Eckhart Tolle?

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AdriannaJean

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Hey Everyone,

Many people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, have recommended Eckhart Tolle’s books to me. I know he isn’t Catholic, or a member of any religion I think, but are his ideas compatible with Catholicism or contrary to it? Should I bother reading them, if even just to be able to dispute what is said, or are they more “self-help” books that don’t get into spirituality?
 
Tolle’s non-fiction bestseller The Power of Now emphasizes not being caught up in thoughts of past and future as a way of being aware of the present moment. His later book A New Earth further explores the structure of the human ego and how this acts to distract people from their present experience of the world. He asserts that it is the feeding of the human ego that is the source of inner and outer conflict, and that only by examining the ego may people begin to see beyond it and obtain a sense of spiritual enlightening or a new outlook on reality.

Source: Wikipedia

Tolle is a so-called “spiritual teacher,” which to me is a red flag.
 
AdriannaJean, burn them, seriously, they are new age trash and should not be even remotely exposed to you!!!
 
AdriannaJean said:
Hey Everyone,

Many people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, have recommended Eckhart Tolle’s books to me. I know he isn’t Catholic, or a member of any religion I think, but are his ideas compatible with Catholicism or contrary to it? Should I bother reading them, if even just to be able to dispute what is said, or are they more “self-help” books that don’t get into spirituality?
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Do not, under any circumstances, read his books. Also, if you hear of a course called “A course in Miracles” stay away from that too. Catholics will also reccomend it but they have been fooled into thinking it follows Catholic teaching. Neither does.

Stay away.
 
Why would anyone here promote ignorance? It makes Catholicism look like a brainwashing cult.

Read anything you want to read… Your beliefs should hold up to anything, you shouldn’t be required to bury your head in the sand to stay Catholic.

How would you feel if you heard people being told to burn the Bible, or to stay far away from it. I think a lot of Atheist actually do read the Bible… they just don’t agree with it.

Eckhart Tolle promotes happiness and peace, but if you’d prefer to act like brainwashing cultists congratulations, I guess you win the best Catholic award.
 
"Tolle violates common sense. We know that we are both particular and real. We experience ourselves as real, distinct persons, and feel deep down in our very particular bones that our annihilation would be evil. "

I have studied Mahayana Buddhism for several years. I was born a Christian and I have looked into Christianity the past year, considering very carefully Christian truth-claims. The above article is a mischaracterization of Buddhism. Buddhism doesn’t teach annihilation or the desire for annihilation. Buddhism teaches reality and impermanence. Comming to terms with loss or death, the mystery of what death means, is deeply humanizing. It keeps our hearts from being hardened. That sadness we feel is real, and should not glossed over with religious slogans or dogma. “The dewdrop world, is the dewdrop world… and yet” wrote the poet Isa. Rather than turning inward into nihilism, we should turn outward to compassion to our fellow travellers in samsara, there you find healing and oneness.

The idea of the universe or “matter” being evil, well, Buddhists don’t metaphysically deal with “matter”. This is just Christians heaping abuse on things they don’t understand. Ditto for the idea Buddhism is pessimistic or somehow tarnishes something in human nature. [edited]
 
Well then who created the universe and human beings? Why would buddha create anything different from how God did?

Like I said, you don’t need to brainwash people to make them see Catholics are the best, you just have to make them ask themselves these questions.

Who is better than God? Nobody. How can one person understand more than God? Buddha can’t even do that (I don’t know what powers buddha has but I assume God has more).

Thank you for giving us something to rebuttle against, but franky, try harder next time Mr. Buddhist.
 
Daedelus76 said:
"Tolle violates common sense. We know that we are both particular and real. We experience ourselves as real, distinct persons, and feel deep down in our very particular bones that our annihilation would be evil. "

I have studied Mahayana Buddhism for several years. I was born a Christian and I have looked into Christianity the past year, considering very carefully Christian truth-claims. The above article is a mischaracterization of Buddhism. Buddhism doesn’t teach annihilation or the desire for annihilation. Buddhism teaches reality and impermanence. Comming to terms with loss or death, the mystery of what death means, is deeply humanizing. It keeps our hearts from being hardened. That sadness we feel is real, and should not glossed over with religious slogans or dogma. “The dewdrop world, is the dewdrop world… and yet” wrote the poet Isa. Rather than turning inward into nihilism, we should turn outward to compassion to our fellow travellers in samsara, there you find healing and oneness.

The idea of the universe or “matter” being evil, well, Buddhists don’t metaphysically deal with “matter”. This is just Christians heaping abuse on things they don’t understand. Ditto for the idea Buddhism is pessimistic or somehow tarnishes something in human nature. If anything, I think Catholicism does a better job of that with its guilt-ridden, juridical approach to morality and faith.

The view of God present in the Bible, and especially in Christian theology and liturgy, is frankly ridiculous. A demanding despot who lays down the law. This is not a person you have a personal relationship with, a friend you can talk to and share your joys and struggles with unafraid of rejection, it’s a person you are suppossed to surrender to, bronze age monarchical fealty. “Sit down and shut up” says God from on high to poor Job. Nevermind the logical problems with the Euthyphro Dilemma that make Divine Command Theory problematic and adolescent. Fostering this kind of mentality on the Western world is the reason people have rejected Christianity after the Age of Reason.
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What is written within the bible and what the church teaches us is a way to live your lives in peace and what you perceive as rules designed for control is in fact just the opposite. Think of it this way, a child insists his parents give him nothing but candy to eat instead of real food, the parent knows the outcome if they were to give in, so set limits there, otherwise the child would die of malnutrition. This same is applied towards Gods word, it has wisdom that transends the body itself significantly. Buddism has some nice teachings within it, yet it has so many elements which are lacking I won’t even begin to start to explain, there are also many which are out right fabrications that do nothing but deceive people into thinking they are what they clearly are not. The biggest one with that one, we are created in God’s image, we are set apart from the animals, budhism teaches something quite the contrary.

You may not like the rules because you do not understand them, trust me here on this one, it’s for your own good they are in place.
 
prodigalson12 said:
Think of it this way, a child insists his parents give him nothing but candy to eat instead of real food, the parent knows the outcome if they were to give in, so set limits there, otherwise the child would die of malnutrition.
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I refuse to believe I was created by a Mesopotamian war god or sand spirit that was obsessed with foreskins and fringes on clothing. And raising your kids to fear you is a ****** way to be raised. My dad was like that and it took years to get over it. YHWH is more like an abusive father, even the atonement view of Christianity points to something cruel and sinister in his character. God likes blood and suffering.

The Buddha rejected propitiation of gods. Christianity embraces it. Yes, I believe they are oppossed in many ways. Buddha was talking about a path beyond superstition to knowing reality for yourself. Christianity rolls around in a religious tradition that is essentially not that different from voodoo blood rituals.
This same is applied towards Gods word, it has wisdom that transends the body itself significantly.
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Like praising the bashing of Assyrian babies heads against rocks? Or YHWH stalking Moses on the way home and trying to kill him, for forgetting to circumcise his son? The number of things I found hard to stomach in the entire Tripitaka or Agamas in Buddhism is very, very few. OTOH, the Bible is filled with that kind of stuff. Bizarre blood rituals and hocus pocus. Threats from God on what he is, or isn’t going to do to people unless they obey him. Ridiculous a-historical myths that make me feel like I’m reading the Hindu Upanishads. This kind of worldview is mired in ignorance. At least the Hindus admit their stuff isn’t completely real. The Bible has giants and unicorns. Unicorns. Enough said.
 
Daedelus76 said:
The Bible has giants and unicorns. Unicorns. Enough said.
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There are giants among us today, many work as basketball players or pro wrestlers.

There Bible notes the animal re’em which has been translated as wild ox in most translations or as unicorn in some (KJV IIRC) as a metaphor for an untamable beast.
 
bacon_man said:
Does anyone have any arguments to refute his ideas?
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Well he doesn’t know God honestly, because he confuses God with his own identity. The ancients said ‘know thyself’ which is to know that you are not God.
 
Daedelus76 said:
I refuse to believe I was created by a Mesopotamian war god or sand spirit that was obsessed with foreskins and fringes on clothing. And raising your kids to fear you is a ****** way to be raised. My dad was like that and it took years to get over it. YHWH is more like an abusive father, even the atonement view of Christianity points to something cruel and sinister in his character. God likes blood and suffering.

The Buddha rejected propitiation of gods. Christianity embraces it. Yes, I believe they are oppossed in many ways. Buddha was talking about a path beyond superstition to knowing reality for yourself. Christianity rolls around in a religious tradition that is essentially not that different from voodoo blood rituals.

Like praising the bashing of Assyrian babies heads against rocks? Or YHWH stalking Moses on the way home and trying to kill him, for forgetting to circumcise his son? The number of things I found hard to stomach in the entire Tripitaka or Agamas in Buddhism is very, very few. OTOH, the Bible is filled with that kind of stuff. Bizarre blood rituals and hocus pocus. Threats from God on what he is, or isn’t going to do to people unless they obey him. Ridiculous a-historical myths that make me feel like I’m reading the Hindu Upanishads. This kind of worldview is mired in ignorance. At least the Hindus admit their stuff isn’t completely real. The Bible has giants and unicorns. Unicorns. Enough said.
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At least find something that has some true reference to the scripture, what you stated is only fabrications on your part, there is no biblical basis for any of what you claim here. If you manage to pervert the gospel, at least display a reference point so you can be given the truth to it’s interpretation.
 
You could refute Eckhart Tolle only by fully understanding what he is saying, and from the looks of it, that has not yet been accomplished here. He specifically does not confuse God with his own identity. You, I’m afraid, are the one who is a bit confused.

If you want to know how to overcome the competition, you must first know everything you can about your adversary. Once you know that, you won’t have to look for easy answers from other people. You might try finding out for yourself by doing the research.

This is part of the idea of “Know Thyself” (i.e., know your adversary as you know yourself), which, contrary to post #2, does not suggest that the intention is to “know that you are not God.” A modicum of research in this area would clear up that confusion nicely. Even Wikipedia would help quite a bit.
 
“Red flag”

“Burn them”

“New Age Trash”

Whether or not one lands on the side of reading Tolle, or ignoring him, what good does such hatred and fear do for anyone?

I suggest that anyone who has a question about these books or any other, go to the bookstore and thumb through a copy. If you don’t like it, put it down. If it looks interesting, read it for yourself to see what the man is saying (and this goes for just about anyone.) Don’t rely so much on the opinions of others. And if you do, try to make sure that the assessment is fair and balanced, and not given in fear.

The three quotes above are based in FEAR. Fear of a thought, of a concept, of words on a page. Big deal!

If one’s faith is truly believable, secure, and sane, then there is nothing to fear from reading a book. Are we that weak? Are we that vulnerable to an idea? Is our belief system that fragile? Or, do we have to violently push away anything that might sully our myopic view of the world?

Personally, I would loathe having to wake up every day living with that kind of fear. Maybe that’s just me.

Break out your matches and a copy of Farenheit 451, everybody! It’s time for a good ol’ fashioned book burnin’ !

{shivering at the thought}

PS: Please, nobody jump to conclusions that I’ve suggested I either support or don’t support Tolle and his books. That has nothing to do with my post.
 
One said:
“Red flag”

“Burn them”

“New Age Trash”

Whether or not one lands on the side of reading Tolle, or ignoring him, what good does such hatred and fear do for anyone?

I suggest that anyone who has a question about these books or any other, go to the bookstore and thumb through a copy. If you don’t like it, put it down. If it looks interesting, read it for yourself to see what the man is saying (and this goes for just about anyone.) Don’t rely so much on the opinions of others. And if you do, try to make sure that the assessment is fair and balanced, and not given in fear.

The three quotes above are based in FEAR. Fear of a thought, of a concept, of words on a page. Big deal!

If one’s faith is truly believable, secure, and sane, then there is nothing to fear from reading a book. Are we that weak? Are we that vulnerable to an idea? Is our belief system that fragile? Or, do we have to violently push away anything that might sully our myopic view of the world?

Personally, I would loathe having to wake up every day living with that kind of fear. Maybe that’s just me.

Break out your matches and a copy of Farenheit 451, everybody! It’s time for a good ol’ fashioned book burnin’ !

{shivering at the thought}

PS: Please, nobody jump to conclusions that I’ve suggested I either support or don’t support Tolle and his books. That has nothing to do with my post.
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It’s too simple, garbage in, garbage out, if you can’t understand that you are truly lost.
 
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