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Contributor to “Meditations on the Tarot”, Cardinal von Balthasar is hailed by some as a writer of seminal works on theology; others point out his devotion to Tarot and esoteric spirituality.
Sunday, March 04, 2007By Susan Beckworth The “Esoteric Spirituality” of Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar, including his Dedication for the “New Age” book: “Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism”
Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) was a Swiss theologian whose theological output gained him national attention, especially in Europe. He died on the 26th of June, 1988, two days before his elevation as a cardinal. Many from the theological scene hailed him as a theologian of great stature, however; some view his writings as questionable.
Our Catholic moral theology has always taught us we must not judge the state of another’s soul. But as faithful Catholics, we are called to make in a spirit of love, proper judgments of behavior and to expose dangerous views. Clearly, failure to condemn error indicates tacit agreement. Many of Balthasar’s books and writings contain heresy.
**One of the greatest heresies is the lie of “Universal Salvation,” **yet in Hans Urs von Balthasar’s book, Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved, he asserts that as humble Christians, “…it is necessary for us to hope that all men are saved.” Personally, I do not consider it appropriate for any of us to ask whether it is possible that all will be saved. Why? Jesus says “NO”!
Matt: 23:33: Jesus said, “You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?”
Mark: 9:43: “And if thy hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.”
John: 11:26: “And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
If Universal Salvation is true, then why keep any of God’s commandments? Why keep the Sabbath or holy days if we’re guaranteed salvation? If all can attain heaven without Christ, then why make an effort to attend church? It is no secret the humanistic philosophy of modernism professes that as long as we behave toward one another in an ethical manner, we are guaranteed eternity. If all mankind can inherit the kingdom by virtue of simple courtesy, then why does the Catholic Church exist? Is it ever legitimate to question the words of Christ?
Some assertions included in one of Balthasar’s more disputable books, **“Razing the Bastions”, claim the Traditional Church has outgrown its usefulness. **Is the Catholic Church deemed to become just one religion among others? **The Catholic Church and the Bible have always taught us there are two sources of Christ’s revelations, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. **
In Hans Urs von Balthasar’s 1950’s published work, Castra Meretix, he states the prostitute is the symbol of the Church, ”The figure of the prostitute is so appropriate for the Church…that it…defines the Church of the New Covenant in her most splendid mystery of salvation.”
What a revolting insult to Christ’s spotless bride, the Catholic Church!
But perhaps the most alarming of Balthasar’s work is his dedication for the book, “Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism”. This book is probably the deepest treatise available on the tarot which is a deck of cards used in fortune telling.
Through the centuries, the Catholic Catechism has always instructed, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future.”
The Lord says “Nor charmer, nor anyone that consulteth pythonic sprits, or fortune tellers for the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations, he will destroy them at thy coming.” (Deut. 18:11)
Yet here is an excerpt from Balthasar’s foreword for the book” Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism” (Referred to herein as “Cardinal” Balthasar). “A thinking, praying Christian of unmistakable purity reveals to us the symbols of Christian Hermeticism in its various levels of mysticism, gnosis and magic, taking in also the Cabbala and certain elements of astrology and alchemy. These symbols are summarized in the twenty-two “Major Arcana”of the tarot cards. By way of the Major Arcana, the author seeks to lead meditatively into the deeper, all embracing wisdom of the Catholic mystery.”
-Hans Urs von Balthasar
Writer’s Note: The Cabbala is a book of Jewish occultism to be avoided along with all occult activity.
In the book’s attempt to “Christianize” or add a Catholic perspective, one very important truth is excluded. There is no such thing as “Tarot for Christians” or a “Christian Tarot Practitioner.” God condemns sorcery and divination, and to give God credit for something He is not doing is blatant arrogance and a blasphemous insult to God Almighty.
The rest at: speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=8260
Sunday, March 04, 2007By Susan Beckworth The “Esoteric Spirituality” of Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar, including his Dedication for the “New Age” book: “Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism”
Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) was a Swiss theologian whose theological output gained him national attention, especially in Europe. He died on the 26th of June, 1988, two days before his elevation as a cardinal. Many from the theological scene hailed him as a theologian of great stature, however; some view his writings as questionable.
Our Catholic moral theology has always taught us we must not judge the state of another’s soul. But as faithful Catholics, we are called to make in a spirit of love, proper judgments of behavior and to expose dangerous views. Clearly, failure to condemn error indicates tacit agreement. Many of Balthasar’s books and writings contain heresy.
**One of the greatest heresies is the lie of “Universal Salvation,” **yet in Hans Urs von Balthasar’s book, Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved, he asserts that as humble Christians, “…it is necessary for us to hope that all men are saved.” Personally, I do not consider it appropriate for any of us to ask whether it is possible that all will be saved. Why? Jesus says “NO”!
Matt: 23:33: Jesus said, “You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?”
Mark: 9:43: “And if thy hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.”
John: 11:26: “And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
If Universal Salvation is true, then why keep any of God’s commandments? Why keep the Sabbath or holy days if we’re guaranteed salvation? If all can attain heaven without Christ, then why make an effort to attend church? It is no secret the humanistic philosophy of modernism professes that as long as we behave toward one another in an ethical manner, we are guaranteed eternity. If all mankind can inherit the kingdom by virtue of simple courtesy, then why does the Catholic Church exist? Is it ever legitimate to question the words of Christ?
Some assertions included in one of Balthasar’s more disputable books, **“Razing the Bastions”, claim the Traditional Church has outgrown its usefulness. **Is the Catholic Church deemed to become just one religion among others? **The Catholic Church and the Bible have always taught us there are two sources of Christ’s revelations, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. **
In Hans Urs von Balthasar’s 1950’s published work, Castra Meretix, he states the prostitute is the symbol of the Church, ”The figure of the prostitute is so appropriate for the Church…that it…defines the Church of the New Covenant in her most splendid mystery of salvation.”
What a revolting insult to Christ’s spotless bride, the Catholic Church!
But perhaps the most alarming of Balthasar’s work is his dedication for the book, “Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism”. This book is probably the deepest treatise available on the tarot which is a deck of cards used in fortune telling.
Through the centuries, the Catholic Catechism has always instructed, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future.”
The Lord says “Nor charmer, nor anyone that consulteth pythonic sprits, or fortune tellers for the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations, he will destroy them at thy coming.” (Deut. 18:11)
Yet here is an excerpt from Balthasar’s foreword for the book” Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism” (Referred to herein as “Cardinal” Balthasar). “A thinking, praying Christian of unmistakable purity reveals to us the symbols of Christian Hermeticism in its various levels of mysticism, gnosis and magic, taking in also the Cabbala and certain elements of astrology and alchemy. These symbols are summarized in the twenty-two “Major Arcana”of the tarot cards. By way of the Major Arcana, the author seeks to lead meditatively into the deeper, all embracing wisdom of the Catholic mystery.”
-Hans Urs von Balthasar
Writer’s Note: The Cabbala is a book of Jewish occultism to be avoided along with all occult activity.
In the book’s attempt to “Christianize” or add a Catholic perspective, one very important truth is excluded. There is no such thing as “Tarot for Christians” or a “Christian Tarot Practitioner.” God condemns sorcery and divination, and to give God credit for something He is not doing is blatant arrogance and a blasphemous insult to God Almighty.
The rest at: speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=8260