We took a call on our radio show last week from a woman asking about a ceremony known as “Receiving the Tao.” She claimed to know someone who had been involved in this. Because I had not heard of this before, I promised to do some research for her on what this might be. What I found is disturbing, especially for Catholics who may be getting involved in this.
CE writes: “You have had a couple of shows on the subject of new age religion and on socialism and it’s deceptiveness. Are you aware of Agenda 21, the Green Cross organization, the Earth Charter religion ( based on Gaia)? This is all tied together to the One World movement. It is in the schools as being nice to everyone and the environment. It is in federal, state and county laws. It is on TV and in politics. It is everywhere but it all sounds nice and friendly. Who can be against taking care of the environment and each other? Aren’t we called to do that as Catholics? It all sounds ok but it is all aimed at moving us and our children and youth to accepting the new world order which is beyond communism. . . ”
LD writes: “My parish has been using the Little Rock Scripture Study for its weekly bible study for about a year now. I don’t care for the series but can’t quite put my finger on why. I certainly don’t think it’s New Age but it doesn’t feel quite Catholic either. Can you tell me anything about where this series comes from and is it a truly Catholic study?”
Those of you who are wondering whether the new Julia Roberts movie, Eat Pray Love, has anything positive to say about Christianity may want to learn from her lessons - she became Hindu after filming the movie.
JM writes: “I am writing about books widely available at school and ‘Scholastic’ called “The Magic Tree House” series by Mary Pope Osborne. Could this series be considered (occult)? My daughter read them a few years ago and she advises me now not to let her sister read them.”
EO writes: “My grandfather was a member of the masons, and my mother was a member of Eastern Star. Are there ramifications to the soul for belonging to those organizations? Also, is there any truth to the idea that their descendants would suffer because of their affiliation with organizations not in line with God?”
This is a truly shocking story that I posted this morning on our Breaking News site. It’s about how a grave fear of witchcraft in Nigeria has led to an alarming new trend of children being accused of being witches who are then either cast out or murdered by their families.
The peace that the world cannot give does not appear to be reigning in the life of Paul Young, author of the controversial best-seller, The Shack, who is suing his two long-time friends and business partners, alleging that they bilked him out of $8 million in royalties. While a federal judge mulls over the case, he’s busy writing a screenplay with the hopes of bringing the book’s flawed portrayal of Christianity to a wider audience.
U.S. Catholic has published an article encouraging Catholics who wish to improve their prayer life to try yoga.