dictionary.com word of the day: objurgate

Objurgate: To express strong disapproval of; to criticize severely.

Also: What I am about to do to Oprah Winfrey.


The latest spiritual bandwagon for this woman to jump on is called A New Earth. (I'm a little behind, but I've been out of the country a lot, give me a break.) This book was written in 2005, but when Oprah picked it for her book club in January and started a webcast in March, 2 million people followed her like blind, desperate cattle! You can sign up for the next trance session on her website.

Eckhart Tolle wrote this book urging people to look beyond themselves and the current state of humanity to a new conciousness, where God is in all and all is God. Salvation comes from within, or a oneness with an impersonal life force that is "God." This is basic New Age stuff (throw in some pantheism and you have much of our culture summed up). There is no original sin; instead we make mistakes by being ignorant of this power of "goodness" that comes from "God" - the life force inside ourselves and everyone around us. As Oprah put it, "God is a feeling experience, not a belief experience." (Someone get this woman a theology book; some of the things I've heard her say are beyond the use of the words "ignorant" or "uninformed." Her comment of being turned off of Christianity when she heard that God is a "jealous" God and wondering, "Why is he jealous?" as if he were jealous of her? These misunderstandings have simple answers. At least to those who are open to hearing them.)

There is nothing new under the sun. New Age beliefs have been around for a long time, and this is not a new brand of spirituality. I do have issues with Eckhart Tolle and his recycling of old mystical beliefs into new packaging, but it's more than that. This stuff will open you up to spiritual things, there is no question about it, but like the growing popularity of personal or guardian angels, the "spirits" you are welcoming in are not kind, sweet, gentle (these are some adjectives I've heard describing personal angels), or anything that would constitute a "guardian." I'm just going to go ahead and say it: invite these things to come in and "guide" you and you are opening yourself up to demonic beings that are going to play along to look like anything you want them to.

Sorry, tangent. Where was I? Tolle has to be pretty much beside himself with glee (not to mention the big dollar signs in his eyes) that Oprah has picked him for her latest "spiritual journey." My main problem isn't with him. He's a tool. :) I think I've lost most if not all respect for Oprah as an intelligent, thinking person. She is in search of good feelings, and leading the masses off the cliff with her. Spiritually, emotionally, politically, let's do what resonates with my soul, what feels right to me.

If you have seriously thought through your values and settled on beliefs that you have reasons for holding, fine. But that's just it: she doesn't want to have to do that. She wants to go off whatever feels good to her at the moment. No thinking, analyzing, or reasoning (or believing, she'd say, which pretty much conflicts with anything "spiritual" in the first place, but moving on) required. And in her position as a leader (a pop culture leader, but a leader nonetheless), this is totally irresponsible. I feel like she uses her position to influence the masses and win them over to her whims. Our poor culture ~ of people who have lost any ability to reason and think for themselves ~ is easily persuaded.