WHAT IS THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT?
Any meaningful study of the New Age Movement must examine among
others, the following issues,
1. What is the New Age Movement?
2. How it got started?
3. Some distinguishing features of the Movement.
4. The strategy for growth.
5. The agenda of the Movement.
6. When will this so-called New Age begin?
7. What will the society of the New Age be like?
8. What are the basic teachings?
9. How the Movement affects the Church?
10. How should Christians respond?
11. How will it end?
It is extremely difficult if not impossible to find a single term to describe the New Age Movement. There are so many different facets and disguises that makes it difficult to understand the essence of its teaching or the heart of many of their constituent groups and institutions. Its spectrum is so vast that we can only highlight the essential points. Defining the New Age Movement is like, 1’Nailing Jello to a tree. It is like trying to straighten out a bowl of spaghetti’
Ellis and Clarke have stated,
. . . We have discovered that it is impossible to sum up the New Age in a few short sentences. Even New Agers don’t seem to agree 100% on what actually is. Roger who is a keen fisherman, likens it to trying to catch hold of a very slippery 25lb carp without a landing net. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, it changes direction slightly and slips out of your hands. However, a fish is a fish whichever way you look at it, and the New Age, although a bit of a slippery character, does have several basic characteristics2 (Roger Ellis and Andrea Clarke, The New Age and You, Eastbourne: Kingsway Publication Ltd., 1992, 13).
They further say that the New Age Movement is,
A loose confederation of people who believe the world is on the verge of a transformation where people will reject Judeo-Christian values and enter a time of peace and one-world government with the aid of Oriental philosophies and practices.3
According to Basilea Schlink
The New Age Movement is a synthesis of Eastern religions and the old “Mystery Teachings,” and a combination of gnosticism and spiritism, based on esoteric (secret) teachings transmitted by demonic entities. This accounts for the varied forms of occultism it includes, such as clairvoyance, astrology, hypnosis, UFOlogy and yoga practices, plus mythology, pantheism, the belief in reincarnation and a renaissance of witchcraft. Consequently, the aspired New World Order has no room for the God of Christians: in His place Lucifer is to be enthroned. Ultimately, the driving force behind the New Age Movement is nothing other than Lucifer’s desire to be worshiped as God4
David M. Griffis states:
It is a religion of combined ingredients. Hinduism Buddhism, Zen, Gnosticism, Spiritualism, Transcendentalism, and the ancient paganism of the Greeks and Romans. 5
For Douglas Groothuis:
The New Age movement is an umbrella term referring to a variety of people, organizations, events, practices and ideas. Sociologically speaking, it is not a centrally organized movement with one human leader. Although it includes cults, sects, and even denominations, it is not restricted to any one of these. Rather it is a constellation of like minded people and groups all desiring a spiritual and social change that will usher in a New Age of self-actualization. Usually this scenario entails that we throw off both traditional monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and secular humanism (rationalism, atheism and skeptism).
Scores of New Age groups – whether they concern holistic health, politics, science, religious cults or psychology-loosely co ordinate their efforts through “networking” making contacts through any available media. 6
Berit Kjos in “Your Child and the New Age” quotes Douglas Groothuis’ definition of the
New Age,
. . . a smorgasbord of spiritual substitutes for Christianity, all heralding our unlimited potential to transform ourselves and the planet so that a ‘New Age’ of peace, light and love will break forth7
Kjos continues,
The New Age is actually ancient occultism with a facelift. It is the beautiful side of evil, an enticing facade for the kingdom of darkness. Disguised as peace, power, wisdom, and love, this attractive deception pretends to offer everything God promises, yet asks nothing in return-for the moment . . .. The New Age shuns Christianity but welcomes all other religions. Each person adjusts what he already believes, adds the desired ingredients, and finds himself immersed in the counterfeit. Almost any combination works: Humanism plus supernatural power becomes New Age. Hinduism plus pop psychology becomes New Age. Pantheism plus confidence in human potential becomes New Age.8
Elliot Miller quoting from the “Discovery Series,” “A Crash Course on the New Age,” states,
An extremely large, loosely structured network of organizations and individuals bound together by common values (based on mysticism and monism-the world view that ‘all is one’) and a common vision (a coming ‘new age’ of peace and mass enlightenment, the ‘Age of Aquarius’) 9
In his informative book, “The New Age Cult, “Walter Martin
states:
New Agers see themselves as advanced in consciousness, rejecting Judeo-Christian values and the Bible in favor of Oriental philosophies and religion.10
Martin continues:
The most common name used to portray the growing penetration of Eastern and occultic mysticism into Western culture. The words New Age refer to the Aquarian Age, which occultists believe to be dawning, bringing with it an era of enlightenment and peace. Encompasses within the New Age Movement are various cults which emphasize a mystic experience (including Transcendental Meditation, the Rjneesh cult, Eckanker, the Church Universal and Triumphant, the Divine Light Mission, and many others.
The followers of various gurus, such as, the late swami Muktananda, Sai Baba, Baba Ram Dass, Mahareeshi Mahesh Yoga, and Guru Maharijih, personify the essence of modern New Age leadership. Other groups such as the
“Human Potential Movement” exemplified in Est (or The Forum), Lifespring, Silva Mind Control, Summit Workshops, etc., and many (though not all) of the advocates of the various approaches to holistic health, accurately represent the spirit of the New Age.11
Marilyn Ferguson insists that,
The New Age Movement “is not a new political, religious, or philosophical system. It is a new mind-the ascendance of a startling world view that gathers into its framework break-through science and insights from earliest recorded thought.12
Dave Hunte explains,
“Insights from earliest recorded thought” is a euphemistic way of referring to ancient occultism. The “new mind” that Ms Ferguson speaks of comes about through acceptance of basic Hindu philosophy, which is the cement that holds together the otherwise seemingly disparate views of this new world religion. And it is political, for the common goal is a new world order, a world government.13
The Association for Global Education, Cooperation, and
Accreditation declares,
Only by the birth of global consciousness within each individual can we truly achieve trans-nationalization. 14
Servers Network has attested to the,
Emergence of a new universal person and civilization. 15
Hunte further states,
The normal loyalty to the nation of one’s birth is being overturned in favor of “planetary citizenship.” That this is being advocated by sincere persons under the stress of the dire emergencies we face and in order to save our species from extinction is not doubted. Much of the energy, time, and attention expended by those in the New Age Movement is directed inward, getting “in touch with themselves” and with their “feelings” in order to find out who they really are.
The new global consciousness is based upon the experience of “unity consciousness” that comes through drugs or Transcendental Meditation (TM) and other forms of Yoga and Eastern meditation, and leads to the Hindu belief that atman (individual soul) is identical with Brahma (universal soul). This is a denial of the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible in exchange for the belief that we are all “God.” This ancient Hindu belief is being accepted today as a non-religious modern science. By handful of naive fanatics? No, by millions of well educated sophiscates.16
Hunte continues,
The range and scope and influence of the New Age Movement is worldwide and truly awesome. No one lays it out as well as Marilyn Ferguson:
The Aquarian Conspirators range across all levels of income and education … schoolteachers and office workers, famous scientists, government officials and law-makers, artists and millionaires, taxi drivers and celebrities, leaders in medicine, education, law, psychology.
They have coalesced into small groups in every town and institution. They [are effecting a]…social transformation that is increasingly visible if you know where to look….
There are tens of thousands of entry points to this conspiracy.17
Dave Hunte also states,
Marilyn Ferguson has called this Movement The Aquarian Conspiracy. Many others agree with her in identifying the new age as the Age of Aquarius. New age thinking involves a new “openness” to one another, to ourselves, to nature, to a universal “Force” pervading the whole cosmos-which allegedly produces an awakening of unimagined powers of the mind. Playing an important role in the new age, astrology is based upon a belief in this interconnectedness, which determines personality and destiny, depending upon the date and location of one’s birth in relation to certain heavenly bodies. Like Hinduism, upon which it is based, the Aquarian Conspiracy claims to embrace all beliefs, all religions on the premise that all is one. Dealing with the question “Is nuclear war in our future?” New Age astrologer Virginia Kay Miller declared:
…the world is in the midst of a massive upheaval.
… many people believe that human-mankind is on the verge of an evolutionary break-through and we are standing on the threshold of a New Age.
Called the “Aquarian Age” it will bring about a new world order in which individuals will realize their true spiritual being and their interconnectedness with all life.
To survive . . . as a planet, we must develop the Aquarian consciousness, which recognizes that we are all linked together as members of the human race and as inhabitants of planet Earth.
We must network…. 18
The New Age Movement (NAM) is a title that refers to a world view or a philosophy of life that many people hold. The NAM can also be properly called a religion because it is based on religious views; for example, New Agers hold to pantheism, a belief that everything is part of God. That is, God is all, and all is God. They believe that every man is part of God, even though those outside of the New Age might not realize it.
Through mystical experiences, or while participating in techniques which alter one’s state of consciousness, people are powerfully persuaded that the religious world view of the New Age is true.19
Shirley MacLaine, one of the leaders of the New Age Movement, described the following
mystical experience in a hot tub,
My whole body seemed to float. Slowly, slowly I became the water… I felt the inner connection of my breathing with the pulse of the energy around me. In fact, I was the air, the water, the darkness, the walls, the bubbles, the candles, the wet rocks under the water, and even the sound of the rushing river outside. 20
Experiences of this nature have led New Agers to believe that they are “one” with the universe and “one” with God; that they have uncovered “human potential” which they define as an alleged divine power within themselves and within all people. The deeper implication is that this human potential is unlimited. The mission of New Agers is to help people discover this power and to realize experientially who they are.
New Agers expect that once people have this mystical experience, they will live out their new world view. This would lead to a constructive striving for world unity and world peace. People will then be motivated to use their new powers to realize it.
Many New Agers freely describe their encounters with “spirit guides.” These “spirit guides” depict themselves as good spirits.
They claim to be people who have died and who now reside in the spirit world. Their mission is to guide and to help others spiritually.
Biblical Christianity interprets these mystical experiences very differently from New Agers. For Orthodox Christians, the New Age Movement is a mixture of Eastern religious beliefs along with many forms of the occult, such as “channeling,” or spirit-possession. Christians therefore, believe that the dramatic out-of-the-body experiences, extraordinary sensory knowledge, and the mind trips that New Agers experience during their “altered states of consciousness” are demonic inspired with the view of deceiving people. The visions that who are hospitalized have of huge rats or pink elephants that tend to frighten them, constitute a false reality. The Bible states,
The Spirit clearly says that in the later time some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (I Timothy 4:1)
…the devil,…is a liar, and the father of it.(John 8:44)
…for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (II Corinthians 11:14)
From a Biblical perspective the New Age Movement has a false religious world view. It is one that is inspired by Satan and his forces who are parading as benevolent “spirit guides” interested in the welfare of humanity. Dr. D. James Kennedy has stated,
This dangerous serpent of the New Age has a hundred heads and more, and moves about society today in an extremely subtle manner, consuming people by the millions… However, most of the faces of this serpent do not appear to be threatening nor frightening. In fact they are beguiling, their faces are wreathed in smiles, and they craftily beckon the unsuspecting to draw near.21
Notes to Chapter One
1. James Kennedy, The New Age (Florida: Coral Ridge Ministries), 2.
2. Roger Ellis and Andrea Clarke, The New Age and You (Eastbourne: Kingsway Publication Ltd., 1992), 13.
3. Roger Ellis and Andrea Clarke, 46.
4. Basilea Schlink, New Age, from a Biblical View Point (Darmstadt-Eberstadt: Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, 1988),7.
5. David M. Griffis, Spirit Wars (Cleveland, Tennessee: Pathway Press, 1994), 26.
6. Douglas Groothuis, Confronting the New Age (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1988), 18.
7. Berit Kjos, Your Child and the New Age (U.S.A.: SP Publications, 1990), 17
8. Kjos,16-17
9. Elliot Miller, A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, p. 15. Quoted by Martin R. DeHann II- in Discovery Series, What’s the Appeal of the New Age Movement (Grand Rapids Mi.: Radio Bible Class, 1990), 3.
10. Walter Martin, The New Age Cult (Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1989), 130.
11. Martin, 18.
12. Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in 1980s (Los Angelos, 1980), p. 23. Quoted by Dave Hunt in Understanding the New Age Movement (Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1983), 9.
13. Hunte, 9
14. Hunte.
15. Hunte.
16. Hunte,. 9-10.
17. Hunte,. 10.
18. Hunte, 6-7.
19. John Ankerberg and John Weldon, The Facts on the New Age Movement (Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1988),. 7.
20. Ankerberg, 7.
21. Kennedy, p. 2.
Total Number of words : 2506
CHAPTER TWO
HOW IT GOT STARTED?
In order for us to understand the New Age Movement, even in an elementary manner, it is necessary that we recognize its ancient roots in the occult. Mc Dowell states:
The word “occult” comes from the Latin word “occultus” and it carries the idea of things hidden, secret, and mysterious.1
Hoover lists three distinct characteristics of the occult;
1. The occult deals with things secret or hidden.
2. The occult deals with operations or events which seem to depend on human powers that go beyond the five senses.
3. The occult deals with the supernatural, the presence of angelic or demonic forces.2
He continues,
Under the designation occult we would class at least the following items: witchcraft, magic, palm-reading, fortune-telling, ouija boards, tarot cards, satanism, spiritism, demons, and the use of crystal balls. This list we could add much more.3
The occult is a substitute faith that is found throughout the history of world religions. This includes the Hebrews themselves, as seen in their esoteric and occultic book, “The Kabala.”
Amano and Geisler state:
According to MacLaine, the occult is simply the methods by which one brings “hidden truth” to the conscious mind. She believes that this surfacing of hidden truth unleashes infinite potential. She says, “When you get in touch with your spiritual potential everything opens up-if that’s witchcraft, then I’m for it.” She claims, “We are all psychics, we just know it.”4
They continue,
Man’s attraction and fascination with the occult comes from an intense “human hunger for power.” 5
The Encyclopedia of Magic and Superstition says that,
Magic has kept its long hold on the human mind because of the promise power, which it holds out, however delusively, to each one of us, the prospect of spiritual mastery in the shape of the all encompassing divine power which religion reserves of Almighty God alone.6
This modern New Age Cult is a revival of this ancient occultism. It has strong historical ties to Sumerian, Indian, Egyptian, Chaldean, Babylonian, and Persian religious practices.
English translations of Oriental Scriptures entered the American society early in the 1800’s and began to shape American culture. The wisdom of the East attracted influential people like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, leading lights of transcendentalism. They borrowed from the East what suited them and rejected what did not. They in turn powerfully influenced American society.
The 1800’s also witnessed the birth of two “alternative-reality traditions,” namely, “Spiritualism” and “New Thought.” We could date the birth of the former to March 31, 1848, when the Fox sisters heard rappings allegedly communicated by the spirit of a murdered peddler whose body lay somewhere beneath their house in Hydesville, New York. Spiritualism is the branch of occultism that seeks to confirm the reality of the unseen world and humanity’s immortality by communicating with departed spirits. That interest broadened to include psychic or paranormal phenomena, the ability to read minds, travel out of the body, bend spoons with thought, stomp over burning coals, and other such experiences.
The emergence and influence of Spiritualism led to the formation of organizations that conducted scientific investigations of the psychic and the paranormal. For the Spiritualists, these signs pointed to humanity’s innate capacities for re-creation, placing the possibility of fashioning the new man into humanity’s own hands. Emmanuel Swedenborg, the eighteenth-century Neoplatonist, supplied the Spiritualists with the framework for its theories.
The Austrian physician, Franz Anton Mesmer, was a leading figure in the rebirth of nineteenth-century occultism. He influenced both Spiritualism and New Thought. Mesmer, was the grandfather of hypnotism. He used trance-induction techniques in his practice. He suggested that healing could be effected in trance states because of a current of energy, which he called “animal magnetism,” that passed from the healer to the patient.
Phineas Quimby, the American psychic-healer, modified Mesmer’s explanation. He proposed that it was not “animal magnetism” that healed, but the powers of the mind. Mary Eddy Baker, the founder of Christian Science, supported Quimby’s views. This led to the formation of several mind-science organizations including: the Unity School of Christianity and the Church of Religious Science.
The New Thought Movement continues to be influential. We can trace much of the power-of-positive thinking movements to it. The priestess of prosperity, Terry Cole-Whittaker, comes directly from the New Thought tradition. New Thought’s emphasis on the mind’s power is based on the premise that all that exists is the mind of God, which is in the mind of men. New Thought tradition says: “I think, therefore, it is.” 7
From that affirmation, it naturally follows that mental orientation produces an individual’s circumstances. Poverty is a state of mind and prosperity only a “right thought” away. On that basis Terry Cole-Whittaker could state:
You can have exactly what you want, when you want it, all the time.8
Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), the founder of a branch of occultism that emerged in the nineteenth century, was an eccentric Russian noble-woman, who arrived in America at the height of the Spiritualist excitement. She was initially a Spiritualist supporter. She broke with the Movement and, with Colonel Henry Steel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. Blavatsky and Olcott moved to Adyar, India, where they studied all they could about Hinduism and Buddhism. That experience had a distinct influence on Blavatsky’s esoteric writings, which were a blend of Western occultism and Eastern mysticism. She passed on those seminal ideas to her followers.
Blavatsky was not only interested in communicating with the spirits of the departed but also with the spirits of the “ascended masters,” highly evolved beings who had moved up the spiritual hierarchical ladder and now supervened in human affairs, dispensing knowledge and power to the worthy. She was also keenly interested in spiritual evolution.
The Occults appropriated Darwin’s theory of “The Origin of the Species,” for their own purposes. Evolutionary theory was consistent with the notion of gradual progress that was implicit in the emanationist cosmology of occultists and mystics. If humanity had become human by passing through various stages, it seemed plausible that it was leading toward godhood. It was just as possible to believe evolution applied to a particular race as it was to believe it applied to an entire species.
Blavatsky divided human evolution into seven stages. She believed a new age was about to dawn. At such a time the “ascended masters” would reincarnate as world teachers, to help humanity up the evolutionary spiral. Annie Besant (1847-1933)
Blavatsky’s successor, took up that theme and provided the movement with a messiah. Besant, in collaboration with C. W. Leadbeater, founded the Order of the Star in 1911, a movement designed to promote the young Indian Jiddu Krishnamurti as the avatar of the dawning new order. However, in 1929, Krishnamurti repudiated his messianic status and rejected the movement. Martin states:
However, Krishna murti declined the honor of Mrs. Besant’s anointing due largely to the death of his brother and his subsequent disillusionment with the claims of Theosophy. And so the search and the anticipation continued.9
Blavasky’s vision illustrates two views. The first is that each age has its avatar, and Jesus of Nazareth was simply the avatar of His age. The second view shows that Western occultism and Oriental religions reject Christianity, but they often assimilate its terminology and its founder. However, they often give meanings to terminology that the Bible does not. Consequently they teach that Jesus was a guru who awakened mankind to the hidden wisdom and directed humanity to the god within.
In that same era, Nicolas Notovich began to teach that Jesus visited the East between the age of twelve and thirty. There He allegedly studied under some Oriental gurus and returned with the message of monism. Notovitch’s was only mythical. Even the eminent orientalist, F. Max Muller, denounced the work as pure fabrication (Goodspead 1956). This myth, however, is still very much in circulation.
The discipline of Psychoanalysis became known in the nineteenth century and became another avenue for chanelling the ancient wisdom. Its theories about the inner workings of the human psyche had been explored by the occults and mystics. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and Carl Jung (1875-1961) were acquainted with occult literature and were influenced by it. Freud’s was anti-religious. He secularized the ideas he adopted and gave them materialistic interpretations. However, he gave support to the occultic’s influence by his practice of hypnotism as a therapeutic instrument. Freud did not attribute inherent healing properties to trance states, but like a medium conjuring ghosts from the underworld, he used trance induction to ferret out haunting repressions from the subsconcious. Like the occultist, he assumed that ordinary states of mind were not the most reliable source of truth. In the main, Freud was successful in wresting borrowed concepts from the mystics’ grasp by attaching them to inviolable instincts-particularly sexual instincts.
Carl Jung was one of Freud’s disciples. He was beset by paranormal experiences all his life and was an avid advocate of the alternative-reality tradition. He attributed one of his seminal works, “The Seven Sermons of the Dead,” to automatic authorship-ghostwriting in the most literal sense. It was, in fact, that dictation that gave Jung the basic framework for his psychologizing.
There are several points of contact between Jung and the occult. Hoyt states,
His “collective unconsciousness” echoes the mystical conception of the cosmos as mind. His idea that both good and evil are intrinsic to the self, which unites them, reflects the mystical notion that duality is intrinsic to the cosmos which is ultimately one. Jung, like Freud, was also intent on giving his ideas a measure of scientific respectability. He was not, however, driven to provide everything with a materialistic explanation. As a result, Jung’s psychology, far more than Freud’s represents a “restatement of the ideas at the core of occult tradition in terms accessible to those ill at ease with religious language” (Webb 1976,387).10
Although Oriental traditions influenced Western Culture all along, it launched its major offensive in the 1960’s. Several earlier figures, however, led the way. Swami Vivekananda visited Western shores and left a favorable and lasting impression on the World Parliament of Religions held in 1893 at Chicago World’s Fair. Vivekananda remained in America and formed the Vedanta Society. The Sufi master, Hazrat Inayat Khan, brought the teachings of his ancient lineage to the West. Paramahansa Yogananda came in 1920 to attend the International Congress of Religious Liberals. He went on to establish the Self-Realization Fellowship. The self-avowed avatar, Meher Baba, came to the United States in the early 1930s, and he declared,
Philosophers, atheists and others may affirm or refute the existence of God, but as long as they do not deny the existence of their own being they continue to testify to their belief in God-for I tell you, with divine authority, that God is Existence, eternal and infinite. He is EVERYTHING” (Baba 1976, 13).11
These are a few of the historical predecessors of the New Age Movement. They all contributed to the search for an alternative to the secularism of Western culture. The period, however, that gave birth to the New Age Movement supplied it with its most formative influences.
Zen Buddhism was the inspirational focus of the fifties and the final movement of major significance before the 1960’s. Zen had appealed strongly to the disenchanted Westerner. Like Buddhism in general, Zen was perceived to be a religion, but in a real sense it was not, in that it was not concerned with the deities. It was even agnostic towards them. It was therefore well suited for the secular psyche. Zen was in itself a critique of the busyness of Western culture and the vanity of life itself. It emphasized the futility of all desire and striving that will come to naught in the end. Zen taught, that we should eat when we are hungry, we should sleep when we are tired. The Zen spirit cut through the complexities of the contemporary world and recaptured the simple joy of living fully in the moment.
The despair of the counterculture of the sixties was just as acute. The “Hippie Generation” embraced a mystical vision that was already in place. Hoyt states,
The widespread use of consciousness-altering drugs, particularly LSD, was a major mode of initiation into the subculture, which became a mass movement. From the beginning, the psychedelic experience was tied to the enlightened consciousness of the mystics by its major propagandists, Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert. Alpert eventually became disenchanted with the ephemeral effects of drug-induced enlightenment and set out on more traditional paths to permanent bliss. He went to India, came back a changed man with a changed name, and as Ram Dass, became one of the more engaging and effective popularizers of the mystical vision.12
Many journeyed to the Orient and the Orient journeyed to those who did not. Gurus from the East visited North America frequently in the 1960s and early 1970s. These gurus, with the help of the media, successfully presented the message of humanity’s godhood, and the techniques of meditation and Yoga, traditionally used for achieving it. Hoyt outlines,
One of the first gurus to arrive, and certainly the most influential, was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, of Transcendental Meditation fame, whose early disciples included some cultural heroes of major stature including the Beatles. Yogi Bhajan, the Sikh master of Kundalini Yoga, arrived in 1968 and quickly attracted a Western following marked by their white turbans and energetic industry. Swami Muktananda, the charismatic guru who transmitted his powers by the touch of a peacock feather, came in 1970. Shaktipat denotes the transfer of psychospiritual power from guru to initiate through a touch or a glance. Guru Maharaj Ji, the adolescent “Lord of the Universe,” arrived in 1971, announced the inauguration of the millennium in 1973, and quickly fell into oblivion.13
Hoyt continues,
The Tibetan Buddhist influx to the West, which followed the Communist annexation of Tibet, was also significant in the counterculture drift Eastward. Tarthang Talku Rinpoche arrived in 1969 and established the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center in Berkeley, California.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche set down on American soil in 1970 and founded the Karma Dzong Meditation Center and Naropa Institute at Boulder, Colorado. The institute was a major forum for the syncretistic integration of his brand of Buddhism with the West. It regularly offered sessions featuring an impressive slate of guest faculty, from Allen Ginsberg to Norman Mailer.14
Continuing to describe the historical context of the New Age Movement, Hoyt skillfully points out,
In 1968 Carlos Castaneda published The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. Thanks largely to his captivating stories, native-American shamanism joined the widening current of mystical magical religiosity and fanned interest in native-American rituals and rites. Castaneda’s tales offered an alternative within the alternative-reality traditions. The fantastical world of power animals, places of power, and spirit guides that Castanada described was, no doubt, very appealing to those who were already weary and a little bored with contemplating the mystical void. Castaneda’s universe was more interesting, simply because it was inhabited. But the principles that informed it were in essence the same as those of the Eastern schools.
Castaneda’s South American sorcery was only one of the traditions oriented to the earth. Neopaganism, which held a natural attraction to a generation longing to return to the purity and simplicity of mother nature, also began to emerge in the 1970s. By the decade’s end, it had blossomed into full-blown revival-the religion of choice for the ecologically minded and many spiritually inclined radical feminists.15
Humanistic and transpersonal psychology embodied the new spirit. These forms, however, were not always religious. Abraham Maslow, Fritz Perls, Carl Rogers, and Rollo May were key figures in the new field of Humanistic Psychology. They represented a new brand of psychologist who sought an alternative to the psychological norms of their times. They felt that Freudian psychoanalysis appeared to make humanity a victim of instinct and social conditioning. Skinnerian behavioralism made it a pawn in an environment of biological stimulus/response. These pioneers of humanistic psychology wanted to restore human dignity. They offered a psychology that glorified self. It declared people’s impulses to be essentially good, they affirmed the idea of unlimited human potential, and they taught that personal growth was an individual’s highest goal. The affinities between the new psychology and mysticism was closely observed by its founding fathers.
Maslow has listed the “transcendent” at the top of his hierarchical needs. For him, this dimension of humanity needed to be satisfied before self-actualization was complete. Maslow however, did not see that the other God of Biblical revelation could satisfy this human desire for the transcendent. This transcendent dimension was that dimension of an individual that intersected with the larger realties of the cosmos.
Maslow’s self-actualized man was a self satisfied man, a fulfilled man, who was full of himself. His belief that human consciousness linked humanity with the fundamental realities of the universe became the foundation of Transpersonal Psychology which was aligned with ancient wisdom. It attracted intellectuals who can now make erudite analyses of humanity’s higher dimensions.
Humanistic psychology which attempted to make personal growth the highest good, has had some negative effects. This discipline originally aimed at constructing a psychology of personal liberation but it ended up as a psychology of personal license and a rationale for a social self-absorption:
The trend in therapy toward a deification of the isolated self [shows] the ways in which selfishness and moral blindness now assert themselves…as enlightenment and psychic health….It is in many ways the logical extension of the whole human potential movement…The refusal to consider moral complexities, the denial of history and a larger community, the disappearance of the Other, the exaggerations of the will. The reduction of all experience to a set of platitudes (Marin 1975, 45 ff).16
Dr. D. James Kennedy has stated,
Secular Humanists are evolutionists. They teach that there is no mind, no spirit, no God. They are atheists; everything is based upon evolutionary chance.17
According to Kennedy, the position is well summed up by the famous evolutionist, Bertrand Russell, who said,
Man is the product of causes which had no provision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system….18
Bertrand Russell argued,
These truths were so firmly established by science that the only firm foundation upon which we can build out lives is unyielding despair.19
That pessimistic view of life is not easily accepted nor does it last long. The inevitable reaction came from both Christians and non-christians. Even those who might go as far as accepting or returning to ancient pagan religions, sought an alternative to this depressing concept. Douglas Groothuis has put it so well when he said,
. . . the modern West began to desacralize (to take away the sacred out of the world.) What was once the theatre of mystic splendour and spiritual participation was slowly transformed (by evolutionary science) into a cold mechanism of natural laws and regularities. The spirits were chased from the woods and only the trees remained. The sacred grove became the lumber yard as nature was view as mere stuff. . . 20
Man is not satisfied with this kind of “stuff” and so the unbelieving world responded with the New Age Movement that says that the dark and dim view of life is unacceptable. The New Age Movement is sometimes called “Cosmic Humanism.”
It is useful for us to compare and contrast both Movements.
First, while Secular Humanism is totally pessimistic and ends in “the entropic black hole of disillusionment,” the New Age Movement is totally optimistic. It teaches that we are entering the Age of Aquarius where we as gods, will dictate the future of the world.
Second, they are both monists. Whereas in the New Age Movement, monism is spirit, “all is one”, “all is spirit,” in Secular Humanism, (and evolution) monism is matter, “all is matter.” According to Kennedy, Carl Sagan has stated in “Cosmos,” his ten hour television series that there has never been, there is not, and there will never be anything in the universe but matter. There is no soul, no mind, no angel, no God, all is matter.
Third, Secular Humanists are atheists. They deny the existence of God. The New Ager says, “There is nothing but God.” Both are wrong.
This is only a very brief description of the background and environment in which the New Age Movement emerged. Its origin cannot be traced to any single one. It was fed by many tributaries. The New Age Movement owes much to preceding traditions whose teachings and practices it has combined and expressed in varied and creative ways.
The various areas of ancient wisdom that preceded the emergence of the New Age Movement appeared to have all merged into one. Each strand became almost indistinguishable from the other. All drew from one another. The New Age Movement is therefore a complex and confusing mixture. We should note that the New Age Movement has made its greatest gains through the professions which aim at reaching out to people, namely psychology and health care. These are areas that help the hurting and demonstrate care and compassion to the needy should be the greatest concerns of the Church.
Blavasky’s idea was revived by Alice A. Bailey, (1880-1949) an Englishwoman, who emigrated to the United States of America. She was one of the leading characters of the Theosophical Society. Bailey wrote more than twenty (20) books. These were allegedly influenced by a “spirit guide” who communicated with her telepathically. Elliot Miller states:
In Bailey’s “The Externalization of Hierarchy,” the same book in which the year 1975 is given significance in the Hierarchy’s plan, we are also told that “in 2025 the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalization [bodily appearances] of the Hierarchy” (530). Later on we are told that after these first masters appear “if these steps prove successful, other and more important reappearances will be possible, beginning with the return of Christ” (559).21
She is widely regarded as its high priestess having laid the foundations of the New Age Movement. Bailey was a spiritist medium who received messages from the Tibetan Djwal Khul, a so- called “master of wisdom.” Her secret teachings are carefully and minutely followed in New Age circles. They are set forth in “The Plan.”
The New Age Movement did not go public until 1975, the stipulated time for it to disclose the fact and nature of “The Plan for the New World Order.” New Agers planned from this time onwards, to use the media extensively to spread their teachings. They planned also to adverstise their expectation of a New Age christ throughout the world.
With the Movement going public, several details emerged. They include the following:
The establishment of a world economic system the replacement of private ownership of credit, transport and staple production with ownership by a world directorate.
The recognition of biological controls on a worldwide basis of population and disease.
A minimum standard of freedom and welfare throughout the world.
A duty of subordinating personal life to that of a world directorate.22
The Movement since 1975 has promoted the following ideologies:
1. Aryanism, i.e. the domination of the Western races; as with Hitler, this is linked with anti-Semitism.
2. Mass planetary initiation, also called “Luciferic initiation”, i.e. an act of consecration to Lucifer.
3. Cleansing action, i.e. the extermination of all those who disagree with the Movement’s goals.
4. Abortion and artificial insemination.
5. Forced limitation of family size.
6. Genetic control.
7. Death control, whereby a cult is made of death, which is regarded as a euphoric experience and the transition to continuously new life cycles.23
If Bailey is right about the significance of the year 1975, then the “christ” cannot appear until sometime after 2025 AD. The year 1975 represents only a beginning or a stepping up of preparatory activity for a 50-year period. Alice Bailey made the interesting observation relative to the event that she calls “the festival of humanity,”
The festival of humanity will be preeminently [the day] on which the divine nature of man will be recognized and his power to express goodwill and establish human rights relations [because of his divinity] will be stressed. On this festival we are told Christ has for nearly 2,000 years represented humanity and has stood before the Hierarchy as the god-man, the leader of his people and the eldest in the great family of brothers.24
The British esoterist Benjamin Creme also heavily promoted the Movement in the eighties. In 1982 Creme ran full-page advertisements predicting the reappearance of Lord Maitreya, the christ. The year passed and Creme, like so many prognosticators of the millennium, was forced to revise his position.
Marilyn Ferguson’s, “The Aquarian Conspiracy,” has contributed handsomely to public awareness of New Age teaching. Many regard it as the current cult book of the New Age Movement. It propagates the New Age Plan throughout the world and points to the promised land of the New Age and to the joys of “altered states of consciousness.” Austrian born Physicist, Fritjof Capra residing in California, United States of America, further expressed New Age thought in his work “The Turning Point” published in 1982.
Notes to Chapter Two
1. Josh Mc Dowell and Don Stewart, Demons, Witches, and the Occult (Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1986),5.
2. David Hoover, How to Respond to the Occult (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1977). Quoted by Mc Dowell and Stewart,5-6.
3. Hoover, 6
4. J. Yutaka Amano and Norman L. Geisler, The Infiltration of the New Age (Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1973), 31.
5. Amano and Geisler
6. Encyclopedia of Magic and Superstitions (London: Octopus, 1974), p. 13, Quoted by Amano and Geisler,31.
7. Robert J. L. Burrows “The Coming of the New Age,” The New Age Rage,23.
8. Burrows
9. Martin, 17.
10. Karen Hoyt and the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, The New Age Rage (New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987,26.
11. Hoyt, 27.
12. Hoyt, 27-28.
13. Hoyt, 28.
14. Hoyt, 28-29.
15. Hoyt, 29.
16. Hoyt, 31.
17. Kennedy, 4
18. Kennedy.
19. Kennedy.
20. Kennedy.
21. Elliot Miller, Christian Research Journal (Summer 1987), quoting Alice Bailey in The Externalization of the Hierachy (pp. 530 and 559) Quoted by Martin, 16.
22. Constance E. Cumby, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, The New Age Movement and Our Coming Age of Barbarism (Shreveport, Louisiana: Huntington House, Inc., 1983) p. 44. Quoted by Schlink, 12.
23. Cumby
24. Bailey, Problems of Humanity, p. 164. Quoted by Martin, 16-17.
Total Number of words : 4493
CHAPTER THREE
SOME DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
The term “New Age Movement” or “New Age Cult” is a new title. However, Martin states that there is nothing new about it. He quotes “Time Magazine” as stating:
So here we are in the New Age, a combination of spirituality and superstition, fad and farce, about which the only thing certain is that it is not new.1
The New Age Movement represents old lies. In the Garden of Eden, Satan presented four of his blatant lies to Eve and by extension to mankind as a whole.
The Bible states:
You shall not surely die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3: 4-5, NIV).
These lies have repeatedly emerged in the world of the occults, in paganism, and in major non-Christian religions. The same four lies among others, are surfacing today as the main tenets of the New Age Movement. First, the serpent said to Eve:
You shall not surely die. . .
This is the concept of “reincarnation,” the belief that death only is a passage to cyclical, but unending rebirth. Man continues to live in one form or another. Second, the serpent said,
. . . your eyes will be opened . . .
This is esotericism, the belief that man can make his own decisions based on his own value systems. Satan attempted to persuade Adam and Eve to do exactly this without consulting God or without trusting His judgements. They could trust their own intuitions, since their eyes would be opened and they would be enlightened. Eve believed the serpent. Her power of intuition suggested to her that the tree was good for food. Her feeling became more important than her thinking.
Third, the serpent said:
. . . you will be like God . . .
This is the concept of “pantheism,” the belief that God is all, and all is God. The word “pan” means “all” and refers to the idea that “all” that exists is God. God is part of everything and therefore God is also man.
Fourth, the serpent said,
. . . knowing good and evil.
Satan planted doubts into Eve’s mind regarding what God had said to her. The serpent said:
. . . you shall not surely die . . .
Here he struck at the heart of the concept of moral absolutes. In “moral relativism” we can rewrite the Ten Commandments, we can distinguish good from evil without divine help. New Age “relativism” appeals to man because it appears to have a highly optimistic view of human nature. It rejects feelings of guilt since New Agers have no God to sin against. They believe in a utopian society that they create by their own efforts.
The New Age Cult is really the transplantation of the Hindu philosophy through the Theosophical Society that was founded by Helen Blavatsky in 1875 AD in the United States. Madame Blavatsky promoted spiritism, seances, and basic Hindu philosophy. She was extremely antagonistic towards Biblical Christianity. The New Age Movement is therefore, simply a return to the old pagan mystery religions that teach man can achieve,
Secret knowledge through mystical encounters with cosmic powers, guides and ascended masters (demons) through searching the depths of one’s own soul; through meditation; and through psychic experiences.2
The Bible speaks repeatedly against all occultic practices. It gives special attention to astrologers (Isa. 47) and to “sorcerers” or “magicians.” in the book of Daniel. God’s judgment came upon Israel for her failure to obey His commands concerning the occult (2 Kings 21). Manasseh violated all the prohibitions against the occult and this resulted in the exile of the Jews. They eventually repented and God restored them. The Bible speaks of,
. . . the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Eph. 2:2).
Christians are to engage in spiritual warfare against these powers. The Bible states:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. (Eph. 6:12, NIV).
The Bible warns us against the devil’s schemes. (Eph. 6:11, NIV), The Prophet Moses voiced God’s extreme displeasure with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, whose behaviour was Satan worship. God stated:
When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. (Deut. 18:9-14, NIV)
The beliefs and points of emphasis of the various New Age Groups may differ widely, yet they generally agree on a philosophical base. They generally share a common religious experience. Dr. Robert J.L. Burrows has stated:
What has emerged is a multifaceted, multifocused movement that is in many ways sociologically analogous to the evangelical community. Like evangelicalism, the New Age movement is not tied to any particular organization; has no overarching hierarchical structure; is diverse in both practice and belief; and though it has prominent spokesmen, it has no official leadership. What unites the New Age movement and links it to the traditions that preceded it are a set of common worldview assumptions about God (or ultimate reality), humanity, and the nature of the human predicament. Those assumptions, foundational to monistic and pantheistic traditions, have been designated by a variety of terms: ancient wisdom, perennial philosophy, occult philosophy. However designated, they can be summarized in the following three points:
Ultimate reality. In spite of the teeming diversity of the cosmos, reality is single. Ultimate reality-or-God-is pure, undifferentiated energy, consciousness, or life force. This reality manifests itself in creation as the dynamic interaction of polarities: light/dark, male/female, aggressiveness/passivity, good/evil, and so forth. Those polarities, however, are not absolute. They are different facets of that single reality from which all creation emanates and in which all creation is united. In spite of appearances, all is one.
Humanity. Humanity, like the rest of creation, is an extension of God (or ultimate reality) and shares its nature and essential being. That divine essence is humanity’s true, higher, or real self.
Humanity’s predicament. Because there is no discontinuity between humanity and God, at any point, alienation caused by sinful rebellion is not humanity’s fundamental problem. Meta-physical ignorance is humanity’s snare. What divides us is a divided mind, blind to the essential unity of all that is and to humanity’s innate divinity.
That blindness, the root of all humanity’s woes, is dispelled by gnosis-experiential knowledge of the one and of humanity’s essential deity. That knowledge is brought about by psychospiritual techniques which involve balancing polarities, manipulating energy, and ridding consciousness of the fragmenting effects of reason and the predefining limitations of belief. Only then is the unity of reality fully experienced; only then can humanity’s divinity fully unfold. That is the path to godhood, self-realization, cosmic consciousness, samadhi, enlightenment, and -in our day- New Age transformation.3
Though differing in expression, emphases, or implications drawn, the alternative-reality traditions of Western culture that served as the forerunners to the New Age movement share the worldview summarized by those three points. To understand the New Age Movement, it is important to have some sense of its historical predecessors. Occultism and Eastern mysticism in the West reach, back as far as one cares to go. For the present
purpose, the nineteenth century will do.
We can use several criteria to determine quite conclusively whether any person or persons, a group or groups, an institution or institutions, organization or organizations are part of the New Age thinking. First, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations, that is openly committed to furthering the New Age (i.e. Age of Aquarius). Second, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations that openly espouses distinctively New Age beliefs such as monism (“all is One”), pantheism (“all is God”), gnosticism (salvation or spiritual healing come through special experiences of enlightenment), karma and reincarnation, spiritual evolution, ascended masters (equal with Christ), etc. Third, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations that openly advocates New Age/occult practices such as channeling/mediumship, astrology, psychic healing, numerology, magic, various methods
for inducing altered state of consciousness (e.g., meditation, chanting, sensory deprivation, hypnosis, etc.), and the use of crystals or pyramids for psychic reasons. Fourth, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations that uses uniquely New Age terminology such as “create your own reality,” “High Self,” “self-realization,” “cosmic consciousness,” “universal energy,” “chakras,” “kundalini,” “yin and yang,” and so on.
There are, however, a few criteria that we can look for, that, while not conclusive, may indicate involvement in the New Age. They cannot be used as final judgements, but are sufficient cause to take a closer look. First, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations that adopt ideas like subjectivism, relativism, lack of self esteem as the cause of man’s problems, unlimited potential, and so on. Second, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations, that advocate a New World Order or Planetary Guidance Systems, or use terms like Paradigm Shifts, Social Transformation, Global Vision, Self Actualization, and so on.
Amano and Geisler state that favourite words of New Agers include the following,
Awakening, centering, consciousness, cosmic energy, enlightenment, force of life, global village, holistic, human potential, networking, planetary vision, spaceship earth, synergistic, transcendental, transformational, and transpersonal.4
Third, any person or persons, group or groups, institution or institutions, organization or organizations, that are associated with or who recommend Humanistic Psychology, Associations for Transpersonal Psychology, Associations for Holistic Health, Lifespring, Silva Mind Control, Friends of the Earth, and so on.
Amano and Geisler state that the New Age Movement comes under many different names,
The Aquarian Conspiracy, New Consciousness, New Orientalism, Cosmic Humanism, Cosmic Consciousness, Mystical Humanism, Human Potential Movement, Holistic Health Movements, to name a few.5
Notes to Chapter Three
1. Time Magazine, Dec. 7, 1987, p. 62. Quoted by Martin, p. 15.
2. Neil P. Botham, “New Age Hope or Old Lies,” Church of God Evangel, Vol.82 Issue 11, (October 1992), 6.
3. Hoyt, pp. 19-20
4. Amano and Geisler, p. 141.
5. Amano and Geisler
Total Number of Words: 1,844
CHAPTER FOUR
STRATEGY FOR GROWTH
New Age Movement is expanding rapidly in many countries around the world. In West Germany it has already acquired an estimated five hundred thousand (500,000) followers, and a large number of sympathizers. It is comprised of a world-wide network of many thousands of co-operating Organizations. There are many, many thousands of adherents in the United States of America and around the world.
From the inception of this modern day movement, New Agers had carefully planned to popularize their teachings and to gain as many converts as is humanly possible. Their initial tactic was through pacifist, anti-military activities. The next step was to embark on a serious, well planned, frequent and destructive criticism of all personal and immortality religions.
The New Political methodology of the New Age Movement is both outwardly aggressive and quietly subtle in its penetration of society. This should be a concern for all of us.
First, they use the method of infiltration. Groups like the Sierra Club, Amnesty International, and Zero Population Growth, are not New Age in nature, but New Agers seek to penetrate their ranks with personnel and work towards winning over the workers to
their planetary perspective. Donald Keys states:
We can help “planetize” existing organizations and groups by joining with them in their efforts to promote human rights, peace, and “soft energy paths”; while working with them we can contribute the world-inclusive perspective. 1
New Age programmes have penetrated several segments of society, including some segments of the Christian community. They present a facade of what appears to be harmless themes, such as healthful eating habits and fitness clubs, but they usually include many practices, which are distinct variations of Eastern occult techniques. These include meditation, various forms of yoga and relaxation therapies, hypnosis-psychic, healing-visualization, positive thinking, and others.
The New Age Movement has a wide range of offers and it draws support from many sources. Many of the methods that New Agers employ in the disciplines of Education and Counselling are rooted in Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy.
New Agers use popular themes for their own promotion. For example, the issues of holistic education, mediation and psycho-training of every shade and description, holistic medicine, health foods, ecology – including the protection of the environment and animal rights-disarmament campaigns, management training courses for leaders in industry and commerce, famine projects, and other social causes. New Agers spirituality is closely linked with the popular Feminist Movement which campaigns vigorously against the over-emphasis of the masculine principle. They argue for the abolishing of rational, analytical thinking and to elimination of inequalities between the sexes. These issues receive serious attention globally and is a top priority for many, many thousands. Basilea states:
While feminist theology endeavors to represent the God of the Bible as being both masculine and feminine or even as an exclusively feminine godhead, the radical vanguard of the New Age feminist movement is already demanding that the Christian faith be replaced by the myth of Gaia, “Mother Earth,” whose cult is now being revived and practiced. By adopting the ancient practice of equating “woman” with “nature,” they deliberately revert to the concepts of bygone pagan cultures and their associated goddesses, such as Iris, Astarte, Demeter and Hera. 2
Second, is the method of networking. The term, “Network” is a word the New Age Movement uses as a code word. It refers to the thousands of groups around the world that are working toward the realization of the “interconnectedness” of all life through the establishment of a new world order. Many of these networks expect the United Nations to function as the “central nervous system” in the new world government.
Many world leaders who share this new “planetary consciousness,” often express their belief in almost mystical terms. Robert Muller, longtime Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and a ardent networker, has said,
This old planet and the human species on it are [like]… a big brain whose neurons are multiplying incessantly, encompassing everything from the individual to the planet, to humanity and the universe…The world brain is already so complicated…new interconnections are being created so rapidly …[it] is a new biological phenomenon, one of the most momentous ones in the earth’s history….As the authors of Networking: The First Report and Directory declared:
We went looking for networks, and we found…a significant American subculture with values oriented to human transformation and global peace. 3
Networks comprise of thousands of groups. There are New Age caucuses that are attempting to work for New Age-oriented change-and-transformation from within our present social, cultural, economic and professional organizations and institutions. For example, the Transpersonal Association for World Education. New Age discussion groups are emerging in many parts of the country. Other examples are the Political Science Committee of the Institute for the New Age and New Age Feminism, New Age education groups, the Hunger Project, Planetary Citizens, Movement for a New Society, and many others in a long list.
Much of the strength and effectiveness of the New Age Movement lies in its informal, low profile networks. Such networks, largely unrecognized by the general populace, are growing in power and influence. Because of this strategy many people may be unaware of the political power of the Movement. The danger however, is real. These networks are established to address problems and to offer helps to people that are primarily
outside of established institutions. Networks have significant political power.
In a real sense, the Aquarian Conspiracy or the New Age Movement, is a network of many networks aimed at social transformation. Martin states:
It generates power enough to remake society. It offers the individual emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and economic support. It is an invisible home, a powerful means of altering the course of institutions, especially government.
Anyone who discovers the rapid proliferation of networks and understands their strength can see the impetus for worldwide transformation.4
A large percentage of the New Age groups are autonomous, but they combine their efforts to accomplish a common goal.
The many perspectives of a network derive from the autonomy of its members. All have their own turf and agendas, yet they cooperate in the network because they also have some common values and visions.5
Martin quotes Donald Keys, who is involved in the New Age drive for world peace. Keys states:
One of the most important things that is happening is . . . networking …. A lot of us are on Peacenet (an international computer-based communications and information sharing system for “peace” activists) with our PC computers. There is a gathering awareness that we won’t all have to be doing the same thing but we need to be knowing what each other is doing…. I believe that awareness is finally hitting reality now, and is taking form. 6
The New Age Movement has forged important links with prominent, International Organizations such as the UNO, UNESCO, world Council of Churches, Club of Rome, Rockerfeller Foundation, Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg Group, the Free-Masons and, at
the head, the Illumination.
Third, New Agers promote their teachings through skillful use of journalism. They rely heavily on literature of various types, to promote the Movement. There is a wide range of fiction and non-fiction work, many of which have attained “classic” status. New Agers promote Comic Books as our friends. The list of Comics includes, The Unncanny X-Men, Batman: The Killing Joke, Lone Wolf and Club, ElfQuest, and Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Punisher, Mai, The Psychic Girl. They also use Comic strips to promote: arrogant attitudes of selfism, the notion that one can create one’s own reality, that one is perfect and divinely powerful, one is one’s own god. Kjos gives as examples of these Comic Strips,
Lazy, cynical Garfield, the macabre humor of Far Side, and the delightful, incorrigible Calvin and Hobbes demonstrate the same deception: success and popularity come by arrogant self-confidence, a macho self- sufficiency, manipulative control, and sarcastic kind of put-down that masquerades as humor.7
There is also the “Deluxe” color/activity book called, “Masters of the Universe.” In them, little children can color “The Snake Pit,” “He-Man” as he rescues Battle Cat from Snake Men and foils the evil plan of Skeletor. They scan “Slimy Rescue” “Laser messages,” “Castle Ghoulies,” and “Mirror Magic mazes.”
Posters like, “He-Man in the Blasterhawk,” ” Battle and Skeletor in the Fright Fighter,” “Skeletor, the Lord of Destruction,” control the dark side of the force. His head is a skull and he carries a ram’s head staff, two symbols of death and Satanism. They also advertise metallic skulls, peace signs on Tee Shirts and shorts.
Today, fantasy books are best-sellers. Editions in some cases reach into millions. Hundreds of titles are already on the market. They all present some form of occultism, such as communicating with the dead, conjuring spirits, clairvoyance, telepathy, and levitating objects by the power of thought. They feature sorcerers, witches and magicians. Magic belts, magic swords and talismans have become a part of the world of many young people. Under the heading “Esoteric,” bookstores, they offer occult text books containing explicit instructions on how to contact supernatural forces. Psycho centres which are emerging in many areas are offering “trips into other realms” through special guidance. Kjos states,
A selection of “bedtime fantasies to build self-esteem’ fills a pretty little book by Michael Pappas titled, Sweet Dreams for Little Ones. One of them reads: “Your name is-Strong. You have special powers…. You are very strong and can lift anything that you want to, no matter how big or heavy it is….You use your power only to help people.” 8
Kjos continues,
While this may sound appealing, like many of the beautiful children’s books available today, it teaches
Guide Imagery-but not by God’s spirit; Visualization- but not based on truth; Supernatural Power-but not God’s. 9
Examples of books, “Duran Duran,” -Toby Golstein; “Chocolate Wars,” – Robert Cormier; “The Invisible Man”, The Bad Seed – Stephen King; “The Secret Garden,” -Francis Hodgson. They all present some form of occultism, such as communicating with the dead, conjuring spirits, clairvoyance, telepathy, and levitating objects by the power of thought. They feature sorcerers, witches and magicians. Magic belts, magic swords and talismans have become a part of the world of many young people. Under the heading “Esoteric” Bookstores, they offer occult text books containing explicit instructions on how to contact supernatural forces. Psycho centres which are emerging in many areas are offering “trips into other realms” through special guidance.
Martin lists the standard New Age Movement Publications as Books:
Aquarian Conspiracy, The-by Marilyn Ferguson (Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, Inc., 1980).
Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, The-by Levi (Santa Monica, Calif.: De Vorss & Co., 1907).
Coming of the Cosmic Christ, The-by Matthew Fox (New York: Harper and Row 1988).
Earth at Omega-by Donald Keys (New York: Branden Press, 1982).
Externalization of the Hierarchy, The-by Alice Bailey (New York: Lucis Publishing Co. 1957).
Gaia-By James E. Lovelock (New York: Oxford University Press, 1979).
Heart of Philosophy, The-by Jacob Needleman (New York: Bantam, 1984).
Key to Theosophy, The-by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (Pasadena, Calif.: Theosophical University, 1972).
Networking-by Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps (New York Doubleday, 1982).
New Age Politics-by Mark Satin (New York: Delta Books, 1979).
Passages About Earth: An Exploration of the New Planetary Culture-by William Irwin Thompson (New York: Harper and Row, 1973).
Reappearance of Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, The-by Benjamin Creme (North Hollywood, Calif.: Tara Center, 1980).
Reflections on the Christ-by David Spangler (Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Publications, 1981).
Revelation: The Birth of a New Age- by David Spangler (Middleton: The Lorian Press, 1976).
Tao of Physics, The-by Fritjof Capra (New York: Bantam, 1984).
Transformations of Man, The-by Lewis Mumford (New York: Harper, 1970).
Turning Point, The Fritjof Capra (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982).
Vision of the Aquarian Age, A-by George Trevelyan (Walpole, N.H.: Stillpoint Publishing, 1984). 10
Magazines and Journals:
Body, Mind & Spirit-A bimonthly magazine covering the New Age as well as ecological and metaphysical topics. The magazine seeks to assist people in the self-transformation process to improve body, mind, and spirit.
East West-A monthly magazine that focuses on holistic health, quality of life, and alternatives to modern medicine.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology-A quarterly journal that explores personal growth, human potential, and holistic health.
New Age Journal-A bimonthly magazine emphasizing personal fulfillment and social change. This journal functions as a national mouthpiece for many New Age leaders and writers.
New Age Living-Published annually by New Age Journal. It contains a catalog of various New Age groups and their services.
New Realities-A bimonthly magazine that promotes oneness of self, mind, and body.
Revision-A scholarly New Age journal.
World Goodwill Newsletter-A publication promoting Alice Bailey-oriented ideas. Contains information on world affairs and programs of World Goodwill.
Yoga Journal-Published bimonthly by the California Yoga Teachers Association. Covers all aspects of yoga and holistic health. 11
They attempt to influence children and teenagers through a wide range of fantasy games, videos, films, audio cassettes, comic books, literature, party games and toys. The most popular films today are classified as fantasy. E.T. heads the list. This has given rise to a whole new youth cult. Star Wars is in second place.
The film “Grease” projects the value system of the world. It shows a sweet, innocent girl standing firm on what she believed. But the growing tension between the hero’s unsatisfied sexual desires and the heroine’s moral stand kindled a desire for a resolution. In the end, the heroine donned black, sexy, skintight wrappings-the symbol of her choice to discard the values that “deprived” the one she loved. She abandoned her values and opted for a compromise and what appears to be a comfortable solution to a problem.
The “Star Wars” epics put people in touch with “the force.” Their cosmic power struggle excite many millions of people and challenge them to connect with the same power system. Few even bother to examine the source of that “force” is related to the New Age Movement.
In the movie, “The Empire Strikes Back,” Yoda employs the “good side” of the force to raise Luke Skywalker’s spaceship out of the swamp. In this he shows his audience that through faith in the “god of forces” (Daniel 11:38), mankind could accomplish anything he wants to.
In the past, major movie studios produced Biblical spectaculars such as Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments. Those movies honored our Christian heritage and portrayed God’s ministers as heroes. Today they show them as foolish or corrupt. On the whole, they make religionists appear wimpy, immature, and out of touch with the real world. Hollywood generally attempts to belittle Christianity.
They also appear to be terrified of its influence. For example, Billy Graham’s movie, “The Prodigal” is rated Parental Guidance. (PG) PG means that a movie contains enough sex, violence, or profanity to warrant a warning to parents. These factors are all absent in “The Prodigal.” The motive for this discrimination is to warn children against Christianity. The argument is,
Pre-teenage children should not be exposed to Christianity without their parents’ consent. 12
The anti-Christian bias which is highly visible through movies and television, portrays a double standard. Other religions apparently are safe and acceptable, but Christianity is judged dangerous and must be eliminated.
The film, “The Last Temptation of Christ” shows conclusively that Hollywood’s is openly hostile towards Christianity. This story by Nikos Kazantzakis, popularized the Greek novelist’s philosophy, which is a blend of Buddhism, Lenin, Christ, Spinoza, Darwin, and Nietzsche. It gave birth to a mythological Jesus, who like other man-made gods, is relevant to this present time. Like the gods of ancient Greece and Rome, this Jesus portrays the weaknesses of human nature rather than the triumph of spiritual obedience. Kazantzakis saw God as the sum total of consciousness in the universe, expanding through human evolution. He saw a union of higher, evolved individuals with paranormal power, who were joined in a superhuman effort to create for themselves a new world.
Movies teach values and visions. Producers do not feel accountable to truth and reality. They are accepted, not on the basis of reason but because they excite the emotions, challenge the imagination, entice human nature, and manipulate minds.
The Humanist, many of whom control the Media, seeks to remove all influence of Christian faith from society. To achieve this end he feels obligated and duty-bound to use whatever methods available. One of Satan’s strategy is to clear the way for counterfeit messages by removing Christian truth and values from the screen. Without Biblical standards clearly articulated and defined, anything goes. The world watches on as New Agers in Hollywood distort truth and as they present good as bad, morality as boring, and evil as being delightful. New Agers attempt to teach through the media, counterfeit religion, counterfeit values and a counterfeit World System through movies.
A new religious system is replacing Christianity. This religion is primarily a mixture of Humanism, Hedonism, Hinduism, and Occultism. It testifies to the respectability that cloaks the New Age Movement. “Willow,” illustrates this. It is polka dotted with Biblical allusions, occult wonders, and macho prowess. In it George Lucas tells a new set of youngsters a familiar message, “the force is with you.” Kjos comments on this film,
Now garbed in ancient sorcery rather than space-age light sabres, the cosmic force shines through ugly trolls, pretty pixies, good as well as evil witches, and a courageous dwarf called Willow. Notice the messianic thrust: “A baby girl is born whom the prophets declare will be the savior of the land, and evil Queen Bavmorda vows to destroy the child. She’s discovered like Moses, in the bulrushes on the banks of a river by Willow Ufgood, a tiny Newlyn and aspiring sorcerer . . .” 13
This film identifies with occult symbols and cultural myths, and thus it weakens the Christian message.
Many movies, even some children movies, glamorize violence, immorality, profanity, and lawlessness, lying, cheating, disrespect for authority have become standard behaviour even in children’ movie. For example the film, “Who framed Roger Rabbit?” It is filled with sexist humor, sadistic violence, and vulgar comments. Another example is, Ferris Bueller’s, “Day Off.” The hero is lying to his parents and is so skillfully deceiving his teachers that views are tempted to forget the wrongs and admire his wit.
New Agers express their hope for a transformed world; for the globalist’s vision. They show mankind wielding psychic forces, moving through time, breaking the boundaries of death, and connecting with evolved extra-terrestrials. The imagination makes everything possible. For example, “Field of Dreams,” “Star Trek,” and “Ghostbusters” all exalt transcendent powers.
We can go on listing other movies that attempt to illustrate global oneness, pantheistic views, and other aspects of New Age teaching. Two notable examples are “Halloween 4,” and “Gremlins.”
It is clear that Hollywood is aiming at social reform. Many of the movies seek to pardon and free people who turn against God, and to justify lifestyles of sensual pleasure, spiritual misadventure, and readiness for a new permissive kind of world. They promote a life style that loves evil. Kjos explains that is well illustrated by an advertisement for the movie “The Unholy” which states:
Evil has never been so irresistible…or so deadly.14
More and more we are seeing the glamorizing evil and the glorifying of the ugly. According to Kjos,
A study by the International Coalition against Violent Entertainment (ICAVE) found that two-thirds of U.S. movies were rated violent, and half of those had themes of horror, satanism, or the occult. The most common motive for the slaughter, horror, and violence was vengeance. Viewers learned that rampant destruction and killing is okay if it avenges a despicable offense.15
Television is an educational medium. It is an instrument of persuasion, manipulation, brainwashing and the destruction of individualism. It shapes and mold the minds of our children.
Kjos states,
Television writers and producers took note of its enticing themes: Be God, take control, don’t let out-dated religious values hinder your self-discovery, follow your feelings, wield the Force and create a world of peace and love. Whether subtle or overt, soon all these facets of New Age beliefs had invaded family and children’s programs. 16
The Litcher and Rothman study shows how this happened. The study suggests that men and women who have rejected God and His values are the one who determine what Americans (and by extension much of the world) watch on television. Two out of three media leaders “believe that TV entertainment should be a major force for social reform. According to many television producers, they are not in it just for the money. They also seek to move their audience toward their own vision of the good society.
New Agers use the television to make a mockery of religion, and teach others to do the same. Leaders in the media cannot ignore Christian memorials like Christmas and Easter, but they attempt to exclude Christ and to secularize these occasions. The media even mocks representatives of the Church who have been ineffective and who have made mistakes in their lives and ministries. In so doing, they attempt to present a lifeless, inept, and materialistic substitute for Biblical Christianity. Marlin Maddoux writes,
Humor…is one of the best ways to get past a person’s defenses. 17
When these defenses are broken down, New Age messages get through easily to the subconscious and eventually affect the thinking and lifestyle of the people.
New Agers also use the television to promote the humanistic philosophy. Many prime-time television programmes model the sexual revolution. For humanists, this is a liberated generation. The action in many of the “Soaps” are spiced up with profanity, sarcasm, and cynicism. Children quickly learn this behaviour and practice it.
The New Age Movement uses television to encourage experimentation with magic. They promote the idea that all things flow from the same source. Kjos give the following examples,
Papa Smurf conquers evil with magical charms or when Teddy Ruxpin’s friends trust in the dividing power of crystals, or if the Care Bears transform their world with loving vibes, they are all teaching counterfeit spirituality. 18
The young Houdini perform magic not by illusions, but through a force that he learned from a wise, old Indian shaman. Others saw Hooperman seeking help from a frustrated channeler to solve a murder. The last scene showed the police chief, who at first resented involvement with the supernatural, sneaking a visit to the triumphant psychic.
A Smurf episode shows Mother Earth guiding the forces of nature with her magic wand. When her wand breaks, an earthquake frees a wizard determined to steal the smurf’s eternal-life stone. In the end, good magic conquers evil, the wand is restored, and the earth healed. 19
Leaders of the Movement use television to socialize people into the world of the occults. Many programmes appeal to man’s desire for secret knowledge and for the supernatural.
Television has made mass programming a reality. Media spokes people are positioned to censor facts, select information, criticize important principles, cultivate illusive expectations, and direct national thinking. This massive information flow has produced an audience that is ill equipped to challenge media experts in any serious way. Consequently, they can easily promote their New World Order.
Through the use of television programmes New Agers condition our people to accept an imperialist and humanistic ruling class. They argue that the concept of “One World” is the only way to save us from collapsing economically and socially on the whole. Television influences people’s view of themselves and of their environment.
Television gives people a distorted view of the world. Many people, particularly children, depend considerably on television to fill the gaps in their experience. They tend, to accept what they see. The images presented on the screen help shape one’s perception of one’s world.
Television has a powerful effect on the learning experience of viewers. Unable to challenge the information, their acceptance is often passive and automatic. It often produces unreasonable demands and expectations.
God warns us about this kind of manipulative make-believe: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21). 20
Fourth, New Agers make good use of “toys” to promote their ideas. Toys can help children learn how to solve problems, to share ideas, to express frustration, to use their imagination, to develop creativity, and to concentrate. Children project themselves with their imagination into a toy. They give it life, character, abilities, and talents and set the surrounding around it. This is how they learn.
Toys like Superman and Superwoman, the Barbie assortment, to list a few, all teach counterfeit values. Interestingly, in spite of the feminists’ drive for sexual equality, girls’ toys emphasize glamour, glitter, and eductive sensuality, while boys’ toys encourage macho violence, ugly monsters, and supernatural power. Kjos states,
In the hands of gullible preschoolers, toy supermen and power women affirm the lie that man can control the “good” forces of the universe and conquer the evil forces. The friendly Care Bears remind them that with loving vibes they can create a world of peace and love.
Adults around the world believe that today. So does He-Man, the Master of the Universe. Adversaries to peace in Eternia employ all forms of demonic power-witchcraft, magic, sorcery, and necromancy-to undermine his authority. But wise, handsome He-Man and strong, beautiful She-Rah always triumph. Wouldn’t our leader-hungry, evolution-minded earth love a He-Man? 21
When a child watches a cartoon and then plays with toy connected to that cartoon, he is not only projecting himself into the toy. Instead, cartoons have programmed the child to play with toys in a certain way.
Games include, “Shriefs and Creeks and Eternia-the homeland of the Masters of the Universe, Ouija Boards, Therapy,” which promise excitement and fun with a psychological twist.
There are many electronic and computer games in which pictures jump out at you-strange aliens, shrewd sorcerers, hideous demons, fiery dragons. According to Kjos, action figures include,
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the strange, green humanoid turtles that topped the popularity lists in 1989. The Thundercats come with Mumm-Ra’s Tomb Fortress, where skeletal Mumm-Ra “mystically” transforms into MUMM-RA THE EVERLIVING. Two dragon-tailed Man/Beast (Mutants) “Statue Guardians” guard the skullshaped transformation chamber.
Sharkoss, Demon of the Deep from “The Other World” waits mattel’s “Masters of the Universe.” The blond, handsome He-Man and glamorous She-Rah contrast starkly with the grotesque creatures all around them. The largest boxes contain the skull-shaped “Castle Grayskull,” He-Man’s home in “Eternia” and the source of his power.22
One of the ways that counterfeit teaching influences to accept counterfeit religion is through toys and cartoons. Children learn that ghosts and demons submit to the mightier powers of Ghostbuster. Many cartoon stores attempt to teach that nothing is impossible for them. This is what humanism teaches. New Age power elevates Ghostbuster heroes, and anyone who identifies with them, to spiritual mastery.
This toy-cartoon combination has a powerful influence on children who by nature lack a strong enough belief-system of their own. This linkage leads them to incorporate the fiction into real life. Video Games that reinforce this kind of teaching include, “Super Mario Brothers 2,” and “Phenomenon-The Game that goes One Step Beyond.” These teach our children Satan’s original lie,
You will not surely die…you will be like God. (Genesis 3:4, NIV).
New Agers also use Toys and Cartoons to teach counterfeit values. Kjos states:
The cartoons behind today’s toys create a different atmosphere-where macho pride replaces gentleness, and cruel sarcasm supplants kindness; where unpunished aggression and violence imply the absence of true-to-life consequences. Here a child learns the specific actions and attitudes that define his posable toy.23
Children, blind to the true nature of evil, flock to videos and play the part of gods in fantasy worlds where dragon power, spell-casting, and sorcery become thrilling solutions to man’s struggles. Today’s grotesque, demonic-looking creatures with fire eyes are popular with the young. Many of them are mutants, part monsters. Most could wield supernatural power. They want these ugly hybrid, mutant supernatural power. They want these lunchboxes, and mutant supernaturals on their wallpaper, curtains. One example of this is, “Black Star.”
In a lecture titled , “The Rising Interest in the Supernatural” Larry McLain, co-author of “The Early Earth,” compares today’s grotesque toys to the gods of the ancients.
These [creatures] that show up in archeology and what we would call mythology were not just figments of the imagination. They were literal physical demonic entities that appeared to civilizations of the past. These types of demigods or demonic beings were represented as part human and part animal in their characteristics like this bird-human of the Assyrians. [They can be] horse and human like centaurs. Or fish and human like the god Dagon of the Philistines…or part jaguar and part human. Notice that tongue hanging out over the chin-which is a universal symbol of demonic possession….One of the most popular combinations is human and serpent. You can find them on the toy shelves. It’s not surprising that pagan religions worshiped serpents and dragons, for the Bible tells us in Revelation 12 that the old serpent, the dragon, is Satan the devil. 24
Fifth, New Agers also use music, one of the most common modern means of influencing the masses, for their own purposes. Alice Bailey has clearly stated that music therapy was to be an important part of the preparation for the New Age. Specially designed New Age music has already made inroads into the record market.
Groothuis states concerning New Age music,
The term is extremely broad, covering everything from languid solo guitar or piano pieces to thickly textured or minimalist synthesizer music to jazz-rock fusion. The appeal is also extremely broad, with record, tape and disc sales making the new genre an economic force with which to reckon. Artists such as William Ackerman, Steve Halpern, Kitaro, Chaitanya Hari Deuter, Andres Vollenweider, Vangelis, Jean-Michael Jarre, Paul Winter, George Zamfir and Tangerine Dream are some of the bigger names helping to make up the rapidly expanding field. 25
New Age music is called, “Yuppie muzak,” because it claims to soothe the souls of the
upwardly mobile. This music appeals mainly to people with higher education and mentally
complicated jobs. According to Kjos,
The music of the New Age has developed through syncretism-a blending of contemporary dreams, ancient paganism, Eastern religions, and modern technology. 26
There are various types of New Age music. First, Meditative/mystical New Age music aims both at soothing the soul and at initiating a meditative change in consciousness. Steven Halpern, a New Age musician, integrates Eastern mystical practices with his music. His, “Spectrum Suit” seeks to get his listeners to focus on each of the seven chakras (energy centers) in their body, which he thinks correspond to seven separate colors and sounds. Groothuis quotes, Halpern as saying,
When the seventh and final selection begins, keynote B, focus your attention at the crown of your head. Visualize a violet color there and welcome the energy of divine consciousness. 27
Halpern has clearly expressed his intention for his music in the following statement,
The term spiritual connotes that which is eternal and that which is most in tune and in harmony with the universal God-force that we know by so many different names. In my work, I seek to align myself with that force, and to uplift the life energies of the performer and listener in order to bring them into closer attunement with their own God-Self. 28
Kitaro, the popular Japanese performer and composer, is another New Age musician. Rick Ingrasci comments that Kitaro’s, “The Light of the Spirit” (1987) album, is a means,
Through which Kitaro says he strives to express the universal ideas about human existence, nature, and the cosmos…. Kitaro…calls himself a musician of the new culture. 29
Kitaro sees his music as part of his spiritual path. He sees himself as an agent for cultural
change, assisting people to gain a fresh outlook on the world.
A few other artists give away their metaphysical aspirations by their song titles, liner notes or advertisements. Consider the following description of the tape, “The Eternal Om,”
The Om is all sound and silence throughout time. . . . It invokes the ALL that is otherwise inexpressible, and it is the highest spiritual sound on the earth. And now, using the latest in electronic technology, we have synthesized various pitches from human voices, and all intoning the OM together at the prescribed vibrations. In the background is an almost subliminal sounding choir. 30
Robert Slap’s tape, “Ascension to All That Is,” is described as
A musical interpretation of ascending up through the astral planes to the seventh level-the Godhead, the Universal Mind…the All That Is. 31
Others such tapes include David Neagles, “Journey Out of the Body.” This tape has similar ethereal aspirations. It seeks to induce out-of-body experiences.
Meditative/mystical tapes, examples of “inner harmony New Age music,” are described as “gentle, flowing, sustained environmental music without tension or resolve.” Some New Agers think that it is,
Scientifically proven to produce dramatic changes of consciousness” and is “ideal for altered-state-of-consciousness work. 32
Another type of New Age music is called, “progressive New Age music.” This is,
“Mellow, but high energy music that usually combines acoustical and electronic instruments” for a “stimulating, but not distracting effect.” 33
Vangelis’ famous music, “Chariots of Fire” is a good example of this. Kjos describes “progressive New Age music” as,
Loud, physical rock-unashamedly vaunts counterfeit or occult values, images, rhythms, and verbal expressions. 34
He says:
It has captured the hearts and minds of children around the world. 35
While these two types of music seem to be opposite to each other, inner peace and sensual violence, they both aim at the same thing,
Union with the angel of light, the god of forces, who wants to immunize children against truth and persuade them to worship idols.36
Christian New Age music is another category. Groothuis states that this is,
A combination of light jazz, folk, rock and classical music. Some pieces are even variations on standard hymns or popular choruses. The liner notes for guitarist/songwriter/singer Phil Keaggy’s album. “The Wind and the Wheat” speak of the spiritual reflection behind each of the piece.37
As a general rule pagan societies and ancient cultures used music to establish connection with their gods. For Nevill Drury, a New Age author who wrote the manual, “Music for Inner Space,” points to ancient cultures as models for today. In both these societies, songs are a source of power. There are many examples of this. Kjos states:
In India, the ancient Hindu ragas stimulated the imagination. Drury explains that the drone component-“the unchanging basic note or pitch”-sustains the music and “meditatively makes each musical performance an “inner journey.” One literally travels with the music, lured into new areas of consciousness….”
Repetitive rhythms and mantric musical patterns are used universally to induce trance states. However, we have a choice within the altered state of allowing ourselves to surrender to the music and be “possessed” by its intoxicating rhythms or “ride” the music or drumbeat on our journey to the inner world (Nevill Drury).
In . . . Africa and South America, the witch doctor functioned as a mediator between the tribe and demonic
spirits. The sacred drum-credited with magical powers-together with hallucinatory drugs (sorcery) induced trances which transported him into the spirit world. There he received guidance.
Obo Addy, a drummer and singer from Ghana said, “My father was a medicine man. He told the future and healed the sick. Music invoked the spirits my father possessed. The ceremony often involved the whole tribe. Intoxicated by the drum’s beat, the dancers would finally surrender to the persuasive rhythms and enter a state of trance. A description of the Macumba (Brazil) spiritists’ trance dance ends with this observation: “If I was looking for a mindless joy it was here, in a dance with the brain turned off and the body taking its orders straight from the drum.
Musicologists Manfred Clynes and Janice Walker explained that “the central nervous system transforms a musical rhythm into a movement pattern.” This “rhythmic experience of sound largely is not under control-we are driven by it. Neville Drury explains:
The rhythms which induce trance states are repetitive, energetic, and often loud and overwhelming. They lead the dancer away from the familiar setting of the everyday world into a disorienting atmosphere pulsing with vibrant rhythms, which usually builds to a climax. In voodoo it is at this point that the loa gods possess and “ride” their subject in trance like horses, while in Africa the dancers imitate the movements and footsteps of the possessing spirits. 38
In recent times hard rock and heavy metal have become very popular throughout the
global society. Kjos points out that:
Heavy metal “differs from other forms of rock by its bombastic chords, screaming lead guitars, throat-wrenching vocals, and a demolition derby approach to drumming.” 39
There are three kinds of metal music. First “Party metal” emphasizes sex, drugs, partying, and living for today with no thought for tomorrow. It is the type of music that gets on the charts. For example, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Def Leppard. Although we can discern very little overt occultism, this type of music encourages people to follow their feelings and to live according to their lusts. Party metal has degenerated to the level of violent sex “porn rock.” A good example of this is Judas Priest’s song about oral sex at gunpoint.
Second, “Thrash metal” encourages a perverted focus on violence and death. Kjos points out:
“Eighty-six ways to die’ is the theme of half of these albums,” explains Hart. The album jackets flaunt hateful messages such as Megadeth’s Killing Is My Business-and Business Is Good. Metallica’s “Kill ‘Em All,” and Anthrax’s “Spreading the Disease.”
At concerts, “metalheads” or fans “shake their heads and hair vigorously to the beat. Many reel and careen into each other in a wild style of dancing called ‘moshing’-the punkers call it ‘slam dancing.’ Pity those who collapse under the feet of the feverish throng.” 40
These violent images have a deadening effect on the human consciences. Over a period of time it eventually leads to an acceptance of violence as a way of life.
Third is “Black metal.” The jackets of these music albums portray pictures of skulls, chains, blood, demons, goat heads in pentagrams, and a mockery of crosses. The titles proclaim the power of evil, “Destruction’s Bestial Invasion,” Slayer’s Hell Awaits, Venom’s From Hell to the Unknown, and Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” from the album “Live After Death.” All of this has inspired occult fascination and indulgence in occult practices at almost all levels of the society.
Music that aims at taking us into a mystical state of mind does not fit these qualifications. God instructs us to worship and to enter His presence through songs of praise, but Satan has sought to provide a counterfeit.
Sixth, training is another method that New Agers use. The occult planning centre of the Movement is the Lucis Trust. Originally established as the Lucifer Publishing Company, the Lucis Trust has many means at its disposal to further the building of the New World. Two of its subsidiaries are the World Good-will and the Arcane School. The latter runs correspondence courses for New Age discipleship and leadership. They require their students to keep their participation a carefully guarded secret.
Seventh, New Agers use of symbols very effectively. The growing popularity of demonic symbols should not surprise us. Many Bible Scholars believe that demonic activities will escalate before and during the reign of the Antichrist. We can understand therefore, the multiplication of demonic-looking, alien images is all part of Satan’s plan to prepare us for future events.
The Bible teaches in Revelation 9:1-11 of a day when the Abyss (the bottomless pit where Satan will be cast for a thousand years) will open with a burst of smoke and release an army of powerful, deadly creatures onto the earth. They will look like a mixture of man, horse, and locust, with wings, “tails and stings like scorpions.” Their commander will be Satan himself. Our God will allow it, for man’s evil, as in the days of Noah-will call forth this judgment.
People are born with a natural fear of ugly, unusual creatures. The massive exposure and training through New Age oriented literature, games, movies, videos, symbols, music, toys, cartoons and so on, dull this natural protection and socialize them into acceptance. Gradually they are being conditioned to embrace demonic manifestations, whether they come as intelligent rescuers from outer space or as evolved mutations from earth itself.
The New Age Movement uses several symbols, one of which is the “swastika,” the occult Indo-Germanic sign of good luck. They also use the number “666” as referred to in Revelation 13:18,
Here is Wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beasts: for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred three scores and six.
This number, Alice Bailey believes, possesses “sacred qualities” and which New Agers teach should be used as frequently as possible in order to accelerate the progress of civilization and the coming of the New Age. Every citizen of the world will be given a number, which he or she will be required to use in all financial transactions, including minor purchases, with a universal credit card. Cash money, as a medium of exchange, will be abolished.
Another sign is the “rainbow.” New Agers teach that this symbolizes the bridge between man and the “over-soul” or “Great Universal Mind,” in the final analysis, Lucifer. In recent times the sign of the “rainbow” has become quite popular.
Other New Age symbols include, the pyramid, triangle, eye in a triangle, Pegasus (the winged horse from Greek mythology), concentric circles, rays of light, unicorn, Egyptian ankh, Star of David, sun, wheel, lotus, crystal, diamond dragon or serpent, centaur and mermaid. We need to understand that not every one who uses these symbols is a New Ager or has New Age connections. Some people may be using these symbols, some of which at one time were regarded as Christian, quite innocently. New agers also use many symbols of the occult, for example, the goat’s head and the pentagram.
The appealing images and visions bombard our minds, making many doubt God and seek “better” ways to power-living. Many young people create an imaginary world that seems more real and exciting than true reality. Quick to believe that nothing is impossible for man, viewers grasp for illusive dreams of space conquests, time travel, promiscuity with consequences, and connection with higher beings. An article in Time Magazine has stated,
A strange mix of spirituality and superstition is sweeping across the country, and this is mirrored in the renewal of interest in the world of occultism.41
According to “Time,” Bantam Books, one of the largest Publishers of Paperbacks in the United States, has stated that :
Its New Age titles have increased ten fold in the past decade. The number of New Age bookstores has doubled in the past five years to about 2,500… and fledgling magazines with names like New Age, Body, Mind, & Spirit, and Brain-Mind Bulletin” have made their appearance upon the religious scene. According to Dr. John Weldon and John Ankerberg in their illuminating article “The Facts on the New Age Movement,” “more than 3,000 publishers of occult books and journals” along with the sales of New Age books have turned interest in the New Age into a “one-billion-dollar-a-year business. 42
How should Christians respond to all of this? If we reject everything associated with the New Age Movement we would be guilty of having the “taboo and quarantine mentality.” If we accept all, we would fall prey to the “ostrich or chameleon mentality.”
First, we should note that much of New Age ideas and practices are inspired by a pantheistine, monistic and spiritistic world view. In this, as in all things, we should be guided by the word of God. The Apostle Paul states,
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Phil. 4:8).
Second, we should evaluate everything to ascertain whether New Age intention and message pollute what beauty may they appear to present. The Apostle Paul warns,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Col. 3:16, NIV).
The significance of the New Age Movement lies in the fact that it has reached out to high profile celebrities, these include Shirley MacLaine, Merv Griffin, Linda Evans, John Denver, Phalicia Rashad, Sharon Gless, and others. These highly revered stars all accept the New Age thinking and publicly declare that New Age concept of reality and religious truth, works. They are effective witnesses. Shirley MacLaine’s book “Out on a Limb,” promotes New Age thinking. She sponsors seminars and raises funds to promote the New Age teaching which is well promoted in the media.
The significance of the Movement can be measured as well by the strength and power of its future leadership. Several world renowned financiers, corporations and leaders are cooperating with New Age leaders to usher in the New age World Order. Among them are J. Peter Grace, a multi millionaire, and head of a multinational corporation. Grace reportedly conducts seminars at Windstar, a New Age Community in Colorado. He promote global peace outside our Lord Jesus Christ and a One World Consciousness. R.E. “Ted” Turner, proprietor of Cable News Network is head of an organization called, The Better World Society. He reportedly called for the election of a New Age President in 1988. Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain are supporters of New Age Holistic Health philosophies.
Mikhail Gorbachev is one of the foremost New Age teacher and leader. The list of powerful people can go on and on.
The New Age Movement threatens the very foundation of the Judeo-Christian religion. It challenges our fundamental belief in objective truth and moral absolutes. Walter Martin states,
In New Age thinking, truth is perceived individually, and it is not uncommon for the New Age believer to say “that’s your truth, this is mine,” as if truth like beauty exists only in the eye of the beholder. 43
Martin continues,
The threat of the New Age Movement cannot be underestimated in our public schools where children are taught mantras, meditation words, and meditation techniques. They are subjected to “values clarification” in which moral, ethical, and spiritual values become purely subjective in nature and not subject to any meanings apart from those assigned by the child. In this jumbled scenario, reality becomes lost in a shuffle of conflicting vocabulary and the law of the semantic jungle declares pragmatism: “If it works, use it-if it feels good, do it.” 44
It is no wonder that Time, quoting several Christian writers noted,
Humans are essentially religious creatures and they don’t rest until they have some sort of answers to the fundamental questions. Rationalism and secularism don’t answer those questions. 45
In New Age thinking anything is permissible since there is no personal God to account to. There is no measuring rod for “good” and “evil.” The New Age Movement is a,
Recipe for ethical anarchy . . . it’s both messianic and millennial. 46
The Bible prophesies that in the end of the ages, false prophets, false christs, and false teachers will proliferate this world.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Matt.24:11)
They will proclaim,
. . . here is the Christ! or there he is!. . . (Matt. 24:23, NIV).
In the words of the living Christ,
. . . Today this scripture fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:21, NIV)
Notes to Chapter Four
1. Donald Keys, “All about Planetary Citizens:” A seminar in Four parts. Quoted by Martin, p. 66.
2. Schlink, p. 17.
3. Jesica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, “Networking: The First Report and Directory,” as quoted in whole Life Times, July/Aug. 1982, p. 49. Quoted by Hunte, p. 9.
4. Ferguson, p. 213. Quoted by Martin, p. 36.
5. Lipnack and Stamps, p. 227. Quoted by Martin p. 67.
6. Donald Keys and Wills Harman, “Sharing Personal and Planetary Security,” tape (San Anselmo, Calif. Conference Coordinating Company, 1986). Quoted by Martin, p. 68.
7. Kjos, p. 133.
8. Kjos, p. 134.
9. Kjos.
10. Martin, pp. 118-121.
11. Martin, pp. 120-121.
12. Kjos, p. 85
13. David Ansen, “The Raider of Lost Art,” Newsweek (23 May 1988): 70. Quoted Kjos, p. 87.
14. Kjos, p. 89.
15. Kjos.
16. Kjos, p. 100
17. Marlin Maddoux, America Betrayed (Shreveport, Louisiana: Huntington House, Inc. 1984), p. 87. Quoted by Kjos, p. 102.
18. Kjos, p. 103.
19. Kjos.
20. Kjos, p. 107.
21. Kjos, pp. 120-121.
22. Kjos, pp. 116-117.
23. Kjos, p. 119.
24. Larry McLain, From tape of Lecture titled, “The Rising Interest in the Supernatural,” given at the Seventh Mid-America Prophesy Conference, Oklahoma City, 27 July 1988. Quoted by Kjos, p. 122.
25. Douglas Groothuis, Confronting the New Age (Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1988) pp. 190-191.
26. Kjos, p. 145.
27. Steven Halpern and Louis Savary, Sound Health (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985) p. 186. Quoted by Groothuis, p. 191.
28. Steven Halpern, “A Spiritual Context for Music,” The American Theosophist (Fall 1986), p. 311; quoted in Richard Dinwiddie, “The New Age Music Theology,” Gloria 1, no. 3 (September 1987), 3. Quoted by Groothuis, pp. 191-192.
29. Rick Ingrasci, “A little light Music,” New Age Journal (Nov./Dec. 1987), 71. Quoted by Groothuis p. 192.
30. Master of Life, Issue 35, p. 38. Quoted by Groothuis, p. 192.
31. Master of Life.
32. Master of Life, p. 193.
33. Master of Life.
34. Kjos, p. 146.
35. Kjos.
36. Kjos.
37. Groothuis, p. 193.
38. Kjos, pp. 147-148.
39. Jeff Lilley,”Dabbling in Danger,” Moddy Monthly (March 1989), 17. Quoted by Kjos, p. 148.
40. Kjos, p. 149.
41. Martin, p. 21
42. Martin.
43. Martin, p. 22.
44. Martin.
45. Time, Dec. 7, 1987, p. 72. Quoted by Martin, p. 22.
46. Time.
Word Count for Chapter Four 8, 448
CHAPTER FIVE
AGENDA OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
“The Plan” that Alice Bailey claimed was communicated to her through mediumistic dictations consists of the establishment of a New World Order, a New World Government and a New World Religion.
The following are some of the points of “The Plan:”
Point #1
The Principal aim of the Plan is to establish a One world, New Age Religion and a one world political and social order.
Point #2
The New Age World Religion will be a revival of the idolatrous religion of ancient Babylon in which mystery cults, sorcery and occultism, and immortality florished.
Point #3
The Plan is to come to fullnes when the New Age Messiah, the Antichrist with the number 666, comes in the flesh to lead the unified New World Religion and oversee the new one world order.
Point #4
Spirit guides (demons) will help man in inaugurate the New Age and pave the way of the Antichrist, the New Age man-god, to acclaimed by humanity as the Great World Teacher.
Point #5
“World Peace!,” “Love!,” and “Unity!,” will be the rallying cries of the New Age Religion.
Point #6
New Age teachings are to be taught and propagated in every sphere of the society and around the globe.
Point #7
New Age leaders and believers will spread their apostasy that Jesus is neither God nor the Christ.
Point #8
Christianity and all other religions are to become integral parts of the New Age World Religion.
Point #9
Christian principles must be discredited and abandoned.
Point #10
Children will be spiritually seduced and indoctrinated and the classroom used to promote New Age dogma.
Point #11
Flattery will be employed to enticed the world into believing that man is a divine god.
Point #12
Science and New Age World Religion will become one.
Point #13
Christians who resist The Plan will be dealt with. If necessary, they will be exterminated and the world “purified.” 1
Texe Marrs has further skillfully outlined the following four foundational principles of this Plan. He states:
The Plan embodies four foundations stones. First, the one world system must be formed upon the premise that is, “found at the roots of all the great world religions”: that man is destined “to progress toward a state of Godhood translated into terms of as living human civilization.
Second, the framework of the one world designs must
include unity, the concept that “Both man and his planet are living organisms and that the love of man must include an understanding and love of our planet, as a living being, and of all the kingdoms in nature.”
Third, the planet earth and man (including all animal and plant life) combined will make up a World Body to be governed by an elite group of twelve wise men. Collectively known as The World Mind, this body will constitute a World Government which will act for the good of all humanity.
Finally, The Plan will confer to this World Mind of elite rulers sufficient power and authority so it can synthesize or unify all aspects of life, including religion, art, and science. 2
“The Plan” calls for the organic unity of the planet. The “World Mind” will take total control of every aspect of life on earth.
According to Alder, man’s duty is to,
To perform all the acts of his life in accordance with “The Plan.” 3
This group of elitist leaders who will constitute the World-Mind will be outstanding and trustworthy statesmen. They will be highly intellectual, deeply spiritual and fully committed men from all creeds and nationalities. They will be prepared through the system of meditation to conduct the business of this world consistent to the evolutionary process. Through the process of education the general population will nominate suitably qualified leaders to public office. Leadership in the New Age will occupy itself with indoctrinating the citizens to think this way. They will teach the major tenets of the New Age doctrines: pantheism, monism, reincarnation, and so on. Mueller explains this:
I have in mind the spiritual values, faith in oneself, the purity of one’s ;inner self which seems to me is the greatest virtue of all. With this approach, with this philosophy, with this concept alone, will we be able to fashion the kind of society we want… 4
Peter Lemesurier, a New Age pyramidologist and “expert” on prophecy states:
All individual human minds and will could eventually be merged into one vast world-wide megapsyche. 5
This simply means that the brains of all humans will be directly linked by wearing skullcap radio receivers.
According to Lemesurier,
At a stroke most of man’s major problems would be solved. 6
In the New Age each person will have instant, universal feedback with each other and with those in authority. There will no longer be any divisiveness. Every human being would become a man-cell of the greater body which is man himself. The same will be true of nations. Lemesurier is of the view that satellite tele-communications could be the forerunner of this World-Mind. All the technology to create such a universal thought system, he feels, is almost here. Texe Marrs states:
The technology needed to link the human mind directly to computers and robots is already a reality. The age of the biologically grown microchip (called the biochip or biocomputer) that can be surgically implanted in the human brain is on the immediate horizon, and other startling technological advancements are as little as a decade away. 7
It is possible that in the New Age there will be a system through which persons would wear an electronic devise on their body. This would make them subject to frightening and hideous mental images indistinguishable from reality if their thoughts were unacceptable to the men controlling the thought machine into which they were forcibly linked.
New mind control and brain-altering drugs that are currently being researched will provide another avenue of control. The education process of New Age man will render it easy for the New Age hierarchy who will demand absolute compliance with a World Mind.
“The Plan” calls for a gradual process of education and reorganization, not necessarily an instant revolution. The Ancient Masters of Wisdom-the spirit hierarchy- will take their place on the world throne of power only after full preparations have been made. The New Age Messiah and his disciples will then slowly extend their powers to control government, education, science, the arts, medicine, law, economics, and religion.
According to Alder,
Spiritual councils’ will be set up in every town, village, and city and in every workplace to monitor the new system. All aspects of life will be examined to inspire conformance with the New World Religion. The final arbiter for all man’s activities-governing his every thought-will be the New Age Bible, containing the Great Mystery Teachings of the ages, given to the world by the “Christ” who reigns as the New World ruler. 8
There will be a Council of Education and Psychology to indoctrinate the world’s citizens to accept responsibility for their own development and destiny. All of these mechanisms will combine to bring man’s mind and will under total dominion.
Alder remarks that:
…the right frame of mind would be evoked through…meditation. All Christians would believe that they are producing conditions in which Christ could guide and lead them in their efforts. 9
The New Age has plans for a One World Religion and a One World Government. According to New Agers we are about to enter a New World Order. This is the Great Awakening or the dawning of the New Age. Vera Alder writes,
There is actually a Plan and a Purpose behind all creation…World Unity is the goal towards which evolution is moving. The World Plan includes: A World Organization…A World Economy…A World Religion. 10
The main event in “The Plan” is the coming of the New Age “christ” and the building of the Kingdom on earth. This will be accomplished by a new race of god-men. For New Agers the revolution has already begun and the pace is quickening. “The Plan” includes,
The elimination of fear, the dissolving of false beliefs, and the erasing of Karmic debts in each individual soul. 11
According to “The Plan” there is no lost soul. Sin need not disqualify anyone, for every soul is part of the Master Plan.
“The Plan” is concerned with rebuilding mankind. New Agers teach that the earth must soon undergo chaos through a process of purification. Christians are among those to be “purified.” Lord Maitreya, who many believe is the Messiah of the New Age will supervise this purification process. Humanity is to undergo a transitional period. This is a period of turning from the old age of darkness to the New Age of light during which time those with “negative vibrations” will be removed from the earth. It includes the installation of a New World Government and New World Religion under Lord Maitreya. “The Plan,” according to New Age leaders is making steady progress. The final stage is the materialization of a heaven on earth over which Lord Maitreya will preside. Some think that the year AD 2000 is a key date for this.
The New Age Movement sees the present political structure, the goals and present methods of this world as being obsolete and ineffective in achieving the needs of humanity. As such the world political system needs to be completely transformed, not merely reformed. New Agers openly advocate the dissolution and/or destruction of individual Nation States in the interests of peace and conservation.
The Movement aims at the formation of a “New World Order” marked by “group consciousness” and “synergy” or “combined action.” It will be a world where each person realizes his own interdependence with the whole. This is the secret behind its popular philosophy “Unity-in-Diversity.” New Agers are working toward a centralizing of power on a global level. Physicist Fritjof Capra writes,
During the second half of our century it has become increasingly apparent that the nation-state is no longer workable as an effective unit of governance. It is too big for the problems of its local populations and, at the same time, confined by concepts too narrow or the problems of global interdependence. Today’s highly centralized national governments are able neither to act locally nor to think globally. Thus political decentralization and regional developments have been urgent needs of all large countries. This decentralization of economic and political power will have to include a redistribution of production and wealth, to balance foods and populations within countries and between the industrial nations and the Third World. 12
Since there can be no world unity until each one discovers one’s own essential unity with each person in the world community, we must come to the place where we realize that “I am you and you are me.” Shirley MacLaine states:
Maybe the tragedy of the human race was that we had forgotten that we were each Divine. And if we realize that, we could dispel fear from our lives. In dispelling fear, we could dispel hate. And much more. With fear we would rid ourselves of greed and war and killing.13
This global spiritual unity will lead to a global cooperation among Governments of the world. Just as within a country the will of the individual is subordinate to that of the whole, in the same way the will of individual countries within the world community must submit to the wider society. Alice Bailey states,
In the coming world state, the individual citizen- gladly and deliberately and with full consciousness of all that he is doing-will subordinate his personality to the good of the whole. 14
New Agers teach that this World Government is inevitable. It will not be forced upon mankind. It will be a natural and logical extension of universal brotherhood. All the world will cooperate with each other to bring about the redistribution of the world’s
produce.
This globalized Government requires a Planetary Police Force for security. Only those who subscribe to a monistic and pantheistic world view would be allowed to control this Police Force. The group “Planetary Citizens” is sponsoring an “Interdependent Commission on World Security Alternatives,” which is enlisting various peace, disarmament, and systems-experts to design a practical, and non threatening global security system.
New Agers are well focused on their vision for a global village. They are working for world unity. They sing “We are the world.” They seek to overcome world hunger.
The agenda of the New Age Movement is also rooted in man’s desire to attain unity with man acting as the sole authority. It does not recognize the authority of a sovereign and omnipotent God. Douglas Groothuis observes,
In the New Agers’ agenda, they must lay the brick of a new Babel, proclaiming an order whose ultimate unity and direction opposes the Creator. (see Genesis 11:1-9). The ancient world-order enthusiasts in Genesis tried to force the “apostate thesis of ultimate oneness and equality onto all mankind” in order to build a “one-world order and usher in paradise apart from God” (Rushdoony 1979. That is what the New Agers are trying to do today, and their attempt is equally in vain. All towers of Babel are built in vain, apart from the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. 15
The political agenda of the New Age Movement is extremely dangerous. It is founded in false confidence in human potential and not in dependence on divine guidance. According to New Agers, the all-pervading Cosmic Christ fills each man with potential.
New Agers base their call for world unity on occultic revelations. Many adhere rigidly to the writing of Alice Bailey who speaks of the “Masters of the Hierarchy.” Their “Ascended
Masters” are those who are believed to have reached the highest level of consciousness and have become guides of the spiritual evolution of mankind. These are the ones who are engaged in the out-working of “The Plan” on earth.
The globalism that is part of the New Age political agenda is in fact a serious form of idolatry. It exalts man as sovereign lord. Groothuis comments:
An idolatrous internationalism must be rejected by Christians. Christ is Lord; neither the nations nor the planet are sovereign. Global government, or what could be termed ” the cosmic state,” must be rejected as idolatry, since cosmic humanism, enthrones man in the place of God. 16
Among the New Age Groups that are outwardly aggressive New Age promoters that are penetrating the society, are:
The Green Party-The Green Party . . . a growing political power that seeks to challenge traditional politics by emphasizing issues such as ecology, feminism, and disarmament. “Green parties are active in every nation in Wester Europe, many Asian countries, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Brazil. In the United States, approximately one hundred local green groups are linked through a national network and clearing-house the Committees of Correspondence.
Greenpeace U.S.A.-Greenpeace is a non profit environmental organization with over 2.5 million supporters worldwide, The ultimate goal of the group is to engender a “planetary consciousness” in the world. They promote ocean ecology, disarmament, and the prevention of toxic pollution. They accomplish their goals by two means: educating people and legislative lobbying. Greenpeace is thoroughly New Age and affirms that “our ultimate goal. . .is to help bring about that basic change in thinking known as planetary
consciousness.
Planetary Citizens-This is an activists group committed to engendering “planetary consciousness” among New Age groups, the general public, and world leaders. Donald Keys says of Planetary Citizens:
Our goal is largely to try to orchestrate. . . a general awakening, a crossing of the threshold of global awareness . . . for as large a part of the population of the world as we can . . . There has to be some critical mass of public awareness, of planetary consciousness, before politicians will move, before foreign offices will get into gear, before teaching changes in the schools.
The Unity-in-Diversity Counsel-This group is a New Age “metanetwork” of over 100 networks and groups. The counsel promotes global cooperation and interdependence on a worldwide scale. Elliot Miller comments:
Unlike traditional Eastern mysticism, which tends to be reclusive, the New Age movement is increasingly marked by efforts to penetrate society. The force behind this is an evolving ethic and stresses a balance between internal (personal) and external (social) “transformation.” 17
Martin adds to the above list the following:
Association for Humanistic Psychology-A worldwide network that explores human potential, person growth, and holistic health. The group publishes a journal and features workshops on topics such as optimal health, self-healing, and spirituality.
Association for Research and Enlightenment-This groups promotes the teachings of psychic Edgar Cayce. Seminars and workshops are sponsored on topics such as self-hypnosis, visualization, and psychic guidance.
Association for Transpersonal Psychology-An international organization that publishes a newsletter and lists various graduate programs in transpersonal (holistic) psychology.
Chinook Learning Center-A learning center that features seminars and workshops designed to effect personal and global harmony. Seminars are offered on topics such as “Spiritual and Cultural Transformation” and “Ritual and Ceremony.”
Esalen Institute-A human potential group that explores trends in religion philosophy, science, and education. The group offers a variety of seminars and workshops for mind, body, and soul at its Big Sur, California, location.
Farm, The-A counter-cultural New Age community in Summertown, Tennessee. This group does humanitarian work in America and abroad through its PLENTY Project.
Findhorn-A prototype New Age community located in Scotland that offers an ongoing educational program in the principles of New Age spirituality and world service. The community emphasizes the sacredness of everyday living.
Forum, The-Founded by Werner Erhard (of Est fame), The Forum targets the business community for its human potential seminars. The group teaches that each person creates his or her own reality and that people are responsible to no one but themselves. Human beings are depicted as having limitless potential.
Global Education Associates-This group speaks to engender a planetary perspective in young people. The group conducts intensive educational programs for the general public and provides speakers and consulting service for schools, religion organizations, and community groups.
Interface-A group that sponsors activities on a variety of New Age interests including consciousness, meditation, and transpersonal psychology. They also offer body-mind classes and workshops.
Lifespring-A New Age consciousness-raising group that offers human potential seminars. Lifespring teaches that man is perfect and good just the way he is, promises enlightenment to its clients, and is similar to The Forum in its emphasis that people create their own reality.
Lucis Trust-Originally incorporated as the Lucifer Publishing Company, this group publishes and promotes the writings of New Age prophetess Alice Bailey.
Pacific Institute-A group that offers human potential seminars with an emphasis on self-actualization through visualization and affirmation. Clients include many Fortune 500 companies.
Self-Realization Fellowship-This group provides home-study lessons that focus on Kriya Yoga meditation techniques and the teachings of the late Paramahansa Yogananda. The group seeks to train students in the harmonious development of body, min and soul.
Sierra Club, The-A nonprofit group that promotes
conservation of the natural environment by attempting to influence public policy decisions. Volunteer activists associated with the group involve themselves in letter-writing campaigns and political lobbying. Not all involved are necessarily New Agers.
Sirius Community-A community that sponsors a full week of workshops in a spiritual living environment. This group incorporates meditation and dance into their daily routine. The group also offers day and weekend programs on topic such as holistic health and mythology.
Tara Center-New Age organization headed by writer/lecturer Benjamin Creme. With the Tara Center as his platform, Creme often speaks on the emerging New Age and its social, political, and economical order.
Theosophical Society-A group that promotes the ideas of Helen Perovna Balvatsky and Annie Besant. The goals of the group are to (1) form a universal brotherhood; (2) do comparative study of world religions, science, and philosophy; and (30 explore the psychic and spiritual; powers latent in man.
Windstar Foundation_A group founded by John Denver that promotes “global awareness” and “a sustainable future.” They also sponsor programs in ecology, conflict-resolution, and citizen diplomacy. 18
The New Age Movement also has religious ambitions. It has its own holy scriptures, prayers, mantras, and spiritual centres. One such centre is the Findhorn community in Scotland which was ounded in 1962 and the Esalen Institute in California, United States of America. Other centres are rapidly emerging around the world.
According to New Agers:
christ will set up a new world religion. In the New Age: The implementation of the New World Religion will proceed apace, after the reappearance of the Christ.
On the fact of God and of man’s relation to the divine, on the fact of immortality and of the continuity of divine revelation, and upon the fact of the constant emergence of Messengers from the divine center, the new world religion will be based. to these facts must be added man’s assured, instinctive knowledge of the existence of the path to God and of his ability to tread it, when the evolutionary process has brought him to the point of a fresh orientation to divinity and to the acceptance of the fact of God Transcendent and of God Immanent within every form of life. these are the foundational truths upon which the world religion of the future will rest. 19
This unity of all religions is necessary in order that the “oneness of mankind” become a reality. Robert Muller, recently retired United Nations Assistant Secretary General, commented on the unity of religions:
For the first time in history we have discovered that this is one planet on which we live. Now it remains for us to discover that we are also one human family and that we have to transcend all national, linguistic, cultural, racial, and religious differences which have made our history. We have a chance to write a completely new history. 20
Martin quotes Matthew Fox’s concept of deep ecumenism,
Deep ecumenism is the movement that will unleash the wisdom of all world religions: Hinduism and Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, Taoism and Shintoism, Christianity in all its forms, and native religions and goddess religions throughout the worlds. This unleashing of wisdom holds the last hope for the survival of the planet we call home. 21
Basilea Schlink states,
The basic teaching of this organization was that all world religions had common truths that transcended potential differences. The members believed in the
existence of masters who were wither spirit beings or fortunate men more highly evolved than the common herd-in other words, especially illuminated persons. 22
New Agers accept the co-existence of various religions but they see the basic teaching of truth from all religions as centering around one foundational truth, the “divinity of man.”
Regarding this core truth, David Spangler writes,
What is seeking to emerge is a body of people who are nourishers and who are quite literally what Jesus called “salt of the earth,” but consciously so, spiritually so, accepting their divinity without becoming inflated by it, and acting within the sphere of their influence to draw that same divinity out of others. . .. These are givers of life, and they are forming the basis for the government of the future. 23
They reinterpret Christianity in this light. They see it as “Esoteric Christianity.”
New Age religion includes the use of certain psycho-technologies. They embrace programmes such as: meditation, yoga, Zen, hypnosis, transpersonal psychology and positive thinking. New Agers occasionally promote mind-altering drugs such as LSD as a means of opening up people to the movement. They refer to drugs as “tools for transformation,”
While they do not encourage the permanent and widespread use of drugs, they see it as a vehicle to open people’s minds, as a first step towards initiation and illumination. Through the use of mantras, intense desire or mediation, such as transcendental meditation (TM), they teach that we can attain the “higher and lower powers.” New Agers seek guidance from demonic entities, the “Masters of Wisdom” in the planetary hierarchy. It is here that the “The Plan.” originates. New Agers believe in Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) which they claim transport beings from outer-space. These aliens, communicate special messages.
All New Agers have in common a counterfeit religious experience. They attempt to reach “an altered state of consciousness” through the use of these hallucinating and psychedelic drugs that enable them to enter into experiences identical to those of the gurus in the depths of yoga and meditation.
Groothius clearly states,
The Bible repeatedly speaks of spiritual counterfeits:
counterfeits Christs (Mt 24:5; Acts 5:36-37), counterfeit prophets (Deut 13:1-4; Mt 7:15; 24:11), counterfeit miracles (Ex 7:8-13), counterfeit angels (2 Cor 11:14), counterfeit gods (Gal.4:8), counterfeit good works (Mt 7:15-23), Counterfeit godliness (2 Tim 3:5), counterfeit converts (1 Jn 2:19; 2 Cor. 11:26) counterfeits spirits (1 Jn 4:1-3), counterfeit doctrine (1 Tim 4:1-3) and counterfeit gospels (Gal. 1:6-10). 24
The Bible states,
Let no one be found among you who . . . practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, (Deuteronomy 18:10-12: NIV).
NEW ECONOMIC ORDER
The New Age christ will set up a new economic system.
[By his] presence in the world, He seeks to save millions from death and misery through starvation, and to release from bondage those now languishing in the prisons of the world for the “crime” of independent thought. 25
There will be the reconstruction of the world’s financial and total economic order in the New Age. The economic goals include the establishing of a universal credit card system, a world food authority which would control the world’s food supply, a universal tax system, a universal draft, the replacement of private ownership of credit, transport and staple production with ownership by a world directorate.
Lutzer and DeVries state,
A new credit system will replace the cumbersome monetary transactions of today. The world now has the capability to do this with computers. We can expect there will be attempts to standardize the currency so that the world will actually become one global village, able to do business with more ease and equity.
The January 1988 edition of The Economist carried a story entitles, “Get Ready for a World Currency.” The article said that governments and businessmen are becoming weary of exchange rates. “Thirty years from now, Americans, Japanese, Europeans, and people in many other rich countries and some relatively poor countries will probably be paying for their shopping in the same currency,” the article begins. All that we need, the author says, is a few more economic setbacks and exchange rate upsets. The boundaries between different countries will disappear and the world money supply
will be controlled by a central bank. The advantages
for trade and efficient government are obvious. Of the new currency, of which the writer identifies as the “phoenix,” “this means a big loss of economic sovereignty, but the trends that make the phoenix so appealing are taking that sovereignty away in any case. 26
The agenda of the New Age Movement for the New Social Order will include:
The recognition of biological controls on a worldwide basis of population and disease.
A minimum standard of freedom and welfare throughout the world.
A duty of subordinating personal life to that of a world directorate. 27
One of its leaders of the “Open Conspiracy,” Jose Arguelles, master-minded the worldwide Harmonic Convergence of August 16-17, 1987. Many thousands of Satanist, pagans, and other New Agers assembled to herald the dawning of a New Age. Arguelles stated,
We’re almost at the completion stage of bringing all the thousands of New Age groups, organizations and churches together. 28
The purpose of the 1987 Harmonic Convergence was to select “144,000 rainbow warriors” around the world to become divine leaders of the emerging New Age Kingdom and Planetary Government. These are the ones who shall will rule Planet Earth. Arguelles
has stated that at this huge “cosmic festival” participants united in “surrender to the higher intelligence that rules this planet.” From a Biblical perspective, the rainbow warriors are
disciples of Satan.
Jose Arguelles along with others believe that the Harmonic Convergence started a five-year plan during which the New Age is to gain incredible momentum toward achieving its goal of world domination. This five-year plan is seeking to:
(1) Bring all New Age groups, organizations and churches together in unity and strength.
(2) Establish a “mediarchy,” composed of all television, radio, newspaper, and other media who will work jointly to set up a propaganda environment favorable to the New Age.
(3) “Destructure civilization,” dismantling national governments and setting up a one world order based on global units called “bioregions.” The United States of America will be dissolved as a national entity.
(4) “Purify the earth,” a hazy and vague concept which, when properly analyzed, clearly means the forcible establishment of a one world religion and the abolishing of true Biblical Christianity. Christian resisters will be killed.
(5) Merge humanity with “spirit guides” and “ascended masters” from the invisible spirit world. (Christians know this simply means the possession of human beings on a mass scale by demons from the pit of hell).
(6) Exalt humanity to godhood. Citizens of the New age
Kingdom will be suddenly and magically capable of superhuman feasts. The present weak and inferior Aryan race of Aquarian Man. Those unfit to join this new, advanced race of superbeings will be destroyed, possibly to be reincarnated later.
(7) Seize and redistribute the world’s resources and riches, through the principle of “sharing.”
(8) Bring in the New Age Messiah, or “Christ,” now in the wings anxiously awaiting the moment of international crisis when he can assume the reins of world power. 29
Notes to Chapter Five
1. Texe Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age (Illinois: Crossway Books, 1988) pp. -16-17.
2. Marrs, p. 170.
3. Marrs, p. 171.
4. Marrs
5. Marrs, p. 172.
6. Marrs
7. Marrs, p. 172.
8. Vera Adler, When Humanity Comes of Age (New York: Samuel Weiser, 1974), pp. 32, 33, 36-40. Quoted by Marrs, p. 173.
9. Marrs, p. 174.
10. Marrs, p. 18.
11. John Randolph Price, The Planetary Commission (Austin, Texas. Quartus Books, 1984), pp. 47, 48
12. Fritjof Capra, The Turning Point (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982), p. 398. Quoted by Martin, p. 64.
13. Shirley MacLaine, Out on a Limb (New York: Bantam, 1983), p. 347, Quoted by Amano and Geisler, p. 90.
14. Alice Bailey, Education in the New Age (New York, Lucis, 1954) p. 122. Quoted by Amano and Geisler, p. 90.
15. Douglas Groothuis, “Politics: Building an International Platform,” The New Age Rage, ed. by Karen Hoyt and J. Isamu Yamanoto (Old Tappan, N.J.: Revell, 1987), p. 104. Quoted by Martin pp. 72-73.
16. Douglas Groothuis, The New Age Rage, p. 105. Quoted by Martin p.73.
17. Martin, pp. 65-66.
18. Marrs, pp. 115-118.
19. Amano and Geisler, pp. 127.
20. The Movement Newspaper, “U.N.’s Robert Muller to speak at Universal Peace Conference” (February 1983), p. 21. Quoted by Martin, p. 71.
21. Martin, p. 13
22. Schlink, p. 7
23. David Spangler, Explorations: Emerging Aspects of the New Culture (Forres Scotland: Findhorn Publications, 1981) p. 85. Quotes by Martin p. 71.
24. Groothuis, p. 19
25. Amano and Geisler, p. 19
26. Erwin W. Lutzer and John F. DeVries, Satan’s Evangelistic Strategy for this New Age ( Wheaton, Illinois: SP Publications Inc., 1989), p. 149.
27. Schlink, p. 12.
28. Texe Marrs, Mystery Mark of the New Age (Westchester, Illinois: 1988), p. 14
29. Marrs, pp. 14-15.
Word count for Chapter Five 5, 291
CHAPTER SIX
WHEN WILL THIS SO-CALLED NEW AGE BEGIN
AND
WHAT WILL THE SOCIETY BE LIKE?
New Age leaders are offering an era of world peace, an era of religious unity, an era of brotherhood, and an era of universal joy. The New Age is a new heaven on earth with every man having the opportunity to be a god. Multiplied millions who accept this New Age Plan for a One World Religion and a One World Political Order will discover that they have been deceived and have fallen prey to a grand scheme for a totalitarian system that is carefully calculated to enslave them.
New Agers believe that man has been going through a long series of births and rebirths in this world. The lessons learned from each stage in this evolutionary process will enable man to organize this perfect World Order or Government. Alder, one of the exponents of the New Age Plan, believes that there is a heritage of wisdom that man can draw from and on which he can build a foundation. From this platform, he can move forward with a clear purpose and with a determined will to bring about a golden age. Alder states:
The origin of all such (Mystery) knowledge all over the world is buried in the mists of time and usually stated to have been given to mankind by ‘the Gods.1
Alder is of the view that in the civilizations of ancient Babylon, Sumeria, Assyria, and Egypt there was a system of high priests, astrologers and magicians. These rulers were expected to have reached these exalted religious positions only after a long period of initiation into the Mystery Teachings of Ancient Wisdom. She believes that Buddha and Jesus also were initiated into these Mysteries. According to Alder the early Christian Church saw these mystery teachings as being evil in nature and bitterly persecuted those who believed in them. In spite of this persecution, the high priesthood was able to survive. The cherished Mystery Teachings are maintained under the various systems like the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Alchemists, Kabbalists, Yogis and many others. This knowledge is man’s key to godhood and to his true destiny.
Undoubtedly, the early Christians and the devout Jews of the time saw the evil that lay in the Mystery Teachings. They understood that the Old Testament issued strict warnings against practices such as necromancy (communication with familiar spirits), witchcraft, sexual perversions, astrology, psychic forecasting, divination, the worship of idols, and the upholding of men as deities. These brought the people into captivity in
Babylon.
Later in 70 A.D., it caused the Roman general Titus to totally decimate Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and disperse the Jews throughout the world. The Mystery Teachings that form the basis for the New Age really displease God.
For Alder these Mystery Teachings, kept hidden for centuries by an elite priesthood, are now being released in a way that is suitable for the present day as a result of the work of Theosophy founder, H. P. Blavatsky. Alder feels that we owe a special debt to Alice Bailey, founder of the Lucis Trust and The Arcane School, because she received instructions from her spirit guide, the Tibetan Master Djwhal, on the Mystery Teachings regarding a Plan for humanity. For New Agers, these instructions have come at this particular point in time because:
Humanity is considered (by the Hierarchy) to have moved forward to the point where the theories and ideals of the Mystery Teaching may soon be put into practice in the life of the community as a whole, because a sufficiently large number of people are now so advanced as to make this possible. The ancient writings all claim that a Golden Age is indeed due to follow the death of the present Dark Age. 2
New Agers believe that now is the time for the dawning of the New Age. People are attempting to rebuild civilization. Plans and hope for world reconstruction are now universal and form an important part of all strata of the community. New Agers are building on this hope.
According to New Agers, in order for this New Age to be ushered in there must be a “paradigm shift” or a change in the conventional way of thinking. There must be a change from the previous analytic mode of thought, corresponding to the linear and mechanistic conception of the world, to a new holistic perspective, the belief in the interconnectedness of all things or the “Doctrine of Wholeness.” According to Basilea Schlink:
All things are interdependent and accordingly need to be regarded holistically. Every individual feels part of nature and of the whole cosmos-a microcosmos in the macrocosmos. Rational thinking, the basis of scientific method, must give way to synthetical thinking and intuitive knowledge based on non-rational experience. 3
The highest goal of man according to New Agers, is to find happiness. Mankind must replace performance and output, generally considered the criteria for living, with personal satisfaction and success. New Agers channel fear of coming apocalyptic events into escapism to a utopian world society where there are no fears and tensions. The New Age Movement believes that the world is waiting for more revealers of truth (avatars), such as Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Zoroaster, Moses, Krishna, and ultimately one designated as the Lord Maitreya. The Lord Jesus Christ is relegated to the role of demi-god or “one of many equally good ways.” He is not the way, the truth, and the life, as He taught in John 14:6.
This New World Order will effectively begin when the new christ consciousness comes to this world. This is the dawning of the “The Age of Aquarius” or the “Aquarian Age.” For New Agers, it is a spiritual Age when people will comprehend the teachings of Jesus because then they will have entered into an advanced stage of spiritual consciousness. This is also the time when New Agers will fully realize the goals of the Movement.
The whole concept of the “Age of Aquarius” is rooted in the discipline of astrology. Astrology superstitiously interprets the astronomical shifting of the vernal equinox, which approximately every two thousand (2000) years passes through a new constellation in the zodiac, and have serious effects on planet Earth. The vernal equinox at the turn of this century will pass from the constellation of Pisces, the Fish, to the constellation of Aquarius, the Water Bearer.
Some people think that this transition has already taken place since the year 1962. Early Christians often used the Fish as a mark of identification. New Agers argue that the transition from the zodiac sign of the Fish means that the era of Christ is coming to an end. Aquarius, the Water Bearer, will now pour water over the world to symbolize the coming of a new spirit. With the aid of meditation, yoga, psychotechnologies, and other such disciplines, this spirit will direct the people of the New Age to “consciousness expansion”. This aspired illumination will enable them to lead a trouble-free life.
Amano and Geisler state:
A number of prophecies have been given relative to forthcoming destruction and world change through cataclysm. Are we to expect this? Are we to expect a nuclear war, for example, to cleanse the Earth? What can we do to promote the consciousness of the New Age? This revelation came in answer to these questions. basically, it can be summed up by saying that the New Age is here now. It has taken shape and taken form. 4
The great New World Leader of the Age of Aquarius, will be a miracle-worker. We are seeing today a large number of signs, wonders, and miracles. New Agers are constantly reporting the occurrences of healings, miraculous psychic powers, and prophecies.
God does perform miracles, but we must be on the guard against misleading and lying signs and wonders. Anyone who does not agree that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is false. He may even be the Antichrist or his false prophet. The Bible teaches that after the Holy Spirit, the Restrainer, is lifted by God:
…then shall that wicked one be revealed….Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thess. 2:8-10).
Satan will empower that New Age christ, whom Christians believe to be the antichrist, and his prophet to perform these lying signs and wonders that shall deceive the whole world. It will not be by his own power but by a greater power (Dan. 8:24). He will derive his powers from his practice of Satanism, sorcery, and witchcraft, which occultists group under the term “the craft”.
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand….(Dan 8:24, 25).
This “New Age” christ will pose as a peacemaker. The whole world hungers for peace. One influential “New Age” groups, Global Forum, recently carried an editorial which read in part:
The human race must find solutions to the problems that menace its very existence. People will do anything that needs to be done when it comes to the issues of life and death. 5
The “New Age” christ will shed tears over the war-dead. He will deliver impassioned pleas for peace before the United Nations General Assembly. He will travel from nation to nation forging peace treaties. When he finally declares that world peace is guaranteed, the population will acclaim him to be a savior.
The Bible teaches that, this will be a false peace.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thess. 5:3).
True world peace will only be effected by the glorious return of Christ. Until then, there will be no peace.
The Bible states:
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them; they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. (Jer. 14:13, 14).
The christ of the New Age will rule over all the world. He will have planetary domain. Djwhal Khul, the spirit guide of the Lucis Trust, along with many other demons as well as “New Age” leaders have been longing for this.
We need… the political synthesis of a World Federation with the…World Brain…We need also a planetary way of life, a planetary ethics and a planetary way of feeling to supply the powerful drive we shall require for the great tasks that lie ahead of us. 6
The move to create a One World Order is on. New Agers are anxiously looking to this great world Leader who would help to effect the transition to the New Age. Many believe that he is now here, and he will save millions from misery and from death through starvation. He will release from bondage all those who are now suffering in the prisons of the world for the crime of independent thought.
This New Age christ is Lord Maitreya. “New Agers” have been publicizing his coming since April, 1982. They have taken out full page advertisements announcing that the christ is now here and that he is pointing the way out of our present crisis. This christ is not here to judge but to aid and inspire. Some of these advertisements read:
This World Teacher,. . . is Lord Maitreya, known to Christians as the Christ . . . to the Jews as Messiah, to the Buddhists the Fifth Buddha, to the Muslims as the Iman Madhi, and to the Hindus as Krishna. 7
For New Agers these are all different names for the same person.
Lutzer and DeVries list the following announcement:
On April 25, 1982, newspapers in 20 major cities world-wide carried a full page ad which in part reads,
THE WORLD HAS HAD ENOUGH…OF HUNGER, INJUSTICE, WAR. IN ANSWER TO OUR CALL FOR HELP AS WORLD TEACHER FOR ALL HUMANITY THE CHRIST IS NOW HERE. 8
The advertisement went on to say that Christ would be recognized by,
His extraordinary spiritual potency, the universality of His viewpoint, and His love for all humanity. He comes not to judge but to inspire.
This world teacher, the ad announced, is Lord Maitreya, known to Christians as the Christ, to the Jews as Messiah, to the Buddists as the Fifth Buddha, to the Muslims as the Iman Mahdi, and to the Hindus as Krishna. The ad stated that these are all names for the same person. This teacher would bring peace to the world through brotherhood and sharing. Through his enlightenment, earth’s problems would be solved. 9
“Maitreya” according to the New Age Movement, will be the man that the New Age Lucifer appoints to take control of the world. He will control the distribution and the supply of the world’s food. He will follow Lucifer’s instructions. He will establish a universal control system.
In the New Age, permission to trade and to do business will be granted only to those who pledge loyalty to “Maitreya” or, more specifically, to Lucifer, and to those who bear the number “666”. Benjamin Creme, a leading British New Ager, is a forerunner and spokesman of “Maitreya.” He has clearly stated that “Maitreya” who possesses extraordinary spiritual power, is already living in the world. Roger Ellis and Andrea Clarke, in their book, “The New Age and You,” have explained that “Maitreya” was scheduled to announce his identity within the next two months and communicate to all humanity through a worldwide radio and television broadcast. He did not do it, possibly because the
implementing of “The Plan” was not sufficiently advanced.
Alice Bailey had intended that the general public be well acquainted or knowledgeable with the idea of a planetary hierarchy of masters and that a large part of the population would be conditioned to accept their “Messiah.” “Maitreya” will be presented as a highly favoured person, who had achieved total evolutionary progress, or “christ consciousness.” He will serve as “Director of the Kingdom of God on earth”.
Many New Agers believe that their christ already reappeared in the world since June 1945.
He [Christ] came into the world by aeroplane and so fulfilled the prophecy of “coming in the clouds.” On July 8, 1977 He descended from the Himalayas into the Indian subcontinent and went to one of the chief cities there. he had an acclimatization period between July 8 and 18, and then on July 19 entered a certain modern country by aeroplane. He is now an ordinary man in the world-an extraordinary, ordinary man.
He is today and has been actively working-through the medium of the spiritual Hierarchy of our planet, of which He is the “Head”-for the welfare of humanity. 10
“Maitreya,” or the “Returning Christ,” will be introduced through “The Great Invocation,” an invocation for power and light. “The Great Invocation,” first published in 1945, is now distributed in at least forty (40) different languages throughout the world. It is similar to the World Healing Meditation. It contains passages that refer to the source of love and light in the heart of God. “The Invocation” reads:
Let the Forces of Light bring illumination to mankind. . .
Let the power attend the efforts of the Great Ones.
So let it be, and help us to do our part.
Let the Lord of Liberation issue forth. . . .
Let the Rider from the Secret Place come forth, and coming, save.
Come forth, O might One. . . .
Let Light and Love and Power and Death
Fulfill the purpose of the Coming One. . . .
Let the purpose guide the little will of men-
The purpose which the Masters know and serve. . . .
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil swells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the plan on Earth.
The demon Djwahl Khul told Alice Bailey that he gave this meditation out to the world under instruction from the New Age “Christ” who resides on Shamballa with his spirit helpers, the Hierachy In reciting and visualizing its content, the individual meditating is,
Khul notes, invoking this “Christ” other than Jesus to appear. 11
When we understand and we analyze New Age doctrines in light of the Bible, we can readily explain this Invocation:
“Let the Lords of Liberation issue forth”: Let the gates of hell be opened and the demons issue forth (see Rev. 6:8; 9:1-11).
“Let the Rider from the Secret Place come forth”: Let Satan be loosed from the pit to take peace from the earth, to kill and slaughter, and to gather unsaved souls (see Rev. 6:3-17; 9:11).
“Let Light and Love and Power and Death fulfill the purpose of the Coming One”: Let Satan’s ploys of “light” and “love” deceive so he can go forth with power to destroy souls.
“From the centre where the Will of God is unknown”: From Shamballa, the mystical, invisible kingdom where the New Age “Christ” and demons reside (i.e., hell),
where the will of Satan is known.
“The purpose which the Masters know and serve”: The Plan of Satan to ascend unto the heavens and become God, which his demons know and serve.
“Let the Plan of Love and Light work out”: Let Satan’s Plan to rule the universe and have man worship him as God prevail.
“And may it (The Plan) seal the door where evil dwells”: And may Satan’s Plan succeed in extinguishing all traces of God and eliminating those who know His Word. 12
The New Age christ will concern himself with implementing the “The Plan.” “Maitreya” called “the Christ,” is actually an Anti-Christian figure. New Agers claim that he is to be at the head of a hierarchy of gods or masters and he is superior to Jesus. Jesus is supposed to be one of his disciples and to be under his guidance. Jesus is given the lowest place on the “chart of masters.” “Maitreya” is alleged to be at the head of the seventh degree, the highest level. The New Age, which is the Age of Aquarius, is to be officially inaugurated by “Lord Maitreya.”
The “sword of cleavage” awaits “all who refuse to accept Maitreya the Christ”. “Maitreya” will seek to make the New World Religion mandatory. The New Age Movement threatens violence and even extermination to Jews and Christians if they are not willing to co-operate with “Maitreya” and the New World Religion. For all their talk about the need for “religious freedom”, New Agers vigorously support the view that religious freedom must cease in the New Age. The “new christ” plans to restructure Christianity. In practice, Biblical Christianity will be denied the right to exist.
According to New Agers, Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians talk about, is not the Christ who will appear at the end of this age and usher in the Aquarian Age.
The Christ Who will return will not be like the Christ Who (apparently) departed.
The Christ is not God. When I say, “the coming of Christ,” I don’t mean the coming of God, I mean the coming of a divine man, a man who has manifested His divinity by the same process that we are going through-the incarnational process, gradually perfecting Himself.
Jesus (of Nazareth) now lives in a Syrian body which is some 600 years old, and has His base in Palestine.
In the last 2,000 years [Jesus has] worked in the closest relation to the Christ, saving His time and energy where possible, and has special work to do with the Christ in churches. He is one of the Masters Who will very shortly return to outer work in the world, taking over the Throne of St. Peter, in Rome. He will seek to transform the Christian churches, insofar as they are flexible enough to respond correctly to the new reality which the return of the Christ and the Masters will create.
[The Christ who will appear] is a reincarnation of the Christ spirit in an occult master who has lived in the Himalayas for the past 2,000 years. 13
According to New Agers the conditions of the world will improve before Christ reappears.
The major required preparation is a world at peace; however, that peace must be based on an educated goodwill, which will lead inevitably to right human relations, and, therefore, to the establishment (figuratively speaking) of line of light between nation and nation, religion and religion, group and group, and man and man.
A measure of peace should be restored in the world.
The principle of Sharing should be in process of controlling economic affairs.
The energy of goodwill should be manifesting, and leading to the implementation of right human relationships.
The political and religious organizations throughout the world should be releasing their followers from authoritarian supervision over their beliefs and thinking. 14
The New Age christ will further bring global peace and unity.
He will reappear and guide mankind into a civilization and a state of consciousness in which right human relations and worldwide cooperation for the good of all will be the universal keynote. 15
The New Age christ will also teach the world:
Certain teachings will be given and certain energies will be released by Him in the routine of His work and coming. 16
The New Age christ will communicate to the world telepathically.
One day soon, men and women all over the world will gather round their radio and television sets to hear and see the Christ: to see His face, and to hear His words dropping silently into their minds-in their own language.
In this way they will know that He is truly the Christ, the World Teacher….Also in this way, the Christ will demonstrate the future ability of the race as a whole to communicate mentally, telepathically, over vast distances and at will. 17
The New Age christ will set up a new government.
World government will not be imposed on mankind but will be the result of the manifested brotherhood. the sharing and cooperation of all mankind, the redistribution of the produce of the world, will result in world government. Any attempt to achieve or impose world government without the acceptance of sharing is doomed to failure. 18
The New World Order and World Government that New Agers are looking for, is anti-Christian. They will seek to abolish Christian laws and symbols and to replace Christian festivals with pagan ones.
The New Age Movement categorically rejects Judeo-Christian religious traditions. Jews and Christians believe in the One God. For New Agers this is an antiquated belief system which is divisive in nature. The world needs to be liberated from these negative thought patterns. The only solution to this kind of stagnation is to destroy Christianity at its very roots.
The Antichrist and his followers will not only control politics, the economy, and all other aspects of society, they will author an unholy “New Age Bible,” that will not restrict man’s desire for a licentious lifestyle. Religious teachers ordained to supervise the “New Age” society will encourage almost anything that brings mankind pleasure.
Families: Alder suggests that monogamy-marriage to one mate-might be deemed “too possessive and separatist.” Thus, the traditional family may be broken up and laws passed prohibiting marriage.
Crime: Society will be soft on criminality in the radiant New Age:
A criminal or an idler will be recognized as a sick individual offering a splendid chance for wise help. Instead of being incarcerated with fellow unfortunates in the awful atmosphere of a person, the future “criminal” will be in much demand. The finest types of psychologists or religionists will offer him sanctuary and earnest help….
Sexual Behavior: The most perverse sexual practices will have legal and cultural sanction. For example, according to Alder, “the idea that an unmarried person of either sex should have to remain childless will seem far-fetched.”
Social Prohibitions and Fixed Beliefs: Vestiges from the past, when man believed in Christian principles, will have to be eradicated:
The sages of the East, such as the famed Zen Buddhists, contradicted everything that their students knew and believed in until there was nothing left….We should search ourselves very carefully to see if we have any fixed ideas, any great shyness or self-consciousness. If we have, we must seek freedom.
The penalty for Disobedience. In the New Age culture, every person will be his own judge of what is right and wrong, with this key exception: disobedience to the Antichrist by worshiping the true God will result in severe punishment. Revelation 13:15 tells us that the Beast will decree that “as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 19
Robert Mueller has said it so well:
God” could go away forever, leaving man to be his own god. Muller’s book paints a picture of a God who, after the New Age Kingdom is in place, looks down upon the earth and says:
Farewell, my grown-up children. At long last you are on the right path, you have brought heaven down to earth….I will now leave you…for I have to turn my attention to other troubled and unfinished celestial bodies. I now pronounce you Planet of God. 20
This is a brief description of the so-called bright New Age when the New Age Antichrist ascends to the throne of World Government. Texe Marrs states:
What we can expect is a tight-fisted theocracy with the technological means to make us “want” to obey. We can also expect a freedomless, sin-stained world in which carnality and bloody criminal behavior explode in a rampage. Erwin Chargaff,, the Nobel Prize-winning biologist often called the father of bioengineering, has said that he already sees “the dark beginnings of a new barbarism… which tomorrow will be called a ‘new culture.'” Few Christians can doubt the wisdom of Chargaff’s keen assessment of where man, without God, seems to be headed. 21
The New Age world-view is a mixture of ideas. It has many aspects and disguises and draws from many sources. Its influence is extremely diverse and far reaching. It adapts to its environment. This diversity has made it difficult to hold to the same ideas.
There are several other ideal basic themes, practices and techniques that engage the attention of the New Ager. This discussion deals with only a few.
The Bible teaches that a great but supremely evil world leader will arise on earth. He will be far more powerful and more demonically inspired than any man who has ever lived. This Leader is the Antichrist, the Beast with the number 666. The Antichrist will seize world political and economic power, and all of humanity will honor and obey him. The only exception are those who are chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ. These will resist and be killed. Their obliteration will simplify matters for the Beast. Without the restraining power of the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2), he will move quickly to establish a One World Religion and a One World Government.
The Bible of the Christians and the Jews will be revised and “objectionable” passages-for example those that refer to Jesus- will be removed. The Churches will all be unified in doctrine and ritual. The Image to the Beast will be set up in Christian churches and in all temples as a focal point for world religious unity. This Image will also remind mankind that the “Christ” of the Aquarian Age has come and that it is he who rules the planet.
The New Age “Christ” bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Christ of the Holy Bible. Instead the “christ” of Aquarian man will be the “son of perdition” prophesied by Saint Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2. The New Age “christ” will be filled spiritually with the evil nature of Satan. He will be Satan’s man: the imposter king who comes as one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse-the rider of the white horse (Rev. 6).
Foster Bailey has scornfully states,
The expectation of the return of a great world teacher, a divine planetary avatar, is universal.” However: The Christian doctrine that he (the Christ) comes as a Christian to save us from hell and for some distant judgment date is a hangover from humanity’s childhood days. He does not come to save us…
The churchmen of Christianity have imprisoned the Christ in their own separative religious organizations to such an extent that one might think God loved only Christians. The word Christ is a name in the Hierarchy for the holder of an all-embracing world-wide divine leadership….He is not at all limited to Christianity,” 22
The New Age christ or the Antichrist of the Bible is a liar.
The Bible states, that he will have a “fierce countenance” and that he will “understand dark sentences.”
And in the latter time. . .when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. (Dan. 8:23).
He shall war against the people of God. He will readily destroy Christians. The Bible states:
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. (Dan. 8:24).
…his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits. . . (Dan. 11:28).
He will use flatteries to corrupt people. The Bible states:
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries….(Dan. 11:32)
He will establish Himself as the master of a World-Mind. He will consolidate all earthly power under his control. According to the Bible, the world will be divided into ten regions or kingdoms, each led by a king whose master is the Antichrist:
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast (Rev. 17:12, 13).
In the planetary religion that he will institute, a God of Forces will be exalted. This is already the “New Age” god. In worshipping the vague and nebulous “God of forces,” the “New Ager” can worship any imaginary god he chooses. All are part and parcel of the “Force” thought to permeate our universe. The Bible states:
And the king shall do according to his will….Neither shall he regard the god of his fathers….But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces….Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many….(Dan. 11:36-39).
The antichirst will eventually declare himself to be “god.” The worship of different gods by “New Agers” around the world will cease and they will worship the “One Great God,” who is the New Age “christ.” The false prophet of the Beast will supervise this unification of all worship.
Notes to Chapter Six
1. Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age p. 168.
2. Mars p. 169.
3. Schlink, p. 11
4. Amano and Geisler p. 128.
5. Marrs, Mystery Mark of the New Age p. 229.
6. Mars, p. 230.
7. Lutzer and DeVries, p. 145.
8. Lutzer and DeVries
9. Lutzer and DVries, pp. 145-146
10. Amano and Geisler, p. 128.
11. Marrs, Mystery of the New Age p. 176.
12. Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age p. 90.
13. Amano and Geisler, p. 125.
14. Amano and Geisler, p. 126.
15. Amano and Geisler
16. Amano and Geisler
17. Amano and Geisler, pp. 126-127.
18. Amano and Geisler , pp. 127-128.
19. Marrs, Dark Secrets of the New Age pp. 175-176
20. Mars
21. Mars.
22. Marrs, Mystery Mark of the New Age p. 224.
Word count for Chapter Six 5, 396
CHAPTER SEVEN
MONISM, ALL IS ONE
The doctrine, “all is one” is called “monism.” Groothuis calls this “a counterfeit cosmos.” Several Eastern religions and occultism accept this concept in its purest form. It teaches that everything is interrelated and interdependent. According to New Ager, Annette Hollander:
The more we can experience our interconnectedness [oneness], the less willing we will be to destroy each other and the world. 1
New Agers, see the cosmos as “universal energy” or “life-force.” Everything is essentially part of that same energy. “All is one.” There are ultimately no divisions, no real
differentiations between anything. Any perceived differences are unreal. To the “monist,” the fact that persons and things are different both in appearance and function is immaterial. It only appears that way. Individual identity is pointless. There is no such thing as each person being unique or as being an individual or as being distinctive. All aspects of creation are de-personalized.
New Agers believe that the “cosmic energy force,” or the “one,” has two polar forces, the “Yin” and the “Yang.” The Yin is supposedly the female, inactive, negative energy force, and Yang the male, active, positive energy force. The interaction is
alleged to control the flow of the cosmic energy. The “one” is also known as the “Tao.”
The “one,” within the monist’s world-view, has always existed. As energy, it is constantly able to move, to change and to flow. The world and everything therein, have come about as “unmanifested energy,” or “energy without any form,” shifted or changed to become manifest. Things did not come from nothing. What was, could not be seen because the “energy” or the “one” had not yet evolved into any material form.
“Energy” is indestructible and will always be. The form which it takes changes over a period of time. All things are said to happen in cycles. New Age astrologers believe that the “cosmos” itself is approaching yet another cyclic evolutionary shift to “the Age of Aquarius.”
To the monist, life is simply an expression of the “cosmic life-force.” A person has emanated from the “one” and exists in this human bodily form for a short time until the part of the “cosmic energy” is ready to shift into another form. Death occurs to the physical body but the cosmic life-force lives on. To the monist, there is ultimately no death. Groothuis states:
The idea that all is one-monism-is contrary to the biblical view of God’s creation as a wondrous diversity of created things not reducible to a mystical oneness. 2
This Monist view of the world dismisses the rich diversity of creation that the Bible teaches. The Bible states”
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)
This verse explains that the earth was in a state of confusion and emptiness. God spoke and a wide range of trees and animals came forth. The Bible states:
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. . . (Genesis 1:31, NIV).
The universe and all things therein are sustained by one Christ. The Bible states:
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3)
According to Groothuis:
In this sense we live in a universe not a multiverse. God unifies history according to his will. But the unity of God’s plan does not destroy the real difference of his creation. Likewise, Jesus taught the unity of his followers as the body of Christ (Jn.17) as did Paul (1 Cor.12:12-31), and yet this unity is not the undifferentiated oneness taught by the New Age. All people will one day stand before their Maker as individuals. None will have their case dismissed by dissolving into the great ocean of Being. 3
PANTHEISM
If all is “energy” and the “energy” is God, then God is in all things and everything is God. This is the basis of the pantheistic world-view that is common to New Agers. Pantheism is defined as:
“God is all and all is God.” The word “pan” means “all” and as such refers to the idea that all that exists is God; there are merely different levels of existence that correspond to different levels of divinity. The lowest level is matter, then comes the vegetable kingdom, followed by the animal kingdom, and finally mankind. But everything is God. Nature is God; you are God; I am God. God is all there is. God is an impersonal force; God is energy, and energy is God.
. . . God then is the great IT. 4
Lutzer and DeVries go on to quote New Ager, Dick Sutphen:
In the beginning there existed the great gestalt. We call it God, but any other name would serve just as well. 5
This is also the view of Eastern religions, of occultism and paganism. The Pantheist sees God as an object, something inanimate, as an “impersonal energy force,” beyond personality. God is the “ultimate reality,” the sum total of all things. This “energy force” the pantheist believes is in everything. If the sum total of “cosmic truth” and “reality” are encapsulated in all things, then everything is seen through the eyes of the pantheistic world-view, as being perfect, as perfectly God and as perfectly equal.
The fact that things do not appear to be perfect does not detract from pantheists’ acceptance of this view. They say that appearances are completely deceptive and that the problem lies in the narrow-minded old world-view. According to the pantheist, to worship anything in the “cosmos,” whether it be a tree, an animal, a book, a person or the sun, is to worship God.
New Agers teach that since all is one, all is God, all is perfect. We are perfect and we are God. Shirley MacLaine is on one of the world leaders of the New Age Movement. Her concluding credo in her best seller, “Dancing in the Light” states:
I know that I exist, therefore I AM. I know the God-source exists. Therefore IT IS. Since I am part of that force then I AM THAT I AM. 6
New Agers teach that for too long we have been suppressed or denied the realization that each of us is God. Inside every person is the “divine,” just longing to get out. Ignorance has prevented us from completely embracing our individual divinity.
In our ignorance we have suppressed the inner abilities to know everything, to do anything, and to overcome all things. According to the Hindu religion, “Atman is Brahman.”
The New Age Movement has taken this position along with the classic occultist view, “as above, so below,” and has concluded that there is nothing the individual cannot achieve. They teach their followers that each one can unlock one’s true potential, for all truth and reality come from God and you are God.
Martin quotes what he calls a thumbnail sketch of God as given Seth, a disembodied entity, through the late Jane Roberts:
He is not one individual, but an energy gestalt…a psychic pyramid of interrelated, ever-expanding consciousness that creates, simultaneously and instantaneously, universes and individuals that are
given-through the gift of personal perspective-duration, psychic comprehension, intelligence, and eternal validity.
This absolute, ever-expanding, instantaneous psychic gestalt, which you may call God if you prefer, is so secure in its existence that it can constantly break itself down and rebuild itself.
Its energy is so unbelievable that it does indeed form all universes; and because its energy is within and behind all universes, systems, and fields, it is indeed aware of each sparrow’s that falls, for it is each sparrow that falls.
In a sense there is no such thing as God, God does not exist. And in another sense, there is nothing else but God-only God exists…All is God. And because all is God, there is no God. (Martin)
The New Age GOD is really the long worshipped pantheistic GOD of the East. Hindus call him “Brahman” or the “absolute”. Buddists often refer to Buddha as the universal mind. 7
Amano and Geisler have also stated the New Age position quite clearly. God is everything and everything is God.
God is the sun total of all that exists in the whole of the manifested and unmanifested universe-everything we know and see and hear and touch and everything we don’t know or hear or see or touch, everywhere, in the totality of the cosmos. Every manifestd phenomenon is part of God. And the space between these manifested phenomena is God. So, in a very real sense, there isn’t anything else. You are God. I am God. This microphone is God. This table is God. All is God. And because all is God, there is no God. God is not someone that you can point to and say. “That is God.” God is everything that you have ever known or could ever know-and everything beyond your level of knowing.
Am I God? Am I a Christ? Am I a Being come to you from the dwelling places of the Infinite? I am all these things, yet more.
One of the major teachings of the Chirst [is] the fact of God immanent, immanent in all creation, in mankind and all creation, that there is nothing else but God; that we are all part of a great Being.
God, or the God Force, of which all things are a part…is the Divine Energy that created the Universe and holds it together harmoniously.
This Source fills and organizes all life. It is the beginning and the end; the Alpha and the Omega. It is the God of Creation. And it is very much in us.
What is Limitless Love? Surely it is that presence which has been before the foundations of the earth and shall remain after this planet has entered yet another cycle in the far distant future of your time. I am timeless and infinite. There is no place that knows me not. There is no time when I have not expressed what I am. I am the root of you, I am the stem of you, the flowering and the seed that goes forth, I am all that you are. You will receive my energy and it shall dwell with you and make you one. 8
God is energy, as everything is energy.
“God is energy” is equally a fact. Love-what we call love-is a great energy, a great magnetic all-pervading energy. 9
Some New Agers describe God as eternal, impersonal, infinite, and unchanging (pantheism).
The Secret Doctrine establishes three fundamental postulates. The first is the existence of an omnipresent, eternal, boundless and immutable Principle on which all speculation is impossible, since it transcends the power of human conception and can only be dwarfed by any human expression or similitude. It is beyond the range of thought, unspeakable and unthinkable. 10
Other times, God is described as a changing God, ever growing and increasing. This means that God is actually finite though potentially infinite (panentheism).
I want to grow out of a man to be a god, to lose my manhood, to merge into godhood; and when I become a god, I shall still have, I hope, this yearning, this unsatisfied hunger for something grander and greater still than godhood, always arching upwards and onwards.
[God] is revelation and revelation is an ongoing, ever-revealing, dynamic process. Revelation is the mirror that shows us what we are so that through that understanding we can continually unfold and reveal the divine. That is the best definition of God: that which is dynamically unfolding and revealing the wholeness that is. 11
Interdependent relationship between God and humankind: God needs man just as man needs God. (Note that in this context God is personal, even though, as noted above, God is often portrayed as impersonal).
A fourth essential truth and one which clarifies all the planned work of the Christ is tied in with spiritual revelation and the need of man for God and of God for man.
The Law of Love, according to the Hierarchy, is the basic law governing our existence. We live in a solar system Whose nature is Love. The Christ came 2,000 years ago to show a new aspect of God, that aspect we call Love. He showed God as a loving father-not an old man with a beard, of course-Whose nature is essentially Love. Love is an energy a great cosmic energy which streams from the Heart of the Sun. 12
Many New Agers speak of a source beyond God that is impersonal and all-pervading.
It is not Being; it is not a personality; it is not the Christ. It is not God. It incorporates and is blended with the essence of many Beings and ultimately of all Beings. It is of the Christ and an expression of Divinity. In its communication with you this day through the focus of your consciousness, it partakes of the energies of your higher selves…your minds andhearts, and of the energies of others who, though not physically present, attune to your focus. It draws on the planetary network of world servers which exists on the inner and which is in the process of externalization onto the outer planes. It draws on myself and on other greater than I. In short, this presence is a number of things as it seeks sufficientpersonification to address you; perhaps it could be called not only Limitless Love and Truth but the presence of the indwelling self of humanity, seeking to address its energies in a particular way at this time through an image of a New Age which represents another stage in the process of that self’s unfoldment through history. Thus, we could call this presence the spirit or image of the New Age. 13
Marilyn Ferguson has stated:
The separate self is an illusion. 14
Mark Satin, a New Age Political Activist has stated:
Everything merges into one great unity; the unity of the Cosmos. 15
David Spangler is said to have received the following revelation from the pantheistic God of the New Age:
I AM now the life of a new heaven. . . and a new earth. 16
Shirley MacLaine is reported to have claimed that while performing on stage she becomes,
One with the music, the lights. 17
She is reported to have also said,
You are part of the audience. They are part of you. 18
This is the all embracing and enveloping belief of Monistic Pantheism. MacLaine teaches that,
Everyone and perhaps everything has “higher self” which is one’s “eternal unlimited soul.” 19
For MacLaine, it is,
The repository of past life experiences and the link between a person’s consciousness and the God-Force. 20
New Agers teach that each being is in touch with the higher selves of other beings. These form a collective energy field. When MacLaine’s asked her “higher self” how it differed from God, it replied,
There was no difference: I am God, because all energy is plugged into the same source. We are all individualized reflections of the God source. God is us and we are God. 21
MacLaine’s higher self further told her:
Each soul is its own God. You must never worship anyone or anything other than self. For you are God. To love self is to love God. 22
This is the highest of Monistic Pantheism. Lord Maitreya, who is considered by some to be the New Age Christ, said,
My purpose is to show man that he need fear no more, that all of Light and Truth rests within his heart, that when this simple fact is known man will become God.” 23
Amano and Geisler argues:
New Agers look in the mirror and see a budding god, but there’s one problem. God cannot bud. He cannot blossom. God has always been in full bloom. That is, God is and always has been God. He-or It-is perfect and unlimited, as even New Agers contend.
You see, New Agers hold to two contrary beliefs.
God is the Absolute, the Infinite, the Unlimited. We must be enlightened” and realize our divinity. 24
The real problem here is that one cannot be both unlimited and unenlightened. To become enlightened, as all New Agers claim to be, means we were once unenlightened. If there was ever a time when I was not enlightened, at that time I could not be since God
has always been and will always be enlightened.
MacLaine once tried to convince a friend that he too was God. She told him:
Just listen to your feelings and trust them. You are unlimited. You just don’t realize it. 25
Her remarks are interesting. If he is “unlimited,” why was he so limited that he did not realize he was unlimited? Common sense demands that New Agers cannot be both unlimited and un-enlightened.
All New Agers admit that there was a time when they were not New Agers. That means, according to their own system, that there was a time when they did not know the “truth.” Their perception of reality was limited, at least before they attained this kind
of enlightenment. An unlimited being simply cannot have divine amnesia.
The New Age belief in evolutionary godhood is false because a god cannot evolve. If there is an eternal God, then he was always “enlightened” to its own godhood.
With pantheism, all distinctions merge into a fog of one. How then does the pantheist handle the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong? New Ager, Shirley MacLaine’s higher self told her that such pantheistic beliefs were meant to eventually eliminate the artificial concepts of good and evil. For the pantheist, good and evil are false categories. There is no such thing as evil or good. There is only enlightened awareness or ignorance. In other words, the only evil is a lack of the knowledge that we are God. Shirley MacLaine claimed that one of her spirit guides told her,
The struggle back toward original divinity is what your Bible terms Satan . . . What you term as Satan is merely the force of your lower consciousness as you engage in your struggle to return and know God, which was your origin. 26
What we call evil is really only the lack of a consciousness of God. According to this New Age ghost:
Until mankind realizes there is, in truth, no good and there is, in truth, no evil-there will be no peace. 27
Amano and Geisler present the following astute arguments:
Pantheists must claim that ultimately good and evil are illusory. For if God is all, then good and evil must be explained in one of the following ways:
1. God is all-good, but not evil.
2. God is all-evil, but not good.
3. God is all-good and all-evil.
4. God is only partly good and partly evil.
5. God is all and the categories of good and evil are illusory.
Option I cannot be true, since it would mean that evil exists apart from God. And in the pantheist system, good cannot exist apart from God because nothing exists outside of God. In other words, if Option I were true, then God would not be All.
For the same reason, Option 2 cannot be true either. The pantheistic God cannot be all-evil to the exclusion of good without sacrificing its all-pervasiveness.
And yet God cannot be both all-good and all-evil (Option 3), for if God is all of one thing then there is no “room” for anything else. If God is all-good, then there is n “room” for any evil.
Neither can God be only partly good and partly evil (Option 4), because this would suggest that there would exist other good and other evil outside of God. But such a scenario would be impossible in a pantheistic universe. This leaves only one alternative left: the categories of good and evil are illusory (Option 5). 28
Rabindranath Maharaj an ex-guru realized that the concept of pantheism included the categories of good and evil. He said:
If there was only One Reality, then Brahman [the pantheistic god] was evil as well as good, death as well as life, hatred as well as love. That made everything meaningless, life an absurdity. It was not easy to maintain both one’s sanity and the view that good and evil, love and hate, life and death were One Reality. Furthermore, if good and evil were the same, then all karma was the same and nothing mattered, so why be religious?
Any notion of what is right and wrong-whether it be called morality, standards, values, or karma-is meaningless if all is one. Treating the categories of good and evil as illusions is not only unlivable, but contrary to common sense as well. Thus, “the ship of pantheism is wrecked on the reef of evil.” 29
Pantheists often quote Scripture to support their position.
For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:18)
This verse confirms that Jesus was in fact claiming to be God. He did not deny the charges even though He spoke to Jews who believed it was blasphemy for a man to claim to be God (John 10:33). However, this passage makes no mention of others persons being equal with God or being God.
And so they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me, nor My Father; if you knew me, you would know My Father also.” (John 8:19)
This passage does not refer to the concept of pantheism. Instead it demonstrates the deity and distinct personalities of the Father and Son. The Father is the one who sends. Jesus is the one sent (vv. 16,18). It refers to theistic trinitarianism: the teaching that there is one God revealed in three distinct persons.
The Jews answered Him, For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, “I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, “I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father. (John 10:33-38)
Pantheists claim that Jesus is saying here that we are all divine beings. Note that Jesus said:
Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?” 30
He is quoting Psalm 82:6. In this context, God is portrayed as the ultimate Judge (vv. 1,8). Human judges are viewed as the manifestors of God’s will and were sometimes referred to as Elohim, translated, “gods” or “judges.” Note also that Jesus uses the term “gods” to refer not to all men but only to those “to whom the word of God came.” This fits with its usage in Psalm 82 as well. The Lord God uses the term “gods” sarcastically to condemn those wicked men to whom a great honor and responsibility were entrusted. They were to be righteous judges like the True Judge, but instead corrupted their practice. Pantheism is not being referred to here.
John describes Jesus as the unique Son of God sent by the Father (4:34; 5:23,24, 6:38-40,44,57; 7:16,18; 8:16, 18; 9:4,;10:36; 11:42; 12:45,49; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 17:3, 18,21, 23, 25; 20:21). The relationship between Jesus, the Son, and God, the Father, is eternal. Believers, on the other hand, become children of God (John 1:12).
There is a difference between the eternal relationship Jesus has with God the Father and the one that believer have through grace. Jesus is the Son of God by virtue of His innate status as God; believers are sons of God only by the gracious calling of God and by His act of adoption.
The Bible is not stating that believers are the sons of God in the same way that Jesus is, except for a lower level of holiness and virtue. Jesus is stating that His hearers should not
be surprised by His claims to deity, especially since their own Holy Scriptures accord them the status of divinity by the adoption of grace.
Let us look at the following passage,
Philip said unto Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (John 14:8-11, NKJV)
This verse is stating that Jesus is divine. It is not saying that everyone is divine. The terms “in me” “in the father,” “abiding” are defined in John 15: 9-10.
They mean that the believer should remain in the will and in the purpose of God. To be in Jesus and to abide in Him, is to obey His commandments. We abide in His “word” (v.7) and his “love” (v.9) by keeping His commandments (v.10).
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You send Me. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You send Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23, NKJV).
By “one-ness” Jesus meant that His disciples are to be “one” in the same way that the Son and Father are one as described in this context. Amano and Geisler spell out this “one-ness,”
* One is sent, the other sends (vv. 3, 8, 18, 21,23)
* One comes to the other (v. 13).
* They glorify each other (vv. 1-4-5, 24).
* One gives authority to the other (vv. 2,7).
* One gave work, the other accomplished it (v.4).
* One manifested the name of the other (vv. 6, 12, 26).
* One gave disciples to the other (vv. 6,9).
* One gave words to the other, the other gave these words to men (vv. 8,14).
* One asks the other (vv. 9, 15).
* One loves the other (vv. 4-5, 26).
* One knows the other (v. 5). 31
We know from other passages that Jesus, the Son and God, the Father, are one in nature. (John 5:18).
This passage however, is not related to the doctrine of the Trinity. The one-ness it refers to is:
A oneness and harmony of will, not a unity of nature, such as is in the Trinity. Therefore, the oneness that the disciples are to emulate is a oneness of purpose and will, not an identity in essence. Contrary to what pantheistic interpreters would have us believe, this passage is not teaching that disciples are one in nature with God. Note the distinctions made between Christ and the disciples in the context of this passage:
* One has authority over the other (v. 2).
* One gives eternal life to the other (v.2)
* One should believe in the other (vv.3, 7-8, 21,25).
* One was given to the other (v. 6).
* One gave words of God to the other (vv. 8,26).
* One asks on the other’s behalf (vv. 9, 15,20).
* One is glorified in the other (vv. 10,22).
* One is no longer in the world while the other remains (v.11).
* One guarded the other (v. 12).
* One has joy because of the other (v. 13).
* One is sanctified because of the other (v. 17).
* One sends the other (v. 18).
* One desires the other to be with Him (v. 24). 32
Jesus was not referring to a oneness in nature or being, but a oneness in purpose and will.
…they should seek God the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ” Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by the art and thought of man’s devising. (Acts 17:27-29, NKJV)
This passage speaks of human beings living in God. It does not say that we are God. God created the world (vv. 24-25). God established His decrees over mankind (v. 26). God is not a being that exists because of our imaginations. He is a being who sustains our very existence.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph. 4:4-6, NKJV.)
The theme of this Letter to the Ephesians is reconciliation and harmony between believers. The emphasis on “one-ness” in these verses is a oneness of purpose, not a oneness of believers in God’s being. The verse refers to God as “Father of all.” Fatherhood assumes children. The pantheistic interpretation of this verse is therefore illogical since it implies that we are identical to God the Father and therefore, we are the Father of ourselves.
The Bible teaches that GOD is a Personal Being. He has a personality. Personality is,
Sentient existence possessed of self-consciousness and the power of self-determination in view of moral ends 33
Personality has three constituent elements: intellect, sensibility, volition. God has all three of them.
Intellect: Prov. 15:3; Jer. 29:11; Acts 15:8; Heb. 4:13
Sensibility: Ps. 33:5, 103:8-13; Heb. 12:29; Js. 5:11
Voiltion: Ps. 115:3; Isa. 46:10-11; Dan. 4:35; Matt 19:26.
The attributes of God indicate various sides of His character. According to Pearlman, we may classify the character of God in the following ways:
1. Unrelated Attributes – what God is in himself apart from creation.
God is a Spirit, Jn. 4:24;
God is infinite in relation to space, 1 Kings 8:27;
God is infinite in relation to time, Ex. 15:18; Deut. 33:27, Neh. 9:5
God is one, Ex. 20:3; Deut 4:35,39; 6:4; 1 Sam. 2:2; II Sam. 7:22; 1 Kings 8:60; II Kings 19:5; Neh. 9:6; Isa. 44:6-8. 1 Tim. 1:17
2. Active Attributes – what God is relation to the universe.
God is omnipotent . . .for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth (Revelation 19:6; Gen. 1:1, 17:1; Ex. 15:7; Deut.3:24;
God is omnipresent Gen. 28:15,16; Deut.4:39; Josh.
2:11; Psa. 139:7-10; Proverbs 15:3,11; Isa. 66:1; Jer. 23:23-24
God is omniscient (Gen. 18:18,19; 2 Kings 8:10; 1Chron.28:9; Psa. 94:9; 139:1- 16; 147:4,5; Prov. 15:3;
Isa. 29:15, 16; 40:28; Jer. 1:4, 5; Ezek.11:5; Dan. 2:22,28; Amos 4:13; Luke 16:15; Acts 15:8,18; Rom.8:27,29; 1 Cor. 3:20; 2 Tim. 2:19; Heb. 4:13; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 John 3:20.)
God is wise (Psa. 104:24; Prov. 3:19; Jer.10:12; Dan.2:20, 21; Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 1:24, 25, 30; 2:6,7; Eph. 3:10; Col. 2:2,3)
God is sovereign. (Dan. 4:35; Matt. 20:15; Rom. 9:21)
3. Moral Attributes – what God is in relation to his moral being.
God is holy. (Ex. 15:11; Lev. 11:44,45;20:26; Josh 24:19; 1 Sam.2:2; Psalms 5:4; 119:9;145:17; Isa. 6:3; 43:14, 15; Jer. 23:9; Luke 1:49; James 1:13; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16; Rev. 4:8; 15:3,4.
God is righteous (Gen. 18:25; Isa. 46:13; 1 Jn. 1:9).
God is faithful (Ex. 34:6; Nu. 23:19; Deut. 4:31; Josh 21:43-45, 23:14; 1 Sam. 15:29; Jer. 4:28; Isa. 25:1; Ek. 12:25; Dan 9:4; Mic. 7:20; Luke 18:7-8; Rom. 3:4, 15:8; 1 Cor. 1:9, 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:20; 1 Thess. 5:24, II Thess. 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:18, 10:23,; 1 Peter 4:19; Rev. 15:3)
God is merciful (Lam. 3:22; Dan. 9:9; Jer. 3:12; Psa. 32:5; Isa. 49:13, 54:7).
God is love. (Deut. 7:8; Eph. 2:4; Zeph. 3:17; Isa. 49:15-16; Rom. 8:39; Hos. 11:4; Jer. 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10; Rom. 9:11-13; 1 John 3:1; Isa. 43:3-4, 63:6-9; Tit. 3:4-7; Isa. 38:17; Eph. 2:4-5; Hos. 11:4; Deut. 7:13; Rom. 5:5).
God is good (Psalms 25:8; Nahum 1:7; Psalms 145:9; Rom. 2:4; Matt. 5;45; Psalms 31:19; Acts 14:17; Psa. 68:10, 85:5; 34
141
Notes to Chapter Seven
1. Annette Hollander, How to Help Your Child Have a Spiritual Life (Bantam: New York, 1980), p. 12. Quoted by Groothuis, p. 21.
2. Hollander.
3. Hollander p. 22.
4. Lutzer and DeVries, pp. 60-61.
5. Lutzer and DeVries p. 61.
6. Shirley MacLaine, Dancing in the Light, p. 420. Quoted by Groothuis, p. 22.
7. Martin, pp. 25-26.
8. Amano and Geisler, pp. 112-113.
9. Amano and Geisler, p. 113.
10. Amano and Geisler
11. Amano and Geisler, pp. 113-114.
12. Amano and Geisler , pp. 114.
13. Amano and Geisler, pp. 114-115.
14. Marlyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy pp. 100- 101. Quoted by Amano and Geisler, p. 16.
15. Mark Satin, New Age Politics (New York.: Dell, 1987), p.97. Quoted by Amano and Geisler, p. 16.
16. David Spangler, Revelation:The Birth of a New Age (Findhorn, Scotland: Findhorn, 1987), pp. 110, 112. Quoted by Amano And Geisler, p. 16.
17. Shirley MacLaine, Dancing in the Light, p. 111. Quoted by Amano and Geisler, p. 17.
18. MacLaine
19. MacLaine
20. MacLaine
21. MacLaine
22. MacLaine
23. Benjamin Creme, “Messages from Maitreya the Christ,” vol. 1, no. 98 (Los Angeles: Tara 1980), 204. Quoted by Amano And Geisler. p. 18.
24. Creme
25. Creme
26. Creme, p. 19.
27. Creme
28. Creme, p. 20.
29. Creme
30. Creme, p. 21.
31. Creme, p. 23.
32. Creme, p. 24.
33. Pardington, P.G. Outline Studies in Christian Doctrine (Harrisburgh, Pa.: Christian Alliance Publishing Company, 126), p. 72.
34. Myer Pearlman, Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible (Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1981), pp. 58-65.
Word count for Chapter Seven 5, 868
CHAPTER EIGHT
JESUS CHRIST
The Bible teaches that our LORD Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God. He is the One who the Father gave as a blood sacrifice on Golgotha’s Hill to save mankind from the penalty, power and ultimately the presence of sin. He is the unique revealer of God’s nature, once and forever, that cannot be enlarged and expanded as man himself grows in awareness and ability to receive other revelations of that Divine nature. Our Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven awaiting the time when He will return in a cloud of glory to the sound of a trumpet, to take His Church away.
According to the New Age Movement, this picture of Jesus Christ that Christianity paints is unacceptable. New Agers teach instead that Christ is the basic evolutionary force within creation. In all of life there exists a quality, an energy, which has as its basic characteristic irresistible growth and inevitable expression of divinity.
It is a quality which says that whatever form I enclosed in, I will not be held a prisoner by that form, but I will transform it into a greater form. I will use all life, all experiencess stepping stones to greater revelations of divinity. 1
According to New Agers, Jesus recapitulated certain stages. He followed the pattern that Buddha had established. He had to be awakened and had to touch this Christ pattern in His consciousness.
The mother of Jesus was Mary. As a child, Jesus differed from other children in that in past lives He had overcome carnal desires to such an extent that he could be tempted like others and not yield. This strenuous preparation over the ages qualified Him to be an avatar, a Saviour of the world. Jesus displayed superior wisdom from His early childhood and knew that he was qualified to lead the road into the higher ways of spiritual living. Jesus was not born the Christ and was not always Christ. He won his Christ-ship by a strenuous life.
For New Agers, Jesus was only a man who was perfected by temptations which he overcame. He became the temple through which the Christ can manifest to men.
Then hear, you men of Israel, hear! Look not upon the flesh (i.e., the person of Jesus); it is not king. Look to the Christ within who shall be formed in every one of you, as he is formed in me. Jesus: “You know that all my life was one great drama for the sons of men; a pattern for the sons of men. I live to show the possibilities of man. 2
According to New Agers, Jesus proclaimed:
What I have done all men can do, and what I am, all men shall be.
Jesus (claimed to be communicating through the late trance-channel Helen Schucman: “Equals should not be in awe of one another because awe implies inequality. It is therefore an inappropriate reaction to me….There is nothing about me that you cannot attain. I have nothing that does not come from God. The difference between us now is that I have nothing else. This leaves me in a state which is only potential in you. 3
When Jesus said,
. . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)
He did not mean that He was separated or different from anyone else except in time, and time does not exist.
The New Age Movement has virtually eliminated Christ from the redemption scheme of all humankind. They reject the Biblical teaching that Christ gave His life to bring us forgiveness of sin. For New Agers, Jesus of Nazareth and Christ are two separate entities. The man Jesus is separate and distinct from the Christ Spirit. It states,
[The Christ spirit dwelt in] Hercules, Hermes, Rama, Mitra…Krishna, Buddha, and the Christ. [All these were] perfect men in their time, all sons of men who become Sons of God, for having revealed their innate Divinity.
The historical Christ, then, is a glorious Being belonging to the great spiritual hierarchy that guides the spiritual evolution of humanity, who used for some three years the human body of the disciple Jesus…who was finally put to death for blasphemy, for teaching the inherent Divinity of Himself and of all men.
In the esoteric tradition the Christ is not the name of an individual but of an office in the Hierarchy.
There is a growing and developing belief that Christ is in us, as He was in the Master Jesus, and this belief will alter world affairs and mankind’s entire attitude to life. 4
Jesus is not unique.
All men are innate divinity…so that in time all men become christs.
Jesus is divine in exactly the sense that we are divine.
Christ was the most advanced human ever to walk on this planet.
Christ said, “I am your Friend and Brother, not a God.”
It is claimed that when a woman knelt to worship Jesus, he replied “Good woman, stay; take heed to what you do; you may not worship man; this is idolatry.”
[Christ supposedly said,] “What I have done, all men will do; and what I am, all men will be.”
The Christ is not God. When I say, “the coming of Christ,” I don’t mean the coming of God, I mean the coming of a divine man, a man who has manifested His divinity by the same process that we are going through-the incarnational process, gradually perfecting Himself. 5
New Agers teach that Christ is the same force as Lucifer.
Christ is the same force as Lucifer but moving in seemingly the opposite direction. Lucifer moves in to create the light within through the pressure of experience. Christ moves out to release that light, that wisdom, that love into creation so what has been forged in the furnace of creation can become a light unto the world and not simply stagnate within being. 6
Jesus did not die and therefore did not physically resurrect.
Write of his [Jesus’] works as prophet, priest and seer; write of his life of purity and love, and how he changed his carnal flesh to flesh divine without descending through the gates of death.
He [Jesus] was despised, rejected and abused; was spit upon, was crucified, was buried in a tomb; but he revived and rose a conqueror over death that he might show the possibilities of man. 7
What the Bible teaches about our LORD Jesus Christ is very different from what New Age teach.
New Agers reject our Lord Jesus Christ “as the one and only Son of God sacrificed by His loving Father to save humanity from the result of its sins.” The New Age Cult attacks the Person of Jesus Christ and on His unique claim to Deity. The Bible declares Jesus Christ to be “the one and only Son of God'”
IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1, cf. 14, 18; 3:16).
He bore our sins. The Bible states:
Who his own self bare our sins, in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousnes: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24)
He alone is Lord and Saviour. The Bible states:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
He is unique among the sons of men.
He is unique in that He founded not just another religion, He founded a relationship with God. He is unique in that He did not base this relationship on his teachings, but on Himself. He is unique in that he is the only Perfect Person who ever lived. He is unique as well in the things that He never did. He never confessed sin, He never apologized to any one, He never explained His actions to any one, He never learned anything from any one, except what His Father taught Him. Our Lord is unique in that He alone died for the sins of the world. He is unique in that He alone rose from the dead. 8
Our Lord Jesus Christ placed Himself side by side Divine activity. (John 16:28; 20:21)
He claimed divine knowledge and fellowship (Matt 11:27; John 17:25)
He claimed to unveiled the Father’s Being in Himself. (John 14:9-11)
He assumed divine prerogatives Omnipresence. (Matt 18:20)
Power to forgive sins. (Mark 2:5-10)
He proclaimed Himself Arbiter of man’s destiny.
(John 5:22; Matt. 25:31-46).
The absolute sinlessness of Christ. (John 8:46)
Jesus said to those who challenged His claims, His identity and His authority during His earthly ministry:
…Even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles. (John 10:38, NIV).
When John the Baptist became doubtful and questioned the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus related to him the miraculous works He had done. He said to the delegation that John had sent to Him:
…”Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. (Matt. 11:4-5, NIV).
The miracles of Jesus Christ even today testify to His genuineness as the Son of God.
Our Lord fed 5,000 people with five (5) loaves and two (2) fishes, (Matt. 14:17-21).
He healed the sick, (Matt. 4:23)
cleansed lepers, (Lk. 5:12-13)
raised the dead, (Jn. 11:43).
opened the eyes of the blind, (Mk. 10:51-52)
unstopped deaf ears, (Mk. 7:32-35)
cast out demons, (Matt. 4:24)
walked on water, (Matt. 14:25)
demonstrated the love of God for the poor (Isa. 41:17)
The New Testament record testifies that He received the worship of men, (John 20:28), that He is our great God and Saviour (Titus 2:13), that He conquered death itself (Matt. 28:1-6), and with the coming of His Spirit at Pentecost illumined the world as a flaming torch. That flame has spread to the ends of the earth and burns brightly, even now.
Jesus was more than an extraordinarily good person, or a prophet, or a sage indwelt by the Christ or Cosmic Consciousness, as the New Age proclaims. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Creator of all ages. The Bible states:
GOD, WHO at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Heb. 1:1-3)
He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the
Father but by Him (John 14:6).
The resurrection of Jesus Christ has always disturbed the enemies of Christ. They have always viciously attacked this teaching. His resurrection is both the cornerstone and capstone of the Christian faith. It is directly linked with the doctrine of our Lord’s Second Coming. Our LORD Jesus Christ Himself prophesied His bodily resurrection from the dead, not His reincarnation.
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to
scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. (Matt. 20:19)
And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31; cf. 9:31; 10:34).
The Bible teaches that our Lord Jesus Christ will descend from the clouds of heaven.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thess. 4:16-17)
One of the most powerful passages on the subject of the Resurrection and one that describes its nature is John 2:19-21. After Christ had cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem the Jews asked Him for a sign that would justify His authority to do the things He did. He responded:
. . . Destroy this temple, and in three day I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in the building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. (John 2;19-21).
The Bible states:
When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. (John 2:22)
The Apostles remembered this statement about raising the Temple when Christ rose from the dead and appeared to them with “infallible proofs”
To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:3).
The Resurrection of Christ was not a spirit resurrection portending the future reincarnation of the Christ or “cosmic consciousness.” It was a bodily resurrection.
New Agers talk about the spiritual survival of the Christ after the death of His body. They refer to the accounts of His appearances after that event. Considering Luke 24, we must note that Christ said concerning himself that a spirit does not have flesh and bones as He had.
Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. (Luke 24:39 NIV)
This came in response to the disciples perceiving Him as only a spirit. We must reject the New Age concept of the Resurrection on the basis of what they claim the Bible teaches.
Christ appeared to His disciples and the apostles several times. He invited Thomas to examine His Body. (John 20:24-28). This was a direct confirmation of the prophecy of John 2. Christ refuted all arguments about the nature of His resurrection and the fact of His resurrection in this single act. The Bible states:
. . . he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living. . .(1 Cor. 15:6, NIV).
It is no wonder that Satan and those who are under his captive control (2 Tim. 2:26) fear the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the seal of the Church’s redemption and of Satan’s own judgment.
Myer Pearlman states:
The second coming is mentioned more than 300 times in the New Testament. Paul refers to it in his Epistles at least fifty times. It is claimed that the Second Coming is mentioned eight times as often as the first coming. Whole books (1 and 2 Thessalonians) and chapters (Matthew 24 ; Mark 13) are devoted to it. It is one of the most important doctrines of the New Testament. 9
Pearlman continues:
His Coming will be personal (John 14:3; Acts 1:10, 11; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 1:7; 22:7), literal (Acts 1:10;
1 Thess. 4;16, 17; Rev. 1:7; Zech. 14:4), visible (Heb. 9:28; Phil. 3:20; Zech. 12:10) It will also be a glorious coming. Matt. 16:27; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Col. 3;4; Matt. 25:31. 10
Some erroneously teach that “death” is the Second Coming of Christ. The Bible however, shows the Second Coming as an event that is the opposite of death. At His coming the dead in Christ shall rise. At death we go to Him, but at the Coming, He comes for us. If His Second Coming is “death”, several verses, Matt. 16:28; Phil. 3;20, become meaningless. Finally, death is an enemy, while the Second Coming is a glorious hope.
Others hold on to the view that the Second Coming was the descent of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Still others teach that Christ came to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. In each of these cases no resurrection of the dead occurred, no rapture of the living took place, and we have no records of the other events that would accompany the second Advent having taken place.
Our Lord declared that the exact time of His coming is hidden in the counsels of God. Matt. 24:36-42; Mark 13:21-22. That day has not been revealed to us. But we know that it will be sudden (1 Cor. 15:52; Matt. 24:27) and unexpected. 2 Peter 3; 4; Matt. 24:48-51; Rev. 16:15. The Lord’s has instructed His waiting servants, Occupy till I come.
Myer Pearlman has states:
The following is a general view of Christ’s teaching relative to the time of His coming: After the destruction of Jerusalem the Jews shall be wanderers among all nations, driven from their land which shall come under Gentile control until the end of the age, when God shall judge the Gentile nations. Luke 21:24. During this period Christ’s servants will carry on His work (Luke 19:11-27) by preaching the gospel to all nations. Mat. 24:14. It will be a time of delay when the church will sometimes wonder why the Lord does not appear (Luke 18:1-8) when some will prepare themselves and others will be negligent, while the Bridegroom tarries (Matt. 25:1-11)- when unfaithful ministers will fall away, saying within themselves, “My Lord delayeth his coming.” Luke 12:45. “After a long time (Matt 25:19, “at midnight” (Matt 25:6), at a time the day and the hour of which not one of His disciples knows (Matt. 24:36, 42, 50), the Lord will appear suddenly to gather His servants and to judge them according to their works. Matt. 25:19 and 2 Cor. 5:10. Later, after the gospel has been universally preached and wilfully rejected-when the people of the world shall be living in utter oblivion of the coming catastrophe, as in the days of Noah (Matt. 34:37-39) and as in the days of the
destruction of Sodom (Luke 17:28, 29-the Son of man will appear in outward glory and power to judge and rule over all the nations of the world. (Matt. 25:31-46). 11
Notes to Chapter Eight
1. David Spangler, Reflections on the Christ (Moray, Scotland: Findhorn Publications, 1978), p. 13. Quoted by Martin, p. 27.
2. Levi, The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ (Santa Monica, Calif.: De Vorss & Co.,) pp. 14, 265. Quoted by Martin, pp. 27-28.
3. Course in Miracles (Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975), vol. 1, p. 5. Quoted by Martin, p. 28.
4. Geisler and Amano, pp. 115-116.
5. Geisler and Amano.
6. Geisler and Amano.
7. Geisler and Amano, pp. 116-117.
8. D. James Kennedy, The Uniqueness of Christ (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: 3302, Coral Ridge Ministries), pp. 2-11.
9. Pearlman, pp. 387-388.
10. Pearlman
11. Pearlman, pp. 389-390.
Word count for Chapter Eight 3, 200
CHAPTER NINE
RELATIVISM
Relativism embraces the teaching that there are no moral absolutes. With no absolutes there can be no right or wrong, guilt or innocence. Good and evil are not seen as exclusive opposites of one another. “Moral relativism” teaches that what may be true for one may not be for another. In “relativism” there are no standards. Good and evil are interchangeable. One chooses or creates one’s own reality. There is no need to consult God on moral choices, one can determine one’s own morals. Whatever works is right. Lutzer and DeVries outline the New Age position as follows:
The only principle that should govern behaviour is whether or not it works. And what works today may not work tomorrow and what works for me may not work for you. . . This theory became known as situationism, the teaching that there could be no objectivity in morals. Morality was determined by whatever the situation called for at the moment. 1
Taoist philosophy which heavily influences New Age thinking teaches that “good” and “evil” interact so closely that there is “good” in all evil and there is “evil” in all good. Ramtha, supposedly a spirit guide teaches that:
God-of which we are all a part-is neither good nor bad. God does not judge. No one sins, and there is no need for forgiveness. 2
Ramtha continues:
Every vile and wretched thing you do broadens your understanding . . . If you want to do any one thing regardless of what it is, it would not be wise to go against that feeling; for there is an experience awaiting you and a grand adventure that will make your life sweeter. 3
Relativism also embraces the system of “Values Clarification” a method of teaching values that have permeated public education. From a Biblical standpoint, this is an extremely disturbing trend. Louis E. Raths and Sidney B. Simon, have stated:
What was thought to be an attempt to teach right and wrong in a pluralistic age has itself become an ethical system-and a poor one at that. 4
The objective of “Values Clarification” is to induce students to develop their own values free of outside instruction. Students, they argue, are suitably qualified to construct their own personal values, as apart from any moral authority and despite not possessing all the facts. Those who advocate this philosophy believe that “self” is intrinsically good. The result is an indoctrination into “relativism.” The ultimate goal of values clarification,
Is to involve students in practical experiences, making them aware of their own feelings, their own ideas, their own beliefs, so that the choices and decisions they make are conscious and deliberate, based on their own value systems. 5
Kjos states,
Called values-clarification, this progressive program challenges our children to defend or deny all the precious goals and guidelines of earlier days. It insists that the only true values are those a child chooses himself in response to his immediate needs, desires and circumstances. It tells him, “Do your own thing.” 6
Groothuis states:
The term “values clarification” itself is instructive. The word values-rather than ethics or morals-carries with it the assumption that right and wrong are something we choose, as we would choose what clothes to wear. The purpose of the process is not to discover an objective system of moral absolutes, but to create a subjective set of values to clarify our value options-in other words, what is right and wrong for me. The clarification of our “sense of values” replaces the quest for true goodness; feeling replaces right; preference replaces virtue. The only thing prohibited by the Values Clarification method is a recognition of and respect for the objective, universal and absolute moral law of God. Immature, subjective impulses can be “clarified,” thus obscuring objective verities. 7
The whole idea of no “moral absolutes” or that everything is relative, is self defeating. This idea itself is an “absolute.” For New Agers to teach that we should reject
“objective ethics” and embrace “relativism” is itself a moral command. To issue a command is to assume the morality one is rejecting. To be consistent with the whole concept of “no
personal absolutes” we can issue no command that is binding on anyone else. New Agers teach that each one has one’s own truth, yet they say that Christianity is “less evolved” or “less than fully enlightened.” This statement assumes that New Agers are right and Christians are wrong. This bears the semblance of an absolute.
When New Agers speak out against the violation of human rights (I am for human rights) we can justifiably question how they can assume any objective and universal human rights, when according to their own teaching “we all create our own reality.” Consistency with the philosophy of “relativism,” New Agers should neither praise nor condemn any one nor anything.
Another example of inconsistency is their teaching on the “evolutionary of journey” into a new age. New Agers view this positive future as superior to the present age that we are about to leave. This position is one of ethical evaluation, one which New Agers condemn. According to Groothuis the New Age philosophy is:
Ethics are relative to a person- or to the “age”-and not to be determined by reference to an external objective, absolute and universal standard, the very idea of progress or regress is impossible. 8
C.S. Lewis is opposed to this position of “relativism.” He explains,
If “good” or “better” are terms deriving their sole meaning from the ideology of each people (or each person), then of course idealogies themselves cannot be better or worse than one another. Unless the measuring rod is independent of the things measured, we can do no measuring. For the same reason it is useless to compare the moral ideas of one age with those of another: progress and decadence are alike meaningless words. 9
Chesterton puts it this way,
If the standard changes, how can there be improvement, which, implies a standard? 10
A relativism that is consistent can neither condemn nor praise in any morally meaningful way, because of the God-given conscience to all mankind.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by nature the things contain in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves: Which show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. (Rom. 2:14-15)
New Agers behave inconsistently to their teachings. The world view of the Christian allows him to establish quite clearly moral categories and to evaluate ethical inconsistencies of New Agers. The universal human experiences of guilt and shame, of right and wrong, of good and bad which are realities, are evidences that the New Agers position is defective and provides evidence for ethical absolutes that we based on the very
existence of a personal God. Feelings of guilt indicate the ethical climate of our moral life. This climate can only be explained by seeing ourselves standing before a personal and moral God.
Moral standards are based on the character and command of a perfect moral Being. When we judge ourselves by His standards we fall short of moral righteousness. Groothuis argues that our
Sense of “oughtness” indicates that we feel commanded to do some things and not to do others. We have all experienced the common human dilemma of “I know I should do it; but I don’t want to do it.” This human drama fits perfectly with the Christian view that God, as ethical Commander in Chief, gives commands-which he makes known through conscience and Scripture-to his creatures-who may obey or disobey them. 11
Groothuis continues,
New Age amoralism has no adequate explanation for this moral sense. By asserting that “we create our own reality/morality,” it must instead dismiss this moral sense as mistaken and unrelated to anyone above and beyond the self. 12
While all New Agers do not agree with this position, generally all New Agers agree that ethics is not rooted in any objective moral order. We are truth and whatever is true for the individual is truth. Therefore there are as many realities as there are many peoples. In the light of this, we can understand why New Agers can chant with ease:
I am God – perfect love, perfect wisdom, perfect understanding, perfect intelligence. 13
There is an interesting paradox here. In theory the New Age view elevates the individual from the rank of an ordinary human being to the exalted position of God. However, since everyone is God, and God is an “impersonal energy force,” in reality, the New
Age Movement strips the individual of his or her unique identity. New Agers therefore need not feel inadequate or have a poor self-image. They need not compare themselves unfavorably to anyone.
There are no absolutes, no external values to govern thought and conduct. Each individual can make his or her own rules. Without absolutes, we take the position of God and we can manufacture what is right in any given context.
If we are all gods and we can all create our own “reality,” then all of these realities are equally true because they are true for each person who chooses them. Therefore, all beliefs and all ideas are true, they emanate from god, the source of all truth. Different religions and philosophical beliefs are, according to the New Age world-view, essentially the same, with the same core teachings all dressed up in different practices. The differences only appear to be differences. So the New Age world-view is able with considerable ease to accommodate a mixture of different religious ideas and practices, all mixing and mingling together. This is syncretism to the highest degree!
Biblical morality is anchored in the unchanging moral character of God and in His personal will and purpose. He has given us His Word. These are commands, not suggestions. Only Biblical Christianity presents to man the liberating moral framework that enables each person to live with dignity and to the fullest. The Almighty God has created each one individually and He has given us instructions to ensure that we remain in good
relationship with Him.
Notes to Chapter Nine
1. Lutzer and DeVries, p.88
2. Groothuis, p. 24.
3. Groothuis.
4. Groothuis, p. 132.
5. Groothuis.
6. Kjos, p. 38.
7. Groothuis, pp. 132-133.
8. Groothuis, p. 117.
9. C.S. Lewis, Miracles (New York: Macmillan, 1978), p. 13. Quoted by Groothuis, p. 117.
10. G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (Garden City, N.Y: Image, 1959). p. 35. Quoted by Martin, p. 117.
11. Groothuis, pp. 117-118.
12. Groothuis
13. Ellis and Clark, p. 63.
Word count for Chapter nine 1, 782
CHAPTER TEN
REINCARNATION
New Agers believe in the doctrine of “reincarnation,” the belief that all physical life comes out of the one “energy” and returns to it. The “energy” will then re-manifest itself in some other physical form. Death is only a passage to cyclical, but unending rebirth. Man continues to live in one form or another. As to what form one will return in, a human or an animal, depends on how one performs in one’s previous life. Only a state of perfection can free one from the miserable cycle of reincarnation and enable one to become absorbed into the one eternal reality, the salvation of the soul, the state of “nirvana.”
This cycle is governed by the “Law of Karma,” which says that everyone gets what one deserves. “Evil” is punished in the life to come and “good” is always rewarded. “Karma” is the “cosmic law of cause and effect,” The sum total of one’s good and bad actions, a register of credits and debits, determines our next rebirth.
New Agers argue that when a single drop of rain falls into the ocean, it can no longer be seen as an individual drop because, the water has merged with the larger mass of water. It will quickly evaporate, will manifest in the form of cloud and will condense to form rain. A single drop of rain will once again fall into the ocean. There is an endless cycle. Reincarnation is just like this.
According to New Agers, the doctrine of reincarnation is the answer to the much human inquiry into the inequalities of life. It provides a reason for much of human sufferings. It is the clarifying agent for a better understanding of world affairs. New
Agers believe that we must emphasize Christ’s teaching on the Law of Rebirth if the goal of right human relations will be taught universally by the Christ. According to New Agers when Christ was here, on earth in person, He taught
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48).
They continue,
This time, He will teach men the method whereby this possibility can become accomplished fact-through the constant return of the incarnating soul to the school of life on Earth, there to undergo the perfection process of which He was the outstanding example. That is the meaning and teaching of reincarnation.
“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. . .” (Gal. 6:7) is a truth which needs reemphasizing. In these words, St. Paul phrases for us the ancient and true teaching of the Law of Cause and Effect, called in the Orient the law of karma.
The immortality of the human soul, and the innate ability of the spiritual, inner man to work out his own salvation under the Law of Rebirth, in response to the Law of Cause and Effect, are the underlying factors governing all human conduct and all human aspiration. These two laws no man can evade. They condition him at all times until he has achieved the desire and the designed perfection and can manifest on earth as a rightly functioning son of God. 1
Reincarnationists use several Bible verses to support their argument. The Biblical response is to look at the key verses they use for their purpose and how they misinterpret them, and to state the proper interpretation. The following are a few of the verses,
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taketh away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:21)
The argument here is that the Patriarch Job is implying a return to his mother’s womb. The reason for this is to be reborn. In order to understand the Old Testament’s concept of womb we need to look at,
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:19).
The Hebrew equated the womb with the dust of the earth. They reasoned that just as a man came from the dust of the earth in creation, so he would return to the very dust of the earth in death.
The point is illustrated quite clearly in the following verses,
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hath covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (Psalms. 139:13-15)
Here the terms, “womb” and “depths of the sea,” are equated. In the light of this, Job’s statement clearly had to do with the destiny of the body at death and its final decay and disintegration into dust from which it came. The belief that reincarnation is suggested here is incorrect. Reincarnationists refer to Proverbs 8:22-31,
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old….I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was….Before the hills was I brought forth….When he prepared the heavens, I was there….When he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.
These passages, they argue, refer to the pre-existence of the soul and consequently has reference to pre-incarnate souls awaiting rebirth.
Even if this is so, the pre-existence of the soul does not necessarily validate the doctrine of reincarnation neither does it necessarily follow that belief in the pre-existence of the soul demands belief in reincarnation. To use this text, Proverbs 8, to prove this point is misleading since this text is not referring to the literal preexistence of souls or to rebirth of the soul. The context is referring to the Wisdom of God as having existed from all eternity as a guide to those who seek such from the Lord. In all likelihood Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, is communicating a personified Wisdom that is older than the creation. They also argue from Jeremiah 1:4-5 that the doctrine of reincarnation is Biblical.
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…
Reincarnationists state that this passage proves that God literally knew Jeremiah, and by extension all individuals, before they were born. The conclusion is that the prophet had lived before, as we all have.
However, this text is not referring to Jeremiah’s past life but rather to God’s foreknowledge and the divine calling of Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations even before he was born. God’s knowledge is the point of emphasis. That is a common theme throughout the Old and New Testaments. (Isa. 46:9-11; Gal 1:15; and Rom. 4:17). Since God is omniscient, He could establish an identity with individuals or events that were not a physical reality. Paul, the Apostle, confirms this when he states that God,
. . .calleth those things which be not as though they were. (Romans 4:17)
In other words, Jeremiah’s calling and birth existed in the mind of God before they actually transpired. Another text that New Agers use to support reincarnation is Matthew 11:7-14, (NIV)
And if you are willing to accept it, he [John the Baptist] is the Elijah who was to come.
They argue that Jesus was stating that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. We can easily see the weakness of this argument by looking at the ministry of John the Baptist. He came,
. . . in the spirit and power of Elias. . . (Luke 1:17)
The text does not state that John the Baptist was literally Elijah reincarnated. When John the Baptist was asked whether he was Elijah, he flatly denied it, The Bible states:
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet. And he answered, No. (John 1:21)
Jesus was stating that John the Baptist was fulfilling functionally and prophetically, the ministry of the prophet Elijah as the “voice of the one crying in the wilderness.” Another
passage that reincarnationists use to support this doctrine is Mark 8:27-29:
And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, one of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Reincarnationists assume that by asking His disciples to identify Him, Jesus was intentionally inferring that He had lived before. It is true that others were mistaken concerning the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the disciples were not. They correctly identified Him as the Christ, the Messiah. Peter said:
. . . thou art the Christ. (v. 29)
Jesus affirms Peter’s confession by warning them all not to tell anyone about His identity at that time. He probably wanted people to discover who He was for themselves. Far from inferring reincarnation, both Peter and Jesus agreed that Jesus was the Messiah of Jewish hope, the fulfillment of the Prophetic Scriptures. Reincarnationists also use to John 3:3.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say to thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
They argue that Jesus was referring here to cyclic rebirth when He said that one must be born-again. The context of John 3:1-12 is clearly referring to spiritual rebirth, not physical rebirth. Jesus made that point in verse six when He said,
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
The term “born again” is often translated, “born from above,” keeping true to the original language. Implicit in this statement is the Biblical doctrine of regeneration or conversion, an event that takes place only once and has nothing remotely to do with cyclic rebirth. Peter states the same thought when he wrote.
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23).
AND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, of his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:1-2)
Reincarnationists believe that this man was born blind because of the wrong doing in his previous life. This was definitely a reference to the “law of karma.” We can refute this
argument quickly by reading further in the text. In verse three (3) we read,
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
If this was a situation involving bad “karma,” Jesus clearly would not have said what He did, nor would He have healed the man of his infirmity. Reincarnational theology forbids one from interfering with another “karma.”
Another passage that reincarnationists refer to is Hebrews 7:1-3,
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem. . . which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God. . .(Hebrews 7:1-3)
They reason that Melchizedek was an earlier incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Most commentaries point out that he was a prototype, or a model, of Christ who was to come. Even though the details of Melchizedek’s life are somewhat sketchy, He is called a man and could not have been Christ because there was only one incarnation. The Bible states:
In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. . . (John 1:14)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)
Even a quick glance of Hebrews 7, will point out that Christ is a High Priest “after the order” or according to the likeness of Melchizedek.
For he testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 7:17)
He was not Melchizedek in a former life.
New Agers argue that the doctrine of reincarnation can be substantiated by the experience of “past-life recall.” There are four (4) categories of the past-life recall experiences: (1) intuitive recall, (2) spontaneous recall, (3) psychic recall, and
(4) hypnotic regression.
Intuitive Recall
Intuitive recall or “deja vu” is the experience of a feeling or strong impression that one has seen the same thing before or one has met someone before even though the person may be meeting or seeing someone for the first time. This according to reincarnationists, is an indication that one has actually met that person or visited that place before in a past life.
Intuitive recall can be explained by explaining that when one feels that one has been somewhere before or thinks that one met that person before, one is simply experiencing an attempt by the subconscious mind to relate the present experience to
something in the past. For instance one may have seen a picture or a photograph of that person or place and, while one cannot consciously remember seeing it, his subconscious mind relates the encounter to the picture or photograph. This causes one to think that one has been there before or has met that person in a previous life.
Spontaneous Recall
Spontaneous recall usually, though not always, occurs in children. They insist that they are someone else who lived in a previous life. Reincarnationists argue that some of these cases have been scientifically verified and are, therefore, irrefutable.
Despite reincarnationist claims, cases involving children claiming to be someone else who lived before have not been scientifically verified. The majority of documented cases that appear to exhibit genuine features of supposed past lives are explained by one of the following: (1) conscious or unconscious fraud, (2) cryptomnesia, (3) genetic memory, or (4) spirit communication.
Psychic Recall
Psychic recall is remembering past lives through seances, mediums, or Extra-ordinary Sensory Perception (ESP) experiments. Reincarnationists argue that knowledge acquired through these means is supernatural, and therefore must be true.
Information acquired through occultic means will not lead a person to truth but into error. Though the experience may be real, or even appear to be supernatural, if it is not grounded in truth, it will lead one into further deception. Information acquired through seances, mediums, or ESP experiments is occultic in nature and therefore is fraudulent.
The Bible forbids any participation in occult activity.
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. (Ex. 22:18, cf. Lev. 19:31; Deut. 13:1-5).
The real power behind these practices is Satanic and is evil. Those who seek to validate their experiences through such means are being tricked into believing that they have lived before.
Hypnotic Regression
Hypnotic regression is the recall of past lives through hypnosis. Reincarnationists argue that for a person to remember his past life under hypnosis, the person must have experienced it.
The practice of hypnosis is still under suspicion. The nature of the hypnotic state is still largely unknown. The subject is highly susceptible to suggestions and other mental or
psycho-spiritual transmissions, and therefore unreliable. Those cases that involve hypnotic regression are deriving their information from memories of the subconscious mind or from
genuine occultic sources. These cases are not sufficient to prove that reincarnation is true.
The purpose of reincarnation is for man to atone personally for misdeeds or personal sins. Each rebirth in the reincarnational wheel of life provides the opportunity to correct the errors of past lives. The final redemption or absorption of the soul into the divine world-soul (Nirvana) needs no savior from sin. We therefore, become our own saviors.
The doctrine of reincarnation is a subtle attack on the salvation that Jesus Christ purchased by His sacrificial death on the Cross. The Bible states:
For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. but now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Heb. 9:24-28, NIV)
The Bible states clearly that with,
. . . one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb. 10:14).
It further states that Christ,
. . . by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. (Heb. 1:3).
The Suffering Servant portrayed in Isaiah 53 was fulfilled on Calvary when the Lord Jesus cried, “it is finished.” Our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and was resurrected from the dead to seal the covenant of divine redemption.
Reincarnation is an attempt to circumvent the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. It attempts also to replace our bodily resurrection with an immortal or glorified body, (1 Cor. 15) with an endless procession or corruptible bodies in which we must attempt to work out our final salvation by the “law of karma.”
This contradicts the Bible teaching on the doctrine of salvation.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Bible states that salvation is the gift of God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Divine judgment follows the rejection of this gift. Reincarnation contradicts the direct teaching of Christ Himself. In prophesying about His bodily resurrection from the dead, Jesus said,
. . . destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19)
John reminds us that Jesus was speaking of
. . .the temple of his body. (John 2:21).
The LORD God sealed the covenant He had made with man through His Son, Jesus Christ, by raising Him from the dead. Without this there is no validity to Christianity. Satan knows this, hence the substitution of reincarnation for salvation and resurrection. The Bible states:
. . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement. (Hebrews 9:27)
Reincarnationists teach that man is appointed to die almost endlessly, and in the end to no avail. The Bible further states:
For by grace are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not works lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9).
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. (2 Pet. 2:9)
The Bible teaches that judgment is an event not an endless cycle.
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31).
The New Age Cult cannot break out of the circle of “karma,” therefore its concept of redemption is illusory. Our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Life breaks this endless cycle of births and deaths. He alone can authoritatively and truthfully say,
. . .I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. . . (John 11:25-26).
Our Lord Jesus Christ states:
. . . because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:19).
These glorious words ever remind us that one day Jesus Christ will raise up those who put their faith in Him
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40).
Those who teach reincarnation are not begotten to a lively hope in Christ. They have simply never known the life of God nor His gracious forgiveness. The Bible states:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (I Peter 1:3)
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)
As we look at reincarnation from a Biblical perspective we must conclude that reincarnation does away with the dignity of man by reducing him to an impersonal origin. Instead of being unique, created in the image of God, man, at any point in time, is only a single stage in a constant cycle.
One of the strongest arguments for the doctrine of reincarnation is that it provides the answer to the problem of moral inequality, apparent injustice and evil which fill this world. Reincarnationists argue that this doctrine is interwoven with the doctrine of karma, which teaches that one’s present condition was determined by his actions in a past life. Reincarnationists reason that it would be unjust of God to make someone suffer when one did not deserve it. Many children suffer tragically before they could knowingly sin. The only explanation is that these unfortunate infants suffer because of sins they committed in past lives.
The reincarnationists’ answer to the problem of evil is faulty. It assumes that no innocent person suffers and that those who suffer are not innocent. If this was so, why should we feel compassion for the victims of crime , or why should we give care and attention to suffering children when they have brought it upon themselves?
The Bible makes it clear that much of our suffering is the result of decisions that people make freely in this life. Some of these decisions affect others, sometimes the innocent, adversely. Some sufferings are divinely permitted and are designed to cause us to see our own helplessness and to depend totally on the One who created us and sustains us each day of our lives.
God intends that some of our sufferings would cultivate in us such virtues as patience and understanding in the face of tragedy. Courage is manifested in the midst of danger. There is a purpose for pain. Even though in our finity we do not understand
all that infinity is doing, we know that He does all things well.
Reincarnation is technically a reward system. Since most New Agers teach that there is no distinction between good and evil, the question arises as to how can a person be punished or rewarded in a future life? If good and evil are not real, or if they are ultimately the same, then the whole idea of karma and reincarnation are irrelevant.
Many reincarnationists argue that in order for there to be justice and love in the cosmos, God must give us a “second chance.” Reincarnation removes the reality of hell since the cycle of birth and rebirth will continue until we are perfect. We cannot examine God’s love, apart from His justice. Divine love is connected with a deeply moral core. Jesus said,
If you love me, you will obey what I command. (John 14:15)
God is holy and just. He will not allow sin to go unpunished. Through His abundant mercy, He has graciously provided an escape from the wrath of that judgment. God’s holiness demands justice and judgment, but His mercy has provided that His wrath be poured out on someone else- who is able to endure the wrath of sin, on someone so morally innocent and pure that He could justly pay for our sins. God’s holy love has provided for the payment for our sins. Those who receive His forgiveness receive eternal life and are prepared for heaven. Those who reject it are candidates for hell. According to the Bible there is no need for this endless cycle of reincarnation.
Notes to Chapter Ten
1. Martin, p. 33.
Word count for Chapter Ten 5, 988
CHAPTER ELEVEN
REBIRTHING
The New Age Movement teaches the experiential doctrine of “rebirthing.” This is a so-called “born-again” experience that is completely different from the Biblical experience of conversion. New Age Religion has its own spiritual laws and commandments. It has its own priests, gurus and a proclaimed Messiah.
The New Age Movement universally proclaims that man is God and “man created god in his own image”. In accordance with their belief that “all is one.” They regard man to be a part of the eternal godhead or the “cosmic consciousness” or the “Force.”. Man needs to discover and to develop his divinity by expanding his consciousness through meditation. Ultimately, man is “on his way to godhood”. New Agers even believe that one may enter fully into the spirit of the “god of force”. New Age occultists believe that god is a neutral force that can be manipulated either for good or evil. They seek to master the art of
achieving this.
THE HIGHER SELF
New Agers teach that man can save himself by finding his “High Self,” a feeling of oneness with everything that is, and the realization of his own divinity, through “consciousness expansion.” This experience is distinctly superior to the conventional “old age” religion or “ordinary consciousness,” the state of mind one experiences when one is involved in ordinary chores. They call this finding of the “High Self” by different names; at-one-ment, (Biblical atonement), self-realization or God realization, (the two are interchangeable) enlightenment and attunement. They argue that this re-awakening of self replaces the traditional teaching of the guilt of sin.
New Agers seek to replace prayer (communication with a personal God) with meditation (the journey with self). They clearly promote the experience of “self” above faith in God. As such, instead of teaching the “born-again” experience that the Bible talks about, (John 3:3) it teaches the rediscovery of the true, inner and divine self. Faith in man and in the all-pervasive energy or life force throughout the cosmos is at the heart of the New Age Movement.
David Spangler, a prominent New Age leader and for three years co-director of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, states:
[Lucifer works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, and as we move into a new age, which is the age of man’s wholeness, each of us in some way is brought to that point which I term the Luciferic initiation] [an act of consecration to Lucifer], the particular doorway through which the individual must pass if he is to come fully into the presence of his light and his wholeness. 1
This view was supported by Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. Various leaders of the Movement have attempted to deify Lucifer. Alice Bailey sees Lucifer as the “Ruler of Humanity,” and the guiding light of today’s New Age Movement.
Part of the spiritual sources of the New Age Movement are masters of wisdom, ancestral spirits and nature spirits. Some New Agers worship Buddha or Shiva. They have resurrected several gods and have made new ones.
New Agers draw from every source of occult teaching known to mankind. One of its pillar is witchcraft.
THE TRINITY.
New Agers concept of the Trinity is very different from what Biblical Christianity teaches. They teach that,
Eternal Thought is one; in essence it is two -Intelligence and Force; and when they breathe, a child is born; this child is Love.
And thus the Triune God stand forth, whom men call Father-Mother-Child. 2
According to Amano and Geisler, New Agers teach concerning the Trinity.
The Spirit of eternity is One unmanifest; and this is God the Father, God the Mother, God the Son in One. In life of manifests the One became the Three, and God the Father is the God of might; and God the Mother is the omniscient God, and God the Son is love. And God the Father is the power of heaven and earth; and God the Mother is the Holy Breath, the thought of heaven and earth; and God the Son, the only son, is Christ, and Christ is love. 3
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a truth of natural theology; it is a doctrine of revelation. The Trinity is most distinctly expressed in the words of Christ in the “Great Commission” (Matt. 28:19)
. . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. . ..
There are many other clear indications of the Trinity. For example, the apostolic benediction (II Cor. 13:14). There are three Persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. “The Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary” states:
This doctrine has come from the data of historical revelation. God has revealed Himself as one God, subsisting in three Persons. God as revealed in the Bible is not a simple undifferentiated Subject; but His being is in three objectively distinguished Subjects. 4
Judeo-Christian sources attest to the unity of the Godhead.(Duet. 6:4,5; Isa. 44:6-8; 45:21-23; I Cor. 8:5,6). The Being of God is complex. The Psalmist states:
Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1)
The Bible states:
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? (Matt. 22:41-45 cf. Mark and Luke, Hebrews 1:13; 10:12, 13).
The Jewish mind in New Testament times saw no problem in the personal distinctions in the Being of God. They objected to the idea of God in the flesh.
. . . thou, being a man, makest thyself God. (John 10:33). . . sought the more to kill him, because he, not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:18).
The concept “Son of God,” meaning “equal with God,” was well defined in the Jewish mind. They clearly understood this from such Old Testament passages as:
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (Psalms 2:6,7).
The Jews never objected to the idea that there could not be a Son of God equal with God. Our Lord and the early Christians had to deal with the difficulty that Jews had in understanding that the Son of God could humble Himself to become a man. Jesus dealt with this in John 10:34-36,
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
He quoted,
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalm 82:6).
to show that, since man is made in the image of God, the nature of man and the nature of God are not contradictory. The claim that He is the Son of God is not necessarily blasphemy. He appeals to the evidence as shown in John 10:37-38,
If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. (John 10:37-38).
to show that His claim is true. Zondervan states:
When the NT Christians apply to Jesus OT passages which related to Jehovah (Rom. (10: 13 quoting Joel 2:32; Rom. 14:10, 11 quoting Isa. 45:23), they reflect the OT presupposition that the Messiah would be Jehovah, sent by Jehovah (Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:14,-16), and they show no awareness of controversy on this latter point. It was not the Jewish mind of the first century which stumbled at the personal distinctions in the Godhead. 5
New Testament Christianity assumes the personal deity of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament frequently refers to the Holy Spirit of God. (Ps. 51:11; Isa. 63: 10,11: Hag. 2:5. The assumption is illustrated in Peter’s words addressed to Ananias,
. . .why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost…thou has not lied unto men but unto God. (Acts 5:3,4)
The Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 17, supports the view that the Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not merely modes of one Person. He spoke to the Father and by the Father’s witness to the Son (Mark 1:11; 8:7. Our Lord paralleled John 12:28, 29). He made numerous references to the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7-15). Zondervan states:
The data of revelation, then established in the minds of NT Christians four convictions: 1. God is One 2. Jesus is God. 3. The Holy Spirit is God. 4. The three Persons are Subject and Object, “I and thou,” each to the other. 6
Zondervan continues,
Spiritual and philosophical values in the doctrine can only be mentioned. 1. Only in terms of the Trinity, including infinite Subject-Object relationships, can we conceive of the eternal existence of the God before the creation of the finite universe. 2. Only in terms of the Trinity can we conceive of God’s redemptive program: The Father gave the Son (John 3:16); the Son gave Himself (Gal. 2:20); “through the eternal Spirit” He “offered Himself” (Heb. 9:14). 3. The revelation of the Eternal Son illuminates our finite sonship in the household” of God (Rom. 8:16, 29; I John 3:1, 2; 17:21, 22). 7
THE ATONEMENT
According to New Agers,
God does not believe in retribution. His Mind does not create that way. He does not hold your “evil” deeds against you. Is it likely that He would hold them against me?…
Sacrifice is a notion totally unknown to God. It arises solely from fear, and frightened people can be vicious. Sacrificing in any way is a violation of my injunction that you should be merciful even as your Father in Heaven is merciful.
“Jesus:” The crucifixion is nothing more than an extreme example. Its value, like the value of any teaching device, lies solely in the kind of learning it facilitates….
The message the crucifixion was intended to teach was that it is not necessary to perceive any form of assault in persecution, because you cannot be persecuted (i.e., because you are “God’s Son,” and
therefore indestructible). If you respond with anger, you must be equating yourself with the destructible and are therefore regarding yourself insanely.'”
This is really the true crucifixion. It was not so much hanging Jesus on the physical cross, but it was the entry of the cosmic Christ in the physical, etheric, mental, and emotional energy patterns of the planetary body itself.
From that point onward, the Christ was no longer an educative force standing outside the planet, beckoning evolution forward. It had become a very powerful force operative within the very structure of the planet itself.” 8
As already stated, New Agers deny the Biblical teaching of sin. It completely evades the meaning of the cross and substitutes the Doctrine of Reincarnation as the means of atonement.
The Bible teaches us that the necessity for the atonement follows from two facts: from God’s holiness and from man’s sinfulness. The reaction of God’s holiness against man sinfulness is known as His wrath, which may be averted by atonement. Man has broken God’s law and violated the principles of righteousness. This knowledge is recorded in memory. The conscience registers it as guilt.
The word “atonement” literally means “to cover,” and is variously translated in our Authorized Version by the following words: purge, reconcile, make reconciliation, pacify, pardon, be merciful, put off. “Atonement” includes the covering of both the sins and the sinner. The Bible states:
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. (Psalm 78:38; cf. 79:9)
And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priests: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him. (Lev. 5:18)
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. (Lev. 4:20)
Websters Collegiate Dictionary states:
Atonement means reconciliation of God and man through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. 9
Pearlman states:
To atone for sin is to cover sin from God’s sight so that it loses its power to provoke His wrath. 10
Pearlman quotes from Dr. Alfred Cave:
The idea expressed by the Hebrew original of the word translated “atone” was cover and covering, not in the sense of rendering invisible to Jehovah, but in the sense of engrossing His sight with something else, of neutralizing sin, so to speak, of disarming it, of rendering it inert to arouse the righteous anger of God. To atone for sin … was to throw, so to speak, a veil over sin so dazzling, that the veil, and not the sin. was visible, to place side by side with sin something so attractive as to completely engross the eye. The figure which the New Testament uses when it speaks of the “new robe” (of righteousness) the Old Testament uses when it speaks of “atonement.” When an atonement was made under the law it was as though the Divine eye, which had been kindled at the sight of sin and foulness, was quieted by the garment thrown around it; or, to use a figure much too modern, yet equally appropriate, it was as if the sinner who had been exposed to the lightning of Divine wrath had been suddenly wrapped round and insulated. Atonement meant so covering the sinner that his sin was invisible or non-existent in the sense that it could no longer come between him and his Maker. To use the word of a German theologian: “When sinful souls approached the altar of God, where dwelt His holiness, their sinful nature came between them and God, and atonement served the purpose of covering their sins, of canceling the charges on which they were arraigned. 11
When the priest applied the blood to the altar on behalf of the sins of the people, our fore-fathers received the promise God made to them,
. . .And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. . .(Exod. 12:13)
The results of this atonement or covering were, sin was blotted out,
Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger. (Jer. 18:23; cf. Isa. 43:25; 44:22)
sin was removed,
And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isa. 6:7)
sin was covered,
BLESSED IS he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Psalm 32:1)
sin was cast into the depths of the sea,
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19),
sin was cast behind God’s back,
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. (Isa. 38:17)
sin was pardoned,
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. (Psa. 78:38)
When sin is atoned, it is covered, it is put out of sight, it is invalidated, it is undone, all its effects are removed. The death of Christ was an atoning death because it removed sin and all its effects. The Bible states:
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb. 9:26, cf. v. 28; 2:17; 10:12-14; 9:14)
It was a sacrificial death or a death having relation to sin. The Bible states,
Who in his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree. . . (1 Pet. 2:24)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. 5:21)
Pearlman argues,
To atone for sin is to bear sin and to bear it away, so that it is taken from the transgressor, who is then considered as justified from all unrighteousness, cleansed from defilement and sanctified to belong to God’s people. One Hebrew word used to describe cleansing means literally to: “un-sin.” By Christ’s atoning death sinners are “un-sinned” and then “in-Christed” (to coin a word). They die to sin in order to live for Christ. 12
Notes to Chapter Eleven
1. Schlink, p. 15.
2. Martin, p. 26
3. Amano and Geisler, p. 115.
4. Merril Tenney, The Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary (Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977), p. 872.
5. Tenney
6. Tenney
7. Tenney
8. Martin, pp. 28-29.
9. Websters New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, Tennessee: Star Song Publishing Group, A division of Jubilee Communications, Inc., 1992), p. 71.
10. Pearlman, p. 203.
11. Pearlman
12. Pearlman, p. 204.
Word count for Chapter Eleven 3, 049
CHAPTER TWELVE
SALVATION
The following statement outlines the New Ager’s view of salvation:
[We should] surrender all the fallacious ideas of forgiveness, vicarious atonement, divine mercy and the rest of the opiates which superstition offers to the sinner.
[The Jesus of the Aquarian Gospel]: I am disturbed about this service of the pascal feast. I thought the temple was the house of God where love and kindness dwell. Do you not hear the bleating of those lambs, the pleading of those doves that men are killing over there? Do you not smell that awful stench that comes from burning flesh? Can man be kind and just, and still be filled with cruelty? A God that takes delight in sacrifice, in blood and burning flesh, is not my Father-God. I want to find a God of love, and you, my master, you are wise, and surely you can tell me where to find the God of love.
[Orthodox Christianity presents] a picture of the christ impossible for the majority of thinking people today to accept-as the One and Only Son of God, sacrificed by His Loving Father to save Humanity from the results of its sins; as a Blood Sacrifice straight out of the old and outworn Jewish Dispensation. 1
New Agers salvation is self-earned.
Man is his own Satan just as man is his own salvation.
The hypothesis of reincarnation shows our inherent divinity, and the method by which the latent becomes actual. Instead of the ignoble belief that we can fling our sins upon another, it makes personal responsibility the keynote of life. It is the ethics of self-help. It is the moral code of self-reliance. It is the religion of self-respect. 2
Reincarnation is a vital part of the process of salvation.
Reincarnation is like show business. You just keep doing it until you get it right.
[Reincarnation] is the process which allows each soul to experience every human condition as the path back to full spirituality and eventual reuniting with the God force.
The third and last of the basic postulates of The Secret Doctrine is the fundamental identity of all souls with the universal Over-soul…and the obligatory pilgrimage of every soul through a cycle of incarnation. 3
Salvation is the realization of one’s innate divinity.
God transcendent can lead one on the path of knowing. Only God realized within one’s self, God immanent in other words, can lead to being from which knowing ultimately springs.
On the fact of God and of man’s relation to the divine, on the fact of immortality and of the continuity of divine revelation, and upon the fact of the constant emergence of Messengers from the divine center, the new world religion will be based. To these facts must be added man’s assured, instinctive knowledge of the existence of the path to God and of his ability to tread it, when the evolutionary process has brought him to the point of a fresh orientation to divinity and to the acceptance of the fact of God Transcendent and of God Immanent within every form of Life.
Thus it is an At-one-ment, a unifying force, by which the separated lives are gradually made conscious of their unity, laboring to develop in each a self-consciousness, which shall at last know itself to be one with all others, and its root One and divine.
Christ is Divine, having perfected Himself and manifested the Divinity potential in each of us.
We ascend until we reach the pinnacle of that which life is spent to build-the Temple of Perfected Man.
Christ (known as Lord Maitreya) said: My purpose is to show man that he need fear no more, that all of Light and Truth rests within his heart, that when this simple fact is known man will become God.
Man is an emerging God and thus requires the formation of modes of loving which will allow this God to flourish.
Eventually, man will come to know himself as the Divine Being he is.
Peace on the outside comes from peace on the inside. Peace on the inside comes from understanding that we are all God.
You each need to become masters of your own souls, which is to say, the realization of yourselves as God.
If everyone was taught one basic spiritual law, your world would be a happier, healthier place. And that law is this: Everyone is God. Everyone. The greatest threat to Earth is spiritual ignorance….When everyone is aligned with the knowledge that each is part of God, the consciousness of civilization will reflect peace-peace within. Recognize that within each individual is the divine cosmic truth that you term God.
The total understanding and realization of my self might require eons for me to accomplish. But when that awareness is achieved, I will be aligned completely with that unseen Divine Force we call God.
The New Age is essentially a time in planetary history when the fruits of revelation given and anchored by Jesus come into being. In human terms, this means it is a time when we learn to be at one with God ourselves, to be Christs ourselves. This is also the revelation of esoteric disciplines, which have always been esoteric because they dealt with the reality of man’s inner divinity and how to actualize it, rather than with the forms and doctrines relating to forming relationships with an external deity or Christ. Yet orthodox Christianity has a strong mystical side that, to the best of its ability, has taught the imitation of Christ. It has not fully dared the cosmic breadth of Jesus revelation (“Ye are gods.” “All that I do, you shall do, and greater.”) [and] has suggested imitation of Jesus, not actually being the Christ. 4
What the Bible teaches on salvation is very different from this view. The Bible states, that man has transgressed the law of God and is a sinner.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God . . . (Rom. 3:23).
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (v. 10).
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Eccles. 7:20)
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 51:5)
Our Lord Jesus Christ recognized this and said,
. . .I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matt. 9:13).
The Bible teaches that Christ died for our sins with the purpose of reconciling us, the unjust, to God. It states:
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God , being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (I Peter 3:18).
The Bible states,
. . . sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4)
All unrighteousness is sin. (I John 5:17)
The Bible states:
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he openeth not his mouth: he is bought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isa. 53:7)
The Bible states:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:8-9)
Salvation is both objective (outward) and subjective (inward). Through our salvation in Christ we become righteous. This righteousness, however, is both a change of position and a change of condition. It is both imputed and imparted.
There are three aspects of salvation: Justification, Regeneration, Sanctification. Salvation is a new life in Christ or more precisely the Life of Christ that is imparted to a sinner. The repentant person receives this life, eternal life, by turning away from sin and by receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour. This is the born-again experience. Through the work of the Blessed Holy Spirit in the heart of the person, the old nature is crucified or mortified and the person receives a new nature. This new life is the perfect reflection of the image of
Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Justification is,
To make valid, to absolve, to vindicate, to set right. Justification may be defined as, “that judicial act of God, by which, on the basis of the meritorious work of Christ, imputed to the sinner and received by him through faith, He declares the sinner absolved from his sin, release from its penalty, and restored as righteous.” 5
Regeneration is the inward life that corresponds to our calling and makes us partakers of the Divine nature. The “born-again” person separates himself from sin and ungodliness and dedicates his life to the worship and service of God. Sanctification is both external and internal. Outwardly it is separation from sin and dedication to God. Inwardly it calls for purification from sin.
All three blessings flow from our union with Christ. The believer is one with Christ in virtue of His atoning death and in virtue of His life-giving Spirit. We have become the
righteousness of God in Him. The Bible states:
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. 5:21)
through Him we have the forgiveness of sins
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Eph. 1:7)
in Him we are new creatures, born again to a new life,
Therefore in any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17)
we are sanctified in Him,
Unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s: (1 Cor. 1:2)
and He is made unto us sanctification.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Cor. 1:30)
He is the author of eternal salvation. The outward aspect of grace is provided by the atoning work of Christ; the inward aspect is the work of the Holy Spirit.
God, however, makes certain demands on the one whom He accepts for Christ’s sake and on whom He freely bestows the blessings of salvation. Repentance and faith are the essential conditions for Salvation. The Ordinance of Water Baptism is the outward symbol of the repentant person’s faith. The Bible states:
. . . In the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22:16; cf. 16:31; 2:38; 3:19).
The conditions and preparations for salvation are turning away from sin and turning to God. Pearlman states:
By repentance the penitent removes the obstacle to the receiving of the gift; by faith he accepts the gift. But though repentance and faith are obligatory because commanded, the helping influence of the Holy Spirit is implied. (Note the expression, “granted repentance.”
Acts 11:18). Blasphemy against the Spirit drives away Him who alone can move the heart to contrition, hence there is no pardon. 6
The Bible states:
. . . Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:39, NKJV)
Notes to Chapter Twelve
1. Amano and Geisler, p. 121.
2. Amano and Geisler
3. Amano and Geisler, pp. 121-122.
4. Amano and Geisler, pp. 122-123.
5. Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary p. 460.
6. Pearlman pp. 222-223.
Word count for Chapter Twelve 1, 997
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HEAVEN AND HELL
THE LAST JUDGMENT
DEMONIC POWERS
ANGELS
REVELATION
CREATION
SIN
HUMANITY
UNIVERSALISM
New Agers teachings on “Heaven and Hell and the Last Judgment” are,
Christianity as emphasized immortality but has made eternal happiness dependent upon the acceptance of a theological dogma: Be a true professing Christian and live in a somewhat fatuous heaven or refuse to be an accepting Christian, or a negative professional Christian, and go to an impossible hell-a hell growing out of the theology of the Old Testament and its presentation of a God full of hate and jealousy. Both concepts are today repudiated by all sane, sincere, thinking people. No one of any true reasoning power or with any true belief in a God of love accepts the heaven of the churchmen of has any desire to go there. Still less do they accept the ‘lake which burneth with fire and brimstone’ (Rev. 21:8) or the everlasting torture to which a God of love is supposed to condemn all who do not believe in the theological interpretations of the Middle Ages, of the modern fundamentalists, or of the unreasoning churchmen who seek-through doctrine, fear, and threat-to keep people in line with the obsolete old teaching.”
“Jesus: ‘My brother, man, your thoughts are wrong; your heaven is not far away; and it is not a place of metes and bounds, is not a country to be reached; it is a state of mind.
“‘God never made a heaven for man; he never made a hell’; we are creators and we make our own.”
“Now, cease to seek for heaven in the sky; just open up the windows of your heart, and, like, a flood of light, a heaven will come and bring a boundless joy; thentoil will be no cruel task.”
“Those who believe in a hell and assign themselves to it through their belief can indeed experience one, but certainly in nothing like eternal terms. No soul is forever ignorant.”
“Jesus: ‘The Last Judgment is one of the most threatening ideas in your thinking. This is because you do not understand it. Judgment is not an attribute of God. It was brought into being only after the separation (i.e., man’s fall into delusion), when it became one of the many learning devices to be built into the overall plan….
The Last Judgment is generally thought of as a procedure undertaken by God. Actually it will be undertaken by my brothers with my help. It is a final healing rather than a meting out of punishment, however much you may think that punishment is deserved. Punishment is a concept totally opposed to right-mindedness, and the aim of the Last Judgment is to restore right-mindedness to you. The Last Judgment might be called a process of right evaluation. It simply means that everyone will finally come to understand what is worthy and what is not. After this, the ability to choose can be directed rationally. 1
New Agers completely reject the Christian’s concept of heaven. They substitute it with the concept of “Nirvana,” the Buddhist’s idea that all human souls will eventually be absorbed into the great “world soul.” They further state that hell is what we reap here in the form of “bad karma” or punishment for errors committed in our past lives. This is what they see as divine judgment. They deal with the issue of evil, judgment for wrongdoing, and reward for righteousness under the Doctrine of Reincarnation. The “law of karma,” New Agers claim, is stated in Christian terms as, “what-soever a man sow, that shall he also
reap.”
The Bible teaches several judgments.
1. The judgment of believers for their sins at Calvary. Jn. 5:24; Rom 6:8; 7:4 showing His estimation of its character by the terrible penalty inflicted on His son. God judged sin at Calvary.
2. Judgment of Rewards for Believers – II Tim. 4:8; Rev. 11:18; believers do not earn their salvation, for it a free-gift of GOD, but after they are saved, they earn their crowns and rewards by faithful service through the Spirit. There are at least five crowns spoken of in the New Testament that are bestowed upon the believer.
a. The Incorruptible Crown-I Cor. 9:25
b. The Crown of Righteousness-II Tim. 4:8
c. The Crown of Life-James 1:12; Rev. 2:10
d. The Crown of Glory-I Peter 5:4
e. The Crown of Gold-Rev. 4:4.
3. The Judgment of the living nations.
There is a final judgment for the nations before the judgment seat of Christ. Matt. 25:
4. The Judgment of the wicked dead.
This judgment will occur after the Millennium. It is called the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. (Rom. 2:5)
The saints will sit with Christ, who will administer the judgment. (Jn. 5:22.) All men will be gathered together, both small and great, the quick and the dead Rev. 20:12; II Tim. 4:1; God book will be opened Dan 7:10; and He will judge in righteousness the actions, works and thoughts of men. (Eccles. 12:14; Matt. 12:36-37; Jude 15; 1 Cor. 4:5) 2
The Bible uses several names to describe heaven,
1. Paradise (literally, a garden), reminding us of the happiness and blessedness of our first parents as they walked and talked with the Lord God. (Rev. 2:7; 2 Cor 12:4).
2. “Fathers House,” with its many mansions (Jn. 14:2), conveying the thought of home, rest and fellowship.
3. A heavenly country to which we are traveling as Israel of old traveled to Canaan, the earthly Promised Land. (Heb. 11:13-16)
4. A city, suggesting the idea of an organized society. Hebrews 11:10; Rev. 21:2. 3
Heaven is a place, not just a state of mind. Such a place is necessary to satisfy the demands of justice. The sufferings of the righteous on earth and the apparent prosperity of the wicked demand a future state where full justice is served. Pearlman describes the blessings of heaven.
(a) Light and Beauty. Rev. 21: 23; 22:5.
(b) Fullness of knowledge. 1 Cor. 13:12.
(c) Rest. Rev. 14:13; 21:4.
(d) Service. Rev.7:15; 22:3.
(e) Joy. Rev. 21:4.
(g) Stability
(h) Social joys Heb. 12:22,23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18. 4
HELL
1. Hell is a place of extreme suffering (Rev. 20:10)
2. Memory and remorse Lk. 16:19-31
3. Unsatisfied desire (Lk. 16:24)
4. Contempt. (Dan. 12:2)
5. Companionship Rev. 21:8
6. Hopelessness (Prov. 11:7; Matt 25:41. 5
DEMONIC POWERS
The New Age Movement teaches,
It is important to see that Lucifer, as I am using this term describes an angel, a being, a great and mighty planetary consciousness. It does not describe that popular thought-form of Satan who seeks to lead man down a path of sin and wrongdoing. That is a human creation and yet it is a creation that has some validity but represents the collective thought-form of all those negative energies which man has built up and created.
Man is his own Satan just as man is his own salvation. But since the energies of Lucifer go to build up this thought-form, Lucifer, or shall I say a shadow Lucifer, can be identified with this thought-form and in this there is confusion. If one can approach this collective thought-form with love, without fear, then one can go beyond this shadow and see the true angel of light that is there seeking to bring light to man’s inner world.
Of course, yes, the forces of evil are part of God. They are not separate from God. Everything is God. 6
However, the Bible paints quite a different picture of the Force. It emphatically describes Satan as,
(1) Devil (Matt. 13:39; John 13:2; Eph. 6:11; James 4:11).
(2) Dragon (Rev. 12:3,7; 13:2; 20:2; cf. Isa. 51:9).
(3) Serpent (Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9; 20:2; cf. Isa. 27:1).
(4) Beelzebub or Beelzebul (Matt. 10:25; 12:24-27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15-19).
(5) Belial or Beliar (2 Cor. 6:15).
(6) Lucifer (Isa. 14:12).
(7) The evil one (Matt. 13:19, 38; Eph. 6:6).
(8) The tempter (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. (3:5).
(9) The god of this world (lit., “age” 2 Cor. 4:4).
(10) The prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2).
(11) The ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). 7
Lucifer fell from heaven, a place of exceeding glory and power. After his ejection, he assumed the title “prince of the power of the air”
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Eph. 2:2).
With pretentious benevolence, he entered the Garden of Eden intending to destroy the creation that God had designed in His own image and likeness. The marvelous grace of God stayed him. New Agers teach that Lucifer and Christ are partners in the endeavor of bringing about humankind’s salvation.
Lucifer works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, and as we move into a new age, which is the age of man’s
wholeness, each of us in some way is brought to that point which I term the Luciferic initiation.
Lucifer, like Christ, stands at the door of man’s consciousness and knocks. If man says, “Go away because I do not like what you represent, I am afraid of you,” Lucifer will play tricks on that fellow. If man says, “Come in, and I will give to you the treat of my love and understanding and I will uplift you in the light and presence of the Christ, my outflow,” then lucifer becomes something else again. He becomes the being who carries that great treat, the ultimate treat, the light of wisdom.
Lucifer moves in to create the light within that light, that wisdom, that love into creation so what has been forged in the furnace of creation can become a light unto the world and not simply stagnate within the being. 8
The Bible teaches that Satan will ultimately be defeated by the Second Adam, the manifest “seed of the woman” and the “Lord from heaven.”
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen. 3:15).
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthly: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (I Cor. 15:47-49).
Our Lord Jesus Christ is this seed who will finally and cast Satan into the lake of fire.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev. 20:10)
The Bible clearly teaches that Satan is a personal being. Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Zech. 3:1, 2; Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 10:18; Jn. 13:2; Acts 5:3; Eph. 6:11, 12; I Pet. 5:8; Rev. 20:1-3.
In summary, the devil is not an impersonal force. He is not even the principle of evil personified. He has personal names and the Bible uses personal pronouns in referring to him. It also ascribes to him personal attributes and acts. The principal Scriptural names applied to the devil are the following:
1. Abaddon, perdition: Rev. 9:11.
2. Apollyon, destroyer: Rev. 9:11.
3. Beelzebub, prince of demons: Matt. 12:24, 27.
4. Belial, vileness: II Cor. 6:15.
5. Devil, slanderer: Matt. 4:1.
6. Satan, adversary: Zech. 3:1; I Pet. 5:8.
7. Great Dragon: Rev. 12:9.
8. God of this world (age): II Cor. 4:4.
9. Liar and murderer: Jno. 8:44.
10. Lucifer, light-bearer: Isa 14:12.
11. Prince of this world: Jno. 12:31.
12. Prince of the power of the air: Eph. 2:2.
13. Old Serpent: Rev. 12:9.
14. Tempter: I Thess. 3:5.
15. Wicked One: Matt. 13:19. 9
This personal entity both tempted the Lord Jesus Christ and resisted Him during His years of earthly ministry (Luke 4:1-12). Lucifer was a Archangel created perfect in his ways. He was wise, beautiful, Ezek. 28:12, bright and exalted to a position of honor. Because of his high and lofty position pride filled his heart and he sought to be exalt himself above GOD. As a result, he was cast out of his former position and became the enemy of both God and of man. Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:1-19; Col. 1:1-16; I Tim. 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6:9. Pardington outlines the power and works of Satan in the following way,
1. Satan is the author of sin in the universe: Isa. 14:13, 14-“I will.”
2. He is the author of sin in the world: Gen. 3:1-6.
3. He is the author of sickness: Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38.
4. He is the author of death: Heb. 2:14.
5. He tempts to sin: I Chron. 21:1 R.V.; Matt. 4:1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9.
6. He ensnares people: I Tim. 3:7.
7. He puts wicked purposes into men’s hearts: Jno. 13:2; Acts 5:3.
8. He blinds the heart: II Cor. 4:4 R.V.
9. He enters into men: Jno. 13:27.
10. He takes away the good seed of the Word: Mark 4:15.
11. He sows tares among the wheat: Matt. 13:25.
12. He will give power to Antichrist: II Thess. 2:9, 10 R.V.
13. He transforms himself into an angel of light: II Cor. 11:14, 15. Likewise his ministers.
14. He harasses God’s servants: II Cor. 12:7.
15. He resists God’s servants: Dan. 10:13; Zech. 3:1.
16. He hinders them: I Thess. 2:18 R.V.
17. He sifts them: Luke 22:31.
18. He accuses the brethren: Rev. 12:9, 10.
19. He holds the world-“like children asleep in his arms”: I John 5:19. (R.V. “the evil one.”) 10
Satan’s favorite methods of attacking people include the following:
1. Intimidations: 1 Pet. 5:8
2. Seduction: II Cor. 11:3.
3. Destruction: Matt. 10:28.
He frightens, allures, or kills. 11
While Satan is powerful, he is finite. He is not omniscient, not omnipotent, not omnipresent, although he is wiser and stronger than man Jude 9, and, through his messengers he seems to be in all places at the same time. It is doubtful whether anyone ever comes into personal conflict with Satan himself. The temptations that come from Satan, except in extraordinary instances, come from his emissaries, his evil angels or demons. Satan exercises power only by the permission of God. According to Pardington,
1. He cannot tempt a believer except by God’s permission: Matt. 4:1.
2. He cannot inflict sickness except by God’s permission: Job 1:10, 12.
3. He cannot inflict death except by God’s permission: Job 2:6; Heb. 2:14.
4. He cannot even touch us except by God’s permission: Job 1:10-12; 2:6; Luke 22:31; I John 5:18.
5. He flees when resisted: James 4:7. 12
God had said to Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). The serpent is Satan: Rev. 12:9. Look at historic steps in the fulfillment of this promise:
1. Potentially, so to speak, this bruising of the serpent’s head was accomplished by Christ on the cross: Jn. 12:31; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; I Jn. 3:8. The devil is a defeated foe, and he knows it.
2. During the present age his power is restricted, being exercised (as we have seen) only by permission of God.
3. During the Millennium he will be confined in the abyss: Rev. 20:1-3.
4. After the Millennium he will be “loosed a little season”: Rev. 20:3b, 7-9.
5. Finally he will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, there to be tormented day and night for ever and ever: Rev. 20:10. 13
DEMONS
The word “demon” is translated from the Greek “daimon” or “daimonion,” plural “daimonia.” The root word is uncertain. Some believe that the word means, “knowing” or “intelligent”, and perhaps it indicate beings with superior knowledge.
The origin of demons is unclear. We are not sure whether they are to be classed with the evil angels, though we know they are evil in nature. They are, however disembodied spirits. This explains why they seek to possess human beings in order to do
their evil work. (Matt. 12:43-44; Mk. 5:10-12.)
Demons are evil spirits.(Matt. 8;28; 9:33; 10:1; 12:43 Mk. 1:23; 5:2-5; 9:17; Lk. 6:18; 9:39.) They are Satan’s messengers, (Matt. 12:22:30,) and are sufficiently as large in number as to make Satan’s presence almost everywhere. (Matt. 12:26-27; 25:41.) Our Lord Jesus Christ has given the Church power over these demons in His Name.
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1).
Paul urges us to arm ourselves for spiritual warfare against the prince of darkness and all his emissaries (Eph. 6:11-18). Satan presents himself as an angel of light so that if it were possible he would deceive even the chosen of God (Matt.24:24). The Bible describes his final deception as,
. . .that man of sin… Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God…so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thess. 2:3-4).
Satan will severely persecute the Church during the Tribulation but he and all his followers will be broken and defeated eternally with all his followers. (Rev. 20)
The New Agers do not believe that the so-called “higher beings” parading the earth as divine messengers or as the spirits of the dead are fallen angels who are directly controlled by Satan and his avowed enemies of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Martin tells us,
Mahareeshi Mahesh Yoga, in his meditations, speaks of studying the Hindu scriptures and transcendental meditation for the purpose of getting in contact with higher beings or gods” on other planes of spiritual reality. 14
The Bible states:
The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils. (I Cor. 10:20)
For though there be those that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth…to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ. (I Cor. 8:5-6).
ANGELS
The New Age Movement teaches that there are no angels in the Biblical sense. There are many spiritual beings in the universe who are more highly developed that man. These highly developed beings and are eager to guide our spiritual evolution.
The Bible teaches that angels are spirit-beings, created by God. Some of them (Satan and his demons) rebelled against God and are enemies of Him and His creation. The rest remained faithful and continue to serve Him.
We are unsure as to the exact time of the creation of angels but they were in existence long before man was created. We can be sure from the numerous references there are to angels, that they are created beings for a specific purpose and not what New
Agers teach. The Bible teaches that angels are,
Created beings. (Rev. 19:10; 22:8,9),
Numerous (Daniel 7:10; Matt. 26:53; Heb. 12:22)
Sexless, Luke 20:34-35;
Immortal -Luke 20:34-35.
Since “order” is the first law of heaven,” it is to be expected that angels be classified according to rank and activity. Such classification is implied in I Peter 3:22 where we read of “angels and authorities and powers.” Compare Col 1:16; Eph. 1:20-21).
Their character.
(a) Obedient, (Matt. 6:10; Psa. 103:20; Jude 6, 1 Pet. 3:22. (b) Reverent. Neh. 9:6; Phil.2:9-11; Heb. 1:6; (c) Wise, 2 Sam 14:17; 1 Kings 8:39; (d) Meek, 2 Pet.2:11; Jude 9; (e) Mighty, Psa. 103:20 ;(f) Holy, (Rev.14:10.)
Angels are,
(a) God’s Agents. They are mentioned as the executors of God decrees and judgement: Gen. 3:24; cf. Numbers 22:22-27; Matt. 13:39, 41, 49; 16:27; 24:31; Mk. 13:27; Gen. 19:1; 2 Sam. 24:16; 2 Kings 19:35; Acts 12:33.
(b) God’s messengers (Angel means literally “messenger” Through angels God sends (1) Annunciations (Lk. 1:11-20; Matt. 1:20-21) (2) Warnings (Matt. 2:13; Heb. 2:2;) (3) Instructions (Matt. 28:2-6; Acts 10:3; Dan. 4:13-17) Encouragement (Acts 27:23; Gen. 28:12) Making revelation (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2; Dan 9:21-27; Rev. 1:1).
(c) God’s servants.
Are not angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. (Heb. 1:14) Angels are sent to sustain (Matt. 4:11, cf. Lk. 22:43; 1 Kings 19:5), to preserve (Gen. 16:7; 24:7; Ex. 23:20; Rev. 7:1)
to deliver (Num. 20:16; Psalm 34:7; 91:11; Isa 63:9; Dan. 6:22; Gen. 48:16, Matt. 26:53) to intercede (Zech 1:12; Rev. 8:3,4, to minister to the righteous after death Luke 16:22) (15)
Pardington includes,
1. They stand in the presence of God and worship Him (Psa. 29:1-3; 89:7; Matt. 18:10)
2. They work in nature. Psa. 103:20; 104:4 Heb. 1:7
3. They guide the affairs of nations (Dan. 10:12-13, 21; 11:1; 12:1.
4. They watch over the interest of particular churches (Rev. 1:20.
5. They assist and protect individual believers – (1 Kings 19:5; Psa. 91:11; Dan. 6:22; Matt. 4:11; Acts 18:10; 12:15; Heb. 1:14) 16
The Bible teaches that the angels are above the known laws of matter. (Numbers 22:23; 1 Chron. 21:16-27; Acts 12:7) They constitute a company that is distinct from a race. (Matt. 22:30; Lk. 20:36; Heb. 2:16).
REVELATION
The New Age Movement teaches that we can mystically become aware of the divinity of all things, and we can experience union with the divine Life Force. “Guides” from other dimensions assist in this.
New Agers argue that the Bible is incomplete and inadequate.
Little as the orthodox Christian may care to admit it, the entire Gospel story in its four forms or presentations, contains little else except symbolic details about the Mysteries. 17
Therefore, special revelation continues today through many New Age prophets.
Visel the holy one who commissioned Levi.”Behold the Akasha! Behold the Record Galleries of Visel where every thought and word and deed of every living thing is written down….Now, Levi, hearken to my words: go forth into these mystic Galleries and read. There you will find a message for the world; for every man; for every living thing. I breathe upon you now the Holy Breadth; you will discriminate, and you will know the lessons that these Record Books of God are keeping now for men for this new age…. Now, Levi, message bearer of the Spirit Age, take up our pen and write.”
And when the world is ready to receive, lo, God will send a messenger to open up the book and copy from its sacred pages all the messages of Purity and Love. Then every man of earth will read the words of life in the language of his native land, and men will see the light.
Akasha is a Sanskrit word, and means “Primary Substance,” that out of which all things are formed….The imperishable records of life, known as the Akashic Records, are wholly in the domain of Supreme Intelligence, or Universal Mind, and the Akashic Record reader must be in such close touch with the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Breath, as the ancient masters call this spirit of Supreme Intelligence, that every thought vibration is instantly felt in every fiber of his being.
It descends on me and comes down as far as the solar plexus and a kind of cone is formed, like that, in light. There is an emotional outflow as well. It is the mental overshadowing which produces the rapport so that I can hear, inwardly, the words,. The astral overshadowing allows what is called the True Spirit of the Christ, the energy of the Cosmic Christ, to flow out to the audience to the world…. I am aware of His Presence, I can sense part of His mind in my mind. It is difficult to describe, but it is there.
I would like to say in preface that I am not a channel or a medium. It is not through any kind of trance that I receive that which I receive when it comes in this form. It is through a process of my own meditation in which I experience something and then it is up to me to put the experience into words and to put it in as best a context of verbalization as I can manage. Therefore, the words that I am going to quote are words inspired in my consciousness by the experience I was having, but are not to be considered actual direct quotes from the divine. That which the divine says is essentially wordless and each of us cloak it in whatever form is most appropriate.
In my own case, the ability to commune between dimensions developed naturally out of a childhood sensitivity and led me as a teenager into exploring the esoteric and mystical traditions more consciously. This in turn resulted in my becoming a lecturer on esoteric themes, with particular reference to the dawning of a New Age in our time, the emergence of a new cycle of human consciousness and experience for which our troubled century was a period of transformation and transition.
It was at such a meeting on the 31st of July, 1970, that I became aware on the fringes of my consciousness of a strong presence that was overlighting the proceedings. I shared what I was feeling, and we decided to sit in meditation together and see if this presence could be contacted…the result was communion with an impersonal consciousness that identified itself through the qualities of Limitless Love and Truth. Within that communion, I was able to identify and to communicate the ideas and vision which this presence embodied.
This contact continued off and on through September 3rd, 1970, resulting in seven transmissions in all….The other six transmissions all deal with the transition into a New Age, the birth of a new world and a new consciousness, the descent of higher energies of spirit into human consciousness and so forth.
When I sat down to write, I envisioned a publication of about twenty to thirty pages. I had no intention of writing a book. However, as I began, it was as if I were overlighted by another aspect of this presence of Limitless Love and Truth. Insights which I had gained over the years through my communions with higher levels, new information, and a deeper identification with some of the processes behind that presence all came together in a synthesis of inspiration, and I found myself writing non-stop for several days.
In all honesty I was embarrassed by this. In the first place, I had tried hard all my life to deglamorize my contact with other levels, to avoid being thought of as a “channel” or a psychic medium. Just as that contact was very normal for me, I felt it important to convey that normalcy and help others find similar attunement within themselves. To be thought of as a prophet or a seer seemed to work against that intention.
I found that my consciousness came into contact with a force or a presence. It could not be accurately described as being but definitely as a point of revelation, a mirror of sorts. This resulted in six statements of vision, six communications, which were put out in little booklets from Findhorn and which inspired a number of questions. In an attempt to answer the questions I ended up writing the book called, Revelation: The Birth of a New Age.
Never has Deity left Itself at any time without witness. Never has man demanded light that the light has not been forthcoming. Never has there been a time, cycle or world period when there was not the giving out of the teaching and spiritual help which human need demanded.
It required many years for Levi to learn the Law of Differentiation, and to come in rapport with the tones and rhythms of Jesus of Nazareth, Enoch and Melchizedek and their co-laborers. But under the direction of the Spirit of Supreme Intelligence, he has attained unto this accomplishment, and now he instantly feels in all his being the slightest vibrations that come from any of these great centers and, of course, all of his transcriptions are true to the letter. 18
New Age revelation is superior to Scripture.
No other revelation to equal it has been offered to humanity, but all revelations of the past have led up to it. Jesus gave the great bridge through proclaiming our kinship with God, our sonship with him. Buddha gave the great bridge in enabling us to find the balance of our own being so that the energies we receive are expressed in harmony with the whole. Through knowing wisdom and through knowing love we now should be at the point, and we are at the point, where God can reasonably say to us, “All right, I have given you the keys. I have given you the tools. Now build with me.”
The New Age is essentially a time in planetary history when the fruits of revelation given and anchored by Jesus come into being. In human terms, this means it is a time when we learn to be at one with God ourselves, to be Christs ourselves. This is also the revelation
of esoteric disciplines, which have always been esoteric because they dealt with the reality of man’s inner divinity and how to actualize it, rather than with the forms and doctrines relating to forming relationships with an external deity or Christ. Yet orthodox Christianity has a strong mystical side that, to the best of its ability, has taught the imitation of Christ. It has not fully dared the cosmic breadth of Jesus’ revelation (“Ye are gods.” “All that I do, you shall do, and greater.”) [and] has suggested imitations of Jesus, not actually being the Christ. 19
According to Pardington, Horne defines revelation as,
A supernatural communication from God to man, either oral or written. The term is usually understood of a written communication. “Revelation is a discovery by God to man of Himself, or of His will over and above what He has made known by the light of nature or reason. 20
Revelation may be two-fold. In the first place it may be an immediate revelation to each person. There are some objections to this type. Since one may not be willing to receive a revelation directly from God, this would be imposed on one and therefore would interfere with one’s freedom of the will. The revelation would have to be repeated to each one. This would be a waste of time and effort. This could easily open the way for contradiction and imposture. Different ones may not agree as to the revelation they received. They may even add or take away from it.
Secondly, they may be a written revelation once given and thoroughly accredited. Pardington notes the following advantages of this type:
a. It is more fair and open than oral tradition.
b. It is more certain than oral tradition.
c. It is more permanent than oral tradition.
d. It is required by the importance of the subject.
e. It is more satisfactory, when properly accredited. 21
The validity and genuineness of written revelation are attested by miracles and fulfilled prophecy.
Special divine revelation is entirely possible, given the omnipotence of God. He is able to make His mind known to man. It is probable in view of the wisdom and goodness of God. These would move Him to communicate with man. It is credible. Given that a special divine revelation is both possible and probable, it is natural and easy to believe that one has been given. It is necessary. The imperfect light of nature calls for the perfect light of revelation. We need special revelation on some subjects like the Trinity, the atonement, pardon, method of worship, personal existence after death.
We need a special divine revelation of the merciful and helpful aspect of God in order to break the power of sin and to encourage moral effort. Conscience does give proof that God is a God of holiness, but we do not have from the light of nature, equal evidence that God is a God of love. Reason teaches man that, as a sinner, he merits condemnation; but he cannot from reason alone, know that God will have mercy upon him and provide
salvation. Only God’s own voice can assuring him of redemption and the forgiveness of sins. (Eph. 1:7), and reveal clearly to him the manner in which God has made this forgiveness
possible.
The true condition of man in his natural state, his ignorance, low morality, total helplessness, require the light the Scriptures reveal and provide. Man’s spiritual longings
require satisfaction: (Job 31:35) Man also needs a final authority for creed and conduct.
We are absolutely certain that the Bible is such a revelation. By the twofold proof of attested miracle and fulfilled prophecy God has certified His Book.
CREATION
New Agers teach that,
There is no distinction between God and all that is. The cosmos emanated from the cosmic energy that is God. The energy manifested into various forms which give the deceptive appearance of being different and separated, but this is short-lived for all is part of the one. 22
God created all that is, out of nothing. God is separated and distinct from his creation, though creation is sustained by his power. Creation is real and good. It shows the mark of the Creator’s personality. Creation is now flawed and fallen, but God will renew it. According to Pardington, Strong defines creation, as,
That free act of the triune God by which in the beginning and for His own glory He made, without the use of preexisting material, the whole visible and invisible universe. 23
Pardington adds,
The popular definition of creation as “production out of nothing” is open to objection: nothing is not a substance, nor an object of thought, nor a source of being. The better expression is “without the use of preexisting material.” 24
The Scriptural proof of creation is direct and indirect. Direct proof is found in two passages: Gen. 1:1 and Heb. 11:3. The Hebrew verb translated “created” is “bara,” which is found three times in chapter 1: verse 26 and 27, of human life. This shows that there is an impassable gulf between plant life and animal life on the one hand, and between animal life and human life on the other hand. Hebrew 11:3 teaches that the world was not made out of preexisting material, but by the direct act of omnipotence. (cf Ex. 34:10; Num. 16:30; Isa. 4:5; 41:20; 45:7, 8; 57:17; Jer. 31:22; Rom. 4:17; I Cor. 1:30; II Cor. 4:6; Col. 1:16, 17.) Indirect proof is also found in many passages:
a. The past duration of the world is limited: Mark 13:19; John 17: 5; Eph. 1:4.
b. Each of the persons of the Godhead existed before the world began to be: Psa. 90:2; Prov. 8:23; John 1:1; Col. 1:17; Heb. 9:14. 25
The Bible teaches that God is the author of creation. He worked through the agencies of the Word and the Spirit. The work of creation is ascribed to each of the three persons of the Trinity.
1. The Father: Gen. 1:1; I Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:9.
2. The Son: John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb. 1:2; 11:3; Col. 1:16.
3. The Spirit: Gen. 1:2; Job. 26:13; 33:4.
There are seven spheres of creation:
1. Angelic host: Col. 1:16.
2. Universe of matter: Gen. 1; on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days.
3. Vegetation: Gen. 1; on 3rd day
4. Fish: Gen 1; on 5th day.
5. Fowl: Gen. 1; on 5th day.
6. Animals-beast, cattle, reptile: Gen. 1; on 6th day.
7. Man: Gen. 1; on 6th day 26
Strong summarizes the purpose in creation,
God’s supreme end in creation is nothing outside of Himself, but is His own glory-in the revelation in and through creatures of the infinite perfection of His own being. 27
SIN
For New Agers, sin is a failure to recognize one’s own deity. Both “good” and “evil” contribute to the evolution of consciousness, the “Life Force.” Moral values are relative and
are dependent on the will of man, not the nature of God.
In a spiritual state, morality is impossible.
[New Age ethics] is not based on…dualistic concepts of “good” or “bad.”
Until mankind realizes there is, in truth, no good and there is, in truth, no evil-there will be no peace. 28
They teach that there is no such thing as sin (breaking of moral law) and evil.
Man holds the ultimate responsibility for the redemption of what we have come to call “evil energies,” which are simply energies that have been used out of timing or out of place, or not suited to the needs of evolution.
224
Evil is only the inharmonious blending of the colors, tones or forms of good.
There is no such thing as evil. Evil is fear and uncertainty. Evil is what you think it is.
What you are calling evil is really only the lack of consciousness of God. The question is lack of spiritual knowledge, not whether or not there is evil.
Evil is nothing but energy flowing backward rather than forward. Spell you live backward and you have evil. 29
Our present problems are rooted in “evil” deeds performed in past reincarnations. This is called “karma.”
[Karmic justice] would have explained all the suffering and horror in the world which all my life had rendered me helplessly incapable of understanding or altering.
The purpose of getting in touch with past-life experience, then, is to isolate the areas of emotional discord so that the conflict in relation to today’s incarnation can be understood. 30
Our ultimate problem is that we forgot our divinity.
The tragedy of the human race…was that we had forgotten we were each Divine.
Everything in life is the result of either illumination or ignorance. Those are the two polarities. Not good and evil.
Therefore there is no evil-only the lack of knowledge. 31
The Bible clearly teaches that sin is moral evil, a willful violation of God’s absolute moral law.
HUMANITY
New Agers teach that human beings, like all things in the universe, are in essence God. All is one and all is God. Like ultimate reality, humans are featureless and impersonal.
Individuality is a deception. Man has no fixed human nature. It is in a state of constant flux. Man is divine. He is however, a victim of the false sense of separate identity that blinds him of his unity with God. New Agers therefore, teach that man is separated from God only in his own consciousness.
They advocate various methods of altering the consciousness as a means of salvation. For example, Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, Chanting, the use of hallucinating drugs, ecstatic dancing. These all enable man to experience his supposed unity with God. This is the experience of “enlightenment.”
Humans are basically spiritual rather than material beings. We are energy. The New Agers position on human nature is articulated thusly,
The spiritual being, Man descended from a subtler plane to assume a body, the necessary sheath in which to live amid earth vibrations.
[The body is] a manifest; is the result of force; it is but naught; is an illusion, nothing more.
This energy [the Divine Force] is the energy that makes up the soul. Our bodies are made out of atoms; our souls are made of this Source energy.
The body died…the soul’s energy lived eternally. So, that must mean we are our souls-the body only houses the soul.
There is an ancient occult axiom which says that there is nothing in the whole of the manifested universe but energy, in some relationship or other, some frequency or other. 32
We are divine; we are christs.
Slowly, there is dawning upon the awakening consciousness of humanity, the great paralleling truthof God Immanent-divinely “pervading” all forms, conditioning from within all kingdoms in nature, expressing innate divinity through human beings and-two thousand years ago-portraying the nature of that divine Immanence in the Person of the Christ. Today, as an outcome of this unfolding divine Presence, here is entering into the minds of men everywhere a new concept: that of Christ in us, the hope of Glory. There is a growing and developing belief that Christ is in us, as He was in the Master Jesus, and this belief will alter world affairs and mankind’s entire attitude to life.
All men are innate divinity…so that in time all men become christs.
Man is a thought of God; all thoughts of God are infinite; they are not measured by time; for things that are concerned with time begin and end.
A thousand times he [Jesus] said to men: “I came to show the possibilities of man; what I have done all men may do, and what I am all men shall be.
At the Transfiguration Christ revealed the glory which is innate in all men.
Jesus said, “What I can do all men can do. Go preach the gospel of the omnipotence of Man.
One doesn’t pray to oneself, one prays to the God within. The thing is to learn to invoke energy which is the energy of God. Prayer and worship as we know it today will gradually die out and men will be trained to invoke the power of Deity. This is one reason why the Great Invocation was given out-to enable us to learn the technique of invocation.
Within the inner heart one finds God, peace, and oneself …. The self, however, knows the Divine truth because the self is itself Divine.
You are God. You know you are Divine. But you must continually remember your Divinity and, most important, act accordingly.
The higher unlimited super consciousness can best be defined as one’s eternal unlimited soul-the soul that is the real “you.” “The soul that has been through incarnation after incarnation and knows all there is to know about
you because it is you. It is the repository of your experience. it is the totality of your soul memory and your soul energy. It is also the energy that interfaces with the energy which we refer to as God. It knows and resonates to God because it is a part of God. As in the mind of man there are many thoughts, so in the mind of God there are many souls.
We need to trust the fact that we are “indeed unlimited.”
It’s all inside of you. Just listen to your feelings and trust them. You are unlimited. You just don’t realize it.
We are not under the law of God. We are as the law of God. We are God.
Recognizing the God within myself, I will recognize the larger God-source, the magnificent energy which unites us all.
I am God, because all energy is plugged in to the same source. We are each aspects of that source. We are all part of God. We are all individualized reflections of the God source. God is us and we are God.
Each soul is its own God. You must never worship anyone or anything ther than self. For you are God. To love self is to love God. 33
The Bible teaches that human beings are part of the creation.
So God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen. 1:27)
This text also makes it clear that God created man in His own image and likeness. Pearlman states:
Man was created God-like; he was made like God in character and personality. And throughout the Scriptures the standard and goal set before man is to be like God. Lev. 19:2; Matt.5:45-48; Eph.5:1. And to be like God means to be like Christ, who is the image of the invisible God. 34
Man is created in the image and likeness of God among others, in two specific senses. First, God is essentially a spiritual Being and man is spiritual. Second, God is eternal and the soul of man is eternal.
The Bible states that man is composed of three substances, spirit, soul and body. (1 Thess. 5:23; Heb.4:12). The soul and spirit of man represent two sides of his non-physical substance. In other words, the spirit and the soul represent two different modes in which the spiritual nature operates. Pearlman argues,
Though separate, spirit and soul are not separable. They permeate and interpenetrate each other. Because they are so closely connected the words “spirit” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Eccl. 12:7; Rev. 6:9); so that in one place man’s spiritual substance is described as soul (Matt. 10:28) and in another place as spirit. James 2:26. 35
God therefore designed man to be an individual. Man is distinct from God as well as from the rest of creation. Man is not God. New Agers teach that man is god. Every one is essentially divine. Our problem is that man is unaware of his inner divinity. For man to know God is for man to understand his true self.
The Bible also teaches that man is separated from God because of his transgression of God’s law. God took the first step in settling the problem through His Son Jesus. (1 Tim 1:15; Romans 5:8)
UNIVERSALISM
According to the New Age Movement,
Your world religions are on the right track basically, but they do not teach that every individual is fundamentally the creator and controller of his own destiny. They teach that God assumes such a role. what I am endeavoring to explain is that each individual is a co-creator with God.
The Exponents and the Representatives of all the world faiths are there waiting-under His [the Christ’s] guidance-to reveal to all those who today struggle in the maelstrom of world affairs, and who seek to solve the world crisis, that they are not alone. God Transcendent is working through the Christ and the spiritual Hierarchy to bring relief.
There are a number of paths that can help us return to that experience of unity, that can help us feel at home again in the spiritual and religious states of consciousness. In Unfinished Animal The-odore Roszak lists over 150 such paths!
God works in many ways, through many faiths and religious agencies; this is one reason for the elimination of nonessential doctrines. By the emphasizing of the essential doctrines and in their union will the fullness of truth be revealed. This the new world religion will do, and its implementation will proceed apace after the reappearance of the Christ. 36
Biblical Christianity teaches very differently from this. The Bible states:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12, NIV)
Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, NIV)
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (1 Timothy 2:5, NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV)
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24, NIV)
Notes to Chapter Thirteen
1. Course, pp. 29-30. Quoted by Martin, p. 31.
2. Pardington, pp. 360-362.
3. Pearlman, p. 381.
4. Pearlman, pp. 383-385.
5. Pearlman, p. 386.
6. Martin. pp. 31-32.
7. Henry Clarence Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), pp. 142-143.
8. Amano and Geisler, p. 124.
9. Pardington, pp. 126-127.
10. Pardington, pp. 129-130.
11. Pardington, p. 130.
12. Pardington, p. 131.
13. Pardington, 132.
14. Martin, p. 43.
15. Pearlman, pp. 81-85.
16. Pardington, pp. 115-116.
17. Amano and Geisler, p. 108.
18. Amano and Geisler, pp. 108-111.
19. Amano and Geisler, pp. 111-112.
20. Pardington, p. 29
21. Pardington, p. 30.
22. Ellis and Clarke, p. 66.
23. Pardington, p. 97.
24. Pardington
25. Pardington, p. 99.
26. Pardington, pp. 99-100.
27. Pardington, p. 101.
28. Amano and Geisler, pp. 119-120.
29. Amano and Geisler, pp. 119-120.
30. Amano and Geisler
31. Amano and Geisler
32. Amano and Geisler, p.117.
33. Amano and Geisler, pp. 117-119.
34. Pearlman, p. 115.
35. Pearlman, p. 101.
36. Amano and Geisler pp. 124-125.
Word count for Chapter Thirteen 8, 115
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HOW CAN CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT?
Dealing with New Agers with the view of winning them to the Lord constitutes open confrontation with the forces of darkness. In confrontation we are open to the fiery darts of the evil one. John Weldon and John Ankerberg made the following very astute observation,
Christians are being influenced by the New Age Movement (NAM) principally because of ignorance of biblical teachings and lack of doctrinal knowledge. Because of America’s emphasis on materialism, commitment to Christ as Lord in every area of life is sadly lacking. This brings disastrous results. Unfortunately there are Christians who “love the praise of men rather than the praise of God” (John 12:43), who integrate the world’s ways with their Christian faith (James 1:27; 1 John 2:15; 4:4), or who are ignorant of the extent of spiritual warfare (Acts 20:28-34; 2 Cor. 4:44; Eph. 6:12-18; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1-3).
These sins of American Christianity open us to false philosophy such as the NAM. There are always some Christians who will actively embrace their culture. Whether they attempt to learn from it intellectually or borrow from it spiritually, or relish the enjoyment of worldly pleasures and pastimes, or attempt some kind of social reform along nominal Christians lines, the result is that their Christian faith becomes diluted or absorbed by an initially appealing but alien culture. This means that to the extent America turns to the New Age, to some degree there will be Christians who will adopt New Age practices or beliefs. 1
We cannot overstate the need to be thoroughly prepared.
We must pray.
The Bible assures us,
. . . if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoeverwe ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14-15).
God’s will is that everyone be saved (2 Pet. 3:9.) We must pray and believe that the Holy Spirit will convict, convince and convert the person we are dealing with. Pray very specifically for God to open the eyes, the ears, and the minds of people who are trapped. The Bible states:
. . . the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:14)
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Cor. 4:3-4)
We are responsible to plant the seed of Scriptural truth in their hearts and to water it daily with prayer. The Bible states:
. . . he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:6)
We must pray before, during and after the encounter. When we pray for God to open the eyes, their ears, their minds and their hearts, to the truth of the Word, we are praying in accordance with God’s will.
We should not feel intimidated.
Remember the battle is the Lord’s. We can be confident that we are winners because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4). Even if you feel that you do not have all the answers, you can depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you in any situation.
Study the Word of God.
This requires careful and systematic study. The Bible exhorts us to,
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
The Bible further exhorts us,
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)
Establish clearly the genuineness and relevance of the Bible.
In dealing with the issue of absolute truth it is important that we clearly show the Bible to be an infallible guide in this matter as in all matters. As much as is possible read directly from the Bible specific passages relating to the discussion. Remember,
For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)
Refer constantly to the authority of the Bible but be careful not to use it to attack the person. Rather, pray that the Holy Spirit will use His Word to convict the New Ager.
Study the New Age.
When dealing with New Agers, we must be sure that we have at least a basic understanding of what their teachings are, who are their leaders, what are New Age groups, the goals of the Movement, and other relevant data. In the event the person we are sharing with inquires into something that we are not familiar with, please ensure that you check it out before commenting.
State our position clearly.
We must cautiously and carefully state our position in terms that the person we are dealing with can understand beyond doubt exactly what we are saying. Be prepared to explain the Biblical doctrines on major teachings of the New Age Movement. These include, God, Jesus Christ, Reality, Moral Absolutes, Relativitism, Life After Death, The New Birth, Atonement, Salvation, Heaven and Hell, Satan and Demons, Angels.
Define terminology carefully.
New Agers use several terms that Christians use, but they mean different things. It is important therefore that we clearly define our terms. We should use standard definitions that Dictionaries give, rather than use subjective meanings. Be sure that we understand the terms ourselves. Martin states:
There is a formidable difference between a dictionary definition and an encyclopedia of subjective comments. We can communicate with properly defined words in a context of objective truth, but a “feeling” about what a term means says nothing. 2
Inquire rather than teach.
If we give people the impression that we are attempting to teach them, they will turn off. Respectfully inquire of the New Ager what he believes and why. Be sure that the person we are dealing with do not get the impression that we have an attitude of superiority. Tact is extremely crucial here.
Show Your Concern.
It is always helpful to demonstrate your spiritual concern for the person with whom you are dealing. Ensure at all times that your motive is in accordance with the Word of God. (Lev. 19:18). People on the whole are sensitive to sincere love and genuine concern for their well-being. The love of God conquers all things. The Lord would empower us to love our fellowmen if we trust Him to.
Establish Cordiality.
There are serious controversial issues between New Agers and Christians. It is important that in our dealings with New Agers we establish an amicable relationship that facilitates communication. We should find a common ground that will allow us to approach those controversial issues.
Commend rather than criticize.
Desist from criticizing. Like all persons, if the New Ager feels attacked, he will begin to defend. We should be careful not to display an accusatory spirit. Commend the enthusiasm and commitment of New Agers with the clear understanding that the New Age Movement
Is seeking the right things, but with the wrong methods and with wrong reasons. 3
Understand too, that New Agers
Quest for an end to poverty, disease, suffering, racial discrimination, inequalities, and economic and political tyranny are things with which Christianity has been concerned for almost two millennia. 4
Commend their
Efforts in the area of conservation and concern for the well-being of the planet as well as the creatures that live on it. Impress upon them your concern in these same areas, but use the opportunity to point out that no matter how hard we work, we still live in a world that is suffering from irremediable conditions caused by man’s rebellion against his Creator.” Martin (commend) 5
Provide follow up material.
Refer the New Ager to some good Christian books, tapes, video cassettes, audio cassettes, booklets, or tracts addressing new Age thinking.
HOW WILL IT END?
Although the New Age Movement has grown into a global movement it is doomed from the start. Since it is built on lies it has no lasting foundation. Satan cannot stand forever. Our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of all. God the Father is enthroned over all. He has made Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to sit at His right hand and has put all things under His Feet. He is
. . . far above all rule and authority, and power and dominion, and above every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also one to come. (Ephesians 1:21, NIV)
. . . All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)
Our Lord Jesus Christ will establish the real New Age. His kingdom will last for ever.
. . . His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Dan. 7:14, NIV)
The sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole of heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High God.
. . . His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him. (Dan.7:27, NIV).
Jesus is the Truth and proclaims truth. He states:
. . . I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6).
Man’s wickedness has brought suffering and darkness upon the whole world. God’s Word is disregarded. Man wants to enjoy life to the fullest. He wants to attain self-realization. This is the quality of thought that the New Age Movement promotes. It is also the reason why New Agers can so easily advocate abortion, homosexuality, lesbianism and other sexual perversions. The Prophet Isaiah so aptly describes our times.
The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. (Isaiah 24:5, NIV)
A Holy God must punish wrong. He will one day cleanse the earth from all unrighteousness. The real new age will then begin. People will accept the glorious light of the world, Jesus Christ. This new age is the coming Kingdom of Christ. It is filled with love, light, glory and radiant beauty. It is a kingdom where righteousness and everlasting peace will reign. Jesus will have the final victory, for He is the First and the Last. All other kingdoms will come to an end, but His kingdom will endure. He will overcome the satanic forces when He comes again and will establish His rule over the world. The Bible states:
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Rev. 17:14)
Let us ensure that we are not deceived by Satan’s counterfeit. The Bible states,
. . . what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? . . .what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:. . . Come out from them And be separate . . . (2 Cor. 6:15-17, NKJV)
Notes to Chapter Fourteen
1. John Ankerberg and John Weldon, pp. 25-26
2. Martin, pp. 99-100
3. Martin, p. 102
4. Martin
5. Martin
Word count for Chapter Fourteen 1, 985
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A GLOSSARY OF NEW AGE TERMS
The following are some of the combining ingredients of the New Age Movement along with some of the terms that New Agers use.
Agent
A person sending a telepathic message. 1
Age of Aquarius
Astrologers believe that evolution goes through cycles of 2,000-2,400 years which correspond with the signs of the zodiac. New Agers believe that we are about to move from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. This age will supposedly be a time where people are more aware of spiritual things and will be in tune with the cosmos. 2
Akashic records (also know as Universal mind or Memory of nature)
A vast cosmic record of knowledge of every thought, word or deed of every person who has ever lived. It is supposed to be impossible to destroy or corrupt and is said to be located in a region of space known as ‘the ether.’ 3
Alchemy
Medieval folklore hold that it is possible to turn base metals to gold. This is often used as an illustration of the change or transformation of base human nature to the divine that New Agers say will occur as we enter the Age of Aquarius. 4
Alpha
The physical body. 5
Altered state
States other than normal waking consciousness, eg day-dreaming, sleep dreaming, hypnotic trance, meditative, mystical or drug-induced states, and unconsciousness. 6
Amulets/Lucky charms
Objects worn superstitiously and carried as symbols of protection. These objects are sometimes used because they are assumed to have healing properties in themselves, eg copper for arthritis. Some charms are in the form of occult symbols or an idol. They could be inscribed or have a spell cast on them. 7
Animism
The belief that inanimate things (such as plants) possess a soul or spirit. The rise of belief in Mother Earth and the increasing popularity of Stonehenge and Glastonbury have seen many people turning to animism, nature religion and paganism, believing that they are rededicating the earth. 8
Anthroposophy
A system of thought founded by German mystic Rudolf Steiner. Anthroposophy means ‘wisdom of man’ and it teaches that we possess the truth within us. 9
Ascended Masters
Supposedly, these are individuals who have been ‘highly evolved’ and no longer need to undergo lives in the physical plane in order to achieve spiritual growth. They are said to be guides to help in the spiritual evolution of mankind. These masters are believed to be contacted by spiritist-type activity. 10
Ascended Beings (Occult)
Highly Intelligent spirit entities who have reached self-realization and now communicate with humans via channeling, visualizations, Ouija boards, etc, 11
Ascension of Christ (the New Age version)
This is reinterpreted in a mystical way to refer to the rise of the Christ Consciousness in mankind, a rising awareness that man is divine. 12
Astral/Astral plane
The non-physical level of existence characterised by emotion. This is said to be the place where most humans
go after they die and where they exist between earthly lives. 13
Astral body
The spiritual, non-material body supposedly possessed by all humans (and in some beliefs all living things) which continues to exist (or separates)after bodily death. 14
Astral projection/Flight or travel
The temporary experience of leaving one’s body which is particularly dangerous. This is achieved by some through meditation techniques, and by others through taking hallucinogenic drugs like LSD or so-called magic mushrooms. Others have experienced this alleged phenomenon during yoga exercises or even on the operating table. 15
Astrology
The art or pseudo-science of interpreting the influence that cosmic forces radiating from’ celestial bodies’ supposedly have on any part of the universe, particularly humans. It originated around 5,000 years ago, probably in Babylon. It is based on the belief that the earth is the centre of the universe, circled by the zodiac, and it is used to predict future events, analyse people’s character and plan people’s lives, based on the time, place and date of their birth. 16
Attunement/At-one-ment
A technique that relates to the New Age idea that complete oneness with God, who is said to be in all things including each individual, can be attained through various methods such as meditation. 17
Aura
A force field or energy field around the body or inanimate objects which is normally visible (according to those who believe in it). Its colour or colours are said to indicate different aspects of the subject’s physical, psychological and spiritual condition. 18
Automatic writing
Writing that is produced without the conscious thought of the person using the pen or typewriter. Often associated with seances or channelling. 19
Avatar
A person who descends from the highest evolutionary plane to take on human form as a manifestation of divinity, revealing divine truth to people. An avatar has no need to be reincarnated into another body because there is no bad karma to work off. 20
Bhagavad Gita
A sanskrit poem which relates a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. It is part of Krishna’s revelation, called an Upanishad, and is held as a sacred scripture by Hindus. 21
Biofeedback
A technique to self-monitor normally unconscious, involuntary processes such as brainwaves, heartbeat and muscle tension, and then to try to consciously control internal biological function. 22
Blood of Christ (the New Age version)
Understood by some New Agers to refer to the ‘life energy of the Cosmic Christ.’ This blood supposedly flowed from the cross into the etheric (or spiritual) realms of the earth. From these realms the Christ seeks to guide the spiritual evolution of mankind. 23
Bodhisattva
A being said to have earned the right to enter Nirvana, having achieved complete enlightenment, but who has chosen instead to turn back and help humanity to attain that same goal. the Christ is said to be a Bodhisattva. 24
Brahman
In Hinduism, the principal and ultimate reality, which is identical with all that is. 25
Buddha
The “enlightened one,” an avatar or messenger, supremely Gautama Siddhartha, born in 563 BC, who taught an eightfold path to spiritual enlightenment or Nirvana. 26
Centering
A technique based on the idea that energy flows throughout the body and that ‘well-being’ can be attained by balancing the flow of energy and ‘attuning’ with the energy, or centering yourself to it. 27
Chakras
According to New Agers and yogis these are seven energy points on the human body. 28
Channel (Occult)
A person who yeilds control of his body to a spirit entity while in an altered state of consciousness such as a trance. The entity (called “familiar spirit” in the Bible) then freely communicates “higher truths” to human listeners. syn.: medium, trance-channel. 29
Channelling
A New Age form of mediumship or spiritism, where the channeller is controlled by a spirit entity who will impart paranormal information. 30
Charms
Words that have magical powers. 31
Chinook Learning Community
A New Age educational community located in the Pacific Northwest. This group sponsors both long-and short-term educational programs on personal and social transformation, New Age spirituality, and how to live with an ecological perspective. 32
Christ-Consciousness
The state of being aware, as many great religious
leaders supposedly were, that you are Christ, or that you are God. 33
Clairaudience
Ability to hear without using the ears, the voice or voices of spirit guides or channelled entities. 34
Clairvoyance
Ability to see things beyond the ordinary and beyond this time scale without using the eyes. Also called Second Sight. 35
Color Therapy (Occult)
Treating disorders with colors believed to have “corresponding” vibrations. For example, put patients with stomach cancer in yellow rooms, the color frequency of the stomach. 36
Consciousness
Mental awareness of present reality. New Agers call for a consciousness revolution in which individuals will be aware of their inner divinity and will as a result look at life in a totally new way, understanding the ‘oneness’ of all things. 37
Consciousness Revolution
New Age advocates call for a “consciousness revolution” a new way of looking at and experiencing life. The primary focus of the new consciousness is oneness with God, all mankind, the earth, and with the entire universe. 38
Control
The spirit that controls a medium while in a trance. 39
Cosmic Christ
The Christ is said to be a universal spirit or cosmic force whose goal is to guide the spiritual evolution of mankind. 40
Cosmic consciousness
A spiritual and mystical awareness that “all is one.” To be attain cosmic consciousness is to see the universe as God and God as the universe (pantheism). 41
Cosmic humanism
Mankind is the ultimate. There is unlimited potential in every human being because of his or her inner divinity. 42
Counterfeit
A fraudulent imitation of the real thing. 43
A Course in Miracles (Occult)
A popular three-volume set of instructions on New Age beliefs allegedly dictated through automatic writing by an entity called “Jesus.” 44
Crystals
New Agers believe crystals contain incredible healing and energising powers and are supposedly able to restore the body’s ‘energy flow.’ Crystals are often used as tools to promote out-of-body experiences and enhance meditation, and it is often said that you do not choose your crystal but rather your crystal chooses you. 45
Cult
A religious organization based on and built around the teachings of a central character whose authority is held equal to or greater than the established scriptures of the major religions. 46
Deja-vu
The feeling that a new place or event has somehow been experienced before. This often leads to the assumption of past lives. 47
Dharma
Law, truth or teaching; used to express the central teachings of Hindu and Buddhist religion. Dharma implies that essential truth can be stated about the way things are and that people should comply with that truth. 48
Direct voice
While in a trance, a medium’s voice is taken over by a control spirit or another spirit. Sometimes the accent or tone is totally different from that of the medium. 49
Discarnate
The soul or personality of a living creature who has died (and is separated from the physical body). 50
Divination
A broad category which includes various means of attaining knowledge not available naturally. This knowledge is obtained by occult techniques which produce results that can be interpreted. For example, horoscopes, consulting the dead, reading cards, reading natural phenomena. 51
Dowsing
Using a forked rod or stick of hazel wood, this is a method to ‘divine’ the whereabouts of underground or hidden water, oil, buried money, lost articles or even people, alive or dead. 52
Dungeons and Dragons
An occult role-playing, fantasy game where players fight their way through dungeons and mazes, battling a hideous array of dragons and demons. Identifying with their characters, many players lose touch with reality and become obsessed with their occult powers and the violence (torture, rape, murder) required for advancement through the levels of the game. 53
Earth Logos
The Earth Logos is supposedly the spiritual being who is the ensouling life of planet earth. The earth is considered to be the physical manifestation of this spiritual intelligence. 54
Enlightenment
The realization that you are God (akin to self-realization). 55
Ectoplasm
Occultists claim that there is a mysterious fluid-like white substance that comes from a medium’s body while contacting a spirit. 56
Esalen Institute
A growth centre located in California which offers mind, body, spirit workshops and seminars. 57
Esoteric
Any knowledge that is known only to a few. 58
Esoteric Christianity
A mystical form of Christianity that sees its “core truth” as identical to the “core truth” of every other religion (i.e., man is divine). This form of Christianity is at home with Aldous Huxley’s “perennial philosophy.” 59
Etheric (Occult)
Pertains to the invisible realm of disembodied soul-minds, intelligences, vibrational frequencies, and energy fields. 60
ESP (etra-sensory perception)
Formerly known as the sixth sense, this is an experience of, a response to, or a knowledge of an event or object that could not have been gained through our normal senses. It relates to divination, clairvoyance and telepathy. 61
ESP Cards
A pack of twenty-five cards bearing five symbols, including stars, squares, circles, crosses, and waves. 62
EST (Erhard Seminars Training)
Another New Age training centre that provides workshops specifically designed for professional and business people. 63
Evocation/Invocation
Evocation is the calling forth of a dangerous evil spirit by means of spoken or written words. Often an area is ritually marked out in which the evoked spirit is supposed to stay. Invocation is the calling up of a so-called good spirit by similar means. Both these processes are potentially very dangerous. 64
Evolution (Occult)
The process of spiritual unfolding, growth, and progress until everything reaches their “original” state of perfection. (Humanist) Through the process of natural selection, simpler forms of life progress toward higher forms. 65
Exoteric Christianity
A form of Christianity identified with historic or orthodox Christianity that New Agers would describe as being devoid of all spiritual authenticity. 66
Fall of man (New Age version)
This is a phase New Agers use to describe the fall of man’s consciousness to a state that only recognizes the existence of the material realm. The Christ is believed to have’ redeemed’ man by helping to reveal the spiritual world (see also Gnosticism). 67
Findhorn Community
A world-famous New Age Community in northern Scotland that offers education, training and a ‘whole lifestyle’ package based on the principles of New Age spirituality. 68
Fire-walking
A spiritistic ceremony to show the human ability (under the influence of spirits( to walk over a bed of very hot coals with no physical harm. This is often faked, but by no means always. 69
Fortune-telling
Foretelling of the future (predictive divination) 70
Freud
Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst who practiced hypnotherapy and popularised ideas such as dream interpretation therapy, linking human behaviour to the sexual impulse. 71
Gaia
A Greek name for the goddess of the earth worshipped in paganism. This also refers to James Lovelock’s pseudo-scientific hypothesis that all living matter on earth is really one single living, organism, and humanity is the ‘nervous system’ of the living earth. 72
Globalism
Many New Agers believe that the world must no longer be divided by individual nations and many states but should become one, a one-world community demonstrating the oneness of all things. 73
Gnosticism
The ancient belief or tradition which holds that salvation comes through the realisation that man is divine and of the same essence in every way as God. This knowledge is secret or hidden, and when discovered by the individual is claimed to free one from the “illusion” of the material world. 74
God
New Agers talk about God as a being with “many faces.” He, She or It (there is differing opinion) is referred to as Universal Consciousness, or Universal Life, or Universal Energy. The New Age God is more or less an impersonal “force” that ‘is.’ 75
Great Invocation
A New Age prayer translated into eighty languages, used to invoke the presence of the Cosmic Christ on earth and lead to the oneness and brotherhood of all mankind. 76
Group guru
A slang term used to describe the New Age idea that the Cosmic Christ is in all people and therefore mankind is a single guru. (In simple English, we are all supposed to know everything, we just don’t know it yet). 77
Guru
Teacher or master specifically of spiritual things, whose goal is to instruct and lead disciples to enlightenment. A guru’s authority is to be accepted without question. 78
Guide (Occult)
A highly evolved spirit entity or intelligence equipped to teach, guide, protect, and help any person who invokes its presence. 79
Guided Imagery
Visualization exercises directed by a teacher or leader. While some merely relax, others produce altered states of consciousness including trance, a sense of astral projection, and connection with a spirit guide. 80
Graphology
Character analysis and foretelling based on handwriting. 81
Harmonic convergence
Assembly of New Age meditators gathered at a particular astrological time in strategic locations (energy points) to usher in peace on earth, one-world government and the Ager of Aquarius. 82
Higher self/Inner self
The part of one’s self that is supposedly the most spiritual and knowing. New Agers claim this ‘higher self’ can be channelled for wisdom and guidance. Also known as the Superconsciousness, the Atman, the Oversoul, the Christ (or Krishna or Buddha) Consciousness, or simple as the God within. 83
Holism
The theory that all things are one whole, interrelated and interdependent. 84
Holistic health
Sees the body as interrelated and therefore aims to treat the “whole person” -body, mind, spirit-and not just a separate illness or disease. 85
Hologram
A three-dimensional projection resulting from the interaction of laser beams. Scientists have discovered that the image of an entire hologram can be reproduced from any one of its many component parts. New Agers use this to illustrate the oneness of all reality. 86
Humanism
A philosophical system where human beings are rated above any God or spirituality. man is held as the measure for all things. 87
Human potential movement
A movement based in humanism, where man’s essential goodness and unlimited potential are stressed. 88
Hypnosis
In a state similar to deep sleep, or a trance, the hypnotised person acts according to the suggestions of the hypnotist. Used by New Agers as an aid to uncovering subconscious knowledge of the supernatural/spiritual realm. 89
Hypnotic Regression
Taking a person back into his past, including “past lives,” through hypnosis. Testimonies from such regressions are widely accepted as proof of reincarnation, even though scientists have proven how easily outside suggestions can manipulate “memories.” 90
I Ching
A Chinese book of divination associated with Taoism. A system of fortune-telling where sticks are thrown into six-sided figures. 91
Inner healing
The practise that aims to heal our internal, immaterial aspects through prayer, resolving past conflict and visualizing the presence of Jesus. 92
Initiation
Used when referring to a person’s consciousness in the process of expansion of transformation. There are levels or degrees of initiation as the initiate becomes aware of inner realities. 93
Interconnectedness/Interdependence
Terms used by New Agers when referring to the concept that everything in the universe is one and therefore completely linked. 94
Intuition
Ability to have knowledge beyond conscious or ordinary reasoning. 95
Jesus (of the New Age)
An avatar who gained attunement to the Cosmic Christ Consciousness and was able to be a manifestation of the divine for three years in order to teach all people that they themselves are God. 96
Kabalah (or Qabbalah or Cabala)
Jewish occult mysticism developed by certain rabbis, especially during the Middle Ages. It relies on mathematical interpretation of the bible and involves various forms of fortune-telling, magic, altered states of consciousness, and spiritism. 97
Karma
A Hindu word which refers to the law of cause and effect. Supposedly a debt is accumulated by each soul as a result of positive and negative deeds in a life or many lives and this then determines the outcome of the soul’s next life. 98
Kirlian photography
A high-frequency electrical process which produces a photo-like image of an apparent electrical field that allegedly surrounds living beings. It is considered to be a means of photographing the aura and diagnosing illness and depression. 99
Kundalini
Psycho-spiritual energy or the ‘elemental’ energy which is claimed to lie coiled like a snake at the base of the spine. The aim of Kundalini yoga is to release this energy, awakening the snake and bringing spiritual awareness and enlightenment. 100
Levitation
The lifting of a person or object from the ground not by physical means but by the exertion of psychic powers. 101
Ley Lines
Straight geological lines of spiritual force that some adherents of pagan religions believe were discovered and used in the Neolithic period. Their existence is said to be demonstrated by the many alignments between religious sites. There is no archeological support for this view, though many ancient religious sites do seem to be aligned with one another. Glastonbury and Stonehenge are key sites where ley lines are said to converge. 102
Lord Maitreya
The New Age Christ, who is said to be the fulfillment of all the great religious leaders of the world. Maitreya was originally a savior in Buddhist thought. 103
Lucis Trust
Originally the Lucifer Publishing Company, the Trust now publishes New Age books worldwide and owns all copyright to the Alice Bailey books. 104
Magic (black and white)
Exercising power over or attempting to manipulate evil spirits. The idea is to subvert, manipulate or dominate people or situations for your own ends by spirit power. Black magic is supposed to be for selfish or destructive purpose and white magic for ‘benevolent’ purposes. In reality, both black and white magic are evil and dangerous and lie at the bottom of the occult. 105
Magic mushrooms
Mushrooms with hallucinogenic properties that are found growing wild. They are eaten to induce out-of-body experiences. 106
Magic Circles
Ring drawn by occultists to protect them from the spirits and demons they call up by incantations and rituals. 107
Mandala
A design which is supposed to enable one to concentrate and focus all one’s attention to a single point. 108
Mantra
A word or phrase repeated again and again in an effort to empty the mind of all external thoughts and aid oneness with the God within the universe. The mantra is often given to an initiate by a guru who matches the mantra to the person for supposed maximum effect. 109
Mass incarnation
New Agers say that at this point in time the Christ is coming alive in all humanity (see Christ Consciousness). 110
Maya
The physical world is seen as only an illusion, a projection of consciousness know as Maya. 111
Medium
A person who is sensitive or open to be used by occult powers to the extent that they convey information from these powers to others. In spiritism, the communication is supposed to be from dead people, via the medium to living people. A mental medium will transmit only messages, while a physical medium will attempt to use meditation and forms of physical manifestation. 112
Meditation (Hindu)
A disciplined focus on a given mantra or them such as Self, for the purpose of relaxing, attaining higher states of consciousness, and connecting with the cosmic mind. See KUNDALINI. The fact that there is danger in Eastern meditation must not deter us from biblical meditation. God does not ask us to passively empty our minds, but to meditate on biblical truths about Himself and His ways “day and night.” (See Psalms 1:1-3 and 63:6.) 113
Metaphysics
When used as a New Age term, this refers to a philosophy of principles applying to the supernatural. 114
Monism
Refers to the philosophical theory that everything in the universe is essentially the same and therefore should be seen as ‘one.’ 115
Mysticism
Belief that God is so outside the range of human logic and understanding that one must approach him with an empty mind and experience spiritual union through an intuitive sixth sense. 116
Naturalism
Belief that nothing except nature is real and humans are only a part of nature. 117
Necromancy
Divination by consulting the dead; often used in spiritism during seances. 118
Neopagan
Follower of a western religious system that is outside the major world religions and cults. Neopagan groups are often involved in occult practices and often have links with Ancient Greek or Egyptian religions, witchcraft and ceremonial magic. 119
Networks
New Agers spread their ideas and ideals through networks of like-minded individuals, informally and loosely linked. 120
New Age Movement
A loose confederation of people who believe the world is on the verge of a transformation where people will reject Judeo-Christian values and enter a time of peace and one-world government with the aid of Oriental philosophies and practices. 121
Nirvana
The final release from the cycle of birth and death into a paradise totally separate from anything physical or material. 122
Numerology
Divination based on the symbolic interpretation of the numbers one to nine. People’s names, birth dates and other significant events are reduced to digits. 123
Occult
A term used for all practices and beliefs that involve the action or influence of secret supernatural powers or entities. 124
Om
A word (often chanted as a mantra) which refers to Brahma, the Hindu creator god. 125
Omens
Divination by means of interpreting unusual or uncontrollable events, for example, the flight of birds. It is a form of fortune-telling. 126
One-worlders
Those who want there to be no division between nations so that power is in the hands of one government (basically the United nations with more power). They believe this will precipitate the understanding of the oneness of all. 127
Oneness (Hindu)
The pantheistic/monistic theme that weaves through New Age idealism, especially globalism. Like love and peace, it is more readily discussed in visionary terms than practiced among individuals. 128
Ouija board
A means of communicating with evil spirits and also demonstrating ESP using a board of alphabet letters and a pointer for the spirit to move. Many people have been plagued with fear, depression, rage, anger, insanity and have even attempted to commit suicide after involvement with ouija. It is to be avoided at all costs. 129
Out-of-body experiences
Spiritual phenomena where an individual’s soul seems to leave the physical body while resting, asleep, near death or in a trance state. 130
Palmistry
A form of divination. The assessment of personality and foretelling the future by examining hands. 131
Panentheism
The belief that although God is potentially infinite, he is actually finite. Also, the belief that God includes the world as part, but not the whole of His being. 132
Pantheism
The belief that God and the world are one and the same. ‘All is God’-therefore everything that exists is divine. No difference between Creator and creation. 133
Paradigm shift
A change in world views. The expected new paradigm is a world view based on Pantheism and Monism. 134
Paranormal
Anything above and beyond normal human powers or senses. 135
Parapsychology
The scientific study of psychic phenomena. 136
Past lives therapy
Under hypnosis a person is encouraged to release sub-conscious knowledge of supposed past lives. Allegedly proving reincarnation, this therapy is said to help the individual understand past mistakes which have led to their present condition and enable them to over come their Karma. 137
Pendulum
Heavy object suspended from a string, used for dowsing and for fortune-telling. Sometimes swung over people in supernatural healings. 138
Pentagram
Five-pointed star used in magical ceremonies. A satanic symbol. 139
Percipient
A person who receives telepathic messages. 140
Perennial philosophy
A view that all religious belief and experience are actually one and the same. The external may be different, but essentially ‘all is one.’ 141
Phrenology
Divination by examining the contours of the skull. 142
Placebo
In drug experiments, a ‘pretend’ drug is given to a patient who has no way of knowing if it’s the real thing. Subsequent test have proved that even though it has no ability medically or chemically to alter the physical body, in some cases placebos have had a profound effect because many illness are psychosomatic. 143
Planetary Citizens
A New Age activist group committed to promoting a one-world planetary consciousness worldwide. 144
Planetisation
A global solution to the many threats to human life is to unify the world into a corporate brotherhood that New Agers term Planetisation. 145
Planetary Citizens
A New Age activist group committed to engendering a “planetary consciousness” among both New Agers and the general public. 146
Poltergeists
Spirits or demons who show their presence by moving visible objects or making unexplained noises such as rappings. 147
Polytheism
Many gods, as in Greek mythology, wicca, shaamanism. 148
Possession
Usually used to describe a person who is subject to an extreme form of demonic infiltration, due usually to occult involvement. The Bible doesn’t talk of possession as ownership, but as demonisation or having an evil spirit. Both Jesus Christ and the early church on his behalf demonstrated that God has the power to set people free from this kind of oppression (Matthew 8:28-34; Acts 8:4-8). 149
Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
Usually associated with human potential movement and the New Age belief that positive thoughts have power to manipulate circumstances, i.e, “I can create my own reality.” 150
Precognition
Advance knowledge of future events. 151
Premonitions
Advance warnings about specific events or situations. Sometimes this is clairvoyance or ESP. 152
Psi
A general New Age term for ESP, psychokinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, precognition, or things psychic or paraphysical. 153
Psychic
A medium or channeller. Also refers to unexplained or paranormal events. 154
Psychic birth
Occult counterpart to the Christian experience of being “born again.” The individual’s consciousness is awakened to acknowledge ‘all is one. 155
Psychic Energy
Extrasensory energy that enables people to do miracles. 156
Psychic Healer
Someone who invokes occult power and channels this “healing energy” to others. 157
Psychokinesis
Power of the mind to move or influence physical objects. Also known as PK or telekinesis. 158
Psychoanalysis
Tracing mental and physical ills back to hurtful childhood experiences; based on Sigmund Freud’s theories. 159
Psychometry
Using an object owned by a particular person to read psychic information about them. 160
Psychotechnologies
Refer to many systems and approaches designed to alter one’s consciousness. (161)
Pyramid
Literally means “glorious light,” from the Greek “pyros” which means fire. Many believe that the pyramidal shape will balance a person’s energy and enhance spiritual enlightenment. (162)
Reincarnation
The belief that the soul travels on an endless cycle of life after life in different physical bodies in an attempt to evolve to a state of perfection where further physical existence is not needed. (163)
Retrocognition
Knowledge of past events learned paranormally. (164)
Right brain learning
The right side of the brain is said to be the more intuitive and creative, and therefore right brain learning techniques like meditation, yoga and guided imagery are being introduced by New Agers into schools and colleges. (165)
Samadhi
The ultimate goal of Hindu Yoga, also known as Satori in Zen Buddhism, where the individual enters a state of intuitive enlightenment. (166)
Seance
A group of people gather to contact spirits of the dead through a medium. 167
Second coming of Christ (according to the New Ager)
Many New Agers relate this to the idea that Christ Consciousness is coming alive in the hearts and minds of people all over the world. Others are waiting for a highly evolved avatar to appear on the planet. 168
Second Sight
See clairvoyance. 169
Self-realization
The state of fulfilling one’s potentia so fully that one realizes one’s self-deity. 170
Self-realization
To the New Ager this is all about discovering self-divinity. 171
Sensitive
A person who frequently demonstrates extrasensory gifts such as clairvoyance, telepathy, or precognition. 172
Shaman
A medicine man or witch doctor. 173
Solar Logos
Believed by some to be a mighty spiritual being who is the ensouling life of the solar system. The Material solar system is simply a physical manifestation (or body) of this living intelligence. 174
Spirit control/Spirit guide
A spirit entity that communicates through a medium or channeller, providing information and guidance while the channeller gives over control of his/her being. 175
Spirit Lover (Occult)
An etheric entity who enters into a sexual relationship with an earthling. (Consider Genesis 6:1-7). 176
Spiritual hierarchy of masters
A group of highly evolved spiritual masters supposedly now guiding the rest of humanity. 177
Spiritualist or Spiritist
A person who believes in the ability to contact departed souls through a medium. 178
Spiritism (Occult)
Mediumistic activity based on the belief that the spirits of the dead and other etheric intelligences are ready and waiting to communicate with earthlings. 179
Subject
Person used for experiments in ESP studies. 180
Sufism
Persian mystical religion based on Islam. 181
Syncretism
An attempt to combine all religious beliefs and practices, claiming that they are all really the same and teach one core truth, ie that all people are divine. 182
Synchronicity
Coincidental happenings given deep meaning as though they are psi phenomena. 183
Synergy
The New Age belief that in nature all things are designed and work together to create unity and enhance oneness. 184
Tantra
A series of Hindu and Buddhist scriptures outlining yogic practices and techniques for rapid enlightenment. 185
Tao (sounds like cow)
The Chinese ‘way’. A code of conduct, and the basic principle that supposedly holds the universe together. 186
Taoism
A Chinese religion and philosophy in which everything in the universe is seen to be constantly in a state of flux held together by the Tao. 187
Tarot
Divination by card-laying, either with tarot cards or standard playing cards. 188
Tai chi chuan
A series of very graceful and precise movements which are supposed to enhance an individual’s ability to attune to their vital energy or chi. 189
Telekinesis
The ability to move physical objects by force of will or mental energy alone; also called psychokinesis. 190
Telepathy
Communication between minds using ESP. 191
Tentragram
A magic diagram shaped as a four-pointed star. 192
Theism
Belief in God. More specifically, the belief that God is the cause and sustainer of the world. God and the world are not regarded as identical. God is beyond the world, yet also active in it. 193
Theosophy
A forerunner to much New Age thought, Theosophy is a philosophy founded by Helena Blavatsky. It states that individuals possess latent psychic powers, and encourages the oneness of all people. 194
Third eye
An imaginary eye on the forehead which is believed to be the centre of psychic vision. 195
Trance
An altered state of consciousness similar to sleep usually self-induced, in which the mind rests, leaving the person wide open for the control of a spirit entity. 196
Trance Channeler
The newest term for “trance medium.” (See: Medium.) 197
Transcendent
Rising beyond; surpassing the physical senses. (Occult) Higher sates of consciousness and levels of reality reached by spiritual exercises such as guided imagery. (See Astral Projection) 198
Transchannelers
People who claim to help us communicate with the spirit world by becoming “human telephones” 199
Transformation
This is central to the New Age. Advocates promote both personal and planetary transformation brought about through gradual realisation of the oneness of all things and individual divinity. 200
Transpersonal
Beyond objective reality. Involves altered states of consciousness and psychic or occult influences. 201
Truth
While God’s truth is the body of absolute, unchangeable facts revealed in the Bible, New Age truth is subjective and personal. Since everyone is God, each person can create his own personal reality and define truth according to his personal preference and understanding. 202
Trumpet Medium
A psychic or sensitive who brings forth “spirit voices” through a trumpet at seances. 203
Unidentified flying objects (UFOs)
A phenomenon where flying saucers and spacecraft are allegedly seen and alien beings are contacted. This is sometimes an occult experience and many people who have taken LSD, magic mushrooms, or have had an experience of an altered state of consciousness have had hallucinations of UFOs. 204
Upanishads
The final section of the oldest Hindu scriptures called Vedas, it is philosophical literature about truth and reality. 205
Unity in Diversity Council
A council made up of more than one hundred New Age groups which have joined together to promote global co-operation and interdependence. 206
Vedas
The oldest Hindu scriptures which include hymns and descriptions of sacrificial rites and ceremonies. 207
Visualization
Also called guided imagery, this is based on the idea of ‘mind over matter’. People are encouraged to allow their minds to change the material world. 208
Warlock
A wizard or sorcerer; a male witch. 209
Wicca
Nature religion, like witchcraft. It is not as old as it is claimed, and was founded by Gerald Gardner in this century. 210
Witchcraft
A vague description of the practice of magic, or divination, by people who may or may not also practise satanism. 211
Whirling Dervish (Occult)
A Muslim Leader known for whirling movements which supposedly induce higher states of consciousness and psychic experiences. 212
Worldview
A common opinion of the nature of reality that provides a conscious or unconscious framework for one’s life. 213
World Goodwill
A New Age political lobby that aims to unfold “the Plan” as spelled out in the writings of Alice Bailey. 214
Yin/Yang
These are Chinese names which refer to the two principles which are supposed to govern the universe . Yin is the female, inactive, negative energy force, and Yang is the male active force. Yin and Yang are constantly interacting, and these polar forces control the flow of the universe (the Tao). 215
Yoga
Popularly this word is applied to a series of physical movements, but it really refers to any system or spiritual discipline where the individual aims to gain control of the physical, the spiritual and the psychic. The goal of Yoga in Indian tradition is to achieve well-being by losing one’s individual identity and embracing union with the universal one. It is a religious practice and is not to be seen as an exercise routine. 216
Yogi
A master of various methods of Yoga who teaches others. 217
Zen
A form of Buddhism which emphasises the experience of enlightenment that comes from breaking down commitment and attachment to logical, rational and material experiences. 218
Notes to Chapter Fifteen
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30. Ellis and Clarke, p. 35.
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33. Martin, p. 125
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37. Ellis and Clarke, p. 35.
38. Martin, p. 125.
39. Ellis and Clarke, p. 35.
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43. Kjos, p. 166.
44. Kjos
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54. Ellis and Clarke, p. 37.
55. Amano and Geisler, p. 145.
56. Ellis and Clarke, p. 56.
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59. Martin, p. 127.
60. Kjos, p. 166.
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176. Kjos, p. 169.
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193. Amano and Geisler, p. 145.
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198. Kjos, p. 170.
199. Amano and Geisler, p. 145.
200. Ellis and Clarke, p. 54.
201. Kjos, p. 170.
202. Kjos
203. Martin, p. 135.
204. Ellis and Clarke, p. 54.
205. Ellis and Clarke, p.55
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209. Martin, p. 136.
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211. Ellis and Clarke
212. Kjos, p. 170
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214. Martin, p. 136.
215. Ellis and Clarke, p. 56.
216. Ellis and Clarke
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Word count for Chapter Sixteen 7, 211
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Ankerberg, John and Weldon, John. The Facts on the New Age Movement . Eugene Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1988
Ellis Roger, and Clarke, Andrea. The New Age and You. E. Sussex: Kingsway Publications Ltd., 1992.
Griffis, David M. Spirit Wars. Cleveland, Tennessee: Pathway Press, 1982.
Groothuis, Douglas. Confronting the New Age. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervasity Press, 1988.
Henry, Carl F. H. Baker’s Dictionary of Christian Ethics. U.S.A.: Cannon Press, 1973.
Henry, Matthew. The Matthew Henry Commentary, New One Volume Edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975.
Hunte, Dave. Understanding the New Age Movement. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1983.
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Kjos, Berit. Your Child and the New Age. Wheaton, Illinois: SP Publications, 1990.
Kennedy, James D. The Uniqueness of Christ. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 33302: Coral Ridge Ministries.
Kennedy, James D. Why I Believe. U.S.A: Word, Incorporated, 1980.
Lutzer, Erwin W. and DeVries John F. Satan’s Evangelistic Strategy for this New Age. Wheaton, Illinois: SP Publications, 1989
Martin Walter. The New Age Cult. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1989.
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Pearlman, Myer. Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible. Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1981.
Pardington, P.G. Outline Studies in Christian Doctrine. Harrisburg, Pa.: Christian Alliance Publication Company, 1926.
Schlink, Basilea. New Age from a Biblical Viewpoint. Darmstat, Eberstadt, West Germany: Evangelistic Sisterhood of Mary, 1988.
Sper, David. Ed., What’s the Appeal of the New Age Movement. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Radio Bible Class, 1990.
Tenney, Merril. The Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977.
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