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Gary:
You’re listening to a special edition of Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. Still ahead, in this revisit to our 2000 series, Religion in the News, plus answers to your questions in Contending For The Faith. And in Understanding the Scriptures, Dave and Tom will continue their discussion of God’s salvation. In addition to this radio program we publish a monthly newsletter which we make available free of charge. We also produce and distribute a wide variety of teaching materials including books in print, e-book and audio book formats, CD’s, DVD’s and other items to encourage the serious study of God’s Word. For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call us at our toll free order number, 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org [1]. If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3708, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station. And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us. You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website. We’ll repeat this information at the end of the program. We continue now with our special revisit to the year 2000. Now:
RELIGION IN THE NEWS
In this segment, we report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This provides a sometimes disturbing evaluation of the state of today’s Christianity. This item is from USA Today, dated November 1996. “Kabalah is the rage in Tinsel town. It’s not a new beauty aid or trendy club, it’s the kind of thing Jews don’t talk about,” TV’s Rosanne noted. It’s something you’re told when you’re growing up that only Rabbis know about after 40 years of study. “I’m a Catholic shiksa (sp?),” actress Diane Ladd says, “but, I’m on a spiritual journey and I believe we can learn from all religions.” She was introduced to Kabalah by comedian Sandra Bernhart, who had been referred by her personal trainer. Ladd is so excited about Kabalah that she took daughter Lora Dern to an L.A. area Kabalah learning center. “These are the kinds of things you want to pass on to those you love.” She also clued in pal Connie Stevens. Jeff Goldblum took the basic course. Barry Diller and Dolly Parton attended a private class. Rosanne explains, “They say that the Bible is the ‘how’ and Kabalah is the ‘why’—it’s all about time and space. I hate to say this but I will,” says the comedian actress who is Jewish, “the Jews were lost for awhile, but now they’re on their way back. Kabalah is about connection between mind and body, astrology, Atlantis, reincarnation, and computers.”
Tom:
The Kabalah, Dave. Jewish mysticism. This is in our theme for this program and some down the line. The theme is occultism. Kabalah is occultism, isn’t it?
Dave:
Yeah. Maybe we need to define occultism, which we haven’t yet. The world of the occult is a secret world, non-physical, you have to be initiated into it in order to tap into this thing and it’s something that you can manipulate. You can learn the secrets of this. You can learn the formulas, you know, when the witch doctor slits the rooster’s throat and sprinkles the blood in a certain pattern it must be in—he mumbles a formula, then the gods have to come through. It’s called, in the opera Faust, Dr. Faust made a bargain, it’s called, “the magician’s bargain,” with Mephistopheles, the little demon. So basically, in exchange for power you get to be in control but you lose your soul. And now this is happening in the so-called Christian world as well. If you give in to the desire for power, you really sell your soul, because God is not going to play that game, the real God. So, you get in touch with the god of this world who will play that game, who will pretend to give you power. So, Kabalah works by formulas, works by numbers and signs and mystical workings. This is not the straight forward method of the true God.
Tom:
Well, it’s not the Bible. It’s based on the Torah but it’s actually secret meanings, esoteric understandings of what—
Dave:
Right. But the way we can discern, because we need to talk about discernment, what’s wrong with this? Well, God doesn’t work that way. He is open and straight forward. Jesus said, I don’t say anything in secret—this is not a secret technique. If you continue in my Word, then you are my disciples and you will know the truth—the truth will set you free.
But these are secrets and there are techniques involved. As soon as you have a technique for getting in touch with the spirit world where you can make it happen, this is what the Kabalah teaches. These are methods, mysteries and when you learn the secret then you can make things happen in your life and in the lives of others. As soon as you are into that, that’s not God, that is the god of this world.
Tom:
Right. And also, you’re at a loss here because it’s not God’s objective Word. You’re having to buy into some subjective interpretation that someone has with no recourse, no way to discern whether it’s true or not.
Dave:
It’s a secret that they pass on—well,
Tom:
But there’s an appeal in that isn’t there? I mean, here you have the Hollywood, you know, the Hollywood group—they’re excited about it—it’s something new, something novel, something that has power.
Dave:
We all want to belong to an exclusive club. It makes us a little bit better than the others.