Not everything that seems spiritual is truly Christian, warns columnist Sari Savela. Read here to find out how to know the difference.
Today, there are many spiritualities on offer that resemble Christianity but are not Christian. It is not always easy to know the source of spirituality. Let me give you two examples that have concerned me recently.
Last April, I was surprised to see an interview in the Finnish Christian weekly magazine Kotimaa with Lorna Byrne, a bestselling Irish author whose book “Angels in my hair” is her most popular and has been translated into many languages, including Finnish.
The article was very positive. Byrne said that she prayed for peace and wanted to tell people about God’s love. The writer also described Byrne as a very kind and warm person. The article was written because Lorna Byrne had just visited Finland. She was portrayed as an ambassador of love and peace, which is something the world desperately needs.
Salvation
But is she a Christian? In the article, she makes no mention of salvation, Jesus, or what it means that Jesus died for our sins. In previous interviews, Byrne has said that she can see the souls of the dead and that they send messages to their loved ones left behind. Is this in the Bible? I don’t think so.
I asked an acquaintance who teaches a lot about New Spirituality and the New Age, and has even written books on the subject, what she thought of Lorna Byrne, and she said Byrne was an angel prophet of New Spirituality, which she thought was “very misleading.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Here’s another example: I Googled the phrase “spiritual person” a while ago, and one of the top results was jw.org, with the title “What is spirituality? Can you be spiritual without belonging to a religion?”. I clicked on the link, which took me to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ website, which explains how the Bible answers that initial question.
Confusing. Jehovah’s Witnesses talk about the Bible and use Bible passages in their teachings. However, they are not Christians and their Bible is different from the Christian Bible. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not recognize Jesus Christ as the incarnate and resurrected Son of God, the Savior. They also reject the doctrine of the Trinity, which is central to Christianity.
On the summer solstice, Jehovah’s Witnesses held a large international convention at the Expo Convention Center in Helsinki. More than 20,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses participated. Finland’s largest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat wrote an article about the preparations for the event through interviews with volunteers. At the beginning of the article, the reporter writes that the volunteers’ prayer at the Expo Convention Center ended “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The article also reports that people will be baptized during the event. Confusing, isn’t it? It’s the same element as Christianity.
Wikipedia
Last spring, I exhibited at the Spring Fair at the Helsinki Expo & Convention Center. Among the items I sold were refrigerator magnets with Bible verses on them. A woman looked at them with interest and asked me if I was interested in spiritual things. I replied that I was, but didn’t elaborate any further. Then, unexpectedly, she handed me a business card that read, “Here you will find more spiritual materials.” I was surprised. She handed me a business card that said jw.org. She was introducing me to the spirituality of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In the eyes of secular people, Jehovah’s Witnesses are often lumped together with Christians, and Wikipedia even describes the movement as being based on Christianity.
There are many different kinds of spirituality. Not all spirituality comes from God. Beloved brothers and sisters, do not be deceived (James 1:16). There is a way that is right in a man’s eyes, but the end of it is the way of death (Proverbs 16:25).
