God gave humans the truth, and the devil came and he said, 'Let's give it a name and call it religion.'"
"Motivational guru Deepak Chopra believes he provides answers for a new age, teaching his international body of followers that the key to solving problems is to seek God within. Chopra's philosophy, zealously marketed through books, seminars and tapes, has won him legions of fans...
In a telephone interview, Chopra, who was born in India, said he prefers to be thought of as spiritual rather than religious.” The founders of religion were universal beings," he said. "But at some point it developed dogma and ideology and unfortunately we have had more anguish and more war and more hatred and more bigotry and more suffering in the name of religion than in every other name... . I like to think of myself as seeking spirituality, which is the basis of religion. God gave humans the truth, and the devil came and he said, 'Let's give it a name and call it religion.'"- Deepak Chopra
>
>"The eschatology that binds Judaism, Christianity and Islam as one—
> final events in history, Resurrection, fulfillment of a divine plan
> for humanity, and the immortality of the human soul—is harmoniously
> and collectively fulfilled by the Divine Feminine (Adi Shakti). This
> site is thus also an open book and challenge to all guardians of
> religious regimes—priests, pastors, reverends, bishops, popes,
> rabbis, clerics, imams, mullahs, shaikhs, ulema, ayatollahs, gurus,
> swamis, pandits, brahmins, acaryas, bhagwans, granthis, gianis,
> lamas, monks, dalai lamas—to rebut and prove Shri Mataji Nirmala
> Devi's Divine Message false. Skeptics, atheists or any anti-cult
> organization, especially those specializing in busting fake gurus
> and false claims, are most welcome.
>
> Should the high priests of organized religions fail to challenge
> this site, a forgone conclusion of which we are absolutely assured,
> they should refrain from further misleading and dividing fellow
> beings on religious, spiritual and mystical issues that are beyond
> their present comprehension. The millennia-old rule of the
> patriarchal priestly class is definitely over. The religious elite
> should begin to realize that the sun is now setting on their
> evening empires which are crumbling into sand, and from those ruins
> is breaking the Dawn of the Divine Feminine that will awaken the
> human race from their long spiritual slumber.”
>
> http://adishakti.org/
>
Chopra: Deep stuff or New Age fluff?
ST. PETERSBURG
Motivational guru Deepak Chopra believes he provides answers for a
new age, teaching his international body of followers that the key to
solving problems is to seek God within. Chopra's philosophy,
zealously marketed through books, seminars and tapes, has won him
legions of fans...
"There is no guilt in his system. There is no need for remorse or
anything like that. It is not like you have to stop sinning (or) you
have to clean up your act. There are no commandments," John Morreall,
professor of religious studies at USF, said of Chopra's teachings "People want easy, digestible stuff that doesn't require them to
change their life, and any way you can package that will be
successful," Morreall added.
In fact, a sell-out crowd is expected Monday when Chopra makes an
appearance at the Mahaffey Theater, said the Rev. Joan Pinkston,
minister at the Center for Positive Living, which is sponsoring his
visit.
She said this is the third time her church, at 5200 29th Ave. N, has
brought Chopra to Tampa Bay.
"He is so popular and he does bring a universal message of truth for
those who are ready to hear it," Pinkston said. "He brings it to the
masses who are unchurched and who may never capture that message
other than through the secular community.”
In a telephone interview, Chopra, who was born in India, said he
prefers to be thought of as spiritual rather than religious. "The
founders of religion were universal beings," he said. "But at some
point it developed dogma and ideology and unfortunately we have had
more anguish and more war and more hatred and more bigotry and more
suffering in the name of religion than in every other name... . I
like to think of myself as seeking spirituality, which is the basis
of religion. God gave humans the truth, and the devil came and he
said, 'Let's give it a name and call it religion.'"
Chopra, whose teachings are based in part on the Vedantas, the sacred
writings that are the root of Hinduism, added that it often is said
that God created man in his own image. "I think it is the other way.
Man created God in his own image," he said. "The image of God is
usually a dead white man in the sky. That is just an image. It is not
satisfactory. Why can't God be black or a woman? ... All the conflict
in the world is because we have different images of God. God is
beyond image. As soon as you create an image about God, you limit
God.” But, he said, that is what defines most religion.
Spirituality is different, giving one the ability to love and have
compassion, added Chopra, author of 22 books, including best-sellers
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and
The Pathway to Love. "It is the capacity to experience joy and spread
it to others," he said. "It is the security of knowing that your life
has meaning and purpose. It is a sense of connection to the creative
power of the universe. This creative power of the universe is by
various religions called God. "In my experience, it is infinite. It
is unbounded. it's immanent and transcendent. It is timeless. It
expresses itself in the infinite organization of the universe and in
the infinite intelligence of the universe.”
And to find God, those caught up in the search must get in touch with
what Chopra refers to as "The essence" of their own being. That
essence, he explained, is God. And it is within every person, said
Chopra, quoting Jesus in the book of John...
And it seems to sell particularly well among intellectuals, Morreall
said. For those trying to cope with stressful conditions, Chopra's
message finds a ready welcome.
"What Chopra offers is the promise that you will be able to quiet
down the noise and you will be able to control your world. And that
is immensely appealing," Morreall said.
To members of the Center for Positive Living, part of the Spokane,
Wash.-based Religious Science organization, Chopra reaffirms a
familiar philosophy.
"With what we teach, we believe in one power and it doesn't matter
what you call it, whether it is God, spirit, nature, life," Pinkston
said. "It is the ultimate one power. What we believe is true about
God is also true about us. The one thing that may separate us from
other mainline, traditional religions is that we truly believe that
this power that created us is within us and is not something that is
outside and separate from us and that it is, yes, greater than we are
and that we can use it and we are using it every moment.” Chopra's
popularity, she said, is based on his universal message.
"Here is a medical doctor who has taught at Tufts University, and he
is very well-read. I believe that people are really hungry for the
message ... that the soul responds to — that we are divine beings,"
added Pinkston, a former Baptist who began searching for a new path
about 30 years ago.
"We teach the metaphysical, the inner message of Jesus the Christ," Pinkston said. " (Chopra) is teaching the same message. The way he is
teaching is that love can renew, heal. Love can make us safe. Love
can inspire us and bring us closer to God and that is what we are all
searching for, the union of the self and the spirit.”...
What morsels of wisdom will he leave with his audience Monday?
"I only want to achieve one thing in that when they leave they will
say to themselves there is a lot to think about," he said. "And in
some of them it will start a new journey which will radically affect
the way they live their life.”
Kitty Bennett, Times researcher, UMI Company 1998.
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