Sid Roth

Sid: I found out how everyone everywhere can hear the good news it’s a principal that it’s all over the Bible once your eyes are opened.  But in Roman’s 1:16 Paul said “I’m not ashamed of the gospel” because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first.  And many people read that verse and they say “Yes, historically the gospel went to the Jew first but that’s it it’s finished.”  No that is God’s spiritual law of evangelism. I have found especially now in this time and season that we’re living in as we go to the Jew first it literally opens up a supernatural door of evangelism greater to Gentiles than if we had gone to the Gentile first.  I have on the telephone Bob Larson I’m speaking to him at his office in Phoenix, Arizona because I got a hold of his latest book it’s called “Larson’s Book of World Religions An Alternative Spirituality.”  It’s all the facts of 100’s of these false religions and it seems like they’re multiplying all the time.  But the reason that I’m so intrigued with this book is number one as you know I come from a traditional Jewish background and I had an encounter with Jesus that I could never, would never deny.  As a matter of fact, I don’t understand the mentality of a backslider; if anyone knows what’s back there it’s the last thing in the world they ever want to do is go back there.  But the thing that I noticed and I’ve read statistics and Bob Larson I really want your spin on this, but it appears as though percentage wise there are more Jews involved in the occult New Age type of movements and especially in higher echelons of leadership than any other religious group. Are you aware of that?

Bob:  I’m very much aware of that. Per capita the percentage is extraordinarily out of line from what would be expected from the normal population sample.

Sid: You know it’s almost as if the devil is fearful of the Jew coming to Jesus and fulfilling their end time callings and is trying to ensnare as many as possible.  I want to shift gears for a second because there’s a very popular basketball coach that practices Zen, or Zen Buddhism, and everyone know this and he’s one of the winningest basketball coaches in the national Basketball Association of all time.  And you know he just wants to be a nice guy and love people; what is Zen Buddhism is there anything wrong with it?

Bob:  Well, I think he’s going to need a lot more Zen when he gets back with the Laker’s next time. (Laughing)

Sid:  (Laughing)

Bob:   (Laughing) Not the same Lakers’ minus Shack.  Zen Buddhism is an offshoot of Buddhism and they are basically the same except that Zen emphasizes the mediating or contemptibly aspects of Buddhism more than mainstream Buddhism does.  Which is essentially now an idolatrous system though it was agnostic at the time of Buddha himself.  Zen Buddhism takes the basic teachings of Buddhism which looks at the eight fold path; the four noble Druze as their called and seeks inward to discover Buddha.  In fact Buddha himself said “Look inward thou art Buddha.”  In other words each one of us inside has the capacity to find the true self or the true spirit self.  Now Zen primary does this through as I said meditation and true nonsensical assault of the senses. They have something called the Koan; it’s an imponderable.  In popular nomenclature sometimes we know them as the phrase “What is the sound of one hand clapping.”  Well, they ask these questions which are designed to shut down the mind to cause one to detach from the material natural world and turn inward so that with the senses stilled you get in touch with pure self.  Now the problem with that is that from a Biblical standpoint we believe that the inner self is not pure, but without Christ the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit if evil and sinful.  You know “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” the Prophet Jeremiah said.  Well, the practitioners of Zen would have you to believe that’s not true that the inner self is absolutely pure and if you find it you find ultimate reality.

Sid: Why is it that so many people that would turn up their noses at real Christianity are attracted to things like that?

Bob:  Because it requires no moral quantification.  In other words when you find your true self it’s presumed whatever actions result from that will be moral because the true self is moral. You see the Decalogue and the whole purpose of God calling out a chosen people and giving them the law was as the Old and New Testament teaches to let us know what sin is; to know when we’ve missed the mark when we’ve offended God and when we need forgiveness. But there is no need for forgiveness in Zen, there’s no need for moral rectitude because you are you own inner guide of what is right.

Sid: You know when you talk about Zen there is a whole series of movies called “Star Wars.” Although you don’t deal with this specifically many Christians indorse and love Star Wars because it’s good versus evil and they see the good is God and they see the evil as the devil.  But that’s not your spin is it?

Bob:  No it’s not and you need to know that George Lucas, the man responsible for Star Wars, from the beginning has stated repeatedly and does so even more vehemently in interviews related to the latest movie that he is a follower of Buddhism particularly Zen.  He has used these movies to preach Zen philosophy. In fact Yoda that the squat little weird guy in the movie is a Zen master.  That’s why he speaks in riddles when he talks; these are very similar to the Cohen’s used by the Zen masters.

Sid: Now you mentioned the most recent movie it’s called I believe Sith?

Bob:  Revenge of the Sith. 

Sid: Okay, this teaches about white magic and black magic and where to they mix their understanding up.

Bob:  Well, here’s the problem. In all of the Star Wars epics you have something called the force, may the force be with you.  The force is neither good nor evil it’s moral quantification depends upon the choice of the person using it.  So if evil Darth Vader uses it the force is bad; if good Luke Skywalker uses it the force then becomes good.  Now this is one of the oldest teachings of the occultism of witchcraft it goes back to the Old Testament; the idea that there’s this neutral primordial energy and force that you can tap into. And you can choose to make it good or you can choose to make it bad.  Now this is contrary to Biblical theology because Biblical theology teaches that good and evil do not come from the same source but from separate sources God and Satan.  And that’s the fundamental error.

Sid: Is there any difference between a black witch and a white witch, black magic and white magic?

Bob:  Absolutely not, in fact any…

Sid: Yeah, but the white witches say “They only use their power for good.”

Bob:  (Laughing) I know.  Anton LaVey before he died in his writing used as a Satanist used to mock white witches and say “Come on now we all know that it’s the same power, it’s the same thing you’re just pretending to use it for good.”  So you know it isn’t how you define the power it’s how God defines the power.

Sid: So what is wrong with a Christian saying “Listen my 10 year old son, my 12 year old daughter they don’t know Zen from men, from anything.”

Bob:   (Laughing)

Sid: What’s wrong with letting them see this movie?

Bob:  It’s a very subtle invasive form of indoctrination that over time can threaten their faith and maybe not in overt ways.  Look recently they did a poll in England and asked people “What is your religious choice?”  Do you know in a country which is officially Christian, and to which the Queen swears fidelity to the Church of England, more people said they were followers of the Force of Star Wars than any other religious institution in England. Now how did that happen?  Gradually over two decades this idea has been gripping the minds of people. And the faith of our children is far too precious to risk under that circumstance.

Sid: See I happen to believe that the next, the greatest, and maybe the last move of God’s Spirit on planet Earth is were inches away from that.  And I happen to believe that God is going to use young people and that’s why the devil is working overtime if you will in the popular secular arena that’s supposed to think that’s neutral Star Wars or how about the book “Harry Potter?”

Bob:   Oh “Harry Potter” you know is again basically the same philosophy, it’s the philosophy of witchcraft.  Well, Harry’s a good witch; he is a witch but he’s a good witch.  And he uses spells and incantations but hey…

Sid: I was on a plane and there was a Christian man and his son next to me and the son was reading you know the latest “Harry Potter” book. I said to the father “You said you’re a Christian, why are you letting your son read this?”  He said “Well, I want him to understand everything that’s out there.”

Bob:  Well, there will be a time when that child values are sufficiently formed and grounded in the faith that they may entertain discussions or even perhaps read things which are contrary to faith as a means as seeing the devils alternative viewpoint, but that time is not when they’re a young child or a developmental stage emotionally and spiritually.

Sid: I’ll tell you what I want to pick up here on Harry Potter as well as Star Wars…