Written by Heather Zubiate
Thin graceful fingers light several gnarled wicks in a darkened room. The form of a young woman, barely visible, is kneeling in front of their flickering light. The warm yellow glow of their flames grows steadily as they burn, their mesmerizing dance is dreamily reflected in her wide and dark eyes. Slowly, her heavily lashed lids close. Needing to feel the loving presence of God, she is faithful to follow the new prayer method she learned at her church. Now sitting comfortably on a soft pillow, ready to practice God's presence, she concentrates on forcing her breathing to slow down into a deep cleansing rhythm; she allows her mind to empty of all her thoughts, and nagging troubles and worries. At last, her shoulders and clasped hands begin to noticeably relax, she is at peace. Now she can begin to repeat her sacred word in the stillness of her mind, a word she carefully chose in order to allow God's presence to connect within her. After several minutes, a familiar warm sensation is felt from the surrounding darkness, and it reaches out to her. Her lips curl into a contented smile: He is here!
Dear reader, this short narrative was created by yours truly to illustrate the method of preforming Contemplative prayer. But if this very short story still hasn't helped you understand what contemplative prayer is all about, fear not. I shall define it for you in greater detail according to the contemplative prayer advocates, and even the method's detractors. And as always, I will be using dictionary definitions as well as verses from the Bible, which I hope will bring in some much needed light to help us understand this poorly lit subject. I pray that you read the material here with an open mind and heart tuned to the truth.
This form of prayer is being touted not only by Christian pastors, but mostly by Catholic monks, and mystics, and yes, even New Age gurus, as a means of preparing a person to feel "God's" presence by silently opening up their mind and heart-- their whole being -- to "God", and it has another name -- "Centering Prayer." Some even call it "Practicing God's presence." There is even another branch that springs from this mystical prayer tree that is called Lectio Divinia. I will cover all that jazz in the coming articles. But for now, I will begin by defining the words: contemplative, and prayer from the Dictionary, and the Bible. Then I will give the definition of these words from mystical sources. Why mystical? You'll see.
Google Dictionary
contemplative /kənˈtemplədiv/
adjective
adjective
- expressing or involving prolonged thought.
"she regarded me with a contemplative eye"
synonyms:thoughtful, pensive, reflective, meditative, musing, ruminative,introspective, brooding, deep/lost in thought, in a brown study"a peaceful, contemplative mood"
- a person whose life is devoted primarily to prayer, especially in a monastery or convent.
My thoughts-
The adjective definition is what I consider contemplative to mean traditionally, but the noun definition is interesting. A contemplative is a person, a certain kind of person. What kind of person is associated with being a contemplative? Members of gender exclusive celibate religious orders, or disciplines. In other words, monks, and nuns. Monks and Nuns pray the rosary, which is mindless repetition. It's so mindless that you need to finger count beads to help you keep track of your prayers. As a Christian, in all honesty, Catholicism, the most familiar religion to us Westerners that has monks and nuns (because Buddhism also has monks and nuns), is not Christianity, but rather Babylonian mystery religion veiled in Christian terms. I know, that sounds so absurd, and even a harsh judgement, right? Nevertheless it's true. Getting back to my point: so far, based on the secular definition alone, this method of prayer isn't starting off on the right biblical foot. But let's continue.
The adjective definition is what I consider contemplative to mean traditionally, but the noun definition is interesting. A contemplative is a person, a certain kind of person. What kind of person is associated with being a contemplative? Members of gender exclusive celibate religious orders, or disciplines. In other words, monks, and nuns. Monks and Nuns pray the rosary, which is mindless repetition. It's so mindless that you need to finger count beads to help you keep track of your prayers. As a Christian, in all honesty, Catholicism, the most familiar religion to us Westerners that has monks and nuns (because Buddhism also has monks and nuns), is not Christianity, but rather Babylonian mystery religion veiled in Christian terms. I know, that sounds so absurd, and even a harsh judgement, right? Nevertheless it's true. Getting back to my point: so far, based on the secular definition alone, this method of prayer isn't starting off on the right biblical foot. But let's continue.
prayer /prer/
noun
noun
- a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship. "I'll say a prayer for him"
synonyms:invocation, intercession, devotion; archaicorison
"the priest's murmured prayers"- a religious service, especially a regular one, at which people gather in order to pray together.
"500 people were detained as they attended Friday prayers" - an earnest hope or wish.
"it is our prayer that the current progress on human rights will be sustained"
- a religious service, especially a regular one, at which people gather in order to pray together.
My thoughts-
Again, the traditional English definition is what I expected. Biblical prayer is a mindful petition, not a mindless repetition like we see with rosary "prayers." We are told in Philippians 4:6 to:
"Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." In Ephesians 6:18 we read: "through all prayer and supplication, praying in the Spirit in every season and unto this very thing, watching with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
And so when we combine the expected and traditional definition of prayer with the instructions from the Holy Spirit, via the Apostle Paul, we have a good picture of what biblical prayer should be. That when I pray, I will "think" about how and what I will petition the Lord for and about. But as with all definitions, there is usually more than one meaning, and so clarification must be sought, not taken for granted, before one accepts a religious practice. Now let's consider what the Bible has to say about contemplative prayer, if anything at all.
Again, the traditional English definition is what I expected. Biblical prayer is a mindful petition, not a mindless repetition like we see with rosary "prayers." We are told in Philippians 4:6 to:
"Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." In Ephesians 6:18 we read: "through all prayer and supplication, praying in the Spirit in every season and unto this very thing, watching with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
And so when we combine the expected and traditional definition of prayer with the instructions from the Holy Spirit, via the Apostle Paul, we have a good picture of what biblical prayer should be. That when I pray, I will "think" about how and what I will petition the Lord for and about. But as with all definitions, there is usually more than one meaning, and so clarification must be sought, not taken for granted, before one accepts a religious practice. Now let's consider what the Bible has to say about contemplative prayer, if anything at all.
The Bible
Contemplative - no direct translation of the word is found in the Hebrew or Greek language. So I'll go with the synonym that I know are in Scripture such as:
All of these types of biblical prayers are to be done with our minds full to the brim with and engaged in active thought, unless your spirit bypasses your brain while speaking in tongues with the help of the Holy Spirit, and not some Kundalini spirit. Prayer is for us to make petitions to God, it is not to be used solely as a medium of connection, where we "feel" his presence. Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, and he didn't mention anything about breathing techniques, or selecting a special word, or phrase to repeat over and over. Contemplative prayers remind me of eastern meditative chanting, which are limited in thought, as they focus on one word or repeated ohrase. The Bible calls this kind of mind numbing noise vain repetitions. Jesus said, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they. shall be heard for their much speaking."
Dear reader, again, Jesus told us how to pray, and he specifically banned this type of repetitive prayer. It is vain in its repetition, and needless as God already knows what he need. Never have I seen an endorsement for vain or mindless repetitive prayer in the hope to experience the presence of God, much less expecting to be heard and answered. We are never told that God will communicate his presence to us through practicing his presence in some mystical ritual, or that we will have a warm fuzzy feeling. I must confess that I rarely "feel" God's presence when I pray. I just go by faith, and what the Bible says, that Jesus will never leave or forsake me, and he hears my prayers. God more often speaks to us through his more sure word, while we speak to him through prayer. That's the way it works, dear reader, and if you don't like it, well tough cookies! If you think God's way of communicating to us is dry, dull, boring, insipid, stale, or unfulfilling, then you need to be saved!
- Meditate
- Think
- Consider
- Ponder
- Reason
- Perceive
All of these types of biblical prayers are to be done with our minds full to the brim with and engaged in active thought, unless your spirit bypasses your brain while speaking in tongues with the help of the Holy Spirit, and not some Kundalini spirit. Prayer is for us to make petitions to God, it is not to be used solely as a medium of connection, where we "feel" his presence. Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, and he didn't mention anything about breathing techniques, or selecting a special word, or phrase to repeat over and over. Contemplative prayers remind me of eastern meditative chanting, which are limited in thought, as they focus on one word or repeated ohrase. The Bible calls this kind of mind numbing noise vain repetitions. Jesus said, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they. shall be heard for their much speaking."
Dear reader, again, Jesus told us how to pray, and he specifically banned this type of repetitive prayer. It is vain in its repetition, and needless as God already knows what he need. Never have I seen an endorsement for vain or mindless repetitive prayer in the hope to experience the presence of God, much less expecting to be heard and answered. We are never told that God will communicate his presence to us through practicing his presence in some mystical ritual, or that we will have a warm fuzzy feeling. I must confess that I rarely "feel" God's presence when I pray. I just go by faith, and what the Bible says, that Jesus will never leave or forsake me, and he hears my prayers. God more often speaks to us through his more sure word, while we speak to him through prayer. That's the way it works, dear reader, and if you don't like it, well tough cookies! If you think God's way of communicating to us is dry, dull, boring, insipid, stale, or unfulfilling, then you need to be saved!
Let Us Reason
There are different types of reason, and the contemplative movement's proponents desire us to use intuitive reason over conscious reason. Intuitive reason is another way of saying "channeling." This is not a biblical practice, it is pagan. God desires us to use rational reason when we deal with our world, he wants us to use our minds in a rational way when we deal with nature, so we can understand who made our world, and how it works. Even so, we do have "gut" feelings about things, and I don't think that is bad, but it is not meant for us to cultivate in a psychic way, or to operate by on a moment to moment basis, or even as a means to connect with God. Now then, in order to really gain the rational knowledge of what contemplative prayer really and truly is, we need to objectively understand where it came from. According to Lighthouse Trails Research Project :
"In the mid-seventies three monks wanted to bring contemplative prayer to Christianity. This is how they did it:
"They invited to the abbey ecumenically oriented Catholic theologians, an Eastern Zen master, Joshu Roshi Sasaki, who offered week long retreats on Buddhist meditation, and a former Trappist, Paul Marechal, who taught transcendental meditation. The interaction between these Christian monks and practitioners of Eastern meditation helped distill the practice of Christian contemplative prayer into a form that could be easily practiced by a diverse array of "non-monastic" believers: priests, nuns, brothers and lay men and women." by Joseph G. Sandman (America Magazine 9/9/00)
"They invited to the abbey ecumenically oriented Catholic theologians, an Eastern Zen master, Joshu Roshi Sasaki, who offered week long retreats on Buddhist meditation, and a former Trappist, Paul Marechal, who taught transcendental meditation. The interaction between these Christian monks and practitioners of Eastern meditation helped distill the practice of Christian contemplative prayer into a form that could be easily practiced by a diverse array of "non-monastic" believers: priests, nuns, brothers and lay men and women." by Joseph G. Sandman (America Magazine 9/9/00)
Pantheism vs Panentheism
Dear reader, Catholicism, Eastern Zen, and Buddhism are not biblical religions, and I therefore take the claim that Christianity includes any of them or their pagan practices, as being false. I think that a point of distinction between the pagan beliefs of pantheism and panentheism is vital to make, because this is how people are able to get Christians to compromise their faith, and accept dangerous concepts and practices, like contemplative prayer. Satan is a subtle liar when he wants to deceive. So what is the difference between these two religious philosophies? Panentheism, in my opinion, is actually a combination of pantheism (all god) and monotheism (one God). So to get an idea of what Panentheism is about, I will discuss it's parentage.
Pantheism and Monotheism
Pantheism is the basis of some false religions ideas, and comes to us from eastern mysticism. The belief of pantheism is the way our senses and our emotions force us to respond to the overwhelming mystery and power that surrounds us. Nature is revered, not as a supernatural being per se, with the natural senses. Even though I admit that the sight of billions of stars in the night sky, and the powerful crashing waves of a roaring sea are powerful and awe inspiring, it seems a little illogical to worship them. I mean, common sense dictates that creation has a creator. And so, for those outside of pantheism, it isn't that big of a leap to say that pantheism's god IS nature and even, the universe. In Pantheism, the goal is to become one with the universe from which one came, through the process of enlightenment, there is no concept of sin in this religion.
Meanwhile, monotheism states that there is only one divine God, a spiritual being with a personality, and he is above and separate from his creation. And he, as creator, is the only God to be worshiped, as he dictates. So when you combine these two diametrically opposed religious views, you get the unholy compromise known as panentheism, which teaches that God physically transcends his creation, but his creation is also IN his mind. Whatever that means. Like I said, it's confusing!
Pantheism is the basis of some false religions ideas, and comes to us from eastern mysticism. The belief of pantheism is the way our senses and our emotions force us to respond to the overwhelming mystery and power that surrounds us. Nature is revered, not as a supernatural being per se, with the natural senses. Even though I admit that the sight of billions of stars in the night sky, and the powerful crashing waves of a roaring sea are powerful and awe inspiring, it seems a little illogical to worship them. I mean, common sense dictates that creation has a creator. And so, for those outside of pantheism, it isn't that big of a leap to say that pantheism's god IS nature and even, the universe. In Pantheism, the goal is to become one with the universe from which one came, through the process of enlightenment, there is no concept of sin in this religion.
Meanwhile, monotheism states that there is only one divine God, a spiritual being with a personality, and he is above and separate from his creation. And he, as creator, is the only God to be worshiped, as he dictates. So when you combine these two diametrically opposed religious views, you get the unholy compromise known as panentheism, which teaches that God physically transcends his creation, but his creation is also IN his mind. Whatever that means. Like I said, it's confusing!
Panentheism
Yes dear reader, panentheism is very challenging to understand! The panentheist sees God in the everyday world, yet God is incomprehensible to the mind, in a way, he is hidden. Another way to look at it is that our outer personality is not God, but God is still in you as your "true identity." This explains why mystics say, "all is one." At the mystical level, they experience this god-force that seems to flow through everything and everybody. Think Star Wars. We learned about The Force through the Jedi knights that this impersonal power permeates and surrounds all things, and you can learn to control it, and the weak minds of others, with it. You can even see the future in visions, but there is a caution about that for the so called "good guys."
Do you see how they teach that all creation has "God" in it as a living, or vital presence, and it is accessed and experienced with the intuitive mind? It is hidden, you don't know you have it, and some are more gifted than others in using that vital presence. But as Christians we should know that things that are hidden are of the occult, and that's not good. Alarm bells should be going off in the Christian's mind, or a check in the gut should help you see there is something wrong. But because accepting this hybrid of pantheism and monotheism is vital for the contemplative prayer movement to be palatable to western Christians, the easiest victims are the ones who don't spend time in the word of God and in biblical prayer. Here is a sample of their confusing rhetoric:
Yes dear reader, panentheism is very challenging to understand! The panentheist sees God in the everyday world, yet God is incomprehensible to the mind, in a way, he is hidden. Another way to look at it is that our outer personality is not God, but God is still in you as your "true identity." This explains why mystics say, "all is one." At the mystical level, they experience this god-force that seems to flow through everything and everybody. Think Star Wars. We learned about The Force through the Jedi knights that this impersonal power permeates and surrounds all things, and you can learn to control it, and the weak minds of others, with it. You can even see the future in visions, but there is a caution about that for the so called "good guys."
Do you see how they teach that all creation has "God" in it as a living, or vital presence, and it is accessed and experienced with the intuitive mind? It is hidden, you don't know you have it, and some are more gifted than others in using that vital presence. But as Christians we should know that things that are hidden are of the occult, and that's not good. Alarm bells should be going off in the Christian's mind, or a check in the gut should help you see there is something wrong. But because accepting this hybrid of pantheism and monotheism is vital for the contemplative prayer movement to be palatable to western Christians, the easiest victims are the ones who don't spend time in the word of God and in biblical prayer. Here is a sample of their confusing rhetoric:
Ken Kaisch, an Episcopal priest and a teacher of mystical prayer, made this very clear in his book, Finding God, where he noted:
"Meditation is a process through which we quiet the mind and the emotions and enter directly into the experience of the Divine…. there is a deep connection between us … God is in each of us."
Please understand dear reader, that Ken doesn't mean that, Jesus Christ the one and only Divine God, has moved into our heart/soul by our invitation to cleans us from sin by his shed blood, but rather he means to teach that each of us can experience Divinity through eastern mystic meditation. What he neglects to mention is whether the "Divinity" that will be "experienced" is authentic and from God, or if it's a counterfeit from Satan. Guru's like this also teach that everyone is basically good, but haven't come to the realization that they themselves are divine, or that they can wake up the divinity within them through experience of "the Divine."
However, the Bible teaches us a very different theology. According to Scripture, the truth is that we are all sinners, and everyone of us deserves to experience eternal hell. But by God's mercy and grace, he came to earth born of a virgin, to die in our place. That is our connection, faith in him, and his work, not through meditation. And when we accept his salvation on his terms, we will experience eternal life, not because we are divine, but because he is! We must acknowledge that we are in need of saving; that we are not divine in any way, and therefore unable to save ourselves from sin. We must also rely on him to dispense his Spirit during any encounters as he sees fit, we are not to seek or demand special manifestations from him through prayer, or any other means. Of course we may ask for the gift we think we want, but God decides who gets what. The Bible also teaches that we are to test any and all spirits, to see if they are on the up and up. And we are also told that Satan comes as an angel of light to deceive. We do not have any really good excuses for being deceived, dear reader.
However, the Bible teaches us a very different theology. According to Scripture, the truth is that we are all sinners, and everyone of us deserves to experience eternal hell. But by God's mercy and grace, he came to earth born of a virgin, to die in our place. That is our connection, faith in him, and his work, not through meditation. And when we accept his salvation on his terms, we will experience eternal life, not because we are divine, but because he is! We must acknowledge that we are in need of saving; that we are not divine in any way, and therefore unable to save ourselves from sin. We must also rely on him to dispense his Spirit during any encounters as he sees fit, we are not to seek or demand special manifestations from him through prayer, or any other means. Of course we may ask for the gift we think we want, but God decides who gets what. The Bible also teaches that we are to test any and all spirits, to see if they are on the up and up. And we are also told that Satan comes as an angel of light to deceive. We do not have any really good excuses for being deceived, dear reader.
You Will Know Them By Their Fruit
There is no doubt about it, mystical experiences are tantalizing to the flesh. Chills, liver quivers, electricity all warm and glowing, gold dust, angel feathers and the like; they all give a supposed physical proof of the presence of God. While Satan's realm of sensory mystical signs promises great reward, in the end, they don't deliver what is promised. He appeared to Eve, not as a literal snake, but (according to Ezekiel 28:13-14) as a beautiful jewel encrusted angel of wisdom and light at the forbidden tree and deceived her into disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit. His promise, that both she and Adam would not die, that they would be like God, didn't pan out, because it was a lie!
As for an example of God showing his legitimate might to one of his prophets, I think of the anti-climactic event when Elijah went to Horeb seeking God after his huge victory over head witch, Queen Jezebel and her false god Baal. After his epic showdown, Elijah was threatened with death by Jezebel, so he ran and hid, and wanted to die. After the Lord took care of him and nursed him back to physical health, Elijah went on a search for God.
Elijah was shown that the Almighty was not in any powerful experiences of the earthquake, wind, and fire. They were empty of his power and presence even though he was there, and caused these things to happen. But when he spoke in a still small voice, that's when Elijah covered his head in reverence. Now keep in mind that all this time, Elijah did not approach the LORD in contemplative prayer, so why did he hear the LORD's voice? It was because Elijah was pouting, and God needed him to snap out of it and get to work. He was, and is not, like other gods, we cannot force him to be at our beck and call, but he can force us to be at his beck and call!
A simple investigation has revealed that the people who brought contemplative prayer to the Church are mystics of monastic orders, which forbid marriage, and certain foods to be eaten, two fruits that we are warned about regarding false teachers and their pseudo spiritual teachings. I ask you, would the Lord allow false teachers to bring legitimate spiritual guidance to his lambs? No! In the reality of truth, it is then seen that Contemplative prayer is false prayer, made to a false god, not to our heavenly Father. The choice, as always, is yours to make. Will you listen to your flesh and embrace this mystical practice with its promise of liver quivers and tingling sensations of "God's" presence, or will you listen to the Lord and pray as he taught us to pray? Contemplative prayer is a fleshly way for the untaught and unskilled in righteousness to connect little stray lambs into communication with demons. I think I have adequately shown that this pagan method is not how God communicates and connects with his faithful sheep. Be wise, or be deceived. Amen!
As for an example of God showing his legitimate might to one of his prophets, I think of the anti-climactic event when Elijah went to Horeb seeking God after his huge victory over head witch, Queen Jezebel and her false god Baal. After his epic showdown, Elijah was threatened with death by Jezebel, so he ran and hid, and wanted to die. After the Lord took care of him and nursed him back to physical health, Elijah went on a search for God.
Elijah was shown that the Almighty was not in any powerful experiences of the earthquake, wind, and fire. They were empty of his power and presence even though he was there, and caused these things to happen. But when he spoke in a still small voice, that's when Elijah covered his head in reverence. Now keep in mind that all this time, Elijah did not approach the LORD in contemplative prayer, so why did he hear the LORD's voice? It was because Elijah was pouting, and God needed him to snap out of it and get to work. He was, and is not, like other gods, we cannot force him to be at our beck and call, but he can force us to be at his beck and call!
A simple investigation has revealed that the people who brought contemplative prayer to the Church are mystics of monastic orders, which forbid marriage, and certain foods to be eaten, two fruits that we are warned about regarding false teachers and their pseudo spiritual teachings. I ask you, would the Lord allow false teachers to bring legitimate spiritual guidance to his lambs? No! In the reality of truth, it is then seen that Contemplative prayer is false prayer, made to a false god, not to our heavenly Father. The choice, as always, is yours to make. Will you listen to your flesh and embrace this mystical practice with its promise of liver quivers and tingling sensations of "God's" presence, or will you listen to the Lord and pray as he taught us to pray? Contemplative prayer is a fleshly way for the untaught and unskilled in righteousness to connect little stray lambs into communication with demons. I think I have adequately shown that this pagan method is not how God communicates and connects with his faithful sheep. Be wise, or be deceived. Amen!