Good Fruit From Evil Trees:

Part I

Halloween & Psychology

Matthew 12:33 "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

There are many in Christian circles today who believe that you can find some good in everything. Many seem to believe that, even if an idea, activity or philosophy is known to have come from a secular or occult source, in the hands of a Christian it can then be embraced as something acceptable and good.

Halloween could be one example of this type of thinking, embraced by many in the secular world as well as those professing Christianity. One of the special "sabbaths" for Satan-worship continues to be October 31^st or Halloween, which is also called by other names including: Nov. Eve, Hallowmas, Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Feast of Soul's, Feast of the Dead, and the Feast of Apples. October 31^st is also the festival celebration for The Wiccan New Year. For them it marks the 'death' of the Sun God into Summerland (Land of the Young), where "He" awaits "His Rebirth".

The origins of Halloween go back to the traditions of the Celts and Druids. Their religion involved the worship of various "gods" and objects, such as trees, and involved magical practices. The Druids believed that witches, demons, and spirits of the dead roamed the earth on October 31^st. They built huge bonfires to drive the evil spirits away and also for another purpose. The Druid priests used these fires to offer human or animal sacrifices to the Lord of Death, Satan. To try to protect themselves from the mean tricks of the evil spirits, the Druids offered them good things to eat. They also disguised themselves to try and trick the spirits into thinking that the Druids belonged to them, believing the disguises would keep them from any harm. They carried "jack-ò-lanterns," a turnip or potato with a frightening, demonic face carved into it, to intimidate the demons around them. Much later, the Roman Catholic Church set aside November 1^st to honor 'saints' who had no special day of their own. The special day became known as All Saints Day or All Hallows' Eve. This provided professing 'Christians' an alternative to the pagan ceremonies involved in the practice of Halloween. Eventually the two activities became one, and All Hallows' Eve was shortened to Halloween.

The "traditions" started by the Celts and Druids has carried over into Halloween which is celebrated today by dressing up in costumes, playing trick or treat--the giving out of candy or face a "trick", wearing masks, and carrying jack-ò-lanterns. Many that profess to uphold the Word of God celebrate Halloween in their churches as a form of "outreach". They uphold the rituals of the event by giving out candy and wearing costumes, regardless how demonic in appearance or any relation to the occult. Some feel it makes non-Christians feel more comfortable and accepted in their church.

Is it possible to reap good from evil? The Word of God is always consistent in its presentation of the truth we are to adhere to.

Matthew 7:17-19 "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

Matthew 12:33 "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

James 3:12"Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."

In other words, you cannot reap good fruit from something whose source is evil or the occult. It simply goes against the Word of God. No amount of rationalization, excuses, or justification makes any situation or idea exempt from that Biblical truth. Unless perhaps some feel God just forgot to tell us and we can add to the Word of God. We know that particular thinking goes against the Word of God as well.

I Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Another example of the lack of application to this scriptural truth would be an issue involving those in various ministries, pastors, speakers and authors in the Christian community. These people are perhaps revered as examples of Biblical living and yet they fall short in applying this very important Truth. That is, those who embrace and promote psychology as acceptable before God, and as a normal or necessary part of Christian living. Many believe that they cannot fully live for God, be victorious in their walk or obedient to Christ without applying this philosophy or religion alongside their Biblical beliefs.

Some examples of those who promote this thinking are: Dr. James Dobson, Gary Smalley, Chuck Colson, Robert Hicks, Bill Hybels, Billy Graham, Dr. Stephen Tchividjian (son-in-law to B. Graham), Dr. Robert Schuller, Gary Collins, Lawrence Crabb, Jr., Dr. Paul Meier, Dr. Frank Minirth, Azusa Pacific University, Fuller School of Psychology, Youth for Christ, Campus Crusade and the list goes on with more organizations, authors and pastors. This list does not begin to include those that support and agree with these teachings. One would be hard-pressed to find Bible schools that do not have Psychology or some form of psychology based counseling in regular subjects, or subject content. For Chuck Colson See: Evangelicals and Catholics Together

Adherents to psychology in the secular world view it as a religion in itself, or a science. Its beliefs are acknowledged by them to be totally contrary to the Word of God and Christianity. Is it then possible for it to co-exist with the Gospel of Jesus Christ when embraced, used and promoted by those claiming to belong to Jesus Christ? What of the root of psychology and many of it's conflicting theories on behavior, inner self, the child within and the different personalities? Are they Biblical? Did the tree roots of psychology begin from something Good---which means did they come from God?

1 Corinthians 1:22

"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:"

1 Timothy 6:20

"O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen."

It would behoove us to consider just a few of the founders of psychology, psychoanalysis, self-awareness, self-empowerment, self-affirmation and the roughly 250, often conflicting, theories or approaches. It stands to reason that if it these ideas were of God the originators of them would have loved God. However, one would find that that is not so, as most of the ideas came from various "New Age" beliefs. 

These ideas are simply man's answers, understanding, reasoning and excuses to and for our sinful nature. The ideas, theories and therapies try to deal with mans disobedience to God and the rejection of Him. Embracing the philosophies and techniques attached to these various issues causes us to align our thinking with such people as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Agnes Sanford, Mead, Rogers, Janov, Ellis, Adler, Berne, Fromm, Maslow and many more.

Proverbs 12:5 "The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit."

When researching these various people, you are eventually brought to two of the main contributors to Psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Sigmund Freud is known as the father of Psychology. Many view his developments of psychoanalysis, personalities and counseling as landmark events. His heroes were Gustav Fechner, who founded the science of psychology and Charles Darwin. "Before Darwin, man was set apart from the rest of the animal kingdom by virtue of having a soul. The evolutionary doctrine made man a part of nature, an animal among animals," (A Primer of Freudian Psychology, pg. 11, Calvin S. Hall) Freud embraced his teachings.

Freud was a materialist who believed that life and death were simply parts of the evolutionary process. "With the continuing evolution of the world, new forms of energy created disturbances that were no longer lasting so that the span of life increased. Eventually living things acquired the power to reproduce themselves. At that point in evolution the creation of life became independent of external stimulation..." (A Primer of Freudian Psychology, pg. 58, Calvin S. Hall). He didn't believe that life came from God, nor that all mankind are sinners, but rather tried to offer solutions to life and society away from "superstition". Freud believed everything in our lives comes as a result of repressed sexual desires--the cure for this repression would be to remove the repression--let man do whatever he really wants and everything will be okay.

"Freud's philosophical interests were not those of the professional or academic philosopher. His philosophy was social and humanitarian. It took the form of building a philosophy of life. The Germans have special word for it. They call it Weltanschauung, which means "world-view". Freud stood for a philosophy of life that is based on science rather than on metaphysics or religion. He felt that a philosophy of life worth having is one based upon a true knowledge of man's nature, knowledge that could only be gained by scientific study and research. Freud's own philosophy of life can be summed up in a phrase: "Knowledge through science"." (A Primer of Freudian Psychology, pg. 20, Calvin S. Hall). About society and how to "fix it", Freud believed, "...the application of psychological principles in raising and educating children...parents and teachers would have to undergo a psychological re-education before they could be effective agents of reason and truth." (A Primer of Freudian Psychology, pg. 21, Calvin S. Hall) Many view Freud as one of the few in history of who possessed a universal mind.

We are reminded:

Luke 6:43-45 "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, not of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"

Carl Jung, though partners with Freud for a time, was in many ways a contrast to Freud. Freud hated Christians and religion, while Jung was deeply involved in the occult. He went through what he described as a deification process, whereby he believed he became a god through an initiation in "the Land of the Dead". (Aion: Researches in the Phenomology of Self, 1951) Most of his psychological ideas came after his "deification" and inspiration came from his 'spirit guide', Philemon. He was involved in astrology, automatic writing, casting horoscopes, divination methods and other occult practices.

Jung believed that psychoanalysis was a way to achieve both personal and cultural renewal and rebirth. He believed that we could become one with god by finding the god within. He was heavily influenced by the Theosophy of Mead. 

Amazingly, a Pastoral Branch of Psychology was started based on his theories; it seems that many 'Christians' favour Carl Jung's ideas over Freud's. Many of his theories about personalities have been further developed and upheld in the secular and Christian community. Christians seem to be able to overlook the fact that he was tormented by demons and possessed. It appears that those things can be made excusable by viewing his contributions to society and mental health as positive.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12a " There shall not be found among you any that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter of familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord..."

James 3:12"Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."

Proverbs 15:26 "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: but the words of the pure are pleasant words."

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

Colossians 2:8-10 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

New Age mysticism includes many of the thoughts, techniques or ideas attributed to psychology. It holds to the "world-view", that the problems in society or people are not sin or evil, but ignorance. It's believed that we must return to the "Godhead" through various psycho-technologies. These involve meditation, group encounters, psychic experiences to become enlightened--merging with God--and other occult techniques. It's believed that all religious paths are valid roads to truth, and the pop psychology of self-affirmation, necromancy, eastern beliefs, global harmony and self-empowerment are from the "divine within".

Theosophist Alice Bailey described the first stage of an initiation ceremony as the revelation to the initiate of "The Presence" of "the God within".

"The Revelation of the 'Presence': Right through the later periods of the cycle of incarnation... there is growing up in his mind a realisation that he himself is an immortal Existence, and eternal God, and a portion of Infinity. Ever the link between the man on the physical plane and this inner Ruler becomes clearer until the great revelation is made. Then comes a moment in his existence when the man stands consciously face to face with his real Self and knows himself to be that Self in reality and not just theoretically; he becomes aware of the God within, not through the sense of hearing, or through attention to the inner voice directing and controlling, and called the 'voice of conscience.' This time the recognition is through sight and direct vision. He now responds not only to that which is heard, but also to that which he sees." (Initiation: Human & Solar, pp. 112-13)

Dr. Tony Campolo, popular speaker and writer to the "Christian" community parallels this thinking. In his book " A REASONABLE FAITH", Dr. Campolo says, regarding Jesus,

" He can be found exactly where he said. He told us that he did not dwell in temples and churches that we build in his honor. Instead, he encouraged us to look for him in one another. He said, 'You are my temples I dwell in you. What I am trying to say is that Jesus who incarnated God 2,000 years ago is mystically present and waiting to be discovered in EVERY person you and I encounter." (p. 171)
"...In describing the resurrected Jesus as the SACRED PRESENCE waiting to be encountered in other people, I was making a literal statement. I do not mean that the others represent Jesus for us. I mean that Jesus actually is present in each person. He continues to live in our midst, not as a religious influence or a sacred idea. He is personally alive. It is the historical Jesus who is encountered in the I -Thou. It is the resurrected Lord of the universe who is revealed to those who are open to his presence in others. Jesus is a REAL PRESENCE in other people and this convinces me that there are infinite possibilities for the future and great hope for the world." (p. 192) (Bolding and caps added for emphasis)

Many would say that Dr. Campolo is unique in his thoughts and teachings, and therefore would not be upheld by Christians. Surprisingly though, he is one of many very popular speakers, both at 'Bible' Schools and adult functions. He knowingly promotes false teachings in the name of his Christian faith.

"There are some warnings that I wish to issue to anyone reading this book. The first is to be aware that the theology expressed in this short volume represents a personal attempt to state my Christian faith in a way that might prove meaningful for my secularist friends. I am sensitive to the fact that any attempt to state the Gospel in the dominant categories of a culture inevitably leads to a distortion of the Gospel. Consequently, anyone who accuses me of violating the biblical message is correct." (p. 190, A REASONABLE FAITH)

Matthew 7:15-16 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

The radio personality "Dr. Laura" dispenses what many embrace as sound, moral, "godly" advice. This psychologist is acclaimed in the secular world with literally millions of listeners, including a huge Christian audience. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is not a Christian, but an Orthodox Jew. This means that she rejects Christ. She believes that "good works" are redemptive, and that humans are not created in the image of God, but are mere animals.

A critique of "Dr. Laura" is found at http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/laurahow.html ; also much more information on the whole realm of psychology, and the names of those promoting it is found at http://www/psychoheresy-aware.org/

Many of the people listed above consider themselves to be exemplary Christians and are in positions of leadership or influence. By supporting psychology they are promoting a non-biblical approach to dealing with sin and the consequences of sin. They are upholding doctrines that are rooted in evil, techniques and beliefs that came from people that have hated or rejected God. This approach is being accepted by other Christians and is undermining the very Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all in the name of "helping" one another live for Christ.

Luke 6:45 " A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

Matthew 6:24 " No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

When one first looks at these theories and practices, they seem like legitimate ways of dealing with people who are struggling with issues of life, mental health, depression, their past, fears or any other problem they may appear to have. On further examination one has to weigh these ideas to Scripture and know that they are not of God, the symptoms or the cure.

2Timothy 1:7 " For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

A group calling themselves the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) [ http://www.caps.net ] lists as one part of their mission statement: "Understanding of the relationship between Christianity and psychology at both theoretical and applied levels."

Since we know that the root of Psychology is from the occult, how can there be any understanding achieved to unite occult thinking with the doctrine and sufficiency of Christ? Good and evil are opposites and cannot be brought together in any way by anyone.

Romans 16:17,18 " Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 " Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"

Next Section: Part 2...

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