Back to Unit 7: New Age

A Reformed Look at the New Age Movement (1)

Rev. Steven Houck

The New Age Movement is not a structured organization like the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, but is a loosely connected movement. It is made up of all kinds of different people - some who adhere very closely to its beliefs and practices and others who embrace only some of them. This is one of the fastest growing movements in the country. That is why we must be concerned about it. This movement is extremely anti-Christian, anti-God, and anti-Christ. Its beliefs and practices are directly contrary to all that we believe as Christians.

The contemporary roots of the New Age go back to the counterculture of the past decades. The beatniks of the fifties and their fascination with Zen, the Hippies of the sixties and their acid dreams and Eastern gurus, and the human potential movement of the seventies with their mysticism, all came together in the eighties to form the New Age Movement.

Ultimately, however, the roots of this movement go back to some of the oldest religions in the world - the Eastern mystical religions. The New Age Movement is a Westernized version of Hinduism, Buddhism, Japanese Zen, and Chinese Taoism. It has also been influenced by the Gnosticism of the early church, the paganism of ancient Greece and Rome, and Spiritism and Occultism. Thus the New Age Movement is a mixture of spiritual, social, and political forces that are extremely anti-Christian.

The adherents of the New Age Movement believe that the world is God, that God is a force, and that we are all a part of that world force. They believe that man is God and therefore good. He has within him infinite potential if it can only be brought out. Their highest goal is to become enlightened so that they are conscious of their oneness with God. In their search for enlightenment, they involve themselves in all kinds of wicked practices such as mysticism, spiritism, the occult, witchcraft, yoga, transcendental meditation, and ESP. They worship the earth, goddesses, and even the devil.

This is so far out that we might think that few would ever fall for this kind of thing. The very opposite is true, however. The influence of this movement is everywhere. It has been said that this movement has the potential to be as sweeping as the Renaissance and Reformation. It is the fastest growing "alternative belief system" in the country -not just among extremists, but among the well-educated middle class. It touches every aspect of contemporary life. It can be seen on the television, in movies, in
the newspapers, and even at your local health-food store. Sports and exercise programs, motivational training, psychological counseling, and religious classes are all pipelines for New Age thinking.

New Age beliefs and practices are very popular among movie stars. Shirley MacLane is an outspoken proponent. Others include: Linda Evans of Dynasty, Helen Reddy, Tina Turner, and Sharon Gless. The singer, John Denver, is deeply involved in the movement.

But this movement is also having a tremendous influence upon respected professions such as the medical] profession. Many physicians, even though they may not adopt the religious aspect of New Age, practice the holistic method of health care. Community mental health centers in the state of New York have used spiritism as a supplementary healing system since the mid-1980s. Many psychological institutions and counseling centers teach and practice New Age principles.

The New Age Movement is making a big impact upon corporate America. A 1986 survey indicates that more than half of the Fortune 500 companies surveyed used some form of consciousness-raising technique. Such firms as Merrill Lynch, Ford, Westinghouse, RCA, Boeing, Scott Paper, and Calvin Klein have sent employees to seminars
conducted by New Age groups. The New Age has found its way into the public school system. In Los Angeles City Schools children have been taught to imagine that they are one with the sun's rays. They are told that they are part of God. New Age practices are used in training athletes. Its influence can also be seen in music and art.

Many of our politicians adhere to the principles of this movement. Congress has funded many New Age projects. Even the military has come under the spell. At one time there was a military battalion called "First Earth Battalion" which was to be a New Age militia of warrior monks attuned to resolving conflict through yoga, meditation, and the martial arts.

The New Age Movement has even influenced the Christian religion. It is openly embraced by many of liberal Christianity. "The power of positive thinking" of Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller bears a striking resemblance to the human potential philosophy of the New Age Movement.

This great influence ought not surprise us, for it is the stated goal of the New Age Movement to transform the world. They want New Age beliefs and practices to become universal. They even have a political agenda to bring this about. In fact, that is how they received their name. They seek the coming of a new age.

In order that we might recognize the great danger which this movement represents and be able to resist its influence, I would like us to take a Reformed look at the New Age Movement. First, I want to explain the beliefs and practices of this movement. Secondly, I want to examine those beliefs and practices in the light of Holy Scripture. Finally, I want to suggest ways in which we can avoid the errors of this wicked movement.

The most basic principle which underlies all the beliefs and practices of the New Age Movement is the principle: all is one. Ultimately there is no difference between God and man, birds and trees, flowers and rocks. Any a~ parent difference between things is not real. The World is pure and undifferentiated. This "one" is described as energy, consciousness, life force, principle, or even mind. This oneness includes mankind. humanity, like everything else, is only an extension of the "one."

Since all things are one, including God, it is but a short step to conclude: all is God. All things are not only one but all things partake of one divine essence. Man is God. Animals are God. Plants, rivers, mountains, trees are also God. Everything is God. This erroneous view of God is called Pantheism. That all is God means that God is not a personal God. If trees, rocks, rivers, and mountains are all God, He can not be a personal God. Rather He is an impersonal force or energy.

This leads us to one of the most important principles of the New Age Movement: humanity is God. You are God and I am God. Every person is God. Man, like everything else, is a mode of expression of this one life force or energy.

One promoter of the New Age Movement put it this way: "It has long been held that whoever denies God asserts his own divinity. In dropping God, man recovers himself. It is time that God be put in his place, that is, in man, and no nonsense about it."

Shirley MacLaine, in one of her TV programs, stood on Malibu beach and shouted, "I am God."

Another advocate of the New Age philosophy went so far as to say. ''Kneel to your own self.

Honor and worship your own being. God dwells within you as you!"

Because man is God there is within every individual infinite potential infinite knowledge, power, and truth. It is all there just waiting to be unlocked.

That raises a very important question. Why aren't we experiencing the fact that we are God? What is the problem? The New Age Movement answers. "The problem is ignorance. We are blind. We all have metaphysical amnesia. We have forgotten our true identity. They blame that on our Western culture, specifically rationalism and Christianity. For this culture of ours has deluded us with a fragmented vision of ourselves and the universe so that we do not see true reality.

The solution to this problem is found in a change of one's consciousness. We must have an awakening experience by which our divine nature is actualized. This change in consciousness is known by many different names. It is called a transforming experience, a cosmic consciousness, God-realization, enlightenment. illumination, nirvana (Buddhists), satori (Zen), and at-one-ment (Hindu). This change in consciousness is accomplished by many different means such as; transcendental meditation, yoga, chanting, mood-altering music. mind-expanding drugs, religious mysticism, guided imagery, balancing of energies, hypnosis, body disciplines, fasting, the martial arts, mechanical devices that measure and alter bodily processes, and various mental programs.

Since all is one, so that there is no distinction between things, much of our world is considered to be only an illusion - a matter of our own darkened consciousness. For instance: disease and suffering are illusions. They can be eliminated simply by altering your state of consciousness. Even death itself is not real. War with all of its killing and pain is not real. Thus a New Age advocate said of the Vietnam War, "If we all stop thinking about it, if we all stop agreeing on its objective reality, it will cease to exist."

When this principle is applied to moral issues, we discover that there is no such thing as right and wrong. There is no difference between good and evil or between God and the devil. Thus there are no moral standards. There is no such thing as sin. You can do anything you want to do.

One New Age advocate put it this way, "If you had come to the realization of your own divinity you could do anything, even rob a bank, and it would be all right."

Therefore some of the New Age Movement are involved in very evil things such as drugs, illicit sex, the occult, devil worship, witchcraft, abortion, and even murder. The infamous Charles Manson was involved in several New Age groups when he committed his heinous crimes. He said that he saw himself free to kill since he had reached a state of consciousness with the One which put him beyond morality where there was no good or evil.

These are the wicked and dangerous beliefs of the New Age Movement. The Lord willing, in the next article we will consider the practices of the New Age Movement which come out of these beliefs.

A Reformed Look at the New Age Movement (2)

Rev. Steven R. Houck

In our last article we noted the basic beliefs of the New Age Movement. In this article we will consider their practices and also begin an evaluation both of their beliefs and of their practices.

All the practices of the New Age Movement are based upon their fundamental beliefs. Since man is really God and therefore has infinite potential, he has only to look within himself for the answers to all of his problems. Therefore many of the practices of the New Age Movement emphasize mystical experiences, particularly various forms of Eastern meditation. One must put out of his consciousness the normal things of life that distract him from seeing his true reality. He must bring about a state of consciousness that is identified with "the One.

Shirley MacLaine describes a mystical experience she had in a hot tub this way, 'My whole body seemed to float. Slowly, slowly I became the water . . 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 candle, the wet rocks under the water, and even the sound of the rushing river outside."

Another practice of the New Age Movement is called, "Imaging." One must imagine the reality he wants, and by that imagination he will actually create that reality. For instance, if a person has cancer he can cure himself by means of imaging. First he must imagine himself full of cancer cells. Then he must picture his immune system attacking and destroying those cells. He must see his white blood cells eating up the cancer cells until they are all gone. That image of no cancer will then become the reality and he will be free of cancer.

The New Age Movement emphasizes the power of positive thinking and the power of the mind over matter. They practice what is called "psychokinesis" which is the moving or influencing of matter through the power of the mind. This is a popular activity at their parties. They claim that they are able to bend silverware merely by thinking it. They also claim that they can walk on hot coals without burning their feet. They profess to practice such things as telepathy (the transfer of thoughts from one mind to another) and clairvoyance (the seeing of objects or events at a distance).

Besides looking to one's own mind and consciousness for the answer to man's basic problem, the New Age Movement looks outside to others. One of the most widespread practices of this movement is something called "channeling." This is nothing more than the old-fashioned seance in a new and "more acceptable" form. They believe that there are a host of spirit beings - the spirits of the dead, evolved animal spirits, beings from outer space - who inhabit a spiritual realm. These beings have either reached the point of enlightenment or are very close to it and they share information concerning enlightenment with those seeking enlightenment. For this they use a channel who gives himself over to the spirit so that the spirit controls his mind and mouth and thus speaks through him. This is so popular among New Age people that there are a host of known channelers who are making millions of dollars doing this. There are over a thousand channelers in Los Angeles alone. Even the spirits they channel are popular. They have names like: Lazarus, Mafu, Seth, Saint Germain, Ramtha. Some even claim to channel Jesus. Many of the books which are used by the New Age Movement and which promote the philosophy of the movement are said to be written by these channeled spirits.

The New Age Movement resorts to other forms of spiritism too. Many of them go to the native American Indian medicine man or participate in Indian rituals and ceremonies in order to get information from the spirit world. Some of them are involved in nature-based religion in which there is the worship of the earth and female gods. They speak of mother earth and of mother goddesses such as Diana, Isis, Demeter, and others. Some are involved in Wicca or witchcraft with its emphasis upon the female. It is estimated that there are fifty thousand witches in the United States.

If you were to go into the home of a New Age practitioner you would discover that there are two objects which are especially important to them. The first of these is the crystal. You will find crystal jewelry around their necks and on their arms and fingers. They put crystals in their purses, in their toilet tanks, and even tie them to the carburetors of their cars. They display them on coffee tables and they grind them up and make from them an energizing elixir which they drink. To understand this you must remember that they believe that God is a force or energy. They want to be in harmony with that world force. They want to vibrate in tune with the universe. Since they believe that rock crystal has the same energy pattern as God, they believe that by surrounding themselves with these crystals their energy will be in harmony with God. Thus they use crystals for psychic healing, contact with spirits, and the development of a higher consciousness of the "One."

The other object which is found among the New Age people is the pyramid. They believe that the pyramid, like the crystal, has super-powerful paranormal properties. It is an age-old belief that the specific angles of the pyramid emit magnetic energy that can be harnessed to control events.

Perhaps you have heard of "holistic health." This too is an extension of the basic philosophy of the New Age Movement. Because all is one, the body too must be in tune with the energy of nature and with God. This tuning can be accomplished by using the natural powers of the body itself. While the name holistic is supposed to emphasize the concept of dealing with the whole person, the real emphasis is on the spiritual energy in the body and the use of that energy to heal. It is another form of spiritism. Thus medical practices are used which have their origin in witches, witch doctors, medicine men, sorcerers, wizards, and magicians. Besides using such accepted methods as diet and life style and attitude changes, they use acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic therapy, reflexology, iridology (diagnosis by looking at the iris), relaxation, meditation, trance channeling, psychic surgery, hypnosis, and more.

This brief look at the beliefs and practices of the New Age Movement already makes it clear that there is something very wrong with this movement. Let us therefore examine these beliefs and practices in the light of the Holy Scriptures.

Even though some try to harmonize aspects of the New Age Movement with Christianity, the basic beliefs and practices of the movement are contrary to the Faith of the Holy Scriptures. The god of the New Age Movement is not the God of Christianity. The christ of the New Age Movement is not the Christ of the Bible. The mankind of the New Age Movement is not the mankind described in the Scriptures. The salvation of the New Age Movement is not the salvation of the true God.

The fundamental error of the New Age Movement is what the apostle refers to in Romans 1:23, 25:"... (They) changed the glory of the uncorruptible God in-to an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things . . . and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator

They have taken the incorruptible God and made him man, birds, beasts, and creeping things. They have made the creation, God. Instead of worshipping the true God, they worship creation. At bottom, the New Age Movement is nothing but idolatry.

First of all, God is not an impersonal force, energy, or consciousness. God is a personal God. This can be very easily demonstrated by going to the name of God. His name is Jehovah, which means "I Am." God told His name to Moses at the burning bush: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM bath sent me unto you" (Ex. 3:14).
Notice that in this verse God is said to talk to Moses. In fact, at the very beginning of the Bible God is said to speak. He said, "Let there be light." That in itself demonstrates that God is a personal God. Only a person can speak. But, even beyond that. God's name, Jehovah, is a personal name. He is the great Am." God is the "I" who eternally is. Only a person can say "I." Every time the Bible calls God by the name, Jehovah, it declares that He is personal.

We ought to be horrified that anyone would even suggest that God is not a personal God. We have fellowship with God, worship and serve Him, love and enjoy Him, only because He is a personal God. That is what makes God the beautiful, glorious God that He is.

In the second place, all is not one. Certainly all is not God. This world, even though it is an organic unity, is made up of many distinct and separate creatures, and those creatures are distinct and separate from God. This is implied in the first verse of the Bible. In Genesis 1:1 we read, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." In the beginning - before the creation of the world - there was only God. That makes Him distinct from all His creatures. Then God made two things - the heaven and the earth - which are distinct and separate. He also made many different creatures to inhabit both heaven and earth, as is indicated by the six days of creation.

If we are to understand properly the relationship of God and His creation we must take note of two things: God is both transcendent and immanent.

That God is immanent means that He is not far away from His creation, but very near. He is everywhere in creation. He is intimately involved in all the affairs of this world. He providentially upholds and governs all things -even the small and seemingly insignificant. The apostle says,

He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; . . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being ..." (Acts 17:25, 28). We read, ". . . Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). In this sense God is not far from anyone.

Yet God is not the world. That God is transcendent means that He is in Himself infinitely exalted above the world. He is absolutely different from the world. He is so high above this world that nothing can even be compared to Him. He is the infinite God. All else is finite. This is demonstrated by the fact that God's name is "Most High" (Ps. 47:2). The Psalmist says, "The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens" (Ps. 113:4).

God is immanent in this world. But He is immanent as the transcendent God. He is near to every one of us. But He is near as the infinite God. He is Creator, Governor, and Redeemer. But He is Creator, Governor, and Redeemer as the Holy God. These are fundamentals of the Reformed Faith.

The Lord willing, in the final article of this series we will continue to evaluate the New Age Movement in the light of the Scriptures and also suggest ways in which we can avoid the wicked errors of this movement.

A Reformed Look at the New Age Movement (3)

Rev. Steven Houck

In our last article we began to evaluate the New Age Movement by considering the movement's view of God. In this article we will finish our evaluation of their beliefs and practices and also consider ways in which we can avoid the errors of this wicked movement.

The New Age Movement is not only dead wrong about God but also about man. Man is not God. In no sense is man God. More-over, man will never be God. The very thought is blasphemous. Nor is the natural man good. He does not have within himself divine power. Of himself he has no power at all. If man looks to himself for the solutions to his problems, he will find nothing but sin, wickedness, and rebellion against God. Man's big problem is not ignorance of his divinity, but the fact that he is a sinner. The destiny of the natural man is not the consciousness of being one with God, but separation from God. If the New Age people do not repent of their terrible sins and turn in faith to the true God, they will suffer under the wrath of an angry God forever.

Even though God created man in the image of God - righteous, holy, and full of the knowledge of God - in Adam we all sinned against God and lost that image. The image of God was turned in-to the image of the devil. Man became corrupt on the inside. His very nature became wicked. The Prophet declares, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9).

As a result, apart from regeneration, man is not good, but evil. All his words, deeds, and even his thoughts are sin. The apostle declares, ". . . There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God . . . . there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10-12). All the seeking of the New Age people after this divine energy is not a seeking after the true God. No one of himself seeks after God. No one can.

Since the New Age Movement is wrong about God and man, it should not surprise us that they are wrong about salvation. Man's salvation is not a coming to an awareness of the fact that he is God. Salvation is not a change of consciousness or an awakening experience. All the meditation in the world will not save a single soul. Neither will music, drugs, mysticism, exercise, mind over matter, or the occult bring salvation. No spirit, extraterrestrial being, sage, monk, or enlightened one can help you find God.

Salvation is not the recognition that you are God, but it is an intimate fellowship with the personal God. It is not becoming God, but a partaking of His eternal covenant life. It is walking with God and talking with Him. Salvation is enjoying God's love and blessing and living with Him in His eternal kingdom. Thus we read of God's people, ". . . Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (II Cor. 6:16).

Because we are all sinners, salvation can take place only by means of a reconciliation through the blood of Christ. We who have forsaken God and rebelled against Him, must be brought back to Him. The guilt of our sins must be forgiven. We need to be regenerated so that we love God, trust Him, and seek to keep His commandments. That is why God sent His only begotten Son into this world. Christ took upon Himself the sin of all of his people and went to the cross in order to bear the horrible wrath of God against us. Christ, therefore, is not just another spiritual leader, as the New Age people say. He is the Savior of His people. We read in II Corinthians ~:19, 21, '. . . God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them . . . 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."

Salvation is not found in man or in humanity in general. It is not of man's works or will. The Scriptures say, "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). Salvation is the sovereign work of God's grace alone.

All of this implies that in spite of the claims of the New Age Movement there is a difference between right and wrong. There is a moral standard which all men are responsible to obey. We may not live any way we want. The permissive, liberated life style of the New Age Movement is not acceptable to God. The true God is a righteous God. He
is a God who loves righteousness and hates sin. The Psalmist says, "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works . . . . The Lord preserveth all them that love him but all the wicked will he destroy" (Ps. 145:17, 20).

God has set down an absolute standard of righteousness for man - His law, the ten commandments. Because all men are creatures of God, they owe to God perfect obedience and service. Not that obedience to the law is the way of salvation. It is not. Nevertheless, it is God's requirement for all men. Moreover, those who are saved by God's grace seek to keep his commandments out of love and thanksgiving for their salvation. Jesus says to us, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

Finally the New Age Movement is wrong in its involvement with the occult and spiritism. The Bible makes it very clear that we are to have nothing to do with spirits, witches, and the occult. We read in Deuteronomy 18:9-12, "There shall not be found among you any . . . that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."

Divination, sorcery, witchcraft, and spiritism are abominations to the Lord. It was because of these things that God drove the Canaanites out of the land. Certainly that means that we are to have nothing to do with them. We must be very careful about it too, for the television is full of this. Many of these wicked things are found in seemingly innocent children's programs.

The New Age Movement is wrong in its worship of spirits, goddesses, and other gods. It is wrong in its worship of self as God. The Bible teaches us that we are to worship and serve God alone. The very first commandment is, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3). Our trust must be in the true God. It is He in Whom we must find our joy, comfort, and peace. He is our only hope of life everlasting. All that we are and all that we have must be dedicated to the service of Him alone. Our whole life must revolve around Him. He must be our life and our love.

All of this makes it clear that the Scriptures condemn the New Age Movement. We may have nothing to do either with its beliefs or with its practices.

The New Age Movement is such a destructive movement that in conclusion I want to suggest ways in which we can avoid the errors of this wicked movement.

First, we must be very careful to avoid the subjectivism of this movement. Everything about the New Age Movement is subjective. It has lost objective reality. Nothing is what it seems. That is because its knowledge is based upon human experience - man's feelings, emotions, dreams, imagination. Even the seeming outside sources, the channeled spirit beings, all come through the human mind and mouth. The source of knowledge for the New Age people is the divine within. It is you yourself. That is so true that they can cut themselves off from everything else and make their own reality.

We must have nothing to do with such subjectivism. There is nothing in the natural man but sin. Man's subjective thinking and feeling will never lead him to the truth. If you want truth, you must go to the God of all truth who is Himself the Truth. He has given to us a very objective standard of the Truth - Holy Scripture. Jesus says, "Thy word is Truth…" (John 17:17). In the Bible we have everything that we need to know about God, man, salvation and reality. It is there in black and white - God's written revelation of Himself. It is objective Truth. Therefore, we must take care to learn and believe the doctrines of the Scriptures. Jesus says, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Knowing the truth of God's Word is what frees us from sin and every false and evil way.

In the second place we can avoid the errors of this wicked the errors of this wicked movement by trying the spirits. The Holy Spirit says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (I John 4:1).

We must be realistic about the age in which we live. We live in a time of many false prophets. It is the time of a great falling away in the church. The world is filled with error. Everywhere we turn there is some prophet, preacher, guru, or sage who says that he has the truth and seeks to enlighten us.

Therefore, try the spirits. See whether or not they are of God. Don't believe what they say, just because they say that they have the truth. Test their word with the Word of God. Test not only their religious beliefs and practices, but test also their politics, science, psychology, medicine, and all else. For even though the religious philosophy of the New Age Movement may not be on the surface, in all these areas it is there underneath, waiting to get you after you have let down your guard.

In the third place let us avoid the errors of this wicked movement by resisting the emphasis upon and exaltation of self.

In the New Age Movement all the emphasis is put upon self. It is ironic but true. Their fundamental point is, "All is one. There is no self." Yet from a practical point of view, the bottom line for them is nothing but self. Their world revolves around self.

We must not get caught up in that sinful emphasis. That is wicked. On the one hand we are to crucify self - kill it. We must be humble rather than proud. We must see that of ourselves we are sinners who are worthless. On the other hand we must glory in God and His greatness. The purpose and emphasis of our life must be to exalt Him. Our calling is to obey the words of the Psalmist who says, "Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods" (Ps. 96:3-4).

If you would like to learn more about this movement, I recommend the following books: 1) Understanding the New Age, by Russell Chandler, 2) Unmasking the New Age, by Douglas Groothuis, and 3) America: The Sorcerer's New Apprentice, by Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon.