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A New Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart Tolle's #1 Bestseller
When Christians are confronted by media with a "new" theology, they aren't always sure what to do. It may sound spiritual, almost Christian. But something isn't quite right. Richard Abanes helps believers as well as the curious understand that Eckhart Tolle's message in A New Earth is dangerous. He then provides a clear biblical response to this New Age message. Topics include Tolle's misuse of Scripture, false teachings on God, the Bible's teaching on evil, A New Earth's version of salvation compared to God's plan, and much more.
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
11 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Richard Abanes
27 books13 followersRichard Abanes is an American playwright, composer, lyricist, author, singer, and actor. He has had a life of diverse accomplishments in each of these fields.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 10, 2010
Overall I gave this book a read because I wanted to get an understanding of what someone with an opposing view point to “A New Earth” had. It seems that the Author didn’t want to do anything more than prove why he (and the bible) are absolutely and unquestionably correct. This book is probably for someone who already has their mind made up, and agrees with Abanes, and just wants some external validation.
March 29, 2009
I accidentally got this book instead of Tolle's. A trick of their marketing perhaps? Not a good way to build credibility. I read it despite this to get another view point, but I don't think he made a good case even for Christian's as to why Tolle might be wrong. Abanes focuses on why Christians should stay away from Tolle and how Tolle tries to have things both ways. I think the main thing is that he totally misses Tolle's main points about not putting your ego above everything else in your life. Which was my take on it.
The craziest aspect of the book is that Abanes contends that Christianity is the religion of reason, compared to Tolle and others. In any religion I don't think reason typically plays any part. It is about faith in the unknowable.
The other gem is that all the poverty in India is because Hindu's believe in Karma and thus don't help each other. Most of the aid in India is given out by Christians according to Abanes. That must be why we have no poverty in the USA? Also another reason might be that if you have nothing, it might be a little harder to give money to NGO's to hand out to the less fortunate. How many unseen acts of kindness occur in India each day?
The craziest aspect of the book is that Abanes contends that Christianity is the religion of reason, compared to Tolle and others. In any religion I don't think reason typically plays any part. It is about faith in the unknowable.
The other gem is that all the poverty in India is because Hindu's believe in Karma and thus don't help each other. Most of the aid in India is given out by Christians according to Abanes. That must be why we have no poverty in the USA? Also another reason might be that if you have nothing, it might be a little harder to give money to NGO's to hand out to the less fortunate. How many unseen acts of kindness occur in India each day?
October 5, 2008
I found this book helpful to point out a lot of the hypocrisy that exists throughout Eckhart Tolle's books and interviews. Surprisingly, Tolle's interviews with Oprah are where he exposes his hypocrisy and, I think, human short comings. Abanes also does a great job of pointing out some misinterpretations of scripture that exist. However, he uses the Bible as his sole reference point for each argument. This is fine if you are a devout Christian who puts stock in the document; but it would be very difficult for a non-believer to swallow Abanes point of view.
There are also some sections of the book where scripture references are manipulated to support Abanes' arguments against Tolle. At times the author has a clear point, at others it seems he is grasping for straws, and at still other times Abanes misunderstands Tolle's point completely. In fact, in one case, Abanes argues a point that Tolle had already reconciled in his writings - only a page or two beyond the offending belief. While Abanes asked the audience to take a closer look at Tolle's theories, it is not hard to see the cracks in Abanes' theories either.
Abanes is also relentless in his badgering of Tolle. He barely gives a nod to the fact that Tolle's suggested practices have some sort of benefit, even to the Christian readers. This is definitely not a book to be taken at face value. I would certainly recommend that anyone reading this book should read Tolle first, so you can make your own informed decision.
There are also some sections of the book where scripture references are manipulated to support Abanes' arguments against Tolle. At times the author has a clear point, at others it seems he is grasping for straws, and at still other times Abanes misunderstands Tolle's point completely. In fact, in one case, Abanes argues a point that Tolle had already reconciled in his writings - only a page or two beyond the offending belief. While Abanes asked the audience to take a closer look at Tolle's theories, it is not hard to see the cracks in Abanes' theories either.
Abanes is also relentless in his badgering of Tolle. He barely gives a nod to the fact that Tolle's suggested practices have some sort of benefit, even to the Christian readers. This is definitely not a book to be taken at face value. I would certainly recommend that anyone reading this book should read Tolle first, so you can make your own informed decision.
June 3, 2020
Complete garbage. I'm not sure what the motivation behind writing this book is. I figure:
1) The author is trying profit from someone else's success
2) The author is trying profit from creating discourse
3) The author actually does understand the concepts in Tolle's book
4) The author is egoicly offended by something other than stringent biblical text
5) The author is deliberately trying to cause drama, divide, and discourse to:
- a) satisfy his own pain body
- b) garnish profit through conflict, because war sells.
Either way, I would stay clear of this anti-Christian, and anti-Spiritual book. It is the opposite of what we need as a people right now. It strengthens tribalism and separation, as well as directs us away from the true nature of understanding spiritually. Avoid at all cost. You will only hurt your own mental wellbeing.
1) The author is trying profit from someone else's success
2) The author is trying profit from creating discourse
3) The author actually does understand the concepts in Tolle's book
4) The author is egoicly offended by something other than stringent biblical text
5) The author is deliberately trying to cause drama, divide, and discourse to:
- a) satisfy his own pain body
- b) garnish profit through conflict, because war sells.
Either way, I would stay clear of this anti-Christian, and anti-Spiritual book. It is the opposite of what we need as a people right now. It strengthens tribalism and separation, as well as directs us away from the true nature of understanding spiritually. Avoid at all cost. You will only hurt your own mental wellbeing.
August 18, 2008
While in Barnes and Noble yesterday I saw this book and figured I'd buy it and read it. Abanes is known for work in counter-cult apologetics and New Age spirituality, a fairly decent choice for authoring a response to Tolle's A New Earth (ANE). I should admit from the outset that I have not read Tolle's bestselling book. Honestly, I have no desire to read that kind of anti-intellectual, self-refuting, philosophically and religiously uninteresting, garbage in the "New Age" sections of major book stores. I've talked to enough of these people at earth day festivals to warrant my disgust. Last guy I spoke with talked with me for 3 hours about crop circles and how the WWW was the antichrist! (Seriously, he traced a star of David and showed how 3 w's fit around it, said that the Hebrew numeric value given to 'w' is '6', and thus we have 6-6-6. He didn't even flinch when I pointed out that that number is actually 666 (i.e., six hundred and sixty-six, not three 6's). His goal was to get mankind off the internet and out of their earth destroying cars. When I pointed out that he pulled his crop circle pictures of the web he said that I was trying to refute him by pointing out his hypocrisy. Yeah, 3 hours of this. Anyway, you get the point why I have little tolerance for this group.)
But in case any Tolleac claims I can't judge Tolle's book without reading it I have three points in response: (i) I have heard enough of Tolle on Oprah, other shows, and the internet to get the basics of his shtick; (2) to say that I haven't read the book is to introduce distinctions into the world, something Tolle says is illusionary; and (iii) (a) who cares if I haven't read his book? It's not like I'm violating any ethical principles (which don't exist according to Tolle) by only reading his critics, (b) it sounds like you're thinking, something Tolle staunchly forbids, and (c) you can't believe that I haven't read his book since Tolle claims that "every belief is an obstacle" (ANE, p. 189). (P.S. if (c) is taken out of context, now you know how Christians feel about Tolle's, ahem, "exegesis" of Holy Scripture.
Okay, so Tolle had some kind of a freak-out session when he was about to commit suicide and then came up with the doctrines in his book. Sounds like a stable individual to follow. Be that as it may, his book is a number on best seller and many of my Christian brothers and sisters are bound to run into an ANE fan. Though imperfect in many ways, this book should be enough for you to rebut ANE nonsense...though letting a Tolleac rant long enough should be sufficient to do the job for you.
Abanes's book consists of an introduction, five chapters, and two appendices.
In the intro Abanes introduces you, briefly, to Tolle and discusses his recent popularity. Abanses points out that with ANE we get nothing new. It's simply re-heated New Age rhetoric. We are all divine, there are no distinctions, there is no "we" actually, just a conscious source that is all reality. Call it "God" or "The Life" or "The Universal" or any other new age name. Abanes points out that Tolle rips off Christianity to appeal to Westerners.
In chapter one Abanes demonstrates Tolle's self-refuting claims that beliefs are obstacles (is that belief an obstacle?), that all religions lead to the same end, that to claim you are right is intolerant (is that right?), and that to claim that you have the truth is evidence of your enslavement to illusion. Fortunately for Tolle he can claim that he is right because he says he knows he is and any one who disagrees with him is unenlightened. Talk about unfalsifiable. Tolle also despises "thinking" as a major source of our problems, "feelings" are the source of our verification of what is true and right. Of course this kind of subjective garbage can be matched by claiming that you don't "feel" that Tolle is right. How would he show that you were wrong? What could he appeal to?
In chapter two Abanes demonstrates Tolle's monism and pantheistic religion (though he claims he's not offering a religion...whatever). "God" is just a handle for "the consciousness that pervades everything." Realizing this is your sole purpose on earth. It is what we should do. Of course how Tolle accounts for teleology or normativity is beyond me. Abanes doesn't get into that too much, though. And on that point I should mention that I think Abanes is too easy on Tolle in many areas. Applying some philosophical analysis to Tolle's quoted statements could really tie him up in knots. Abanes is right to point out, and Tolle agrees, that in Tolle's monism, which is really just a mixture of eastern religions mixed with American exegesis and understanding of eastern religions texts and thoughts (which I dub "Weasternism," and is the most self-refuting of all of the eastern (type) religions) destroys notions of good and evil. Of course this is disastrous, as should be self-evident. Abanes should have discussed the Creator/creature distinction and Romans 1 in this chapter, but didn't.
In chapter three Abanes quotes various examples of Tolle's "exegesis" of the Bible and demonstrates his utterly horrible use of Scripture. Tolle just rips quotes out of their grammatical and social contexts, always ignoring the Jewish context of the Bible, which plays a large role in the exegesis of Scripture.
In chapter four Abanes discusses Tolle's view of Jesus, which is, not surprisingly, just re-heated "Christ consciousness" new age mumbo jumbo. Thus Tolle distorts the person and work of Jesus, a familiar feature of all heretical views of Jesus. Tolle denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus and his continued existence of the God-man. Obviously this destroys our faith (since Paul said if Jesus is not raised from the dead your faith is in vain) and the intercessionary priestly work of Jesus on behalf of his people. So any claim on Tolle's part that his view is consistent with Christianity is simply deceptive. (Abanes doesn't bring up the latter theological point, which he should have for a more devastating rebuttal.)
In chapter five Abanses discusses Tolle's view of suffering (illusionary and the cause of our being trapped in illusion) which ignores the Bible's theology of the cross rather than Tolle's theology of glory (Tolle has an overealized eschatology, in fact, we just need to realize that we are in the new heavens and new earth now, since to claim that we are not is to use the language of distinction and demonstrate he is still trapped in illusion and unenlightened), sin (which is to "miss the point of human existence), evil (which is illusion, and so is good), and salvation (which is enlightenment). When discussion Tolle's deception regarding Jesus' death on the cross Abanes, in my opinion, should have located it in the Old Testament notion of The Day of Atonement, but this leads, again, in my opinion, to a Calvinistic soteriology and Abanes lets his Arminian colors shine through in his response to Tolle. Oh well.
In Appendix 1 Abanes briefly mentions Tolle's "enlightenment experience" claiming that it has features of NDEs or FDEs, in the second one he just offers a numbered list of his responses to Tolle's errors.
Abanes should have spent more time discussing the Christain worldview and offering better exegesis of many passages since I doubt many Tolleacs will easily grant all of Abanes's interpretations of Scripture, but at least his view is intelligible as compared to Tolle's wild, esoteric readings of the text. Also, Tolle simply asserts that his reading is correct because he just feels it is and to disagree with him is to show you're unenlightened. This is the kind of guy that needs to be cornered in a public debate, where he will inevitably stutter and stammer in trying to explain his interpretation of Scripture. As long as he controls the floor he'll simply play his word games and his devotees will swoon over his guruness.
But in case any Tolleac claims I can't judge Tolle's book without reading it I have three points in response: (i) I have heard enough of Tolle on Oprah, other shows, and the internet to get the basics of his shtick; (2) to say that I haven't read the book is to introduce distinctions into the world, something Tolle says is illusionary; and (iii) (a) who cares if I haven't read his book? It's not like I'm violating any ethical principles (which don't exist according to Tolle) by only reading his critics, (b) it sounds like you're thinking, something Tolle staunchly forbids, and (c) you can't believe that I haven't read his book since Tolle claims that "every belief is an obstacle" (ANE, p. 189). (P.S. if (c) is taken out of context, now you know how Christians feel about Tolle's, ahem, "exegesis" of Holy Scripture.
Okay, so Tolle had some kind of a freak-out session when he was about to commit suicide and then came up with the doctrines in his book. Sounds like a stable individual to follow. Be that as it may, his book is a number on best seller and many of my Christian brothers and sisters are bound to run into an ANE fan. Though imperfect in many ways, this book should be enough for you to rebut ANE nonsense...though letting a Tolleac rant long enough should be sufficient to do the job for you.
Abanes's book consists of an introduction, five chapters, and two appendices.
In the intro Abanes introduces you, briefly, to Tolle and discusses his recent popularity. Abanses points out that with ANE we get nothing new. It's simply re-heated New Age rhetoric. We are all divine, there are no distinctions, there is no "we" actually, just a conscious source that is all reality. Call it "God" or "The Life" or "The Universal" or any other new age name. Abanes points out that Tolle rips off Christianity to appeal to Westerners.
In chapter one Abanes demonstrates Tolle's self-refuting claims that beliefs are obstacles (is that belief an obstacle?), that all religions lead to the same end, that to claim you are right is intolerant (is that right?), and that to claim that you have the truth is evidence of your enslavement to illusion. Fortunately for Tolle he can claim that he is right because he says he knows he is and any one who disagrees with him is unenlightened. Talk about unfalsifiable. Tolle also despises "thinking" as a major source of our problems, "feelings" are the source of our verification of what is true and right. Of course this kind of subjective garbage can be matched by claiming that you don't "feel" that Tolle is right. How would he show that you were wrong? What could he appeal to?
In chapter two Abanes demonstrates Tolle's monism and pantheistic religion (though he claims he's not offering a religion...whatever). "God" is just a handle for "the consciousness that pervades everything." Realizing this is your sole purpose on earth. It is what we should do. Of course how Tolle accounts for teleology or normativity is beyond me. Abanes doesn't get into that too much, though. And on that point I should mention that I think Abanes is too easy on Tolle in many areas. Applying some philosophical analysis to Tolle's quoted statements could really tie him up in knots. Abanes is right to point out, and Tolle agrees, that in Tolle's monism, which is really just a mixture of eastern religions mixed with American exegesis and understanding of eastern religions texts and thoughts (which I dub "Weasternism," and is the most self-refuting of all of the eastern (type) religions) destroys notions of good and evil. Of course this is disastrous, as should be self-evident. Abanes should have discussed the Creator/creature distinction and Romans 1 in this chapter, but didn't.
In chapter three Abanes quotes various examples of Tolle's "exegesis" of the Bible and demonstrates his utterly horrible use of Scripture. Tolle just rips quotes out of their grammatical and social contexts, always ignoring the Jewish context of the Bible, which plays a large role in the exegesis of Scripture.
In chapter four Abanes discusses Tolle's view of Jesus, which is, not surprisingly, just re-heated "Christ consciousness" new age mumbo jumbo. Thus Tolle distorts the person and work of Jesus, a familiar feature of all heretical views of Jesus. Tolle denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus and his continued existence of the God-man. Obviously this destroys our faith (since Paul said if Jesus is not raised from the dead your faith is in vain) and the intercessionary priestly work of Jesus on behalf of his people. So any claim on Tolle's part that his view is consistent with Christianity is simply deceptive. (Abanes doesn't bring up the latter theological point, which he should have for a more devastating rebuttal.)
In chapter five Abanses discusses Tolle's view of suffering (illusionary and the cause of our being trapped in illusion) which ignores the Bible's theology of the cross rather than Tolle's theology of glory (Tolle has an overealized eschatology, in fact, we just need to realize that we are in the new heavens and new earth now, since to claim that we are not is to use the language of distinction and demonstrate he is still trapped in illusion and unenlightened), sin (which is to "miss the point of human existence), evil (which is illusion, and so is good), and salvation (which is enlightenment). When discussion Tolle's deception regarding Jesus' death on the cross Abanes, in my opinion, should have located it in the Old Testament notion of The Day of Atonement, but this leads, again, in my opinion, to a Calvinistic soteriology and Abanes lets his Arminian colors shine through in his response to Tolle. Oh well.
In Appendix 1 Abanes briefly mentions Tolle's "enlightenment experience" claiming that it has features of NDEs or FDEs, in the second one he just offers a numbered list of his responses to Tolle's errors.
Abanes should have spent more time discussing the Christain worldview and offering better exegesis of many passages since I doubt many Tolleacs will easily grant all of Abanes's interpretations of Scripture, but at least his view is intelligible as compared to Tolle's wild, esoteric readings of the text. Also, Tolle simply asserts that his reading is correct because he just feels it is and to disagree with him is to show you're unenlightened. This is the kind of guy that needs to be cornered in a public debate, where he will inevitably stutter and stammer in trying to explain his interpretation of Scripture. As long as he controls the floor he'll simply play his word games and his devotees will swoon over his guruness.
May 22, 2019
Leave it to Oprah Winfrey. Any book that she endorses seems to turn to pure gold, especially ones like The Secret, that she takes to heart and makes into almost a form of religion for viewers. Her latest endorsement is for Dr. Eckhart Tolle's number one bestseller, A New Earth. It has been a pick of the Oprah Book Club, has sold more than four million copies since its release in January 2008, and has spawned an Oprah sponsored series of web classes with millions of participants.
Richard Abanes is a bestselling and award-winning author with a specialty in the area of cults, world religion, and what is happening in popular culture. In A New Earth, An Old Deception, Abanes uses the Bible and other Christian teaching to debate and debunk what he considers the misleading spiritual message portrayed in A New Earth. Since Tolle makes claims regarding the Bible in his book, Abanes contrasts Scripture with Tolle's claims.
Often books of this nature are difficult to read and follow. This one is not. It is laid out simply with Tolle's claims and then the author's response to each one. The chapter headings arrange the topics. First it is explained how this is truly New Age thinking, not Christianity, then Abanes addresses the specifics. Chapter one talks about 'My truth is your truth.' Chapter two is 'God is, You are, I am.' Chapter three discusses 'Bible Abuse. When Words Fail' with specifics to the Bible. Chapter four shows 'A New Earth Jesus.' And finally, chapter five discusses 'No suffering, no sin, no salvation.'
An easy access appendix at the end shows the title of each question answered and the page number where it can be found. A thoroughly researched and complete bibliography is also included.
Anyone who is confused by the claims made in Tolle's book will find clear explanations and answers here. The Bible is about God and His salvation, while A New Earth focuses on the individual and promotes a gospel of self salvation. Abanes' book is an excellent tool for Christians in many ways. First, those who have watched, read, or heard about A New Earth, can find answers to questions it brings up. A New Earth, An Old Deception can also help the Christian believer provide answers to someone else who might be confused or questioning how Tolle's book fits in with Biblical teaching.
This is fascinating, but very deep information. It's not something that a person could casually read through in a day, but rather needs to be pondered and chewed over for a while. A New Earth, An Old Deception is fascinating reading and will provide the information that a Christian needs to know about this cultural phenomenon.
Richard Abanes is a bestselling and award-winning author with a specialty in the area of cults, world religion, and what is happening in popular culture. In A New Earth, An Old Deception, Abanes uses the Bible and other Christian teaching to debate and debunk what he considers the misleading spiritual message portrayed in A New Earth. Since Tolle makes claims regarding the Bible in his book, Abanes contrasts Scripture with Tolle's claims.
Often books of this nature are difficult to read and follow. This one is not. It is laid out simply with Tolle's claims and then the author's response to each one. The chapter headings arrange the topics. First it is explained how this is truly New Age thinking, not Christianity, then Abanes addresses the specifics. Chapter one talks about 'My truth is your truth.' Chapter two is 'God is, You are, I am.' Chapter three discusses 'Bible Abuse. When Words Fail' with specifics to the Bible. Chapter four shows 'A New Earth Jesus.' And finally, chapter five discusses 'No suffering, no sin, no salvation.'
An easy access appendix at the end shows the title of each question answered and the page number where it can be found. A thoroughly researched and complete bibliography is also included.
Anyone who is confused by the claims made in Tolle's book will find clear explanations and answers here. The Bible is about God and His salvation, while A New Earth focuses on the individual and promotes a gospel of self salvation. Abanes' book is an excellent tool for Christians in many ways. First, those who have watched, read, or heard about A New Earth, can find answers to questions it brings up. A New Earth, An Old Deception can also help the Christian believer provide answers to someone else who might be confused or questioning how Tolle's book fits in with Biblical teaching.
This is fascinating, but very deep information. It's not something that a person could casually read through in a day, but rather needs to be pondered and chewed over for a while. A New Earth, An Old Deception is fascinating reading and will provide the information that a Christian needs to know about this cultural phenomenon.
November 25, 2020
I felt there was more of an attempt to inflate the thinking of the author, than seriously disprove the purpose of the book, A New Earth.
I have read through A New Earth no less than 5 times, and with the exception of the first chapter, did not find the book to go against my personal spiritual beliefs. I took what was important to me, and left what was not. The book has had a very positive impact on discovery of my ego, and how to deal with it.
So for me, it seems like an attempt to capitalize on a popular title with a controversial title to garner readers.
I have read through A New Earth no less than 5 times, and with the exception of the first chapter, did not find the book to go against my personal spiritual beliefs. I took what was important to me, and left what was not. The book has had a very positive impact on discovery of my ego, and how to deal with it.
So for me, it seems like an attempt to capitalize on a popular title with a controversial title to garner readers.
January 1, 2020
This author comes from a place of fear and ego. It’s ironic that he warns of the evils of “new teachings” that contradict HIS interpretation of a fallible book that has innumerable interpretations within its own religion. Christianity is a “new” religion which has borrowed the teachings of more ancient ones, including pagan lore. There were many before it and, including Islam which shares the same “first book”, many others after it.
Eckhart Tolle’s books helped me believe in the existence (and kindness) of a man called Jesus, far more than the bible could. The bible turned me away from him.
Eckhart Tolle’s books helped me believe in the existence (and kindness) of a man called Jesus, far more than the bible could. The bible turned me away from him.
September 13, 2021
Overall the book was clearly written and seemed comprehensive. Quotations are well-cited. Some responses left the reader wanting a more robust theological/philosophical rebuttal. The summary and evaluation of what is a very hazy and vague belief system is appreciated.
December 28, 2019
As riveting as A New Earth, lol. Both dug their heels in for their viewpoint. Not convinced either way.
May 31, 2022
It’s not nearly as old of a deception as the Bible. What a silly, silly book.
May 4, 2011
This book was fantastic. He hits the nail right on the head. There is no comfort except that in Jesus.
June 3, 2011
Spiritual, new wave...hmmm...a few interesting gold nuggets but not written very well. Very difficult to wade through; not sure why it was so popular. No one in book club finished, nor enjoyed.
Read
July 29, 2011As boring as the original book.
December 14, 2012
An excellent must read
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews