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The New Age Movement
(NAM) is hard to define as a singular religion. It is
just what it is – a movement. It is essentially a
collection of eastern-influenced metaphysical
ideologies, a hodge-podge of theologies and philosophies
that are bound together by “universal tolerance” and
moral relativism. The NAM is the natural progression of
humanism. It teaches that humans have evolved
biologically, and must now evolve spiritually. Beyond
that, it is difficult to define, as there is no
hierarchy, doctrine, creed, or membership. You will be
hard-pressed to find the “First New Age Church” on any
street corner in your town.
Man is the central figure in the NAM. He is
viewed as divine, and progressing toward a kind of
godhood, or “Christ-Consciousness”. Many NAM divisions
are pantheistic – they believe God is in everything, and
everything together makes up God. Therefore, as a part
of nature, man is part of God. Many New Age practices
are designed to push man through the spiritual evolution
to godhood. Astral projection (training your soul to
have out-of-body experiences), contacting spirit guides,
and using crystals to purify your body and mind’s energy
systems are among these practices. Many New Agers
believe in reincarnation and in Karma.
Some NAM terms you may hear are: holistic,
synergistic, unity, oneness, harmony, transformation,
personal growth, human potential, awakening, networking,
energy, cleansing, and consciousness. A
disproportionate amount of NAM books and texts contain
the word “self”. That is because, as we said earlier,
man is the central figure. One must improve one’s
“self” to become one with nature and god. You may also
hear New Age followers using Christian terms. This is
because they view Jesus as a man who excelled at
spiritual evolution and progression, and was tuned into
his “Christ Consciousness.” Do not be fooled, though.
The Christian terms you will hear will have a different
meaning to a New Ager than they will for you.
Here is a general comparison chart of some NAM beliefs
versus Christianity:
|
NAM |
CHRISTIANITY |
|
God is
an impersonal force. |
God is
personal. He is our Heavenly Father who loves us. |
|
God is
all and all is God. He is part of creation, as are
all of us. |
God is
the Almighty Creator of the universe, and all within
it. Man is finite, and one of God’s creations.
|
|
There is
no sin, only misunderstanding of truth.
|
Rebellion from God is sin. All have sinned, and all
must be saved. |
|
Man
saves himself. |
Jesus
Christ paid the penalty for our sins. Only through
faith in Him may man be saved. |
|
Heaven
and Hell do not exist. They are states of mind.
|
There is
a literal Heaven, and a literal Hell. |
|
Jesus is
a man who exemplified “Christ Consciousness, and the
divinity that is man. |
Jesus is
the Son of God, and is part of the triune nature of
God. |
Perhaps one of the biggest draws of the NAM is the
release it provides from personal accountability and
responsibility. Moral Relativism claims that there is
no such thing as right or wrong. Each PERSON, in their
effort to achieve oneness, must travel their own path
and make their own decisions. And those decisions are
never wrong, provided they’re not wrong in that person’s
own mind.
As Christians, we recognize the fallacy of
that thinking. We know that man is finite and
imperfect. In fact, man has a sinful nature. Only
through faith in an eternal and omnipotent God may we be
saved from our sin. The NAM sees the Christian view of
salvation through Christ alone as being divisive and
exclusionary. What they don’t see, is that the gift of
salvation is free to EVERYONE. The stipulation is that
each person must accept that. If you believe in the
NAM, please realize that the following are irrefutable
truths:
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There is
such a thing as right and wrong.
-
There is a
Heaven, and there is a Hell.
-
There is
only one God, who is eternal in nature, and who created
the universe and everything in it.
-
Man is
finite, imperfect, and sinful.
-
God is not
impersonal. He loves you more than you can
imagine. He
-
loves you
so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take on a
mortal body, in order to be the final sacrifice for your
sins.
-
God is just. He has provided this path for your
salvation, but you MUST
accept it.
-
God is as
loving as He is just. He is not willing that ANY
should perish.
-
Eternal
life in Paradise can be yours, provided you confess your
sins, and accept the gift of salvation through Jesus
Christ.
If you have not yet accepted this gift, and wish to, say
the following prayer. This prayer is not a magical
incantation, and is just an example. If you wish to say
it in your own words, feel free.
God, I know now that I am a sinner. I
recognize my sinful nature, and the fact that I have
sinned against You. I am sorry. I know that you have
provided for my salvation, and I want to claim that
now. I turn my back on my sinful nature, and I give
myself to you. Come into my life, Lord. Cleanse me of
my sins. Make me whole. Thank you for this precious
gift. Lord, I dedicate my life to you. I pray these
things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Bible says that if you confess your
sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you. If you
prayed the prayer above, you have accepted the gift of
salvation. You are a child of God. We welcome you to
the family. It is important now to learn as much as
possible. All the information you will ever need is in
God’s Word – the Bible. We encourage you to go buy one
as soon as possible. If you cannot afford a Bible,
write to us, and we will make sure that you get one.
It’s also important to fellowship with other believers.
If you want to find a good Christian church in your
area, but need some help, write to us, and we will do
our best to get you in touch with one. Oh, and one
other thing. This is something we love! Do you want to
talk with God? You can! Just pray! You don’t have to
do so in a special place, or have any special words.
Just talk to Him. If you pray to God in the name of
Jesus, He will hear you. The joy in store for you will
knock your socks off!! Oh, we’re so excited for you!
Write to us if you need any direction. And once again,
welcome!
ARTICLES ON THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
The New Age Influence at the
United Nations
The Infinite Way
 Correspondence
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