The New Age Teachings of

The New Age Teachings of

Benjamin Creme and his World Teacher by Brian Edgell

One of the final things that Jesus did in His ministry before His death and resurrection was that He promised His personal return to the earth. Christians have anxiously awaited His second coming for two thousand years in hopes that their generation would see His glorious return. False prophets and doomsday prognosticators have exploited this hope by setting dates and rallying followers who anticipate Christ’s return. Multitudes of Christians have been led astray by false teachers and false Christs who, with no concern, twist the Scriptures.

One of the most recent attempts of proclaiming the return of Christ was done on a worldwide scale by a London author-lecturer, Mr. Benjamin Creme. In April 1982, Mr. Creme’s organization, the TARA Center, published full-page advertisements in the newspapers of seventeen major cities around the world. Due to the attention Mr. Creme has drawn to his philosophies, we have decided to examine them from a biblical viewpoint. Mr. Creme has been freely using the person and name of Jesus Christ to attract followers. He abuses those who await the promised return of Christ by distorting Christ’s claims and trying to harmonize Christianity with his esoteric and occultic views.

It is Mr. Creme’s claim that Christ returned to the earth in a materialized body in July, 1977, and has since been living among a group of Pakistani Indian immigrants in South London, England. Besides the newspaper ads, Mr. Creme has also been advancing his doctrines through radio interviews and television talk-shows. The central theme of his message is one that appeals to humanity. It calls for an end to world hunger, an end of poverty and economical problems, and the promise of no Third World War. Mr. Creme teaches that the Christ will emerge as a world teacher and will show us how to live together peacefully and harmoniously.

The other part of Mr. Creme’s message is that the world teacher will make his appearance on worldwide television and speak to all people in their own language through telepathy.

Most of Mr. Creme’s story can be found in his book, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, (TARA Press, London, 1980). Mr. Creme’s teachings have their roots in the theology of H. P. Blavatsky, the founder of a religious cult called Theosophy. This cult is a potpourri of Buddhism, Hinduism, Tibetan Mysticism and ancient Gnosticism. Even though parts of the Bible are used in efforts to support its claims, it is far from the teachings of Christianity.

Some of the doctrinal teachings of Theosophy includes: Pantheism, human divinity, reincarnation, a hierarchy of ascended spiritual masters, telepathic communication with these masters, the coming of a world teacher and the universal brotherhood of humanity, all of which are equally embraced by Benjamin Creme.

The teaching that Christ had returned to earth is not new to the followers of Theosophy. The successor of H. P. Blavatsky was a woman named Annie Besant. Mrs. Besant began announcing the coming of the Messiah in 1906; much like Mr. Creme is doing today. In 1925, Mrs. Besant claimed that the Messiah had arrived on earth, and promoted her adopted Indian-mystic son, Krishnamurti, as Messiah. Much to the disappointment of the Theosophical Society, this ended in failure when Krishnamurti decided he did not wish to be the Messiah any longer, renouncing his position and quit in 1931.

In 1922, another student of H. P. Blavatsky, Alice A. Bailey, formed what is known today as the Lucis Trust Foundation. Their activities include the publishing of books by the late Mrs. Bailey, the funding of an esoteric school, and various groups, including one called World Goodwill. Through these means the Lucis Trust has been preparing for the reappearance of the Christ.

Mr. Crème has evidently borrowed “The Great Invocation” from the Lucis Trust for his TARA Centers. Creme’s followers meet once a month, during the full moon, in “Transmission Groups” to recite and meditate upon “The Great Invocation.” Do these invocations do anything to advance the return of Christ?

In answer to the former question, we must first determine whether the terms borrowed by the TARA Center and Mr. Creme have the same meaning within Christianity. In fact, what one says about Jesus Christ becomes the dividing factor in whether they are really true followers of Him or false followers who only use His name. Jesus warned us in the Gospel of Matthew (7:22-25) that certain people will used His name without really knowing who He is. We will categorize some of Mr. Creme’s teachings and examine them under of the Bible. Each of the following statements are referenced from Mr. Creme’s book, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom.

GOD - Mr. Creme’s teachings on God reflect the pantheistic view found in most Eastern religious philosophies. He says, “You are God. I am God. This microphone is God. This table is God. All is God” (116). In addition to this, Mr. Creme also teaches a form of polytheism by saying that there is a God within a God, within a God, etc. (116). In apparent contradiction to others, but only congruent within Creme’s system, he makes the unique claim that God exists and does not exist at the same time: “...in a sense there is no such thing as God, God does not exist. And in another sense, there is nothing else but God - only God exists” (110). He goes on to say, “All is God. And because all is God, there is no God” (110). Mr. Creme has attempted to embrace pantheism, polytheism, monotheism, theism and atheism simultaneously.

THE BIBLE SAYS - God is not the material world, but He is the Creator of this world (Gen. 1 and Col. 1:16-17). God is personal and relates to man on a personal and loving level (1 Jn. 1:3,4,6). God is One (Isa. 43:10), and He warns us against believing in many gods (Ex. 20:3-6). The Bible refutes the complete array of Creme’s compound theology.

JESUS CHRIST - Mr. Creme teaches that Jesus is not the Christ, because he separates “the Christ” from the person of Jesus. Crème says, “The Christ took over the body of Jesus and manifested through it for the last three years” (53). Even though Mr. Creme calls Jesus a “divine man”, he still denies the true deity of Jesus: “When I say ‘the coming of Christ’ I don’t mean the coming of God. I mean the coming of a divine man...The Christ is the Master of all the Masters, but He is not God, and never claims to be God” (115).

THE BIBLE SAYS - He who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the liar and the antichrist (1 Jn. 2:22). Jesus made the claim on several occasions that He is God (Jn. 5:18, 8:58, 10:30-33; and Rev. 1:8).

According to the Bible, then, Mr. Creme’s teachings fall short of the truth about God and Jesus Christ. Contrary to Mr. Creme, there are not many paths to God. The Bible teaches that there is only one way to heaven and it is offered through one person, Jesus Christ (Jn. 10:1, 14:6). Jesus said that all the “christs” and “prophets” who would come after Him are false (Matthew 24:3-24). Jesus said anyone who tries to get into heaven in any other way was a thief and a robber (John 10:1-8). So we conclude, after a sampling of Mr. Creme’s teachings in comparison to the Bible, that Mr. Creme the “Christ” he speaks of cannot save the human soul from eternal damnation or destruction. The only “Christ” who can save mankind is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:18). His name is the only name whereby men must be saved (Acts 4:12).