This interview is based on the contents of my new book—A New Earth, An Old Deception (see amazon.com)—which is about the New Age teachings of Eckhart Tolle, author of the bestselling New Age self-help volume, A New Earth. For more information, including youtube videos, please see my special web page on Eckhart Tolle.
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Interview with Richard Abanes about Eckhart Tolle, Part 1
by Roger on Mon 14 Jul 2008
Overton: Eckhart Tolle claims that what he is teaching is neutral to his religion. Yet many people are flocking to him as though he’s a religious teacher. Is his message religious and how does it compare to Christianity?
Abanes: First, people must realize that Tolle is a master of double-speak and self-contradiction. On the one hand, for example, he will assert that there is neither absolute good/bad, nor absolute right/wrong— but then he will go on to tell everyone what is absolutely good/bad and absolutely right/wrong per his own views. He will also allege that anyone who claims there is only one way (or one truth) is blinded by ego, illusion, and false beliefs—but then he will go on to inform readers/listeners of his own “truths” per his own ideas and absolute interpretations of the Bible. He uses this same technique when it comes to the question of whether or not other religions are compatible with his teachings. He will claim in one breath that his teachings are totally compatible with other faiths, but then when it comes to Christianity, for instance, he will go on to advance beliefs that are totally incompatible with what has been established as the foundational views of Christianity.
Second, when it comes to Christianity, he paints it as one of the worst examples of spirituality/faith when it is out of control and based on illusion, lies, and dangerous ideas. As he puts it, “The history of Christianity is, of course, a prime example of how the belief that you are in sole possession of the truth, that is to say, right, can corrupt your actions and behavior to the point of insanity.” This is the same worn-out slander that has used against Christianity for centuries—i.e., bring up all the horrific things done under the guise of Christianity (e.g., witch hunts, Crusades, etc.) and blame the actual faith itself, rather than the people who merely used the faith to further their own evil and wickedness.
Third, it should be understood that Tolle’s “religion” is not really
a “religion” per se, but rather an eclectic mix of doctrinal views
taken from all over the religious landscape. This reflects the way
people are choosing their spirituality today—i.e., a little bit of this
a little bit of that. And it doesn’t really seem to matter if the
various things they are choosing are intellectually consistent or
logical. In other words, of a certain idea “feels” good, then they’ll
take it and just throw it into their personal spirituality stew. This
is why Tolle, I believe, uses so many quotes from the Bible—it sounds
awfully spiritually and uplifting. Unfortunately, the words contained
in his select passages are rendered meaningless by him because he
perverts them utterly via radically New Age misinterpretations of them
based on his own internal, subjective “knowledge” of what those verses
supposedly REALLY mean — always contrary, by the way, to their context
and language. In this way he utterly reshapes/redefines every Christian
doctrine around what HE believes about God, Jesus, eternal life,
salvation, the cross, the “new” haven and earth mentioned in
Revelation, the term “Christ,” and the mission of Jesus.
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