PREMISES OF THE NEW AGE WORLD VIEW The New Age World view is Syncretistic. In other words it blends elements of other world views. Russell Chandler, author of "Understanding the New Age", suggests the following beliefs make up some but not all of the components of this movement: - All is One (monism). The Cosmos is pure, undifferentiated, universal energy - a consiousness or "life force". Everything is one vast, interconnected process. All life is of equal value. - All is God (pantheism). God is an impersonal principal, a conciousness, lifeforce, Energy. Everything that is, is God. - Humans, nature, spirits, ET's, the earth, etc. are infused with or of the same essence as God. (polytheism). Humans have unlimited potentials being one with the One." We are God, "affirms many within this movement. Other enlighten beings, entities, etc. which share this divinity can also guide, instruct and empower those who opened the door to other side. Paranormal experiences are often sought and experienced when encountering these guides, assorted spirits, ET's and unknown entities. - All religions are essentially One. Jesus, Krishna, Buddaha, Lao- tsu, and all the mystics old and new, realized and taught this Oneness. All spiritual paths are equally valid. Dogmas and doctrines which cause separation should be de-empasized in favour of personal or communal unitive experiences of at-one-ness. There is a need, say some, for a New Age which will bannish intolerance and promote harmony and unity. Reincarnation is believed to expalain suffering and karma. - Humanity's problem is not sin but ignorance. We have forgotten we are one with God and we ...have infinite potential at our fingertips if we allow it to flow. Therefore we need to reject the self limitations and beliefs of the old ways of perception and embrace a "paradigm shift': a distinct new way of thinking. - How does humanity embark upon a paradigm shift? Through an "awakening experience" each individual may "actualize" his or her divine nature and achieve union with his or her divine nature with the Ultimate Unifying Prnciple by applying a plethoria of consciousness-changing techniques, or "psychotechnologies', to body mind and spirit. - Some examples of what Ferguson calls "intentional triggers of transformative experiences" are: meditation, Yoga,chanting, mood-altering music, mind expanding drugs, esoteric systems of religious mysticism and knowledge, guided imagery, balancing and aligning"energies," hypnosis, body discipines...radical seminars designed to obliterate former values, etc...The pathway to godhood lies not in left-hemisphere logic but in right hemisphere's intuitive 'knowing' and creativeness.' - The sequel to expanded personal awareness is planetary tranformation, charaterized by mass enlightment and social evolution.... Many of the world's problems: overpopulation, the envoirmental crisis, war, economic problems etc. may be solved by realizing our Oneness and untapped potentials. A New Planetary Order or New World Order which calls for an emerging global civilizaton and one world government is in the agenda. When a "critical mass" is achieved through world wide New Age events like the Harmonic Convergence, or the World Peace Meditations, or Mind Body Conferences, Earth Day, etc...then we will arrive at the New Age. Millions have already participated in these events and some of them are annual and ongoing..there are countless new age communities, conferences, peoples, and publications in many countries "networking" to achieve critical mass or the "Hundreth Monkey Effect" as it often called. Although at this present time there is no one leading group or indivdual guiding this movement...it, never-the-less through networking... is becoming a powerful force in society and the world. CRACKS IN THE NEW AGE WORLD VIEW - the assumption that all is One and it's implications are not true. If God is impersonal or all is One, there is no basis for absolutes in terms of truth, ethics or understanding reality. Reality, truth or right or wrong becomes whatever a New Age person perceives it to be. A Oneness which encompasses all and is all must also embrace evil. Ethical relativsm is illogical and unworkable. Try it sometime in a relationship or in society and see the fruit of anarchy and chaos... Nor do we need abitrary absolutes given to us by an authoritarian elite...If there is no higher law than the state or an New Age elite then democracy is obsolete...we must return to the concept of Lex Rex which states that those that govern are also subject to revealed moral laws...If All is One, then there is no difference between cruety and non cruelty...Charles Manson said "if all is One then nothing is wrong"...he was more consistant with his pantheistic beliefs than most new age people you meet. - Man is not God. Human imperfection, finitude, falliblity, and fallenness are the observable human condition. Humanity may with God's grace may become more saintly..ie. God's Spirit may enable men and women to bear the fruits of peace, love, goodness and experience God's miracles of healing etc... but man will not attain Godhood. The finite will not become the infinite. We have potential not unlimited potential. Where is evidence of human perfection or compassion in Roman Ceasars or others who also claimed to be God? ...all you see is human folly and the corruption of power. - There are distintions within the created order. Not all life is of equal value as taught by new age Deep Ecologists or sometime by reincarnation beleivers. Relativism-plugged into reincarnation theory-denigrates the value of human life by reducing all life to the lowest level. In India, "human babies are no more important than rats! Rats may not be killed because they are expressions of the same universal energy that characterizes man. As a result, rodents and other animals eat 20% of India's grain crop-food that could be available for starving people. Recently in India bubonic plaque has broken out again as it has in the Middle Ages due to rats growing out of control. Although all life is to valued as part of nature, nature is not perfect and can produce pestilance and harmful mutations..perhaps we are reaping the fruit of this as man tries to play God tinkering with genetic engineering...or planting new species in the wrong eco-systems. Panthesism says all life is equal...so man becomes no more valuable than the grass we trample on or burn... - Jesus did not teach that all paths lead to a pantheistic Oneness or that man will achieve Godhood. (see John 14, Matt 7:14,) His teaching has to be distored to suggest that Christ taught New Age philosophy as many within New Age circles try to imply...by taking his teaching out of context. Not all religions promote panthesitic monistic beliefs...as suggested by uninformed teachers within the movement... -The Altered State of conciousness reached through meditation and other psychotechnologies often negates critical thinking and reason, often dulling the individual's ability to discern between truth and deception. It also allows for the possiblitiy to contact deceptive or masquarading spirits (many within the movement acknowledge the existence of negative or evil entities) or be possessed by them as may happen in the channeling phenomena. A old proverb states "a man without self- control is like a town without defences". A person in ASC who is passive is more vulnarable to suggestiblity and outside control by whatever controllers human or non human that might happen to be around. Real spirituallity involves the mind, intellect and heart...critical thinking, not scepticism or mind-less-ness is - necessary for spiritual discernment. - Utopian notions of man and utopian New Age political goals may lead to totalitarian systems that would grow increasingly intolerant of those who would critize it. It was the belief in the fallenness and falliblity of human leadership in Europe during the Reformation and afterwards that led to ideas of democracy and freedom, as well as the need for checks and balances in government 7. This may be lost as New Age ideas are more and more embraced in society. Some kind of hierarchy of so called "enlighted" beings are trying to guide us into the NEW AGE claim many within this movement. The question is how do we know that the spirit guides, ET's or whatever, are what they appear to be...there is growing evidence that they are not so enlightened after all, and may have some other more sinister motives in mind when providing guidance and so called "transformative" experiences. - Reincarnation and evolutionary beliefs instead of bringing real love and unity to mankind may create elitist feelings and a callowness to human suffering. Karma supposedly determines a persons caste or position in life. To try to help those who are suffering, is to interfere with their karma. Unenlightened people are already called "cancer cells"2.* in body of Gaia by some within the movement...with the implication that a "cleansing" is coming or needed..we heard that before from Adolf Hitler... who in his time wanted to usher in a New Age..(Hitler also claimed he was guided by voices from the other side) ..There are presently some prominant leaders guided by powerful entities in this movement who are presently taking on or promoting Messianic leadership...as well as the "cleansing concept" ..their spirit guides are saying this is necessary...John Randolph Price, the primary moving force behind the "World Instant of Cooperation," was told by his favorite spirit guide, "Asher," that "nature will soon enter her cleansing cycle...." These individuals [the two billion human beings who do not have the 'ring of protection' around them] with their lower vibratory rates will be removed during the next two decades...2*. " Please read some of the references listed below ...there are many people already who are unknowingly caught up in this spiritual pandora's box...wake up don't be one of them. Many persons exploring New Age beliefs are sincere and pleasant people.. and are not throwing their lot in with the more dangerous elements of the New Age...there are people being hurt by these beliefs and by cultic leaders.. as well as seductive entites...I've dialoged with many of them in several countries...so I encourage compassion for victims...we may disagree and be discerning and helpful but not be arrogant, for in the eyes of God we all fall short of perfection...for it's only by God's grace that we are able to see the many of the pitfals of a fallen world..If you are following New Age beliefs ask God's Spirit to guide you in your quest for truth and reality... Also do your own research as others have below...some listed below were formally in the New Age Movement and in leadership positions...some experiencing powerful paranormal experiences until they woke up to the deception. References below: 1. The Beautiful Side of Evil - Johanna Michaelson..former assistant to psychic healer...and Sylva Mind disciple. 2. Like Lambs to the Slaughter - Johanna Michaelson. * pp 307-310 3. Understanding the New Age - Russell Chandler , Journalist and religion writer For Los Angeles Times. 4. Inside the New Age Nightmare - Randall N. Baer -former "crystal power" expert and teacher. Huntington House, 1989. 5. When the World Will Be As One -The Coming NEW WORLD ORDER in the NEW AGE by Tal Brooke - former follower of Sai Baba, presently with The Spiritual Counterfeits Research Group - Berkeley , Calif. 6. Out on a Broken Limb - Dr. F. LaGard Smith ..Professor of Law at Pepperdine University. Harvest House 1986. 7."How Should We Then Live' - The Rise and Fall of Western Civilization, by Dr. Francis Shaeffer. Fleming H Revell Co. NJ. 1976.