The new age movements rapid growth in western culture has made people ask the fundamental question, what do “new agers” or spiritualists believe? This is actually a challenging question to answer that must leave room for diversity. The reason for this is that there seem to be two fundamental convictions that new agers identify with. These are a strong individualism and anti-institutionalism. That means that they place truth in the hands of the individual, and do not rely on institutions like the church to set the bounds as to what is considered a core belief or not. Now you might be thinking, well if that is the case, isn’t trying to define their beliefs an impossible task? Fortunately not, there are some key ideas that most people in the movement would agree with. That is why we are going to focus on some of the most important categories such as new ages conception of God, humanity, Jesus, the afterlife and future.
God: The idea of God in the new age movement is borrowed from the eastern religions. God is everything and everything is God. This belief is known as pantheism, and it is a prominent belief that many spiritualists ascribe to about the makeup and nature of reality. This doctrine is crucial to understand because many of the beliefs and practices that new agers practice are rooted in this assertion about what is ultimate reality.
Humanity: Naturally, if everything in reality is “God” that would mean that we are too. In the new age movement, the goal is to recognize your own divinity. Once an individual becomes “enlightened”, which is a term that means aware that they are divine, then that person will be able to shape their own reality and be at one with the universe. The problem that humanity currently experiences is that we are ignorant of our divinity. We live in this illusion that we are “the self.” The self holds us back from reaching this new state of consciousness and having control over the universe.
Jesus: While there isn’t only one interpretation of Jesus and his work; new agers see Jesus as a person who reached enlightenment just like Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, and other religious figures. They believe that verses such as John 8:58, which is where Jesus says “Before Abraham was, I am” confirms that Jesus not only reached enlightenment but taught that all of humanity shares the same nature as he did. Jesus was a man or avatar who showed the way for us to achieve enlightenment through coming into a higher consciousness, the “Christ consciousness.”
Afterlife and Future: There is a variety of beliefs about what happens after death, but the primary belief is that we will be reincarnated and rewarded or punished depending on our previous deeds (karma). There will be a new age that is ushered in called the “age of Aquarius” where people will be brought into a state of spiritual enlightenment. Those who reach enlightenment are to help bring people out of ignorance and aid in the fulfillment of this vision for the world.
Christian Response: While there are many things that are challenging about some of these beliefs, we have a responsibility as believers to lovingly challenge these ideas and to point people to Jesus, who is the “the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6).”
God is not part of creation but distinct from it (Gen 1:1, Rev 4:11).
Humanity is made in the image of God, but is not god and is not ignorant but sinful (Gen 1:26-27, Rom 3:23)
Jesus is not a man who became enlightened/attained the christ consciousness (Col 1:15)
We are not reincarnated and the new age is not the age of Aquarius but new creation (Heb 9:27, Rev 21-22)
Written by Grant Gobezie