Read an excellent article in Oct. Focus on the Family mag. by Susan Graham Mathis I condensed the info into a cheat sheet so we can remember the facts more readily.
Yoga : claims to be a stress relieving relaxation exorcize which is true but it soon escalates into transcendental meditation ;chanting ;breathing ; finding the god within yourself.
Ultimate goal : to become one w/ god ; but god is just a cosmic force not a supreme person.
New Age Teachings : No longer believe in sin ; simply achieve higher consciousness
Thru meditation become divine ; apart from God.
If you feel something is true ,it is true
Trust your instincts & feelings ; the intellect is too limited
You become free by reuniting w/ the god within yourself
there is no real evil ; only ignorance
there is no redemption from sin ; only enlightenment
there is no supreme being or creator ; only a cosmic force
meditation is emptying the mind of thoughts to become enlightened
God is within yourself
Salvation is not recognizing your sin ; but raising your consciousness level to inner divinity
All religions are the same
Biblical Teaching : Biblical meditation is not emptying the mind but engaging the mind to focus on God & Bible truths.
Sin is a reality & must be repented of ,confessed to God & forsaken
God reaches down to man w/ grace & forgiveness thru the blood of Jesus sacrifice
Bible warns that dabbling in spiritual world is off limits & can lead to contact w/ the demonic
Bible teaches contacting any spiritual force other tham God is dangerous
New Age : Offers a gratifying sense of spirituality without making any demands of obedience.
Makes no requirements of morality
Uses Christian jargon while rejecting spiritual truths of scripture
Introduced in schools thru gym class or free library time
Promoted in many TV shows & mivies such as Star Wars (the force be w/you)
Satan masquerades as an angel of light
New Age Activities : meditation ; yoga ; transcendental meditation ; chanting ; channeling ; higher self teaching ; dream work ; tarot cards ; re-imaging ; guided imagery ; crystals ; angel contact ; soul brightening ; tai chi ; aligned energy fields ; past-life therapy ; horoscopes ; astrology ; reincarnation ; psychic powers ; necromancy (communicating w/ the dead) ; spiritual messengers (guides) ; sacred psychology ; rebirthing ; lifr force teachings ; higher consciousness ; universal mind ; karma ; Silva Mind control ; hypnosis ; drug use ; aura detecting ; Mother earth worship ; divination.
Other names & forms of New Age : Cosmic Humanisn ; Zen ; Relativism ; Spiritism ; Taoism ; Gnosticism ; Theosophy ; Monism ; Scientology ; Wicca ; Ancient folk religions ; Animism ; Nature worship ; Pantheism ; Neopaganism ; The Goddess Movement ; Kabbalah
