Mr
William Federer inadvertently reveals to us what may be in store in the near
future: a religious faith centered on
encountering ‘God’ in outer space and/or on other planets in ways more powerful
than we have experienced Him before:
[Astronaut Alan] Bean continued: “Jim would later say, ‘I was
aware on the moon that thousands of people on Earth were praying for the
success of our mission. The hours I spent on the moon were the most thrilling
of my life. Not because I was there but because I could feel the presence of
God. There were times I was filled with new challenges and help from God was
immediate.'”
Alan Bean concluded: “Dave and Jim journeyed into space as test
pilot astronauts and most of us returned the same way. But Jim changed
outwardly. As he explained, ‘I returned determined to share with others that
profound experience with God on the moon and lift man into his highest flight
of life.'”
Astronaut James Irwin later became an evangelical minister. Of
his experience of walking on the moon, he stated: “I felt the power of God as
I’d never felt it before.”
Mr
Federer often treats statements about religion by anyone from the States as
though they came from the mouth of a holy and trustworthy source, but that does
not mean we all must do likewise. The
statements by these astronauts are not innocent, harmless professions of
personal piety. As we said in the
opening, this is could be the ‘wave of the future’ now that space tourism and
exploration are being enthusiastically pursued.
From Montanism to the Pentecostal movement, heresies involving ecstatic
religious experiences have troubled the Church.
We would not be at all surprised to see space-focused spiritual gurus
joining those ranks. Be on your guard,
and use the tested weapons of the Orthodox Church to ward off these new demonic
delusions:
In the town of Phrygia, central Asia Minor, about the year 160AD,
a man named Montanus claimed to be “seized” by the Holy Spirit. He began to
receive “special” messages, “speak in tongues,” “prophecy,” and so forth. Two
women “prophetesses” soon join him: Priscilla and Maximillia.
According to a Charismatic/Emerging Church history scheme, about
300AD generally marks the point when the Church allegedly begins to enter a
time of “darkness” (see part one of this series, The Charisma of the
Age …https://inklesspen.blog/2019/06/25/the-charisma-of-the-age-an-orthodox-critique-of-the-charismatic-movement/ ). Montanus’ alleged experience
of a new and special “anointing in the Holy Spirit” transpired when the Church,
even according to Pentecostal-Charismatic (P/C) thought, was still generally
“being led by the Spirit.” Thus, for a person subscribing to a
modern Charismatic philosophy of history, this incident should bear at least
some weight.
The History of the Early Church by Eusebius, one of the first and earliest
histories of Christianity, gives these details –
“There is said to be a certain village called Ardabau in
that part of Mysia, which borders upon Phrygia. There first, they
say, when Gratus was proconsul of Asia, a recent convert, Montanus
by name, through his unquenchable desire for leadership, gave the adversary
opportunity against him. And he became beside himself, and being suddenly in a
sort of frenzy and ecstasy, he raved, and began to babble and utter strange
things, prophesying in a manner contrary to the constant custom of the Church
handed down by tradition from the beginning … Thus by artifice, or rather by
such a system of wicked craft, the devil, devising destruction for the
disobedient, and being unworthily honored by them, secretly excited and
inflamed their understandings which had already become estranged from the true
faith. And he stirred up besides two women, and filled them with the false
spirit, so that they talked wildly and unreasonably and strangely, like the
person already mentioned. And the spirit pronounced them blessed as they
rejoiced and gloried in him, and puffed them up by the magnitude of his
promises. But sometimes he rebuked them openly in a wise and faithful manner,
that he might seem to be a reprover. But those of the Phrygians that were
deceived were few in number … And the arrogant spirit taught them to revile the
entire universal Church under heaven, because the spirit of false prophecy
received neither honor from it nor entrance into it.”1
The Montanists also declared that they were ushering in “the age
of the Holy Spirit,” and with it a supposed renewed focus on prophecy, speaking
in tongues, miracles, and the other gifts of the Spirit. The modern Charismatic
experience has at its foundation an almost identical claim. The Montanists
asserted that to reject their message was “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”
Let the reader take note of the canon – measuring
rod – that the early Church used to discern that the Montanist experience was
not consonant with the true Spirit of Christianity: The custom of the
Church handed down from the beginning. Why was Montanus susceptible to
this new spirit? He had arrogance – an unquenchable desire for
leadership – and he allowed his own understanding …
(to) become estranged from the true faith. Montanus inevitably
used Scripture and a special claim of indwelling by the Holy Spirit to
disregard the correcting rebuke of the Church in his time. With his unique
“anointing” he was under no obligation to listen to “men.”
The Montanists also prophesied exclusively in the first person,
something unheard of in the Old and New Testaments. It appears that Montanus
would say, “I, the Holy Spirit, say to you …;” “I, the Lord ….” Whereas the Old
and New Testament prophets all spoke in this manner, “Thus says the Lord …”
(cf. Act. 21:11; Is. 8:1). They also fervently proclaimed the immediate return
of Christ, even professing to know location and date. One author states, the
Montanists, “Claiming to receive revelation directly from God that fulfilled
and superseded the revelation given to the Apostles, Montanus emphasized
direct, ecstatic, and highly emotional spiritual experiences for all believers
… (they) did not claim to be messengers of God but rather claimed that God
‘possessed’ them and spoke directly through them.”2
A common claim of novel moves, which assert that they are of the
Holy Spirit, is that they have the authority to superseded former Christian
revelation with their new experiences. Frequently, the claim is made that the
former revelation was dead, had lost its way, was only of “men,” and stood in
need of renewal or to be abandoned completely. Even Eusebius states, they “revile(d)
the entire universal Church under heaven.” New spirits must first
deconstruct the Church, and the authority given Her by Christ the Lord, and
assert that it is somehow faulty and or in darkness. This enables new claims to
appear more credible.
. . .
--Fr Zechariah Lynch, https://inklesspen.blog/2019/06/27/a-new-charisma-in-the-early-church/
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England,
South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð,
unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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