“Twitter has officially hit the mainstream,” said Megan Calhoun, founder of TwitterMoms, a social networking community for Web-savvy mothers. “People who have never even heard of it will be really intrigued and join. A whole new demographic will be introduced to Twitter.”
via With Oprah Onboard, Twitter Grows - NYTimes.com.
Or in other words, "If Oprah's doing it, then so must I!" Bill Keller, an Internet Evangelist has said that Oprah is probably the most dangerous woman in the world. He is probably right.
Just how much influence does Oprah Winfrey have on society? As I'm writing this (4/17/09 @ 9:39 pm), @Oprah has 208,738 followers. By the time you read this, that number could be quite obsolete. But if that number doesn't raise your eyebrows, try to comprehend this; there were over a million protesters that rallied together for tea parties on tax day, and a Google News search for "tea party" only nets you about twice as many articles as the same search for "Oprah Twitter." Keep in mind that as I'm writing this, the tea parties are two days old. Scary.
However, it's not just Oprah's power of influence that is dangerous, but moreover, it's the message that she is delivering to millions. Lately, much of Oprah's focus is New Age spirituality. Her talk shows, online classes, and book club promotions have literally transformed her into a New Age Americanized guru/priestess.
The Church of Oprah Exposed
Perhaps you are not familiar with the New Age Movement, or maybe you don't think it's all that dangerous. If that's the case, then certainly you are unaware of it's origins and what it really is. It wasn't all that long ago that the ear-tickling philosophy of the New Age ensnared me. All of it sounds great on the surface, even to many Christians who lack discernment. These teachings aren't new, and they are not a "Secret" as Rhonda Byrne, Bob Proctor, Bob Doyle, Neale Donald Walsch, and others would have you believe. The Secret book and film emotionally and mentally captivated me for some time, altering my worldview without a real intellectual consent on my behalf. Realize that what Oprah's been preaching, as is what is taught in the Secret, is a repackaged version of Theosophy and eastern mysticism, which is deeply rooted in the occult. Whether it's spam, ham, bacon or sausage, it's still pork. And though mind altering drugs come in many packages, all are jeopardous and can at long last be fatal. (Not that I'm calling pork a mind altering drug or anything.)
Contrary to those (e.g. Eckharte Tolle, an Oprah fave) who absolutely torture the text of the Bible to convey Scriptural backing on New Age teaching, the Word of God is in total opposition to "oneness," power of self, etc. And the Jesus or Christ presented to the masses is without doubt not the same Jesus Christ written of by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. However, we indeed do find New Age philosophy in the first few chapters of the Bible.
Genesis 3:1-7
1Now (A)the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"2The woman said to the serpent, "(B)From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"
4(C)The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!
5"For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and (D)you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6(E)When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they (F)knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
The spiritual entity that deceived Eve into thinking she could be like God is still selling the lie. In my next post, I will unearth the New Age roots and uncover it's marketers who have preceded Oprah, like H.P Blavatsky, Alice Bailey, and Aleister Crowley.
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