Into the Mennonite Labyrinth
Labyrinths are found in many Christian and non-Christian settings alike these days. If you have never seen or heard of a labyrinth, you need to look no farther than some Mennonite organizations, churches and universities to find one. However, the labyrinth is not a Christian concept.
Professor Johan Malan of South Africa writes the following in an excellent article called Ancient Labyrinths are Re-emerging:
Labyrinths are of a heathen origin, but were accepted and popularised by the Roman Catholic Church with the full knowledge of their mystical application. The Lord has commanded Israel to utterly destroy all the idols and places of worship of the heathen nations (Deut. 12:2-3). No association with these practices was allowed. Modern, Protestant preachers, however, are taking the liberty to experiment with doubtful religious practises from the East, and from the deceived Roman Catholic Church. They also teach other people to do the same. Mystical (occult) practices are highly detrimental as they open the way to the “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) to enter into people’s hearts and subconscious minds to deceive and confuse them with lies. The result of these influences is an unbiblical concept of God as well as wrong perceptions on yourself, on salvation and on other religions.
Even so, there is no end to the list of examples where labyrinths are being introduced, promoted, built, recommended and used by the Mennonites…
In 2002, the Mennonite Brethren Conference recommended the labyrinth Prayer Path Kit on their “Youth Ministry’ page. More recently, in March of 2007, the MB Conference recommended some other “helpful youth ministry links.” Not only did they list the very contemplative Youthspecialties.com, but also rejesus.co.uk, a site that promotes Celtic Spirituality, Sacred Space, and the Labyrinth.
The MB Conference advertisement for the portable labyrinth kit (for $131.99) says this:
“In a day when corn mazes are increasingly popular and diverse, there is another form of maze which helps people draw closer to God. The Prayer Path is a multimedia prayer and devotional experience. Participants physically journey through a labyrinth over the span of an hour guided by a CD with devotional narration set to worship music. Eleven stations lead participants to let go of busyness, hurts and distractions in order to further center their lives on God.”
The Eastern Mennonite Seminary seems to be quite proud of their EMS Labyrinth, calling it ‘A Prayerful Walking Space’ as they prepared the ground in Sept. 2005. Of course, the $15,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment paid for the labyrinth, which was planned by the seminary’s Spiritual Formation course faculty. See a slide show of the project here.
Mennonite Women USA encourages Mennonite women, under ‘Prayer Suggestions’ (here) to check out the Grace Cathedral labyrinth. Grace Cathedral is home of Dr. Lauren Artress who is responsible for the labyrinth revival in North America.
Goshen College, Indiana, which is rooted in Anabaptist and Mennonite tradition, may not have their own labyrinth, but they do recommend (under Prayer Resources here) an On-line Labyrinth:
“Designed for young and old alike, the labyrinth provides a mixture of rituals and visuals, of contemplative words and contemporary ambient music, of symbols and media to help guide the spiritual traveler. It’s for anyone who wants a break from surfing the surface of culture to contemplate the deeper things of life.”
Then there’s the Mennonite Church Canada that promotes the labyrinth (here):
The Prayer Path: a Christ-centered labyrinth experience
With this bucket of resources, you will create your own multi-media labyrinth for a unique guided prayer and devotional adventure. Eleven stations on the journey lead you to “let go” of the busyness, “centre” your life on God, and reach out to the world with Christ’s love. Comes with Leader’s Guide, participants’ guides, video, CD.
(They provide more labyrinth resources as well, here.)
Under ‘Spirituality’ on this RECOMMENDED READING list by the Direction Journal (supported by the US and Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conferences) is The Prayer Path: A Christ-Centered Labyrinth Experience for youth ministry.
Direction Journal also published an article called Youth Encountering God by Abram Bergen who said:
“The labyrinth is an ancient prayer practice designed to bring persons into a personal encounter with God. It is a journey of prayer with three main parts to it: (1) the inward journey—letting go of the barriers and busyness that stand between us and God; (2) the middle of the labyrinth—meeting God, centering on God, reflecting on God’s truth and love, contemplating in quietness, and (3) the outward journey—taking the message received from God and integrating it into daily life.”
Then there was the recent Anaheim 07 MB Youth Conference that a blogger who attended wrote about here:
The Prayer Labyrinth
A new feature for the national Mennonite Brethren youth conference is the prayer labyrinth (also known as a prayer path). Labyrinths were used in medieval times to help believers focus on God. The walk inward helps believers think about their own personal journey with God; the walk outward focuses on the world that Christians live in.
And if you like, there are various pictures of Mennonite labyrinths to look at, like the labyrinth at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, here:
http://www.canadianmennonite.org/vol08-2004/8-19/faithlife.html
Or the labyrinth at Laurelville Mennonite Church in Mount Pleasant PA, here:
http://www.laurelville.org/02%20Facilities/LabyrinthOutdoor.html
The list could go on, but Menno has been rolling over so much in his grave lately that it’s time he gets a rest. Whether Mennonite or not, the question is, where does it say in the Bible that Christians are to use a method like this to experience God’s presence? In fact, the Bible says just the opposite, as there is an element of mother earth, goddess worship involved in the ancient labyrinth rituals.
Some might argue that their labyrinth is ‘Christ centered’, and is set up in a way that resembles prayer stations more than a labyrinth. Here are some facts about prayer stations:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/stationsofthecross.htm
There is more information on why the labyrinth has no place in a Christian organization here:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/labyrinth.htm
ROM (Roll Over Menno) Index: High
And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. 2 Kings 17:15
[...] where labyrinths are being introduced, promoted, built, recommended and used by the Mennonites… Click here to read this entire article. This article or excerpt was posted on August 19, 2007@ 8:22 pm . From: [...]
The Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary is located in Elkhart, IN. It is alarming how casual the attitude is toward these new age practices. All in the name of finding a more authentic Christianity. Of course our Christianity won’t seem real . . . if we’re not practicing the real thing to begin with. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”
Thank you for your truth telling.
Also beware of chopsticks, which have a heathen origin. They come from the same place as Yoga and Eastern meditation. Many Mennonites are using them nowadays. It is astounding how this apostasy gets no attention in the Mennonite press. We should all use knives and forks as God intended.
O that all men would long to know God according to His Word and not according to the ‘Labyrith experience’.
The Bible is all that we need.
2Peter1:3 “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue”:
Please note Rev. 22:18 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book”:
A. M. Klassen
“Be still and know that I am God”
Jesus was a perfect example of what God had in mind for prayer. He spent forty days fasting in the desert, he quieted himself before God, he told his followers to pray privately and quietly as well. I would even darn to say some of Jesus’ ideas on prayer seem “Eastern” and “New Age”. Being still before God is the simple concept that is seeming to bother most “conservative” Christians. Isn’t that what those “new age” people do?
Christians do not have a monopoly on truth. There is truth in the world apart from the Bible (example- the scientific theory of gravity). These truths are there to be discovered, yes with discernment, and used for good. Don’t you think people searching for a true religion would stumble upon things that are true by accident? One obvious example of this concept is prayer. As far as I know, pretty much every religion has prayer. Did they steal that concept from Christians? They did not. Should we stop praying, because other religions have stumbled upon the concept? No.
Let’s look at things that are regularly accepted in our culture that have pagan significance. Christmas for one was adopted by the church from its pagan tradition. Later on the Christmas tree was adopted from Germanic pagans. Yet nobody would bat an eyelash at these things. Why? Because the pagan meanings have been stripped away. Christmas is a wonderful holiday commemorating the entering of our savior into the world. Does it tell you to celebrate it in the Bible? No it doesn’t. Menno must be rolling in his grave at that right?
A similar debate took place in the early church. Many people saw that it was wrong to eat meat sacrificed to idols. The council saw that this was prohibited among Christians. However Paul looked deeper and he said this, “So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God and no other. According to some people, there are many so-called gods and many lords, both in heaven and on earth. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.”
In the same way, some Christians look at labyrinths that have been used by pagans to worship their God and they forbid people from using them. There is only ONE God! Those pagans did not worship a god with their labyrinth. The medieval church saw the good of the labyrinth and incorporated it into the worship of the true God. These people are the same people who have copied and translated the Bible so that we can read it today.
Some of the articles you quote in this article make my point for me. “Eleven stations on the journey lead you to ‘let go’ of the busyness, ‘center’ your life on God, and reach out to the world with Christ’s love”. The Bible tells us each of these things is good. If the labyrinth actually does these things then it cannot be evil.
Christians cannot always point to the Bible to discern what is right and wrong unfortunately. Discernment and prayer from God is necessary to find truth. Unfortunately seeking out God in the ways that will help you find truth is frowned upon because other religions also try and find truth. Let us not give ground to them, but let us take it back in the name of our Lord!
Trevor,
Would you use a Ouija board to communicate with God? Tarot cards? A Christ-centered crystal ball or palm reading?
God never told His people to ‘take back’ the high places of idolatrous practices. Before Israel crossed over the Jordan into the land of Canaan the Lord told them to “drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places.” (Num 33:52) Time after time, as Israel fell into idolatry (perhaps thinking they could worship Him these ways?), God would use the odd king now and then to tear down the high places that He abhorred (Lev. 26:30).
Read the following link and tell me if the Labyrinth is something we are to “take back.”
http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/arm08.htm