15AR20-01

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Apologia Report 20:1 (1,230)

January 6, 2015

Subject: Deepak Chopra has an app

In this issue:

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES - the story behind the documentary film "Truth Be Told"

NEW AGE MOVEMENT - Deepak Chopra sets his entrepreneurial focus on a younger demographic by "advancing spirituality through modern-day technology"

ROMAN CATHOLICISM - "the largest Catholic population on earth will no longer have a Catholic majority by 2030"

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JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

"An Inside View of Jehovah's Witnesses" by Danielle Tumminio -- "I recently had the opportunity to view a new [2012] documentary about the experiences of contemporary Jehovah's Witnesses and was so intrigued by what I saw that I wanted to know more and thought my readers would as well. So what follows is an interview with director Gregorio Smith, whose film Truth Be Told <www.buy.hereliesthetruth.com> will currently become available to the general public on December 19th.

"This film takes a fairly critical look at the institution behind the Jehovah's Witnesses." Smith replies: "[W]hile Truth Be Told is of natural interest to former, fading and active Jehovah's Witnesses, we believe it is a valuable tool that will appeal to the non-Jehovah's Witness world and can educate millions about the lesser-known side of Watchtower Society culture: the suspension of critical thinking, the discouragement of higher education ... and their excessive devotion to a central tenet that the destruction of the world is imminent. ...

"I am not a theologian, so I cannot say whether or not the Jehovah's Witness religion as a system of belief is flawed. I can say, however, that my Jehovah's Witness upbringing was a life of strict obedience to 'theocratic order' in an atmosphere of high expectations with little to no reward. ...

"It's worth mentioning that a show of hands at Truth Be Told screenings across the country revealed that more than half of the former Jehovah's Witnesses in attendance have either been in or sought out mental health counseling/therapy, and half of those admitted to contemplating or attempting suicide."

The JW "perception that they alone possess 'The Truth' ... fosters a dangerous climate of absolutes where the rules, regulations and doctrine as set forth by its leadership (called 'Governing Body') are considered unimpeachable and any challenge to their administrations is tantamount to religious persecution, heresy or apostasy.

"Ironically, this tendency towards legalism could signal the demise of the Watchtower Society, as their entrenchment in response to upticks in departures and increasingly dangerous questions from members will ultimately approach a point of hyper-legalism whereby the entire Jehovah's Witness infrastructure chokes on its excess of rules and regulations. ...

"Our outreach will have its challenges since the people that the film could help the most are the least likely to view it. As one ex-Jehovah's Witness tweeted:

"'I'd share this with my JW family but am afraid of being called an apostate and losing contact. They are ruled by fear.'" Huffington Post, Dec 2 '14. <www.ow.ly/GFWkI>

NEW AGE MOVEMENT

"Deepak Chopra: The spiritualist as technologist" by Joseph Volpe -- begins: "Deepak Chopra has an app." Together with this he is "building a wellness site he hopes will become 'the largest social network in the world' ... for reaching a younger demographic." This represents a major shift in Chopra's strategy. "He's done with the baby boomers....

"Chopra's first foray into the mobile-app space, The Non Local, combines the meditative poetry of 13th century mystic Rumi with relaxing music to foster a transcendent state of well-being in the listener. The app's even named after a controversial concept of quantum physics, a favorite [specialty] of Chopra's. Nonlocality, in simple terms, refers to the ability of two [sub-atomic] particles to communicate outside of space and time; it's what Einstein called 'spooky action at a distance.' ...

"Though the iOS app (an Android version is coming soon) is free and comes bundled with two tracks, it does support in-app purchases for any additional meditations, all priced at $1.99. ... It might seem like a blatant cash grab. After all, it's quite a common business practice for a boldface name like Chopra to profit from endorsements.

... Chopra's The Non Local has a simple goal: 'to explore music and sound therapy as a modality of healing.' ...

"It's Chopra interest in the field of wearables, however, that is perhaps the most fascinating. 'I'm a very big fan of consumer technology,' he tells me. 'Even now, I'm wearing about five devices....'"

Chopra is "planning to release a wearable [bio function] tracker of his own. The device [think Apple Watch], which is currently under development with a manufacturer based out of India, is Chopra's attempt at creating a 'super device.' ...

"That unnamed device is only part of Chopra's plan for advancing spirituality through modern-day technology. ...

"The future Chopra envisions doesn't segregate spiritual growth and personal well-being from scientific advancement. Rather, he believes they can be one and the same. Though he does acknowledge that the 'diabolical possibilities' our connected world offers will exist in tandem with the more positive aspects of future tech. ...

"Chopra is no stranger to critics. In fact, his long-standing feud with scientist and noted atheist Richard Dawkins highlights the resistance some in the scientific community have toward Chopra's brand of alleged 'pseudoscience.' Where Dawkins' mission is to disprove the existence of a godhead, Chopra's is to validate that nonlocal consciousness is central to our collective well-being and the research he funds and conducts." Engadget, Nov 26 '14. <www.ow.ly/GFLeO>

ROMAN CATHOLICISM

"New Pew survey shows Latin Americans leaving Catholicism" by David Agren -- "Increasing numbers of Catholics in Latin America are abandoning the church in favor of evangelical congregations or nonreligious life, according to a new survey <www.ow.ly/GP23u>, making Pope Francis' calls for renewed evangelization efforts in the region ever more urgent. ...

"The Catholic population has slipped sharply over the past century, when their numbers topped 90 percent. Evangelicals have pulled people away from parishes and into their church pews often by promoting what those converting would consider more attractive ways of worshipping the Lord, an emphasis on morality and solutions for their earthly afflictions - mostly poverty related, said Andrew Chesnut, religious studies professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Some Central American countries and Uruguay now have almost as many Protestants or religiously unaffiliated people as Catholics in their populations. If the trend continues, 'even Brazil, home to the largest Catholic population on earth, will no longer have a Catholic majority by 2030,' said Chesnut, author of a book on evangelicals in Brazil. [1] ...

"Protestants now make up 19 percent of the Latin American population, while another 8 percent now profess no religious affiliation - a figure reaching 37 percent in Uruguay. Roughly half these people did not grow up in their current congregations or in nonreligious homes, according to the survey.

"Some 65 percent of Protestants in Latin America belong to evangelical congregations.

"'Christianity in Latin America is thoroughly 'Pentecostalized,' with 70 percent of Protestants and 40 percent of Catholics identifying as charismatic,' Chesnut said. 'If it weren't for Charismatic Renewal, Catholic decline probably would have been even greater.' ...

"In Brazil, where 60 percent of the population is Catholic, evangelical pastor Jay Bauman said the style of worship attracts people to Protestant congregations - along with the promotion of 'prosperity Gospel' teachings by Pentecostals." [Out of the frying pan.... And how will those who believe they are entitled to health and wealth handle the fires of persecution when the day comes?] Catholic News Service, Nov 14 '14. <www.ow.ly/GFJ1X>

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of Poverty, by R. Andrew Chesnut (Rutgers Univ Prs, 1997, paperback, 218 pages) <www.ow.ly/GP3bO>

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