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Don't Drink the Kool-Aid: Oprah, Obama, and the Occult

 
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Beware of the 'O' Factor

By Andrea D. Hedlund
CBN.com Producer

CBN.comOprah, perhaps the most influential woman in the world today, has undeniably left a stamp on modern culture.  Her talk show has been number one for 21 consecutive years. She is the first African-American woman to become a billionaire. We love Oprah’s big giveaways and flock to the bookstore to pick up the latest selection for her book club, which has approximately 1 million members. An endorsement by Oprah is golden. Her show has thrust the likes of Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray into mainstream America.

I have never been a devoted viewer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, but I always seem to catch some of her most memorable TV moments.  Who can forget the infamous day Tom Cruise proclaimed his infinite love for Katie Holmes by jumping up and down on Oprah’s couch?

I remember how Oprah gushed over Barack Obama during an interview with him on her show before he rose from his obscurity to emerge as the charismatic figure of "change" for our country. It wasn't surprising to me when she stepped out and publicly endorsed him.

Like it or not, Oprah has great influence on our society today, and with that power comes responsibility.  But a huge question remains: is her personal spiritual agenda leading the masses astray?

According to some CBN.com viewers and author Carrington Steele of Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid: Oprah, Obama, and the Occult, the answer is yes. The deeper Oprah delves into new age philosophies, the more dangerous she becomes. This doesn’t mean these skeptics are Oprah-bashers or think she is a “horrible” person.  Instead, there is a genuine concern for the state of her soul, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”(Matthew 16:26).

Stop Embracing the Church of Oprah

Oprah came from humble beginnings, overcame many obstacles, and has sought to be a positive voice in the world.  She encourages us and is like a loyal childhood friend.

Like a chameleon, we have also watched her spiritual colors shift over the years.  Raised in a black Baptist church in Mississippi, she rebelled against the establishment after being sexually abused by her own relatives.  Later, she repented and returned to her spiritual roots. At one point she was linked to Obama’s former (controversial) place of worship, Trinity United Church. More recently, a 2005 Washington Post article called Oprah’s popularity the “Church of Oprah,” or the church of possibility. Self-help and self-awareness became her faith of choice.

Every so often while watching The Oprah Winfrey Show, do you get that feeling in your gut, “the spirit of discernment,” that urges you to flip the channel?  If so, you may not be the only one.

Steele writes that she first had that feeling about 10 years ago. She wrote, “Oprah was interviewing a guest named Gary Zukav, author of the book, The Seat of the Soul.  I decided after hearing some of the conversation, that since it didn’t seem to correspond with my Christian beliefs, I would just not watch that day.”

But how many unsuspecting Americans don’t change the channel?  What happens when the Holy Spirit whispers to Christians and we don’t listen?  Are we contributing to the demise of our society?

“My comfortable, familiar routine was now the source of something that is on the brink of changing America.  It has slithered into our homes and we are not even aware of it, in fact…we’re embracing it,” Steele admits in Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid.

Search Oprah on GodTube or YouTube to watch video clips from her show where she openly states “there are many diverse paths leading to what you call God.”  She argues with several audience members who say Jesus is the only path to God.  Christians understand that worldly success doesn’t equate with true victory, nor will good works earn us a spot in Heaven. We know Jesus is the ONLY way (John 14:6).

We should be alarmed by Oprah’s increasing hostility toward the truth of the Gospel and recent embrace of New Age philosophies like Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth and “The Secret.”

“Oprah has developed an open philosophy for learning and delving into spiritual matters,” Steele writes.  “It appears on the way to her quest to find the answers, her ‘truths’ have come from a variety of sources that complement each other because they ultimately come from one source; the deceiver, Satan.”

New Age Philosophies Exposed

In Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid, Steele offers a quick overview of some of the pervading philosophies presented by Oprah to her audience. These supposedly "new" ideas are really just old schemes of the devil wrapped in pretty packaging. New agers recycle the same idea that every man is a son of God, man can be like God, and that we are the source of our salvation.

Most recently, and arguably most lethal, Oprah launched a virtual classroom to promote and encourage Tolle’s A New Earth, which is a selection for her book club.  Ten million-plus students met online once a week for 10 lessons earlier this year and became “awakened,” or mind trained by Tolle and Oprah. This interactive teaching is still available on Oprah.com.

Basically, Tolle teaches:

  • A glimpse will initiate awakening, which is irreversible.
  • We are the light.
  • Sin means missing the point of exit.
  • We have a choice: evolve or die.
  • Heaven is not a location but an inner realm of consciousness.
  • The source of all energy is within you.
  • Jesus is an archetypal figure. He is every man and woman.

Of Tolle’s A New Earth, Oprah says, “Being able to share this material with you is a gift and a part of the fulfillment of my life’s purpose.”

Unbelievable! We must step in and intercede for Oprah and others of the new age philosophy and pray that their eyes and ears would see and hear the Gospel and no longer be deceived (2 Timothy 4:3, Mark 13: 5, Romans 12:2).

Pray specifically for those who practice new age beliefs, such as:

  • Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret who believes we think things into existence.
  • Eric Butterworth, author of Discover The Power Within You, who says we are each God and sin is “self-inflicted nonsense.”
  • Gary Zukav, author of  The Seat of The Soul, who considers Jesus the most evolved of our species and mixes Hinduism with everyday beliefs.
  • Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love, who says we are all sons of God, it is our destiny to be as Jesus, my holiness is my salvation, my salvation comes from me, and there is no sin.

We cannot allow false prophets and those with great power to lead us astray any longer (1 John 4:1).   Let’s pray for our broken nation to once again stand on the rock of true salvation.

Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? Meet Him today.

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