The “gods” of Babylon
An old spirituality in the New Age.
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me . . ." Yahweh, Isaiah 46:9, KJV
One of my seminary professors stated in a theology class, "God created man in His own likeness and image, and man has been returning the compliment ever since." Again, like one pundit put it, "Man is the ape that wants to be God." In many ways, shapes, and sizes, the "man-is-God" teaching still comes to us.
Though contemporary Mormons now disavow his statement, Lorenzo Snow (1814-1901), the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once said, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." Pretending to be within the pale of Christendom, some Word of Faith teachers boldly tell their followers, "You are gods."[1] Helen Schucman (1909-1981), a New York research psychologist, authored volumes which now comprise A Course in Miracles (ACIM). Over a period of seven years, Schucman claimed to have received the contents of the course by a process of "inner dictation," the dictator being Jesus, an "ascended master" and spirit guide. Though using Christian terminology, ACIM is founded upon the fundamental premises of Eastern-metaphysical-mystical religion. In one of the course's lessons, Schucman stated, "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."[2] Among a host of other believers, authors and teachers, Schucman-like spirituality is widely being disseminated into American culture by various New Age gurus like Marianne Williamson and Eckhart Tolle, and their publicist, Oprah Winfrey. But I will, in this article, address this question: Does the Bible teach anywhere that man is not God?
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