The Kingdom of LightThe Kingdom of Light
Chapter 1: Sedona Writ Large
Chapter 2: Christ in You, the Hope of Glory (1.1-2.5)
Chapter 3: Dead to the Basic Principles of This World (2.6-23)
Chapter 4: Minds on Things Above (3.1-4.1)
Chapter 5: Know How to Answer Everyone (4.2-18)
Everyone in the Southwest knows about Sedona, Arizona. Just north of Sedona, the Mogollon plateau crumbles into the Sonora desert lowlands. You see a small city nestled among picturesque red rock canyons and amazing rock formations. The oak trees in the canyons paint a blaze of fall colors.
But you’ll also find something else in Sedona—a gathering of New Age stores catering to those with New Age beliefs.
I was going to show a video (produced by Christians), but I decided against it. Too much immediate repudiation and, to be honest, some claims that may be a bit exaggerated. We should at least coolly look at something and try to understand it before we reject it.
I did find this website: http://www.religioustolerance.org. They obviously are not going to be slamming the New Age Movement. It would seem best to use a source such as this to see what they are about.
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Introduction:
The New Age Movement is in a class by itself. Unlike most formal religions, it has no holy text, central organization, membership, formal clergy, geographic center, dogma, creed, etc. They often use mutually exclusive definitions for some of their terms. The New Age is in fact a free-flowing spiritual movement; a network of believers and practitioners who share somewhat similar beliefs and practices, which they add on to whichever formal religion that they follow. Their book publishers take the place of a central organization; seminars, conventions, books and informal groups replace sermons and religious services.
The New Age is definitely a heterogeneous movement of individuals; most graft some new age beliefs onto their regular religious affiliation. Recent surveys of US adults indicate that many Americans hold at least some new age beliefs:
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8% believe in astrology as a method of foretelling the future |
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7% believe that crystals are a source of healing or energizing power |
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9% believe that Tarot Cards are a reliable base for life decisions |
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about 1 in 4 believe in non-traditional concepts of the nature of God which are often associated with New Age thinking: 11% believe that God is "a state of higher consciousness that a person may reach" 8% define God as "the total realization of personal, human potential" 3% believe that each person is God. |
New Agers represent a steady 20% of the population, and are consistently the third largest religious group.
New Age teachings became popular during the 1970's as a reaction against what some perceived as the failure of Christianity and the failure of Secular Humanism to provide spiritual and ethical guidance for the future. Its roots are traceable to many sources: Astrology, Channeling, Hinduism, Gnostic traditions, Spiritualism, Taoism, Theosophy, etc. The movement started in England in the 1960's. Actress Shirley MacLaine is perhaps their most famous current figure.
During the 1980's and 90's, the movement came under criticism from a variety of groups. Channeling was ridiculed; seminar and group leaders were criticized for the fortunes that they made from New Agers. Their uncritical belief in the "scientific" properties of crystals was exposed as groundless. But the movement has become established and has become a stable, major force in North American religion during the past generation. As the millennium comes to a close, the New Age is expected to expand, promoted by the social backlash against logic and science.
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Discussion:
Why would a loosely held religious system be very popular with Americans?
Is it appropriate to talk of New Age beliefs like we talk about the teachings of the Lutheran or Catholic churches?
Can a New Ager also be Catholic or Lutheran? Why or why not?
How can New Agers hold to beliefs and practices discredited by science?
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New Age beliefs:
A number of fundamental beliefs are held by many New Age followers; individuals are encouraged to "shop" for the beliefs and practices that they feel most comfortable with:
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Monism: All that exists is derived from a single source of divine energy. |
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Pantheism: All that exists is God; God is all that exists. This leads naturally to the concept of the divinity of the individual, that we are all Gods. They do not seek God as revealed in a sacred text or as exists in a remote heaven; they seek God within the self and throughout the entire universe. |
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Reincarnation: After death, we are reborn and live another life as a human. This cycle repeats itself many times. This belief is similar to the concept of transmigration of the soul in Hinduism. |
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Karma: The good and bad deeds that we do adds and subtracts from our accumulated record, our karma. At the end of our life, we are rewarded or punished according to our karma by being reincarnated into either a painful or good new life. This belief is linked to that of reincarnation and is also derived from Hinduism |
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An Aura is believed to be an energy field radiated by the body. Invisible to most people, it can be detected by some as a shimmering, multi-colored field surrounding the body. Those skilled in detecting and interpreting auras can diagnose an individual's state of mind, and their spiritual and physical health. |
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Personal Transformation: A profoundly intense mystical experience will lead to the acceptance and use of New Age beliefs and practices. Guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation, and (sometimes) the use of hallucinogenic drugs are useful to bring about and enhance this transformation. Believers hope to develop new potentials within themselves: the ability to heal oneself and others, psychic powers, new understanding of the workings of the universe, etc. Later, when sufficient numbers of people have achieved these powers, a major spiritual, physical, psychological and cultural planet-wide transformation is expected. |
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Ecological Responsibility: A belief in the importance of uniting to preserve the health of the earth, which is often looked upon as Gaia, (Mother Earth) a living entity. |
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Universal Religion: Since all is God, then only one reality exists, and all religions are simply different paths to that ultimate reality. The universal religion can be visualized as a mountain, with many sadhanas (spiritual paths) to the summit. Some are hard; others easy. There is no one correct path. All paths eventually reach the top. They anticipate that a new universal religion which contains elements of all current faiths will evolve and become generally accepted worldwide. |
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New World Order: As the Age of Aquarius unfolds, a New Age will develop. This will be a utopia in which there is world government, an end to wars, disease, hunger, pollution, and poverty. Gender, racial, religious and other forms of discrimination will cease. People's allegiance to their tribe or nation will be replaced by a concern for the entire world and its people. |
Discussion:
Match the New Age belief with the organized religion it would most closely resemble.
____ Monism 1. Bahai
____ Pantheism 2. Jedi Knight
____ Reincarnation 3. Hinduism
____ Karma 4. Native American Religion
____ Personal Transformation 5. Scientology
____ Ecological Responsibility 6. Christian Scientist
____ Universal Religion
____ New World Order
What is the deal with all those places in Sedona that are described as having a vortex?
Why would ecological responsibility be a very respectable tenet of New Age beliefs among the general population?
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New Age practices:
Many practices are found among New Agers. A typical practitioner is active in only a few areas:
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Channeling: A method similar to that used by Spiritists in which a spirit of a long dead individual is conjured up. However, while Spiritists generally believe that one's soul remains relatively unchanged after death, most channelers believe that the soul evolves to higher planes of existence. Chanelers usually try to make contact with a single, spiritually evolved being. That being's consciousness is channeled through the medium and relays guidance and information to the group, through the use of the medium's voice. Channeling has existed since the 1850's and many groups consider themselves independent of the New Age movement. |
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Crystals: Crystals are materials which has its molecules arranged in a specific, highly ordered internal pattern. This pattern is reflected in the crystal's external structure which typically has symmetrical planar surfaces. Many common substances, from salt to sugar, from diamonds to quartz form crystals. They can be shaped so that they will vibrate at a specific frequency and are widely used in radio communications and computing devices. New Agers believe that crystals posses healing energy. |
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Meditating: A process of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself from conscious thinking. This is often aided by repetitive chanting of a mantra, or focusing on an object. |
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New Age Music: A gentle, melodic, inspirational music form involving the human voice, harp, lute, flute, etc. It is used as an aid in healing, massage therapy and general relaxation. |
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Divination: The use of various techniques to foretell the future, including I Ching, Pendulum movements, Runes, Scrying, Tarot Cards. |
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Astrology: The belief that the orientation of the planets at the time of one's birth, and the location of that birth predicts the individual's future and personality. Belief in astrology is common amongst New Agers, but definitely not limited to them. |
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Holistic Health This is a collection of healing techniques which have diverged from the traditional medical model. It attempts to cure disorders in mind, body and spirit and to promote wholeness and balance in the individual. Examples are acupuncture, crystal healing, homeopathy, iridology, massage, various meditation methods, polarity therapy, psychic healing, therapeutic touch, reflexology, etc. |
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Human Potential Movement (a.k.a. Emotional Growth Movement) This is a collection of therapeutic methods involving both individualized and group working, using both mental and physical techniques. The goal is to help individuals to advance spiritually. Examples are Esalen Growth Center programs, EST, Gestalt Therapy, Primal Scream Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Transcendental Meditation and Yoga. |
Discussion:
Look at these Doonesbury cartoons on the insert page 1A and give your reaction (and maybe Trudeau’s reaction) to channeling.
Listen to the following music promoted as “New Age.” It’s by an artist called Enya. Give your reaction. (sorry, not available online--ed.)
How much of our acceptance or rejection of New Age practices is based on cultural perceptions? Rate the following items on a 1 to 10 scale, 1 being an abomination and 10 being something we should look into as a church!
Mediation ___ 1. Channeling
New Age Music ___ 2. Crystals
Massage ___ 3. Meditation
Yoga ___ 4. New Age Music
Tai Ch’i ___ 5. Divination
Acupuncture ___ 6. Astrology
7. Holistic Health
8. Human Potential Movement
Would your opinion change if you learned that one of the writers of the Forumula of Concord, Martin Chemnitz, also drew up astrological charts on the side? What are we using to determine whether something is permissible or not? What should we be using?
Opinion is the beginning of ignorance. (Lao Tzu)
Test everything. Hold to the good. (Paul of Tarsus)
Match the New Age practice with the New Age belief it most naturally flows out of (some may have no matches, others may have more than one).
____ Monism
____ Pantheism
____ Reincarnation
____ Karma
____ Personal Transformation
____ Ecological Responsibility
____ Universal Religion
____ New World Order
Angels
We’ve left out one large area of the New Age Movement—angels!
Everything about the loosely knit New Age Movement looks positively systematic when it comes to angels. In part this may be due to the role angels have long held in mainline Christianity and in mystical and literary Christian traditions. We should also recognize that other world religions (Judaism, Islam) have strong beliefs in angels and also have mystical movements within them (Kabaala, Sufiism). Some may say the mainline Christian denominations’ backing away from the miraculous is leaving a vacuum of spiritual experience that people are filling in on their own. In part it could also be the New Age movement tapping into a spiritual tradition and making it its own. It seems angels are a very hot market.
We have gone to the web for the following, but chances are, New Age teachers are just down Mainstreet, Anywhere USA, just as they are in our community.
Look closely at these two ads on Insert Page 1A and compare them to Doonesbury cartoons.
Was Trudeau slandering New Age Practitioners? If we take Dr. Masters at his word, let’s assume the services last one hour—in 52 hours you could become Certified Holistic Life Coach. If you wanted to become a WELS pastor it would take, let’s say, 30 hours a week for 36 weeks a year for four years at Martin Luther College, another let’s say, 30 hours a week for 36 weeks for three years at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and don’t forget your vicar year, 52 weeks at 50 hours a week. Let’s see, that’s 30x36x7=7560, 50x52=2600, 10,160 hours to become a WELS pastor (not counting voluntary Summer Vicar or Travel-Canvass-Witness programs)! But then, we’re slow learners! What kind of teaching do you think you would get from a Masters’ Holistic Life Coach?
The Elysian New Age Shop out of England advertises a whole segment of their books in this way:
Books about angels - communicating with your angels, angelic guides, angelic inspiration and so on.
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The Spirit of Angels online shop peddles:
Angel Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue
Your guardian angels have messages that can help you heal every area of your life! This divinely illustrated set of forty-four oracle cards will help you communicate with your angels and receive angelic answers and guidance about your love life, career, health, family and more. With the help of the enclosed forty-eight page guidebook, you'll learn how to give "angel readings" for yourself and your loved ones. Each card features a beautiful angel image and a positive, loving message.
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And finally, the Angel Academy:
IF YOU COULD TALK TO ANYONE ON EARTH,
OR YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
TO TALK TO YOUR ANGELS, CHOOSE EMAIL OR TELEPHONE
BY EMAIL:
To answer your questions, I go into a meditative state and converse with your Guardian Angel, the Angels currently working with you, and your Ascended Master Teachers. Have no fear. The spiritual forces of Light are always in your corner. Favorite and frequently asked questions:
Send your email to: ___________ $11 for each question.
Check or Money Order
To pay by credit card:
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It appears that angels, at least in the minds of some, are the animating spirits behind New Age practices. Angel cards replace Tarot cards. Angels may be some of the beings channeled. Angels reveal the future (no matter how mundane the questions may be). Angels guide us and make us better. I tried to find prayers to angels, but was unsuccessful—probably because I stopped looking too soon!
Discussion:
Could these people be experiencing angels? In your discussion cover the reality/unreality of angels and your source of knowledge about angels.
Next week: Christ in You, the Hope of Glory