THE
MINDLESS MYSTICISM OF MADAME GUYON
G. Richard Fisher
"The
school of mysticism that Guyon adhered to, sometimes called
Quietism, was an extreme form of Roman Catholic mysticism that
emphasized the cleansing of one's inner life and included the
belief that one could see Christ visibly. Before Guyon's day,
in the Middle Ages, this took strange forms in erotic "bride
mysticism" with some visionaries believing they were married
to Jesus. Guyon and the Quietists went further, into something
called essence mysticism. They believed that their being was
merged with God's being and the two became one. This unbiblical
idea survives today in the New Age and other non-Christian religions.
In her autobiography, Guyon wrote that "divine wisdom is
unknown." She made no attempt to speak of God's revelation
of Himself in nature and creation (Psalm 19, Romans 1) and the
specific revelation of God in Jesus Christ and His Word. She
taught that we can know of God by "passing forward into
God," going into a mindless, meditative state where we
can get in touch with the Christ within the self, merge with
that Christ and be lifted into ecstasy." THE
MINDLESS MYSTICISM OF MADAME GUYON, G. Richard Fisher
"Madame
Guyon was a Roman Catholic mystic who lived during the 17th
and 18th century that was a promoter of 'quietism,' which
involved becoming so passive that you become indifferent
to everything. This was an extreme form of Roman Catholic
mysticism that emphasized the cleansing of one's inner life
and included the belief that one could see Christ visibly.
"Misinterpreting Jesus words in Luke 17:21 she began
her lifelong journey within. She responded to the Lord,
'Thou wast in my heart, and demanded only a simple turning
of my mind inward, to make me perceive Thy presence....
The kingdom of God is within you.' Madame Guyon said that
she had reached the point where she was no longer capable
of sinning. She said that sin involves self, and she had
become free of self. Therefore, she could no longer sin." —Let Us Reason, Community Connections
July
22, 1680 •
Madame Guyon Believed She Achieved Union with God
"Modern
critics say that Jeanne-Marie used self-hypnosis to achieve
her 'spiritual' states and trances and point out that she
used 'automatic writing' which suggests spiritualist practice.
They wonder that she had so little to say about Christ (in
proportion to the total number of words she wrote)."
—Christian
History Institute
"Here
[the contemplative state] everything is God. God is everywhere
and in all things." —Madam Guyon