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Psychology and the Doctrines of Devils
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John Henry
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Jan 25, 2007 06:32 PST
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PSYCHOLOGY AND THE DOCTRINES OF DEVILS
By T. A. McMahon
The Berean Call
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1
In my two previous TBC articles this year (Mar and Apr ’06), I addressed
the destructive influence psychological counseling is having on the
evangelical church. Simply put, the church has turned from God’s Word to
man’s bankrupt theories in attempting to resolve mental, emotional, and
behavioral problems. The greater part of the church no longer believes
what the Scriptures proclaim: that God, in His Word, has given us “all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). The results,
sadly, are what one might expect: there is often little statistical
difference between those who profess to be Christians and those who do
not, regarding the number of divorces, the reliance upon psychological
counseling theories and methods, living together outside of marriage,
illegitimate childbirths, pornography, sexual and physical abuse, and so
forth.
Although such consequences are shocking, they shouldn’t be surprising to
anyone who believes the Bible. Twice in the Book of Proverbs we are told,
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Death throughout Scripture
implies separation, whether of the soul and spirit from the body in
physical death or, in another sense, the separation of light from
darkness and truth from errorand ultimately, from God eternally. Just as
the body without life corrupts, so do one’s life choices result in
corruption when they are separated from God’s truth.
Psychology, with its psychotherapeutic counseling, has been embraced by
evangelicals more than almost any other unbiblical endeavor that has
entered the church in the last half-century. “Christian psychologists”
are generally more popular and influential than preachers and teachers of
the Word. What evangelical in America doesn’t know of psychologist Dr.
James Dobson? The psychologically oriented American Association of
Christian Counselors boasts 50,000 members. The evangelical church is one
of the leading referral services for secular counselors (whether they
claim to be Christians or not!). Like their secular counterparts, the
second-most popular career choice for students at Christian colleges is
psychology. What makes this information truly shocking is the fact that
the roots, concepts, and many of the psychological counseling practices
come from “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
First Timothy 4:1 is a prophetic verse. It foretells that “in the latter
times,” that is, the time near the return of our Lord, “some will depart
from the faith.” This is supported by other verses such as Luke 18:8:
Jesus asked, “...when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?” The implied answer is no. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, declares
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that a “falling away” from the
faith will characterize the Last Days. But haven’t many professing
Christians departed from the faith since the time of the Apostles? Yes.
The rest of the verse, however, indicates a condition that is unique to
our present day. Those who profess to be Christians will give “heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
Doctrines of devils are designed to undermine what is taught in the
Scriptures. They reflect the strategy that Satan instituted in the Garden
of Eden when he seduced Eve into disobeying God. The chief of the
seducing spirits began his direct communication with Eve by raising
doubts in her mind as to what God had commanded: “Yea, hath God said...?”
(Genesis 3:1). The serpent’s dialogue with her led her to believe that
God had lied to her: “And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not
surely die.” Although God instructed Adam and Eve that the punishment for
disobeying Him by eating the fruit of a certain tree in the Garden would
be death (Genesis 2:17), Satan twisted that around, making God not only a
liar but also the one who was withholding what they needed for their
self-improvement and for realizing a supposed higher potential.
Genesis 3:1-5 contains Satan’s basic strategy for the seduction and
destruction of mankind. His deception began by questioning God’s Word,
and offering tempting alternatives. Eve responded by believing Satan,
rejecting God’s Word, and turning to her own self-interests. The
enticements were so desirable to the flesh, including immortality,
enlightenment, godhood, and knowledge (Genesis 3:5), that she eagerly
embraced the lie. At that tragic moment in the history of mankind, self
became a god, an autonomous rebel bent on doing its own thing. What Satan
offered to Eve, he likewise has presented to all of her descendants, with
similar success. His deadly allurementsimmortality, enlightenment,
godhood, and knowledge-comprise the foundational teachings of “doctrines
of devils.”
Even in a cursory review of psychotherapeutic concepts, Satan’s primary
lies are clearly revealed. Teachings (i.e., doctrines) such as the
following are found in nearly all psychotherapeutic theories.
Immortality: There is no death in the sense that it should be feared.
Materialist psychotherapists teach a judgment-free mortality; spiritually
oriented counselors claim that we either evolve to a higher consciousness
or reincarnate to improve our next temporal state of being.
Enlightenment: Knowing the self, who we are, why we do what we do, and
how we change, all open the critical gate to establishing our mental
wellbeing. Some systems teach that our problems of living are determined
by traumas related to our past (including past lives), our parental
upbringing, our environment, or our having been oppressed by religious
dogmas. Godhood: The solution to humanity’s problems is found within the
self. Self is deified, whether directly or indirectly. For instance,
psychology’s “self-actualization” is a process that leads to
self-deification, which ultimately replaces any need for salvation
outside humanity. Knowledge: The deification process for humanity
involves methods of plumbing the depths of the unconscious, which is
alleged to be the infinite reservoir that holds all mysteries of life.
Sadly, these doctrines of devils now permeate “Christian psychology.” Few
evangelicals realize that these demonic teachings were introduced to the
“founding fathers of psychological counseling” literally by “seducing
spirits.”
It was Sigmund Freud who declared that “religion is the universal
obsessional neurosis of humanity.” Furthermore, there is evidence that
Freud hated Christianity, which he erroneously regarded as anti-Semitic.
How then would this atheistic rejecter of organized religion advance
doctrines of devils? By founding the “religion” of psychoanalysis. None
of Freud’s theories, whether psychic determinism or psychosexual
development or belief in the unconscious, have any scientific validity;
moreover, they are religious beliefs that are antithetical to the
doctrines of the Bible. Research psychiatrist Thomas Szasz had Freud
primarily in mind when he declared, “...modern psychotherapy...is not
merely a religion that pretends to be a science, it is actually a fake
religion that seeks to destroy true religion.” [1]
Given the fact that psychoanalysis and its associated concepts are so
diametrically opposed to biblical Christianity, there’s no doubt that
Freud’s “fake religion” is the product of “doctrines of devils.”
Furthermore, a strong case could be made that Freud’s theories came both
directly and indirectly from “seducing spirits” through the techniques he
employed in analyzing his patients. He put them into altered states of
consciousness through hypnosis and the highly suggestible technique of
“free association.” Early on, when he was formulating some of his
theories, Freud was a regular user of the mind-altering drug cocaine for
his bouts with depression. [2] Calling it his magical drug, “he pressed
it on his friends and colleagues, both for themselves and their
patients.” [3]
Psychiatrist and historian Henri F. Ellenberger’s classic work, The
Discovery of the Unconscious, reveals, “Historically, modern dynamic
psychotherapy derives from primitive medicine, and an uninterrupted
continuity...through the exorcists, magnetists, and hypnotists that led
to the fruition of dynamic psychiatry in the systems of Janet, Freud,
Adler, and Jung.” [4] Psychotherapy is a modern form of shamanism,
which explains why psychiatrist E. Fuller Torrey rightly observes, “The
techniques used by Western psychiatrists are, with few exceptions, on
exactly the same scientific plane as the techniques used by witchdoctors
[medicine men and shamans].” [5]
Shamanism is all about contacting spirit entities to gain their help,
wisdom, insights, and so forth. In an interview with a former Yanamamo
shaman who resides in the Amazonian rain forest of Venezuela, I was told
rather bluntly that his spirit guides were liars and deceivers, from his
first contact with them through ingesting hallucinogenic drugs until they
left him when he turned to Christ. Their lies reinforced what he wanted
to hear. It seems the same for Freud, whose concepts were a reflection
not of science but rather removing his own guilt and satisfying his
flesh. Freud’s theories were based mainly upon his own personal problems,
most of which were sexual perversions.
In Freudian thought, the “unconscious” is a God-replacement realm without
laws and judgment; morality is an oppressive neurosis-generating
structure imposed by society and organized religion; sexual freedom
(including adultery, homosexuality, incest, etc.) is paramount for normal
mental health; dreams are symbolic messages from the unconscious and can
be scientifically interpreted through psychoanalysis. These beliefs
represent doctrines of devils. Although a materialist, Freud acknowledged
the existence of spirit entities. He was influenced from that source,
either indirectly, through his patients, or directly, through his own
drug use, the ancient statuettes he used to help him write,6 and other
techniques he used to explore the unconscious.
The life and works of psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung clearly reveal that
his psychological theories came directly from the “seducing spirits” Paul
warns about in 1 Timothy 4:1. Jung is far more popular today among
professing Christians than Freud (the atheist) because of his perceived
affinity for religion and things spiritual. However, though his father
was a Protestant pastor (who seriously doubted his professed faith!),
Jung was anti-biblical and resentful of organized Christianity from his
youth. His early symbolic visions revealed Jesus as a Dark Lord and God
defecating on a cathedral. His mother’s side of the family was heavily
involved in spiritualism. His grandfather, pastor Samuel Preiswerk,
conducted ongoing séances to commune with his deceased first wife, with
his second wife and daughter (Jung’s mother) participating. The latter,
who had bouts of insanity, reserved two beds in the Jung home for
visiting ghosts. Jung’s doctoral thesis (published in 1902) was based
upon séances conducted by his 13-year-old cousin, whom he placed in an
altered state of consciousness through hypnosis in order to contact his
and her dead ancestors.
In 1916, Jung’s household experienced an assault by demonic beings who
claimed to be dead Christian Crusaders from Jerusalem. They were seeking
counsel on redemption and were greatly distressed that their Christianity
had left them in a hopeless condition. They would not leave Jung’s home
until he began writing advice to them, which he received from one of his
many spirit guides, his mentor Philemon, the “old man with horns of a
bull.”7
Richard Noll, a lecturer in the History of Science at Harvard University
and a clinical psychologist (who declares that he “is not a Christian of
any sort”), makes some stunning observations in his book on Jung titled
The Jung Cult. He argues that Jung’s “psychological theories of the
collective unconscious and archetypes are essentially masks, a
pseudoscientific cover to hide the practices of what was essentially a
new religious movement in which Jung taught people to have trance visions
and to contact the ‘gods’ directly.”8
Jung’s teachings are doctrines of demons, gleaned directly from seducing
spirits: the unconscious and the collective unconscious represent an
impersonal form of God; archetypes are viewed as psychological
rationalizations for demons, the anima and animus are terms for the
female and male entities within each person; psychological “types” are
determined characteristics within our make up. Jung promoted all things
occult, including astrology, alchemy, the I-Ching, mysticism, necromancy,
visualization, dream interpretation, the active imagination, yoga,
meditation, etc. Incredibly, his theories and recommended practices are
endorsed in the teachings of some of the most influential people in
evangelical Christianity. In many cases, ignorance is the principle
reason, yet the demonic lies are nevertheless readily promoted and
accepted among the sheep.
Rick Warren’s 30 million copies of The Purpose-Driven Life include
Jungian concepts, such as psychological “types.” Saddleback Church’s
“Celebrate Recovery” program (see TBC Oct ’05), which has been exported
to 4,500 churches and Prison Fellowship Ministries, is based on A.A.’s
12-Step principles. A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson received the 12 Steps
during the time he was in contact with spirit entities. He later wrote a
personal letter to Carl Jung thanking him for his influence:
...[A.A.] actually started long ago in your consulting room, and it was
directly founded upon your own humility and deep perception....You will
also be interested to learn that in addition to the “spiritual
experience,” many A.A.s report a great variety of psychic phenomena, the
cumulative weight of which is very considerable. Other members
havefollowing their recovery in A.A.been much helped by [Jungian
analysts]. A few have been intrigued by the “I Ching” and your remarkable
introduction to that work.
Warren is not the only witting or unwitting promoter among evangelicals
of what Jung learned from demons. He is just the most successful and the
best known. Others include Christian psychologists, inner healers, and
pastors. Jung’s occult methodologies, especially his demonically inspired
techniques of visualization, guided imagery, meditation, and working with
spiritual directors, are foundational to the Emerging Church interests of
evangelical youth and the contemplative movement supported by Richard
Foster, Eugene Peterson, and a multitude of others.
This astonishing development in the evangelical church is symptomatic of
the abandonment of God’s Word. The result will be the advancement of the
apostate “Christian” church. The antidote is found in Isaiah 8:20: “To
the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them.”
END NOTES:
1. Thomas Szasz, The Myth of Psychotherapy (Doubleday, 1978), 27-28.
2. Martin Gross, The Psychological Society (Random House, 1978),
234-36.
3. Ernest Jones, The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud, Volume I (1856-1900)
(New York: Basic Books, 1953), 81.
4. Henri F. Ellenberger, The Discovery of the Unconscious (Basic Books,
1970), 48; back cover.
5. E. Fuller Torrey, The Mind Games: Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists
(Emerson Hall, 1972), 8.
6. Shirley Nicholson, Shamanism (The Theosophical Publishing House), 58,
as cited in Martin and Deidre Bobgan, The End of “Christian Psychology”
(East Gate Publishers, 1997), 105.
7. C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections (Pantheon Books, 1963),
190-92; 182-83.
8. Richard Noll, The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement (New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), xi-xii.
http://www.thebereancall.org/Newsletter/html/2006/oct06.php
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