So... what's the big deal? (Part 1 of 2)

You know how I feel about controversial topics... unfortunately, this one will likely top the Scattergories incident. I'm sure by now you've heard about Oprah's latest book club pick and its author, Eckhart Tolle. (If not, click HERE for a NY Times article that will bring you up to speed.)

Here's the issue... the book is a promotion of New Age thinking (a.k.a. New Spirituality). Both Tolle and Oprah are affiliated with Humanity's Team (click HERE to access their site). Pay particularly close attention to their mission statement and be sure to visit their affiliated organizations.

What's the big deal, you ask? Well, buckle up - there's a lot of information to cover. Let's begin with the six main characteristics of New Age thinking:

(1) All is Unity
(2) All is Divine
(3) Humanity is divine
(4) A Change in Consciousness
(5) All Religions Are One
(6) Cosmic Evolutionary Optimism

And the The 13 main principles of New Age philosophy are:

(1) One Global Order - One World Government, One Currency, One Universal Being
(2) Universal Energy, Universal Matter, Universal Life, Universal Soul as God
(3) An Eternal Universe - Uniform in Space and Unending in Time
(4) Divine practices (Astrology, Yoga & other esoteric arts)
(5) Syncretism (Unity of all Religions)
(6) The need for Meditation (for generating altered states of Consciousness)
(7) Life is Cyclical - everything is cyclical, subject to the cyclical upheavals of Time
(8) Holistic Medicine & Vegetarianism (the patient is more important than the doctor & an alkaline diet)
(9) Pacifism (Anti-war activities)
(10) Reincarnation (The Law of Conservation of Soul)
(11) The Evolution of Man into Divinity (The latent Life Force evolving naturally to the Divine)
(12) The Union of Man with the Divine (Merger of man into the Infinite)
(13) Matter's Illusoriness - Esse est percipii - Perception is Essence; Mind is Substance

The practices of the New Age are psychic practices such as: Astrology, Reiki, Bioenergy, Chakras, Nirvana, Christ-Consciousness (consciousness or awareness of the self in and as the Christ), Spiritualism (contacting spirits of dead), Prajna, Reincarnation, Yoga, Meditation and the occult disciplines, as well as psychotherapeutic techniques and scientific applications of the healing powers of crystals and pyramids. (This is excerpted from an article which you can read in its entirety by clicking HERE or HERE; I shortened the last paragraph and expounded on a few of the terms.)

When it comes to Christianity, churches may differ on certain doctrinal issues (a.k.a. rib issues) that the Bible may not be completely clear on. In the big scheme of things, these rib issues are not worth fighting over. But spine issues on the other hand, are a very big deal. They are the basic tenets of the Christian faith:

1. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired and infallible Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21)

2. There is one God, existing eternally in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (John 10:30; John 14:26; Philippians 2:5-7)
3. Jesus is the Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit and virgin born, the Son of God, the one and only Savior, the Lord of all. (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:34)
4. Christ sacrificially died on the cross and shed His blood as the atonement for sin. (1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Colossians 1:15-20).
5. God raised Him from the dead bodily; He ascended into Heaven, and He will visibly return in glory according to His promise. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Hebrews 9:28)
6. Salvation is God’s gift of eternal life, presented to all who, by faith, accept Jesus Christ as Savior and receive spiritual new birth by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Romans 5:1; Romans 3:24)

7. The most basic checklist of forbidden occult practices is found in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and includes:

• No human sacrifice.
• No divination (an attempt to get guidance from any supernatural source other than God). This includes astrology and horoscopes.
• No sorcery (using magic powers). No spell-casting.
• No interpreting omens (trying to discover hidden knowledge through reading tea leaves, tarot cards, or—in Bible times—the entrails of animals).
• No consulting a medium or spiritist (those who contact spirits or allow the spirits to communicate through them). No consulting the dead.
• No engaging in witchcraft (appealing to any supernatural power or spirit other than God). Witchcraft is also associated with the use of drugs, incantations, spells, potions, charms, and amulets to experience something supernatural or to ward off evil spirits. Known as Wicca, modern-day witchcraft is a pagan religion in which nature and goddesses are worshiped.

See what happens when I start digging (it's worse than the voles)! Needless to say, New Age philosophy and biblical Christianity appear to differ on several major points. I respect where each and every one of you are at and am simply trying to lay it out on the table. Don't take my word as the final word! As always, I encourage you to look into things further and dig around for yourselves.