The Ancient Art of Self Delusion – is it Still With us?
Posted: Monday, August 29, 2011
by Carol Allen Anfinsen
AnfinsenArt
I’ve always found the world of make-believe enchanting. As a child I read Hans Christian Anderson and Grimm’s Fairy Tales from cover to cover. Now as an artist and writer I create make-believe mini-dramas on paper and canvas.
But in real life, I stay grounded. My heart holds to my faith, and my feet are firmly planted in the Word of God. I can enjoy my world of imagination realizing full well that it is make-believe, nothing more. But what of those who can’t tell the difference? What about people who are driven by the winds and “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every doctrine, and the cunning craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive?” (Eph. 4:14 KJV)
But it could have been worse. A Mormon couple who believed in “personal revelation” sought God’s guidance, but one of them had ulterior motives. Presented on CBS’s new replacement for Twenty Twenty called: “The Sixth Sense,” the husband engaged in infidelity and then tried to convince his wife that he was supposed to marry the “other” woman. Of course, the wife had to die first, but they (or perhaps) the husband believed that the wife was going to die anyway because God had decreed it through “personal revelation.”
To make a long story short, the wife almost died of injuries when she fell (or was pushed) off a cliff. After her release from the hospital, she took some pain pills and went to soak in the bathtub. The husband who was so tired from all that had happened slept through it. The result? His wife drowned in the bathtub (or was she pushed beneath the water)? We and the jury will never know for sure. The only thing they could stick on the husband for lack of evidence was manslaughter. He is currently serving 30 years in prison.
The point of this story? God will never ask us to do anything that goes against his Word. If we receive so-called “personal revelation” that asks us to disobey his will in any way, we may be sure our answer comes from Satan.
False prophets may conveniently lead people astray by confusing them and manipulating them into believing that the Word of God has been modified or changed through revelation. And once we lose hold of our spiritual anchor the Bible, the Word of God, we open ourselves to all kinds of strange doctrines, cults, and philosophies.
“Do not add to his word,” Proverbs 30:5-6 tells us. “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and make you a liar.”
And in Revelations 22:18-19, in the last few verses of the Bible, the Lord said: “I warn everyone who hears the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add him to the plagues described in this book.”
“And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
Was the Lord referring to the book of Revelations only or to the whole Bible? This question has resulted in cults, and counter religions springing up and not only changing the meaning of words, but adding to them. Some sects have even added other books of scripture to the Bible, the Word of God. After all, they are not changing the Book of Revelations nor adding to it.
The Lord’s instructions were not to change the word or to add to it, but was God referring to the book of Revelations only or to the whole Bible? Every person must answer this question for himself. But if the Bible is the Word of God, and it is, how dare we change it, alter it, or add to it?
Some people think the Bible is outdated, old fashioned, or no longer relevant to our modern-day lives. But in Matt 24:35 the Lord says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away.” The Word of God is never outdated, never old fashioned, neither fictional nor legend.
Since Adam and Eve our first parents there have always been men and women who would pervert the Word of God. Simon was a sorcerer who lived at the time of Paul. The people said “This man is the divine power known as the Great power,” and they followed Simon “because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.”
But grace can save even a sorcerer. After Simon heard Phillip preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was baptized. He followed Phillip everywhere “astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When Simon saw that the spirit was given at the laying on of hands,” he offered Phillip money, saying: “give me also this ability, so that everyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 8:9-24)
Simon knew that his own power was a sham. He could fool people with his slick tongue and keen wit. He could perform a few miracles through trickery and sleight of hand. But this was a power greater than he had ever experienced. He wanted it not to serve the Lord, but to gain importance in people’s eyes. Because of this, Simon was chastised by Phillip and called to repentance.
Why do people seek after strange God’s or try to fool the Living God through guile and deceit? Sometimes because of sin that corrupts or clouds their minds; sometimes because of fear that is allowed to fester within and crowd out their faith and belief.
Everybody wants to know the future. We’d all like to know if we’ll marry, who we’ll marry, and if we’ll live happily ever after. We want to know if we’ll succeed in life, or if our efforts are in vain. It is difficult to cling to faith unless we have the undergirding of the Word that lives within us and forms a firm foundation of knowledge.
When we turn away from the Words of Life and the source of all knowledge, we flounder in the sinking sands of unbelief. Perhaps that is why people turn to horoscopes, fortune tellers, and superstitions to help take away that uncertainty, even though as Simon the sorcerer admitted his answers were only delusions, tricks of the mind supplemented by smooth talk and manipulation.
Salem, Massachusetts is trying to remove its stigma as the witchcraft capital of the nation. But in spite of the hoopla and hype, the financial power of their tourism culture depends on this entrenched image. According to a recent travel article, “flying witches adorn police cars and fire-fighter uniforms, and the Salem High School’s mascot is a witch.
“A thriving, modern witch community practices witchcraft and even has a new public relations outfit, the Witches Education Bureau. And …Warlock Christian Day holds forth in a quiet, dimly lit room, where visitors who pay $65 for a 30-minute psychic reading may watch a warlock move his or her hands over a sparkling crystal ball and tell their fortune.” (Associated Press)
Warlock “Christian Day?” Certainly not Biblical. “Crystal Balls,” psychic readings, warlocks and ghoul’s dressed in black, with faces painted in white with fake blood?” Sounds anything but Christian, and more like Halloween to me. Of course, Massachusetts is eager to point out that they have many other things to offer, and I’m sure that they do. But it does seem that Simon the sorcerer would feel right at home in their community, even though, he lived centuries ago.
When a medium, a fortune teller or soothsayer tells you about your future, and you pay them money, doesn’t that make you wonder if it’s really true? Do you trust their judgment simply because you want to believe or because you hate uncertainty?
With God, there is no uncertainty. His Word tells us all we need to know to live happy and productive lives. His Word tells us how we should live so we may return to him some day. His Word tells us of his perfect, unconditional love for us and about his son, Jesus Christ who took our sins upon himself and died that we might receive grace and forgiveness for our own sins.
Self-delusion, crystal balls, horoscopes and fortune telling can never replace the Word of God, and it’s free. There is no charge, no fee to receive this knowledge or God’s unending grace through his son Jesus Christ. All we need do is stand before him (or kneel), repent of our sins and believe.
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