Quick Summary ↬ Jesus and the Old Testament WARN us against occult practices. We expose the hidden dangers of the new age and eastern cults from Christianity's perspective.
The New Age is a movement with no governing authority or distinct source. Many individuals and organizations attribute themselves to the New Age, focusing on mystical experiences (instead of reason) to understand the truth.
While the New Age has no absolute truth, all its branches share core beliefs. We will use those beliefs to explore the New Age, then discuss the more pressing question: Can a person be a Christian and follow the New Age?
Origins of New Age
The New Age is rooted in the schools of thought and movements that emerged in the 19th century. Such schools include Gnosticism and the School of Transcendentalism.
Other schools of thought also heavily influenced the New Age movement, whose roots come from the far east. As we shall see through this article, all such schools differ in their methodologies but have one purpose: mysticism to redefine and reach the ultimate self.
Gnosticism
Gnosticism (meaning “having knowledge”) is a school of thought that heavily influenced the New Age’s core beliefs, even if Gnosticism is long gone.
Gnosticism stipulates that humans have a spark of divinity that was, for reasons outside the scope of this article, lost through a lack of knowledge (see the Apocryphon of John).
Therefore, one must aim to reignite the spark and become one with his divine nature to obtain universal knowledge (mysticism).
A similarity between the Gnostic beliefs, the core beliefs of the New Age movement, and the temptation of Adam and Eve in Christianity’s Genesis story can easily be perceived.
Salvation ultimately relies on gnosis, or the knowledge of one’s divinity, rendering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross meaningless.
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a school of thought that seeks knowledge through union with the divine and the ascended masters.
The ascended masters, also called Mahatmas, have either finished their karmic reincarnation or are way ahead on their deification level.
New Age Practices
The New Age is an umbrella term covering many branches without any specific authority. As such, practitioners of the New Age are free to adopt any eastern practice they like. It allows them to raise their consciousness to higher levels, leading to enlightenment.
Here is a summarized list of such practices, starting from the most common:
- Meditation (Transcendental, to be differentiated from the simple act of clearing one’s mind to relax or focus)
- Yoga (and all its subgenres that involve meditative stretches, to be differentiated from ordinary stretching)
- Alternative medicines involving energy manipulation or hands-on healing by manipulating energy fields, i.e., Reiki, Crystal Healing, and others
- Occultism & Practices rooted in Eastern Cults, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and others
- Palmistry (Palm reading) & Cartomancy (Tarot cards or fortune-telling and divination using a deck of cards)
- Witchcraft, Paganism, Sorcery, Shamanism, Channeling, Magic (or Magick as proposed by Aleister Crowley to differentiate it from the simple performance tricks)
- Divination, Clairvoyance, Astral Projection, and Astrology (not to be confused with Astronomy, the science)
The first two are the most common from the above list: meditation and yoga. They are the go-to fixes for today’s issues in a fast-paced society: chronic stress, poor sleep and diet, and a lack of concentration.
The answer to this question is simple. But instead of giving you the answer, we will let you deduce it based on all the facts in this article.
We want to guide you through the thought process so that you can answer similar questions.
The rest of the items on the list may not be covered by the media as much, but they are common for people seeking to explore other cultures and their practices. There is something lucrative about the promise of more power. Who would refuse to have supernatural powers? Don’t we want to be the heroes we see in movies?
New Age Beliefs
New Agers do not rely on one source of truth and believe that truth is relative: you have your truth, and I have mine; I accept your “Truth” as long as it doesn’t infringe upon mine.
It is also common for New Agers to refer to themselves as spiritual but not religious. In doing so, the New Age branches can extract secret, mystical, or esoteric knowledge from all avenues without adhering to one specific religion or absolute truth.
Mastering certain eastern practices such as transcendental meditation, consulting mediums and psychics, and using tarot cards (among other things) are crucial steps to raising one’s level of consciousness and obtaining supernatural knowledge.
The core beliefs of the New Age movement are religious worldviews centered on:
- Monism (all is one)
- Pantheism (all is God)
- Mysticism (the experience of oneness with the divine).
The New Agers have a broad scope regarding which theologies to accept but a narrow one concerning what to reject (Christianity). Therefore, different branches of the New Age can cherry-pick what to adopt from diverse sources without discrimination, except for what the Bible stipulates as “Absolute Truth.”
A clear example is when New Agers quote the teachings of Jesus as helpful for guidance while viewing Him as another “illuminated master” (or a manifestation of the universal Brahman). In doing so, New Agers deny the core biblical doctrine that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. Eventually, they manipulate the quotes and contexts to unify all ideologies into one, deceitfully finding common ground with everyone.
Since most New Age practices originate in the Far East, it is common for New Agers to travel there to develop their skills. They will eventually adopt the Hindu philosophies that suit them best (as Helena Blavatsky and other founders did). Doing so gives their practices new depth and meaning while heavily contradicting the Christian teachings.
New Age Contradicts Christianity
Understanding of God
God is not the personal creator as defined in the Bible.
Instead, God is in all, and all is in God; a divine, impersonal life force connecting all creation. God is not an entity outside of us. He is our ultimate identity.
Through mystical practices, anyone can attain divinity (the divine self, an unawakened god). The path to enlightenment is a journey leading to self-realization and awakening the god in us.
Humanity’s Divinity And Salvation
New Agers believe that humans need to attain divinity or their “God state” through enlightenment from eastern religions. As humans reach this divine state, there will be no sin; therefore, humans will not need “salvation.”
The Bible, however, explicitly states, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
New Agers also believe that man has unlimited hidden powers that are attainable through practices such as meditation and mindfulness.
Many seminars are hosted, pushing the idea that anyone can unlock their full potential the closer they get to their true divinity.
They may also misinterpret quotes from the Bible (i.e., the ability to move mountains) and misquote scientific facts, such as the myth that we only use 10% of our brainpower.
The Bible, however, clearly differentiates between the creator and creation. Throughout history, men have failed to elevate their status to gods. The Bible recorded events when men exalted themselves as gods and what befell them:
- The fall of the King of Babylon when he tried to ascend to the height of God (Isaiah 14)
- The Egyptians are men, not gods (Isaiah 31:3)
- The warning of God to Tyre in Ezekiel 28 when a man says he is god, to which God reminds us that “you are but a man, and no god.”
- The excruciating death of Herod by the angel of the Lord, the tyrant who became self-obsessed and paranoid (recorded in Acts 12 and the writings of the historian Flavius Josephus).
- The antichrist will sit in the seat of God, proclaiming himself to be God, whose destiny is an eternity in the Lake of Fire (2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelations 19 and 20).
Gnostic Influence Conflicts With The God of Abraham
As previously stated, Gnosticism heavily influenced the New Age movement. Therefore, it is common to hear from new-agers that Christians are delusional or see such hate develop against them.
To understand why, one has to realize that the Gnostic texts reverse the role of God (YHWH) and the Devil! The Apocryphal text of John (or the Secret Book of John, a 2nd-century gnostic document falsely attributed to the apostle John) redefines God, the lesser gods, and the Devil. It adds false ideas of higher gods and entities such as the Monad, Yaltabaoth, Sophia, etc.
Gnosticism blamed the Christian God (named Yaltabaoth) as the evil enemy of enlightenment. New Age agrees with the gnostic ideology that humanity’s atonement is through gnosis or knowledge (without strictly adhering to the whole gnostic interpretation but also leaving room for others).
We will dedicate an article on the apocryphal texts which were removed from the Bible. For now, it’s good to know that certain documents, such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Apocryphon of John introduced anti-christian views and rewrote the story of Genesis and the end of times. We call them anti-christian because such texts made the Serpent (the devil) the hero who wanted to impart knowledge to humanity.
You can find these texts compiled in the 4th-century Nag Hammadi Codex II manuscript.
Furthermore, they believe Christianity is outdated and follows a God who keeps humans ignorant and in a low state of consciousness. Even if they don’t acknowledge it, New Agers revere the serpent that tried to free Adam from slavery in the Garden of Eden. They seek that forbidden knowledge endorsed by Satan against God’s will (if not Satan nor Lucifer, then who would be the ones opposing God?).
Helena Blavatsky and other founders of the New Age regarded Lucifer as the only God above all creation, the highest divine spirit. Satan is viewed as the “Harbinger of Light,” see The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky.
Other works at the root of the New Age that revere Satan include those of Alice Bailey, who founded the “Lucifer Publishing Company.” The name may not have been as good for catching the public, so she probably renamed it “Lucis Publishing Company”.
It is interesting to note the thoughts of Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, on the New Age and its practices:
“In the scores of books lining the shelves of New Age bookstores, there are instructions for guided meditation, creative visualizations, out of body experiences, getting in touch with your spirit guides, fortune telling by cards, crystal balls, or the stars. What if Satanists reclaimed these for their dark purposes and integrated them into rituals dedicated to the Devil, where they rightfully belong? New Agers have freely drawn upon all manner of Satanic material, adapting it to their own hypocritical purposes… But in truth, all ‘New Age’ labeling is, again, trying to play the Devil’s game without using His Infernal name.”
It is also interesting to note that New Age, Satanism, and Witchcraft share the same interests in the list of New Age practices we discussed earlier.
Understanding of Jesus
New Agers don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the savior. Instead, He is considered one of the many “ascended masters” who can guide their followers to enlightenment.
They also distinguish between Jesus, the man, and Christ, the divine cosmic entity claimed to be attained by anyone. This distinction contradicts Christianity’s view of Jesus as God in the flesh: Christians rely on God’s unmerited salvation grace through Christ. New Agers use their own will, works, or mystical practices of “energy manipulation” to become “Christ-like.”
“Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
“Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
The concept of enlightenment for New Agers comes from within after “self-realization.” For Christians, Jesus is the light of the world:
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Undocumented Speculations On Jesus
The different branches of the New Age movement agree that Jesus the man attained the Christhood level of enlightenment. There is no documented historical proof of how this happened; all their speculations rely on Jesus using secret mystical practices learned from eastern gurus.
This idea is injected without any historical evidence, invented to explain the miracles of Jesus and create a false common ground with Christians, easing the way to misquoting Bible passages.
The Bible clearly states that Jesus was raised in Nazareth and behaved like a Jewish boy learning the Torah:
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read”
“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”
They believe Jesus did miracles not by his own power or through his father, but by the Lord Maitreya operating through him. Aside from the fact that such claims are unfounded, Jesus clearly stated that “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (John 8:28). Jesus “is the Christ, who is God over all” (Romans 9:5).
New agers take it even a step further, putting the face of a 16-year-old boy above Maitreya and all masters. The boy goes by the name of Sanat Kumara, which is, coincidentally, very close to Satan’s Child: Sanat being an anagram for Satan after flipping some letters, and Kumar meaning prince, son, or boy in Sanskrit. Furthermore, Sanat holds the title “Lord of the World.” That title is bestowed to Satan in the Bible (see 2 Cor 4:4, John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11).
Now let’s assume that Jesus went and returned from the East. Logically, people would not be treating him with such familiarity as a long-standing carpenter’s son. Instead, they would expect him to impart his newfound Eastern teachings, which means the below quotes would not make sense:
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?”
“And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?”
Transcendental Meditation Vs. Prayer
For the New Age, meditation is an essential tool in one’s arsenal. It opens the door for mystical experiences, where one would deny “the self” to connect to or reach oneness with one’s inner god or higher self. In the process, one achieves physical and spiritual healing by manipulating his energies or chakras.
Using crystals, mantras, essential oils, body positions, breathing practices, and other borrowed eastern rituals aids in balancing the energies of the divine self.
For Christians, meditation is a form of prayer: an active and thoughtful experience where one focuses and humbles himself to God and asks for forgiveness. Prayer helps Christians objectively contemplate and deeply reflect on their actions and how they align with God’s Word.
Greeting Masters or Spirits
Can you greet or call another master or spirit to help you (even in regular meditation)? Here is Jesus’ take:
“[…] Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?”
One can either call on the name of Jesus or “someone else.” As we shall see in this article, we’re dealing either with Christ or the “antichrist.” One cannot simply call on the “antichrist” and expect anything good. The house of the antichrist will not divide itself to help you.
Fighting evil with evil is common in eastern cartoons and movies. The “good” heroes find themselves powerless against the villain protagonist. Eventually, they overpower evil by adopting evil powers to bring light and balance back into the world.
The following lyrics from the song “Balance Slays the Demon” by Old Gods of Asgard (members of the band Poets of the Fall) best describe this deceiving ideology:
“In the end, it’s never just the light you need…
When balance slays the demon, you’ll find peace.“
Concept Of Truth
The concept of truth in the New Age is subjective and vague, as it depends on the branch adopted and the eye of the beholder.
After thousands of years, no ultimate truth exists; eastern thinking postulates that people are still reincarnating to obtain “truths” from their previous lives and ascended masters.
Truth is also summarized by Krishnamurti when he said that “Truth is a pathless land”.
For New Agers, the Bible is not meant to be read straightforwardly and has no authority. It is used only as a guideline for selective inspiration by the interpreter (replacing God as the supreme judge).
For Christians, the truth is objective. It is Jesus Christ and his teachings:
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
However, since New Agers believe in subjective truths, they will have no right to disagree with someone who says 1+1=3. They must also welcome anyone who belongs to the so-called LGBT(QQIP2SAA?) Movement, even when someone self-identifies “himself/herself/itself/themselves” as half deer, half dolphin (yes, it’s true, but we won’t bother explaining!).
Although most of their beliefs come from the East, one should recognize a clear divergence regarding the self. Eastern religions believe in the non-distinction of the self and the futility of desires. Yet, New Agers desire to eliminate their cravings for the “self” to find its true divinity.
New Agers also consider this an Absolute Truth, which self-refutes their worldview of having no absolute truths.
The Realm Of Mystic Experiences
The reason for meddling with New Age practices is to gain something the world cannot provide. Therefore, New Agers seek ideas or powers from sources outside the human world, realm, or extra-dimensional.
Many benefits do come without extra help from spirits or other ethereal forces. The practitioner does not even have to believe in the existence of such entities in the first place. But as we have seen, those benefits are easily accessible through other activities without associating oneself with evil practices that defile God (regardless of the practitioner’s intentions).
Therefore, it is fitting to base our investigation on their original intent and purpose: one’s dissociation from the world to gain powers from entities outside of this world.
This ‘outside world’ has many labels, such as astral planes, levels of consciousness, dimensions, etc. From a Christian perspective, all these labels mean one thing: the spiritual realm.
To connect to this external or spiritual realm, humans have to alter their state, leave their human abode, and venture into an unknown world. In that world, contrary to what the New Age advertises, humans have no control.
Many astral projectors (people who seek intentional out-of-body experiences, or OOBEs) mention in their diaries the problem of evil spirits and the importance of using the help of the “good spirits” or ascended masters to stay safe.
One should wonder how to objectively and correctly distinguish between “good” and “bad.” The New Age beliefs stipulate that there is no objective good or bad!
We have seen earlier that all spirits not dwelling in the kingdom of God are deceitful, coming from the antichrist or Satan. It is crucial to realize the grave dangers of New Age and Eastern practices: Humans, outside the realm that God put us in, are helpless!
Imagine a fish swimming away from the sea onto the shore. In this analogy, the fish is the person using new-age techniques to induce OOBE.
Will it manage to adapt its breathing and survive? Will it be able to control with which humans to interact and where to go? Is it guaranteed that non-hungry humans will not eventually eat it someday? Will it be able to save itself and outrun hungry humans? Are humans its only possible predators?
A Kingdom In Disguise
The Bible describes only two kingdoms:
- The heavenly kingdom of God
- The kingdom of the antichrist
No lounge café exists where neutral spirits roam to chill and have fun. There is no neutral middle ground, as New Agers advertise! They are either with Christ or the antichrist.
New Agers may counterargue that there are layers in the afterlife. This idea coincides with the Bible; see 1 Kings 8:27 and Ephesians 6:12. The reply, however, is simple: no matter what layer you’re on, you’re either with God or against Him!
“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”
The Bible also tells us that evil forces can disguise themselves as benevolent beings, which would logically be undetectable to humans. If the disguise is not in clothing, wouldn’t it be logical that spirits appear “benevolent” by their intention? And how would one correctly identify a “bad spirit” who offers help?
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
Therefore, the apparently “good masters” are deceiving evil spirits in disguise. For what would temptation be if evil advertised itself as evil? Wouldn’t an innocent-looking, delicious apple easily lure Eve? After all, it is merely an apple!
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.”
From the beginning, Eve fell into the trap of wanting to be godlike and acquire secret knowledge. She questioned the objective truth, God’s commandment, subjectively interpreting the consequences of her actions. It is in our DNA!
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Wanting more opens the door to mysticism, which opens the door to spiritual deception. The Fall of Man story is not a one-time event but an ongoing testimony of humanity’s longing for more: More possessions, more power, and more mystical/hidden knowledge.
Can Christians Borrow or Learn From New Age Practices?
To answer this question, let’s take yoga as an example (the same logic will apply to all other practices).
Yoga and meditation reduce stress, improve focus, and increase energy and flexibility.
The same benefits are achievable by deep breathing and plain old stretching. The health experts agree that doing these regular exercises gives you the same benefits!
However, “yoga” means “union,” a union of the self, Atman, with the universe, or Brahman. Such practices carry a lot of symbolism deeply rooted in non-christian cults. But let’s consider that the person will not get involved in the spiritual side of yoga.
A simple stretch is a simple stretch, indeed. But one can see how the pattern unfolds when a seemingly simple body stretch connects to a simple breath, followed by an innocent word, which someday evolves into a chant or mantra.
Breathing is essential, stretching is healthy, and a healthy workout routine is fantastic. There is no need to borrow anything mystical since God gave us all we need. There is no need to bite the apple.
The Bible is clear on the matter:
“When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or 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.”
“Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times […] Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”
“Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it.”
Notice how the Bible deals with unchristian practices: Christians immediately cut the root of evil practices! There is no room to “keep this pagan book, or extract that paragraph, or use that pagan practice but without communicating with the spirits.”
Similarly, Christians should not take deep breathing from meditation or stretching from Yoga for their health benefits. Likewise, Christians should not consult tarot cards or mediums for leisurely divination. The Bible states that occult practices are detestable to God. Christians must destroy any tools used for occult practices.
Christians must avoid abominations to God at all costs. God has given you all you need. There is no need to resort to questionable alternatives. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
Ask any kid to breathe slowly and deeply or stretch, and he will innately know how to do it. Cats and other animals also exhibit such behavior innately. Therefore, why should one associate such innate and freely given abilities with practices that are an abomination to God?
I Am Practicing New Age, How Can I Stop?
Understandably, it’s hard to immediately stop a practice that has become routine in one’s daily life.
It is important to remember that, as we have seen, humans are in the image of God. Yet, with a God-shaped hole in their heart, yearning for something more is expected. If mystical practices were filling that hole, now is the time to repent and fill it with something new, not centered around worldly lusts, affairs, and finances.
Realize that, for example, Yoga is easily replaceable with other good habits that have nothing to do with eastern mysticism: stretching, light exercising, etc.
Christianity is not a self-centered means to an end (do the good, avoid the bad, and you’ll someday die and go to heaven)! Change this monochromatic perception into something every newly born Christian will experience: a new fellowship with Him that reshapes our understanding of how we view the world.
Defending Against New Age
By now, it is clear that one of the primary ways that New Agers infiltrate Christian communities is by the classic “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Quotes are selectively extracted from the Bible and compared to quotes from eastern religions, proving equality between both (while sneakily skipping what the Bible forbids us to do.)
Mystical meanings are superimposed on Bible verses, letting Christians believe they have innate superpowers waiting to unleash.
The Bible warns that people will be led astray by mystical teachings.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”
It is our Christian duty to spread the Word of God. Since New Age practices are spreading online, we could use the same technology to fight back!
If you found this article helpful, sharing it on social media or with your friends involved in New Age practices is a great way to help! And do it without delay, for when your loved ones start following any New Age (or Eastern) practices for fun, it gets harder to pull them out of it once it becomes a habit.
[…] the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
