Pipeline is published by Dr. Harold L. White

Other Beliefs

Beliefs of Islam
Even though Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world,
most Americans know little about it.
For many Americans, we became aware of Islam when Cassius Clay, a heavyweight boxing champion, converted to Islam and became Muhammad Ali.

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions.
Americans remember the Iranian hostage crisis near the end of the
Carter administration, and we became more familiar with the religion of Islam.
"Desert Storm," the allied military action against Iraq, caused us
to examine Islam again.

But Islam still remains a mystery religion to most of us.
What is Islam?
What does it believe?
How does it compare with Christianity? ...More

Beliefs of Islam - Part Two
Since he believed that Allah was the one true God, Muhammad was troubled
by the idolatry of his countrymen.
At the age of forty, he began to have dramatic visions accompanied by seizures.
He was not sure if the visions were divine or demonic, but his wife encouraged him
to accept the visions.
He believed they came from the angel Gabriel, who instructed him to preach
Allah's message to the world. ...More

Beliefs of Islam - Part Three
The Five Pillars of Islam
This is what Muslims practice.
Their Creed
The creed is a simple one, but it must be recited with conviction several times daily:
"There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's messenger."
Reciting this simple creed is sufficient to enroll one in the ranks of Islam. ...More

Islam and Christianity
You might think that since Christianity and Islam claim to worship the same God
(the God of Abraham), that you could assume that Christianity and Islam are not
all that different.
Yet, besides the Muslim view of Jesus, the differences between the two faiths
are fundamental and profound.
If one is a knowledgeable and devout Muslim, he has rejected all that is vital to Christianity.

Islam rejects the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, believing that, while at one time
they may have been the word of God, they have been so corrupted through copying
and translating that they are no longer reliable.

Christianity, of course, believes that the Bible is the word of God, without error
in the original manuscripts, and that the copying of manuscripts over the ages has been
so exacting that the variations in texts are extremely few and affect no major doctrine.
Christianity believes that the Bible is the word of God and is a reliable revelation from Him.

Christianity also believes that Jesus is the divine Son of God, and the second member
of the Trinity, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Christianity believes that Jesus died on the cross to offer salvation to humanity;
and that He was buried, and on the third day rose from the dead.
We are not saved by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5), but by grace
through faith in Jesus.
Our good works are indications that we have already been saved, but are not the means
to be saved.

Islam rejects all of this. ...More

Scientology
This Belief Bulletin highlights basic concepts of Scientology and gives Biblical responses.
In 1954, Hubbard incorporated the Church of Scientology to promote his ideas using
a religious facade.
His books and church spread worldwide, but Hubbard became a recluse.
He spent most of his last years aboard his yacht being waited on hand-and-foot.
He died inauspiciously in 1986.
Researchers not associated with the Church of Scientology have documented
inaccuracies in Hubbard's account of his life.
They allege he fabricated and exaggerated many of his personal claims.
His theories directly conflict with basic Christian teachings.
Only the Bible is the infallible basis for faith and practice.
 (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21) ...More

Jehovah Witnesses
Who is Jesus Christ?
This is one of the most critical religious and philosophical questions ever asked.
It automatically leads to other equally crucial issues.
Just who was this Man historically?
What did He accomplish and why?
And most important, what does His life mean to an individual?

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society — also known as the Jehovah's Witnesses
or the Watchtower Society — is one religious organization that claims definite answers
to all questions about Jesus Christ.
This unusual, century-old, religious movement led by a small committee
of supposedly, inspired biblical interpreters claims to have the final word
about the person and work of Jesus, as well as all theological issues.

Millions of Jehovah's Witnesses believe confidently that the Watchtower Society's positions
indisputedly are correct and any opinions to the contrary are wrong.
The more significant issue for Jehovah's Witnesses and those outside
that organization is how one's relationship to Christ is affected by Watchtower views.

Jesus' Prehuman Existence
The Watchtower Society teaches that Jesus Christ was the first created being
of Jehovah God.
Jehovah God created Jesus as a divine-like spirit at some point in ancient,
pre-creation time.
"This means that he was created before all the other spirit sons of God,
and that he is the only one who was directly created by God"
(You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth [Live]
[Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1982], p. 58). ...More

New Age Movement
The New Age Movement is above all else a way of thinking.
It has become very influential in every arena of activity: health care, education,
business, politics, economics, psychology, entertainment, and even the church.

But it is not just a way of thinking.
It is a damning, dangerous, and attractive way of thinking.
It subtly and gently entices people away from salvation in Jesus Christ.

So, as we approach the New Age Movement, we must react as Christians.
It will not be enough to say, "That's weird," or "That's superstitious."
As Christians, we must say "That's not Biblical!" ...More

New Age and the Bible 1
New Age beliefs have been held by eastern religions for thousands of years.
The New Age Movement does not approach spirituality from a Christian perspective.
The New Age Movement has many similarities with Hinduism.
It appears to be a westernized version of Hinduism.
New Age leaders draw on a tradition of mystical and occult sources for inspiration.

They believe that everything is sacred, in the sense that everything is divine.
"All is one and all is God" is an often repeated phrase in New Age literature. ...More

New Age and the Bible 2
Many of the conscious-altering techniques used by New Agers are occultic and forbidden
by the Bible.
God condemns the use of divination, sorcery, witchcraft, magical spells,
mediums and spiritualists.

"When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn the ways
of the nations there.
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire,
who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
or casts spells or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these
detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you."
(Deuteronomy 18: 9-12, NIV)

New Agers teach that morality is relative.

Since all is One there is no difference between good and evil, right or wrong.
For the New Ager there is no such thing as evil. ...More

Beliefs of Mormons
Mormons declare that God always reveals his will through prophets
(Amos 3:7, Malachi. 3:6) and reveals his will today only through the Mormon prophet.
The prophet can receive revelation on any temporal or spiritual matter that must be accepted
as new scripture by faithful Mormons.
A person cannot attain "godhood" unless he accepts Joseph Smith as a prophet.
......
GOD AN EXALTED MAN: There are an infinite number of gods in the universe, each of whom is
the god of his own planet.
However, only God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, three separate and distinct gods,
are worshiped.
......
God the Father has a wife (or wives) and is the literal father of every person in the spirit world.
God the Father, Elohim, has a physical body. God had a father, grandfather, et cetera.
He lived on a planet as a mortal man before attaining "godhood" or "exaltation." ...More

The Book of Mormon
Is It "Another Testament of Jesus Christ?"
The setting is a college library.
An attractive young woman speaks to the television audience:
"The Book of Mormon is a gift from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
when you call this toll-free number.
Its teachings have given me a real peace that comes from understanding the Savior
and what my Father in heaven's plan is for me today and after this life.
So please call, because I know it can give you that same peace."

The spokeswoman represents one of the fastest-growing religious movements
in America today: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS),
also known as the Mormons.
This controversial religious movement in recent years has intensified its public
relations activities nationwide via television, radio, and magazine advertisements.
Central to the LDS public relations campaign is distribution of its well-known,
yet little understood publication:
The Book of Mormon—Another Testament of Jesus Christ
(hereafter referred to by its traditional title, The Book of Mormon). ...More

Reincarnation
Is It Compatible With Christianity?
More than ever, Americans are accepting as fact the idea of reincarnation
 -- that a soul leaves one human body upon death and enters a newly born one.
Surveys show that nearly 60% of Americans believe reincarnation is possible....

Reincarnation is in no way compatible with the Christian faith.
The Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23); reincarnation is
the same lie that Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden: "You surely shall not die."
The Bible teaches that salvation from sin and its eternal consequences is a gift
that God freely gives (Ephesians 2:8,9); reincarnation teaches that salvation will come
when a person perfects himself. ...

Christ, who created us, knows we have only one life and He has seen what we do
with our only chance.
That is why He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.
Our Savior took our "bad Karma" upon Himself.
"My yoke is easy, and My load is light," He said in Matthew 11:30. ...More