Channeling ~ A New Slant On Spiritism
Channeling" is a popular New Age practice. What's it all about, and does the Bible have anything to say about it?
Despite all the fanfare, channeling is essentially nothing more than spiritism with a new twist: Whereas spiritism employed human mediums for the express purpose of communicating with so-called departed individuals, channeling opened the floodgates even further with its efforts to contact disembodied humans and non-humans alike for advice on virtually everything - from deep philosophical questions to managing household budgets.
The practice of contacting the dead (along with other spirits) in order to gain knowledge can be found among numerous ancient, pagan religions. But by the mid-1800s, spiritism entered a new era with its introduction into the parlors of many households. With the advent of Madame Blavatsky, the founder of Theosophy, the rage turned to establishing communication with alleged "enlightened masters" who claimed to hold the keys to spiritual evolution.
Looking at today's channeling craze, one can't help but notice people's overwhelming hunger for answers. From Ramtha (an alleged 35,000 year-old Lemurian warrior) to Tom MacPherson (an alleged 19th-century Irish pickpocket) to even dolphins-at-large, just about everyone and everything is being channeled for answers. And interestingly enough, the same message can always be heard: "You are God and have the power to create your own reality. You are your own savior. There is no place for judgment, just love. Death is an illusion."
It certainly doesn't take long to realize that those statements clearly contradict the Bible. And if disembodied entities are, indeed, speaking through these trance channelers, they are nothing less than demonic. Deuteronomy 18 includes spiritism as one of the many practices detested by God. Now, while Scripture recognizes the human need for supernatural information, it also tells us to turn to God alone for such matters (Isa. 8:19-20). To condone and participate in channeling sessions is, therefore, to go directly against the will of God.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CRI has available a two-part series entitled "Channeling - Spiritistic Revelations for the New Age," written by Elliot Miller (DC230/$0.25). He also discusses the subject in two chapters of his book, A Crash Course on the New Age Movement (B094/$11), which can be ordered through CRI. In addition, we carry a number of items dealing with the issue of spiritism. For shipping and handling information, please call CRI or refer to our Resource Listing. To place a credit card order, call toll-free (888) 7000-CRI. To receive a free copy of our Resource Listing, fax us at (714) 858-6111 or write us with your request at P.O. Box 7000, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-7000.