Oprah is Coming to Town: Be Very Afraid
Megastar Oprah Winfrey is coming down under this month. This will be good news for all the Americans who get a free trip out of the deal. But it is bad news for Australia – and everyone else for that matter. This is because Oprah is perhaps the most influential false prophet living today.
Although she claims to be a Christian – sort of – she is really the world’s number one promoter of the mumbo jumbo of the New Age Movement. I have written up her deceitful agenda elsewhere:
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2009/06/18/the-gospel-according-to-oprah/
The gospel according to the Big O is a false gospel, and everyone needs to be aware of her deceptive beliefs. While she may be generous with her great wealth, she is being disingenuous with her great big unbiblical worldview. Countless millions have been sucked into the dark hole of her fruity beliefs.
It is easy enough to demonstrate just how far off the planet she is with her moonbeam ideas. Simply consider some of the bizarre stuff she features in her “Spirit” section of her website (her site has over 6 million users a month!):
-What Is the Shadow?: Spiritual teacher Debbie Ford introduces you to your human shadow. Plus, she explains the light and dark sides of the shadow.
-The Time That Matters Most: Marianne Williamson, author of the bestselling books The Age of Miracles and A Return to Love, focuses on the mystery of timelessness; is it possible to live fully in the moment? How can we make peace with the trajectory of our lives, with our past, present, and future?
-Portia de Rossi’s Aha! Moment: The actress and author of the new memoir Unbearable Lightness considered meat “a necessary part of life,” until a glimpse into the animal world put her on a new path.
-Standing Vinyasa Flow Yoga Poses, Part 7 – Half Moon Pose: Watch as yoga expert Seane Corn goes through the standing poses and introduces a new pose, Arda Chandrasana
-Oprah Talks to Eckhart Tolle: The remarkable spiritual teacher whose new book Oprah calls the most important she’s ever chosen for her book club explains how to free yourself from the tyranny of the past, live more fully in the present, and come to the calm, joyful place where intuition, creativity, and wisdom live and breathe.
-Find Out What You Were Born to Do: Manipulating numbers, identifying patterns, thinking visually: Do you know where your strengths lie?
-What Do You Believe? The Power of an Open Mind: With more and more people opening their minds about spirituality, Deepak Chopra explains why you should feel encouraged about the future.
-Energy-Restoring Mantras to Get You Through the Day: Call them mantras, mind tools, or – our favorite – O-phorisms. They’re the soothing, energizing, sanity-restoring phrases that can get you through any situation.
-Want To Be Happier? Think Like A Baby!: Want to be happier, more connected to others and a better problem-solver? Karen Salmansohn says you’re going to have to think like a baby.
-Go Beyond The Secret: Despite its negative attention, Oprah says The Secret opened a door to the concept of the power of consciousness to millions of people.
-Why It’s Okay (Actually, Essential) to Put Yourself First: Women often fall into the pattern of taking care of loved ones before taking care of themselves, but the consequences of doing so can be harmful. Valerie Monroe explores the reasons why putting yourself first isn’t selfish, but essential.
-Leap of Faith: Meet John of God: In a remote corner of Brazil, the man known as John of God is changing people’s lives in astonishing ways. Can belief cure illness? Can energy heal?
Let’s take this last item about “John of God – or as he is known in Abadiânia, Medium João” a bit further. This in part is what is said of him: “He came to believe that the woman who’d guided him was Saint Rita of Cascia, and that while he was unconscious, the spirit of King Solomon had taken up residence in his body and done the healing work.
“Brazil has deep roots in the traditions of shamanism and spiritism, both of which feature the notion that individuals can – and do – cross the boundaries between this worldly existence and the afterlife. In this lexicon, it’s perfectly understandable that King Solomon and other powerful spirits (known as the Entities) would swing by to offer help, incorporating in João’s body (the Medium). Even so, when that help involved a man who was not a doctor cutting into a person’s thorax with an unsterilized kitchen knife, the legal, medical, and religious establishments balked. (In most cases the healings he performs are deemed ‘invisible surgeries’ that don’t even involve touch, but there are occasional procedures that include actual incisions.)”
As can be seen, every loopy sort of spirituality, occultism, and New Age foolishness is being promoted here. Of course there is only one thing missing from all this: the clear gospel message of Jesus Christ. Oprah is quite happy to flag every conceivable type of religion and spirituality except the one true message, which is Jesus Christ and him crucified for our sins.
But in Oprah’s worldview the work of Christ is totally unnecessary, because none of us are sinners. Instead, our problem is one of ignorance. We simply need to realise that we are already divine, and all our problems will be solved. In typical New Age fashion, Oprah presents us with a religion which is big on self, but small on truth.
It is the same lie the serpent told to Adam and Eve in the Garden: “You will become like god”. It is the same lie being promoted throughout human history. A personal transcendent eternal God does not need our worship and obedience. That is because we are all god, if we would only realise it.
Thus the coming of Christ to earth to save us from our sin and alienation from God is completely rejected by the NAM and by Oprah. Sure, he came as yet another spirit guide or avatar to show us that we are all divine anyway. So he did have some useful purpose.
But the biblical understanding of who Jesus is and why he came is totally abandoned for this trendy feel-good self-salvation. But lost sinners will always gravitate toward a theology or spirituality that lets them feel good about themselves, that places no demands on them, and that allows them to be consumed by self.
The gospel of Christ however tells us what we don’t want to hear: that we are sinners headed for a lost eternity; that Jesus is the only path to God, that salvation involves repentance and denial of self, and that God calls the shots, not us. No wonder this is not being heard on the Big O website, TV program, magazines, and so on.
It’s just not the message we want to hear. So instead Oprah quite readily offers us exactly what we do want to hear. But it is a false gospel which is taking people away from God, not to him. Jesus warned about false prophets who would rise up and deceive many. They would even perform signs and wonders.
But Jesus said we should have nothing to do with them. Sadly however there are even many gullible and naive Christians who have also hopped onto the Oprah bandwagon, unaware or unconcerned that biblical Christianity has nothing to do with the New Age mischief which Oprah is so vigorously promoting.
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Oprah and all false prophets like her, will one day have to stand before God and account for all they have preached……May the Lord have mercy on their souls……!!
Dianne McMahon
Thanks Dianne
Yes, and we need to actively pray that her false agenda does not ensnare others while she is here, and we also need to pray that Oprah sees the light, and comes back to the truth of the biblical gospel which she may have once known, but has now rejected.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
I do not watch Oprah and was totally unaware of this spiritual side to the talk show host.
Kylie Anderson
Below is a link to Oprah’s idea of salvation – but at least she is taken to task about it by a couple of believers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf5heuUEUE0
But either you honour the death of Jesus or you don’t. If there are other ways to God, then Jesus did not have to die. The unique gift to the human race of God’s only Son – his suffering and both of their pain as the relationship between then was broken – isn’t enough to impress the female big O. How utterly arrogant of her.
It interests me that people find that having one way to eternal life through Jesus is a problem somehow. The same people probably don’t mind if there’s just one way to the shops to buy bread or milk, but apparently multiple ways for people to avoid hell is absolutely essential or something…
…yet another example of how black and rebellious the human heart is.
And the argument that some have never heard the name of Jesus is not really our problem. In order to make that point that person has to have heard of Jesus, which means the time of salvation is now, not when that someone can satisfy their imperfect judgement of a perfect and righteous God. If you have heard of Jesus, then you need to make a transaction between yourself and God, and it is not conditional on what He does for others. I’m actually glad about that, and I know I can trust God to be just. Nevertheless, I will play my part in the extension of His kingdom here on earth. If you care about others on the assumption that Jesus does bring eternal life, it seems strange to deprive them of you telling them all about it – since you seem to care so much about them! My old pastor used to have a saying on his desk – ‘are you part of the solution, or part of the problem?’
Oprah makes my head hurt with her contradictory ideas on the spiritual realm. Why do people pay her any attention? It seems to me the paraphrasing of G.K. Chesterton by Emile Cammaerts is very appropriate:
“The first effect of not believing in God is to believe in anything”.
Mark Rabich
This is the first time I heard about this website, which happened to be cause I like to read about politics and the topic about Oprah came out. I don’t watch her shows, just not interesting, I follow God, not human being.
I think this site is very informative and interesting and it praise God!
Thanks Bill.
Lluvia Kami
I have never ever watched one programme featuring Oprah Winfrey and I don’t intend to watch her shows in Australia. After reading your article on this woman, I now believe I’m much smarter than I thought I was.
Frank Bellet, Petrie Qld
P.S. If you spell her first name backwards, you get “Harpo” now I remember Harpo Marx, what a great artist he was- one of my favourites. F.B.
Proof, once again, that for anything to be believable it must be receivable. So, anything ‘receivable’ can be believed, however bizarre, unlikely & the figment of one’s imagination or desires.
Arthur Hartwig
I just returned from church and happened to read this.
The message was about about fear & that “perfect love casts out fear”. And as a Christian I am not afraid even when Oprah is coming to town. She is not God.
We can all hope and pray that God will turn this event from what is evil to good. And God has His purpose. He can change things with much prayer.
Molly Lim
Oprah is not the only one espousing spiritualistic slants to Christianity.
My sister recently met a gentleman called Daniel Clarke who claimed to be a Christian. The problem with this guy was that he was also a medium, which he said, was God’s will for his life. He was ‘chosen’ to make contact with the dead so that they could let people know about heaven, and, apparently, somewhere else, which sounds very like purgatory. He defended this contact by saying that Jesus spoke to the dead when he spoke to Moses and Elijah.
He has ‘interviewed’ many prominent now dead celebrities and they are telling him that reincarnation is real, and that there are many ‘corridors’ to heaven.
He is adamant that he is saved but I advised my sister that he is preaching a false gospel and is a false prophet. She actually had the guy stay a couple of days with her and her husband, hoping to help him see the truth but without success.
My guess is that he simply approaches Christians for free accommodation on his journeys.
Below is a link to his website, and you will see that there a few people doing exactly the same thing. So satan is now giving ‘interviews’.
http://www.celebrities-speak-from-beyond.com/home
Debbie Strybosch
I can’t imagine what we would do without you Bill! Thanks for taking the time out to reveal her weird & manipulative ways!
Jane Byrne
That’s a big shame because Oprah is a living example of the opportunity that the US affords to those who can make use of their talents and achieve great things regardless of race or social status.
And this can be credited to the US’ Judeo-Christian heritage that rewards merit over race or class.
Damien Spillane
To a non believer the threat of hell, Mr Muehlenberg, is much like a new age hippy threatening to punch you in the aura.
All this fire and brimstone stuff doesn’t suit you- you should smile a little more and enjoy the ride.
Much love.
Deryn J Plathley
Thanks Deryn
But this article, like many on this site, was mostly written with other Christians in mind. And of course nowhere in the article do I “threaten” non-believers with hell or fire and brimstone anyway. But in typical atheist fashion, you seek to pick a fight where none was intended.
And as to your other remark – which you presumably think is so very cutesy and clever – let me in fact call your bluff. If we take seriously the words of Jesus, then we must bear in mind that it was he, more than anyone one else in Scripture, who spoke the most about future judgment and hell. And he was – as even many non-believers admit – the most loving and compassionate person to walk the planet.
And a simple illustration here shows the emptiness and shallowness of your remark:
If a bridge has collapsed in a storm, and anyone who rides on it will plunge to a certain horrific death, the most loving and sensible thing a person can do would be to run back and warn oncoming motorists of the danger which lies ahead. Motorists may well think such a person is a nutter, but this person has a moral obligation to do all he can to seek to prevent disaster of this sort.
It would only be the most callous, heartless, uncaring and morally negligent person who would not passionately make such warnings, but instead just “smile a little more and enjoy the ride”. But of course in the amoral and truth-starved world of the atheist, such a flippant and reckless attitude seems about right.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Oprah’s spirituality is really dangerous because it is mixed with many pop trends, good advice and good works. The only worse thing than Oprah show will be Oprah Winfrey Network, the whole new channel dedicated only to what she likes and is selling to the rest of America and the world. It will officially be launched in January. God help us!
Brenda Polack, USA
If Oprah says so, it’s because someone paid so.
That includes pretty much everything about her Australian visit. Her words are scripted to weave in and out references to one corporate sponsor after another. She knows how money works, and she’s getting some off the back of pretty much everything she does.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/when-oprah-educates-yanks-on-our-hip-mccafes-its-the-dollar-talking/story-e6frg8mf-1225966038233
Alister Cameron, Melbourne
This Clarke character and his link above blew me to the moon and back – and people have the gall to say that Christianity is a con! How he reconciles the content of his website with the even the vaguest, most remote aspect of the Christian faith is one of life’s greatest mysteries in my view!
Steve Davis
Thank you for this concise summary of Oprahs spiritual beliefs according to her website. I think that instead of warning people against her visit or from watching her show energy would be better spent in praying for her. When Oprah becomes a christian her whole 6 million followers will be exposed to Christ. The people who watch Oprah are just normal human beings – that said there are some unbeleivably obedient ‘try anything Oprah tries’ followers, but most just watch and thats it. Spiritual beliefs will only change because God has opened up someones heart and eyes to see the truth. Now lets pray for Oprah to have that happen to her – so she can be sowing seeds of faith into millions of people.
Laura Wood
I did say we should pray for her (see my comment above). But it surely is not a case of one or the other: Scripture commands us to do both. We are to warn about false doctrine and false teachers, while we are also to engage in spiritual warfare and intercession.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless works of darkness, rather expose them!”
Good on you Bill, you good and faithful servant of the Living God! Proud to be on this narrow path with you!
Lynn Nerdal
In case someone missed it, I felt I must report the on-going results of a survey on Oprah Winfrey conducted on the internet by Ch 9. The question was “Are you excited about Oprah Winfrey coming to Australia?” The response Yes 11,400; No 47,295. It made my day. Heaven be praised.
Frank Bellet, Petrie Qld
Thanks guys
Oprah has such dedicated disciples. Please watch this – it is as hilarious as it is sad: http://www.theonion.com/video/oprah-invites-hundreds-of-lucky-fans-to-be-buried,18443/
Bill Muehlenberg
Oprah has to much money, and no sense, i pray she goes back to her father in heaven. A tomb come on oprah you are losing reality. Its hard for rich man to go to heaven and this is a classic example, but hope she turns to God cause of her influence and she is loved by God, and repent of the junk she preaches at people.
Tanya Magisana
The cult of Oprah and the gospel of you:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/a-us-professor-who-has-studied-every-episode-of-oprah-winfreys-show-says-she-has-transformed-herself-into-a-religion/story-e6frewyr-1226043458745
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch