Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
and fabulous -
Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.

-

Marianne Williamson (via dorothyhuynh)

What is the glory of God?

This glory can crown man or fill the earth. It is seen within man and in the earth, but it is not of them; it is of God. (http://www.gotquestions.org/glory-of-God.html)

I disagree wholeheartedly with this quote. Stop and look at the line: “We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.” Confirm your suspicions by reading the line “it is in everyone.”

Google this quote and find that there is another line at the end: “As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Go to www.marianne.com (official website) and read Willamson’s short bio. “According to Time magazine, ‘Yoga, the Cabala and Marianne Williamson have been taken up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered to Christianity.’” Wikipedia says, “As a minister in the Unity Church,[3] Williamson’s philosophy adopts a New Thought approach to spirituality. She tries to incorporate ideals originally established Christianity and Judaism[clarification needed] with a new-age light, using statements such as ‘You’ve committed no sins, just mistakes.’” Click on the Unity Church wiki page, and find that one basic teaching of this church is that “‘We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good.’”

Now, let me ask, is the glory of God within everyone? If so, what does this really mean? In other words, what does Marianne Williamson mean by this? Man is made in the image of God, yes, but is that image perfect? Is the glory of God synonymous to the image of God? Can man of his own ability and will, in his current state, manifest God’s glory?

Let us consider the Shechinah and Shekinah (Hebrew terms) glory of God. (http://www.preceptaustin.org/overview_glory_of_the_lord.htm)

Let us consider Matthew 5:13-20… “You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Who is Jesus addressing in this passage? Everyone, all humans, including those who do not follow the one true God?

To those of you who read Williamson’s quote and and found it appealing and agreeable, I apologize for shredding it to pieces. I understand that this counterdiscussion is incomplete in that it is directed toward Christians, but I will conclude with two main points:

- In the information age, words spread at faster than lightning speed. These words form ideas, and the spread of ideas can have amazing effects, whether it be beneficial (truth) or harmful (distortions of truth).

- As a Christian, if you read Williamson’s quote and had no questions or doubt in  your mind that what she is really saying is true, please re-examine your responsiveness to the ideas you listen to. We all must often examine our hearts - this includes our will/mind, belief system/worldview, feelings/emotions, etc.

- Thank you for reading.

dated - 2 November 2011

9 notes / Reblogged from dorothyhuynh

  1. arewedancer reblogged this from dorothyhuynh
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  4. profoundbound reblogged this from jaymaries and added:
    I. LOVE. THIS. QUOTE. SO. MUCH. !.
  5. dorothyhuynh posted this