What is the New Age continued . . .

Supernatural manifestations

While traditional religions are being rejected, research shows that interest in magic and other supernatural manifestations is quite high. Society has discarded its former attitudes about witchcraft and magic. There is greater acceptance of witches now. In fact, witches today are much more likely to be invited to parties than they are to be burned at the stake!” (11) 4; 103

On the other hand, there is a large segment of the population who regard occultism with a lack of concern. Many people find it difficult to take occultism, witchcraft and Satanism seriously. Those who disbelieve in the supernatural often find it difficult to take people seriously who do believe (12) Such unbelievers take notice of these groups only when criminal activities of occult groups surface. 4; 103

One of the consequences of these contemporary social attitudes is that information about Satanism and other forms of the occult is very accessible. Hundreds of books and other paraphernalia are available in NA bookstores. 4; 103

In spite of knowing the Bible verses warning of Satan’s attack on the Church, Christians still find it difficult to appreciate the battle that is going on around them for their own souls. 8; 5 The apostle Paul warns of people departing from the faith by giving attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, and, of servants of Satan disguising themselves as servants of righteousness. But of such people he says: “even if an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to that which we preached, let him be accursed (need reference). 8 5
What the occult does to a Christian

God had reasons for forbidding the Israelites to dabble in sorcery. Humans evidently look at God’s laws and determine, “God says no to sorcery. That means it must be fun. Let’s do it.” God knew what was best for His people and He tried to make it easier for them by having these laws. Sorcery is at the top of God’s list of “Sins to Avoid.” Because every sin connected with sorcery works like a power saw, it severs the relationship with God and turns that person towards the worship of idols. God does not like idols, and He won’t permit them. (8; p. 33).

Magic and all other occult practices either destroy the Christian faith of a person or prevent it from developing. This does not mean that magic is more powerful than Christian faith. It merely shows that those who occupy themselves with occult practices are contravening the laws of God. 8; 18

Anyone who gets into Satan’s domain by committing sins of sorcery have automatically approved immediate harassment by the powers of darkness. It doesn’t matter if he took the step consciously or unconsciously. Those are the rules of engagement. Kurt Koch, in Occult Bondage and Deliverance lists five different areas where the effects of this transgression of God’s laws make themselves felt in a person’s life. 8; 33

1. The oppression is most clearly seen in a person’s spiritual life and in his faith. Are the Moslem’s faith, the Buddhist’s faith and the Hindu’s faith affected as well? No, this is the strange thing about sorcery. It is only Christians, and to a lesser extent God-fearing Jews, who are affected. All the other religious faiths of the world seem to ally themselves to mediumistic phenomena. Only the Christian faith stands out in sharp contrast to occultism. 8; 33-34

It follows then that any person who has resorted to fortune telling, magic, or spiritism in his life, will find it very difficult to turn to Christ at a later date. He will be unable to obtain any assurance of salvation or peace with God. And if perchance he has already become a Christian, he will find that coldness and a kind of ban will descend upon his Christian life. He will lose his desire to pray and to read the Bible, and will become lukewarm and sluggish in his faith. Or, he may become hypocritical and self-righteous and Pharisaical as a result of his contact with occultism. 8; 34

Quite frequently occult subjected people are able to live peacefully so long as they remain in the ‘world’. Only when the desire to be born again enters their heart does the trouble start. The rule is quite simple: the devil will not trouble a person so long as he remains his servant. Only when his victim wants to leave his (Satan’s) ‘school’ does the resistance begin. 8; 34-35

Every form of sorcery is in reality a contract with the powers of darkness. The devil therefore accepts this as his right to take people captive, and will resist strongly at the first hint of his having to lose his victim. 8;35

2. Occult subjection also affects the character of the person concerned. As a result of sorcery one can be plagued by fits of temper and fury, quarrelsomeness, avarice (greed), and a domineering personality. Such people are unsocial and can exhibit all forms of exaggerated passions, including alcohol addiction and licentiousness (promiscuous). Many compulsive criminals are to be found in this group. 8; 35

3. Many people suddenly become melancholic (depressed) immediately after their conversion, or when they first come into contact with some form of Christian influence. This phenomenon is known under the name of resistance. 8; 36-37

4. Families in which sorcery has been practiced are much more prone to mental illness and mental abnormalities than other families. The spiritistic and demonic cults of spiritism in fact are as a kind of catalyst in the mental structure of human personality. 8;38

5. Another phenomenon symptomatic of occult involvement is the development of mediumistic abilities. A medium is a person who mediates between unseen forces –– and in the case of spiritism between invisible spirits, and the world of man. Mediumism itself can develop in three different ways: through inheritance, through experimenting with magic and spiritism, or through transference. A.) A child can be born with mediumistic tendencies because of its parent's or grandparent's involvement. The child could even grow up without ever knowing it. B.) Anyone allowing himself to be healed by means of occult powers usually becomes mediumistic following the healing. Or if a person consults or uses books of sorcery over a number of years, he will certainly develop mediumistic abilities. C.) If a person with a strong radiasthetic ability grips the hands of a person with no such ability and teaches him to use a rod or pendulum, the latter will usually end up with the same mediumistic ability as the former. 8; 39-40

The New Age Is Growing
The New Age has spread into every area of our culture. It reminds me of the bamboo growing in my backyard. It spreads like nothing I’ve ever seen. Its roots are spread all over the yard. I’ve tried poisoning the main plants, which have multiplied 100-fold. That didn’t kill the stuff. I’ve tried cutting it back as it grows. That doesn’t kill it, but it does appear to stunt its growth. So I still have a living menace, whose roots continue to spread to who knows where. I’ve asked countless clerks at garden stores how to get rid of it. Without hesitation they all say, “You have to dig it out by the roots.” So one day I started digging, following a root. It reminded me of a computer network, it went everywhere: it went down, it went out in every direction and at some point it would send a shoot up through the soil.

The New Age spreads like bamboo. It’s mostly underground where you can’t see it happening. You don’t know where it’s going to sprout up next. And you don’t know where the parent plant is.

Everyone has heard of the New Age movement. And everyone has his or her own way at looking and thinking about it. Even those who are in the movement choose different aspects of it to express their beliefs and practices. Some practice the use of pyramids, crystals, channels, goddess-worship, meditation, or guided imagery. While many New Agers are into the political aspects of globalism, saving the environment, “human potential,” or they can mix and match and choose any combination they desire. It’s probable, however, that every New Ager would agree that “dogma” and “Decalogue’s” are out. 22-11

Believe it or not, it’s okay for New Agers to be Christian. And there are plenty of New Agers who infiltrate the Christian church, hoping to stir up distractions. But as long as you don’t believe in sin, Satan, the virgin birth, the exclusive deity of Christ, heaven or hell, you are okay. And don’t forget, there are no absolutes, like good or bad, right or wrong. What’s right for you is what’s right. Period. It’s your decision, whether you are 10-years-old or 60. 22-11

Promising that it can transform people, the New Age Movement is attacking the highest values of the Christian Church and Western culture. For over 60 years eastern religions have been sending their missionaries to the West, seeking converts among secularists (humanists) and Christians. Eastern, occult and New Consciousness groups have formed an ecumenical movement among themselves and network together in the New Age Movement. 45; 9

“New” primarily to secular humanists in the West, the New Age belief that “all is one” has many serious implications. It challenges the reality of our distinct personhood, the world we observe and the distinction between good and evil. According to the New Age scheme, what we can understand and express conceptually––about the family, nature, history and the Bible itself––becomes the enemy of mystical experience. To experience “oneness” we must do away with our uniqueness as persons and our capacity for conceptual and critical thinking. 45; 9

New Age Agenda
Randall Baer, who at one time was a New Age leader, is now a born again Christian. In his bestseller, Inside The New Age Nightmare, he expresses the nature of the conspiracy we must contend with. “This agenda is nothing less than the complete revolutionizing of the very foundations of not only America but the entire world. Such a plan calls for the total restructuring of planetary civilization into an enlightened One World Federation in which national boundaries and sovereignty are secondary, and ‘planetary citizenship’ in the ‘global village’ is the order of the day. This (conspiracy) offers a world in desperate need a grand solution to profound global problems. Apparent world peace and unprecedented opportunities . . . are to be unveiled.” Baer, p.xx