Madonna's Kabbalah
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Jul 27, 2008
- Series: Celebrity Religion
Celebrity Religion: (Part III)
MADONNA’S KABBALAH
Romans 1:20-23 (NIV)
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
There is a spiritual vacuum that exists in the hearts of all human beings. The great theologian, Augustine, affirmed this when he said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."
Because of this vacuum, many of those unhappy, curious, and gullible are going to fill it with something. Sad to say, with the complacency of many Bible believing Christians, many are turning to the false gods of our culture. What is so appealing with these gods is the fact that you don’t even have to stop believing in your god, you simply have to add to them. In a way, the big lie from the devil is: you don’t even have to abandon your religion; embracing these new beliefs will just help you become a better Christian, Buddhist, or Muslim.
Of course, this approach of the devil is not something new. During the time of the prophet Ezekiel, God has condemned this practice among His own people:
Ezekiel 8:12, 16-18 (NIV)
12 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.'"
16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
17 He said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!
18 Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them."
Notice, in God’s holy city, in His holy temple, God’s own people have chosen to worship other gods. Evidently, this behavior had caused them dearly. Aside from unanswered prayers (v.18), the Lord gave them up to captivity under the Babylonians (Chapter 21).
One again, this mindset is back. For the past two Sundays, we have examined the New Age and Scientology religions. This morning, we will try to understand Kabbalah. Now, if there is a common denominator in these three religions, aside from the fact that they are a fad among big celebrities, it’s the teaching that their beliefs will serve as supplements to what you already believe. They will give you the ability to be a better or more successful person.
Kabbalah has been getting a lot of attention in the past couple of years because of Madonna. Watch her talks about it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhoM9xfoTAg&feature=related. But besides her, there are also other celebrities who had been link to this religious group like Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, and the most recent was Alex Rodriquez.
What is Kabbalah all about? What are some of the teachings of this religion? Let’s highlight some, but before we do that, allow me first to give you a little background about it. The title Kabbalah literally means “RECEPTION.” This suggests that Kabbalah teachings are the means to receive wisdom about God, human life, power, universe, etc. Although they refer to the Bible, especially the first five books of the Old Testament, they use mystical interpretations to determine its meaning. They believe that there are secrets and hidden meanings in the biblical text that can be discovered only by examining the shape of the Hebrew letters and the numeric equivalent of words. They rely heavily on the mystical commentaries or interpretations of the Bible written by the Zohar, and the Sepher Yetzirah who are recognized kabbalists throughout history. This kind of approach to the Bible led them to embrace a lot of teachings like reincarnation, karma, inner divinity which leads to sorcery, magic, and other occultic practices. Kabbalah is often link with Judaism, although it is not necessary for you to be a Jew to be a kabbalist. Examining its doctrines, you can find a lot of similarities with the teachings of New Age Religion. Here are some of its beliefs:
I TEN SEFIROT OR THE TREE OF LIFE:
· Keter - crown,
· Chochmah - wisdom,
· Binah - understanding,
· Chessed - kindness,
· Gevura - strength,
· Tiferet - beauty,
· Netzach - victory,
· Hod - awe,
· Yesod - foundation,
· Malchut - monarchy.
According to them, in the beginning there was only God. When God created the universe, He divided himself to 10 emanations. Therefore, God is the universe or the world. Everything is a part of God. Anyone who wishes to experience complete fulfillment in life must unite himself with the power found within the universe through meditation or other mystical means. This is considered “Higher Awareness.”
Now, what’s wrong with this concept? Well, first of all, the Bible is clear that God and the universe are not one. God is distinct and resides outside the universe.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV)
2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Clearly, God stands outside of creation. He is in heaven. And we are on earth. According to the text we read earlier in Romans 1: 20, the relationship of God with creation is that he uses it to reveal himself to us. We definitely can see great power behind all creation. Once people believe in the Kabbalah’s concept, people have the tendency to commit the same error found in verses 21-23 – they would glorify creation instead of the creator, which is a serious sin against God.
Another problem with the Kabbalist perspective is the absence of the distinction between good and bad. If everything is a part of God, then bad is God and good is God. However, the Bible sets a clear standard for good and evil. And clearly associates punishment with sin, and blessings for righteousness.
Romans 6:21-23 (NIV)
21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Well, you might ask, does a Kabbalist believe in heaven and hell? Yes, but they are achieved here on earth, not afterwards. They don’t even believe in the personal devil. For them, the universe has a negative power that creates defeats and problems on earth. These ideas are very much in conflict with the Scriptures.
II THE POWER OF KABBALAH:
One of the main attractions of Kabbalah is the promise of empowerment through the studies of the Zohar. Here is a direct quote from Michael Moskowitz, The Power Of Kabbalah, “The power of the Zohar was like nothing anyone had ever come across. Application of its insights led to remarkable, visible changes such as clarity of purpose, prosperity and remarkable relationships. It explains how we can receive the Light of the Creator into our lives and all the beneficence that comes with that. This is the power that Kabbalah will bring to you.”
However, a serious examination of this “power” from the light of the creator lends so much to a combination to some occultic practices such as numerology, astrology, witchcraft and magic, which can be traced back from the ancient Babylonian witchcraft. Watch Madonna applies this power through “Red String” of Kabbalah - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ORZTm5FE4.
The red string is tied on the left wrist to prevent the “Evil Eye” (a very powerful negative force) from having negative influence on a person’s life. It is placed on the left wrist because Kabbalists believe that the left arm and hand pertain to the concept of receiving; while the right arm and hand embody the power of imparting. Negative forces, therefore, enter the body through the left side. By wearing the “Red String” on the left wrist, negative energies are intercepted at the precise point of entry. The string is tied in a carefully prescribed sequence of seven knots, each of which symbolizes a separate spiritual dimension that infuses some power. As this is tied, the kabbalist should ask for the power to radiate kindness, compassion, appreciation, and absence of the Evil Eye to everyone around him or her.
The word occult basically means “hidden” or “secret.” The term is used to describe practices that dabble with the power of the devil. The Bible explicitly prohibits these practices:
Leviticus 20:6 (NIV)
6 "'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.
Deuteronomy 18:9-11 (NIV)
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
We should do everything to avoid all of these. Satan is not a worthy master. The truth of the matter is: Satan can give you power, even success as long as you give him your soul. Jesus wants us to know that our soul is more valuable than all the riches of the world.
Mark 8:36 (NIV)
36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
III GOOD KARMA AND BAD KARMA:
Lastly, there is also a need for us to explain the idea of Karma, which happens to be a major emphasis in Kabbalah teachings. Synonymous with Hinduism and New Age, Karma teaches that there is an irrevocable law in the universe that says everyone gets what he or she deserves. This is also known as the Law of Cause and Effect. According to this law, there is a general operating principle in the natural world that creates debits and credits based upon personal behavior. Whatever the person does, good or bad, returns to him or her in exact proportion in another existence. Since most people are not able to pay off in one lifetime all the bad Karma that they have accumulated for their bad deeds, they are compelled to return in new incarnations until all of their bad Karma has been balanced by the good Karma they have achieved.
If you examine this teaching against the Bible, you will find some serious problems:
· Accountability
You see Karma and reincarnation provide an excuse for sin. Why should a person feel personally accountable if you have the opportunity to go around one more time to make it right. Unfortunately, the Bible offers no chance after one lifetime.
Hebrews 9:27 (NIV)
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
· Suffering for evil
Karma teaches that everyone is suffering what he or she deserves. If you are suffering, it is because you did something worthy of suffering when you lived before. A person can still suffer based on what he has done on the previous life. Karma does not provide the answer to suffering.
· Atonement
For Karma, you can only atone yourself by doing enough good deeds during the succession of lives. For Christ, forgiveness, which suggests cancelling of debts, is possible. It is not through our works, but a free gift of God to those who believe in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As we conclude our message, I hope none of us will be deceived in embracing teachings which are in direct conflicts with the Bible. At the same time, we should be mindful of the ministry of influence God has entrusted to us. We might not have the same influence as Oprah, Tom Cruise, or Madonna, but I’m sure we can influence someone to Jesus Christ. People are spiritually seeking today. If we fail to be an influence for Jesus, many of the people around us, our loved ones and friends, can fall into these false teachings.