The PuritanBoard - View Single Post - why western Youth attracted to Hindu teachings?

Larry Hughes · #6 (**permalink**) 05-13-2007, 05:22 PM

Raj,

I would echo much of what Trevor and my other brothers have said here. I became a staunch atheist even to the point of getting the degree I received to this day (geologist). Although I never went over into the mystical side of things, I certainly would have/could have. My reasons were several and why I think youth are led this way today based upon my own journey:

1. Going “mystical” is the natural reaction to pure atheism. After a while atheism becomes dry due to its own logical conclusion. When you begin to contemplate your own mortality, you naturally say, “what’s the point” and then go looking elsewhere. Few atheist are true atheist like F. Nietzsche for very long. Mysticism is a natural ‘next step’ when the logical conclusion of atheism is realized.
2. The church in America has TOO long ignored her children and failed to raise them up in the faith. They, like me, in there youth were brought up only on trappings, what I call ‘cookies and kool aid’ teachings, mere vain moralism stories distilled from Holy writ and such. Over time this provides NO answers, so much like me, by the time you hit jr. high you begin to search out for truth. And secular teaching provides it and its not ‘cookies and cool aid’. By the time you hit college you are either a full blown atheist or a transitional agnostic.
3. The somewhat “tangible” mystical experience is also a natural replacement for no Word and Sacrament “to the person”. All of us want to know “where is God” for us and how do we know He is there for us. Thus, we either get THE God through Word and Sacrament and are fed or we begin to invent experiences inside and outside of the church. The link between eastern mysticism outside the church and experiential charismatic church inside the church is not incidental.
4. Some of it is dependant highly upon one’s own personality. Some are given over more easily to emotional experience and fall into it easily, I wasn’t. HOWEVER, that doesn’t leave people like myself (less emotional) immune. NOT AT ALL. IN fact our danger is trying to get away from ourselves, that very logicalness if you will and seeking an experience because we think that our “anti-experience or emotional ceneredness” is our problem. That leads us into all kinds of mystical movements thinking there lay the cure. I recall as a Christian, after 32 years of atheism, to so distance myself of my former self deception trying to “experience” much of the mystical deceptions found within the “church bucket”. But I could never “get past” my logical mind to have the experience. RC Sproul even talks of one time attempting to “get the gift of tongues”. It’s a danger any of us can fall into when we attempt to find God FOR US outside of the Word and Sacraments, that’s why its crucial to get Word and Sacrament right, for there is where God has given Himself, His name for us, Word and Sacrament. In lowly Word, water, bread and wine. IT looks like nothing but is where God’s name and promise is FOR US. That’s our sureness here and know while we await by faith alone. That is our manna and living water for us in this desert journey in the church among the desert of nations until the second coming of our Lord. IF we get that back in the church, then the youth will stop “seeking God”, which is to “not seek for God” in reality in other mystical things inside or outside the church doors…that is deceptions of the devil created both in and outside of the church. When the church no longer gives Christ, that is God, for you where He has promised himself to be given by proper teaching, then it is natural to seek after god, that is not seek God, that is invent an idol to run after thinking it God in something else.

I hope that helps some.

Blesssings,

Ldh