Some Pathfinders and Adventist youth groups are engaging in a style of drumming that resembles practices found in certain ancient pagan societies. In Japan, rooted in ancient Shinto beliefs—which teach that nature is divine—spiritual drumming has traditionally been used with the belief that loud, rhythmic beats purify the senses and serve as a bridge between heaven and earth, restoring harmony among heaven, nature, and all living beings.
In Zen meditation, sound—especially the use of drums, bells, and wooden instruments—is not intended for musical expression or emotional stimulation, but for an awakening. Sound is used as a tool to aid concentration, sharpen awareness, and cultivate a heightened perception of reality. Within this ancient tradition, rhythmic sounds function to intensify focus and supercharge the spiritual powers.
From a biblical perspective, Zen meditation and Shinto spirituality are considered idolatry and vain because they seek truth, peace, and enlightenment apart from the living God. Scripture teaches that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10), yet Zen empties the mind instead of filling it with God’s Word, and Shinto reverences created things rather than the Creator, which the Bible clearly condemns (Romans 1:25).
By denying people a personal, holy God and ignoring the reality of sin, repentance, and redemption through Jesus Christ, these practices offer only a false, carnal, self-centered counterfeit rather than true salvation, making them examples of human wisdom that “comes to nothing” and spiritual pursuits that cannot reconcile a soul to God (1 Corinthians 1:20–21).
Whether these Adventist youth are knowingly engaging in Zen-like spiritual meditation and drumming practices that invoke a form of power that does not come from God is unclear. However, the practice itself—characterized by loud, pounding drums, the pouring of red-colored liquid over the drums, and youth lying beneath them while others offer these drink-like offerings—raises serious questions about its origin. Such practices are not found in Scripture, nor do they represent any form of worship to the Creator or anything biblically sacred.
We need to seriously examine how we are preparing our young people for heaven, carefully evaluating whether our methods, influences, and practices are shaping their hearts toward reverence, obedience, and a biblical understanding of worship, or training them to embrace spiritualism and other rituals that are far removed from God’s Word. This demands reflection, discernment, and a willingness to measure every activity—not by popularity or emotional stimulation—but by whether it truly aligns with Scripture and leads young people into a deeper, Christ-centered faith.
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Who, in Pathfinder leadership. thinks these things up for activities?
IF they want these kids to release some energy, how about a hike through the woods dwelling on Paul’s point that because of the creation around them they are without excuse, as a leader points out in the trees they pass the 1) Calibration 2) Water Pumps 3) Timing that is required in the growth of these trees—which points to DESIGN……just an idea.
It’s really ashamed,,
Could this be the only one ???