Bible Answers Archive

As Charles Strohmer has well said, “Astrology has been debunked more than the tooth fairy and cheered more than the Pope.” Despite the fact that it is denounced by Scripture, debunked by science, and demonstrably superstitious, humankind’s fascination with astrology continues unabated. While multitudes view astrology as a harmless pastime, in reality it is a [...]

Not everyone who wears a cross is a Christian. Likewise, not everyone who owns a crystal is a New Ager. To accurately identify New Agers we must move beyond superficial symbols such as crystals, unicorns, and rainbows to identify their beliefs and practices. First, New Agers hold to pantheistic monism. Thus, in their view, God [...]

An ever-growing number of people in both the church and the culture have come to believe that reincarnation and resurrection can be reconciled. In fact, multitudes have embraced the odd predilection that Scripture actually promotes reincarnation. In reality, however, the Bible makes it crystal clear that reincarnation and resurrection are mutually exclusive. To begin with, [...]

Reincarnation, literally, “rebirth in another body,” has long been considered to be a universal law of life in the Eastern world. Tragically, today in the West, it is now also believed to be backed by the Bible. The words of Jeremiah, John, and Jesus are typically cited as irrefutable evidence. A quick look at the [...]

Since Swami Vivekananda first introduced yoga to the West more than a hundred years ago, yoga has become as American as apple pie. According to the Columbia Journalism Review, Everybody loves yoga; sixteen and a half million Americans practice it regularly, and twenty-five million more say they will try it this year. If you’ve been [...]

While Hinduism is multifaceted rather than monolithic, its basic tenets with respect to God, humanity, and salvation can be summed up as follows. First, Hindus suppose that ultimate reality (Brahman) is an impersonal oneness that transcends all distinctions including personal and propositional differentiations. Put another way, all of reality is a continuum or simplified whole. [...]

While it has become increasingly popular to merge Eastern spirituality with biblical Christianity, the chasm that separates these worldviews is an unbridgeable gulf. First, in an Eastern worldview God is an impersonal force or principle. In sharp distinction, the God of Christianity is a personal being who manifests such communicable attributes as spirituality, rationality, and [...]

Though Zen Buddhism did not catch on in the West until the 1950s, it has now virtually cornered the meditation market. Phil Jackson even used Zen to prepare his teams to win nine NBA championships. Because of its growing popularity I’ve developed the acronym Z–E–N to help us understand it. First, the dominant discipline of [...]

The year was 1893. The place was Chicago. Buddhists had arrived from the East to attend the inaugural World’s Parliament of Religions. While their contingent was sizable, they were vastly outnumbered by Bible believers from the West. One hundred years later, at the centennial celebration of the original Parliament, Buddhists outnumbered Baptists and saffron robes [...]

In the way that John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, so a Persian prophet known as the Báb (the Gate) (1819–1850) prepared the way for Bahá’u’lláh (glory of God) the founder of Baha’i. While Bahá’u’lláh (1817–1892) believed his messianic mandate was the unification of the world’s religions, his message was fatally flawed. First, [...]