Introduction
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When I was growing up whenever someone was caught telling a lie we always said "Liar, Liar, pants on fire!". Childish, yes, but very appropriate if you think about it. All cults have several things in common. First, they mimic Christianity, though they are only a pseudo-form of the truth. Several of the cults, like the Mormon Church, have gone so far into mimicry that they are actually considered a separate denomination like the Presbyterian or Methodist Churches. Second, the cults twist the Scripture to suit their platform of belief, rather than conform what they believe to what the Scripture teaches. Many of the cults, though not all, use various forms of brainwashing techniques to gather and retain their converts. They use holy deception, as they call it, to trick a person into their midst, then on tearing down the barriers of the person's old belief system they slowly inculcate the new, cultic doctrines.

"Liar, Liar, pants on fire!" is a true saying, for those deceived by cults are walking a pathway that can only lead to eternal damnation in the next life. Jesus said,  "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me". (John 14:6). The cults would have you believe there are other ways to God, but our Lord teaches only one way: Faith in the historic and Biblical Person of Jesus Christ. Anything that distorts that simple Gospel message is cultic, and leads to anything but Heaven.

In this and eight other studies we will be looking at various cults, and how they twist the Scripture into something outside of the truth. All Scripture quoted is from the King James version, and this research was compiled from various sources. Two of the best sources I used were The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error by Keith L. Brooks (Moody Press) and Larson's Book of Cults by Bob Larson (Tyndale Publishing House, 1982). I have also had personal contact with several of these cults myself, which "flavors" this writing.

Be aware, this series of studies is not meant to be a personal attack on any person, for all people are precious and need to hear the Gospel of Christ. These studies are designed to attack the lies that the cults are propagating, leading men and women to damnation and away from peace in Christ. If you know anybody who is involved in these cults, please don't use the material to attack them. Use the material, in conjunction with the leading of the Holy Spirit, to try and lead them out of the lies of the cult and into the Truth of God's Word. Redeem that soul for Jesus!
 

The "Infinite Way" is not like many of the cults I encounter. Unlike many, which take Christian terms and twist them to a "new meaning", the "Infinite Way" is not, nor does it pretend to be, Christian. It is practical mysticism, spiritism, perhaps along the lines of Hinduism or Buddhism - but it doesn't pretend to be Christian. No wonder, for Goldsmith was an unsaved Hebrew ^{Romans 9:30-10:1}, whose parents never practiced their faith.

What set Goldsmith on the pathway to heresy? When he was a young man, Joel's father became deathly ill. While in the hospital a Christian Science practictioner came to the hospital and prayed for him. The man "miraculously" recovered, and this led Goldsmith into studying Christian Science. Later in his life, as a devotee of Christian Science, he discovered that he could pray for others and they would be miraculously healed.

"No one will every be completely whole until he finds himself at home in God. No one is going to be wholly satisfied even with good economic conditions until he finds his inner communion with God. Watching television will not satisfy man's Soul. Watching baseball games and football games is not the way to find peace of mind or peace of Soul, nor yet a satisfactory method of bringing peace on earth and good will to men. There is nothing wrong, nothing evil, about these things -- they are all good in their place; they all have their function -- but no one has ever found permanent harmony in a football game or a baseball game, in a television set, or in dancing.

The harmony of man's being is achieved only when he finds God, when he arrives at an inner communion with that which is greater than himself. That is the real healing and the lasting healing. That is the healing which the world seeks. And so it is that even were you healed of every physical or mental ill at this moment, even if your economic situation or personal relationships were entirely to your satisfaction, there would still be an unrest within, and a discontent. Regardless of how much happiness you might find in your family, you would retire at night and be alone, because there is a Something within each of us that longs to go home, that longs to live with his Father-Mother.

Spiritual healing is much more than a purely physical experience or even a mental experience: Healing is finding an inner communion with something greater, far greater, than anything in the world; it is finding ourselves in God, finding ourselves in a spiritual peace, an inner peace, an inner glow, all of which comes to us with the realization of God with us, the presence and power of God felt. Resting in that peace, the body resumes its normal functions, and those functions are carried on by a power not our own. The body, then, begins to show forth perfect, complete health, youth, vitality, and strength, all the gift from the Lord.

Spiritual healing is the touch of the Spirit of God in man's Soul; and when that touches him, it awakens him to a new dimension of life, a spiritual dimension: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" -- not that the Spirit of the Lord acts as a medicine, not that the Spirit of the Lord acts as an electrical application or as surgery, but because the Spirit of the Lord lifts the seeker into a new consciousness of life, the state of consciousness which the Master described as "My kingdom" which is not of "this world." When man attains that state of consciousness, he lives in a dimension of life other than the three-dimensional one, and he has experiences totally unknown on the human level of life. That is the goal which the world is seeking, even though it does not realize quite what that goal is or how to attain it."

To Goldsmith, Jesus was not Savior, but a Master Healer and Teacher. In "Living The Infinite Way" he wrote:

"One of the greatest spiritual teachers who ever walked this earth has told us that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Throughout every age there have been men and women of discernment who have discovered that this is true. Some have left a testament of their discovery in the scriptures of the world -- a record of courage, strength, and inspiration, a revelation of unfolding consciousness. The experience of these illumined men and women is a constant reminder that we do not live merely by work, food, and rest, but that there is another factor that enters life which is far more important than any of these human activities. This factor is the "word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The Word becomes the living waters. It is our protection, our safety, our security. As we go about our tasks and duties, even though we may go through deep waters and be tried in the fire of experience, the waters will not overflow us and the flames will not kindle upon us, if the word of God is in us and with us. It is our meat, our water, and our bread of life, our staff on which to lean. But the Word must be more than a quotation from a book. It must come alive within us; it must be a vital, living force. Its essence or substance must become part of our own consciousness, no longer words, but the Word. Then it lives and functions for us eternally.

What is there about a Bible that is holy? Is it the binding, the paper, the print, or the words? Not one of these is sacred. The only thing in the entire Bible that is power is the word of God. And where do we find that? In a book? No, for then it would be necessary merely to buy the Bible every year, but how many of these people have the word of God? Most of them have some words printed in a book. The world has missed the mark by reading the Bible as a historical or literary work. As long as it remains print in a book, it does not become flesh. The Word is within our mouth, within our consciousness, within our Soul, and it is there that it becomes flesh and dwells among us.

The Bible is the Book of Life. When its teachings are spiritually discerned, it is filled with the very bread of life, the very water, and the very wine. As a book it is not our protection nor our security. Be assured of this: If we memorized the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we might still find ourselves "an hungered," sick, and lonely. Only as the Word takes root in consciousness can it come forth as flesh, as demonstration."

Goldsmith did not teach faith in Christ, but belief in a "Invisible Presense" - Christ was only mere man in his teaching. In "Practicing the Presense" he wrote:

"Faith in the Infinite Invisible deepens and increases, as we learn to depend consciously on the He that performeth that which is given us to do. That He, the Infinite Invisible, performs whatever is given us to do in the visible world. The Infinite Invisible perfects that which concemeth us. The Invisible Grace is our sufficiency in all things. The Invisible Presence goes before us to make the crooked places straight.

Gradually, as over and over again the temptation comes to say, "I need; I want; I haven't enough; I am insufficient"; we remember that our sufficiency is in the Infinite Invisible. This practice deepens spiritual consciousness.

Brother Lawrence called it practicing the presence of God. The Hebrews called it keeping the mind stayed on God and acknowledging God in all ways. Jesus called it abiding in the Word. It is a practice that ultimately leads to a complete reliance on the Infinite Invisible, which in its turn brings the visible into our awareness as we have need of it.

Material living puts its faith in forms of good. Spiritual living makes use of that which is in the world; it enjoys the form, but its reliance is on that which is the substance of the form, or that which has created the form, the Invisible. All spiritual revelation has shown that the substance of this universe is in us. Our consciousness is the substance of our world. Therefore, in the Master's words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." If anything in the world of effect is destroyed, in a short period of time it can be rebuilt, re-established.

Great civilizations have been destroyed, and others have taken their place. Anything that has been built can be rebuilt, because everything that exists in the outer realm exists as an activity of consciousness. If we should lose our home, our fortune, or our family, we can be certain that the consciousness that built it could rebuild it.

As consciousness becomes more spiritual, confidence in the Infinite Invisible increases, and our love, hate, or fear of the external diminishes. We see the Infinite Invisible as the law, cause, and activity of all that is and drop concern for the form, whether it be person, thing, or condition. The realization of the Invisible as the substance of all form is vital to the attaining of spiritual consciousness. The visible form is merely the natural result of the activity of the invisible law and cause."

How far does Goldsmith's metaphysical "system" go? Pretty deep. In "The Art of Meditation" we read:

"These spiritual masters devoted their lives to giving us the truth which has brought us to our present state of consciousness. The light that we have today is the result of the light which has come down through all time. There are many spiritual teachers who have left no record, and about whom we have no knowledge; but there are many whom we can identify: Moses, Elijah, Jesus, John, and Paul, mentioned above; Eckhart, Boehme, Fox, and other mystics of the twelfth to the seventeenth centuries; as well as the great leaders and revelators of more recent years. No one person has given the light to the world, but each of these great spiritual prophets has been a beam of light contributing to the whole light.

These great spiritual leaders are all in agreement on the basic principles and teachings which most of us are acquainted: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart; thou shalt do unto others as thou wouldst have others do unto you; thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not commit adultery. They did not teach that we all be of the same nationality, color, or creed; they taught the principle of love and cooperation. If this principle of love and cooperation were really practiced and lived by the millions of people who accept the teachings of the Christ, war would be an impossibility.

It is a paradox that, thousands of years after these revelations of truth, strife and struggle continue to be the motivating force in the world. With this vast reservoir of mystical wisdom available, we should expect that after all these years the world would be enjoying freedom and abundance. But the principles of these teachings have not always been practiced as they were revealed; instead they have been crystallized into form, and gradually they were adulterated, sinking at times to the lowest level of human thinking rather than rising to the heights to which these truths ultimately lead.

The original principle taught by the Master Christian revealed that the kingdom of God, the presence and power of God, is within. Jesus called this presence and power "Father" – "the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Paul, using a different term, said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

By whatever name It is called – God, Father, or the Christ – It is to be found within. The kingdom of God is within us; the whole of the Godhead is to be found within our individual being, not in holy mountains nor yet in the temple at Jerusalem, but within us. If we really believed this great wisdom, we should be willing to leave the world for a season, until such time as we could reach, touch, and respond to the Father within."

You see, to Goldsmith - as to the Hinduists and Buddhists, God is "It", a thing, or a Thing. Jesus is no more than Elijah, or the great teachers of years gone by. In short, he uses Scripture only when it suits his metaphysical mumbo jumbo, but ignores such passages as:

(John 14:6 KJV) "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

and also ignore passages such as:

(John 1:1 KJV) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

In fact, it's not hard to take the Scripture ^{Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16} and negate most of Goldsmith's message as no more than a hybrid of Christian Science and Hinduism/ Eastern Mystics. No wonder it didn't spread very far. It didn't even get a wink in "Larson's Book of Cults", and my favorite site, www.watchman.org, didn't even recognize this group. Unless a person was in New Age, or wanted a shadow of that great cult Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy wrote VOLUMES on her weird system), then most people wouldn't bother with Joel Goldsmith's cult. However, his writings are a part of the eastern mystic cults, and are categorized as NEW THOUGHT BOOKS. Others who contributed to this non-Biblical mysticism were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Warren Felt Evans, and the Dressers, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Henry Drummond, Ursula Gestefeld , Annie Rix Militz, Prentice Mulford, Henry Wood, William Atkinson, H. Emilie Cady, Horatio Dresser, Thomas Troward, F. L. Rawson, Walter Lanyon, and Christian D. Larson; Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science), Charles Fillmore (Unity), Malinda Cramer and Nona Brooks (Divine Science), Ernest Holmes (Science of Mind), and Masaharu Taniguchi (Seicho-No-Ie) Ralph Waldo Trine, Orison Swett Marden, James Allen, Emmet Fox, Florence Scovel Shinn, Joseph Murphy, Neville Goddard, Uell S. Andersen and Jack Addington, Catherine Ponder, Robert Collier, Napoleon Hill, Eric Butterworth, Agnes Sanford, Norman Vincent Peale, Vernon Howard, Louise L. Hay, Shakti Gawain, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Stuart Wilde, Marianne Williamson, John Randolph Price, Alan Cohen, and Gary Zukav. So if Goldsmith's message seems to be similar in areas to Unity and Christian Science, no wonder - they are all out of the same mold.

In conclusion, here is one of the basic principles of The Infinite Way:

"The first and greatest principle of The Infinite Way, the principle upon which its entire activity has been founded, is that God constitutes individual being, your being and mine.

God is the mind of me, the life, the Soul, the Spirit, and God is my capacity. I have access to infinite Intelligence, to infinite, eternal Life. I have access to infinite supply, infinite harmony, peace, and perfection- to all of these because I have access to infinity.

A basic principle of The Infinite Way is found in the word IS. God is; harmony is; life is; love is; peace is; joy is; power is; dominion is because God is. God is infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Do not turn to God for anything. Be still and let God reveal Itself within you because God is already eagerly waiting to reveal Itself. It is no use seeking God. All you have to do is to inherit it. You do not work for It; you do not deserve it; you do not labour by the sweat of your brow for It. God already is. God already is fulfillment. God already is completeness. Why should you want anything else?"

Frankly, I want more ... I want to live my life in Jesus, led of His Spirit, doing God's Will as revealed by His Holy Word. Goldsmith and the Infinite Way just don't cut it for me.

Pastor David
Didaskalos Ministries/ bibleteacher.org