If you are one of the many people who have heard the sentence, “I am not religious, I am spiritual” and are wondering where it came from then you are in the right place. In this post, we are going to be examining the origins of the “new age movement” in modern western society and show that what we see now is societies response to a craving for meaning and purpose in a world that is believed to not have any.
All throughout the Middle Ages, Christianity served as the religion of the western world with the goal of seeing a world united through the force of a Christian state, this is classically defined as Christendom. Systems of thought that were not Christian were rejected as being heretical and were not given a platform in society. However, in the 16th and 17th centuries Christendom lost its grip on the western world and gave way to a secular worldview through a movement called the enlightenment. With an emphasis on learning and human reason and a rejection of beliefs based on tradition a new world was being ushered in, and while the enlightenment thinkers strongly rejected the mystical/occult underground ideas that would later form the new age movement, the seeds had been planted for a change in the fabric of western society.
During the 19th and 20th centuries the enlightenment, and the excitement of the human potential ultimately failed to give people a sense of meaning. While this was occurring the cultic groups that were always under the radar began to emerge offering a new vision of spirituality and meaning. The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky and Coronel Henry Olcott. They presented a vision of the world that was based on a belief that all religions are true and that “ascended masters” or spiritual guides who have gone before us will help people recognize their divinity by shedding their ignorance and helping them reach enlightenment. This was one of the first groups that formed but many offshoots such as Anthrosophical Society founded by Rudolf Steiner (1912), the Arcane School founded by Alice Ann Bailey and her husband (1923) began to appear and gain traction. Throughout the 1940 to the 1960s many little groups across the country started developing this concept of a new age and devoted themselves to finding meaning in the experience of becoming divine and ushering this new age into reality. During the countercultural movement of the 1960, 70s, and 80s with help of people such as David Spangler, the new age movement became self-aware. No longer was it a small ideology but was the talk of a new generation looking toward alternative spirituality for meaning. This movement has continued to grow exponentially with 62% of Americans holding to at least one new age belief as of 2018.
As Christians, while we identify strongly with the desire for a life with a deep sense of meaning and purpose, we disagree on where this comes from. Ultimately, the new age movement gives people yokes that are too heavy to carry. Instead of the universe having a built in sense of meaning by a creator like Christians believe, you are left to determine meaning and purpose for yourself. Reaching enlightenment is all about your works and ability to define reality, and that really leaves people in the same place every other religion does-striving after an unreachable goal. We believe God inherently gives our lives meaning and Jesus Christ invites us in Matthew 11:28-30 to take his yoke, for he is gentle and lowly in heart and we will find rest for our souls.
Written by Grant Gobezie