Contemplative Prayer - Spiritual Formation

[Agatha]

Here is a little information about Contemplative Prayer as it exists within the framework of Spiritual Formation:

This is gathered information from: The Lighthouse Trails Research Project: The New Spiritual Formation

When you hear the word WIZARD, what probably comes to mind are Merlin, Gandalf, Harry Potter, or maybe even (I am dating myself) the cartoon lizard “Mr. Wizard” and his friend “Tooter the Turtle”.  But what about that well dressed guy with a Bible in his hand?  If he’s practicing or teaching Contemplative Prayer, say hello to a real life “Mr. Wizard”.

Leviticus 19:31: Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God.

Wizard - (Hebrew “yidda oniy”) - a knower, one who has a familiar spirit.   “The Hebrew Lexicon” shows that a wizard is: (1) properly knowing {a magician}, wise, hence a prophet, always used in a bad sense of a false prophet.  (2) A spirit of divination, a spirit of python (see Kundalini below), with which these “soothsayers” were said to be in communication.

Gnostic – (From the Greek “gnosis” - knowledge) - a knower.  “The Catholic Encyclopedia” defines Gnosticism as: A collective name for a large number of greatly-varying and pantheistic-idealistic sects, which flourished from some time before the Christian Era down to the fifth century, and which, while borrowing the phraseology and some of the tenets of the chief religions of the day, and especially of Christianity, held matter to be a deterioration of spirit, and the whole universe a depravation of the Deity, and taught the ultimate end of all being to be the overcoming of the grossness of matter and the return to the Parent-Spirit, which return they held to be inaugurated and facilitated by the appearance of some God-sent Savior.

WIZARD = GNOSTIC = CONTEMPLATIVE

One of the most well known groups of Christian Gnostics were the Desert Fathers.  Christian Gnostic however is somewhat of a misnomer, as the Desert Fathers took their pre-existing pagan panentheist religion and incorporated Jesus and Christian terminology into it.  They believed the only way to know ‘God’ (to them an impersonal cosmic universal force) was through a personal mystical experience of union with this force.  They believed Jesus was a God sent savior (as mentioned above), but also only a man who had reached this state of union, and that they could achieve this state and be freed from the evil material universe.  They embraced the mystical practices of other pagan religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Egyptian Mystery Religions, etc.) because they offered a proven way to experience the spiritual realm and thus reach union.  These Gnostics were the first practitioners of what has become known as Contemplative Prayer.

Contemplative Prayer is a practice that uses repeated “sacred words” (a mantra), or controlled breathing techniques to help focus the mind until all thought is silenced, the mind is emptied of “self”, is totally subdued and compliant, and is then open for union with the “God”.

[Agatha]

In reality the Gnostics were becoming wizards, opening themselves up to specific demonic spirits.  The Hindus call the effects of this demonic influence “Kundalini arousal” or the awakening of “The Serpent Spirit” (see spirit of python above).  This demonic power is released (given free reign over the individual) when this mystical union is achieved.  The Hindus and today’s New Age practitioners, achieve this union through practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM), a yoga technique that is virtually identical to the Contemplative Prayer spreading through the Evangelical Church today.

The Gnostics took the pragmatic view that what worked for pagans would also work for them.  They sought to know God through personal experiential understanding and mystical demonic influence.  They introduced their pagan practices into Christianity when they gradually started grouping together with monks in monasteries in the fifth century where Contemplative Prayer was quickly assimilated into the Catholic tradition.

The basic beliefs of the Gnostics are the same underlying beliefs of today’s New Age practitioners.  They have the same root, the same source.  Today’s Christian Contemplative Prayer practitioners argue that it has a long history among Christians, but they fail to realize that the roots precede Christianity and those roots are pagan/demonic in origin.  They fail to see that the source of their knowledge is just as important as the knowledge itself, and the source of this knowledge is demonic.  They need to discern that you cannot get good fruit from a corrupt tree. They need to ignore the pretty flowering branches and smooth trunk, and see the rotten corrupt roots and the eventual evil fruit of Contemplative Prayer.

Matt 7:18-19: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

[Agatha]

All forms of Contemplative Prayer as practiced today by undiscerning Christians (Centering Prayer, Mantra Prayer, Breath Prayer, Lectio Divina, etc.) are directly aligned with, and are the corrupt fruit of the Contemplative Prayer practices used by the Gnostics, who learned them from the pagan Hindus, Buddhists, and Egyptian Mystics.  There is no description of anything even remotely resembling the practice of Contemplative Prayer in the scriptures.  We are in grave error when we accept practices from pagan religions, with a coat of “Christianized Whitewash” slapped on them and passed off as practices sanctioned by God, just because they give us a “mystical” or “spiritual” experience.

Deut 7:25: The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an abomination to the LORD thy God.

We are not to desire ANYTHING from the pagan gods/religions, not even if what they offer seems good and valuable, like the gold and silver on the pagan idols seemed good and valuable.  Even if some people see good and value in Contemplative Prayer, it comes from a polluted source.  If the source is polluted, then everything that spews forth from it is also polluted and is an abomination to God.

[Agatha]

Contemplative Prayer is not the way to grow in the knowledge of God; it is not even a valid form of prayer.

Every example of prayer in the Bible has the individual that is praying actively involved in the process, and praying to God with words or tongues and/or asking a petition of God.  Never is there a mention of emptying our minds of all thought so that we can achieve “divine union” with God.

 
THE TRUTH

God provided the scriptures in order for us to obtain the knowledge of him as they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

2 Pet 1:3: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

John 8:31-32: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 16:13-15: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.

John 17:17-19: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

2 Tim 3:16-17: All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

[Agatha]

How do we obtain everything dealing with life and Godliness?  Through knowledge of God.

How do we know the truth?  By continuing in his word.

Who is the truth that we know by continuing in his word?  Jesus.

Who will guide us into all truth?  The Holy Spirit.

What is truth?  His word is truth.

How are we sanctified?  Through the truth, e.g. his word.

How are we made perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works?  Through doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness provided by all scripture, his word, his truth.

Our only legitimate God sanctioned source of spiritual knowledge is pure, and holy.  It is the Bible, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, which will NEVER conflict with God’s written word, the holy scripture.

-end of Lighthouse Trails document-

[Agatha]

New document:

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER - The Lighthouse Trails Research Project: The New Spiritual Formation

For research purposes only


In the 1970’s, three mystic Roman Catholic monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating (head monk) labeled Centering Prayer as a “method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer”.  It is “…the opening of mind and heart - our whole being - to God… whom we know by faith is within us…  Contemplative Prayer is a prayer of silence, an experience of God’s presence…” 3

The Contemplative Outreach Ltd. website featuring Thomas Keating’s teachings, provides further insight into the method of Contemplative Prayer and lists the guidelines to practice it.  It states:

“This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Him.” “The source of Centering Prayer, as in all methods leading to Contemplative Prayer, is the indwelling Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “  “It is also inspired by writings of major contributors to the Christian contemplative heritage including John Cassian, the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Thomas Merton.” 

[Agatha]

Contemplative Prayer “Guidelines include:

 

1.       Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2.       Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3.       When engaged with your thoughts*, return ever-so gently to the sacred word.

4.       At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

*Thoughts include body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections.”

In my research, it became clear that these Roman Catholic monks were influenced by pagan Eastern Religions. "During the twenty years (1961-1981) when Keating was abbot, St. Joseph's held dialogues with Buddhist and Hindu representatives; and a Zen master gave a week-long retreat to the monks. A former Trappist monk who had become a Transcendental Meditation teacher also gave a session to the monks.” 5

[Agatha]

Not Prayer But Mystical Meditation

 
Contemplative Prayer is not Biblical prayer at all, rather it is a type of mystical meditation leading the mind into an altered state of consciousness.  It goes beyond thought, providing an experiential union with so-called God or with nature producing body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections.


It is based on “experiences” rather than sound doctrine. “… give attendance… to doctrine.”  1 Timothy 4:13.  Faith is to be based on God’s word rather than experiences.  “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  Romans 10:17, “For we walk by faith, not by sight:” 2 Corinthians 5:7.


Contemplative Prayer is also known as centering prayer, listening prayer, breath prayer, and prayer of the heart.  It is just one of many mystical practices taught within a confusing, mixed-up movement called Contemplative Spirituality.

Mystical practices are now widely embraced and taught in secular and professed Christian seminaries, colleges, universities, organizations, ministries and seminars, etc. throughout the United States.  Academic promoters have introduced these practices into the fields of medicine, business and law while countless secular and Christian books, magazines, seminars, and retreats are teaching lay people how to incorporate them into their daily lives.  Promoters promise physical, mental and spiritual benefits desiring to bring about positive social change.

[Agatha]

One promoter of mystical practices, the “Center for Contemplative Mind in Society”, states:

 

They “can play a part in the positive transformation of governments, businesses, and organizations. We are dedicated to the idea that contemplative awareness, when incorporated into contemporary life, can help produce a more just, compassionate, and reflective society.” 6

 

The following Contemplative Practices are listed on their website:

 

“- Movement (martial arts, dance, yoga, labyrinth walking, etc.)

- Creation (singing, chanting, art, music, etc.)

- Relational (dialogue, deep listening, storytelling, journaling, etc)

- Ritual/cyclical (shabbat, vision quest, sweatlodge, alter building, ceremonies/rituals etc,)

- Activist (work, pilgrimage, mindfulness, vigals/marches, etc.)

- Generative (prayer, lectio divina, petitionary prayer, etc.)

- Stillness (silence, prayer centering, insight & sitting meditation, quieting & clearing the mind)” 7



Stillness, listed as the last practice includes prayer centering also known as Contemplative Prayer.

Contemplative Prayer is Practiced Far and Wide

While Western religions falsely label Contemplative Prayer as “Christian” and “prayer”, Eastern Pagan religions such Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufi Muslims have long practiced mystical meditation. A variety of occult and New Age devotees also practice mystical meditation styles consistent with Contemplative Prayer.

[Agatha]

Since this method of meditation is mystical in nature, it is important that you know the definition of “mysticism”.  An on-line Occult Encyclopedia defines it as:

 

“A belief in or the pursuit in the unification with the One or some other principle; the immediate consciousness of God; or the direct experience of religious truth. Mysticism is nearly universal and unites most religions in the quest for divinity.”

 

It goes on to state, "Mysticism from the East or from Western traditions relies on techniques such as:

 

-repetitive prayers,

-repeating over and over a word or phrase (mantras, which maybe names of deity),

-contemplations of icons or images real or imagined,

-also involved are methods of emptying the mind,

-extreme asceticism and

-in some cultures the use of hallucinogenic drugs.”

 

“Through these and other methods the mind goes blank or passive and one enters an altered state of consciousness. Buddhists call this state Nirvana or Satori... New Age people call it at-one-ness, etc..., Christian mystics perceive they have experienced some kind of ecstatic union with God." 8

 

“In mysticism, the altered state of consciousness may be total or partial. When partial, the state of consciousness is usually only a feeling. Most generally this feeling is one of unity with God, or the universe, or of enlightenment.” “The experience of being united with God or nature is called a mystical experience.” 9