Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor

Dr Matt's Archive of Answers
to Burning Questions

1. Our Lord and Savior organized a true church: Eph. 4:11-15
   Jesus Christ is the church's chief corner stone: Eph. 2:20
2. The True Church will have Christ at its head: Eph 5:23 and His church  
   will bear the name of Jesus Christ: Col. 3:17 - Eph. 5:19-24 - 1 Cor 9:2 & 9-13
   
3. The True Church will have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets: Eph. 2:19-20  
4. The True Church will have the same organization as Christ's original church: Eph. 4:11-15  
5. The True Church will claim divine Priesthood authority: Heb. 5:4-10  
6. The True Church will have no paid ministry: 1 Cor. 9:16-19 - Acts 20:33-35 - John 10:11-13  
7. The True Church will baptize by immersion: Matt. 3:13-17, and both baptism and believing  
   in Christ are necessary to be saved unto eternal life: Mark 16:16 - John 3:36 - 1 John 5:13
   
8. The True Church will have divine authority to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost  
   by the laying on of hands: Acts 8:14-17 - Acts 2:36-38
9. The True Church will practice divine healing: Mark 3:10-15  
10. The True Church will teach that God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ are separate  
    and distinct individuals: John 17:11 & 20:17 - Acts 7:55-59 - 2 Cor 1:2-3 - 2 John 1:3
11. The True Church will teach that God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ have bodies  
    of flesh and bone: Luke 24:36-39 - Acts 1:5-11- Heb. 1:1-3
12. The Leaders of Christ's Church will be called of God: Heb. 5:4 - Exodus 40:12-16 & 28:1-4  
13. The True Church will call prophets to receive revelation from God: Amos 3:7  
14. The True Church will be a missionary church: Matt. 28:15-20  
15. The True Church in the latter days will be a restored church, due to a falling away brought  
    on by the murder of the Apostles who held divine authority: 2 Thes. 2:1-3 - Acts 3:19-21
16. The True Church will practice baptism for the dead: 1 Cor. 15:12-23 & 15:29  
17. The True Church will be recognized by its fruits: Matt. 7:15-20  

Origin of the 17 Points 
of the True Church 

In his college days, Floyd Weston and four of his friends formed a study group. Their goal was to find key points in the Bible that described the True Church that Christ organized during His mortal ministry. So it was this study group that identified what became known as the 17 Points of the True Church of Jesus Christ.

After their college days, Weston and his friends were separated by

the events of World War II, as well as pursuits of career and family. Years later the five friends reunited to discover that in their individual quests to find the True Church, as described in the Bible, each had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In a fireside talk, Floyd Weston told the story of how he and his friends got together and searched the scriptures to discover the key characteristics of the True Church of Jesus Christ. Audio recordings of this fireside are available on CD at Deseret Book Company, and at Amazon.com.

Here is a transcript of that fireside talk:

I had an experience as a young man that I shall never forget. At college one day, some friends and I heard that Albert Einstein, the great scientist, was speaking to a faculty group. We attended the lecture and enjoyed his remarks very much. However, I didn't comprehend everything he said, but I did understand his concluding remark. He said:

"Gentlemen, the deeper that I delve into the sciences of this universe, the more clearly I believe that one God or force or influence has organized all of it for our discovery."

We walked quietly back to our dormitory and commenced discussing religion. There were five of us: four of us belonged to different religions, and one was a professed atheist. One of the group was a brilliant fellow named Jim. He had a photographic mind. Jim could take a book, read the words on a page, close the book, and recite verbatim what he had read.

As a result of having heard Dr. Einstein’s remarks, when we started to discuss religion, Jim when to the drawer of the dormitory and he took out a Bible. Then he went into the hallway where he found a large chalkboard and maneuvered it into our room. Next, he took the Bible and went through it page by page. He was convinced that our Heavenly Father was and Is a just God. He was convinced that in some of the 800 or so different beliefs and sects listed in the almanac, that one represented the truth and the whole truth. One page at a time, Jim took his Bible and went to work on this chalkboard.

After almost eight weeks, Jim had both sides of the chalkboard filled; then he asked a secretary to come in, write down the information, summarize it, and type it on a five-by-seven card. He gave each of us a card and presented a plan. He said:

"I have taken from the Bible all the evidences I could find to help a person identify the true Church. I'm convinced that Jesus Christ was sent here to organize his Church, and I believe it is somewhere on the earth today."

So every Wednesday night and every Sunday, we went out looking for this Church. We visited various churches, but none of them had what we were searching for. Some of the points that Jim had written down were that the true church would accept the scriptures, it would not have a paid ministry; it would have the proper authority from God; and it would claim to be the true church.

Not long after this search began, I decided to check out of school and train to become a paratrooper. While I was training, I had a wonderful experience I will share with you now:

I kept my five-by-seven card in my footlocker. On Sundays, I would occasionally attend one of the nearby Protestant churches. As I rode the bus to the outskirts of town to attend church meetings, I recognized a group of fellows on board that were in my class of paratrooper trainees. They got off and went into a little brownstone church; they were a tremendous group.

I never saw any of them with a cigarette in his mouth. I never heard a foul or obscene word or suggestive story from any of them. As I looked over their records, I noticed that they were all from the West; they were always laughing, having a tremendous time, and everyone liked them.

There was one young fellow in this group, a little short farm boy from Utah, who seemed to be their leader. I was talking with him one day just as he was preparing for a parachute jump. That morning there had been a rather serious accident with one of the trainees, and I asked this farm boy how he felt about it.

"Oh, I don't mind," he said. "I know the answers to the three questions."

I thought, What's he talking about? I said, "What questions?" He replied:

"Unless you can answer three questions before you leave the earth, in great measure you have wasted your life."

About that time, the red light came on, and the little buzzer started sounding. I had to get ready to send him on his jump. All the time, I was wondering what he was talking about. The next evening I found out where he lived. As I walked into the barracks, he saw me coming and passed the word around. He was shining his boots. I walked up and said:

"Hey, listen." He responded, "What is it, Sarge?"

I said, "Tell me, what are these three questions?"

"Oh, don't you know? Well, number one, where did you come from before you came to earth?"

I thought, How silly can you be!

"Number two, why are you here? And number three, where are you going after you leave this earth?"

I said, "Anyone can answer. ... Wait a minute. I don't know. I don't know!"

Subsequently, I had other conversations with this young man and his companions. I had my five-by-seven cards with me, and I asked them all the questions. As I progressed down through all the descriptions of the true church, my heart beat harder. The church described by these men agreed with every single point on the card. I came to know for a surety that they were teaching me the truth, and I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A while later, I went through California on a furlough. The Church was having a conference at a stake center. As I walked in, I saw an Air Force captain. I looked again, It was Jim. He said:

“What are you doing here?” I replied, “Well, this is my church too!"

The thing I want to tell you is that all four of us who were left (with one friend killed in the war), armed with our five-by-seven cards, ended up finding the same church. There might be some who would call this coincidence, but I know it wasn't.

I have learned that gaining an understanding of the gospel is not a problem, only a process. While I was investigating the church, the young trainees told me of another record that would be joined with the Bible, then they handed me this new record, The Book of Mormon. The trainees said, "Don't take our word for it," and they showed me a verse of scripture I will never forget:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true. and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." (Moroni 10:4)

This impressed me. I didn't have to take anybody's word for it. I asked, and I received an answer.

I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. I testify to you that the gospel is here upon the earth. I was looking for a church that had apostles, teachers, deacons and prophets. I found it. There's only one Church on the earth that has a Quorum of Twelve Apostles and that follows the Bible. I bear you my testimony that it is the truth and will bring you joy. And you will be able to bring this joy to others. As you accept this truth, your entire family and posterity will rise up and call you blessed.

I bear my testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.


Here's is Floyd Weston's original 17 Point summary:

  1. Christ's True Church will recognize the Holy Trinity as separate Persons.

            A. Will Know the identity of God (Father), Jesus Christ (Son) and the Holy Ghost (Spirit).

            B. Jesus Christ will be recognized as Head of the Church.     

  2. Will accept the Holy Bible in its entirety of which some parts of the record are missing.

  3. Will contain the same offices.

            A. Twelve apostles are mandatory.

            B. Prophets, teachers, elders, evangelists, bishops, deacons, high priests, saints.

  4. Officers will be "Called of God."

            A. College degree or license insufficient.

            B. Royal Priesthood.

            C. Can be married.

  5. Will have an unpaid Ministry.

  6. Members will be workers in the Church. Women included in activities.

  7. Baptism will be mandatory.

            A. Probably by immersion.

            B. Must be authorized.

  8. Will believe in the Virgin Birth.

  9. Will believe in literal resurrection.

10. Will honor Sunday as the Sabbath.

11. Will receive continuous revelation.

12. Will be payer of tithes.

13. Will partake of the Sacrament of the Lord.

14. Will believe in immortality and a heaven and a hell.

15. Will have miraculous occurrences, healings, visions, tongues, prophecies.

16. Will teach that Jesus Christ will come again.

17. Will be persecuted for beliefs.

This list of 17 adds some important details that are not found in the first list presented above.

Critics say that Floyd Weston embellished the story he has told in the recorded fireside;
they claim he simply "made up" some of the details. But saying that Weston lied,
without any evidence, carries no more weight in establishing truth,
compared to Floyd Weston's original telling of the story.
Either way, saying it ... doesn't make it so.

In the end, the 17 Points gleaned from the Bible by Floyd Weston and his Bible study group, will stand on their own merits. As a person simply reads the Bible and lets various verses speak according to their plain-language meaning, most, if not all, of the 17 Points will prove to be valid descriptions of the Church of Jesus Christ, as the Savior Himself organized it in His day. Further, the 17 Points will also describe of the church Christ Himself has restored in the latter days, due to the "falling away" prophesied by the Apostle Paul.

Matt Moody, Ph.D.
Social Psychologist

P.S. In one's search for Truth, a place we definitely need NOT look to find God's Pure and Complete Truth, is in the popular New Age Movement — a movement that does indeed contain bits and pieces of Truth, but such superficial scraps are as Sheep's Clothing that hide the Wolf.

New Age Philosophy: The Wolf of Moral Relativism
Hiding Beneath the Pleasing Appearance
of Positivity and Love
by Dr Matt Moody 

On the surface New Age Philosophy is popular and appealing. Millions of people are drawn to its message of positivity. And many Christians are seduced by the praiseworthy and positive appearance of new-age philosophy. But by simply digging beneath the surface of its pleasant veneer, we find that New Age Philosophy directly contradicts foundational truths of Christianity.

By directly quoting New Age Teachings, we will see that New Age Philosophy needs No Savior for Salvation, because there is No Sin from which we must be saved. And there is No Sin, because the apparent Evil in this world is just an illusion. Here's how such ideas are expressed in the New-Age Bible called "A Course In Miracles," from page 23 of the Course's Workbook For Students:

"God did not create a meaningless world. ... What God did not create does not exist. ...
The world you see has nothing to do with reality. It is of your own making, and it does not exist. ...
The idea for today is another step in learning to let go the thoughts that you have written on the world,
and see the Word of God in their place. The early steps in this exchange, which can truly be called salvation,
can be quite difficult ... think of all the horrors in the world that cross your mind.
Name each one as it occurs to you, and then deny its reality.
God did not create it, and so it is not real. Say, for example:

God did not create that war, and so it is not real.
God did not create that airplane crash, and so it is not real.
God did not create that disaster [specify], and so it is not real."

To represent New Age Ideas that are contrary to Christianity, the words of two prominent new-age pioneers will be quoted: Helen Schucman, author (scribe) of "A Course In Miracles," and Ernest Holmes, founder of a religion called "Science of Mind." The words of Marianne Williamson, an acclaimed teacher of "A Course In Miracles" will also be cited. Finally, I will quote the new-age assertions of Louise Hay, a best-selling author and minister for the "Science of Mind" religion.

A Course In Miracles

"A Course In Miracles" (hereafter abbreviated as ACIM) is a combined volume of writings that consists of 669 pages of Main Text, a 488-page Workbook For Students, a 92-page Manual For Teachers, and finally 58 more pages of introductory and supplementary writings — that's an astonishing 1,307 pages of well-written prose that took 7 years to compose.

The writings in ACIM are direct and confident. "The Voice" that inspired the Course has a straight-forward, assertive tone; each sentence communicates with matter-of-fact authority, as if to say — "This is the way the world is, this is the reality of human life!" ACIM is written with an assertiveness that borders on arrogance — a pompous confidence that caught the attention of Marianne Williamson when she first opened ACIM and from page 1 began reading these words:

"This is A Course in Miracles. It is a required course.
Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean
that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can
elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not
aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what
can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the
blocks to the awareness of love's presence,
which is your natural inheritance."

The previous quote from ACIM appears in Marianne Williamson's book, "A Return To Love." When she first began reading these words, Marianne remembered thinking: "that sounded rather intriguing, if not arrogant" (ARTL, p. xiv). But there is one more assertive sentence that Marianne did not print in her book, a sentence that comes at the end of the previous paragraph:

"The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite."

This statement subtly suggests a striking doctrine that is cunningly developed within the many pages of ACIM: That there is no force or entity of Evil in the universe! Why? Because Love — which is equal to God — is "all-encompassing" and therefore, God can "have no opposite." A claim reinforced by this assertion from page 606 of ACIM Text:

"There is no time, no place, no state where God is absent."

Though the statement is simple, its implications shake the very foundations of Christian theology. This seductive doctrine suggests two things:

1) There is no Lucifer, no Satan, no force of Evil — contrary to what the Apostle Paul preached (Eph. 6:12) and contrary to what is generally written in the Old Testament (Job 1:6-8) and the New Testament (Rev. 12:9).

2) God is the Universe, and the Universe is God. ACIM asserts a philosophy of pantheism: that God and the Universe are the same — a teaching that contradicts biblical descriptions of a personal God who is "your Father which is in Heaven" (Matt. 5:16), who "created man in his own image" (Gen. 1:26-27), a God who spoke with Moses "face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend" (Exodus 33:11).

The ACIM Volume that I perused was printed on onion-skin paper, similar to the thin paper used for publishing more expensive Bibles. Also, every paragraph and sentence of ACIM is numbered, in the same way Bible chapters and verses are numbered.

Clearly ACIM was intended to be referred to, and followed. From its very pages, an aggressive goal is openly announced: "to bring about thought reversal at which the Course aims" (ACIM, page ix).

But what kind of thought does ACIM intend to reverse?

The answer comes as one simply reads ACIM and observes how it uses Bible terms like, atonement, salvation, resurrection, and Christ — but brings new, non-biblical definitions to each word. As you read these new meanings that re-define biblical terms, it becomes crystal clear that ACIM was written to "bring about thought reversal" of Bible teachings.

It is both fascinating and frightening that ACIM was not actually authored by Helen Schucman; instead, Helen herself says she was the "scribe," and that the Course came to her through "a kind of rapid, inner dictation" from "the Voice" (ACIM, p. viii). It's also eerie that Helen Schucman describes herself as a psychologist who is "atheistic in belief" (ACIM, p vii). Thus "the Voice" chose an atheist to record 1,307 pages of prose intended to rebut and replace the Bible. Now ask yourself: What kind of god would ever choose an atheist to be a mouthpiece?

Helen Schucman admits that she felt "very uncomfortable" while receiving and transcribing what the Voice dictated, but "it never seriously occurred to me to stop" (ACIM, p viii). Among dozens of doctrines that diverge from Bible teachings, ACIM teaches a doctrine of moral relativism, that all roads lead to Heaven:

"[The Course] emphasizes that it is but one version of the universal curriculum.
There are many others, this one differing from them only in form.
They all lead to God in the end. "
~ ACIM, p. ix

Of course, the Bible describes a different and exclusive pathway to God:

"Strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leads unto life."
~ Matt. 7:14

"I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes unto the Father, but by me."
~ John 14:6

In addition to ACIM's appeal, based upon positivity and love, another reason why some Christians are drawn to New Age Ideas, is because prominent new-age teachers use biblical terms like Atonement, Salvation, Resurrection, and Christ in their writings — again, these Bible terms have very different definitions.

For example, ACIM gives the following meaning to the word Atonement = "cancelling out errors that you could not otherwise correct" (ACIM, p. 9)

This definition draws a vague parallel to biblical Atonement, but instead of "at-one-ment" occurring

through a person's faith in Christ and His sacrifice, the ACIM version of at-one-ment involves a cancelling out of a thinking error, due to a mis-perception of mind — as opposed to repenting of a mis-behavior or sin. Remember, in the new-age paradigm "there is no sin," so the act of repenting is meaningless:

"This is a key idea in understanding what salvation means. You still believe it asks
for suffering as penance for your 'sins.' This is not so. Yet you must think it so while you believe
that sin in real. ... God's Will for you is perfect happiness because there is no sin, and suffering is causeless.
Joy is just, and pain is but the sign you have misunderstood yourself. Fear not the Will of God.
But turn to it in confidence that it will set you free from all the consequences
sin has wrought in feverish imaginations. Say:

God's Will for me is perfect happiness.
There is no sin; it has no consequence. ...

Give these five minutes gladly, to remove the heavy load
you lay upon yourself with the insane belief that sin is real.
Today escape from madness. ... There is no sin. Remember this
today, and tell yourself as often as you can:

God's Will for me is perfect happiness.
This is the truth. because there is no sin."
~ ACIM Workbook, p. 182-183

Marianne Williamson reinforces the teaching that "there is no sin." Note Williamson's words in the above picture-quote: A person is limited only by thoughts, fears, and beliefs — which are all controlled by one's mind. So Marianne is saying that "sin" is not limiting, for sin is an illusion created by "feverish imaginations." Again, the aim of ACIM is to bring about "thought reversal" from a biblical view, to a new-age outlook.

While the new-age version of Atonement is about "cancelling out errors" in your mind, in contrast, the Bible teaches that Atonement is accomplished exclusively through Christ and our Faith in this sole Savior who suffered for our sins. The Atonement is something only the Son of God could do. But in New Age Philosophy, Jesus is reduced to being just a wise teacher. Instead of Jesus being the Christ, the Savior of the world, new-agers see Jesus as a mere mortal who became "self-actualized" through his own corrected thinking; in the same way all human beings can become self-actualized through their corrected thinking.

From a new-age outlook, this mortal world needs No Savior because there is No Sin from which we must be saved. Now note how the following ACIM passage cleverly couples "attack" with "sin," then labels them both "one illusion."

"The state of sinlessness is merely this: The whole desire to attack is gone, ...
The need for guilt is gone because it has no purpose, and is meaningless without the goal of sin.
Attack and sin are bound as one illusion." (ACIM, p. 527)

In this next ACIM passage, observe how "pleasure" and "pain" are also "unreal," thus illusions. This passage is important to new-age believers because typically Sin is tied to experiences of "pleasure" and "pain" — but these two, along with Sin, are only illusions created by incorrect thinking:

"What shares a common purpose is the same. This is the law of purpose. ... Pleasure and pain
are equally unreal, because their purpose cannot be achieved. Thus are they means for nothing,
for they have a goal without meaning. And they share the lack of meaning which their purpose has.
Sin shifts from pain to pleasure, and again to pain." (ACIM, p. 579)

Marianne Williamson

I have to admit, Marianne Williamson offers many practical and poetic insights, such as:

"We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past,
but by the love we're not extending in the present."

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. You're playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that so that
other people won't feel insecure around you."

While I can praise and support certain ideas that Marianne has expressed, I cannot support the larger paradigm that she is preaching; and in fact, I am rejecting and warning against her New Age Paradigm for reasons that come clear as we continue our inquiry.

Marianne comes from a Jewish upbringing and sees Jesus as the highest example of a "self-actualized" human being. She accepts many truths that Jesus taught, especially on the topic of Love. And because her teachings sometimes reflect the teachings of Jesus, some of her messages will have superficial appeal to Christians. However, beneath appearances, Marianne simply does not accept Christ's own description of Himself (John 15:1-5). In an interview with psychotherapist, Bill Elliot, Marianne responded as follows:

Bill Elliott: "Who was Jesus ?"

Marianne Williamson: "Jesus was a human being who while on earth completely self-actualized and fulfilled in all ways the potential glory that lies within us all. ... He demonstrated our destiny. He displayed for all to see the destination of this journey that we are on. ... He was sent down by God — as we all are. We are all extensions of the mind of God."

Bill Elliott: "Was Jesus the only Son of God?"

Marianne Williamson: "Hogwash! First, I believe we are all Sons of God, and it is our destiny to be as Jesus. ... Second, there is only one soul. To say that there is "only one begotten son" doesn't mean that someone else was it, and we're not. It means we're all it. There's only one of us here."

Bill Elliot could have worded the second question more directly. He might have asked, "Was Jesus the only begotten Son of God in the flesh, where his mortal mother was Mary and his immortal Father was God, not Joseph?" Still, Marianne could have taken the opportunity to clarify and affirm what the Bible teaches, but she did not. Instead, Marianne expressed a belief typical of New Age Philosophy: "There's only one of us here ... We are all extensions of the mind of God."

In her book, "Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course In Miracles," Marianne expands on the idea that "there is only one soul. ... There's only one of us here."

"We're like the spokes on a wheel, all radiating out from the same center. If you
define us according to our position on the rim, we seem separate and distinct from one another.
But if you define us according to our starting point, our source — the center of the wheel —
we're a shared identity. ... The word Christ is a psychological term. No religion has a
monopoly on the truth. Christ refers to the common thread of divine love that
is the core and essence of every human mind." (A Return to Love, p. 29)

That "There's only one of us here" is a conclusion that contradicts the Bible. The following prophecy by Ezekiel affirms that every human being is an individual, and "resurrection" means that sinews, skin, and flesh will rejoin the bones of each soul, and every particular person will be raised from the grave, to live again!

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit,
and set me down in a valley full of dry bones. And He said unto me, can these bones live?
Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring
up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live.
O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves,
then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it."
~ Ezekiel, 600 B.C.

If reality is as Marianne Williamson describes it — that all humanity are literally one with the Mind of God — then there would be no need for Ezekiel to prophesy of sinews, skin, and flesh being rejoined to dry bones! If Marianne's New Age Paradigm were true, then Ezekiel would not have written the words he wrote, as the "hand of the Lord was upon" him and he was "carried out in the spirit ... down in a valley full of dry bones."

From 900 B.C., the essential choice has not changed:

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said,
How long halt ye between two opinions?
if the Lord be God, follow him:
but if Baal, then follow him."
~ 1 Kings 18:21

So we all must choose: Believe in the Bible and in the Words of Christ, the Son of God, or believe in the writings of Marianne Williamson and other New-Age Teachers. But we cannot believe both, for New-Age Ideas contradict Bible teachings. For example, New Age Philosophy maintains that Jesus was just a great moral teacher, but Jesus Himself excluded that possibility with stunning statements that no mere mortal could make:

"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25)

"I am the true vine, . . . abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches:
He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:1-5)

People who think that Jesus was a mere mortal, are ignoring His astonishing statements, and denying His many miracles, like raising Lazarus back to life (John 11:21-44), after he had been dead four days.

"I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing:
'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher,
but I don't accept his claim to be God.'
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said
would not be a great moral teacher — he would either be a lunatic or else
he would be the Devil. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is,
the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool,
you can spit at him and kill him,
or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.
But let's not come with any patronizing nonsense
about his being just a great human teacher."
~ C.S. Lewis

Science of Mind

Ernest Holmes (1887-1960), is the founder of Religious Science, or "Science of Mind." In his 669-page book entitled "The Science of Mind," Earnest Holmes writes a chapter called "Finding the Christ," wherein he redefines Jesus as "not the only begotten Son of God," but is "The Son, begotten of the only Father. ... Christ means the Universality Sonship, embodied in any individual who recognizes this Sonship." Holmes continues from page 359 of his book:

"We do believe that in the unique personage of Jesus, this Christ was more fully orbed than in
anyone of whom we have record. We do believe that in the person of Jesus more of
God was manifest. We also believe that Christ comes alike to each and all.
There is no one particular man predestined to become the Christ.
We must understand that Christ is not a person, but a Principle."

On this vital point, "Science of Mind" Religion diverts from foundational Bible doctrine. In contrast to the philosophy and religion that Ernest Holmes contrived out of his mind, the Apostle John, as "moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21), declared this sure way of knowing whether an Idea is from God, or not:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every
spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world."
~ John the Apostle

Echoing the assertions of other New-Age Paradigms and Preachers, the Religion that Ernest Holmes created needs no Savior, no Messiah or Christ to save the world. Why? From pages 335-337 of "The Science of Mind," Holmes maintains that there is no entity of evil, "NO DEVIL." He writes the following, with the added emphasis via italics and CAPITALS supplied by Holmes himself:

"One of the most illuminating things which mysticism has
revealed is that evil is not an ultimate reality, it is simply an experience
of the soul on its journey toward Reality. Evil is not an entity, but an experience on
the pathway of self-unfoldment. ... it is an illusion but [the Mystics] have not denied it as
an experience. ... They have done away with evil as a cosmic entity — NO DEVIL, NO HELL,
NO TORMENT, NO PUNISHMENT outside of that self-inflicted, through ignorance; and
NO SALVATION OUTSIDE OF COUNSCIOUS CO-OPERATION WITH THE INFINITE."

What is a Mystic? Ernest explains:

"A mystic is one who
intuitively perceives Truth and,
without mental process, arrives at
Spiritual Realization. It is from the teachings of the great mystics that the best in the philosophy of
the world has come."
~ SofM, p. 327

"Further, the mystics have taught the ultimate salvation
of all people."
- SofM, p. 335

Earlier, I spoke of "The Voice" that dictated the revelations of ACIM to Helen Schucman. It's clear that some "mystics" who perceive "truth" without mental process, are receiving revelation indeed, but not from the God who created Heaven and Earth. Why?

When mystics contradict the doctrines of the real God of Heaven and Earth, they expose themselves! So, exactly who are they receiving revelation from? I suggest that they are receiving imitation truth from the same fallen angel described in the book of Revelation:

"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, ...
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: ...
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found
any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
~ Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9

Isaiah writes of this fallen angel, who was cast out of heaven:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!"
~ Isaiah 14:12

With Earnest Holmes' statement in mind about "ultimate salvation of all people," now consider the thematic similarity to this account recorded by Moses:

"I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, ... is the same
which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying — Behold,
here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one
soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the
beginning, said unto me — Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine
forever. Because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy
the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also,
that I should give unto him mine own power; ... I caused that he
should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the
devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men."
~ Moses 4:1-4

Louise Hay

Louise Hay was a student of Earnest Holmes, and eventually became one of the "ministers" for the Religion he founded, "Science of Mind" also called "Religious Science." Louise is very popular among people committed to being positive; programming your mind with positive affirmations is a technique central to her self-fulfillment paradigm.

In her book, "You Can Heal Your Life," hereafter abbreviated as YCHYL, Louise presents points that undercut Christianity. Here are some of those points, followed by Bible principles that express the opposite position:

Louise Hay says:
"The Universe Totally Supports Us in Every Thought We Choose to Think and Believe" (YCHYL, p. 2)

Louise Hay embraces the new-age assumption that the "Universe" and God are the same. So Louise is saying that God will totally support you and I in every thought we choose to think and believe. Really? Regardless of whether the thought is good, bad, or ugly?

In contrast the God of the Bible will not support "Every Thought We Choose to Think and Believe" — instead, when we choose ideas and actions contrary to His wisdom and way, we will experience consequences that provide a clear clue that we have not be True to His Truth.

A good man obtains favour of the Lord: but he that is of a perverse heart
shall be despised. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord:
but they that deal truly are his delight."
~ King Solomon, 1015 B.C.

Louise Hay says:
"The Universal Never Judges or Criticizes Us" (YCHYL, p. 2)

Differently, the Bible teaches:

"For whom the Lord
loves he chastens, and
scourges every son
whom he receives."
~ Hebrew 12:6

Louise Hay says:
"The Only thing We Are Ever Dealing With Is a Thought" (YCHYL, p. 3)

This belief reflects Louise Hay's assumption that "our experiences are just outer effects of inner thoughts." The problem with this idea is that other people are reduced to being mere "inner thoughts" in your head.

Related Articles: Understanding the Grace of God
Infusing Work with Heart-Felt Faith
Confused about Faith, Works, and Grace?
Salvation Happens within a Covenant Context
What Jesus Taught on Being Saved to Eternal Life?

* * * * * * *

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Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor