4/1 The Challenges of the New Age to Christian Foundations
A. INTRODUCTION
In this series of posts, we have been examining five major challenges to the Christian faith. Last session we saw how Secular Humanism and Evolution have greatly impacted our culture and our lives today. In today’s post, we will continue to explore another challenge, the New Age philosophy.
In this session we want to help Christians to be aware of the enemy’s deception, to warn about the idolatry in the New Age movement and of the consequences of being involved with the New Age teachings and philosophy.
As Christians, we need to know the basics of this philosophy and how to stand on the Truth found in God’s Word. Many Christians are involved in New Age practices and yet do not realise the underlying roots of it.
The Bible must be our yardstick for judging what is acceptable and what is not. Whether we realise it or not, New Age thinking has a growing influence and significant impact on the world around us.
B. JESUS IS UNIQUE
We would all agree that there is a lot of confusion in the world today. We are constantly exposed to so called ‘gods’, whether they are called ‘economic rationalism’, ‘logic’ or Buddha. Whatever we turn to for our answers: ‘energy’, motivation, health, strength or purpose is our ‘god’.
No god except Jesus ever left the heavenly realm and died for humanity. No god ever rose again from the dead; they are all ‘dead’. There is only ONE way to get into Father God’s presence and that is through His Son Jesus. The Bible is quite clear on this. Every other way is deceptive and false. This statement of truth offends many.
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)
Don’t be deceived and don’t let yourself be talked out of your faith. God’s nature is love. Even when we don’t understand why He hasn’t come to our assistance (according to our criteria), the God that created the Universe is deeply involved with us! We must learn to see things the way He does, to learn His language to understand His universe of love.
C. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ‘THE NEW AGE’?
1. Definition of ‘The New Age’.
The term ‘New Age’ refers to a loose coalition of people and organizations, without a common structure, yet who share a common philosophy. It is a growing social and religious movement, blending Eastern religions with social justice issues from Western culture.
Many of these concepts date back to the creation of mankind, to the lies Adam and Eve believed. Some of the New Age roots are as old as the Hindu religion. Other ancient beliefs have also been added, such as astrology, reincarnation, occultism and pantheism.
New Age thinking has invaded schools, media, clothing design, our language, marketing and retail, herbal and medical areas. It is appealing to those who have tried the ‘traditional’ fields of medicine and education, seeking new ways to ‘release their potential’. Remember, it isn’t a matter of Western versus Eastern thinking; idolatry exists in the Western viewpoints as well.
In some areas, both New Age and Humanist philosophies meet, to replace traditional Western culture with alternative approaches to religion, medicine, the environment, music, education and so on. There are many agreements between those who believe in the religion of Evolution and those who follow any New Age thinking.
2. Where did the New Age come from?
Ancient Hindu ideas are part of the roots of the New Age:
a) Monism: “All is one”, an essential wholeness and unity in everything, in the universe and in us.
b) Pantheism: “All is god”, so every particle of the universe is also god, including us.
c) Maya belief: “All is illusion“, so the mind can manipulate reality. What is perceived has no reality, other than what the mind gives it,
d) Reincarnation: the person pays for their bad ‘karma’ through being reborn in another life, allowing a perfected person to emerge after enough life times.
D. THESE BELIEF SYSTEMS HAVE ENTERED OUR CULTURE THROUGH THREE MAIN DOORS:
1. The Teachings of the Theosophy movement
Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) founded the Theosophical Society in New York City in 1875. Helena, a spiritist medium, claimed secret communication from the ‘great master’s’ such as Buddha, Zoroaster and Jesus. Her Theosophy schools in California encouraged many others to promote similar movements, among them the Krishna cults.
2. Christian Science and the Unity School of Christianity
- Mary Baker Eddy
Others added to the Theosophy teachings such as Charles Poyen, the hypnosis teacher and lecturer. An eager follower of his, Phineas P. Quimby added physical healing through correct thinking in 1847.
One of his students, Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) become the founder of the Christian Science movement. Two of her teachings were endorsed into the New Age foundation:
a. All evil is illusion,
b. Anyone can overcome evil through correct thinking or spiritual insight.
- Charles Fillmore
From here, Charles Fillmore (1854-1948) started the ‘New Thought’ movement make popular by the Christian Science followers and began the Unity School of Christianity in 1922. His views differed from Biblical Christianity by denying sin, sickness and even death as real.
He taught that “….these can be conquered because mankind has divine intelligence and can control his thought, his feelings and his passions.” (‘The Religious Heritage of America’, page 480) Millions of people regularly read and taught the Unity Publications.
3. Popular personalities spoke out on their New Age views.
Popular Guru personalities came out of the 1950 and 1960’s, teaching the New Age philosophy through their movies, political activities, religious and media exposure.
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
One of the fastest growing groups at that time was the Hare Krishna movement with the Indian Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Supposedly providing a deep rest for the nervous system and enhancing personal potential, he began to teach ‘Transcendental meditation’, or ‘TM’ in 1957.
A rising holistic and ecology culture began new personalities, such as the Beatles, with songs such as “My Sweet Lord” and “Imagine all the People”. They helped usher in the dawn of ‘The Age of Aquarius’ made popular by “new Age Thinking”, especially in the 1970’2 and 1980’s with their music.
‘Channelling spirits’ became popular and books on the subject appeared everywhere. “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” and Shirley MacLaine’s material was openly proclaimed as written by the practice of ‘channelling’ spirits.
Once these doors were open, others joined. The ‘Flower Children’, hippy movement and ‘Free Love’ followed into the Western cultures. People turned to music, drugs and alternative lifestyles in response to ‘Do you own thing’.
Some of this happened in response to the legalism and rules they found in their schools, work places, homes and in the churches. Freedom was proclaimed with a capitol ‘F’!
E. IN CONCLUSION
When most people hear the terms ‘New Age’, they think of being ‘veggie‘ or stopping the destruction of the forests. However, as we have seen the roots of this movement are far deeper than what we eat or wear. ‘Visualize World Peace’ became the cry, along with ‘anti-authoritorism’ and seeking a ‘higher consciousness’….all in the name of self-actualization.
In our next post, we shall see the basic belief structure that we have invited into our universities, media and even sometimes, our churches.
Join me then,
Susanne Fengler, Blog Author
www.christianfoundations-jesus.treeoflife.info
Source for this series: ‘The New Age, Looking for the God Within’, Christian Resource Series. Photos from ‘Religious News Service’.
Tags: Intro to New Age
Filed under: Challenges to the Christian Faith
i always agree and interested about every topics in this blog. really inspiring.