“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” *(2 Timothy 4:3-4)
In 1992, Neale Donald Walsch, a disillusioned and distraught former radio talk show host, public relations professional, and longtime metaphysical seeker, sat down one night and wrote God an angry letter.1 He was amazed when “God” immediately answered his letter by speaking to him through an inner voice. That night, and in subsequent conversations, Walsch wrote down all of the dictated answers to his questions. The dictation continued for several years.2
Walsch’s Conversations with God: Book 1 was published in 1995 and became the first in a series of best-selling Conversations with God books. It seemed that in Walsch “God” had found yet another willing channel for his New Age/New Gospel teachings. In a style reminiscent of John Denver and George Burns in the movie Oh, God! , Walsch and “God” present a more “down home” version of the same New Age Gospel teachings that were conveyed through previous “inner voice” dictations to Helen Schucman and Barbara Marx Hubbard. With Walsch playing the role of devil’s advocate, “God” cleverly plays off of Walsch’s leading questions and comments.
Walsch and “God” come across in these conversations as a couple of “everyday Joe’s” who systematically dismantle biblical Christianity with their straight-from-the-source, “spiritually correct” teachings. With the assurance of two foxes now in control of the hen house, they emphatically assert that the New Gospel is from God and that the “Old Gospel” is not. Delighted by the fact that they are being taken seriously by millions of readers, “God” and Walsch appear to thoroughly enjoy their process of bringing the public up to spiritual speed.
Continuing to build upon the foundation of New Age teachings already introduced through Schucman, Hubbard, and others, “God” and Walsch add some special twists of their own to the New Gospel story. Using Walsch as the straight man, “God” introduces many of his more extreme teachings with smug, authoritative statements such as: “There are no such things as the Ten Commandments,”3 “So who said Jesus was perfect?,”4 and “ Hitler went to heaven.”5
Glorification of Death
Walsch’s “God” makes a number of other provocative statements about Hitler. The net effect is a minimization of Hitler’s actions and an obvious glorification of death. The following are two of “God’s” comments about Hitler and death: So the first thing you have to understand—as I’ve already explained to you— is that Hitler didn’t hurt anyone. In a sense, he didn’t inflict suffering, he ended it.6 I tell you this, at the moment of your death you will realize the greatest freedom, the greatest peace, the greatest joy, and the greatest love you have ever known. Shall we therefore punish Bre’r Fox for throwing Bre’r Rabbit into the briar patch?
Walsch, always the public relations man, anticipates reader incredulity at statements like these by expressing apparent surprise and then asking “God” questions that the skeptical reader would probably ask. But in his process of seeming to challenge “God”—which he does with considerable skill—Walsch actually enables “God” to further expound upon and reinforce the thoughts and ideas of his teachings. Not surprisingly, Walsch always seems to come around to “God’s” point of view. Even to some of his more extreme views about death and Adolf Hitler. In his book titled Questions and Answers on Conversations with God, Walsch addresses reader concerns about the comments that “God” makes about Hitler and death. One of Walsch’s statements of justification is: Yet while the books do state that life is eternal, that death is nothing to fear, and that returning to God is joyful, I do not believe that any reasonable interpretation of the material could fairly portray God as condoning the killing of human beings—or brushing it off as if it were of no importance or consequence.8
But Walsch does not address the fact that he and other Global Renaissance Alliance board members recommended Barbara Marx Hubbard’s book, The Revelation, in which her “Christ” clearly describes a “ selection process” that will result in the “second death” of all those who refuse to subscribe to his New Age/New Gospel/New Spirituality.9 HUMANITY IS “GOD” AT one point in their “conversation,” Walsch’s “God” develops the idea that man is not subject to God because man is God. His “God” explains that there are no rules and there is no right nor wrong because man, as God, is his own “rule-maker.” Walsch’s “God” contends that because God and humanity are one, it is therefore up to humanity to determine what God wants to do. If humanity wants to make up a new set of rules this late in the game, humanity can do that because it was humanity, as God, that devised the original rules in the first place. Everything is relative. Everything is up to the prevailing majority. Therefore, because humanity is God, humanity can create whatever rules and whatever future it wants.
For example, “God” tells Walsch: All of your life you have been told that God created you. I come now to tell you this: You are creating God.10 You are your own rule-maker.11 Think, speak, and act as the God You Are.12 Your future is creatable. Create it as you want it.13 Create the grandest version of the greatest vision you ever had about yourselves as a human race.14 “Conscious evolution,” or the process of mankind consciously exercising its authority as “God” to create its own future, is the title of one of Barbara Marx Hubbard’s books. “God” tells Walsch he gave Hubbard the title of the book. Walsch’s “God” also takes credit for inspiring A Course in Miracles: “God”: This is called conscious evolution, and your species has just arrived there. Walsch: Wow, that’s an incredible insight. That’s why You gave Barbara Marx Hubbard that book! As I said, she actually called it Conscious Evolution. “God”: Of course she did. I told her to.15 “God”: All attack is a call for help. Walsch: I read that in A Course in Miracles. “God”: I put it there.16 “God” makes it clear to Walsch that his modern-day “revelation” is for all those who have never really understood his teachings about man being God.
As he was with Helen Schucman and Barbara Marx Hubbard, “God” is indirectly critical of Bible-believing Christians who insist that sin is real and that man is not God. Walsch’s “God” contends that the only real “ sin” is for man to see himself as sinful and “separate” from God. His “God” says that the only “devil” or “ Satan” is the separatist thinking that differentiates between man and God. Echoing A Course in Miracles, Walsch’s “God” states that only as humanity sees through the illusion of “separation” and “sin” and affirms its own godliness and oneness with all creation, will the planet be saved from ultimate ruin.
NEW AGE/NEW GOSPEL POLITICS WALSCH’S “God” warns that in the near future people will have to make a choice between the “old” and “new” gospels. The choice they make will have great bearing on the future of mankind. His “God” declares that humanity, by collectively imagining and envisioning its highest hopes and dreams, can consciously create a positive future.
“God” expresses great optimism that this New Age Spirituality will prevail and tells Walsch that humanity is standing on the threshold of a “golden” New Age. The twenty-first century will be the time of awakening, of meeting The Creator Within. Many beings will experience Oneness with God and with all of life. This will be the beginning of the golden age of the New Human, of which it has been written; the time of the universal human, which has been eloquently described by those with deep insight among you. There are many such people in the world now—teachers and messengers, Masters and visionaries—who are placing this vision before humankind and offering tools with which to create it. These messengers and visionaries are the heralds of a New Age.17
Regarding how the New Age will be achieved and ultimately overseen, “God” impresses Walsch with the importance of bringing spirituality into politics and government. He tells Walsch: When you agree to spread the word, to carry the message that can change the human heart, you play an important role in changing the human condition. This is why all spirituality is ultimately political.18 You cannot avoid politicizing your spirituality. Your political viewpoint is your spirituality, demonstrated. Yet perhaps it is not a matter of politicizing your spirituality, but of spiritualizing your politics.19 Walsch’s “God” is very specific about how this spiritualization of politics should ultimately manifest itself. “God”: Something will have to be new if you wish your world to change. You must begin to see someone else’s interests as your own. This will happen only when you reconstruct your global reality and govern yourselves accordingly. Walsch: Are you talking about a one-world government? “God”: I am.20 “
“God” exhorts Walsch to carry out his mission to change the world and to bring in a spiritually-based new world order by issuing this charge: Go, therefore, and teach ye all nations, spreading far and wide The New Gospel: WE ARE ALL ONE.21 And certainly Walsch seems to be doing his part. Responding to his “God’s” charge to spread the New Gospel and to help establish sympathy for “a one-world government,” Walsch co-founded The Global Renaissance Alliance with Marianne Williamson. He also continues to write books, conduct workshops, and speak to large groups around the country.
CWG Book 1 – Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue
CWG Book 2 – Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue
CWG Book 3 – Conversations With God: Embracing the Love of the Universe
The Complete Conversations With God
FWG – Friendship with God
Home with God – in a Life that Never Ends
When Everything Changes, Change Everything
A World in Turmoil and What It All Means
Bringers of the Light
Santa’s God: A Children’s Fable about the Biggest Question Ever
Happier Than God
What God Wants
The Storm Before the Calm
Video Testimony “Four Nights With the Devil”
Endnotes:
1. Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1 (NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Hardcover Edition 1996), p. 1.
2. Ibid., p. 2.
3. Ibid., p. 95.
4. Ibid., p. 192.
5. Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 2 (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads, 1997), p. 35.
6. Ibid., p. 56.
7. Ibid., p. 36.
8. Neale Donald Walsch, Questions and Answers on “ Conversations with God” (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads, 1999), p. 334.
9. The Global Renaissance Alliance (http://web.archive.org/ web/20060115103911/http://www.renaissancealliance.org/resrce/ board.htm).
10. Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 3 (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads, 1998), p. 256.
11. Walsch, Conversations with God: Book 1, op. cit., p. 41.
12. Ibid., p. 76.
13. Walsch, Conversations with God: Book 2, op. cit., p. 235.
14. Ibid., p. 126.
15. Walsch, Conversations with God: Book 3, op. cit., p. 320.
16. Walsch, Conversations with God: Book 1, op. cit., p. 90.
17. Neale Donald Walsch, Friendship with God (New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1999), pp. 295–296.
18. Ibid., p. 394.
19. Ibid., p. 376.
20. Walsch, Conversations with God: Book 2, op. cit., p. 141.
21. Walsch, Friendship with God, op. cit., p. 375.
Share this: Excerpted from False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care? pp. 35-40 – by Warren B. Smith
I first read NDW book in 1996. I believe that his book created a true hell for me. Through a loss of love, deception, being a child of God as we all are supposed to be, he ruined my faith in humanity form through his so called “God” new way. I understood I had choices, but so did he. My choice was to find love where it was lost, his was a poor me and why am I so destitute and broke…now I’m sure he’s wealthy and not so despaired when you live in the moment and look at the time in which his books became successful you’ll see as I hate to even say satan was all around. He only intensified him (satan). To add or take away from Gods words well it’s not right. there is a God and there is a Satan and both exist. The road we choose will help us identify which side ur on…thank you God for giving me the courage to even type this. By the way it was God through him and his son alone that brought me back to love and life literally…Thank you!
Don’t you think Satan would be encouraging violence? Over the centuries many Jews have suffered violence from people twisting Jesus’ words. Is Neil Walsh teaching devilish things like for instance the Nazi’s? Jesus said, ‘you will know them by their works.’ What has Neil done? Well he says, pray to God every day and do kind and loving works.’ Be the best, most loving and kind person you can be. Would the devil say that? In the early centuries of Christianity there were many groups of Christians who believed in universal redemption through Christ. You may argue that that is not today’s teaching of the Church but it has been taught by the Church as was reincarnation. I think it’s obvious Neil Walsh’s teaching is in the Spirit of Christ. He calls on people to be like Christ and to come from an authentic place of love and godliness. I studied the New Testament – especially, the words of Christ and I don’t see a contradiction. The Spirit of God is live. Neil’s message is love… in fact, Neil’s book got me praying regularly… Peace.
Satan works on every level to come between man and God and to the extent that we serve him in doing that, we cannot be serving God. God has been clear that he does not accept syncretism. If we are to become like Christ, then the primary requirement is that is we are to be obedient to God and that means listening to what God says, not creating our own version of what we believe godliness or being christ-like is.
Video Testimony re “Conversations With God”
Four Nights With The Devil
My search for God is true and honest and still is. The NDW books I believe has brought me to a more expanded version of my traditional believes and thus a deeper and greater Love for God. Does this mean I am doomed and to be condemned by God? If that be the case I think I will feel grossly betrayed by both man and god.
Many of us have been deceived by various false beliefs and religions (including the writer) whether Christian or in the so-called “New Age” before coming to an understanding that they were deceptions. That is fine as long as we eventually – for our own good (as these things can be difficult to go through) hopefully sooner rather than later – arrive at an understanding that they are deceptions.
This is the basic meaning of the parable of the pearl of great price where the man sells all that he has to buy that pearl.
We need only to believe the Creator God of the Bible is the only one true God and believe in His Son and follow him. The Bible – as the word of God – helps us, and there is no need for any new revelations and so on and so forth.
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)
There is no need for the book called “A Conversation With God” or “A Course in Miracles” and on, of which there seems to be an endless number. Nor come to that for any of the Christian ones either – although some are good and can increase understanding or at least be entertaining. Christian books do have the potential of being harmful by misleading people and causing various problems like planting false ideas which do not match what the Bible says.
That doesn’t mean all the false beliefs, and cults etc. including false Christian teachers and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and wrong doctrine etc. cannot somehow help us along the way, even if only teaching us that is not the way. Sometimes people need to go through things like that. Ultimately they are not what we need and often that is something we have to find out for ourselves but that usually means we have to through some unpleasant trials and difficulties and wasting time. That is not ideal and usually the sooner we reject whatever does not line up with the Bible, the better.