One of my sites ran into a little problem very early this morning. I was still sleeping soundly when the call came in. It turned out to be nothing too serious, but I still missed most of my night’s sleep. A related issue got me started after daylight. As a result, today’s post is a little different.
I ran across a beliefnet.com article on Christian meditation. It is an interview with John Finley, a former Trappist monk who had studied with Merton. At one point the interviewer asks about the common phenomenon of Christians denigrating or even fearing meditative practices:
Q: Some believe—we see this on Beliefnet's discussion boards—that meditation drives thoughts out of your mind and "invites the devil in."
A: Sometimes I will tell people who express that—well why not try it? Why not try to just quietly and sincerely and silently open your heart to God and see for yourself if you sense something dangerous or bad or dark. And you might discover that the opposite's the case.
If you’ve never been around fundamentalists – perhaps Pentecostals and Charismatics, in particular – this anti-meditation attitude might surprise you. It seems people who are inclined to accept manifestations of the Holy Spirit and believe that the gifts of the Spirit are in operation today are more inclined to believe in demonic possession and may be more fearful of it.
Part of the fear of an "empty mind" -- like that could happen to anyone other than a leftist -- may arise from the parable Jesus told of the unclean spirit that was cast out only to return with seven spirits more evil than itself (see Matthew 12:43-45). That is a questionable application in a couple of ways. Jesus was most likely illustrating the potential condition of the Jews who had the benefit of John the Baptist's ministry and had been cleansed. Additionally, the cleansing had nothing to do with silencing thoughts or clearing the mind. So far, I have been unable to find "an idle mind is the devil's workshop" in any of my Bibles.
I believe demons are real and, working much like a virus, can potentially infect anyone whose defenses are compromised. At the same time, full-fledged Exorcist-type possessions are, thankfully, rare. Demons are generally limited to deceiving and confusing those they attack. They clog the conduits to prevent a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. They try to rob us of joy and hope. They work to create friction in relationships. In other words, I believe C. S. Lewis nailed it in The Screwtape Letters.
I’ve met a few people along the way who certainly seem to have given themselves over to the devil in some way. Perhaps it was only limited and temporary in some cases. Others appear to be willing emissaries, if not incarnations of darkness.
With the best defense being a good offense, Christians should “be being filled with the Spirit daily”, as a more literal translation of Ephesians 5:18 might put it. Further on in that Epistle, Paul reminds us to put on the “whole armor of God” so we can successfully stand against demonic attacks.
Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. -- James 4:7,8a
Contemplative prayer seems to me to be a good way to “draw near to God”. Christian meditation or contemplation might well make a person aware of a demonic attack but I doubt that it would be the cause of one. Other than possibly having to deny one’s denial, I don’t see much danger in meditating.
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3 comments:
Yes, the Rambo DVD is available.
I think it's one of the best of the Rambo series, and it sends a message without being preachy.
I used to read a lot of Thomas Merton, several years ago.
At one point, after devouring nearly all of his books I could find, and quite a few tapes that some Nuns at St. Martin's had, I got disillusioned (or I felt that way) because Merton talked of Zen in his later years, so I thought (mistakenly) that he was watering down Christianity (I know...I was stupid).
Of course I was young, and at that time I wouldn't have even considered reading One Cosmos.
Thankfully I wised up enough to realize how foolish my thinking was, irt Zen.
As for meditation, I concur it is a good practice to have.
How often does David in the Psalms encourage us to meditate on the Lord?
And meditation is mentioned in other parts of the Bible, never as an evil practice.
Having spent a few years as a Pentacostal I can say that there are more than a few that have a very distorted and faulty view of meditation, but many who did not.
Those that did seemed exceedingly fearful of demons and of being possessed, and I often wondered why.
Of course, some prominent Pentacostal Preachers and Evangelists were also that way, and some mention demons so much I guess it's no wonder that quite a few people would get paranoid about it.
The thing is, and I believe as you do irt demons, that a lot of folks can't seem to be able to tell the difference between demons, our own sinful nature, mind parasites (which I consider psychological constructs or "beings") and mental illness.
Part of that is due, I think to not understanding themselves, and not understanding scriptures nor Christianity.
There was even some heated arguements (when I was going) between Pentacostals as to whether a Christian could be possessed.
Personally, I don't believe that a practicing Christian, that is, someone that strives to be like Christ, or for non-Christians, someone that earnestly seeks
G-d's guidance and Truth can possessed by a demon.
I mean, if you got the Holy Spirit of God living inside of you how could a demon get in?
I do believe it's possible for someone who basically cuts themselves off from God, but who also gravitates towards evil and embraces it in some way.
Opening the wrong doors perhaps (deep occult activity).
IOW's it would take a form of willing cooperation on our part, a giving away of our own will (maybe even unconciously, I dunno), and even then, as you say, this is exceedingly rare.
Meditation helps us in so many ways, and it's a shame that some folks equate this Godly practice (Jesus meditated) to the occult or as some doorway to demons.
Paul even says, resist the devil and he must flee.
And that's not even the big guns of the authority of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
IOW's we alone can resist the devil. How much more so with the Armor of God, prayer, study, and practice of Christianity?
No, some folks have merely constructed a strawdemon and have given it the authority and power that is rightfully theirs as sons and daughters of God.
I'm not sayin'; they ain't Christians but they have severely handicapped themselves and stunted their growth with this irrational and unGodly paranoia.
Good post, Mushroom!
Thanks for the info on Rambo. I'll see if I can pick that up.
We have a lot in common. I went through the same process where I read Merton then got involved in with Pentecostalism and dropped the idea of meditation as dangerous. I can pick on Baptists because that's what I grew up with and Pentecostals because that's what I've been for most of my adult life.
What you're saying sounds a lot like my experience. I agree with your view on demons, the old sinful nature, and the rest.
I would say that a lot of stuff gets labeled demonic as an easy way out. It's a lot easier to cast out a "spirit of anger" than to own my anger, so to speak, and deal with it on a psychological level.
Very insightful stuff. Thank you.
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