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| Niscience and the BibleThe Cult of Niscience is a religious group that operates off of Glendale, California and is founded in 1953 by the now deceased Ann Ree Colton and her husband, Jonathan Murro. Much of the material for this group centers on the written and audio-recorded words of Ann Ree Colton. Niscience has two monthly publications, a newsletter titled “White Paper” and a magazine titled, “Agape”. It is New Age in its teachings and a false belief system. The article here is to demonstrate the error of Niscience. Principle of Refutation DeployedNiscience claims to have its teachings based on the Bible and other sacred scriptures.
Due to the fact that Niscience claims to have the Bible as one of its teaching authority, it is worthy to note here that by having a Biblical refutation of Niscience, it would be sufficient to put Niscience into a serious internal jeopardy! Refuting the Bible is unarguably valid and very damaging to Niscience. It is without a doubt a powerful argument to use the authority of the Bible to refute the very group (Niscience) who claims the Bible as one's sacred authority of truth. Problems with Niscience
1)
Niscience advocates and teaches “Prayer formulas (mantrams) to change your
life.”(http://www.niscience.org/about_niscience.html) BIBLICAL
RESPONSE: Mantrams are repetitious chants that goes contrary Matt.
6:17-“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think
they will be heard because of their many words.”
2) “Through
the rhythmic practices of meditation, contemplation, attentiveness, and
mantramic speaking, they open their soul-records, their creative talents, and
their spiritual gifts” (http://www.niscience.org/about_niscience.html) BIBLICAL
RESPONSE: Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit and by how He
determines it and not opened through meditation, contemplation or mantramic
speaking. 1Corinthians
13:11 states referring to the gifts, “All these are the work of one and the
same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
3)“Niscience
teaches that the highest expression of spiritual serving is the sending of
healing to the world through meditative telepathy.” (http://www.niscience.org/about_niscience.html) BIBLICAL
RESPONSE: Telepathy is a form of magical art, which is condemned at such
places in the Bible as Revelation 21:8 and those who practice such magical art
and still do not repentant from it will “be in the fiery lake of burning
sulfur.” (excerpts from Revelation 21:8) 4)
Niscience works about to bring the “blending of Eastern and Western
philosophies and religions.”(http://www.niscience.org/about_niscience.html)
BIBLICAL
RESPONSE: Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the
life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus and Christianity is by
nature exclusive and trying to blend different religions with Christianity is
contrary to what the Bible teaches. FURTHER
RESPONSE: It is impossible to combine other religions anyway without having
contradicting “facts” and doctrines! For example, in some schools of
Buddhism there is no God whereas the Bible teaches that there is a God.
Blending other religions will always prove futile. It does not and will
not work and does no justice to the religions that have been manipulated. 5) The
founder of Niscience, Ann Ree Colton has a book titled, “Draughts of
Remembrance”(http://www.niscience.org/about_niscience.html)
and in this book it explores the doctrine of Reincarnation, which is one of the
things Niscience adheres. BIBLICAL
RESPONSE: The concept of Reincarnation is unknown in the Bible.
Reincarnation has no justification in the Bible, rather the Bible clearly
states, “just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.”
(Hebrews 9:27) FURTHER
RESPONSE: For further treatment of Reincarnation, see http://geocities.com/cobraview/html/Reincarnation.htm. 6)
“Niscience represents a new life in Christ - a life of beauty, balance,
creativity, ingenuity, imagination, and daring.” BIBLICAL
RESPONSE: Niscience, as we can see from earlier above, is clearly
non-Christian in its teachings and can not bring salvation because it does not
preach man’s sin and the fact that forgiveness can only be found in the one
and only Savior of mankind, namely Jesus Christ himself.
There is no new life for Niscience. Conclusion
If you are a member of Niscience, please understand that this article is in no way an attack upon you personally. Rather, it is the author’s prayer that this article would reveal the error of this particular group and that one would come to the realization that they have sinned and come to Jesus Christ the Savior in repentance. Jesus is the true and living Savior and only through Him would one have a new and true life that contrasts to the eternal labyrinth of the abyss. --Jimmy Li [Last edited March 28, 2002]
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