seekinghokmah

In a previous thread "kabala" was listed as an occult practice or "game" that Christians should repent of and be "delivered" from.

In the spirit of diminishing our own ignorance, I would like to suggest that the above is innacurate and potentially misleading;

-it really depends what the author of the article on deliverance was refering to...there are numerous beliefs and practices that different groups and individuals have placed under the general heading of kabala/cabala/kabballah and some are certainly questionable. The Kabballah Center in the U.S. is clearly New Age teaching masquerading as Jewish Mysticism for example.

-however, there IS such a thing as genuine Kabballah which is a legitimate component of Orthodox Judaism...this is NOT occult.

-a popular Bible teacher, who I like and respect, by the name of Chuck Missler disseminates a lecture serious touting the "evils" of Kabballah...however it is my contention that he only succeeds in demonstrating that he really doesn't know what kabbalah is or what it really teaches. Bad Chuck...naughty naughty...do yer homework over again

As I have some familiarity with Judaism, including Jewish Mysticsm-kosher Kabbalah...I'm starting this thread for the sake of discussion. All comments and questions are welcome.

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Good questions, when answered, innevitably lead to better ones. The light is in the search, and the search itself is the destination.

dashrendar88

Kaballah is occult, but certainly far from being evil or against God.

The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to "knowledge of the hidden".[1] In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g. an "occult bleed."[2]

Fluffy

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Whirlwind

This, along with many other things, can be left up to one's own personal opinion, I think.

Like Fluffy, I have very little understanding of Kabballah...so I have no opinion either way. Didn't Madonna discover within the past few years that she was suddenly a Kabballah?

But she's still crucifying herself on stage.

seekinghokmah

Genuine Kabballah is an aspect of Orthodox Judaism...Jewish Mysticism to be precise. I am not suggesting Christians should be pursuing this...but we definitely should not be classifying it as something it is not. We will render ourselves rather inefective if all we display to the world is narrow minded ignorance instead of informed thoughfullness and respect.

The Kabballah Center that Madona and her ilk became involved with is not Jewish Mysticism...it is a New Age cult under the guise of Jewish terminology. You may recall that many Rabbis expressed considerable outrage at Madonna's visits to Israel so she could "pray at the grave sites" of some noted kabbalists.

True Kabbalah does refer to itself as occult in some writings but Jewish writers did not use the term occult in the same sense that most Christians would understand it...such as refering to witchcraft.

Dashrender88 is quite correct that in the strict definition of the word, taken from the latin "occultis" it can be defined as such...in that it's teachings were generally kept "hidden". Kabballah was not hidden or kept secret, however, for the same reasons as one finds in such systems as gnosticism. It is not a hidden power source for the elite...it is simply a matter of not disseminating information and practices to individuals who have not proven themselves to be of appropriate character and maturity to sufficiently comprehend AND benefit from it.

One would not teach particle physics to a 5 year old, or hand a them a loaded gun....not because science and guns are inherantly bad...but because the potential outcome would likely be disasterous or at best irrelevant.

__________________
Good questions, when answered, innevitably lead to better ones. The light is in the search, and the search itself is the destination.

Fluffy

__________________
Be transparent before God, He sees right thru you, anyway!
http://www.likepreciousfaith.org/testimony_val.htm
Please pray for your local emergency responders, daily.

dashrendar88

Kaballah is a system of philosophical self-discovery. Like Alchemy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalah

Fluffy

__________________
Be transparent before God, He sees right thru you, anyway!
http://www.likepreciousfaith.org/testimony_val.htm
Please pray for your local emergency responders, daily.

Jasher

Looks about as useful as "Bible Codes."

freedom07

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4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.