Is modern Christianity & the worship of Jesus compatible with the Bible and the New Age?

While the worship of Jesus is an old, accepted practice that has become part of most society, the New Age religion appeals to people who are dissatisfied with the status quo and who are actively seeking spiritual answers. Often New Agers are people who were raised in the worship of Jesus in homes that discouraged scientific questioning and individual expression. The New Age movement is open to exploration and personal development. In this way, people who have been spiritually repressed and dominated by a dogmatic religion, go out to find a spiritual path for themselves. This process is a positive phase of spiritual development. It is important that individuals seek out answers that are satisfying to themselves. If a person does not reinvent faith for themselves, then they really possess no faith at all. In terms of a spiritual search, the New Age offers an avenue for people struggling with their faith a divergent and personalized journey.

There apparently is no limit to where the New Age Movement can take an individual. Some return to the Fundamentalist roots, others go on to find their answers. Like all world religions the New Age Movement is a loosely structured network of organizations and beliefs that share a similar vision. The vision is that a New Age is at hand, a time of political restructuring and personal enlightenment. It is also referred to as the ‘Age of Aquarius’.

Unlike the worship of Jesus (which claims to be a totally unique revelation), the New Age openly admits it is derived from many sources. It primarily derived from the teachings of the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu scripture. Unlike the worship of Jesus which claimed to be based on the Bible and Hinduism which is rooted in the Bhagavad Gita, the New Age Movement has discarded most of the rituals and traditions that clutter up both these faiths.

The New Agers often practices astrology and other forms of divination, healing, ESP and magick, which are banned in the Bible unless performed by a Jewish priest. The Jesus people ignorantly refer to these practices as the occult and condemn them, but then go on to practice Bible divination, the gifts of healing, prophecy and knowledge, and the giving curses - ignorant of the fact that these are the very same things they condemn in the New Age.

An essential difference between new age philosophies and the Jesus philosophy is the concept of God. In the New age movement God is generally seen as the source and substance of everything. Who can be accessed through higher states of consciousness. They often teach that all is one and one is all. God is everything, and everything is God. There is no good or evil, except in the eye of the beholder. The Jesus people, on the other hand, believe that God is a personage, like a great earthly king. As in the Greek myths, this same God came to earth in human form as Jesus . This Jesus became the anointed savior of the world. This God in human form was then killed because a sacrifice was needed to save the world. The Jesus people then turn their personal faults, or sins, over to Jesus who they say has the power to overcome expunge them. They say that Jesus has the power to raise individuals from the dead.

Differences between these spiritual paths are profound. The manner in which the two organizations carry out their beliefs are also distinctly different. The New Age encourages individuals to seek greater internal experiences through meditation, altered states, and contemplation. The focus is on each individual increasing his/her spirituality through a variety of methods. The Jesus Cult focuses on the group, encouraging the building of communities, and other organizations upon which to build a power base. They finance Christian missionaries to proselytize and expanse the reach of their organizations.

Within the New Age movement there is little that binds the members into a sense of community. There are individuals who cross between the areas of transcendental meditation to mediumshop, and there are palm readers who are also into meditation. So, there is some networking and interchange in the varied disciplines. There is little evangelism and seeking out of new members in the New Age Movement. Generally an individual has an interest and seeks out organizations that offer seminars, or introductory classes in a given field.

In the Jesus Cult, the true follower subordinates the needs of the self to that of the group, so that “God’s work” (preaching and missions) can be more successful. This commitment takes the followers of Jesus down what appears to be a completely different path. But, ultimately, if they follow their path to its end, both the seeking New Ager and the true follower of Jesus reach a point in which they turn their lives over to God through prayer or meditation.

The search for sppiritual truth needs to be a personal search. It should be one that encourages a person to experience real, positive growth. This can be done through two paths—Bhakti Yoga and Gnani Yoga.

Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion. Development is achieved through love of God and a pure desire to serve a true God.

Gnani Yoga is the path of knowledge. Development is achieved through a devoted search for and acceptance of truth., I.e. the facts.

A spiritual path should be clear and unified. If a follower of Jesus or a New Ager seeks to find their greatest peace, they need to constantly assess where their path is taking them. What is the individual’s goal for their own development? What have the leaders of the movement accomplished that makes them worthy of respect or praise? If the individual approaches these questions with a pure heart. There will be an answer from the spiritual world that is the best choice for each seeker.