Comments for Proleptic Life

Comment on Eckhart Tolle – A New Earth and an Old Lie by Ted Smith

Ted Smith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:04:51 +0000

Having spent the last 30 years with Maharishi up until his death, with all due respect, I have yet to hear a more confused and uninformed rant on what he accomplished in bringing TM to so many folks. You are very misled and misleading, although well intentioned, I’m sure. Your thinking simply isn’t clear, and sounds remarkably cultish.

Comment on “Eckhart Tolle, Who do you say that I Am?” – Jesus- by L.

L. — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:40:07 +0000

MAJOR props for your post! Just because Tolle has mashed up a soup of accredited psychological theory, various eastern philosophies, and the practice of introspection in his ‘process to enlightenment’ does not mean that he’s birthed a novel concept.

The overall thought process and end idea he presents is ATHEISM. (I am NOT saying that in a negative way; it’s just what it is). It really disturbs me that not many people realize that. His fans are so concerned with finding something that leads them to God that they don’t stop to realize the entire undercurring view Tolle holds.

I used to be a fervent atheist, and I know how the school of thought is far from the vacant or bitter perspective that people who have always had some form of faith seem to imagine. Tolle is essentially packaging his atheism in flowery language, and backing it up with quotes from religious text to give it a spiritual edge.

I’m not saying this to bash atheists, either; it’s not a negative towards their view. I am just pointing out that there is NOTHING I have seen written about or heard spoken by this man that indicates ANYTHING other than the atheistic perspective. It kind’ve disturbs me that so many Christians (and people of any faith in a creator/many creators) don’t notice this. The only other Christian friend of mine who DID notice it is a former athiest as well.

Atheism already exists. It’s insulting to people of faith to sucker them in by attaching spiritual promise to a thought process that leads to non-belief; and it’s insulting to atheists that he’s taking all the credit and earning money for ‘creating’ an ideology that already exists.

On a sidenote, I do not know the man, and for all I know he does not even realize he’s a hack. But something tells me he knows EXACTLY what he’s preaching, and that makes him a liar no matter how meek, mild and ‘enlightend’ he appears.

Comment on Larry Jones, Feed the Children Founder, Fired by Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:37:35 +0000

I am always saddend by these stories. They gain traction in the media and always serve to put a black mark on the things of Christ. Ultimately when there is this much money at stake, it seems the corruption and scandal will follow.

In the opposite regard, I think of a young woman named Katie at Amazima Ministries. Acting a ‘mom’ to 14 orphans in Uganda, running a ministry to send children to school, feeding thousands every month…all in the name of Jesus because she loves Him with all of her being and knows that he has called her to serve there.

Please check out the ministry and blog at http://www.amazima.org and http://www.amazima.org/blog.html

I think you will find yourself humbled and blessed as you read about her heart for God and these children.

Comment on Responding to the Critics of My Tolle Criticism by prolepticlife

prolepticlife — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:01:54 +0000

Hi Jim,
Thanks for leaving your thoughts. I’m not sure what you mean by judging. I suppose you are referencing Jesus statement “judge not lest you be judged.” I think if you read that in the context of everything Jesus said and taught it cannot mean that one is incapable or forbidden from discerning truth from error.

I too believe that “everyone has a right to their own belief.” But having a right to hold a certain belief is not the same thing as having a right to not being challenged about that belief. Mr. Tolle has every right to hold to his belief system. I will stand with him if anyone were to ever try to keep him from expressing that belief in any way he has the opportunity. I am so thankful I live in a nation that has as some of its core values freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association. Mr. Tolle has taken the liberty to twist the words of Christ. I am taking the liberty to point that out.

Comment on Responding to the Critics of My Tolle Criticism by Jim Gilbert

Jim Gilbert — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:59:18 +0000

I have listened to Mr. Tolle’s cd,s and they have been very helpful in my search for inner peace. I do not agree with his religous belief however I do not judge him. Everyone has a right their own belief. His theories are helpful to me for putting things in perspective. My suggestion is to concentrate on the things that are helpful and let him deal with god or let god deal with him.

Comment on Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth by prolepticlife

prolepticlife — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:00:10 +0000

lovethyneighbor,
I guess by completely ignoring the facts you can continue to accuse me of what you yourself do. You can continue to echo Tolle and not deal with the real issues raised here. you can continue to pretend you have arrived. You can play the gnostic game and act as though you are above it all with your supposed superior knowledge. All the while looking down on us poor, confused ignorant people who actually take the time to consider what Jesus said and taught in the historical and theological context in which it was done.

Comment on Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth by lovethyneighbor

lovethyneighbor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:01:14 +0000

This is a classic example of how the ego will go to any lengths to defend itself. It moves through the collective unconscious or through an individual. Unarguably, there is a taste of satisfaction derived from the feeling of superiority. I have direct experience with feeling ‘better than’ or more ’spiritual’ and I can safely say that it’s just my Ego at work. Arguing about which meaning is correct and or which translation is more significant than another.. The declaration that I am being victimized by your opinions is perhaps at the core of the painbody– All I can say is that I am clear about my purpose and what God would have me be and do. Truthfully, it really has nothing to do with this site and or the point I was trying to make, which by the way, it got lost in all this dogma.

Comment on Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth by prolepticlife

prolepticlife — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:07:07 +0000

Lovethyneighbor,
It continually amazes me how hypocritical these kinds of responses continue to be and how large a misunderstanding you continue to have of the Christian faith.

You accuse me of being judgemental, repressive and hateful while you practice those very things. You judge my motives, my emotions, and my ability to reason and think through the issues before us.

You say i am holding to some rigid belief system, while you yourself keep echoing the ridiculous and meaningless nonsense of ‘painbodies’ and ‘ego’ straight out of Tolle’s writings.

You call me ‘holier than thou’ while acting as though you are on some higher spiritual plane and have arrived at some sort of nirvana.

Please don’t accuse me of what you yourself practice. That is what hypocrisy is.

You totally misunderstand the very heart of the Christian faith.

I am not holier than thou. Nor am I classifying others as evil and bad while excusing myself and declaring myself holy. I am a sinner saved by grace. I believe in redemption for sinners like me through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ the one and only Son of God. Jesus is the I Am. We are not God, he is. We will not, nor can we find salvation in ourselves. There is no other name under heaven, whereby we must be saved other than the name of Jesus.

You say Eckhart Tolle doesn’t represent a belief system and yet you argue against mine and promote his. You echo his words straight out of his books. You believe what he is teaching. That is a belief system. This nonsense is merely a way of avoiding the issues I have raised. He distorts and twists the sayings of Jesus, makes Jesus into a god of his own making and after his own image, and then tries to deflect critical analysis by saying he doesn’t have nor is he promoting a belief system. If it is not a belief system then why argue against what I am saying?

Comment on Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth by lovethyneighbor

lovethyneighbor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:38:59 +0000

Just go to http://www.eckharttolle.com/home/
and see for yourself. You will at once become threatened by the message of awareness and openness. Your egos will not be able to handle the possibility that perhaps the fear that propels you to support and promote your own rigid belief systems is in fact what judgment, repression and hatred are made of. All which is also fueled by your own painbody that continues to regenerate itself by classifying others as ‘evil’or ‘bad’ and you as ‘better than’ and ‘holier’ than thou. If however, you have a sense that as humans, traversing this earth, you are in fact at the grip of your pain and egos than you are in step with the beginning of your awakening. It doesn’t matter if you maintain your belief system or not, Eckhart Tolle doesn’t represent a belief system. His teachings are about forming an alliance with the now.

Comment on Responding to the Critics of My Tolle Criticism by prolepticlife

prolepticlife — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:58:46 +0000

Christa,
No problem about the spelling. I do that myself at times. I realize it is hard to take the time to fully write what we are trying to say.
Not trying to nitpick but the Scripture you are quoting was not directly said by Christ – at least not during his time on this earth. It is from Psalm 46. “Be still and know that I am God and I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Psalmist goes on to identify the God who is speaking as the “Lord of hosts and the God of Jacob.” Under no amount of trying to reinterpret this can one come up with any kind of self-godhood that Tolle espouses.

You ask me if I have looked in to anything other than Christianity? Well, that is where these posts originated. I have read Tolle to begin with. But that is not all. I have studied Catholicism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Islam, etc. I don’t claim to be an expert on them by any means, but I have a basic grasp of what they teach.

I have come to know and believe that Jesus is the Christ (the one and only Christ and Messiah) and the Savior for all who will receive him.