituality (Eastern). In order to understand the changing direction of our society we need to meet Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustov Jung, the creator of transpersonal psychology. He and his followers have had, and continue to have, a huge influence in the reshaping of Western Civilization. Many see Jung as the father of the New Age movement, which may come as a shock to some of you, but it is why I am focusing on him.
Carl Gustav Jung (/jʊŋ/; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf jʊŋ]; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961), often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who foundedanalytical psychology. His work has been influential not only in psychiatry but also in philosophy, anthropology, archaeology, literature, and religious studies. He was a prolific writer, though many of his works were not published until after his death.
The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development. [37]
Individuation is a process of transformation whereby the personal and collective unconscious is brought into consciousness (by means of dreams, active imagination or free associationto take some examples) to be assimilated into the whole personality.
Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and extraversion and introversion.(Wikpedia).
It was Jung who coined the terms “introvert’ and ‘extrovert’, and the Meyers-Briggs personality type indicator was developed from his theories. As we’ll see, Jung’s introduction to Indian religion profoundly affected him, and in turn, his views trickled down to have an all pervasive impact on pop culture, across the board. Jung was an associate of Freud, but early on, they had a parting of the ways. Freud had no use for spirituality, but Jung saw it as the key to psychological healing. But his spirituality was not Christianity. For example, the integrating of opposites (individuation) is occultic, as we shall see.
For many people their early years are truly formative, and Jung was no exception. Though his father was a Lutheran pastor, it seems it was liberal formalism, and it was a turn off to Jung. His paternal grandfather was Grand Master of the Swiss Order of Freemasons, and his maternal grandfather was an occultist and spiritualist. His maternal grandmother was a seer who communicated with the spirits of the dead (demons) and gave prophecies. Carl’s mother was a medium who spent long periods enraptured with the spirits that visited her at night. For many years Jung attended séances with his mother and two cousins. Demonic influence came early and heavy.
Will the real Carl Jung please stand up? As we shall see there was much more to Jung than scientific theories and personality types. Richard Noll, a psychologist and history of science professor at Harvard, dropped a bombshell on the academic community. The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement and The Aryan Christ: the Secret Life of Carl Jung stated thus: “This 20th century mask (of scientific research) was constructed deliberately, and somewhat deceptively, by Jung to make his own magical, polytheist, pagan worldview more palatable to a secularized world conditioned to respect only those ideas that seem to have a scientific air to them.” Makes sense given his background.
Noll was vindicated with the publication of the Red Book fifty years after Jung’s death. In this volume Jung explains what he went through after his spit with Freud. During this time he experienced ‘psychotic fantasies’ and ‘numerous paranormal phenomena’. He became immersed in the world of the dead. In the Red Book, Jung gives details of what he called ‘numinous experiences’, which included his relationship with a spirit-guide named Philemon, whom he described as a pagan old man with the horns of a bull and the wings of a bird. As Jung began to have many paranormal experiences, Philemon introduced him to Abraxas, the devil-god of Gnosticism. Philemon referred to Jung as Christ. The demonic nature of Jung’s life and work is sadly indisputable. For a long time I thought Abraxas was simply the name of one of Carlos Santana’s albums!! lol
He further admits the significance of his paranormal experiences with the spirit world from 1914-1930 when he “..pursued…with the help of alchemy….the inner images…that threatened to break me.”
Everything he wrote after these experiences was , as he put it, the ‘outer classification’ of them. In other words, all of Jung’s complex theories and voluminous writings, were a series of ‘footnotes’ to his early and direct experiences with the spirit realm (the demonic).Near the end of his life Jung said, “We can no longer practice any psychology that ignores the existence of parapsychology (paranormal phenomena).” (pg 58, The Undiscovered Self).
Jung was involved with what has been called “depth psychology”. As Christians, we must realize that there is a deep depth to human nature. So, in this sense Jung was helpful.
As Dr Peter Jones says, “For Jung, the future of psychology lay in the development of paranormal spiritualism. This becomes evident in the Red Book…” (The Other Worldview, pg. 33) Transpersonal psychology was based on Jung’s own experience of the paranormal and on newly rediscovered pagan traditions and symbolism/myths. His original doctoral dissertation was titled, “On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena”.
Last time we noted that at the heart of the occult/Oneist worldview is the blurring or combining of creational distinctions. Oneist gives it away does it not? All is ONE….monism, dressed in western garb. Individuation, or the blurring of creational distinctions, was at the heart of Jung’s thought and he learned this concept from studying Eastern religions. We see that this modern mania to mock/erase God’s distinctions within His good creation, got its impetus from Jung. I saw the TV premier of Bruce Jenner’s outing, which was followed by a short-lived series. It saddens me to see how influential this man is becoming in further popularizing this notion of ‘individuation’.
The Collective Unconscious…. "there does seem to be a basic ambiguity in Jung's various descriptions of the Collective Unconscious. Sometimes he seems to regard the predisposition to experience certain images as understandable in terms of some genetic model" [75] – as with the collective arm. However, Jung was "also at pains to stress the numinous quality of these experiences, and there can be no doubt that he was attracted to the idea that the archetypes afford evidence of some communion with some divine or world mind' (accent added), and perhaps 'his popularity as a thinker derives precisely from this" The collective unconscious included the psychic memories of individuals of the past…leading way back. “ (Wikipedia) The statement regarding his popularity due to this concept is an understatement!
It is difficult to exaggerate how significant this notion of accessing or communing with the collective unconscious --universe/divine/world mind has become in New Age circles today. The Star War series resonates with this notion of ‘the force’, as do many other movies , TV shows, games, ect It has become deeply ensconced in our culture.
STOP…and REFLECT---the modern view of psychological health is based in large part on a pagan worldview on how the world and humans work! The individuation he spoke of was clearly a Oneist worldview, which we spoke of last week. Jung was a prophet of a Oneist worldview, where all is god, and god is all. All creational distinctions (good/bad, male/female, etc.) were joined together in his system, in order to achieve maximum psychic health.
What is the legacy of Jung? His ideas have infiltrated every aspect of culture. His psychological model described healthy human behavior as connection with one’s subconscious and with archetypes. Sexual and spiritual liberation were essential for the therapeutic health of the subconscious and being re-united with the divine. His psycho-spiritual model of healing had enormous influence, inside and outside the church. Many mainline denominations saw Jung as therapeutic ‘savior’ from the atheistic Freud. Pastoral care givers were affected and there was a flood of pastors becoming Jungian analysts.
Wealthy families like the Rockefellers, the McCormick’s, and the Mellon’s financially supported Jung’s vision, and were clients themselves. This helped to popularize Jung’s theories. Speaking of his theories, this is a blog, and not an academic paper, on Jung. I didn’t have time to elaborate on his all his major theories. However, all that is said in this blog comes from sources well documented (e.g. P. Jone’s book).
Jung provided a spiritual and therapeutic mechanism for the individual’s subconscious to be liberated from the ethical demands of holy living and the pain of guilt. Ethics were relativized and personal desire became the basis for psychological healing and human maturity. In a justification of an extra-marital affair with a young student, Jung wrote, “Nothing matters but the completion of the self.” Jung died in 1961 but his verbiage became the motto for the sexual revolution of the 1960’s—‘If it feels good, then do it.”
Jung’s therapy caught on, and today, the subconscious trumps every other authority or truth, including (and especially) the bible. Discovery of the inner self has become a national passion, leading to unprecedented narcissism. Being in tune with the Universe as well as consciousness raising has become ubiquitous in a thousand different New Age flavors….all tracing back to Jung….who was inspired by the ancient ‘perennial philosophy” or pagan/occult worldview.
Take a moment to think of several New Age theories or practices—everything from ascension to yoga-and one can hear the terms and categories Jung introduced into Western culture. I can think of no modern thinker who did more to derail our cultural train off its biblical tracks than Carl Jung. His influence is found virtually everywhere….even in the church.
Lest I be misunderstood, I affirm the value of much psychology/psychiatry. We need Christians in these fields to ‘bring every thought captive to Christ.” Christians can bring a true/realistic view of human nature to the discussion, as well as a full-orbed approach to psychological healing based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, plus nothing. And we bring a knowledge of the Fall, which brought in its wake (among other disconnects) man’s separation from himself…beginning of psychological problems. The bible is not an exhaustive handbook on psychology, so there are many useful things we can learn from this field.
The New Age has matured and wears many, many different masks. However, if you look at the common motifs in each, one will see the categories and methodology of Carl Jung—and the Oneist worldview he championed. Much more could be said regarding perhaps the most influential thinker from the 20th century up till today. However, for anyone who wants to understand how we got to the horrible place we are currently at, and how to sensitively speak the unchanging truth with courage and effectiveness to our generation, then one needs to let the real Carl Jung to stand up….and be challenged.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Looking inside the spiritual & literary worlds
Showing posts with label carl jung. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carl jung. Show all posts
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Will the Real Carl Jung Please Stand Up?
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Last time we looked at the two competing worldviews of today, and throughout human history—Oneism (monism) and Twoism (biblical theism). How did Christianity (Twoism) begin to lose its influence? There are different ways of answering that question depending on how far back one wishes to go. I want to focus on recent developments.
There is a flow to human history, and cultures like ours don’t just emerge from nowhere, nor do they remain static. During the 20th century secular humanism was seen as the arch-enemy of biblical Christianity. However, recently even non-Christian scholars are saying (even celebrating) that we now live in a post-secular culture, as well as the rebirth of ancient paganism. Indeed there is a wedding of the ‘New” science with spirituality (Eastern). In order to understand the changing direction of our society we need to meet Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustov Jung, the creator of transpersonal psychology. He and his followers have had, and continue to have, a huge influence in the reshaping of Western Civilization. Many see Jung as the father of the New Age movement, which may come as a shock to some of you, but it is why I am focusing on him.
Carl Gustav Jung (/jʊŋ/; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf jʊŋ]; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961), often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who foundedanalytical psychology. His work has been influential not only in psychiatry but also in philosophy, anthropology, archaeology, literature, and religious studies. He was a prolific writer, though many of his works were not published until after his death.
The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development. [37]
Individuation is a process of transformation whereby the personal and collective unconscious is brought into consciousness (by means of dreams, active imagination or free associationto take some examples) to be assimilated into the whole personality.
Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and extraversion and introversion.(Wikpedia)
It was Jung who coined the terms “introvert’ and ‘extrovert’, and the Meyers-Briggs personality type indicator was developed from his theories. As we’ll see, Jung’s introduction to Indian religion profoundly affected him, and in turn, his views trickled down to have an all pervasive impact on pop culture, across the board. Jung was an associate of Freud, but early on, they had a parting of the ways. Freud had no use for spirituality, but Jung saw it as the key to psychological healing. But his spirituality was not Christianity. For example, the integrating of opposites (individuation) is occultic, as we shall see.
For many people their early years are truly formative, and Jung was no exception. Though his father was a Lutheran pastor, it seems it was liberal formalism, and it was a turn off to Jung. His paternal grandfather was Grand Master of the Swiss Order of Freemasons, and his maternal grandfather was an occultist and spiritualist. His maternal grandmother was a seer who communicated with the spirits of the dead (demons) and gave prophecies. Carl’s mother was a medium who spent long periods enraptured with the spirits that visited her at night. For many years Jung attended séances with his mother and two cousins. Demonic influence came early and heavy.
Will the real Carl Jung please stand up? As we shall see there was much more to Jung than scientific theories and personality types. Richard Noll, a psychologist and history of science professor at Harvard, dropped a bombshell on the academic community. The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement and The Aryan Christ: the Secret Life of Carl Jung stated thus: “This 20th century mask (of scientific research) was constructed deliberately, and somewhat deceptively, by Jung to make his own magical, polytheist, pagan worldview more palatable to a secularized world conditioned to respect only those ideas that seem to have a scientific air to them.” Makes sense given his background.
Noll was vindicated with the publication of the Red Book fifty years after Jung’s death. In this volume Jung explains what he went through after his spit with Freud. During this time he experienced ‘psychotic fantasies’ and ‘numerous paranormal phenomena’. He became immersed in the world of the dead. In the Red Book, Jung gives details of what he called ‘numinous experiences’, which included his relationship with a spirit-guide named Philemon, whom he described as a pagan old man with the horns of a bull and the wings of a bird. As Jung began to have many paranormal experiences, Philemon introduced him to Abraxas, the devil-god of Gnosticism. Philemon referred to Jung as Christ. The demonic nature of Jung’s life and work is sadly indisputable. For a long time I thought Abraxas was simply the name of one of Carlos Santana’s albums!! lol
He further admits the significance of his paranormal experiences with the spirit world from 1914-1930 when he “..pursued…with the help of alchemy….the inner images…that threatened to break me”
Everything he wrote after these experiences was , as he put it, the ‘outer classification’ of them. In other words, all of Jung’s complex theories and voluminous writings, were a series of ‘footnotes’ to his early and direct experiences with the spirit realm (the demonic).Near the end of his life Jung said, “We can no longer practice any psychology that ignores the existence of parapsychology (paranormal phenomena).” (pg 58, The Undiscovered Self).
Jung was involved with what has been called “depth psychology”. As Christians, we must realize that there is a deep depth to human nature. So, in this sense Jung was helpful.
As Dr Peter Jones says, “For Jung, the future of psychology lay in the development of paranormal spiritualism. This becomes evident in the Red Book…” (The Other Worldview, pg.33) Transpersonal psychology was based on Jung’s own experience of the paranormal and on newly rediscovered pagan traditions and symbolism/myths. His original doctoral dissertation was titled, “On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult Phenomena”.
Last time we noted that at the heart of the occult/Oneist worldview is the blurring or combining of creational distinctions. Oneist gives it away does it not? All is ONE….monism, dressed in western garb. Individuation, or the blurring of creational distinctions, was at the heart of Jung’s thought and he learned this concept from studying Eastern religions. We see that this modern mania to mock/erase God’s distinctions within His good creation, got its impetus from Jung. I saw the recent TV premier of Bruce Jenner’s outing, which will be a series. It saddens me to see how influential this man is becoming in further popularizing this notion of ‘individuation’.
The Collective Unconscious…. "there does seem to be a basic ambiguity in Jung's various descriptions of the Collective Unconscious. Sometimes he seems to regard the predisposition to experience certain images as understandable in terms of some genetic model"[75] – as with the collective arm. However, Jung was "also at pains to stress thenuminous quality of these experiences, and there can be no doubt that he was attracted to the idea that the archetypes afford evidence of some communion with some divine or world mind' (accent added), and perhaps 'his popularity as a thinker derives precisely from this" The collective unconscious included the psychic memories of individuals of the past…leading way back. “ (Wikpedia) The statement regarding his popularity due to this concept is an understatement!
It is difficult to exaggerate how significant this notion of accessing or communing with the collective unconscious --universe/divine/world mind has become in New Age circles today. The Star War series resonates with this notion of ‘the force’, as do many other movies , TV shows, games, ect It has become deeply ensconced in our culture.
STOP…and REFLECT---the modern view of psychological health is based in large part on a pagan worldview on how the world and humans work! The individuation he spoke of was clearly a Oneist worldview, which we spoke of last week. Jung was a prophet of a Oneist worldview, where all is god, and god is all. All creational distinctions (good/bad, male/female, etc) were joined together in his system, in order to achieve maximum psychic health.
What is the legacy of Jung? His ideas have infiltrated every aspect of culture. His psychological model described healthy human behavior as connection with one’s subconscious and with archetypes. Sexual and spiritual liberation were essential for the therapeutic health of the subconscious and being re-united with the divine. His psycho-spiritual model of healing had enormous influence, inside and outside the church. Many mainline denominations saw Jung as therapeutic ‘savior’ from the atheistic Freud. Pastoral care givers were affected and there was a flood of pastors becoming Jungian analysts,
Wealthy families like the Rockefellers, the McCormick’s, and the Mellon’s financially supported Jung’s vision, and were clients themselves. This helped to popularize Jung’s theories. Speaking of his theories, this is a blog, and not an academic paper, on Jung. I didn’t have time to elaborate on his all his major theories. However, all that is said in this blog comes from sources well documented (eg P Jone’s book).
Jung provided a spiritual and therapeutic mechanism for the individual’s subconscious to be liberated from the ethical demands of holy living and the pain of guilt. Ethics were relativized and personal desire became the basis for psychological healing and human maturity. In a justification of an extra-marital affair with a young student, Jung wrote, “Nothing matters but the completion of the self.” Jung died in 1961 but his verbiage became the motto for the sexual revolution of the 1960’s—‘If it feels good, then do it.”
Jung’s therapy caught on, and today, the subconscious trumps every other authority or truth, including (and especially) the bible. Discovery of the inner self has become a national passion, leading to unprecedented narcissism. Being in tune with the Universe as well as consciousness raising has become ubiquitous in a thousand different New Age flavors….all tracing back to Jung….who was inspired by the ancient ‘perennial philosophy” or pagan/occult worldview.
Take a moment to think of several New Age theories or practices—everything from ascension to yoga-and one can hear the terms and categories Jung introduced into Western culture. I can think of no modern thinker who did more to derail our cultural train off its biblical tracks than Carl Jung. His influence is found virtually everywhere….even in the church.
Lest I be misunderstood, I affirm the value of much psychology/psychiatry. We need Christians in these fields to ‘bring every thought captive to Christ.” Christians can bring a true/realistic view of human nature to the discussion, as well as a full-orbed approach to psychological healing based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, plus nothing. And we bring a knowledge of the Fall, which brought in its wake (among other disconnects) man’s separation from himself…beginning of psychological problems. The bible is not an exhaustive handbook on psychology, so there are many useful things we can learn from this field.
The New Age has matured and wears many, many different masks. However, if you look at the common motifs in each, one will see the categories and methodology of Carl Jung—and the Oneist worldview he championed. Much more could be said regarding perhaps the most influential thinker from the 20th century up til today. However, for anyone who wants to understand how we got to the horrible place we are currently at, and how to sensitively speak the unchanging truth with courage and effectiveness to our generation, then one needs to let the real Carl Jung to stand up….and be challenged.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Kids, Cartoons & the Occult
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Thirteen years ago, my kids and I moved into a rental house after my ex-wife and I separated. The landlord informed me that my children (8, 10, 12 at the time) could paint their walls any way they wished--just so it was covered when we moved. One day I came home and my eldest had some friends over who were signing their names on the wall. It looked pretty cool to me...especially with all the flourishes here and there connected with some of the signatures.Perhaps you may be questioning the wisdom of my actions--all I can say is that they were hurting (as was I) and at the moment it seemed okay
Fast forward a few months, and the deputy with the Sheriff's Dept.exiting my house looked at me as if I was some moron for allowing "gang graffiti" to be plastered on my daughter's wall. It turns out that some of her friends were into the "blood" and "crip" mega-gangs, but I was totally in the dark as to the significance of the "creative expression" I had allowed. It was a horribly difficult time for my family, and I had not been discerning enough. If only I had recognized the significance of these symbols, I could have protected my daughter from the thuggish peer pressure she came under, which caused her (and the whole family) much anguish.
Similarly, many kids' TV programs or cartoons, have the signature of Satan written all over them--but like me, most parents are blissfully unaware of the danger. Many even approve of the shows because of their intelligence and creativity. They have not been trained by their pastors to know what to look for. I dearly want to save parents from the anguish...to equip you to know what to look for, without being legalistic or reactionary to everything that expresses imagination.
With Christmas coming, If you were to tour the aisle of any toy store, the occult is ubiquitous....and the same holds true in children's TV programming. In the past, I have not addressed children's issues much, but I need to.
Let me state at the outset that imagination is one of God's most wonderful gifts to us as His image bearers. So, I do not wince at every funny looking creature on animated cartoons. However,what I saw, and heard, on the Legend of Korra on Nickelodeon the other day was truly expressive of a hellish, demonic, and New Age-ish worldview, being thrust upon our unsuspecting and non-discerning kids/parents. I hope that by analyzing it, then it will give you the tools to analyze/discern other kids shows.
The Legend of Korra has been hailed as a critical and commercial success. In 2012 it had the highest number of viewers, and Scott Thill stated that it "is the smartest cartoon on TV." It has been praised for how it deals with difficult sociopolitical issues--like social unrest and terrorism.The reason I chose "Legend.." is because it's intelligence and impressive animation (Japanese), expands its appeal to a large age span. From 7--17 (at least) young folks are drawn to this show like bees to honey.
Remember, worldviews are formed by watching such shows.
Set in a fictional universe, some people can manipulate/bend either fire, earth, water, or air.Only the Avatar can bend all four elements, as well as maintain peace and balance in the world. There are four kingdoms which express one of these four elements, and the Avatar cyclically reincarnates in each of the four kingdoms. Korra, the current Avatar, is a 17-year-old young woman from the Southern Water Tribe. She has the spunk and all the issues that come with being 17 that enhance her appeal and make her "totally awesome."
Without going into the whole plot--there are 52 episodes planned for this year--let me mention some occultic principles that I picked up on in watching just one episode.
1. Avatars --rooted in Hindu mythology, the meaning of the word avatar is "the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape...the incarnation of a god or wise person who possess psychic powers to defeat their enemies. In New Age thinking, Jesus is usually thought of being just one of many avatars that have visited us.
2. Portal--Korra decides to keep the portal between the human and spirit realm open so that they (we) can co-exist and learn from each other. Being able to open and close this other dimensional door--and encouraging contact between respective residents-- was particularly disturbing to me.
3. Spirit guides-- are seen as benevolent spirit creatures who guide humans when they enter the spirit realm. Looked like flying puppy dogs....
4. Earth, air, fire, and water are the 4 elements which comprise reality and are subject to human and spirit manipulation. In the paranormal community there is much discussion of "elementals"...an alleged form of spirit force/entity, usually connected with nature.Wicca, witchcraft, and other occult systems often appeal to these four elements in their incantations or rituals, which are nature focused.
5. Cosmic consciousness or collective unconsciousness-- was mentioned in the show as the Ultimate Reality which all things participate in (do you see the intelligence level?!) This notion was popularized by Freud's successor, Carl Jung, who espoused occultic beliefs. Tapping into this source will empower avatar and us....usually via mind-emptying meditation.
6. Dualism or yin/yang --in this episode, mention was made that neither light nor dark, good or bad, could be banished forever...both are equally ultimate.
7. Reincarnation--Korra is yet another reincarnation of the avatar.
8. Spirit communication--spirit realm is populated by a multiplicity of good and bad, positive and negative beings....which humans can communicate with.
9. Harmonic convergence-- (again, see what I mean re intelligence level?)...explicitly mentioned in show, where the animation "showed" the earth reaching this new evolutionary advance in which energies are set in balance, "so that a New Age is evolved."
Gone is the majestic, holy Creator.....gone is a definitive defeat of evil, sin, and Satan on the cross......gone is the distinction between Creator and His creation.....gone are all seven aspects of a biblical worldview. This is a thoroughgoing, comprehensive pagan worldview served up in animated wonderment for our children to feast on the beast....all in the comfort of home.
The Legend of Korra is an intelligent and visually stimulating TV cartoon that is destroying our young people. It has become an integral part of the spiritual pandemic of fascination with the paranormal. In a sense, it is worse than the ghost-hunting shows because it is: specifically targeting the most defenseless (our children); and it presents a "total pagan package", as every aspect of a biblical worldview is blatantly denied and it's pagan antithesis is affirmed. And all of this in a very appealing presentation/medium.
Let me remind you that there is no such thing as an "innocent interest in the occult", even if it is not acted out in behavior. From my observation, our country has become so overrun with demonized darkness, that mere fascination MAY cause one to become demonically oppressed. You no longer have to trek into the jungles of Africa to experience wholesale spiritual darkness. Just in my lifetime, we have cast off the common grace spiritual restraints (which made overt demonic activity rare), and are rushing headlong into the abyss--which has caused overt demonic activity to explode.
Please do not allow the tyranny of the urgent to crowd out the massively important...the protection of our children and grandchildren. God knows the "me generation" has done enough damage already. That you are reading this, is a sign that you care. Please let us all lovingly communicate this danger in the spheres in which God has placed us.
ps...as a voluntary "homework assignment", please take a pad of paper and write vertically the seven components of a biblical worldview. Then pray and get comfy, and watch one of these cartoons. Be on the lookout for comments or images that indicate what their reply would be to all 7 questions of a worldview, and compare it with the biblical worldview.
(ultimate reality?, nature of reality?, what makes us human?, nature of history, source/nature of ethics? purpose of life?, afterlife?)
Thirteen years ago, my kids and I moved into a rental house after my ex-wife and I separated. The landlord informed me that my children (8, 10, 12 at the time) could paint their walls any way they wished--just so it was covered when we moved. One day I came home and my eldest had some friends over who were signing their names on the wall. It looked pretty cool to me...especially with all the flourishes here and there connected with some of the signatures.Perhaps you may be questioning the wisdom of my actions--all I can say is that they were hurting (as was I) and at the moment it seemed okay
Fast forward a few months, and the deputy with the Sheriff's Dept.exiting my house looked at me as if I was some moron for allowing "gang graffiti" to be plastered on my daughter's wall. It turns out that some of her friends were into the "blood" and "crip" mega-gangs, but I was totally in the dark as to the significance of the "creative expression" I had allowed. It was a horribly difficult time for my family, and I had not been discerning enough. If only I had recognized the significance of these symbols, I could have protected my daughter from the thuggish peer pressure she came under, which caused her (and the whole family) much anguish.
Similarly, many kids' TV programs or cartoons, have the signature of Satan written all over them--but like me, most parents are blissfully unaware of the danger. Many even approve of the shows because of their intelligence and creativity. They have not been trained by their pastors to know what to look for. I dearly want to save parents from the anguish...to equip you to know what to look for, without being legalistic or reactionary to everything that expresses imagination.
With Christmas coming, If you were to tour the aisle of any toy store, the occult is ubiquitous....and the same holds true in children's TV programming. In the past, I have not addressed children's issues much, but I need to.
Let me state at the outset that imagination is one of God's most wonderful gifts to us as His image bearers. So, I do not wince at every funny looking creature on animated cartoons. However,what I saw, and heard, on the Legend of Korra on Nickelodeon the other day was truly expressive of a hellish, demonic, and New Age-ish worldview, being thrust upon our unsuspecting and non-discerning kids/parents. I hope that by analyzing it, then it will give you the tools to analyze/discern other kids shows.
The Legend of Korra has been hailed as a critical and commercial success. In 2012 it had the highest number of viewers, and Scott Thill stated that it "is the smartest cartoon on TV." It has been praised for how it deals with difficult sociopolitical issues--like social unrest and terrorism.The reason I chose "Legend.." is because it's intelligence and impressive animation (Japanese), expands its appeal to a large age span. From 7--17 (at least) young folks are drawn to this show like bees to honey.
Remember, worldviews are formed by watching such shows.
Set in a fictional universe, some people can manipulate/bend either fire, earth, water, or air.Only the Avatar can bend all four elements, as well as maintain peace and balance in the world. There are four kingdoms which express one of these four elements, and the Avatar cyclically reincarnates in each of the four kingdoms. Korra, the current Avatar, is a 17-year-old young woman from the Southern Water Tribe. She has the spunk and all the issues that come with being 17 that enhance her appeal and make her "totally awesome."
Without going into the whole plot--there are 52 episodes planned for this year--let me mention some occultic principles that I picked up on in watching just one episode.
1. Avatars --rooted in Hindu mythology, the meaning of the word avatar is "the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape...the incarnation of a god or wise person who possess psychic powers to defeat their enemies. In New Age thinking, Jesus is usually thought of being just one of many avatars that have visited us.
2. Portal--Korra decides to keep the portal between the human and spirit realm open so that they (we) can co-exist and learn from each other. Being able to open and close this other dimensional door--and encouraging contact between respective residents-- was particularly disturbing to me.
3. Spirit guides-- are seen as benevolent spirit creatures who guide humans when they enter the spirit realm. Looked like flying puppy dogs....
4. Earth, air, fire, and water are the 4 elements which comprise reality and are subject to human and spirit manipulation. In the paranormal community there is much discussion of "elementals"...an alleged form of spirit force/entity, usually connected with nature.Wicca, witchcraft, and other occult systems often appeal to these four elements in their incantations or rituals, which are nature focused.
5. Cosmic consciousness or collective unconsciousness-- was mentioned in the show as the Ultimate Reality which all things participate in (do you see the intelligence level?!) This notion was popularized by Freud's successor, Carl Jung, who espoused occultic beliefs. Tapping into this source will empower avatar and us....usually via mind-emptying meditation.
6. Dualism or yin/yang --in this episode, mention was made that neither light nor dark, good or bad, could be banished forever...both are equally ultimate.
7. Reincarnation--Korra is yet another reincarnation of the avatar.
8. Spirit communication--spirit realm is populated by a multiplicity of good and bad, positive and negative beings....which humans can communicate with.
9. Harmonic convergence-- (again, see what I mean re intelligence level?)...explicitly mentioned in show, where the animation "showed" the earth reaching this new evolutionary advance in which energies are set in balance, "so that a New Age is evolved."
Gone is the majestic, holy Creator.....gone is a definitive defeat of evil, sin, and Satan on the cross......gone is the distinction between Creator and His creation.....gone are all seven aspects of a biblical worldview. This is a thoroughgoing, comprehensive pagan worldview served up in animated wonderment for our children to feast on the beast....all in the comfort of home.
The Legend of Korra is an intelligent and visually stimulating TV cartoon that is destroying our young people. It has become an integral part of the spiritual pandemic of fascination with the paranormal. In a sense, it is worse than the ghost-hunting shows because it is: specifically targeting the most defenseless (our children); and it presents a "total pagan package", as every aspect of a biblical worldview is blatantly denied and it's pagan antithesis is affirmed. And all of this in a very appealing presentation/medium.
Let me remind you that there is no such thing as an "innocent interest in the occult", even if it is not acted out in behavior. From my observation, our country has become so overrun with demonized darkness, that mere fascination MAY cause one to become demonically oppressed. You no longer have to trek into the jungles of Africa to experience wholesale spiritual darkness. Just in my lifetime, we have cast off the common grace spiritual restraints (which made overt demonic activity rare), and are rushing headlong into the abyss--which has caused overt demonic activity to explode.
Please do not allow the tyranny of the urgent to crowd out the massively important...the protection of our children and grandchildren. God knows the "me generation" has done enough damage already. That you are reading this, is a sign that you care. Please let us all lovingly communicate this danger in the spheres in which God has placed us.
ps...as a voluntary "homework assignment", please take a pad of paper and write vertically the seven components of a biblical worldview. Then pray and get comfy, and watch one of these cartoons. Be on the lookout for comments or images that indicate what their reply would be to all 7 questions of a worldview, and compare it with the biblical worldview.
(ultimate reality?, nature of reality?, what makes us human?, nature of history, source/nature of ethics? purpose of life?, afterlife?)
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