Massimo2002
Active Member
Which is better and why ? And can you mix some of the new age with Christianity ?
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New Ageism Vs Christianity
- Thread starter Massimo2002
- Start date
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
What do you mean by new age? There are lots of new age beliefs.
I see it that way as well. The basic "new age" idea is that the traditional patterns of spirituality and religion no longer fit and we need to re-evaluate them
Of course with a general notion like that we see all sorts of things - I certainly did in the 1960's. The plays/movies "God Spell" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" are what I'd call "new age" approaches to Jesus and Christianity.
Something else just occurred to me - "intentional communities" Some are explicitly Christian such as About – Koinonia Farm - I would call least some of them "New age"
McBell
Admiral Obvious
Do you mean this "New Age"
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s.
If so you will need to narrow it down a bit.
Or perhaps you mean this one:
New Age.
noun.
1. : a way of thinking arising in late 20th century Western society and adapted from a variety of ancient and modern cultures that emphasizes beliefs (as reincarnation) outside the mainstream and that advances alternative approaches to spirituality, right living, and health.
Or perhaps one of the many other meanings/definitions for the term?
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
I don't really spend much time thinking about either one. I think there are good things and bad things about each. But here goes.
Christianity is a belief based religion which is difficult to define because the denominations can't even agree on what makes a person a Christian. However, the one thing they all seem to have in common, is the belief that Jesus was the Messiah who died for their sins. They have a sacred text, the Bible, although they vary on how reliable they think it is. Most of them have at least two rituals, baptism and communion, although some have more and some have less. They all pray, although some prefer to pray in groups using a predetermined text while other prefer a spontaneous improvised prayer. They are monotheists of a sort, although the LDS are an exception to that rule.
New Age is actually a hodgepodge of ideas from many different religions, which New Agers feel free to pick and choose from. You have the influence of Eastern religions, such as reincarnation, karma, chakras, etc. They also borrow many practices from the East such as yoga and meditation. They are often heavy into the angelology from Judaism and Christianity. They feel free to include elements from the occult such as astrology and tarot. They tend to love Native American spirituality. The movement emphasizes holistic healing, spirituality, mysticism, environmentalism, personal growth, consciousness exploration, and the interconnectedness of all beings. Because they tend to believe God infuses everything, they see themselves as god.
As to your second question, I don't think it's really a "CAN you mix them," but rather "SHOULD you mix them." There are plenty of people who blend religions (this is called syncretism) and sometimes enough people blend them the same way that a new religion is formed, such as Voodoo.
The problem is this: Religions evolve over centuries, even millennia. In the process, they are distilled, becoming wiser with time. IMHO, anytime a brand spankin' new religion comes around, it is almost always inferior to the ancient religions.
There are some elements of New Age that really are not religious at all. A person can do yoga for physical and mental health, and never touch on Hinduism. Similarly, lots of people practice meditation who are not religious at all, and studies have shown how beneficial it is for us. So it is my opinion that anyone, Christian, Jew, Atheist, whatever, can incorporate these things into their lives without engaging in syncretism.
For whatever it's worth, I've personally known many New Agers. They are incredibly common in Laguna Beach, which is quite close to where I live. I've gone with them to their bookstores and stuff. I also did Tai Chi and meditation myself.
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
Yes, the Koinonia Farm is an explicitly Christian commune, very heavy into Social Gospel. The Kibbutzim, Jewish communes such as those in Israel, are almost communistic. And yes, certainly there are New Age communes, such as the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland.
The problem with communes is when the leader or leadership begins to be aggressively authoritarian. Things can turn toxic in the bat of an eye. Examples of this would be Jonestown or the Branch Davidians.
The "New Age" is just "make it up as you go along" spirituality for the modern consumer. Whether or not you think such an approach is better than committing to a traditional religion is for you to determine.
McBell
Admiral Obvious
Which religion was not at some point at the "make it up as you go along stage"?
Which implies that the older the religion...what, exactly?
I disagree. The traditional religions in their orthodox forms are inherited traditions which developed organically over time. The Church Fathers for instance didn't just pull Christian orthodoxy out of their butts. The same is true for the other religions as well. That doesn't mean any of the traditional religions are actually true but it's not the same thing as the New Age. The New Age is premised not on an inherited tradition but on curating your own spirituality à la carte. If anything, New Age spirituality is an anti-religion.
Brian2
Veteran Member
Jesus is the Son of God, the truth sent from the Father and the only way to the Father. Everyone is judged by Jesus and so has to go through Him to get to the Father.
It's our relationship with Jesus and Him being our Lord which is important. We can believe other ideas which are outside of the Biblical truths and which contradict them but as a Christian who has been given the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will lead you to a more pure understanding of what is true over time.
Spice
StewardshipPeaceIntergityCommunityEquality
I certainly wouldn't call it "anti-religion." It should be "à la carte," though someone always wants to add boundaries with tenents and such. It's really an individual, personal religion.
McBell
Admiral Obvious
Fair enough.
In my view, authentic religion involves an inherited tradition of practice and teaching. That's not the same thing as an orthodoxy but if you are making up your spiritual beliefs and practices as you go along then you're not (in my view) practicing authentic religion. The word "religion" [religio] implies obligation to a cultus.
McBell
Admiral Obvious
So then which religions did not have a beginning?
My view that authentic religion requires a continuity of teaching and practice does not commit me to the view that all religions are eternally preexistent. You can disagree with me but my point is not that complicated.
McBell
Admiral Obvious
My view is that you can not have a continuity if you have not had a beginning.
Since you are saying the exact opposite of that, it means you must know of at least one religion that never had a beginning, right?
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
Not to imply that anyone MUST attend church, synagogue, temple, mosque... I just want to point out that there are advantages to being involved in a religious community, such a the greater health and well being of the individual. If everyone had a la carte beliefs, religious communities could not exist, because they require commonality.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Some people already did.
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What I am saying is that to be "religious" is to be committed to a tradition of practice and belief. A tradition by definition is something which is passed down from one generation to the next. From teacher to student. That is not what New Agers do. They pick and choose (usually decontextualized) ideas and create a personal hodgepodge spirituality. There is no coherent sense of tradition in doing such a thing.
That the major religions all emerged from cultural and historical points in time is obvious but irrelevant to what I am saying. I never said religions were pre-eternal.
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