An evaluation of the conservative Christian movement’s attitude towards esoteric traditions in the UK at the turn of the 21st century.
Religious bigotry and chauvinism is a reality in the UK in the 21st century. This is the inescapable conclusion we have drawn from the evidence compiled during a project called Esotericism 2001.
Esotericism and religious pluralism
Esotericism encompasses many religious and spiritual traditions as well as metaphysical practices. Spiritual people from the world’s major faiths find correspondence with one another in the mystical realm of their faiths. Religious pluralism is in many ways synonymous with esotericism. It does not mean that all religions are the same or that the truth claims of all religions are true. It simply means that the God of the universe, the supreme creator, is beyond labels, dogma and human claims of divine inspiration. But the conservative traditions of many religions do not share this view and historically have attempted to undermine the correspondences which esoteric traditions have found in other faiths.
In the United Kingdom, the conservative Christian movement has taken an active enthusiastic role in undermining esotericism, other faiths and the philosophy of religious pluralism. The evidence in this document shows that they have gone further; the conservative Christian movement routinely engages in `religious warfare’. Their broad objectives appear to be negation of religious pluralism of the modern multi-cultural world. This report will show that conservative Christians attempt to label rival belief systems as `false’ and `dangerous’ while trying to convince the secular world of the legitimacy and respectability of their own beliefs and sometimes paranoid assertions. This point was made in a paper presented by Dr Stephen Hunt, lecturer at the University of the West of England at the 2001 `CESNUR’ Conference in London, 2001 (Evangelism, Boundary Maintenance and deionisation: some strategies of a Christian Fundamentalist anti-cult organisation). http://www.cesnur.org/2001/london2001/hunt.htm. There is no doubt that the ministry mentioned in this paper is Reachout Trust (http://reachouttrust.org) which used to advertise on its newsletter that it had a regular programme on Wednesday evenings on Premier Radio. I will look at this organisation closely because they appear to be the UK focus of the conservative Christian movement’s attack on other faiths. Reachout is a limited company and a registered charity. It describes itself as an `international Christian ministry that upholds biblical truth and builds bridges to those in the cults, occult, new age and new religious movements’.
This document will focus almost exclusively on the activities of the conservative / evangelical Christian movement within the UK, showing that this movement is not a fringe or extremist element but influential within prominent professional bodies in mainstream Christianity such as:
· The
Christian Medical Fellowship
· The Association of Teachers & Lecturers
· The Association of Christian Teachers
· The Christian Institute
· The Evangelical Alliance
· Reachout Trust
· Christian Action, Research & Education
· Spotlight Ministries
· Freedom Ministries International
· The Christian Publicity Organisations
· The Evangelical Times
· Premier Christian Radio
Dichotomisation leading to bigotry and
persecution
What is the justification for bigotry and chauvinism towards esotericism and other faiths? The conservative Christian movement believes that spirituality has a mutually exclusive dualism; on one side there is `truth’ (conservative or evangelical Christianity) and on the other side there are the `lies of Satan’ ( liberal Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Paganism and every other belief system and metaphysical practice). Such a dichotomist worldview inevitably leads to bigotry towards a wide range of belief systems, which the following examples show:
Astrology:
"Many, when they want to be free of the binds of astrology, find out just how hard and dominant a task master SATAN is really." Reachout Trust: http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/occult/astrology2.htm
Out of Body Experiences:
"There is also an admission that the astral body is of occult theory. Involving science in topics is a common ploy of SATAN to dupe the most gullible into believing his lies." Reachout Trust: http://www.reachouttrust.org/regulars/articles/occult/aproj.htm
Alternative Medicine:
“There may be real
spiritual forces operating to bring healing through demonic power. Such
healings may be the bait that SATAN then uses to draw a person more deeply into
the occult…” Peter Saunders
Student Secretary, Christian Medical Fellowship: http://www.cmf.org.uk/ethics/altern1.htm
Tibetan Buddhism:
"On the other side of
the mountain lies a place of intense darkness. A place where for hundred of
years SATAN has owned ‘the real estate’, and the power of darkness penetrates
the countryside. Alcohol deadens the minds of the men and makes them easy
captives of demonic forces. The most striking building in the village is the
decorative Buddhist temple. This supports eleven lamas at the expense of the
poor herders who travel miles to pay for prayers to a god who is deaf to their
needs." Moving mountains in
Mongolia Evangelical Times: http://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/oct01/oct01a06.htm
“If the number of temples per head of population measures idolatry, then Taiwan ranks as one of the most idolatrous places on earth. This does not take into account the ubiquitous god and ancestral shelf in homes and businesses. One seminary teacher has described Taiwan as being like Pergamos in Revelation 2 — the place where SATAN has his throne.” Evangelical Times http://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/feb%2000/feb00a07.htm
Divination:
“…the same spirit is behind the practice whatever means of divination is being used. Normally the means used is simply an aid to the supernatural power that the person possesses. In such a case we are allowing SATAN to prophecy directly into our life.” Reachout Trust: http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/occult/occult2.htm
Paganism / Wicca (referred to as `black Witchcraft):
“Will my right hon. and learned Friend consider arranging a debate on the spread of SATANISM and devil worship in the United Kingdom and the involvement of children?…Two years ago, I warned of the spread of devil worship, Satanism and black witchcraft-“ Geoffrey Dickens, then Conservative MP for Littleborough & Saddleworth, Hansard (House of Commons Daily Debates): http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-05-10/Debate-2.html
Freemasonry:
“Masonry in its Finality is a Worship of SATAN.” Freedom Ministries International: http://www.freedom-ministries.com/not_of_god.html
Meditation and Hinduism:
“We see then, that TM is not to be fooled with or toyed with. It is clearly a lie from satanic forces and not truth from the Holy Spirit. It cannot, in any form, be 'mixed' with Christianity. Tragically though there are several churches, in many parts of Britain, which regularly hold TM sessions under the title of 'Christian.' It is not…TM is designed to draw you into a false religion devoted to false gods and evil spirits. THE DEVIL will use any means to destroy men and turn them from the true God.” Reachout Trust http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/newage/tm2.htm
This `true Christian versus Satan’ dichotomisation may seem comical and trivial to some. But the conservative Christian movement has had some success in convincing responsible and influential members of secular society to adopt this worldview. In 1990 and 1991, some social workers in Britain believed that children were being sexually abused and killed, in the course of what was called `Satanic Rituals’. An alarming number of social workers then believed that children were in danger from satanic rituals, and more than 50 children in England and Scotland were forcibly removed from loving homes on the grounds that their parents were practising Satanists. When the cases were properly investigated and found to be false they were all allowed back home - but eight children in Ayr were deprived of their families for four years.
During this period, Paganism and Witchcraft were singled out for accusations that they were the same as Satanism. This whole sordid business raised serious questions about the influence of conservative Christians in positions of power who so easily caused the abuse children by taking them away from loving homes on quite ridiculous grounds. (LaFontaine) (Hicks) (Clapton) (Diamond) (Reid) (Wexler).
In the UK it was largely easy for the conservative Christian movement to enlist sympathy of the media and public figures in this `Satan obsession’ because Wicca and Paganism were already linked in many people’s minds with Satanism. Worryingly, in the USA and UK there are still ritual abuse seminars, lecturers and authors at these events accuse the Masonic Order, Buddhism, Hinduism, the New Age and Quakers of Ritual Satanic Abuse! But if all non-Christian religions are of Satan as the fundamentalist Christian movement asserts then logically there should be Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) on a fantastic scale everywhere but in conservative Christian homes. Yet there in no evidence of this at all. It seems that Paganism had been singled out because of its minority status. It was perceived by the fundamentalists as being a soft target.
It must be said that there are `Satanists’ i.e. believers in such a character who carry out rituals and in some cases negative ones. It is also certain that some people get involved in many types of harmful rituals. We are not concerned with defending such people or such practices. We are concerned about the conservative Christian movement spreading paranoia that the Satan character from the Abrahamic tradition is the driving force behind all rival faiths.
Another worrying factor in other countries such as the United States and South Africa is the trend of conservative Christians to use their positions as police officers to legitimise their own religious beliefs by attacking other belief-systems. The so-called South African Occult Investigations Unit is headed by Colonel Kobus Jonker, a conservative Christian is a good example.
Colonel Kobus Jonker, as a conservative Christian, claims that the various rituals of African folk religion are a form of Satanism. This serves as a useful strategy for dichotomisation; the many examples of violet rituals are taken as evidence that Satan is behind them. However, adopting such a view raises religious and cultural difficulties. Since conservative Christians also link Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and even liberal Christianity to Satanism, any adoption of such Abrahamic concepts by secular society actually legitimises the groundless and dangerous conservative Christian viewpoint on the Satanic nature of rival faiths.
Cornal Jonker was consulted as an `occult expert’ in a recent case in the UK. This was worrying because consulting a religious chauvinist such as Jonker may legitimise the idiosyncratic and paranoid agenda of such people.
“A South African expert on Satanism attributes youth involvement in the occult to spiritually dead churches. Reuter reports, `Satanism is increasing, especially the serious cases; murder, assaults," Colonel Kobus Jonker, head of the police's Occult Investigations Unit in Pretoria, said in an interview. Jonker blamed what he calls the spiritual bankruptcy of establishment churches in South Africa for the tendency of teenagers to dabble in the occult. "You can actually feel the deadness in many of our churches. There's nothing going on. I don't want to sit in a church like that." The Family: http://thefamily.org/endtime/future/chapter.php3?chid=12
Strategies
for undermining rival belief-systems
Terminology
In order to develop the hypothesis that all rival belief systems are a Satanic deception, conservative Christians employ the term Occult / Occultism to link valid spiritual systems to evil. Just what is `The Occult’? Definitions in a number of major English language dictionaries can be generalized as follows:
1. Occult: of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena; beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable; hidden from view; concealed.
2. Occultism, from the term `Occult’ includes activities such as Hermeticism, The Cabala, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism, astrology, divination and dowsing. Occultism, in this classical sense, has been practised by many within the great spiritual and religious traditions throughout history.
There is not one dictionary I found (as of July 2002) which defines Occult as involving violence or negative acts. But the conservative Christian movement has its own understanding of Occult / Occultism;
1. Religious; referring to other faiths, spiritual traditions and metaphysical systems:
The New Age, Astrology, Magic:
“The New Age movement embraces the practices of astrology, magic and crystal gazing. The Bible categorically forbids any association with the OCCULT the practice of witchcraft” The Evangelical Times: http://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/dec 97/dec97a08.htm
Spiritualism, `Other’ Religions, Martial arts, Alternative Medicine:
"Things that are commonly considered to come under the umbrella of the OCCULT include: Astrology, ouija board, voodoo, black or white magic, levitation, Halloween, spiritualism (contacting the dead via mediums or channels), crystal gazing, fortune telling (Tarot cards, palm reading, rune stones) and psychic healing (also called faith or spiritual healing). Some other religions, superstitions, New Age and martial arts practices and alternative medicine therapies also contain occultic elements." Christian Medical Fellowship : http://www.cmf.org.uk/pubs/nucleus/nucapr97/occult.htm
Paganism…
“Although many OCCULT groups do tend to share in common elements of secrecy and exclusivism among themselves, it is useful to understand that not all groups which may be classed as "occult" are the same. This article will therefore seek to briefly identify and examine some of the main occult groups in existence today and highlight some of their primary beliefs...Paganism, Spiritualism and Satanism…” Spotllight Ministries: http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/ocldef&cat.htm
Palmistry, psychic healing…
“…we must avoid Spiritualism,
palm-reading, ouija boards, channelling, OCCULT powers, psychic healers. We are
told this is dangerous, keep away from it.” Nicky Gumbell, Alpha –Will it
change your life, ITV, 4th September, 2001.
Pendulum dowsing
“…practitioners will often use OCCULT means (such as pendulums) in diagnosis.” The Christian Medical Fellowship: http://www.cmf.org.uk/ethics/altern2.htm
Divination
“If a therapy is being administered by an enthusiastic New Age practitioner, however, this may well serve as an introduction to New Age and even OCCULT practices such as astrology and divination, which are clearly forbidden in the Bible.” The Christian Medical Fellowship: http://www.cmf.org.uk/nucleus/nucjan02/reflex.htm
2. Cultural; referring to self-evidently evil and harmful activities; anything from self-abuse to murder. There may be a reference to a particular obscure belief or ritual.
“…the ceremonies involved blood and even human sacrifice…wee began to pray that God would reveal the truth about the OCCULT practices…the first witch doctor was caught red handed with the body of a 5-year-old girl who had been decapitated for a ritual…five human skulls were found in another witch doctor's house, and two more were caught just as they were about to ritually murder a 16-year-old girl.” `Dawn’ Jesus Army: http://www.jesus.org.uk/dawn/2001/dawn11.html
“The drip, drip, drip effect of violent scenes, bad language, explicitly sexual and especially violently explicitly sexual stuff and every kind of degrading material, plus a pre-occupation with the OCCULT, that gradually changes the mindset of a culture.” Olave Snelling, Mediamarch 3 Rally: http://www.goodsense.org.uk/index4.html - Speeches
“Knowledge is dry and rarefied if it has no context in ordinary life and experience. And so, dear English teacher, when you are reading Macbeth with Year 10, why avoid mentioning the relevance and dangers of the OCCULT in modern times?” The Christian Institute: http://www.christian.org.uk//html-publications/schoolcu.htm
“The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) recently set up a National Forum for Values in Education and the Community. Indications are that the report, which will form the basis of advice to schools, will fail to stress the importance of family life and marriage. It seems equally unlikely that the report will warn against the dangers of sexual immorality, drink and drug abuse, the OCCULT, gambling and pornography.” The Christian Institute: http://www.christian.org.uk//html-publications/educx.htm#Anchor-Conte-43173
"…helping to deliver you from sickness, poverty, abuse,
racism, debt, OCCULTISM and fear!" Advertisement
on Premier Christian Radio, 10th May, 2001: (esotericism_2001-monitoring.htm)
This `general evil’ definition of Occult has been adopted by the secular media. Often, everything horrible and evil is described as Occult, even where there is no mention of a particular belief system.
“…then the junkie sister returns to reclaim the child, and now there's a husband in tow, a self-help guru (Rufus Sewell) whose dabblings in the OCCULT have already aroused the suspicions of FBI investigator Jimmy Smits, an expert in "ritual homicide". Review of movie `Bless The Child’ in The Independent newspaper: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=47102
“Little is known about the body of "Adam" …other than the likelihood that his murder was ritualistic. This possibility was raised by Colonel Kobus Jonker, who was featured in a Channel 4 documentary about the South African OCCULT-related crime squad a couple of years back, so much of this Black Britain came from a verdant South Africa. There, muti killings and attacks are all too familiar.” Guardian Newspaper: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4386241,00.html
“Nelson Mandela is to assist a Scotland Yard murder inquiry by making a worldwide appeal for help in identifying a boy whose severed torso was found dumped in the river Thames last year…evidence suggests the boy was brought into Britain from Africa days before he was killed, probably at an OCCULT muti ceremony…forensic tests indicate the boy is of African origin and because South Africa has a problem with ritual killings..two Scotland Yard detectives are to fly to South Africa to brief the former president and ex-change information with the South African police Occult Crimes Unit.” Independent Newspaper: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=284452
3. Sectarian; referring to the beliefs and practices of other denominations of Christianity who may have a different interpretation of scripture.
“The Alpha Course is being used to prime the pump, to condition the thinking of church people to accept the teachings an phenomena which we associate with the Toronto Blessing…these phenomena are unbiblical. There is no ground in Scripture upon which to anchor them. The Alpha course in its philosophy is New Age. It relies heavily upon experience; in practice it leads to experiences which are rooted in the OCCULT.” Reverend Ian Paisley: http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=alpha3
“Gumbel [of the Alpha Course] points out in this talk that OCCULT activity "always comes under the guise of something good". The Toronto Blessing is seen as "something good". How strange then that neither he nor anyone else at HTB thought to test the Toronto spirit before accepting it and then passing it on to everyone else.” http://www.banner.org.uk/ms/ms2962.html
The above attacks on the Alpha Course as being ocult are ironical in light of Alpha’s assertions that the occult (certain practise of other spiritual traditions) are dangerous and to be avoided. There is obviously some considerable confusion within mainstream Christianity about what constitutes `Occult'. See confusion in the ranks.
4. Satanism; synonymous with Satanism only.
“ATL has a long-standing concern over children meddling in the OCCULT. Increasing numbers of children are spending hours alone browsing the Internet in search of satanic websites. ATL is concerned that nobody is monitoring this growing fascination.... parents and teachers will want to educate young people about the dangers of dabbling in the occult, before they become too deeply involved.” The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) December 2001 http://www.askatl.org.uk/news/press%5Freleases/p%5Fpn011104.htm
“The OCCULT contains a large spectrum of practices. Some, at the lower end of the scale, may seem harmless but they could be a doorway that leads down a progressive path. Whatever the situation we must remember that Satan does not play games, if we dabble or play with areas that are his then there must be a confrontation at some point.” Reachout Trust. http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/occult/occult2.htm
5. Ambiguous and varied uses of the term Occult, where it is quite often described ambiguously without any qualifying practices – but always there is a suggestion of a negative quality (either mild or extreme).
“Music, new age and OCCULT practices seemed to be replacing Christ as something in which young people can trust.” The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1527000/1527876.stm
`We dispute the fact that all practices associated with the "OCCULT" could be described as "conventional religious and belief systems.' CARE - Review Of The ITC Code Of Advertising Standards & Practice: Advertising Prohibitions July 2000: www.care.org.uk/resource/docs/response_itc.htm
“Actual demonstrations of exorcisms and OCCULT practices are not acceptable in factual programming except in the context of a legitimate investigation.” http://www.itc.org.uk/itc_publications/itc_notes/view_note.asp?itc_note_id=29
“Any one of the following may be a factor causing frightening experiences that cannot be explained by normal rational means: OCCULT practice, spiritual abuse, ghosts, spirits, alcohol or misused drugs, spiritualism, poltergeist effects, suppressed emotions, cults, religious hype, some forms of transpersonal psychology, mental illness, bereavement, curses, satanic practice, trauma.” http://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/work_of_the_diocese/chaplaincy_deliverance.html
“There is a strong current of concern about the OCCULT among some religious groups who see any referent to it as deeply offensive to their religious beliefs. There is a parallel concern about moral harm to children who might be exposed to references to the occult.” Review Of The ITC Code Of Advertising Standards & Practice: Advertising Prohibitions July 2000, page 13: (File)
"It would be the
unanimous view of Christian leaders that OCCULT practice can adversely affect
the human spirit and therefore should be avoided." Premier Radio: http://www.radioauthority.org.uk/publications-archive/adobe-pdf/regulation/quart-bulletins/bullet43.pdf (page 13)
In many cases several of the common definitions are used in the same paragraph. In the following example, the term `Occult’ is used to label a rival belief system (Wicca) to harmful activities.
“Youngsters can very easily visit a choice of hundreds of websites on witchcraft, Wicca magic, casting hexes and bloodletting techniques, without adults having any control as to what they read. This goes far beyond a case of reading a Harry Potter story. This represents an extremely worrying trend among young people. Parents and teachers will want to educate children and young people about the dangers of dabbling in the OCCULT before they become too deeply involved.” The Association of Teachers and Lecturers general secretary, Peter Smith, quoted on BBC website 22 April, 2000: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/education/2000/unions_2000/newsid_722000/722283.stm
Linking Magic and Wicca with bloodletting is rather like saying; `There are hundreds of websites on rugby, snooker and sado masochism....." It is a cleaver technique to mix and match activities which are obscure to most people in order to link them together. In the eyes of conservative Christians this is justified because to them all other faiths are Satanic. Therefore the logic is clear; reading the I Ching or practicing Buddhist meditation will inextricably lead to bloodletting and vampirism!
The next definition of OCCULT links violence to magic:
“Is the point of the material that the user gets to dabble in the OCCULT? For some children, the glamour and attraction to violence and magic may not be very different to the fascination with dinosaurs or big construction vehicles...” London Bridge College Website: http://www.londonbiblecollege.ac.uk/features/games/DangerousGames/dangerous.html
Sometimes the equally emotive term `cult' is used in close conjunction with occult. The obviously advantage is that the faiths labelled `cults’ may be confused in the public’s mind with genuinely sinister groups. This is a frequent method of attacking freemasonry and `New Age’ beliefs. Often, conservative Christian websites will have FAQ’s such as `What is the difference between `Cult’ and `Occult’? It is rather like asking `what is the difference between Germans and thieves?’ The question itself suggests a link.
"Seminars and workshops cover all the main cults including, of course, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, but also other groups such as the Children of God, Freemasonry, Moonies etc. We also provide instruction in dealing with the OCCULT and the New Age and have included counselling workshops and teaching on deliverance." Reachout Trust: http://www.reachouttrust.org/about/people/story.htm
Confusion in the ranks
There is currently a disagreement between various Christian denominations about what constitutes `The Occult’. The conservative, evangelical wing regards the activities of Holy Trinity, Brompton where the Alpha Course originated, as occult. But Alapha’s Nicky Gumbel also warns of occult activity – but he means metaphysical systems such as astrology. Who is right? Both groups can't be.
A letter in The Times on September 1, 2001, from the Reverend Richard Thomas, Director of Communications of the Diocese of Oxford, begins:
“The suicides of three young
people in Germany following involvement with OCCULT and devil worship (report,
August 28) highlights a worrying issue. Confused language does not help us
tackle the problem.” (Letter)
Ironically, Reverend Thomas’s own terminology (linking the term `occult’ with `devil worship’) certainly highlights the confused language within the Church and secular society as a whole. Reverend Thomas makes an astute statement, though:
“Satanism, or devil-worship, is something that belongs within the framework of the three great Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Islam and Christianity… modern pagan witchcraft is something entirely different, and should not be confused with devil-worship.”
Perhaps Reverend Thomas should make the same point (to his fundamentalist colleagues) in relation to Buddhism, Hinduism, the New Age, Spiritualism and classical Occultism. These practices and faiths - like Paganism - are something entirely different to Satanism. However, confused terminology still creeps into Dr Thomas’s letter:
“Whilst pagans are often involved in occult practice, they do not believe in a devil…”
The problem here is that Dr Thomas has defined `occult practice’ in the first paragraph of his letter as `suicide’ and `devil worship’. Yet we have seen that many conservative Christians describe astrology, spiritualism, other religions, the New Age, martial arts and alternative medicine therapies as occult practices too. This means that when warnings are issued about the occult they can, in certain circumstances, become declarations of religious war and cultural imperialism. Dr Thomas finally warns:
“Our failure simply to warn young people of the dangers of occult practice in the same way that we warn them against drugs contributes to the problem.”
This is sound advice if dealing with obviously harmful and destructive practices – but Dr Thomas is not talking about Buddhist meditation or astrology here. So why, within Christianity, is the same word used to describe both evil acts and valid World faiths? Is this carelessness or by design? This is simply a recipe for bigotry.
Vexatious Testimonies
When conservative Christian organisations attack other faiths in official publications or articles they have the sometimes comic ring of blunt propaganda. Many would-be converts instantly see through such obvious ham-fisted bigotry. The alternative to this `corporate bigotry' is the personal testimony. Within Christianity, a testimony is a recounting of how God is working in someone’s life. It is always a first-hand experience, not another person’s story. This is important because these personal experiences have become invaluable tools for making outrageous attacks on other faiths and metaphysical practices for which there is no evidence whatsoever.
Faiths and metaphysical systems which have been victims of vexatious testimonies include; Freemasonry, Paganism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and practices such as yoga, Tai Chi Chuan and astrology. A typical vexatious testimony claims that a Christian, while involved in another belief system suffered horrendous side effects such as depression and suicidal tendencies (thoughts of suicide are almost obligatory for any self-respecting testimony). The strength of the testimony is that the individual obviously claims to have personally experienced these things. The absence of any real evidence is countered by the fact that it is so emotive. It is also much more difficult to respond to accusations. How can you deny that someone felt depressed?
Curiously, people belonging to the attacked faiths have no knowledge of the supposed negative effects and are totally bemused at how one or two individuals out of millions of practitioners will experience them. The fact that only those who later become involved with the conservative Christian movement are aware of the `dangers’ suggests that the individual may be overly suggestive or psychologically fragile. A good example is the testimony on the website of Reachout Trust of a woman who practiced Tai Chi Chuan, the popular Chinese martial art:
“I stopped seeing friends, was very inward and moody, not sociable, felt very anxious, lost touch with reality, addicted to feeling Chi, even though it made me feel odd, and put me into a trance state…I could not sleep and became very ill, my body and mind went haywire. I was not given the help I needed even though I went to a Chinese Doctor for acupuncture. Then I realised what I had done and went to Church for over a year. I was baptised and had deliverance". http://www.reachouttrust.org/regulars/news/news40.htm
Extensive enquiries about Tai Chi Chuan (known as Tai Chi) reveal that it is just about the most tested and researched exercise in the world. There are countless millions of practitioners of every race, colour, age and of every occupation and status. The medical and academic papers published on Tai Chi are so numerous that a listing of their references would take several pages of this report. But a few are listed (Brown DD, Mucci WG, Hetzler RK, Knowlton RG); (Lai JS, Lan C, Wong MK, Teng SH); (Lai JS, Lan C, Chong CK, Lien IN); (Wang DR, Ward A); (Wang DR, Ward A) http://www.krapu4.com/taichi/research/tairesum.htm. All the evidence suggests that Tai Chi is beneficial to all types of people not only as a physical exercise but (in the context of the vexatious testimony on Reachout) also beneficial for mental illness. Research also revealed that there are no side-effects of this art whatsoever. In addition to this overwhelming scientific and medical evidence there are the millions of Tai Chi practitioners throughout the world who confirm daily the positive effects. It is curious then that none of these people have knowledge of the so-called `dangerous side effects’ reported on Reachout’s website. With the weight of evidence against this particular testimony its authenticity crumbles. We see, instead, an attempt by a religious organisation to undermine and discredit Tai Chi because it is a rival philosophical system.
A personal testimony on the Alpha Course website attacks astrology and mediumship:
"I did a correspondence course in astrology... I then started going to an ‘open circle’ on mediumship which involved trying to communicate with dead people... some people had told me to be careful about my involvement. One of them was a friend who was a Christian, but I thought she was being narrow minded... then [at the Alpha Course group] a new person told about how she had been drawn into the occult and ended up nearly suicidal. I said: `I’ve been doing all the same sort of stuff.' She said: `Get out now. You’re in deep trouble!'” http://alphacourse.org/news/01_08_mycatholic.htm
The implication is that those practicing astrology and mediumship are in danger of becoming suicidal. But if these activities were intrinsically evil one would have thought that many more people (out of the millions of practitioners) would have reported these horrific side-effects. Cleverly, personal testimonies save the particular organisation from complaints of bigotry; “We’re only reporting what someone has experienced” would be the response. It is well to remember that personal testimonies are not scientific or medical evidence, and again, out of the countless millions of people in the world who practice astrology or the thousands who go to mediumship sittings only one or two (later converting to conservative Christianity) seem to be affected by whatever `intrinsic evil' these activities presumably contain. It is clear that suggestion plays a large part in the negative effects felt by new converts to conservative Christianity.
On Reachout Trust’s website again, we have another testimony of a woman who was supposedly initiated as a Witch.
"I was required to bring a copy of the Bible which was burned as I renounced the Christian faith and baptism, pledging a vow of fidelity to Satan and the coven...I was baptised by the High Priestess and Priest and given a new, secret name only to be used in the coven...The High Priest marked me by inflicting a surface mark over my heart...a pact with Satan was signed with my own blood...the coven officer recorded my name in the "black book," an animal was sacrificed and offered to Satan.... My days, and most evenings, were spent under my Mentor's tuition. She was grooming me for my next big step and I was eager to go along with all she had planned for me! I continued to learn more of the 'craft' and "psychic" development, which included: Astrology, Astral projection (out-of-body experiences), Incantations, Mediumship (channelling), Necromancy, Spell casting" http://www.reachouttrust.org/regulars/articles/testimony/niki.htm
Paganism and Witchcraft are very popular testimonies and vastly outnumber those of other faiths. Perhaps this is because of their minority status and perceived secretive nature. `Survivors’ of Paganism can get away with saying outrageous things (who would believe Buddhists or Hindus had signed a pact to hate Christianity?). Common themes for such testimonies are cursing Christianity, burning bibles and sacrificing animals (and Satan always seems to be mentioned somewhere). Needless to say, this type of behaviour is totally unknown to Witches and Pagans – who, as even Dr Thomas recognises, do not recognise the Satan with which conservative Christians have such a fixation. The conservative Christian movement is certainly obsessed with the idea that other faiths, particularly Pagans, hate Christianity. Therefore testimonies of alleged rituals involving Bible burning or hostility towards Christianity should be treated with particular suspicion.
Personal testimonies of the conservative Christian movement are designed to frighten people away from rival belief systems. Practices such as astrology, spiritualism and tarot cards are linked with harm, illness and violence. Often, the act of merely touching implements or coming into contact with someone practicing a rival faith or ritual is enough to bring on an attack.
“I touched them [Tarot Cards] and looked at each one. One had a Satan symbol on it, another a pentagram, another was a wealth card, another was a death card. I put them down and went and sat on our couch. Suddenly something came and paralysed me. I just could not move a muscle. I tried to move my arm or leg and it wouldn't budge. I tried to open my eyes, I tried to scream. No matter how hard I tried I just could not move. And each time I tried to move I had a really horrible pain in the back of my head…all of a sudden all I heard was hideous laughter coming from every corner of the room...” Spotlight Ministries: http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/rescued.htm
“…we were reading the Tarot Cards. When the death card was turned over a glass shelf suddenly shattered with a bang… I went straight to the horoscopes page and was amazed to discover that everything that was happening to me was relevant to my horoscope reading for that day…it was along the lines of having to submit to someone powerful and not being able to resist their control and influence…one night…she looked up into a tree and in a terrified voice said that there was something in it that wanted to hurt us. We both began to run and as we did I heard a blood curdling noise like nothing I have ever heard before...” Spotlight Ministries: http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/testi.htm
“..as I was about to go forward in a church to publicly proclaim faith in Christ, I got incredibly ill. When I went home, I got sicker. I felt an angry presence in the room and I thought it was my spirit guide. I basically told him I belonged to Christ and there was nothing he could do about it, that even if I died, it was too late. “You lose,” I said. I was addressing Satan, although I was really talking to my spirit guide.” Spotlight Ministries: http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/marcia.htm
There
is no logic to the assertion that the devil does not harm the overwhelming
majority involved in `non-Christian practices' but causes harm to a small
number who later become conservative Christians. To confuse things even
further, there is a tradition within conservative Christianity of claiming that
the devil singles out Christians for attack. The reason why non-believers are
not attacked, according to this theory, is that they are already in `Satan's
Kingdom' - so no effort has to be made on them. So personal testimonies which
claim that people in other faiths and philosophical systems are at risk from
harm because of Satan are at odds with the `Satan attacks Christians but leaves
non-Christians alone' hypothesis. If one believes everything conservative
Christians say it seems that Satan attacks people who are Christians and those
who are not Christians - with equal venom and frequency. It seems pointless to
warn of the side-effects of other faiths if being a Christian will bring
similar side effects. Both positions cannot be true and there is no
intellectual coherence here, only a half-baked, convoluted, paranoid conspiracy
theory.
Persecution
and Harassment
· 1997: A Yoga class was banned from a Salvation Army hall after complaints that it was anti-Christian and a `cult’ activity. The teacher, a woman from the Far East and a newcomer to the village of Bideford, north Devon, received leaflets in the post which said that yoga was `likely to fill the mind with unhelpful ideas and bring you into contact with destructive spiritual forces’. The Salvation Army candidly admitted that there were fundamentalist groups that were `agitating against yoga’ nationally. http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/04/28/nyog28.html
· 2000: Another Yoga class was banned – this time from a church hall in Chew Magna, Somerset after its minister said the exercise was `opposed to Christianity and completely unacceptable’. His argument was that Yoga was a `false religion’ because it was linked it to Hinduism which believed in reincarnation. http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$YUJRKRIAAAECZQFIQMGSFF4AVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2000/07/08/nyoga08.xml
· 2001: Yet another Yoga class was banned from a church hall because the vicar feared the exercise classes could lead participants on a path to Eastern mysticism. The Rev Richard Farr, of St Mary's in Henham, on the Essex-Hertfordshire border, said that it seemed completely inappropriate that he should give someone a platform who is advocating `different’ spiritualities. But Howard Kent, founder of the Yoga for Health Foundation pointed out that a Benedictine monk was one of the organisation's instructors and that clergymen were among their most enthusiastic members. http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/11/21/nyoga21.xml
· 2001: A nursery school was evicted from its church home after being accused of promoting Hinduism. Children at the Starlets Nursery at Chatham, Kent, had merely been learning about Diwali - the festival of light celebrated by the Hindi religion. Husband and wife team Jill and Russ Russell spent their life savings setting up the nursery. http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_468250.html
· In 1990 The Daily Telegraph reported that Worcester-based Key & Co Ltd, one of Britain’s largest mail order companies, added the tarot line to its range of telephone advice services. But after complaints by conservative Christians that the line was encouraging people to `dabble in occult pastimes’ the company withdrew the line.
Incitement to religious hatred
“The Occult includes astrology…spiritualism…other religions… martial arts and alternative medicine therapies...destroy any occult items, books, charms or items of clothing...” Nicholas Herodotou, Christian Medical Fellowship Webpage, October 2001 http://www.cmf.org.uk/nucleus/nucapr97/occult.htm
Conservative Christians may claim that the `occult items’ to be destroyed are self-evidently implements of evil and harm. But Nicholas Herodotou specifically and clearly defined `Occult’ as involving other religions and alternative medicine therapies. Logically this means that items of other religions and philosophical systems should be destroyed. If bigotry is not intended then the conservative Christian movement have only themselves to blame for linking rival faiths to evil practices (i.e using the same term to describe both). A similar incitement to burn items of other belief systems was made on Premier Christian Radio on 17 May 2001 for which the station earned a Yellow Card.
Defamation; unsupported accusations of `dangers’ of other faiths & philosophical traditions
Alternative medicine
The Christian Medical Fellowship http://www.cmf.org.uk/ was founded in 1949 and has over 4,500 British doctor members in all branches of medicine, and over 1,000 student members (2002). Their website was launched in 1997 and contains over 800 files. One of CMF's official aims is 'to evangelise patients' and on the website a Christian surgeon argues that `God wishes Christians to convert others'; http://www.cmf.org.uk/nucleus/nucoct96/evangel.htm. The website engages in questionable ethics by giving instructions on how to convert patients; http://www.cmf.org.uk/nucleus/nucjan01/patients.htm. There is no outright encouragement for the Christian doctor to target other faiths for conversion but a magazine (Isa Masih) is aimed at Christian students `concerned' for Muslims. This suggests encouraging conversion but it is not clear whether patients would be the target.
The Christian Medical Fellowship website has many articles on alternative medicine. Medical assessment of alternative therapies is valid but assertions that non-Christian faiths may cause `spiritual ailments’ or that alternative healing is `of Satan’ or `demonic’ is quite unacceptable and rather alarming coming from medical practitioners:
“As physicians concerned for the health and wholeness of our patients, we may be faced with situations where those who consult us are practising yoga…If questioned it is surely quite permissible to point out possible spiritual implications…Christian patients who have been involved in these activities (as well as some other alternative therapies) may suffer spiritual ill-health as a very unwelcome result. Ill effects may include anxiety, depression, fear, interference with prayer life and Bible reading…even demonic oppression.” George Smith, retired GP and Assistant General Secretary / official spokesman on New Age and Alternative Medicine for 'Christians in Caring Professions' (CiCP): http://www.cmf.org.uk/nucleus/nucapr94/yoga.htm
George Smith’ accusations are similar to those published on the Reachout Trust website regarding Tai Chi Chuan. For a retired GP to admit that he used his medical position to indulge in religious bigotry is shocking. The weight of medical and scientific evidence supports the beneficial effects of Yoga and many alternative therapies.
Eastern faiths
Many claims about alternative and Eastern therapies come from hearsay and second hand `testimonies’, not medical tests:
“As General Secretary of CMF, I spoke once on the phone to a lay Christian, an ordinary person without any training or expertise in health matters. He told me how he had visited an acupuncturist in his village, and after half a dozen treatments he had indeed achieved relief of the chronic painful condition he'd first gone with. He put this down to the therapy…but he told me that while the acupuncturist was twiddling the needles he was always muttering something inaudible under his breath, in what sounded like an incantation. He noticed too that progressively over that two month period his own spiritual life had begun to dry up. He found it hard to pray, he lost interest in going to church, he lost some of his love for the Lord. Eventually he came to realise that perhaps he'd come under some harmful spiritual influence from the acupuncturist. Simple repentance and prayer was immediately completely effective in restoring his spiritual life.” Andrew Fergusson, General Secretary of Christian Medical Fellowship: http://www.cmf.org.uk/nucleus/nucoct99/acupu.htm
A telephone call is all the evidence the author needs to issue a bigoted attack on a non-Christian acupuncturist.
Freemasonry
The following article from the same website concerning psychiatry is quite remarkable in claiming that Freemasonry is a cult involving demonic activity. Those with mental illness, we are told, are merely possessed and apparently responsible for their possession. If the author – a medical student – is studying to be a psychiatrist there is surely cause for concern for his future patients.
“Unnecessary secrecy or separatism, such as found in Freemasonry and other cult groups, can also be a sign of demonic activity. In short, anything which is not of the character of the Kingdom of God should be avoided....demons can only tempt and entice us by our 'own evil desire'...we can resist, but choose not to. Each action may not be self-willed in a possessed individual, but the choice to abandon himself to the devil must have been made. Even the most extremely possessed individual is responsible before God.” Adrian Warnock, Medical Student, The Royal London: http://www.cmf.org.uk/pubs/nucleus/nucoct92/mind.htm
The Evangelical Alliance has a whole set of recourses on their website dealing with the so-called `dangers’ of what they call `therapies of non-Christian origin’:
“It must be said that there are alternative therapies which are incompatible with Christianity. Indiscriminate use of some therapies may leave a person vulnerable to spiritual, emotional or physical harm.” Rev Paul Harris, Evangelical Alliance UK: http://www.eauk.org/ContentManager/Content/handlewithcare/intro.htm
Spiritual harm is an impossible hypothesis to test. The accusations of emotional or physical harm resulting from `some therapies’ is valid but misleading. Indiscriminate use of some Christian rituals such as exorcism for example has left many people vulnerable to emotional and physical harm too. It is easy to choose activities practiced by a particular belief-system and point to its harmful tendencies and dangers. I am sure that many conservative Christians would be outraged if Buddhists and Hindus warned of the dangers of allowing children to go to Christian churches on the strength of the Anna Climbie tragedy.
The CARE response to the Review of the ITC Code of advertising Standards & Practice, makes similar accusations about astrology and divination:
“We note that the ITC "is minded to liberalise" the rule on advertising of "supernatural" products so that individual fortune telling, rather than the mass market of horoscope columns, would be allowed. As a Christian organisation, we do have serious concerns about this proposal and believe that such practices can be harmful spiritually and emotionally to individuals and should not be encouraged.” CARE (Christian Action, Research & Eduction) Response to the Review Of The ITC Code Of Advertising Standards & Practice: Advertising Prohibitions July 2000: www.care.org.uk/resource/docs/response_itc.htm
Paganism
The Association of Christian Teachers website has a page dedicated to Halloween which attacks Paganism, linking Pagans to Nazi figures and the most foul deeds. It is disturbing that a teachers organisation is publishing such bigotry:
"Paganism hardly a cultural mainstay of all that is best in our society. Suppose that in our folklore, witches and demons merely represent moral evil…if Nazi figures were regularly presented for children's admiration and affection there would soon be a public row. But loveable little witches are brought out every autumn . This disturbs the polarization of good and bad, right and wrong in children's minds. It is a negative stroke in moral education...occultism, witchcraft and Satanism are popular and powerful fads, if nothing more. They are associated with sexual immorality, drugs, racism, sadism, and even murder. Hallowe'en can be an apparently harmless introduction to something very nasty below the surface of our society." The Association of Christian Teachers: http://www.christian-teachers.org/briefings/b-004.html
“There must also be the enforcement of the law on certain forms of immoral religious activity and advocacy….now we are having Scientology adverts on our TV screens. What could be more public?… The Christian tradition after all is what 71 percent of the population claim an allegiance to. But that the law allows, or does not even require a Government health warning on, certain other traditions - such as some occult and pagan advocacy - beggars belief…” The Christian Institute:
Tai Chi Chuan
Reachout Trust reacted to a programme
to bring Tai Chi into schools by the most extraordinary accusations on their
website:
"It has been reported from a number of areas of the country that Primary Schools are taking part in a pilot scheme to allow Tai Chi lessons to take place in schools at the beginning of the day… If this comes to your school please be aware of the following concerning Tai Chi…the practising of the exercises brings about a change of personality in the form of an emotional detachment. This is the result of what is known as an altered state of consciousness. Sometimes a glazed look in the eye or dilated pupils result…the practitioner can be vulnerable to effects such as initial elation followed by symptoms or ailments varying in intensity in each individual such as unhappiness, panic, moodiness, depression (mild or serious), nervous breakdown, suicidal tendencies, oppression and in some cases demonic possession. It can also bring about a cycle of cause and effect in that the more depressed one becomes the more one practises it in the hope that it will lift the depression.” http://www.reachouttrust.org/regulars/news/news40.htm
To the millions of practitioners of Tai Chi and the many researchers into its effects such accusations will be absurd and defamatory. There is also the real danger that parents ignorant of Tai Chi may be alarmed at such claims.
Yoga
"You have tapped into a power that is not from God." Reachout Trust: http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/newage/yoga2.htm
"When you get involved in the exercises and meditation of Yoga you are opening yourself up to a supernatural force that does not come from God " Reachout Trust: http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/newage/yoga.htm
Such claims are deeply insulting to the many Yoga practitioners who believe in God (including Christians). Furthermore, these claims cannot be tested by rational or scientific means. The freedom to express opinion aside, it is quite simply bigotry to claim that other people’s faiths or practices are `not of God’ simply based on one’s own personal beliefs or based on interpretation of a religious scripture.
The Evangelical Times has a whole library of online articles accusing other faiths of `spiritual darkness' and implying that harm will come to followers.
Buddhism
Buddhist countries are accused of being in `spiritual darkness' because of Buddhism and Buddhists practitioners are described as a `sect':
"A Chinese sect meets just a few doors away, providing a reminder of the great spiritual darkness that exists in this land." http://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/mar02/mar02a06.htm
Hinduism
Next, India is attacked because of its Hinduism. The accusation of spiritual darkness is especially offensive because of India’s great spiritual legacy:
"There are spiritual encouragements and bright spots in the churches, but overall India is a land of great spiritual darkness." http://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/aug 97/aug97a12.htm
General chauvinism
A general chauvinistic attitudes towards other faiths may not amount to defamation but it may possibly be a sign that more hostile thoughts are lurking beneath the surface.
The Reachout Trust apparently believes that God wants to dismantle Islam:
“As Christians, we need to pray for these very needy and bound people. Today, communism, which has been a great hindrance to the spread of the gospel in the countries dominated by it, is being dismantled. I believe that God wants to do the same in Islamic countries...” http://www.reachouttrust.org/info/world/islam.htm
The Association of Christian Teachers also has a chauvinistic attitude to Islam:
“Long-standing constraints on Christian expressions in education seem not to apply to other faiths, notably Islam …why is it educationally wholesome for Christian children to be sidelined while Muslim children must be visibly and uncritically affirmed?” http://www.christian-teachers.org
The Evangelical Times has a Chauvinistic attitude regarding both Islam and Roman Catholicism.
“While some early Protestants had difficulty disowning the unbiblical legacy of Rome, the Reformed Churches appealed to the Bible against both Islamic and Roman Catholic persecution…by the standard of the Bible, both Islam and the Roman Catholic Church are guilty…the authentic ‘Christian response’ to both Rome and Islam is the ‘Reformed response…may God in his infinite grace and mercy bring both Muslims and inconsistent Christians to a true confession and expression of the gospel…” http://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/nov01/nov01a14.htm
EXPOSING THE STRATEGIES OF THE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
For the purpose of Esotericism 2001, the Esoteric Alliance called itself The Mysticism and Occultism Federation’ (MOF). Why? Mysticism and Occultism are integral parts of esotericism. The terms are also much misunderstood. Within esotericism, mysticism has a better `press’ than Occultism. To respond to the conservative Christian movement’s attacks on other spiritual traditions we set up our own website to mirror the content and style of conservative Christian websites that accuse other faiths of being `dangerous’. The MOF website contained various articles suggesting that `fundamentalism’ in religions may be harmful. What reaction would this elicit from the conservative wing of Christianity?
Outrage of the conservative Christian movement
Dr Colin R Nicholl
The conservative Christian movement discovered that it wasn’t very nice to `targeted for their beliefs’; the MOF was accused of `religious chauvinism’, `whipping up hatred towards a religious group’ (the conservative Christian movement) and of `mischief making’. These accusations were made in an important article in The Spectator on 24 November 2001 by Colin R. Nicholl, who lectures at the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge. Dr Nicholl made what he called a `quick scan' of the MOF website after Premier Radio had been awarded a Yellow card by the Radio Authority for their content (see the monitoring project).
"The federation, as I discovered from its website, has five
‘part-time unpaid volunteers’ who monitor the media, particularly Christian
media, such as Premier Radio, looking for ‘unfair’ and ‘offensive’ comments
which are exclusivistic or ‘intolerant’ of other ‘spiritualities’, such as
Satanism, occultism, New Age, magic, astrology and divination." http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=current&issue=2002-01-05&id=1328&searchText=
The inclusion of `Satanism' here is puzzling. There was no mention on the MOF website of `looking for comments' about Satanism. Indeed, the enthusiasm of the conservative Christian movement in wrongly linking esotericism and other faiths with Satanism was one of the motives behind Esotericism 2001. Needless to say, we were careful not to place anything on our website which would in any way indicate that Satanism was being promoted. This point was raised in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury on 2001 by one of our associates. This wwas in response to a letter in The Times by the Reverend Richard Thomas, Director of Communications of the Diocese of Oxford (The Church's failure to fight Occultism) mentioned earlier.
As part of the monitoring project at the end of 2001 we also wrote letters to the Broadcasting Standards Commission protesting about a programme on a single-faith Satellite Channel that accused astrology of being `Satanic'. Since the major thrust of Esotericism 2001 was to respond to the `all non-Christian spirituality is of Satan’ accusations of the conservative Christian movement, it would be somewhat inconsistent, not to say embarrassing, for the MOF to promote Satanism on its website. It simply did not do so.
I will not entertain the notion that Dr Nicholl, a Cambridge theologian, deliberately and dishonestly lied about what he had seen in his `quick scan' of the MOF website. It is far more likely that he assumed a linkage between astrology, magic, divination, the New Age - and Satanism. This automatic assumption speaks volumes for an orthodox mindset of unthinking bigotry and by itself almost vindicates the Esotericism 2001 project.
Dr Nicholl’s article began a chain reaction of `Chinese whispers’; website after website copied the article virtually word for word - and some took up the `Satan’ accusation and made a meal of it:
"Premier Radio has been under satanic attack by a group called "The Mysticism and Occult Federation." Love Worth Finding: http://www.lwf.org/qryCustomPg.asp?name=ukprayerteam
In his critique of the MOF website, Dr Nicholl blends half a dozen articles to make a fusion of MOF attitudes.
‘Christian fundamentalists’, we learn, belong in the same camp as Marxists, Maoists and Nazis — they are all ‘fanatics’ and ‘Scripture cultists’. Indeed, they are xenophobic blasphemers whose thoughts and ideas are ‘more sinister’ than ‘racism’ in serving as the ‘impetus for persecution’
The articles talked of fundamentalism in general – not only from the Christian tradition. The point was made quite reasonably that it is dangerous to simply repeat what we learn in books and take them literally; the linkage to Marxists, Maosists and Nazies was to show how man-made scriptures (Das Kapital, Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book and Mien Kampf respectively) could lead to dangerous and fanatical activity. Linking other belief-systems to unpleasant activities seems to be a prerogative of the conservative Christian movement - a technique which they obviously guard jealously.
The MOF website, Dr Nicholl asserted, would have been in breech of the proposed now religious hate laws in that it `whipped-up hatred’ for a `religious minority’ (conservative fundamentalist Christians):
"...what will be made of Part 5 of the government’s anti-terrorism laws, which outlaws with the threat of up to seven years’ imprisonment ‘insulting words or behaviour likely to stir up hatred against a group of people because of their religious belief’?"
Part 5 of the bill was dropped. But conservative Christians are certainly relieved. Ironically, in attacking the MOF website (which is long gone from the internet) Dr Nicholl condemns the conservative Christian organisations the MOF mirrored for just a few months. The offensive bigotry on these conservative Christian websites is still there at the date of writing this report. There are also tracts, books, magazines and videos containing much worse bigotry. One wonders whether Dr Nicholl's observation on Part 5 of the defunct anti-terrorism law not relevant to these organisations too?
Dr Nicholl’s definition of religious pluralism is consistent with that of the conservative Christian movement:
Finally, in light of Dr Nicholl’s assertion that the MOF were `religious chauvinists’, he also suggests in the article that it is empirically true that Buddhist, Islamic and Hindu holy books are full of superstition and absurdities. Read a fuller response to Dr Nicholl’s article.
The situation
in 2002
The deliberate ridicule of Eastern religions is still widespread within the conservative Christian movement. The Reachout Trust’s discussion forum has a lively counterpoint of `cheesy jokes’ (as Dr Nicholl would call them) aimed at Buddhism: “He’s not heavy, he’s my Buddha,” one message quipped. Another: “An episode of Big Buddha?”. On another discussion thread we read that Hindu food is like poison. There is no attempt by the webmaster to moderate or control this bigotry. Reachout Trust is a registered charity which is advertised as a `useful link’ on Premier Radio’s website and the Evangelical Alliance’s website. .
The Good News
Christianity is compatible with Esotericism. Brother Kimpton is a Catholic priest who dowses for sinking wells in the Third World as part of a wonderful project which improves the water supply to many villages:
“'Reaching The Unreached' (RTU). This is a charity founded by Brother James Kimpton, FSC, a De La Salle Brother, and is an organisation of social workers based in a remote village in Tamil Nadu in South India. Its whole aim is to outreach to those in the greatest need at the grassroots level in the many small villages in the area.” The British Society of Dowsers http://www.britishdowsers.org/water_for_life_appeal.html
It would be a mistake to assume that all Christian organisations are hostile to other faiths and metaphysical practices. Here is the position of The Church's Fellowship for Psychical & Spiritual Studies (CFPSS) :
"The Fellowship takes a positive view of psychic sensitivity which many people experience quite naturally in their lives, perhaps through an unsought telepathic communication. Some seem to have a greater awareness of this dimension than others and in some it is more refined. There is a gentle call on members to relate this to a fuller Christian life in which the psychic may find consecration." The Church's Fellowship for Psychical & Spiritual Studies: http://www.cfpss.freeserve.co.uk
The fellowship obviously stresses that it approaches the paranormal from a Christian context, and has its own ideas of what it sees as what it calls the `darker aspects of the paranormal' - but it steers clear of the paranoid assumptions of the conservative Christian movement on such matters. The Fellowship is proof that Christians can approach metaphysical subjects without bigotry.
Historically, Christianity is compatible with practices which modern-day conservative Christians call `occult’ CW Leadbeater, Leadbeater (1847-1934) was a Church of England clergyman, Freemason, clairvoyant, mystic and occultist:
“The term occultism has
been much misunderstood; it may be defined as the study and knowledge of the
hidden side of nature by means of powers which exist in all men.” CW Leadbeater
(1926).
“The
goal of the Occultist, no less than that of the mystic, is conscious union with
God.” CW Leadbeater (1926).
Thomas Colley (1839-1912) was a `Christian Spiritualist’. He was curate of St Thomas’s Church, Coventry (1871); curate of St Mary’s Church, Portsmouth (1874); Chaplain of NMS Malabar (1876); Archdeacon of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (1979); Rector of Stockton (1901).
F C Happold. Like other Christian mystics before him, he recognised, within the Christian tradition, the pluralist nature of the spiritual experience. He frequently quoted Christian mystics Thomas Auqinas and Meister Echart and Zen Buddhist mystic Hsuan-chiao. He must have the last word of this report:
“He who sees not God everywhere, sees Him truly nowhere.” F C Happold (1966).
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