Website Review: World Community for Christian Meditation Site on which this review was based: http://www.wccm.org
Description
The World Community for Christian Meditation calls itself a "global spiritual community". It was founded in 1991, continuing the 30 year long work begun by the Benedictine monk John Main. Presently the community is directed by Laurence Freeman, a student of John Main and a Benedictine monk of the Olivetan Congregation. The community exists in over a hundred countries. Its spiritual foundation is the local meditation group, which meets weekly in homes, parishes, offices, hospitals, prisons, schools and colleges. The World Community is ecumenical and serves a universal 'catholic' unity in its dialogue both with Christian churches and other faiths. Every year it conducts the John Main Seminar and The Way of Peace.
Laurence Freeman has recently encouraged the teaching of meditation to children and young adults. He has been actively involved in the Townsville initiative in Australia to bring meditation to children in 31 Schools and the setting up of a Meditation Centre in the campus of Georgetown University, USA. Sadly, pictures on the website show the children sitting Buddha fashion in a circle with a candle in the center.
The World Community for Christian Meditation is associated with dissenting speakers such as Richard Rohr and Joan Chittister, and it promotes religious syncretism. Its founder, John Main, learned to meditate using a mantra from his Hindu teacher, Swami Satyananda.
For more information about Centering Prayer, see these articles in the Catholic Culture Library:
For more information about the World Community of Christian Meditation, New Age occult practices, see this article: What's In A Word?Review Ratings what do these ratings mean?
First Evaluated: 02/27/2008; Last Updated: 11/27/2011
- Fidelity:
Danger! - Resources: Poor
- Useability: Excellent
Strengths
None Reported.Weaknesses
- Fidelity: Promotes the work of John Main Example(s)
- Fidelity: Newsletter contains questionable material Example(s)
- Fidelity: Annual John Main Seminar features dissident, New Age speakers Example(s)
- Fidelity: Bookstore offers New Age, dissident authors Example(s)
- Fidelity: New Age "Dancing with Your Shadow" Retreat and book promoted Example(s)
- Fidelity: Promotes religious syncretism Example(s)
- Fidelity: John Main Seminar 2009 features Robert Kennedy SJ, a practitioner and teacher of Zen Buddhism Example(s)
Categories
Not Yet Categorized
More Information
World Community for Christian Meditation
St. Mark's, Myddelton Square
London , England EC1R 1XX
UK
44 0207 278 2070
mail@wccm.org (fax)
welcome@wccm.org
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