Oprah Winfrey’s “favorite doctor” and a highly renowned cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Mehmet Oz, is training Saddleback Church on health and apparently “quackery.” In recent news, even the secular world has exposed the “quackery” of Dr. Oz. For example, one headline of the San Jose Mercury News says, “Dr. Oz should be booted from Columbia over ‘quack treatments,’ say Stanford doctor and colleagues.” “‘A fake and a charlatan’: Doctors call for Dr. Oz to be dismissed from Columbia surgery faculty over alleged quack science” is the headline of NY Daily News. It is of no surprise that the professing Christians of Saddleback Church do not exhibit similar discernment about Dr. Oz. The Washington Post reports:
You know Dr. Oz. He has a popular show where he dishes medical advice, some of which has earned him criticism. But he’s not just a television host: Dr. Mehmet Oz is also a cardiothoracic surgeon who holds the surgery department vice chairmanship at Columbia University’s medical school.
That Columbia affiliation doesn’t sit well with some doctors, 10 of whom from various institutions sent a letter to Columbia’s dean of medicine, Lee Goldman, calling for Oz’s dismissal from the school. His position at “a prestigious medical institution,” the doctors wrote, is “unacceptable.”
[Researchers retract bogus, Dr. Oz-touted study on green coffee bean weight-loss pills]
“We are surprised and dismayed that Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons would permit Dr. Mehmet Oz to occupy a faculty appointment, let alone a senior administrative position in the Department of Surgery,” reads the letter. . . .
Oz has come under intense scrutiny — including a congressional grilling — for pitching questionable weight loss schemes and other medical guidance. As The Post’s Abby Phillip wrote last year:
Oz has done a lot to damage his credibility as a medical doctor over the years. He came under fire for touting “miracle” weight-loss products that turned out to be entirely discredited; for announcing that his own children wouldn’t be vaccinated (which he blamed on his wife’s insistence); and for suggesting on national TV that the Ebola virus could become airborne.
In the letter to Columbia’s Goldman, sent via e-mail this week by Dr. Henry I. Miller of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, the doctors refer to Oz warning his viewers about arsenic in certain apple juice brands and other stances he has taken.
[Half of Dr. Oz’s medical advice is baseless or wrong, study says]
“Dr. Oz has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine, as well as baseless and relentless opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops,” the letter states. “Worst of all, he has manifested an egregious lack of integrity by promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain.”
I don’t claim to have any authority to speak on the legitimacy of the scrutiny which Dr. Oz has lately received. However, I believe Rick Warren’s inclusion of Dr. Oz in his Daniel Plan is deserving of Christian commentary. I would hope that those who profess to follow Christ would exhibit the same discernment over Dr. Oz as have secular health authorities. But Dr. Oz and Dr. Warren are working together on faith and fitness. See video below:
The “Daniel Plan” is the Purpose Driven health initiative. The doctors that kicked off Saddleback’s health and wellness initiative were Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Daniel Amen, and Dr. Mark Hyman. On the Daniel Plan website, Rick Warren said the Daniel Plan is based on the book of Daniel chapter one wherein “Daniel challenged the king of Persia to a health contest,” says Warren. Warren states that Daniel challenged the king to his “rich foods” while Daniel would eat his “healthy foods” and then they would see who was healthier at the end (source).
Though Daniel was healthy as the end of 10 days of eating only vegetables and drinking only water (Daniel 1:12-14), the prophet was not concerned about being healthy but being ceremonially defiled. “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat” (Daniel 1:8). The Jews often ate meat from preparing animal sacrifices and such, but the reason Daniel did not want to defile himself with the king’s meat is because it was ceremonially unclean in the way it was prepared. Daniel was a righteous man who sought to keep all the laws of God, especially avoiding the eating of blood in meats or eating pork. As a captive to the Babylonians, he had no say in how the Babylonians meat was prepared and wanted to avoid to defiling himself with unkosher meat. 70 years later, Daniel did partake of the Babylonians meat because he was exalted to a position in the empire where he could choose how it was prepared according to the Jews preparations (Daniel 10:1-3). Therefore, it was Daniel’s primary intention in not eating the king’s meat to honor God and keep His commandments. Rick Warren’s “Daniel Plan” does just the opposite.
Dr. Oz is a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation (TM), a form of Hindu Mantra meditation, as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Dr. Oz states:
“When I meditate, I go to that place where truth lives. I can see what reality really is, and it is so much easier to form good relationships then.” (source)
Indeed the Bible speaks about meditation. For example, “Isaac went out to meditate in the field” (Genesis 24:63). God spoke to Joshua and commanded: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8). There is no problem with this kind of biblical meditation. But the meditation being advocated by Dr. Oz and Warren’s other Daniel Plan doctors is not the deep focus and delight in the law of God as the Psalmist said, “his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).
Dr. Oz is not even a professing Christian, yet Warren has no problem in seeking his advice or bringing his expertise to Saddleback. In an interview, Dr. Oz spoke about his Islamic heritage and how he has been influenced by the mysticism of Sufi Muslims.
Though he is a Muslim, Dr. Oz practices yoga first thing every morning (source). Moreover, Dr. Oz is fond of the ideas of cultist mystic Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg denied hell and eternal punishment and claimed that God had given him the ability to talk with angels, demons and other spirits. Dr. Oz stated:
“As I came into contact with Swedenborg’s many writings, I began to understand Swedenborg’s profound insights and how they applied directly to my life” (source).
On his television show, Dr. Oz told millions of Americans to try the practice of Reiki, an “energy healing” that is based on the New Age chakra system. That Dr. Oz Show ended with a recommendation to “try Reiki” as the #1 “Oz’s Order” (source). Reiki is exceedingly dangerous because it puts those practicing it in communication with familiar spirits.
Reiki Master S.J. Culshaw writes on page 11 of the Reiki First Degree Manual that “beings called Reiki Guides sometimes assist in the healing.” One press release stated:
“Reiki Masters across America and the world had cause for celebration on January 6 when Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed his Ultimate Alternative Medicine Secrets for 2010 during his nationally broadcast afternoon talk show. He ranked Reiki #1. Dr. Oz said, “Reiki is one of my favorites, weʼve been using it for years in the Oz family, and we swear by it” (source).
Reiki is also practiced regularly on the children in the Oz home. In the Oz “All About YOU!” tour, Reiki was practiced on 1,500 plus people. The crowd was led through progressive relaxation, “envisioning a golden light all around, drawing the light inside and then breathing it back into the space around” them. (source). In one interview, Lisa Oz explained:
“You can become a Reiki master in three weekends. You’re not trying to manipulate anything. You’re a facilitator bringing energy from the universe into your patient” (source).
Taken from a secular source is the following testimony of a woman who suffered from back pains for many years and was healed through Reiki practice: She says:
“But then I discovered a strange side effect. One afternoon, I sat down, inhaled deeply and visualized the Reiki symbols. Then I felt heat soar through me. My body started to shake. Then this booming male voice suddenly filled the room. It sounded like a Red Indian chief from an old John Wayne movie. And you know what the scariest thing off all was? It was coming from inside me – I was speaking in a forked tongue! I tried not to, but I couldn’t stop myself! Bathed in sweat, I phoned John Shango and was relieved to hear my own voice. “That’s wonderful, Jill”, he exclaimed. “You’ve been chosen by the Reiki healing spirits. They’ll be your companions for ever now.” Since then, I’ve had 35 different ones speaking through me. There’s Dr Usie, the Japanese man who founded Reiki, Little Flower, with her lilting voice, Chief Sitting Bull, who always sounds angry – and many more. I can talk to them all whenever I want – I just ask them out loud to answer me, and they always do. They speak to me in their own language and the translation comes through my mouth, too. I feel like a very exotic telephone exchange! Not only have I got a new lease of life, I can even heal other peoples pain now. It’s wonderful – like having 35 guardian angels!” (Chat. issue 36, September 6, 1997. p.6)
Belief in God is not necessary in order to be a practitioner of Reiki. As seen earlier, it is taken for granted that familiar spirits assist in Reiki healing. The prophet Isaiah cried, “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19,20). Rick Warren is doing this very thing by giving an open invitation into his church for “wizards” or doctors who endorse these kinds of practices which involve familiar spirits. As Christians we are not even to regard those that have familiar spirits, let alone defile the temple of God with them, “which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:17). “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:31).
Sadly, that’s not all. This Dr. Oz wizard has also endorsed a book titled The Instruction by Ainslie MacLeod which it’s publisher describes with the following summary:
“Have you ever sensed that your life has a deeper, more meaningful purpose–but donʼt know what it is? If so, youʼre not alone. To help you and the millions like you, psychic Ainslie MacLeodʼs spirit guides have given him a systematic approach to uncovering who you really are–and the life your soul has planned for you. They call it “The Instruction.” Now, for the first time, this unique teaching is offered as a step-by-step program for realizing personal fulfillment. The Instruction will take you through ten “doorways” to unveil the life plan your soul created before you were even born.”
MacLeod states that the purpose of his book is “to understand the coming shift in consciousness that is poised to sweep the planet. This transformation will affect everyone of us in some way.” Dr. Oz statement on the front cover of MacLeod spirit-channeled book says, “I recommend this book to those who seek greater spiritual well-being and a better understanding of their lifeʼs purpose.”
Both “Daniel Plan” doctors Amen and Oz advocate entering into altered states of consciousness through hypnosis. Dr. Amen says he helps his patients “using hypnosis and teaching them self-hypnosis” (Amen, Daniel. Magnificent Mind At Any Age. New York, NY: Harmony Books. p.118). On Fox News, Dr. Oz announced that for the first time ever, he was going to hypnotize America on national television. Oz said, “All you have to do is sit back in your sofa” and “turn the tv on” in order to be hypnotized.
These handpicked doctors by Rick Warren are not witnesses for Jesus Christ but for meditation, hypnosis, tantric sex, Reiki, and the New Age. Indeed these practices are spiritual and have profound results, but they are not of God and not of Jesus Christ. For those who will dare to be Daniels, do not defile yourself with Warren’s “Daniel Plan” as the prophet Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the delicacies of Babylon.
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