In the following interview, conducted by Doreen Virtue, Carl Teichrib answered questions about Paganism in the western world as it is playing out via Burning Man; technology; world governance; and spirituality.
Carl’s book: Game of Gods
The interview is long, but if you want to understand these things, it will fly by, as Carl’s knowledgeable responses are very interesting and informative.
The following points are highlights from the interview [emboldening, italics, square brackets, orange letters, are mine]:
- Transhumanism: a philosophy, intellectual movement that believes that humans can control their own destiny; becoming as gods, regarding longevity… [unbiblical, due to human sovereignty]
- Worldview that integrates technology, spirituality, transhumanism, Paganism
- Ambassadors of Christ ought to know the culture in which they reside (and are foreigners to during their pilgrimage), so they can effectively communicate the King’s gospel message; and educate other Christian ambassadors
- [R.C. Sproul also used that reasoning when he produced the dvd on Christian Worldview: it briefly defined pluralism; existentialism, secularism…and how those impacted art, science….]
- Carl describes cultural Pagan influences by defining them as little p, middle p and large P, as in Paganism: little p: general Paganist worldview – God / nature / man/ are made of the same elements; middle p, like Burning Man, is where you are already living little p, and now begin to experience an interconnectedness that is spiritual; large p, the religious expression of Paganism, as in Wicca, Druidism, Voodooism, Buddhism, Hinduism [oneness worldview eastern religions]
- Peter Jones’ book, The Other Worldview, stated that there are only two worldviews: oneism [just described] and twoism. The latter is only Christianity – God is utterly separate from His creation
- Doreen V. asked a couple of questions that revealed her former New Ager erroneous worldview
- Little gods doctrine discussed as it is believed by several religions
- Carl explained that he attends Pagan events such as Burning Man in an undercover manner, but that he also witnesses Christ while there, in a way similar to the apostle Paul in Acts 17, Mars Hill
- Carl described one frightening Pagan event
- Burning Man described a bit more clearly
- One purpose of Burning Man is to give people an opportunity to experience the spirituality of living out beliefs like transhumanism, Paganism, oneism; of being in a transformational culture
- Burning Man: around 80K attend presently; location, Black Rock desert of N. Nevada; there are rules (see next short video notes); police are present; clothing optional; experiential; experimental; it is literally a sandbox wherein a new way of living is practiced, and participants experience the reality of a new social order
- The BM 2018 bulletin 190 pages, 10 events per page; thousands of events under that umbrella of BM
- Doreen asked, What is the reason for burning the man? The originator, Larry Harvey, who was well read in myth and comparative religious studies, integrated his knowledge into the BM experience such that even a secularist can feel that there is something bigger than life there
- Those at BM are not looking for a supernatural being, but for what is supreme in being [as in eastern religion, looking inward to experience the higher self; this is very unbiblical, according to the Bible, there is nothing good to find inside mankind, his heart is deceitful….]
- The burnings demonstrate to those present the “cycle” of life: birth, death, regeneration, rebirth [as in Hindu reincarnation]
- When the temple is burned on Sunday, those present grieve. They have left some personal object in the temple and the burning is [cathartic] a release for them, it can also cause joy…but only in a temporary way; thus, they will be moved to repeat the experience
- [In Christianity, there is a relationship with the Lord, via which one is fed spiritually and receives blessings such as redemption, repentance, faith, forgiveness, sanctification; that is, the relationship with the living Lord is always very near one, it is not temporary]
- What would a new world order, new civilization look like? 1. New Spirituality; oneness spirituality; mystical, mythical, psychedelic, eastern (biblical Christianity would be thrown out); 2, New social relationship; order; way of doing relationships between individuals and among communities; 3, would need a new digital currency attached to 1 and 2 aforementioned: how one interacts with 1 & 2 would determine whether or not one is able to buy and sell (Carl learned these points in a workshop at the BM – any Bible student knows that those words are from the Bible about the tribulation)
- Therefore, everything will be integrated, one: culture, spirituality, technology, governance, art, expression – like authoritarianism
In other words, Genesis 3 lived out and experienced: “you can be as gods”
The next video, 13 minutes, explains the “10 principles that govern the seeming lawless land.” While the narrators give the principles, you will see the Burning Man Festival in part, as it was in 2019:
Video highlight points: (You will hear the following word a lot: “playa,” noun: Western U.S. the sandy, salty, or mud-caked flat floor of a desert basin having interior drainage, usually occupied by a shallow lake during or after prolonged, heavy rains.)
- Burning Man (BM) is an experiment in creating a utopian society: it has art, it is raw, real, messy and inexplicably beautiful; it is an incredible place to have fun; it is not easy to describe
- The “10 principles that govern this seemingly lawless land, that we create together and that protect this temporary utopia from modern society” are as follows:
- Radical Inclusion
- Gifting – unconditional gift giving and receiving other’s gifts with respect
- Decommodification: refraining from advertising of commercial sponsorships
- Radical Self-reliance: re: supplies
- Radical Self-expression: freedom of expressing your gifts and receiving others. At this point, a new age prayer was being done, communal fashion
- Communal Effort: cooperation; collaboration; sound decision making; respect
- Civic Responsibility
- Leaving No Trace
- Participation: all are to work and play and make the world real through actions that open the heart
- Immediacy: BM gives the time and space necessary to overcome the barriers that stand between one and his inner self; that hinder real social interactions; that prohibit interactions with the natural world
- No idea or technology can substitute for this experience
- [This video makes me think of what a 1960s hippy commune would have been like; it also has parallels with Woodstock, without the music, but with technological objects that are burned]
There are many videos about BM, but the first one above, gives the most complete explanation I could find in an hour or two of searching. It answered the fundamental questions I had about the event.
The last BM video is 4 minutes long, but shows many techy machines, the BM before and after burning and the temple, before it is burned:
For more on the influence of Paganism on our culture, see Categories: Paganism / Neo Paganism. That long series covers satanism, Pagan rituals, Baal worship…world governance.