Deepak Chopra is one of the top spiritual gurus and authors in the world, penning over 80 books that have been translated into over 40 languages. More than 20 of these books have found themselves atop the New York Times best-seller list, making their author a giant in spirituality and thought. Though from a Hindu background and not a Christian one, Deepak speaks regularly about Jesus. He even wrote a book entitled The Third Jesus. Like so many before him, Chopra rejects the Jesus of the Bible and presents a false caricature in his place.

Mr. Chopra declares that the real Jesus of history was only human, not divine, and not the only Son of God. Also, he claims that Jesus was a mere human just like everyone else, imperfect, and with the need to learn, meditate, grow, and achieve divine enlightenment. According to Chopra, this Jesus was successful in reaching that enlightenment, “God-consciousness,” and now he exists as a perfect model to the world alongside other greatly enlightened souls.

Chopra’s book concocts whole theories about Jesus traveling to the East where he discovered some ancient mysticism and received his powers to heal. He portrays this false Jesus as an Indian mystic – a cross between Buddha and a good Jewish man who sits for long hours meditating in the lotus position (sitting cross-legged). Books like this lead readers by the hand to a new Jesus but all without footnotes, facts, or even a shred of actual evidence. I have never found any scholarly recognition to back up these dubious claims, and few people outside of the new age spiritual circles even take it seriously.

A Fabricated Jesus

Mr. Chopra creates an overabundance of claims regarding Jesus, the Catholic Church, the Bible, and the early Christians but without any supporting evidence. From beginning to end, he offers conjectures and sweeping generalizations as “facts.” So, we have no reason to believe Deepak Chopra when he asserts that the “Christian Jesus” is a false Jesus who never existed.

Chopra teaches that we must remove all doctrines, dogmas, and commandments and learn to be spiritual, not religious.[1] Like many new age gurus, Chopra teaches that good and evil are illusions which do not exist. He states, “The new thing you must create is the absence of duality. No more dark versus light. No more fixed boundaries to divide safe from unsafe, God from Satan, self from non-self.”[2]

A Christian must always pause and never just read over bizarre statements like these. Chopra overtly holds that there is no difference between God and Satan. He asserts that these two beings are mere constructs that we have invented and do not actually exist in reality. No matter how many inspiring points a book or an author may have, these kinds of far-off statements must serve as warnings that their teachings are not of God and should be avoided. We should never ignore blatant anti-Christian themes like these. Deepak Chopra clearly dispenses with anti-Christian teachings and holds an historically false Jesus. Thus, we may dismiss him as a false spiritual guide.

 

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[1] A personal, loving relationship with Jesus is what Christianity is about. However, just as we cannot rigorously follow a set of precepts and have no relationship with Jesus, we likewise cannot dismiss the commandments and doctrines that make up our faith with the pretense that we are more “enlightened.”  Jesus himself taught this saying, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jn. 14:15)  And again, “Why do you call me Lord, but don’t do what I command you?” (Lk. 6:46)  We cannot dismiss the teachings handed to us by Jesus and preserved by the Church. We need a faith that is alive, and a heart that is obediently faithful!

[2] Chopra, Deepak, The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore, (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2008), Pg. 30.