Mixing New Age With Christianity

[Starise]

I was at a bible study recently. One of those in attendance said she attempted to make both Christianity and New Age work together. She eventually realized this was not possible.

I wondered how many others once dabbled in New Age belief before becoming a believer,or attempted to hold on to it after being saved?

It seems many professing believers see no issue with holding onto New Age and similar while professing Christ.

New Age itself claims Jesus was only a prophet, while Jesus Himself said He was THE Son of God.New Age says there are multiple ways to God. Christianity says there is only one way through Christ.

The two are not compatible. I just could not understand how a person can see any association between two strongly opposing teachings.

[OneLight]

New age beliefs are much more than the two you listed.  Is it that you only want to discuss these two beliefs also, separate from the rest?

[ayin jade]

I was heavily into I guess it would be called new age stuff before I got saved. Not the crystal healing nonsense though. When I got saved, there was instant awareness that new age was garbage. I still react strongly against it when I encounter it, or encounter people who believe in it. 

I think those who try and blend it into Christianity are just not mature enough in faith to realize its bad. Not everyone got that instant awareness of that its wrong like I did. 

[ayin jade]

Interesting and rather sad article on it. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/01/new-age-beliefs-common-among-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/#:~:text=But many Christians also hold,unaffiliated also have these beliefs.

 

[ayin jade]

From an article I found online, 

5 New Age beliefs that have bled into the church 

1. Law of Attraction (I know at least one member here believes in that one)

2. Follow your heart - relying on emotions

3. We are little or mini gods

4. Oneness - being righteous by being sinless, not by faith in the Lord

5. All roads lead to heaven

https://dailyshepursues.com/common-new-age-beliefs-church/

[Starise]

7 hours ago, OneLight said:

New age beliefs are much more than the two you listed.  Is it that you only want to discuss these two beliefs also, separate from the rest?

Anything associated is fine too. I am trying to see how these types of things get rooted in a believer's life. 

Some beliefs which are more like cults, such as scientology are actually occult. I use the word occult because it is probably the true over arching thought here. Some things associated with occult many people think are totally innocent including Christians. There is some dispute about yoga being ok for exercise. Horoscopes are a  way to open up to some of these things.

I heard an ad the other day on the radio for a New Age shop. They actually advertised it as New Age, "Come on in for all of your New Age needs", crystals,trinkets, incense. I dunno I've never been in a New Age shop and don't care to be.

To top things off there's a dispensary not far away, so might as well stop by for those pain meds ( sarcasm intended).

5 hours ago, ayin jade said:

From an article I found online, 

5 New Age beliefs that have bled into the church 

1. Law of Attraction (I know at least one member here believes in that one)

2. Follow your heart - relying on emotions

3. We are little or mini gods

4. Oneness - being righteous by being sinless, not by faith in the Lord

5. All roads lead to heaven

https://dailyshepursues.com/common-new-age-beliefs-church/

Are there any specific denominations where this is more prevelant? In reading these number 2 Follow your heart, it falls very closely in line with the way many believers say the Holy Spirit leads them.

Most personality tests will differentiate between individuals who are either predominantly following their head, following their intuition, or some combination of those two. So I think some people have more of a tendency to follow their heart. For the believer, we don't follow anything that is against what the Lord tells us to follow unless we are going against Him.

When I follow my "heart" I am following a hopefully Spirit filled heart. This leading of the Spirit always produces good directions, and I might 'feel' when something isn't right. Neither would I deny the use of everything the Lord gives us to make decisions.

In the same way we believers might not always 'feel' the leading of the Spirit, non believers don't always realize they are being led by evil forces. Each are so integral they are seen as a part of 'us'. The filling of the Holy Spirit is often associated with how close we are to the Lord through prayer, bible reading and fellowship. As an example, I just changed all of my TVs over from cable to internet and replaced an older smart TV with a newer one, adding streaming boxes to the others etc.

 I had no idea what was on some of those smart TV apps, so I'm registering apps we use and a few I wasn't aware of figuring the more the merrier I was registering as many of the free ones as I could, and as it turns out I have probably double the  movies I had before. One of those apps has a free section and a paid section. In the free section is was like 90% MA rated content. I mean really sleazy stuff and it was all free. The Holy Spirit immediately told me this is WRONG. For me as a beliver this is how the Lord leads. If we choose to continue, we will be doing things that take us away from the Lord and into chastisement. I decided to stay away from that particular app, but not before reading some of the titles and feeling a strong pull of the flesh.

[AnOrangeCat]

10 hours ago, Starise said:

The two are not compatible. I just could not understand how a person can see any association between two strongly opposing teachings.

It must take some Olympics level mental gymnastics. Having spent time around the so called "progressive" Christians there's a whole lot of incredibly flimsy and forced reasoning used to justify sins. Not surprisingly a lot of them subscribe to the belief that all faiths are valid. It's pretty horrifying and depressing.

[Starise]

8 hours ago, ayin jade said:

Interesting and rather sad article on it. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/01/new-age-beliefs-common-among-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/#:~:text=But many Christians also hold,unaffiliated also have these beliefs.

 

Very eye opening.

10 minutes ago, AnOrangeCat said:

It must take some Olympics level mental gymnastics. Having spent time around the so called "progressive" Christians there's a whole lot of incredibly flimsy and forced reasoning used to justify sins. Not surprisingly a lot of them subscribe to the belief that all faiths are valid. It's pretty horrifying and depressing.

I agree. Christianity and New Age are like oil and water.

[Neighbor]

2 hours ago, Starise said:

scientology

Hi, Just an abstract thought to share;

Scientology, then Dianetics, and now Flag - the spirtual headquarters of Scientology.

We don't see the word Scientology much anymore,  we used to see Dianetics on buildings for a long while, now it is Flag.

 

[Dennis1209]

There are all kinds of false “spirituality” out there in addition to everything already mentioned. I hear more and more people say, “I am a spiritual person.”

Those that thank mother earth for its blessings and gifts. The popular Oprah Winfrey and her spirituality. I cannot understand how “Scientology” can call itself a church?

I have not followed it lately, but the “church of artificial intelligence” was gaining some traction.

2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

With everything now going on in the world, I have to wonder, have many been turned over to a debased mind? Is this one of many indications we are living at the tail end of the last days?