When Strangers Come Knocking---Part 13

This is the next installment of my series to be published the first Monday of each month.

There are members of false sects, like Jehovah's Witnesses, that come knocking door-to-door hoping to convert you. Instead of ignoring them, it is we who should try and convert them. In 1 Peter 3:16, our first Pope writes, "But in thy hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks thee to give the reason for the hope that thou hast. But do this with gentleness and respect,..." Before the Great Apostasy, the Church would send missionaries to the ends of the Earth to make as many converts as possible.

Those in false religions don't always come (literally) knocking at your door. It may be a Hindu at work who wants you to try yoga. It could be a "Christian Scientist" who lives next door and invites you to come to their reading room. Each month, I will present a false sect. Unlike the Vatican II sect, I do not see them as a "means of salvation" or possessing "elements of truth" that lead to salvation. That is heresy. They lead to damnation, and the adherents of the various sects must be converted so they may be saved.

In each month's post, I will present one false sect and give an overview of:

• The sect's history
• Their theology
• Tips on how to share the True Faith with them

The New Age Movement

The New Age Movement (NAM) is a loosely structured network of individuals and organizations who share a vision of a new age of enlightenment and harmony (the so-called "Age of Aquarius") and who subscribe to a common worldview of pantheism where "god" and the universe are the same. For this reason, the New Age is a pagan movement and not a sect as defined in Catholic theology. There is no single organization or common creed, no unifying code of morality, and no worship proper to the NAM. The ideas of the New Age have permeated society in every aspect. Many people co-mingle New Age beliefs with their professed religion, be it Vatican II sect, Protestantism, Judaism, etc. This makes the NAM possibly the most insidious of all false religious systems that try to proselytize you to one or more tenets.

This post will focus on the beliefs that are part of the NAM, with the proviso that not all beliefs are subscribed to all involved. Some don't even realize they hold one or more NAM beliefs, or that they are incompatible with the religion they profess.

Origins

One of the most concise and accurate descriptions of the NAM was given by Stratford Caldecott in booklet form, the pertinent part of which I reproduce below. I do not endorse all of what Mr. Caldecott (d. 2014) writes, nor do I agree with his religious views--but his synopsis is spot-on accurate. For those who wish to read his entire booklet, please See http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/faithcul/newage.htm--Introibo). 

The umbrella term "New Age" was first popularized by Alice Bailey in the 1930s, founder of an offshoot of the Theosophical Society (itself begun in New York in 1875 by the Russian-born occultist H.P. Blavatsky). It was picked up again by Baba Ram Dass (alias Richard Alpert) and others in the 1960s, when it became popularly identified with the coming astrological "Age of Aquarius". In that Age, it was prophesied, mankind would finally "come of age", renouncing the use of force and establishing a new world order of peace and harmony, an era of higher or cosmic consciousness and universal love.

If the origins of the term and to some extent of the movement lie in modern occultism, social and cultural conditions at the end of the last century played their part by enabling exotic alternatives to Christian belief to flourish. The progress of science, though impressive, had left many people dissatisfied. Hungry for some kind of spiritual fulfillment which neither science nor Christianity seemed able to offer, they were easily attracted to spiritualism and the Theosophical Society. The movement quickly divided and sub-divided (Krishnamurti, Steiner) and other influences came to bear (Jung, Teilhard, yoga, ecology, feminism). The scriptures of other religions, alongside the writings of Jewish Kabbalists, Christian mystics and previously obscure Christian heretics, became more widely available in translation. In the wake of Swami Vivekananda and the Vedanta Society, new gurus appeared from the East.

Also contributing to the emergence of the New Age movement was Vatican II. The Modernists have a Naturalistic outlook and eschew the supernatural. The ecumenism in the heretical document Nostra Aetate instructed Catholics to make contact with, "respect," and "learn from" all false religions because they contain some "rays of truth."  People, hungry for the real truth that was stolen from them, started turning to these false sects for answers. A form of emergent Neo-Gnosticism emerged. As a backdrop, Gnosticism—from the Greek gnosis, “knowledge”—was a heresy that emerged in the second century A.D., purporting to offer knowledge of otherwise hidden “truth” as the indispensable key to human salvation apart from the One True Church. Though Gnosticism with its "secret knowledge" is long gone, a revival of it (Neo-Gnosticism) occurred in the late 1960s in the wake of Vatican II.  These ideas include:

• Humans have the "spark of the divine" within
• Humans are ignorant of their "divinity"and must be made aware of it
• Jesus came as One of many "way-showers" to bring enlightenment to humanity 

These ideas eventually became prominent in NAM, as will be shown next in this post.

Major Tenets of NAM

1. Ecumenism/Eclectic Beliefs.
New Agers combine and synthesize religious and philosophical ideas from Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Mohammed, etc. There is no one true faith or one true Messiah. New Agers believe there is truth in all religions and religious traditions.(Are you listening, Mr. Bergoglio?). This willingness to pick and choose what they believe from various sources of enlightenment is a vivid demonstration of the arbitrary and inconsistent nature of the worldview. They consult the Bible, but also feel free to consult the pagan Hindu Vedas, the Koran, as well as openly occult psychics and "channelers," whose “revelations” from spirit guides  [i.e., demons]are considered just as authoritative as those found in the Bible. They have no hesitation in consulting astrologers and others who practice the occult arts of necromancy, palm readings, Ouija boards, tarot cards, etc. Reincarnation is also commonly held by New Agers.

2. Monism.

Monism is the false doctrine that all reality is a unified whole. Everything in the universe is conceived as being composed of the same substance. Humanity, God, and nature are seen as three waves in a single ocean. All reality is both interdependent and interrelated. 

3. Pantheism. 

This is the view that "All is 'God' and 'God' is All." There is no distinction between Creator and creation. The NAM god is an impersonal, amoral "it." 

4. Moral Relativism. 

Moral Relativism is not one doctrine, but rather can be classified into two (2) distinct and broad theses, both of which deny an external, unchanging Moral Norm. Cultural/Normative Relativism is the teaching which holds that a person must behave in accordance with the accepted norms that have evolved in his/her society. Conceptual Relativism holds there is no such property as good or evil; rather goodness is a function or relation between an action and society. The very meaning of "right and wrong" is relative to any given society. NAM subscribes to both theses.

5. Deification of Humanity. 

From monism and pantheism, it follows that humans are "god" but don't yet realize it. Once "god-realization" is achieved, it remains to "awaken" as many others as possible. When this realization reaches a critical mass, the planet will experience "The Age of Aquarius;"-- a new world order of peace, harmony, and "universal love." 

Almost all New Agers reject and seek to eliminate:

• all organized religion, especially Christianity
• "patriarchal" society
• "Destruction of the environment" (since all is god). 

(See, e.g.,  Russel Chandler, Understanding the New Age, [1991]).

The Spread of New Age Ideas

According to the Pew Research Center:

Most American adults self-identify as Christians. But many Christians also hold what are sometimes characterized as “New Age” beliefs – including belief in reincarnation, astrology, psychics and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects like mountains or trees. Many Americans who are religiously unaffiliated also have these beliefs.

Overall, roughly six-in-ten American adults accept at least one of these New Age beliefs. Specifically, four-in-ten believe in psychics and that spiritual energy can be found in physical objects, while somewhat smaller shares express belief in reincarnation (33%) and astrology (29%).

But New Age beliefs are not necessarily replacing belief in traditional forms of religious beliefs or practices. While eight-in-ten Christians say they believe in God as described in the Bible, six-in-ten believe in one or more of the four New Age beliefs analyzed here, ranging from 47% of evangelical Protestants to roughly seven-in-ten Catholics (sic) and Protestants in the historically black tradition.

Moreover, religiously unaffiliated Americans (those who say their religion is atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular”) are about as likely as Christians to hold New Age beliefs. However, atheists are much less likely to believe in any of the four New Age beliefs than agnostics and those who say their religion is “nothing in particular.” Just 22% of atheists believe in at least one of four New Age beliefs, compared with 56% of agnostics and eight-in-ten among those whose religion is “nothing in particular.”

Americans who consider themselves to be spiritual but not religious also tend to accept at least one New Age belief. Roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults in this category hold one or more New Age beliefs, including six-in-ten who believe spiritual energy can be located in physical things and 54% who believe in psychics. And among those who say they are religious and spiritual, 65% espouse at least one New Age belief. (See https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/01/new-age-beliefs-common-among-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/; Emphasis mine). These are just four beliefs associated with the NAM, and all of them are distinctly occult.

New Age Infiltration in Various Aspects of Life

• Health. NAM promotes "holistic health," the idea that you treat a person, not a body part. So if you have a heart problem, you don't take heart medication (or heart medication alone) you need pagan meditation for the mind, and use crystals to align your "chakras" or "life-force centers" (whatever that means). Also used is "Reiki healing" (pagan, and used by Jorge Bergoglio).

•  Psychology. Many psychologists and mental health professionals now employ "human potential therapies" which tell you that you can "do anything" and deny sin, or anything else which might make someone (rightfully) feel guilty

• Politics. Since all things are interdependent and unified, there must be a One World Government whereby we act locally but think globally.  NAM supports environmentalism, LGBTQIA++ perversion "rights,"and "equality through Socialism"

•  Education. Most public schools now teach "values clarification" whereby students are taught there are no objective moral values. Intelligent Deign Theory is forbidden. References to Christianity are only made to paint Christians as villains. Yoga and pagan forms of meditation are made part of physical education classes, and everyone must learn to become an "environmentally conscious global citizen," thereby making children easy subjects for a One World Government (look at all the Millennials who support Bernie Sanders, AOC, etc). 

• Religion. The Vatican II sect has adopted, de facto, many NAM practices such as yoga, Reiki, moral relativism, ("Who am I to judge?")--and ecumenism. Bergoglio pushes ecological care as being a sin on the same level as many grievous and wicked acts such as abortion, which he derides as one of many traditional "simple minded rules." 

Proselytizing in a New Age

The best way to proselytize New Agers is to try and attack their underlying belief in pantheism. Some may not even know that this is what they believe. Since some people have only one NAM belief, you may need to attack that one belief only (e.g., reincarnation). They are not per se of the NAM because of one belief. You must see their overarching worldview. If they are New Agers, do not  attack each belief. Go after pantheism. Basically, New Agers, like Buddhists, believe we are all "divine" since "all is God," and people are not aware of it ("universal amnesia"). We need to be "awakened to our divinity."   

Here are four talking points:

1. The universal amnesia regarding our "divinity" cannot be satisfactorily explained.

If humanity is really "part of the divine," how is it that we are unaware of it? Wouldn't "god" know he is divine? Why does it take some guru, or yoga, or pagan meditation for "god" to realize who he is? How do we account for this "cosmic amnesia"?

2. How does the pantheist know that HE is not the one mis-perceiving reality?

The New Agers claim that Christians who believe in a world external to their senses are caught in the grip of an illusion, because "all is one." How does the NAM member know it is we who are deceived by our common sense experience and not himself for thinking that "all is one;" contrary to what reason and sense experience tells us?

3. If pantheism is true, we can never distinguish between fantasy and reality. 

The burden of proof is clearly on the New Ager to tell us why we should abandon our common ability to distinguish between fact and fantasy. We should believe what our experience tells us is true unless or until we have good reason to think otherwise. The NAM reverses this and would have us believe what is counter-intuitive is true despite the lack of evidence. This is absurd.

4. If pantheism is true, there is no good or evil. 

If all is "God," then God allowed the mass murders committed by Joseph Stalin, and God allowed the altruism of St. Francis of Assisi. How can they be morally equivalent? Inanimate objects are divine on the pantheistic worldview. They have "spiritual energy." Does that mean they are self-aware? If not, how can they be equally divine with rational creatures? If so, do we harm them by throwing them or breaking them up? Don't they then have rights of some sort?

Finally, remind them that all religions do not teach the same doctrines. One cannot rationally claim that the various world religions are teaching the same basic truths. This becomes evident by examining key doctrines in each religion. The Bible reveals that there is one personal God who is Triune in nature. The Koran teaches there is only one God--"Allah," but God cannot have a Son, and there is no Trinity. The writings of Confucius affirm polytheism (there are many "gods"). Buddha taught that the concept of God was essentially irrelevant. These mutually exclusive beliefs cannot all be true. Hence, the NAM "God" is a liar, OR if truly an impersonal "it" into which we will be absorbed and lose our individuality, how is this any different from non-existence like atheists teach? Why is only "part of God" capable of rationality (humans) and part non-rational (like rocks)? Which is it?

Conclusion

The NAM encompasses many falsehoods and deceits. It has infiltrated, to one degree or another, the way the modern world thinks since the Great Apostasy of Vatican II. The New Age openness to channeling—consulting psychics in order to contact the dead, or to contact a "guardian angel," or "spirit guide" is an especially grievous sin against God. The whole movement is seeped in the occult and the pagan, which in turn opens a person to demonic forces. 

As I've written before, occultic practices are condemned by both the Bible and Church teaching. "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their 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; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (See Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Emphasis mine). According to theologian Jone, "Spiritism claims to be able to communicate with the spirit world and endeavors to establish such commerce with it. Although spiritism is for the most part fraud, still the intention alone to enter into communication with spirits is gravely sinful. Therefore, it is mortally sinful to conduct a spiritistic seance or to act as a medium." (See Moral Theology [1961], pg. 100; Emphasis mine). 

It's called "The New Age Movement," but it's just re-packaged falsehoods brought to you from the Father of Lies.