New Age Movement and Pantheism by
Johan Malan, University of the North, South Africa
Click to go to our Home Page
Dear Reader, The
SDA church is embroiled in that pantheism by supporting the World Council of
Churches and its various subsidiary National Councils of Churches and more
local Ministerial Associations, which in turn are supporting and membering New Age and Eastern pantheistic non-Christian
religions. Thus, in lieu of a small group of men who embraced Kellogg’s
pantheism in the Alpha of Apostasy in the SDA church, the omega involves the
entire leadership and membership being corporately responsible for the
General Conference membership in, and annual dues support of Associations,
Councils and Confederacies that embrace pantheism and New Age religion. Thus,
just as Ellen White prophesied, the Omega of Apostasy is of a far greater
scale than the Alpha and involves the entire church leadership and membership
by the principle of corporate responsibility. Ron The New Age Movement Johan Malan, University of the North, South Africa Abstract: The New Age Movement
strives to promote a mystical brotherhood among all people, thereby preparing
the way for social, political and economic unity on earth. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version
of the Holy Bible except where otherwise indicated. Only very archaic terms
have been substituted, between brackets, with correlating terms from the New
King James Version (NKJV). All pronouns referring to the Godhead are
capitalised. Edited by Bernard and Kathleen Reeves of London. A new international order Early in the 1980’s the New Age Movement emerged
from its secluded circles and began to vigorously propagate its ideology
around the world. It is closely associated with the concept of a new world
order, and forms part of it. The movement and its doctrine is
by now well known, and the media often refers to it. Newspaper and magazine
headings such as the following no longer sound strange to the person in the
street: · Welcome
to the Global Village · The
World Teacher is now here · The
Age of Aquarius has dawned · Americans
get religion in the New Age · Anything is
permissible if everything is God · Tutu
decries break up of New Age prayer meetings · Soul
of a New Age The movement endeavours to raise the consciousness
level of humanity, to unlock mystical powers in people, to unite the world
religiously, politically, economically, and socially, and to pave the way for
the appearance of a single world leader. He will be the common messiah of all
faiths. Not only in the field of religion, but in all other areas, he will establish the concept of planetary citizenship.
In the process, all boundaries and divisions will be removed for the sake of
greater unity. Origin of the movement According to Revelation 17, the origin of the false
world religion of the end-time period can be traced back to Babylon. The
ancient Babylonian Empire that was founded by Nimrod,
was governed in close association with the heathen religion of that time. The
marriage between religion and politics was so intimate that this empire was
controlled by a priest-king who made use of occult powers and astrology to
take decisions and to rule. The king was the personification of the sun-god,
who was regarded as the giver of light and life. This superstition gave rise
to the cult of the sun-pillars, from which the later obelisks and peace-poles
of modern times evolved. Revelation 17 and 18 describe how a neo-Babylonian
government, religion and economy will be established before the Second Coming
of Christ. The roots of the New Age Movement, therefore, go very far back in
time – it is nothing new! The end-time emergence of the New Age Movement is
linked to the Russian-born Madame Helena Blavatsky who founded the
Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. She received her revelations and
commands directly from a spiritual master with whom she had telepathic
contact. She offered herself as a medium to higher (demonic) powers that
worked through her. As a result of these revelations, she published the
book Isis Unveiled in 1877, and the six volume
The Secret Doctrine in 1888. In these volumes she expounded the secret
doctrine that, according to her master, forms the foundation of all
religious, philosophical and knowledge systems. In the introduction to Volume
1 of The Secret Doctrine she says: “The teaching in
these volumes belong neither to the Hindu, the Zoroastrian, the
Chaldean, nor the Egyptian religion, nor to Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, nor
Christianity exclusively. The Secret Doctrine is the essence of all
these. Sprung from it in their origins, the various religious schemes are now
made to merge back into their original element, out of which every mystery
and dogma has grown, developed, and become materialised.” The New Age objective is, quite clearly, to unite
all religions, including an adulterated version of Christianity, in an
alliance of world religions. In association with demonic doctrines such as
evolution, reincarnation, metaphysics, parapsychology, astrology, pantheism and
socialism, all faiths and philosophies must revert to their common luciferic origin. In this way, unity can be achieved in
the world and all people’s lives be ordered according to the same principles. It was not opportune in 1875 to promote these ideas
in public. Consequently, Blavatsky’s master instructed her that the
theosophical ideal of a united world under the final control of a spiritual hierarchy, should be kept secret for a hundred years.
During this time it was only to be revealed to initiated
members of the Theosophical Society. The last quarter of the 20th century was
earmarked as the revelation phase of the movement. By then, it was planned,
the general climate would be conducive to New Age teachings due to the
supporting influence of humanism, liberalism, socialism, and the consequent
eroding of nationalism and evangelical, biblical Christianity. Shortly after 1975, the New Age Movement began to go
public with their teachings in an effort to establish a broad support base.
In 1977, the Tara organisation was founded in London under the leadership of
Benjamin Creme. He announced that the common
messiah of all faiths has come and was ready to reveal himself as world
teacher. As the Maitreya Buddha, he originated from
a Buddhist tradition, but at the same time he is claimed to be the
personification of the messianic expectation of the Hindus, Muslims, Jews,
and Christians. He is the cosmic christ of all
faiths. Creme published a book about the world
messiah, titled The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom. During the period after 1975, various Eastern cults
with their esoteric teachings came to the West and seriously challenged
traditional Western thought. Among them are Hinduist
Transcendental Meditation (TM), Zen Buddhism, the Bahai
faith and gurus from various other sects. They all pose a threat to
Christianity by popularising mysticism and the New Age dogma of monism
(everything is one). All of them promote the false expectation of a Utopia
that will follow on the world-wide achievement of their ideal of cosmic unity
based on a universal mystical brotherhood. New Age organisations The network of organisations and groups that promote
the New Age ideology is expanding by the day. The movement is at present
still without a central authority because its expected world leader has not
yet made his appearance. However, there are many organisations that are
paving the way for the new dispensation. They function on various levels and
can be classified as follows: Core organisations The inner circle of the movement is luciferic. Its final objective is to worship Lucifer and
to subject the entire world to his direct authority. Organisations on this
level include the top three grades of Freemasonry, the Illuminati, and other
secret societies. Furthermore, there are Planetary Citizens and Lucis Trust (formerly called Lucifer Publishing Co.),
which give open recognition to Lucifer. One of the leading organisations at
this stage is Planetary Initiative for the World we Choose, under the
leadership of David Spangler. He is also the head of Planetary Citizens. Middle order organisations A world-wide network of organisations has already
been established, of which many are deeply mystical. Most of them hide their
occult nature by using terms such as the universal god of all faiths, masters
of wisdom, spirit guides, the coming world teacher, the higher self, a cosmic
consciousness, and psychic powers. Their primary aim is to promote practices
and a way of thinking that are favourable for the
transition to a new world order. The most well-known of these organisations are the
Freemasons (including the lower grades), Tara, New Group of World Servers,
World Future Society, the Theosophical Society, the Association for
Humanistic Psychology, the World Council of Wise Persons, the Club of Rome,
the Humanistic Movement, Global 2000, various Eastern meditation cults, the
Astrological Society, as well as a number of peace movements and ecological
groups that use New Age symbols such as reincarnation signs and the broken
cross. Other symbols that are commonly used include the rainbow, the pyramid,
the third or all-seeing eye, the number 666, the yin and yang, the pentagram,
pegasus, and images of gods, religious leaders or
people who are in a lotus position portraying yoga or meditation (see New Age
symbols). Front organisations The New Age Movement also enjoys the spontaneous
collaboration of a large number of front organisations. They advance its
ideologies of globalism, religious unity, and the use of cosmic powers to
attain a higher level of consciousness. Some of them may not even be aware of
the agenda of the New Age Movement, but they are all under the power of the
same spirit of delusion, and therefore natural allies in advancing the cause
of the new world order. There are clear signs that many of them are moving
closer together, and that they will join forces to achieve their common goal. Among these front organisations are the Roman
Catholic Church, ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches, the
Parliament of the World’s Religions, the United Religions Initiative, the
United Nations with its agencies, the World Bank, the International Monetary
Fund, large bankers such as the Bilderberger and Rockefeller groups, the US
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the British Royal Institute of
International Affairs, as well as the G8 countries, political movements,
educational institutions, and influential media groups that can strongly
influence public opinion. The modern way of thinking in the world is largely
supportive of the New Age Movement, the new world order, the humanistic
movement, the interfaith movement, the realisation of the human potential by
exploiting psychic powers, and the granting of unrestricted human freedom of
speech, expression, sexual orientation, and religious conviction to people
everywhere. The idea of new age globalisation is also promoted by many
international summit conferences. The age of Aquarius The coming dispensation for
which the New Age Movement prepares the world, is called the age of
Aquarius. This is an astrological concept derived from the movement of
the sun through the twelve signs of the zodiac, as seen from the earth. Apart
from the annual movement through the twelve constellations, there is also a
larger orbit in which the sun slowly passes through the constellations in an
inverted order. On this basis, ages or dispensations of 2000 years each are
identified. In their book, Entering Aquarius, Michal Eastcott and Nancy Magor allege
that every constellation through which the sun
moves, exposes the earth to a particular kind of cosmic influence. The period
between 4000 and 2000 before Christ was the dispensation of the Bull (Taurus).
The bull was a holy symbol in the mythology of that time. The 2000 years before
Christ was the dispensation of the Ram (Aries). During this time, the
sacrificial lamb (a ram) was a strong symbol in Israel, and also the
scapegoat. Israel was severely reprimanded for worshipping a golden calf,
which was an obsolete symbol of the previous dispensation. With the coming of Christ, the dispensation of the
Fishes (Pisces) has dawned. The fish is often used as a symbol of
Christianity, also in some of the parables. The disciples themselves were
fishermen who became fishers of men. During the time of the Fishes the emphasis was,
according to astrologers, on authority, idealism, and the fanatical
dedication to a cause. These characteristics gave rise to a great deal of
militancy in people’s religious and national life, leading to wars and
religious persecution. However, the spirit of fanatical dedication to
causes also had positive results in the form of many discoveries and
scientific advancement. In this dispensation, humanity developed from the
level of barbarism to the civilisation of the nuclear age. Two major
religions were founded in this time, viz. Christianity and Islam. Now, after 2000 years, we are at the end of the
dispensation of the Fishes; consequently, it is asserted, humanity must be
prepared to enter the dispensation of the Water-bearer (Aquarius). In
this regard, justification for astrology is also sought in the Bible. Before
the last Passover, Jesus said to His disciples: “Behold, when ye are entered
into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow
him into the house where he entereth in” (Lk. 22:10). It is alleged that the Water-bearer has all
along been walking before us, leading the way, and that the door to the next
dispensation will now swing open. The time has come, they say, for us to evolve to a
higher level of consciousness and become the universal man (homo universalis). It entails the development of a changed
cosmic consciousness which will enable us to realise the inherent unity of
all things in the universe. Once this enlightenment has occurred, it will no
longer be necessary to take a stand for one’s national or religious
interests, or to fight to protect them. Everything is one. This principle
necessitates the harmonising and uniting of all things, to be like a calmly
flowing river. The dark, stormy night of Pisces is over and the light
of a new dispensation of unity and reconciliation is now dawning. The big
challenge of our time, they assert, is to convince those people who still
cling to the old order. The New Age concept of learning how to draw on the
great treasure house of cosmic wisdom, strongly appeals to many people. It is
claimed that in all civilisations the star-gazers, or astrologers, were the
wise men, prophets and seers whose advice was sought on almost all matters. What does the Bible say about this cosmic source of
wisdom and of its associated magical power? “Stand now with thine
enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast
laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so
be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels.
Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand
up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold,
they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver
themselves from the power of the flame: [it is no] coal to warm at, nor
fire to sit before it” (Is. 47:12-14). Though they do not hesitate to quote from the Bible
to give credibility to their deceptive teachings about a false unity, cosmic
powers and wisdom, these people are practising sorcery and idolatry, thereby
only bringing greater condemnation upon themselves. Philosophical principles The three fundamental principles upon which the New
Age philosophy is based, are the following: Everything is one (monism) All things that exist are parts of a larger whole.
The same cosmic life force permeates the material and spirit worlds, but this
unity has become fragmented and must now be restored. On the vertical level,
the ill-defined boundary between the natural and supernatural worlds must be
transcended in order to re-integrate the material and cosmic spheres. On the
horizontal level, people must refrain from establishing rigid boundaries
among races, cultures, religions, and political ideologies, as it leads to
divisions and the pursuit of conflicting group interests. These divisions
disturb the inherent cosmic unity. Monism must be promoted in all areas of life through
a process of synthesis, convergence, and the building of bridges of
reconciliation. There is no antithesis in the universe and therefore nothing
that is inherently evil that should remain outside this all-encompassing
unity. According to this philosophy there is no devil, no Antichrist, no evil
spirits, and no hell. The only evils are the wrong attitudes of unattuned people, resulting in divisions,
intolerance, and condemnation of others because of cultural, political or
religious differences. Such people either need to be reoriented and
reprogrammed or eliminated. Everything is god (pantheism) God is in everything – in all people and in all
nature. He may be described as the cosmic intelligence, but he is mostly
referred to as an impersonal cosmic power (cosmic life force or vital force).
Because the cosmic life force permeates the entire natural world, there is
also a mystical element in mother earth (the Gaia concept). Within
nature, among animals and human beings, there is a slow evolutionary progress
to higher forms of life. Death is only an illusion, as one life cycle is
followed by another. By way of reincarnation, deceased people return to earth
and continue their development to higher forms of consciousness, or divinity. 3. We are god (self-deification) Because humans are leading in the evolutionary
process, they have attained the highest level of consciousness development.
They are conscious of the mystical, cosmic world, and can make further
progress to higher levels of wisdom and divinity. Through techniques such as
meditation, they can become one with the cosmic world around them, and in
this way ultimately become masters of wisdom. Such people are gods in their
own right because they have acquired the christ or
Buddha consciousness. That is, the wisdom and power of the cosmic christ of all faiths. There is also a corporate sense in which humanity is
regarded as god. All human beings together constitute the global brain. If
the thoughts and cosmic energy of a large group of people are concentrated on
the same subject or area, power can be released that can produce big changes.
For this reason, mass-meditation sessions are organised to concentrate on
problem areas, and to generate positive thoughts of unity and harmony. In
this way, according to the New Age Movement, humans can determine their own
destiny, hate and divisions can be countered, and the ominous possibility of
a third world war can be averted. The god of this world must, therefore, not
be divided and ineffective, but united to conquer the evil of disunity. Cosmic consciousness The most important objective of the New Age Movement
is to establish contact and eventual unity between people and the cosmic
powers of the universe. Implicit in this process is an altered state of
consciousness, the psychic ability to practise extrasensory perception, and a
completely changed world-view. The following steps are followed in the
awakening and development of a person’s consciousness: A new self-image All people must first discover their inherent
divinity. This discovery will lead to the mental and spiritual realisation
that everything is one because god is in everything. These perceptions are
derived from the deeper, creative levels of their right brain, where their
cosmic consciousness and dormant psychic powers are allegedly vested. A decision for deeper involvement At this stage in the awakening of people’s
consciousness they are faced with the need for intensive instruction in the
practice of extrasensory perception and the use of cosmic powers for a number
of different purposes. A choice for deeper involvement must now be made. They
can then become cult members and learn Transcendental Meditation, astrology,
fortune-telling, astral travel, self-healing, etc. Meditation A psycho-technique must now be learned to effect attunement with the cosmic sphere. The most
important one is meditation. Initiates must disengage mentally from the
present reality by emptying their minds. To effect
the change-over to an altered state of consciousness, a mantra must be
used, which is an invocation. In Transcendental Meditation, the mantras are
the names of Hindu gods. The word or phrase is repeated until illumination
occurs and a new state of consciousness sets in. Initiates now see a
different, integrated, cosmic reality. Their intuition is activated and they
may even become aware of spirit guides. Psychic gifts Entrance to the world of cosmic powers offers a
variety of psychic gifts to the person who meditates effectively. It includes
paranormal abilities such as clairvoyance, extrasensory perception,
psychokinesis, prophesying, intuitive contact with
spirit guides, and self-healing. One can also get a super-memory to help one
to learn better. This New Age technique is known as suggestopedia.
Children are taught to do relaxation exercises while they are listening to
rhythmic baroque music until they lapse into a meditative trance and switch
over to their right brain. Information can then be read into their
super-memories by the teacher, and they will allegedly remember everything. Channelling There are thousands of highly skilled New Age
members who offer their services as channellers, or
psychic consultants, to the public. Most of them have a spirit guide with
whom they communicate telepathically. The spirit provides answers to the
questions and solutions to various kinds of problems that people may have. In
this way the consultant channels the cosmic power or wisdom to the client. He
is, therefore, a spiritualistic medium. Other methods of healing are also
used, e.g. acupuncture, which is aimed at removing blockages in the cosmic
energy flow in the body. Utilisation of cosmic focal points Mass actions are organised in which large groups of
people congregate at fixed times and in particular places for co-ordinated
meditation sessions. The aim with these meetings is to focus cosmic energy on
a country or society that badly needs peace, unity and harmony. This practice
is considered to be most effective if it is performed at one of the strong
focal points for cosmic energy. Among these places are Stonehenge in England,
Table Mountain in Cape Town, the Egyptian pyramids, the Olympus Mountain in
Greece, the Ganges River in India, Mount Fuji in Japan, and Central Park in
New York. Masters of wisdom Persons who penetrate
the deepest mysteries of the cosmic world and achieve a high level of
consciousness development, are regarded as masters of wisdom. After their
death, such people become avatars (ascended masters) who are
worshipped by their followers – among the best known are Krishna and Buddha.
Their esoteric wisdom is proclaimed by special disciples known as gurus. To people in the West who may still be sceptical
about the philosophy and mystical techniques of the Eastern religions, the
New Age Movement offers the same occult powers in another form. Under the
cloak of humanistic psychology and suggestopedia,
programmes are compiled for right brain development, paranormal abilities,
psychic powers and a new self-image which is based on the same mystical
foundation. Higher work efficiency, revolutionary new study methods, and
psychic powers for self-healing, are offered as the advantages of an altered
state of consciousness in which one discovers one’s higher self. To
the Christian church, a misleading form of Christian meditation is offered
which is based on the same principles as TM. Those who practise it, also discover the cosmic christ
(the god within) and are consequently drawn into deception. Prayer The following standard prayer has been distributed
world-wide among New Agers to be prayed at fixed times daily: “From the point of Light within the Mind of God, Let Light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth. “From the point of Love within the Heart of God, Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth. “From the centre where the Will of God is known, Let purpose guide the little wills of men – The purpose which the Masters know and serve. “From the centre which we call the race of men, Let the Plan of Love and Light work
out. And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on
Earth.” The motivation behind this prayer is explained as
follows in the booklet: The Mantram of the New
Age – the Great Invocation and how to use it (published by Sundial
House): “In 1945 this prayer or Mantram was
introduced to the West. It had long been used by the Wisdom Teachers… Down
the ages humanity has, in times of crisis, ever invoked a power beyond its
own. Each era has, in response to its particular conflicts and stresses,
brought forth its own form of appeal, and today, as we face the challenge and
problems of transition into a new era, this great Prayer, or Mantram, comes at a time to meet the new
needs and empower our entry into the New Age.” The superficial Christian observer may find this
prayer harmless. However, the Eastern concept of God, and the fact that they
exchange the name “Christ” freely with other names, renders it a very subtle
and deceptive effort to involve Christians in their false world religion.
Christians are seduced into believing that we all worship the same God. A study of this widely-circulated prayer reveals the
following New Age objectives and principles upon which it is based: Pantheism Because god is, according to pantheistic ideas,
present in all people, this prayer is an effort to fix the collective
attention of as many people as possible on thoughts, attitudes, and deeds of
love. The New Age publisher, Sundial House (ibid) describes this
prayer to their god as follows: “It expresses certain central truths which
most people innately and normally accept – the truth of the existence of a
basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth
that, behind all our seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love;
the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will
of God, and finally, the self-evident truth that only through humanity
itself can the divine Plan work out. No one can, in fact, use this
invocation thoughtfully and with intention without profound changes coming
about in his own life, in his attitudes, nature and life intention; for it is
a basic law that ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’. The constant
turning of the mind towards Light, Love and Divine Purpose cannot but have
effect, and when the Great Invocation is rightly used on a wide scale and it
becomes a world prayer it will invoke into mankind as a whole the Light and
Love and Spiritual Power that will eventually seal the door where evil
dwells.” As a philosophy, pantheism is a natural ally of humanism. Because
humans are also seen to be gods, they must change themselves through their
own efforts, and ensure their development to higher levels of existence. Psychic powers Humans must activate their inherent psychic powers
to achieve this objective: “Let Light descend on Earth, is at once a demand
upon the Sources of Light and a stimulus to those making the appeal… The
energy of the mind should be used particularly in this stanza, invoking
illumination and enlightenment into the minds of men” (ibid). The universal Christ About the inclusive identity of the cosmic christ, Sundial House (ibid) is very clear and
explicit. It is not at all the Christ worshipped by Christians: “May
Christ return to Earth is a joyous and triumphant framing of the
expectation of men all over the world that the World Teacher, the Avatar who
will bring the next unfoldment of Divinity, will make His appearance in our
crucial times. The word Christ embodies much more than the leader of the
Christian Church. He is the World Teacher of the present cycle and is also
known throughout the East as the Lord Maitreya, as
the Bodhisattva and as the Imam Mahdi.” Meditation and cosmic powers Through meditation, people become channellers of cosmic energy and thus creative reformers
of the world: “The combining of these energies of mind, heart and will is invocation.
It is the highest type of prayer there is, and a new form of spiritual appeal
which our mental growth has made possible, and which our understanding of the
power of thought and the science of meditation will make increasingly
effective. By invocation, prayer and meditation, spiritual energies are
contacted and brought into activity. By clear mental perception and directed
thought they can become objects of desire and be brought factually into the
world of daily living” (ibid). The power of positive thinking, meditation, and
visualisation, affords humans the creative ability to change things. Certain
Christian groups have already been penetrated by these Eastern New Age
psycho-techniques. The Plan of Love and Light The New Age Movement’s Plan for a take-over is based
on the implementation of their universal antichristian concepts of love,
light, and a mystical brotherhood of all men: “The urgent need of the New Age
is a cry for light upon our way, for more love and brotherhood” (ibid). Love and brotherhood A strong theme of the New Age message to the world
is love and brotherhood. The universal propagation of this message is so
successful that it has been accepted as the most important theme for
preaching by most religions. This humanistic love is of such great importance
for the future existence of humanity that it cannot be confined to one dogma
alone, but must be preached by all faiths. All people must concentrate on
this broad, encompassing love to enable them to completely accept and love
the members of all other cultures and religions without reservation. In the light of this broadly defined love,
Christians must abandon their prejudices against other religions and join
them in brotherly love. Where estrangement and separation has occurred due to
ignorance or dogmatic fundamentalism, bridges of love, mutual acceptance and
unity must now be built. Every effort must be made to realise this ideal. The New Age author, Michal Eastcott,
says in his book, The Spiritual Hierarchy of the World, the following
about Jesus’ ministry of love: “Through His work in Palestine we know He
anchored the fullness of the nature of love. But it is not so widely known
that in this He was completing the work begun by the Buddha some five
centuries before. The Enlightened One, as the Buddha is frequently called,
made known the Lighted way… Through His life and teaching He anchored Wisdom
as one part of the great dual Second Aspect of God: Love-Wisdom. Christ
then brought about the manifestation of the other, Love.” Philosophers of the New Age Movement have no
objections to the love of Christ being proclaimed, as long as it is not
defined in terms of His death on the cross. The blood and the cross must be
completely detached from this message as it does not fit into the New Age
ideology. Emphasis must rather be placed on subjects such as the kingdom of
God that is in the hearts of men, and that they must discover it there and
develop their hidden divinity to become gods. The thought of dying and
crucifying yourself is completely contrary to their teaching. That is why the
death of Jesus on the cross is foolishness to them. In his book, The Path of the Masters, Santon Ki Shiksha says the
following about the Christian gospel: “When the new religion was formulated
and given out, it was but little more than an allegorical metamorphosis of
Judaism. Jesus was now made the sacrificial offering, the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. It was his blood that was to take away
the sins of the world… Thus the real mission of Jesus, which
was to lead his disciples to realize the kingdom of heaven within themselves,
was turned into a bloody tragedy… This was a gross insult to the sublime
idealism of the Masters.” Why do these masters of the new world order scare
people away from the cross? They know that if people become true Christians,
they will reject other religions. If they remain nominal Christians they can
easily be seduced by deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1).
Such people may think that all religions worship the same God. The love of God is fully revealed by the death of
Jesus on the cross. Without the cross, no salvation is possible. Paul clearly
says that in Jesus Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Are you exposed to another gospel of
humanistic love without the blood and the cross of Jesus? From such turn away
and go instead to churches where only the true gospel is preached, which
alone is able to save your soul. Another Jesus The Eastern religions, Roman Catholicism and
apostate Protestantism are natural allies of the New Age Movement’s emerging
world religion. It is the Bible-believing, evangelical Christians who are the
movement’s primary target. In their propaganda campaign they do everything in
their power to adulterate the Bible by offering another Jesus, another spirit
and another gospel to Christians. We are earnestly warned against deceptions
of this nature: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent [deceived] Eve
through his [craftiness], so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another
spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Cor. 11:3-4; see also
v. 13-15). In Galatians 1:6-8 Paul says that if anyone perverts
the gospel of Christ, let him be accursed. This remark obviously applies to
the New Age Movement. They promote a Jesus without the cross, an unbiblical
cosmic christ who is associated with Buddhism and
other false religions. Of all the attempts that this movement has made to
pervert the gospel message, the most dangerous is probably the spurious Aquarian
Gospel of Jesus the Christ. It is an effort to identify Jesus Christ
outside the context of the inspired, historical, biblical account. Various
Eastern religious titles are assigned to the New Age Jesus, thus portraying
him as the universal, cosmic christ. The account of this Gospel is based on the
so-called lost years of Jesus between the ages of 12 and 30, which are not
recorded in the Bible. It is alleged that during this time he (the New Age
Jesus) visited India, Nepal, Tibet, Egypt, and Greece before returning to
Israel to commence his public ministry there. A review is given on how he
made an intensive study of the Vedas – the holy books of the Hindus. While in
the Himalayas in Nepal he devoted himself to a study of Buddhism. He was
regarded as a reincarnation of Buddha and the title Issa
(Son of God) was conferred on him. In an Egyptian temple in Heliopolis
(the City of the Sun) he acquired the title of the Christ, by which
time he was suitably prepared to start his ministry in Israel. A Russian historian, Nikolai Notovitch,
made the discovery of the journey of the Son of God through the East
in 1897 in Tibet where he investigated the history of Issa.
In association with this account, but completely independently of it, the
Scottish mystic, Levi Dowling, published the perverted Aquarian Gospel of
Jesus the Christ in 1908. In writing it he relied solely on a mystical
source of revelation, called the Akasha records.
Akasha is a Sanskrit word that may be
freely translated as the Universal Brain, the Cosmic Computer, or
the Book of Life. A human brain that is in deep meditation, and fully
attuned to the universal brain, can allegedly extract any information from it
– even about events that happened thousands of years ago. The author had to
meditate forty years before he could unravel the mysteries of the Akasha records. In the Aquarian Gospel,
where he explains the pantheistic concept of an impersonal god (a belief
strongly entertained in the New Age Movement), the New Age Jesus is quoted as
saying: “The universal God is one, yet he is more than one;
all things are God; all things are one… Men and birds and beasts and creeping
things are deities, made flesh; and how dare men kill anything?… The God I speak about is everywhere; he cannot be
compassed with walls, nor hedged about with bounds of any kind. All people
worship God, the One, but all the people see him not alike. This universal
God is wisdom, will, and love. All men see not the Triune God. One sees him
as the God of might; another as the God of thought; another as the God of
love. A man’s ideal is his God, and so, as man unfolds, his God unfolds… The
nations of the earth see God from different points of view, and so he does
not seem the same to every one. Man names the part
of God he sees, and this to him is all of God; and every nation sees a part
of God, and every nation has a name for God. You Brahmans call him Parabrahm… and Zeus is his name in Greece; Jehovah is his
Hebrew name… When man sees God as one with himself… he needs no middle man,
no priest to intercede… Just give your life in sacrificial service to the all
of life” (Chapter 28:4-25). A new social order The dominant unity syndrome of the New Age Movement
is the motivating power behind various actions by a whole network of
organisations that all endeavour to create a new, integrated social order on
earth. Boundaries must be obliterated to bring about the end of conflicting
group interests. Races, cultures and the followers of different religions
must merge into a global society, abandon their traditional values and accept
universal norms for living. The new order of planetary citizens must lead to
such a close association of its members that they will function as one big
family in the global village. In her book, The Aquarian Conspiracy, the
New Age psychologist, Marilyn Ferguson, says the following about this new
orientation of mankind: “The discovery of our connection to all men, women
and children joins us to another family. Indeed seeing ourselves as a
planetary family struggling to solve its problems, rather than an assorted
people and nations assessing blame or exporting solutions, could be the
ultimate shift in perspective.” To create such a social order, all national and
other boundaries must be removed. According to Ferguson, that is already
happening: “Today there are millions of residents of that great
country, the whole earth. In their hearts and minds, war and
boundaries and dogma have indeed already died. The whole Earth is a
borderless country…” A new economic system The redistribution of wealth and the establishment
of a new economic order in the world, is also a high
priority of the New Age Movement. All natural resources, as well as financial
and industrial resources, must be controlled by a world government, ensuring
equal access to it by all people. In this way, universal economic equality
must be effected. The entire world must have only one financial system
with centralised control. That will enable a world government to enforce its
policies and financial control on all countries and individuals. Uniformity
in the new world order can be ensured in this way. It is conspicuous that global financial magnates,
e.g. the Bilderberg group, have for centuries been controlling governments
through secret societies, thereby influencing them in the direction of the
new world order. Slowly but surely they are moving closer to their final
objective. A master-plan for a take-over The New Age Movement has worked out a thirteen-point
Plan to establish the new world order: The principal aim of the Plan is to establish
a one-world religion and a one-world political and social order. The key
concept is that everything is one. This unity must be established in all
spheres of life. The New Age world religion must constitute a revival
of the religion of ancient Babylon in which mystery cults, sorcery, occultism
and immorality flourished. The Plan will be fully implemented when the
New Age messiah (the Antichrist) with his number 666, reveals himself as head
of the coming world religion and world government of the new world order. Spirit guides (demons) will prepare people for the
coming of the cosmic messiah, by acclaiming him as the world teacher. Peace, love and unity are to be used as buzz-words
for the new world religion and the new world order. New Age teachings must achieve scientific
credibility and be vigorously propagated in every sphere of life in the
public and private sectors around the globe. Jesus must be portrayed as a prophet, a master of
wisdom and one of the disciples of the cosmic christ.
It should be denied that he is unique, divine and is to be worshipped as God
over and above humanity. Christianity and all other religions must be
integrated into the inclusive world religion of the New Age. Biblical Christian principles that stand in the way of
this reform movement (e.g. the atonement for sins on the cross) must be
discredited and abandoned. Children must be spiritually influenced and
indoctrinated with multi-faith ideas in schools in order to promote the New
Age dogma of global religious unity. Flattery will be employed to entice people into
believing that humans are inherently divine. They should be told that we are
all gods. Science and the New Age world religion must become
one. Evolution must be presented as fact and the cosmic unity of humanity and
nature researched. Christians who resist the Plan must be
reoriented or dealt with in other ways. If necessary, they should be
eliminated and the world purified of their influence. Consciousness programmes The movement has extensive consciousness programmes.
They not only try to influence religious groups and governments with their
ideology, but also the media, educational, and entertainment establishments. The educational system must undergo the most radical
transformation process. Changes must be introduced and implemented across the
entire spectrum from the pre-school child level right up to the most advanced
tertiary institutions, including theological seminaries. The identity
consciousness of pupils and students must be neutralised. They must be
prepared to take their place as planetary citizens in a multi-cultural,
multi-religious, non-racial and non-sexist society. Narrow-mindedness must be
replaced by the largest possible degree of open-mindedness on all matters,
thereby eliminating any narrow ideological orientation. Theological faculties
at universities must be declared open faculties where Eastern, African and
other religions can be included in the curricula of disciplines such as
comparative religion, science of religion, or religious studies. In this way
the gap between different religions and ideologies can be narrowed. In many institutions psycho-techniques are taught to
children from a young age to obtain higher levels of consciousness, and to
discover and use the latent powers of the mind. In certain educational
programmes, strong emphasis is placed on cosmic powers. Due to a renewed interest in astrology, cosmic
influences on people’s lives are studied. Paranormal phenomena are also
investigated. Several universities recognise holistic health practices,
including the role of traditional healers in treating the sick. Their
mystical psycho-techniques and alternative medicine are often recommended to patients. The New Age’s view on cosmic consciousness ties up
with many of the self-image development theories with which humanistic
psychology is experimenting at present. Management seminars are also
conducted for the business sector in which a new self-image, Silva Mind
Control, telepathy, influencing people psychically, future projections,
meditation, and yoga relaxation exercises are taught. A theme that is strongly emphasised in the
entertainment world, is the existence of beings of a
higher order in the universe. They are often referred to as masters of
wisdom or masters of the universe, and their leader is somebody
like He-man or Superman who has unlimited powers. These and occult fantasies such as Harry Potter and
Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, feature in books, films, video
and TV sagas, promoting new and dangerous ways of thinking in the young,
making them discontented with their present limitations. They feel like
captives in a real world which unfairly restricts them. To escape this harsh
reality, modern youth look for heroes who flout civilised norms, despise
God’s laws and offer liberation for spirit, soul and body. In flights of
imagination they can escape to another world of fantasy. Techniques for
mystical experiences inevitably lure them into the devil’s kingdom of
darkness. Rock stars are also regarded as heroes and
youngsters mould themselves on them as idols – yet they portray and promote
an immoral, escapist, irresponsible, decadent life-style of promiscuous sex,
drug-taking, alcohol abuse, involvement in the occult and godlessness.
Mystical experiences, drunkenness, free sex, witchcraft, and satanism are regarded as adventurous challenges in the
search for freedom. Despite the destructive results of this false utopia, the
victims of deceit carry on regardless of the consequences. Many of the adults of our time are products of the
godless cults of the past four decades. As a result of the ideological
corruption in their education, the immorality of a permissive humanistic
society, and the religious decadence of backslidden and dead churches, they
now look for sensational and mystical ways to escape the dullness of life.
These popular interests have given rise to film productions such as the
following: Star wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi,
Poltergeist, The Exorcist, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom, ET, Close Encounters, and The Dark Crystal. The world is now almost ready to be taken over by
the big superman and practitioner of dark, occult powers, the lawless one and
false prince of peace, the cosmic christ and
universal messiah – the Antichrist. The Bible calls him “that man of sin…
whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders” (2 Thes. 2:3,9). Are you and your
children among the victims of Satan’s intellectual, moral, and spiritual
corruption, or have you “Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11)? The kingdom of darkness
is now making a final bid to delude all people into believing the New Age lie
of cosmic unity. Luciferic
doctrines The highest ranking deities in the New Age Movement
are (1) the universal god of all faiths, (2) the cosmic christ,
and (3) Lucifer. In his book Reflections on the Christ the head of
Planetary Citizens, David Spangler, included a chapter titled: Lucifer,
Christ and God. In it, an important role in the consciousness evolution
of humans is assigned to Lucifer: “When man entered upon the pathway of self,
he entered into a great creative adventure… There he can say, ‘I have fully
and absolutely accepted the responsibility of who
and what I am. In so doing I am free…’ The being that helps man to reach this
point is Lucifer. That is his role. He is the angel of man’s evolution. He is
the angel of man’s inner light. Lucifer is the spirit of light in the
microcosmic world. God is the spirit of light in the macrocosm, and Christ is
the bridge between the two that spells freedom in manifestation.” David Spangler (ibid) promotes a luciferic initiation to effect the transition to a higher
level of consciousness: “The true light of Lucifer cannot be seen through
sorrow, through darkness, through rejection. The true light of this great
being can only be recognised when one’s own eyes can see with the light of
the Christ, the light of the inner sun. Lucifer works within each of us to
bring us to wholeness, and as we move into a new age, which is the age of
man’s wholeness, each of us is brought to the point of a Luciferic
initiation, the doorway through which the individual must pass if he is to
come fully into the presence of his light and wholeness.” Through the spirit of the cosmic christ
of the kingdom of darkness (the Antichrist), people are introduced to the
false light and peace of Lucifer, who is the father of lies. Full luciferic revelations are at present still confined to
the inner circles of the New Age Movement, as members must pass through
various stages of spiritual illumination before the real identity of the
movement’s leader is revealed to them. A good example of progressive revelation is the
system followed by the Freemasons. They are a New Age organisation, and the
title of their monthly magazine is The New Age. Although they are
subjected to strange rituals, members enjoy freedom of religion in the first
14 grades of the organisation. From this point upwards to the 29th
grade, they worship the universal God of all religions, Yahbulon
(it is a combination of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, Bel or
Baal, the god of the Babylonians and Assyrians, and On, the
Egyptian sun-god). From the 30th degree upwards the God of Masonry
is called by his true name, Lucifer. Albert Pike, a 33rd
degree leader of Masonry in the 19th century, sent the following
directive to the 23 supreme councils in the world on 14th July
1889: “That which we say to the crowd is: ‘We worship a God, but it is the
God one adores without superstition.’ To you, Sovereign Grand Instructors
General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd,
31st, and 30th degrees: ‘The Masonic religion should
be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of
the Luciferian doctrine. If Lucifer was not the true God, then why would
Jesus, the God of the Christians, calumniate him?’” A strong luciferic
influence is also evident in the works of Alice Bailey. She supplemented
Madame Blavatsky’s writings by continuing the preparatory work for the
dawning of the New Age. In 1922, she founded the Lucifer Publishing Company
in New York. In 1923, its name was changed to Lucis
Publishing Company – Lucis is just another (less
well known) name of Lucifer. Branches of this publishing house were
established in Britain and South Africa. Alice Bailey’s New Age ideas were
almost identical to those of her husband, Foster Bailey. He was a 32nd
degree Mason. In his book, The Spirit of Masonry, he strongly
emphasises the universalistic religious nature of Masonry: “The Master Masons
are called by many names and are known at different times by various
appellations. They can be referred to as Christ and His Church, the Masters
of Wisdom, the Illuminati (the Enlightened Ones), the Rishis of the Oriental
Philosophy, the Builders of the occult tradition, and those individualities
of outstanding wisdom.” From this occult, luciferic
tradition come the leaders of the new world order. Bailey claims that since
the Freemasons are so universalistic in their thinking and objectives, they
will play a major role in the establishment of the coming New Age
dispensation: “It should be remembered that Masonry is not specifically
Christian. Membership should be open to all. It is interesting to remember
also that Jews were admitted 150 years ago, Hindus in 1865, and Muslims in
1836. Let us, therefore take our stand on this broad and generous platform
and refuse to limit the original ideal by the pettiness of our views and the
smallness of our vision… There will be seen in the world an organisation
based on a foundation so broad and tolerant, that it provides not only a
universal platform for thinkers of all schools of thought, but a universal
religion and a form of government which may serve as an example to the
restless peoples of the world.” Constance Cumbey, an
American attorney who did extensive research on the New Age Movement, said
the following about the New Age connection to Masonry: “The Masonic teachings
are absolutely identical to the New Age teachings… I have a book by a
prominent Mason called The Meaning of Freemasonry, which says: ‘Now
that we are going into the Age of Aquarius, and so many groups are working
for the restoration of the mysteries, we Masons are the proper people to
bring these teachings to the world because, after all, this is the same thing
we’ve been teaching all along.’” Active programme The network of organisations in the New Age Movement
is still expanding. Everywhere in the world they follow active programmes to
recruit members, and to establish the right climate for the coming of the
world messiah. Meditation sessions are often organised in conflict areas. As
a result of these actions they claim credit for all breakthroughs in
negotiations for peace and reconciliation. The movement regards the dismantling
of the iron curtain between Eastern and Western Europe as a very significant
turning point in achieving greater unity in Europe and, in a wider context,
the moves to merge the Western and developing worlds, as advancing the
realisation of a world without boundaries. New Age groups were jubilant when the new South
Africa elected a government that is positively inclined towards the new world
order. This transition coincided with the abandonment of the former, largely
biblically-based constitution, the acceptance of the interfaith principle,
the establishment of a unitary state for the various national groups, and the
integration of people from different races and cultures. From the New Age point of view, an important step
towards resolving the crisis in South Africa was taken by arranging a world
focus rally in Cape Town for the weekend of 11-13 November 1989. New Age meditaters came from far and wide (including various
overseas countries) to meditate for peace and unity on Table Mountain. To them,
it is an important planetary centre from where cosmic energy can be
channelled to the surrounding communities. Since 1987, co-ordinated meditation sessions are
organised in many different countries on the 31st of December at
12 o’clock Greenwich time for the sake of peace, unity and reconciliation in
the world. This day is referred to as world-wide healing day because
its main purpose is to heal the international community of its divisions and
lack of love. Among certain groups, the day is called a luciferic
baptism for the world, in order that the christ
consciousness may take possession of people. The assault on the natural order and biblical
Christian standards is extensive and well-planned. It is spearheaded by a
host of seducing spirits from the kingdom of darkness. Any who are overcome
by curiosity, or who open themselves to such spirits in ignorance, will
succumb to the devil’s power of deception and believe his lies. Stay well
clear of all New Age and occult spiritual deception! Anyone who has already been drawn into New Age and
occult practices or is tempted to dabble in them should stop and urgently
consider where it will lead him. The personal stories of those who have been
set free from its clutches demonstrate the very real dangers involved. A once
famous USA New Age leader and author, Randall Baer, tells how, in a state of
trance and enjoying ‘heavenly light’, he suddenly saw an evil face of
absolute hatred and realised it was a demon. Horrified, he turned to the
Bible and, recognising New Age for the false religion it is, received Christ
as Saviour. Alan Morrison, another converted New Ager who became a Christian
pastor, exposing the danger of occult influences in the church, said of the
Christian hope of eternity in heaven with Christ, “That will be the true new
age!” (see Dawn of the New Age, Penfold, 1998). The Christian answer The Bible has clear and specific guidance for us on
this. Firstly, all should take to heart God’s commandment that: “There shall
not be found among you any one… 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…” (Deut.
18:10-12). Anyone involved in New Age should follow this
example: “And many that believed came, confessing and telling their deeds.
Also many of those who had practised magic brought their books together and
burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of
them, and it totalled fifty thousand pieces of silver.” (The
action of new converts at Ephesus – Acts 19:18-19 NKJV). Christians tempted to dabble in the occult should
beware of: “…that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) “…lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve
through his subtilty, so your minds should be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). “Lest
Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his
[schemes]” (2 Cor. 2:11). “Be sober, be vigilant; because the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith” (1 Pet. 5:8-9). “Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas.
4:7). “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11-12 NKJV). Christian and New Age world-views contrasted Biblical Christianity and the New Age Movement are
based on diametrically opposite world-views. A comparison follows:
Note by Ron: The author states some beliefs (above) that we as Adventists do not subscribe to, but his overview of the New Age Movement and its goals is one of the best I have ever read. |