Awakening To Your Purpose

Oprah has chosen her book of the month. Her website says it is one of her favorites. It is Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose.”

According to his Web site, Tolle advocates "transcending our ego-based state of consciousness" as a "prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet."

“A New Earth” addresses problems like human suffering. The reason for human suffering, says Tolle, is the “ego.” The ego is ultimately rooted in our thinking. You might paraphrase the famous philosopher Descartes who said "I think; therefore I am,” and say, "I think--which is my identity--and therefore, my thinking is my Being".

It’s all about achieving peace of mind and peace of soul. Through this kind of thinking we can achieve inner peace and ultimately world peace. Personal peace leads to world peace. The Bible affirms this fact.

The Bible also says “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Tolle would agree with this. When people are at peace with themselves, they can be at peace with each other. The point of departure comes in exactly how to achieve this peace.

Tolle’s work is about achieving life’s purpose without God. One really doesn’t need a Creator, for one becomes a creator, according to this philosophy.

It is interesting that enthusiastic followers would quote the Bible when it agrees with some of the book’s ideas, but ignore other clear teachings of the Bible. One of those is the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The serpent suggested that they could be like God, knowing good from evil.

The temptation from the beginning has been the ego, I must agree. The ego wants to be like God, know what God knows, and do what God does. Prophets of the new spirituality like Tolle tell us how to accomplish that.

And Oprah, the priestess of spirituality is helping spread the word.

On the other hand, Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life,” is about how to achieve your life’s purpose through a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It’s about thinking less of myself and more of Christ. After all, it’s not about you.

With Oprah’s help, “A New Earth” is spreads the word that it is, indeed, all about you. Not!