THEOLOGY & APOLOGETICS
Deepak Chopra: Exchanging God's Glory
By Sally Plemons
Deepak Chopra claims not to belong or adhere to any particular religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism (in which he was raised), Buddhism, or any other organized religious institution. His is a mixture of all of the above, with a smattering of New Age, as well as occult beliefs and ideas.
God created the species of man (mankind) to be worshippers; intending that they seek an intimate, personal relationship with Him alone; however, due to the introduction of sin (rebellion) at the fall, the inner longing for God became corrupted, so that they sought for anything or anyone greater than themselves. This truth is evident in the writings of Solomon, who understood the deep, inborn need for the eternal, as declared in Ecclesiastes 3:11: "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end."
Deepak Chopra, like so many others, has a theology that is corrupted, in that his belief system is based on man-centered, man-focused ideas, rather than on God's absolute truth as written in His word — the Bible. Chopra's thoughts about Jesus bear proof of his anti-biblical, anti-God teachings, and he has written a book based on his twisted interpretation, called The Third Jesus, stating that there is an historical Jesus, a theological Jesus, and a cosmic Jesus. He makes such statements as, "Jesus is part of our collective unconscious as an archetype, and you know he's not going to go away. So we have to see what kind of relationship we are going to have with this kind of divine inspiration."
He also does not believe that "Christ was a Christian" or that "Buddha was a Buddhist," because "these institutions were created later." He claims that he believes in "secular spirituality, a domain of awareness where we can all experience the same truths." Born in New Delhi, India, Deepak was educated, and became a doctor. He moved to America, and eventually became Chief of Staff of the New England Memorial Hospital, besides keeping a private practice. During this time in his life, he made the decision to move away from the medical norm, and into the field of holistic medicine, applying the Indian inspired system of Ayurveda and yoga, declaring that he is "bridging the technological miracles of the west with the wisdom of the east." Essential to his approach to good health is the practice of meditation — the "silencing of the mind." He believes this helps in avoiding negativity, which he believes behaves like a "toxin" on and inside the body. He also believes in strict discipline when it comes to diet, as food intake affects not only the body, but the mind, and the spirit as well. He believes in "karma" — the law of cause and effect according to Hindu yoga standards. Although he claims that he does not promote Hinduism as a way of life, many of his teachings find their basis in the Hindu culture.
Some of his most famous supporters include Oprah Winfrey, who co-founded the meditation experiences "Finding Your Flow" and "Oprah and Deepak's 21 Day Meditation Experience," which they claim will serve as a powerful and energizing inner guide for transforming your life. All of these teachings are in direct conflict with those written in God's holy and inerrant word, the Bible. First and foremost, meditation on anything other than the things of God — His word and His truth — is strictly forbidden in Scripture. It is a practice as ancient as the flood of Noah, and can be found woven into the pagan cultures that grew out of Babel. Holistic medicine, as Dave Hunt of Berean Call Ministries so aptly wrote in his book Occult Invasion, "…is sometimes spelled 'wholistic', because it supposedly deals with the whole person: mind, body, and spirit." In his book, he asks the following questions: "1. What kind of medicine do you give to a spirit? 2. Were you really trained in medical or nursing school to diagnose or treat a spirit? 3. Isn't spirit a religious term?" He concludes that "holistic medicine is shamanism revived in the west."
According to shamanism.com, shamanism is defined as: "an ancient healing tradition and a way of life. The teachings of shamanism focus on our connection to nature and promote the well-being of all creation." The website further states: "Essential aspects of shamanic life include journeying, ceremony, sacred dance, and pilgrimages to places of power in nature...it is an intermediary between this world and the spirit world." Holistic medicine, meditation, spiritism, shamanism, and yoga (a form of Eastern mysticism), are all practices of an occult nature; therefore, they are in direct violation of God's ordinances for His children.
The worship of the natural world (man, animals, nature, the universe, and the spirit realm), rather than the Creator, is nothing new. The Holy Spirit long ago inspired Paul to write a warning about such deception in Romans 1:18-23:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.Deepak Chopra, along with a multitude of others, in effect teach that God is who you conceive Him to be — He is different to every person, and His effect on the life of each individual differs in how He is perceived. This god is not the God of the Bible; this god is nothing more than a self-imagined deity — a "force" (as in the Star Wars saga), greater than self, yet controlled by the power and thoughts of the physical, conscious mind. This type of mindset affords Satan and his minions with a perfect passage for influencing and deceiving because their work is done in the minds of men.
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Published 5-21-14
