What is Wholistic (Holistic)?
I recently had a comment about my labeling the word 'Wholistic' as being a 'new age term'.
I felt that to be a valid point and since it is used quite a bit in our language today, it may be a good idea to address just what it all means...at least to me.
I don't see Wholism as being negative in it's philosophy at all. As a matter of fact, I think that in it's very definition, it is indeed a correct term for the way that God deals with us and how we are to live our Christian walk on this earth.
For instance, in looking at the laws that God provided in the first five books of the Bible, we can definetly label them as being Wholistic in nature:
a) a law is established for the purpose of teaching obedience (i.e. dietary laws) to the God who has created you. You can choose to obey or disobey.(Mind)
b) the law has health implications (i.e. things you put in your body can be deemed clean or unclean)(Body)
c) Obedience brings you into a state of blessing.....or disobedience can bring about a curse, shame, negative consequences (Spirit)
In reading a lot of literature on health issues, especially that which I had to study in the course of learning to midwife, the "wholistic" term came up a lot. Much of the literature I read was written from the standpoint of unsaved midwives and anthropologists who although were correct on many issues, believed on the evolutionary theory (Atheism), allowed many paganistic/Wiccan ideas and language terms to permeate their literature. Yet, they would take the ideology of Body/Mind/Spirit as truth. However, what differs here between the Christian model of Wholism and theirs is the Spiritual part of the equation.
When a Christian thinks of things spiritual, we think of the salvation process...the Heavenly Father....our destiny to someday be with Christ....that our citizenship is already in heaven.....that we who our sinful creatures by the first birth can be made anew with the second-sinless...due to Christ's work on the cross. We can turn that spirituality into something palpable by our demeanor day to day in this evil world, that: Ro 12:1 ΒΆ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ...day to day, that we can show Christ in us, His lordship over us in what we say and do and it should reach the very essence of all we are especially when we are in the presence of unbelievers.
To the New Ager, the spiritual side of Wholism turns inward, for in their estimation, God is what you are or can become when all your Body/Mind/Spirit are in harmony or 'balance'. God is He/She, God/Godess, and Yin/Yang where there are no absolutes only situation ethics. Self-esteem is the only real virtue.
This is where the New Age Wholistic view and that which is a Biblical view must part. We can agree on the issues of body (things to eat, exercise, supplementation, etc.) We can even agree on many of the 'mind' concepts: having a positive attitude,
continuing in education, altruism, but the bottom line will always be the spiritual end. Who is Christ? What is salvation? Who are we in relationship to our Father? Most importantly who is our Father?
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
We cannot be double-minded in our Christianity and this is why I suppose it is so important to distinguish between the New Age Wholism and the Christian ideology.
This is where I believe there can be a danger when using the term "wholistic". Used around the anti-Christian, it can become another catch-phrase meaning you believe in Far Eastern philosphy, are a vegan and use yoga for mind and body to reach your 'higher consciencousness....or in Christian circles, it can mean that you believe in eating a well-balanced diet, working hard and honoring your Heavenly Father through prayer and singing psalms and hymns that lift him up. No matter how we cut it, the duality is there. Perhaps we need to label our beliefs as Christian Wholistic so we can understand which direction we are coming from. After all, God is not the author of confusion so our ideas must be clear as well.
I recently had a comment about my labeling the word 'Wholistic' as being a 'new age term'.
I felt that to be a valid point and since it is used quite a bit in our language today, it may be a good idea to address just what it all means...at least to me.
I don't see Wholism as being negative in it's philosophy at all. As a matter of fact, I think that in it's very definition, it is indeed a correct term for the way that God deals with us and how we are to live our Christian walk on this earth.
For instance, in looking at the laws that God provided in the first five books of the Bible, we can definetly label them as being Wholistic in nature:
a) a law is established for the purpose of teaching obedience (i.e. dietary laws) to the God who has created you. You can choose to obey or disobey.(Mind)
b) the law has health implications (i.e. things you put in your body can be deemed clean or unclean)(Body)
c) Obedience brings you into a state of blessing.....or disobedience can bring about a curse, shame, negative consequences (Spirit)
In reading a lot of literature on health issues, especially that which I had to study in the course of learning to midwife, the "wholistic" term came up a lot. Much of the literature I read was written from the standpoint of unsaved midwives and anthropologists who although were correct on many issues, believed on the evolutionary theory (Atheism), allowed many paganistic/Wiccan ideas and language terms to permeate their literature. Yet, they would take the ideology of Body/Mind/Spirit as truth. However, what differs here between the Christian model of Wholism and theirs is the Spiritual part of the equation.
When a Christian thinks of things spiritual, we think of the salvation process...the Heavenly Father....our destiny to someday be with Christ....that our citizenship is already in heaven.....that we who our sinful creatures by the first birth can be made anew with the second-sinless...due to Christ's work on the cross. We can turn that spirituality into something palpable by our demeanor day to day in this evil world, that: Ro 12:1 ΒΆ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ...day to day, that we can show Christ in us, His lordship over us in what we say and do and it should reach the very essence of all we are especially when we are in the presence of unbelievers.
To the New Ager, the spiritual side of Wholism turns inward, for in their estimation, God is what you are or can become when all your Body/Mind/Spirit are in harmony or 'balance'. God is He/She, God/Godess, and Yin/Yang where there are no absolutes only situation ethics. Self-esteem is the only real virtue.
This is where the New Age Wholistic view and that which is a Biblical view must part. We can agree on the issues of body (things to eat, exercise, supplementation, etc.) We can even agree on many of the 'mind' concepts: having a positive attitude,
continuing in education, altruism, but the bottom line will always be the spiritual end. Who is Christ? What is salvation? Who are we in relationship to our Father? Most importantly who is our Father?
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
We cannot be double-minded in our Christianity and this is why I suppose it is so important to distinguish between the New Age Wholism and the Christian ideology.
This is where I believe there can be a danger when using the term "wholistic". Used around the anti-Christian, it can become another catch-phrase meaning you believe in Far Eastern philosphy, are a vegan and use yoga for mind and body to reach your 'higher consciencousness....or in Christian circles, it can mean that you believe in eating a well-balanced diet, working hard and honoring your Heavenly Father through prayer and singing psalms and hymns that lift him up. No matter how we cut it, the duality is there. Perhaps we need to label our beliefs as Christian Wholistic so we can understand which direction we are coming from. After all, God is not the author of confusion so our ideas must be clear as well.
posted by Eileen Slattery | 9:28 PM
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