Why I believe New Age and New Age belief are false.

1. What is New Age.
2. What is Pantheism.
3. What is Hinduism.  
4. What is karma and reincarnation.
5. Theory explains phenomena.
6. Reincarnation is a theory
7. Reincarnation contradicts the phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
8. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
9. Demon  possession.
10. Deception.
11. Works  versus  grace.
12. Conclusion
.

 

1. What is New Age.
        New  age’  is  a  broad  movement  characterized  by  alternative  approaches  to  traditional  Western  culture,  with  an  interest  in  spirituality,  mysticism,  holism,  and  environmentalism.  
       
These  include   martial  arts,  Tai  Chi  exercise,   Yoga  exercise  and  meditation,  transcendental  meditation,   Eckankar  movement,  new thought, automatic  writing  as  in ‘ A  Course  In  Miracles’  and  ‘Conversations  With  God’,  and  other  New  Age  books  like  ‘Celestine  Prophecy’ ‘A  Return  To  Love’, 'The Wheel of Life',  'Lessons from the Light (near death experience)' , The Aquarian Gospel,  wicca, druidism, shamanism, neo-paganism, voodoo  and some environmental movements.
       
Some  offer  peace  of  mind,  even  healing  and  miracles.  They  are  sometimes  effective  in  providing  solutions  to  apparently  insurmountable  problems.  
        Pantheism is a belief shared by many of the New Age approaches.
Pantheism also happens to be a core belief of Hinduism.
    

2. What is Pantheism.
        
Pantheism  is  a   belief  which  identifies  God  with  the  universe,  or  regards  the  universe  as  a  manifestation  of  God.
       
This concept holds that the creator and the creation are one and the same, and that the creator is not separate from the creation, and that the creator did not precede the creation.
        The concept of pantheism is consistent with the core beliefs of Hinduism and most New Age practices.

3. What is Hinduism.  
       
Hinduism  is  a  major  religious  and  cultural  tradition  of  the  Indian  subcontinent,  including  belief  in  reincarnation  and  the  worship  of  a  large  pantheon  of  deities.

        An  Indian  Yogi,  Sai  Baba,  explains  Hinduism  as  follows:

        Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three cardinal principles of Hinduism are: 1) Belief in a series of births (reincarnation). 2) Belief in Avatars of the Lord for the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation of those who have strayed from it. 3)Belief in Karma, the fact of every activity having its inevitable consequences and of human destiny being shaped by cumulative effect of all these consequences. Karma is the cause of births, the Jivi being compelled to undergo another ordeal for clearing its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
        The life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. The Vedas are the soul that sustains the spiritual life of Hindus. They are the breath that that keeps the people alive. The Vedas emanated from God Himself. The great sages received the Vedas as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from preceptor to the pupil. One can know from the Vedas the code of right activity and the body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities in all stages of life. In order to explain the Vedas in simpler terms, the Puranas (scriptures) and epic texts appeared in course of time. Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another great spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat Geetha, which helps people to control the agitation of the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge and make one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
        The word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence, away from inflicting injury on others. The essence of all the scriptural texts of Hinduism can be described in one sentence as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
        Aum, which is a primary symbol of Hinduism, is the symbol of unchanging eternal, universal supreme God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives life to all the other words. Aum is the origin of creation. It contains the essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all the scriptures.” 

        Another Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda  explains Self Realization as the knowing that we are one with the omnipresence of God in body, mind and soul.
 

4. What is karma and reincarnation.
         Karma  is  the  sum  of  a  person’s  actions  in  this  and  previous  states  of  existence,  viewed  as  affecting  their  future  fates.  (ie   the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation)  
       
The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit  karman  which  means  ‘action _  effect _  fate’.  

        Reincarnation  is  the  rebirth  of  a  soul  in  a  new  body. 
Incarnation  is   a  spirit  embodied  in  a  living  human  from.  
To  incarnate  is  to  be  invested  in a  bodily  form.
The  origin of  this  word  is  from the  Latin  in-  carn-  which  means  ‘into’  ‘flesh’.

       
Reincarnation is a necessary adjunct to Karma. This is because incomplete punishment for a person’s evil deeds in this life will be completed in future lives.
        How else would punishment for the evil deeds of Pol Pot and Idi Amin be justly meted out as these two persons died peacefully in ripe old age.   
        It is believed that  reincarnation   takes  place  at  conception  or   when  the  baby  is  in  the  womb  or  at  birth.

5. Theory explains phenomena.
   
     A phenomenon is a fact that is observed to exist or happen.
       
A theory is a system of ideas intended to explain phenomena.    
        Consistency is a harmonious agreement amongst things or parts without contradictions.   
        If a phenomenon contradicts a theory, then the theory is inconsistent and is probably false.
        If this phenomenon is consistent with another theory, then the second theory should replace the first theory.   

6. Reincarnation is a theory to explain  the phenomena of persons being able to recall events experienced by individuals who have died.    
       
The  strongest  evidence  supporting  the  theory  of  reincarnation  is  from  the  work  of  Ian  Stevenson  who  documented  numerous  cases  of  children  ‘recalling’  historical   events  and  relatives  of  deceased  individuals.  Some  of  these  amazing  claims  have  been  corroborated.  
(Ref:  Old  Souls,  the  scientific  evidence  for  past  lives  by  Tom  Shroder, published  by  Simon &  Schuster,  Rockefeller  Center,  1230,  Ave of the Americas,  New  York,  NY  10020.  ISBN  0-684-85192-X
© 1999)
        

7. Reincarnation contradicts the phenomenon of mediums invoking the spirit of the dead.
        Reincarnation cannot explain how temple mediums are able to invoke the spirits of the departed. 
        If the spirit of the departed has already reincarnated into another body, how can it also appear in the temple medium?
 

8. Spirit possession theory explains all these phenomena.
        To  possess  is  to  have  complete  power  over.  
The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Latin  possidere   which  means   occupy,  hold’.
        Spirit  possession   is  the  state  of  being  under  complete  control  of  a  spirit.
        Spirit  possession  is  real  ( Mark 1:23-25,  5:1-20,  7:24-30,  9:17-27).
        Spirit  possession  can  explain 
explain how temple mediums are able to invoke the spirits of the departed. It can also explain how some persons are able to accurately recall events experienced by individuals who have long since died. 
        A  definite  case  of  spirit  possession  is  described  by  Roy  Stemman  about  a  Thai  Buddhist  monk  who  was  born  one  day  before  his  previous  body  died.  
       
This  case  cannot  be  explained  by  reincarnation  because  it  would  mean  that  the  baby  was  born  without  a  spirit  and  remained  without  a  spirit  for one  day.  
       
The  logical  explanation  is  that  the  baby  was  already  born  with  an  original  spiritOne day after birth,  his  body  became  inhabited or possessed  by  another  spirit. 
(Reincarnation,  Amazing  True  Cases  From  Around  The  World  by  Roy  Stemman (Editor  of  Reincarnation  International),  published  by  Judy  Piatkus  Ltd. Windmill  Street, London  W1P 1HF. ISBN 0-7499-1708-3 hbk,  ISBN 0-7499-1787-3 pbk ©1997. (Ref: in  page  38))   

        I  believe  the  spirit  that  possesses  the  body  of  a  person  suppresses  the  expression  of  the  original  spirit  of  that  person. I  believe  all  possessing  spirits  are  evil,  otherwise  they  would  not  possess.  
       
I  believe  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  possess.  On  the  contrary,  the  Holy  Spirit  renders  a  person  free  to  choose.   


9.
Demon  possession.
        A  demon  is  an  evil  spirit  or  devil.  A  person  is  demon  possessed  if  he  is  completely   controlled  by  an  evil  spirit.  
        I  believe  demons  are  fallen  angels,  Satan  being  chief  among  them.  
        A  medium  is  a  person  who  claims  to  be  able  to  communicate  between  the  dead  and  the  living.
Temple  mediums  appear  to  be  able  to  summon  the  spirit  of  the  departed.  They  go  into  a  trance,  as  if  possessed,  before  they  appear  to  talk  like  the  deceased  person.  I  believe  that  the  demonic  spirit  which  has  possessed  the  departed  individual  was  invited  by  the  medium  to  speak  through  the  medium. 
        I  believe  yoga  meditation,  which  involves  a  process  of  emptying  oneself  of  logic  and  reason,  is  a  ploy  by  Satan  to  deceive  the  devotee  into  preparing  himself  as  fertile  ground  for  demon  possession. 
        Demon  possession  is  evil  because  it  enslaves  and  suppresses  the  free  will  of  the  individual.
        When  the  Hindu  or  Buddhist  parents  bring  their  children  to  their  temples,  they  are  actually  offering  their  children  as  human  sacrifice  to  demons  for   possession.
        I  believe  when  an  unsaved  person’s   body  dies,  his  original  spirit  is  released  into  the  spirit  realm  to  dwell  there  until  the  final  judgment   because  it  is  unable  to  enter  the Kingdom  of  Heaven.
        Through  Hinduism  and  Buddhism,  Satan  and  his  fellow  demonic  spirits  have  deceived  many  generations  of  people  in  large  parts of  the  world  into  unwittingly  allowing   their  bodies  and  souls  to  be  possessed.   This  permits  the demonic  spirits  to  'reincarnate'  in  them  serially.
        I  believe  the  spirit  realm  is  the  ‘valley  of  the  shadow  of  death’ (Psalm 23:4).
        I  believe  the  original  spirit  of  an  individual  is  from  Adonai  and  is  eternal.  When  an  individual’s  body  dies,  his  original  spirit  leaves  the  body  and  enters  the  spirit  realm. 
        When  a  person  accepts  Jesus  as  Savior,  his  or her  spirit  becomes  a  sibling  of   Yeshua  who  is  the  first  born  of  Adonai (Abba).   As  this  spirit  is  a  relative  of  Abba,  it  is  permitted  to  enter  and  ‘dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  forever’ (Psalm  23:6). 
        If  a  person,  during  his  lifetime,  has  not  accepted  Yeshua  as  his  Savior,  his  spirit  is  not  sanctified (separated as holy).  Even  if  he  has  performed  many  miracles  in  the  name  of  Adonai,  his  spirit  would  not  be  permitted  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven (Matthew  7: 21-23).  
       
When  his  body  dies,  his  spirit  would  remain  in  the  spirit  realm  until  the  day  of  final  judgment, when  he  will  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  to  be  tormented  forever  (Revelation 20:11-15).


10. Deception.
   
     Deception  means  to  deliberately   mislead  or  misrepresent  the  truth;  to  swindle,  hoax,  cheat,  dupe,  fool,  or  entrap.
        I  believe the theory of spirit possession is able to explain all the phenomena attributed to the theory of reincarnation as well as explain the phenomenon of invoking the spirits of the departed.   
        Because of this, I consider the theory of reincarnation as redundant, unnecessary and even false.
        As the theory of reincarnation is open to question, it then follows that the theory of karma is also open to question.   
        As the theories of reincarnation and karma form the foundations of  Hinduism, Buddhism and New Age, then these systems of belief are also open to question.
        Then what is the purpose of the theory of reincarnation?   
        I believe the purpose is deception  
        I  believe  this  concept  of  Nirvana  is  a  deception  hatched  by  Satan  and  his  fellow  demonic  spirits    
        I  believe  the  demonic  spirit  seeks  to  escape  from  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  and  the  eventual  great  white  throne  judgment  and  inevitable  punishment  in  the  lake  of  fire.   
        I  believe  the  demonic  spirit  believes  that  by  doing  good  works  it  can  seek  favor  with  Adonai  in order to enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  
        I  believe  on  entry  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  these demons,  under  the  leadership  of  Satan,  will,  once  again,  attempt  to  overthrow  Adonai.   
        Since  the  demonic  spirit  is  unable  to  do  good  deeds  in  the  spirit  form,  it  needs  to  incarnate ( to  become  invested  in  a  bodily  form)  by  possessing  the  body  of  some  unsuspecting  person  in  order  to  do  good  deeds.   
        Hence  it  needs  to  ‘re-incarnate’.  
        ‘Reincarnation’  does  not  occur  with  the  original  spirit  of  an  individual.  ‘Reincarnation’  occurs  with  demonic  spirits.  They  hop  from  body  to  body,  possessing  and  suppressing  the  original  spirit  within  each  new  body.   
        Through  Hinduism  and  Buddhism,  and  their  core  belief  of  karma  and  reincarnation,  Satan  has  deceived  many  people  into  accepting  and  believing  that  by  doing  good  works,  a  person  would  qualify  to  have  his  spirit   elevated  from  one  lifetime  to  the  next  in  order  to  eventually  reach  a  state  of  spiritual  ‘enlightenment’.  
        I  believe  even  rational  and  logical  thinking  persons  can  choose  to  believe  in  ‘reincarnation’.  This  is  because they  have  been  deceived   by  demonic  spirits. They  are  rendered  blind  to  reason  and  logic  regarding  spiritual  matters.
       
Deception  is  the  signature  of  Satan.
        I  believe  Adonai  created  man  to  fellowship  with. Adonai  gave  man  dominion  over  the  earth.  
       
The  first  action  of  Satan  to  Adam  and Eve  was  deception.  Satan  possessed  the  serpent  and  duped  Eve  and  Adam  into  eating  the  fruit  of  the  tree of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  the  one  which  Adonai  specifically  forbade  them  to  eat.  (Genesis  3:1-7)
        By  this  hoax,  Satan  cheated   mankind   of  his  right  standing  with  Adonai  and  dominion  over  the  earth.  Instead,  mankind,  including  myself  came  under  dominion  of  Satan  and  was  headed  for  certain  death.  
       
In  the  ‘fallen’  state,  I  am  unable  to  fellowship  with Adonai.  However,  Adonai  still  wanted  to  fellowship  with  me. 
        The  triune  Godhead  sent  a  part  of  Himself,   Yeshua  to  earth  as  a  man  to  die  and  bear  the  total  punishment  for  the  disobedience (sin)  of  all  of  mankind  so  that  in  believing  in  this  sacrifice,  my   fallen  spiritual  self  will  die  and  become  reborn  as  a  sibling of  Christ  Yeshua
        As  a  new  creation (2Corinthians 5:17),  I  can  directly  fellowship  with  Adonai  by  casting  all  my  cares  to  Him,  secure  in  the  belief  that  I  have  absolute  right-standing  with  Him  ( Psalm 55:22,  1 Peter 5:7)  
       
When  I  believe  in  Yeshua  as  my  savior,  I  am  freed  from  bondage to  Satan.  Satan  is  powerless  to  prevent  me  from  believing  the  good  news  of  the  divine  exchange. 
        What  he  can  do  is  to attempt  to  deceive  me  with  alternative  routes  to  Adonai  like  Hinduism,  Buddhism,  New  Age  and  Islam.  
       
Satan  inspired  Hinduism  and  Buddhism  with  the  core  beliefs  of  Karma  and  reincarnation.  
       
The  concept  of   reincarnation    has  been  debunked  by  the  concept  of  demonic  spirit  possession  explaining  all  the  ‘evidence’  proffered  for  reincarnation. 
        Hence  reincarnation  is  a  lie  and  Hinduism,  Buddhism,  and  New  Age  beliefs  are  deceptions.  They  bear  the  signature  of  Satan.  
       
Demonic  principalities  and  powers  have  invaded  the  civilized  world  through  the  guise  of 
New Age’  beliefs   and  practices.  
       
These  include   martial  arts,  Tai  Chi  exercise,   Yoga  exercise  and  meditation,  transcendental  meditation,   Eckankar  movement,  automatic  writing  as  in ‘ A  Course  In  Miracles’  and  ‘Conversations  With  God’,  and  other  New  Age  books  like  ‘Celestine  Prophecy’ ‘A  Return  To  Love’, 'The tunnel And The Light' and some environmental movements.
       
Some  offer  peace  of  mind,  even  healing  and  miracles without recourse to Yeshua.  They  are  sometimes  effective  in  providing  solutions  to  apparently  insurmountable  problems.  
       
However  these  solutions  are  offered  though  ‘false  Christs  and  false  prophets  who  appear  and  perform  signs  and  miracles  to  deceive’ (Mark 13:22). 
        I  believe  these are  deceptions  of  Satan  because  Yeshua  said  ‘No  one  comes  to  the  Father  except  through  me’ ( John 14:6).
        With  the  death  burial  and  resurrection  of  Yeshua,  Satan  has  had  been  stripped  of  his  power  over  me  and  over  anyone  else  who  believe  in  the  risen  Yeshua  Christ.  
        The  demonic  possessing  spirit  prevents  the  person  from  hearing  and  understanding  the  good  news  of  Grace.  
       
In  order  to  set  free  any  person  under  bondage  of  demonic  spirits,  one  can  drive  out  demons  by  calling  on  the  name  of  Yeshua  because  ‘at  the  name  of  Yeshua,  every  knee  will  bow’  (Philippians  2:10). 
        Once  liberated,  that  person, if chosen by Adonai,  would  be  able  to  see  and  believe  the  Gospel (good news)  which  is  Adonai  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  one  and  only  Son  so  that  whoever  believes  in  him  shall  not  perish  but  have  eternal  life (John 3:16).  

11. Works  versus  grace.
        Most  religions  include  in  their  system  of  beliefs  the  belief  that  doing  good  deeds  and  avoiding  bad  deeds  make  a  person  more  spiritually  ‘pure’  and  therefore  more  acceptable  by  the  creator.
         I  believe  one  of  the  main  deceptions  of  Satan  is  the  belief  that  ‘do  good  gets  good  and  do  bad  gets  bad  and   that  if  a  person’s  good  deeds  outnumber  the  bad,  he  gets  to  enter  heaven.  This  is  contrary  to  my  belief  that  a  person  can  never  by  his  good  deeds  qualify  for  entry  into  heaven.  It  is  only  by  the  grace  of  Abba  that  those  who  have  been  chosen  will  be  invited  into  heaven.
        Grace  Christianity  is  the  only  belief  system  which  holds  that  nothing   man  does   will  qualify  him  to  be  acceptable  by  Adonai,  and  that  it  is  only  by  the  grace  of  Adonai  is  man  accepted  by  Adonai.    The  grace  of  Adonai  is  His  son,  Yeshua.  Only  by   accepting  Yeshua  as  my  personal  savior  can  I  be  accepted  by  Adonai.  All  other  ways,  including  doing  good  deeds  count  for  nothing.  Yeshua's  voluntary  death  at  the  cross  permitted  an  exchange  to  take  place,  his  life  for  mankind’s  death,  his  perfection  for  man’s  imperfection,  his  goodness  for  man’s  evil  etc.   Also,  Yeshua  came  to  life  again  and  returned  to  his  father  the  creator.
        Because  I  choose  to  accept  Yeshua  as  my  personal  savior,  I  become  a  sibling  of  Yeshua.  At  the  moment  of  my  bodily  death,  as  a  relative  of  Adonai,  my spirit  can  then  enter and ‘dwell in  the   house  of  the  Lord  forever’ (Psalm 23:6).  Because  I  believe  in  Yeshua,  my  spirit  welcomes  the  Holy  Spirit.  With  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling  within  me,  all  possessing  spirits  would  be  driven  out.  The  Holy  Spirit  will never  leave  me  nor  forsake  me  forever (Deuteronomy  31:8). 
        When  an  individual  does  not  have  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling  within,  he  is  open  to  demonic  spirit  possession  and  is  especially  vulnerable  when  depressed  or  despondent.

12. Conclusion.
         I  believe  Grace  Christianity  is  the  only  way  of  reaching  my  creator,  Adonai.  All  other  ways,  though  appealing,  are  not  genuine  and  may  lead  to  possession  by  demons.  
       
Because  I  believe  in  free choice  after  making  my  choice,  I  choose  freedom  from  demon  possession  by   calling  upon  the  name  of  Yeshua. 
  

Back to Which religion should I choose to believe in

 

The following is a collection of relevant definitions and comments.
My own comments and beliefs are in the Times New Roman font.   
Quotations from other sources are in the Arial narrow font.  

Aquarian Gospel.
   
     The Aquarian Gospel was published in 1920. It was written by Levi H Dowling. 
   
     Levi Dowling, 1844-1911, was a preacher, and then a doctor and eventually a writer.
        The Aquarian Gospel is an extensive reworking of the Jesus story with strong theosophical and Spiritualist influences. Of interest is the attempt to fill in the two decade gap in the Jesus’s traditional biography. According to Dowling, Jesus spent a lot of time in the mystical East where he learned esoteric methods from the masters, while rebelling against the caste system.
        The narrative, unfortunately, has numerous historical inconsistencies, including Jesus meeting historical figures who lived hundreds of years before or after the first century, e.g. Mencius. The book has Jesus studying in India in the Orissa area; while this is an historically important ceremonial area, it didn’t come into prominence until nearly a millennium later. 
        None of this lessens the charm or the esoteric insight of this book. The Aquarian Gospel was rediscovered during the spiritual ferment of the 1960s; a beat-up paperback copy of this book was de rigeur in every hippie pad, and it no doubt played and unsung role in naming the 'Age of Aquarius'. The Aquarian Gospel was probably one of the catalysts for the ‘Jesus freak’ movement.
You may like to see here to find out more about Jesus and India.

Atman.
        In  Hinduism,  atman is  the  spiritual  life  principle  of  the  universe,  especially  when  regarded  as  existing  within  the  real  self  of  the  individual. The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit  ătman  which  means  ‘essence’.  

Avatar.
        In  Hindu  belief,  an  avatar  is  a  manifestation  of  a  deity  or  released  soul  in  bodily  form  on  earth.  It  is  also defined  as  an  incarnation  of  god  on  earth. The plural  form  is  avatara.
        An  example  is  Krishna.  One  living  guru,  Sai  Baba  claims  to  be  an  avatar.  He  has  been  reputed  to  have  performed  many  miracles.

Bodhisattva.
       
A person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings.

Buddhism.
        Buddhism  is  a  widespread  Asian  religion  or  philosophy  founded  by  Siddartha  Gautama  (Buddha;c.563-c.460 BC)  in  north  east  India  in  the  5th  century  BC,  which  teaches  that  elimination  of  the  self  and  earthly  desires  is  the  route  to  enlightenment.

Deity.
        God  or  goddess,  especially  in  polytheistic  religion.          

Dharma.
        The  eternal  law  of  the  cosmos,  inherent  in  the  very  nature  of  things.  Dharma is a Sanskrit term that denotes the underlying order of the cosmos and of life. It is symbolized by the wheel.  In the sphere of morality and ethics, it means ‘the right way of living’. Dharma is a concept originating from India. There are various versions of dharma, the Hindu version, the Buddhist version, the Jain version and the Sikh version. The proponents of each believe theirs to be the ‘right’ or in truest accord with the deepest realities of nature.

Eckankar.
       
A purportedly ancient religion introduced as a modern-day religion in 1965 by Paul Twitchell. A seeker from an early age, Paul was introduced to a group of ancient spiritual masters who would change the course of his life. 
    These were the ECK Masters. They include Rebazar Tarzes,  Fubbi Quantz, Towart Managi, Rami Nuri, Lai Tsi, Kata Daki and Gopal Das.  Thus the ECK teachings have ancient roots.  
    While they trained Paul to become the Living ECK Master, he explored a wide range of spiritual traditions under different teachers. Paul’s ECK name was Peddar Zasq. The high teachings of ECK had been scattered to the four corners of the world. Paul gathered these golden teachings of Light and Sound and made them readily available.    
    By 1965, Paul was offering Soul Travel workshops to the public. He wrote many books on Eckankar and the Light and Sound of God.
    Since 1981, the spiritual leader of Eckankar has been Sri Harold Klemp, whose spiritual title is the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master. The Living ECK Master of any era wants only to lead the individual to look within to the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding: the place where one can move toward Self- and God-Realization. 
    Today, Eckankar is a nonprofit religious organization and church which has members in over one hundred countries. The spiritual home of Eckankar is the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
    Eckankar claims to teach simple spiritual exercises which would enable the devotee to experience the Light and Sound of God. These exercises also help the devotee to Soul Travel, to move into greater states of consciousness. A spiritual exercise can be as simple as relaxing and singing the word HU, an ancient name for God. As devotees practice these spiritual exercises, they learn to recognize the presence of the ‘Holy Spirit' in their lives. They learn that each of them is Soul, a spark of God sent to this world to gain spiritual experience. And as they unfold spiritually, they learn to express the love of God through service to others.
Eckankar commentary

Guru.
        Guru  is  a  Hindu  spiritual  teacher.  Origin  from  Hindi  and  Punjabi.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit  'guru'  which  means  ‘weighty,  grave’,  hence,  ‘elder,  teacher’.  

 Hinduism.  
       
Hinduism  is  a  major  religious  and  cultural  tradition  of  the  Indian  subcontinent,  including  belief  in  reincarnation  and  the  worship  of  a  large  pantheon  of  deities.

        An  Indian  Yogi,  Sai  Baba,  explains  Hinduism  as  follows:
        Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three cardinal principles of Hinduism are: 1) Belief in a series of births (reincarnation). 2) Belief in Avatars of the Lord for the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation of those who have strayed from it. 3)Belief in Karma, the fact of every activity having its inevitable consequences and of human destiny being shaped by cumulative effect of all these consequences. Karma is the cause of births, the Jivi being compelled to undergo another ordeal for clearing its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
        The life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. The Vedas are the soul that sustains the spiritual life of Hindus. They are the breath that that keeps the people alive. The Vedas emanated from God Himself. The great sages received the Vedas as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from preceptor to the pupil. One can know from the Vedas the code of right activity and the body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities in all stages of life. In order to explain the Vedas in simpler terms, the Puranas (scriptures) and epic texts appeared in course of time. Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another great spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat Geetha, which helps people to control the agitation of the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge and make one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
        The word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence, away from inflicting injury on others. The essence of all the scriptural texts of Hinduism can be described in one sentence as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
        Aum, which is a primary symbol of Hinduism, is the symbol of unchanging eternal, universal supreme God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives life to all the other words. Aum is the origin of creation. It contains the essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all the scriptures.” 

        Another Indian Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda  explains Self Realization as the knowing that we are one with the omnipresence of God in body, mind and soul.

 

Jainism
        Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world originating in ancient India. The Jains follow the teachings of the 24 Jinas (conquerors) who are known as Tirthankars. The 24th is the 6th  century BC Mahavira.
        Jains believe that every human has an eternal soul and is responsible for his actions. The Jain religion places great emphasis on Karma. Essentially, it means that all people reap what they sow. A happy or miserable existence is influenced by the actions in previous lives.
   
     Jains believe all souls are equal because they all possess the potential of being liberated and attaining Moksha. Tirthankaras are role models because they have attained Moksha. 
        Jains believe that we should live, think and act respectfully and honor the spiritual nature of all life. Adherents to the faith are required to be vegetarians.
        God is viewed as the traits of the pure soul of each living being, chiefly described as infinite knowledge, perception, consciousness and happiness. They do not believe in an omnipotent, supreme, creator being. 
        Jains hold that this temporal world is full of misery and sorrow. In order to attain lasting bliss, they believe one must transcend the eternal cycle of soul transmigration. They believe the way to break out of this cycle is to practice detachment through rational perception, knowledge and conduct.
        Hence Jainism holds re-incarnation and karma as foundational in its religion. Because the theory of re-incarnation has been refuted, I believe Jainism and Jainist beliefs are false.

 

Karma. 
        Hindus  and  Buddhists  believe  in  the  concept  of  karma. Karma  is  the  sum  of  a  person’s  actions  in  this  and  previous  states  of  existence,  viewed  as  affecting  their  future  fates.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit  karman  which  means  ‘action _  effect _  fate’.
        Hindus  and  Buddhists  believe  that  by  doing  good  deeds,  they  accumulate  positive  karma  credits.  This  would  enable  their  spirit  to  reincarnate  in  a  higher  spiritual  plane  in  the  next  lifetime.  
Over  many  lifetimes,  they  would  become  more   enlightened.  Some  eventually  become  enlightened  enough  to  be  like  Gautama  Siddhartha  Buddha  and  attain  the  level  of  nirvana.

Mantra. 
        A  word  or  sound  repeated  to  aid  concentration  in  meditation.  A Vedic  hymn.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit  'man'  which  means  ‘thought’,  hence  mantra  is  ‘instrument  of  thought’.  

Maya.
        Maya
is the power by which the universe becomes manifest; the illusion of the phenomenal world. The origin of this word is from the Sanskrit 'mãyã' , from mã  'create'.

Meditate.
        To  meditate  is  to  focus  one’s  mind  for  a  period  of  time  for  spiritual  purposes  or  as  a  method  of  relaxation.

Moksha
   
     Moksha (Sanskrit: liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: release) refer in Indian religions to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth (re-incarnation) and all the suffering and limitation of worldly existence. Liberation is experienced in this life as a dissolution of the sense of self as an egoistic personality, reaching a state of Nirvana.  

Near Death Experience NDE.
      
The experience a person recalls after having been near death. 
        Kenneth Ring and Elizabeth Kübler-Ross have documented numerous cases of near death experience.
      
NDE’s have been experienced by people of various cultures and religions and are similar in content.
       The recalled near death experience usually starts in an out of body perspective. There is an awareness of being in a dark place with a small point of light . Then there is a sensation of rapidly moving in a tunnel towards that light. The light becomes larger and larger until it envelops the subject. Although the light is very bright, the subject can ‘look’ directly at it without being blinded by it. There is a feeling of peacefulness and well being and a sense of total acceptance associated with the light. Then a person or persons appear. They are usually personages held in high regard during the lifetime of that subject. It may be Buddha, a former Guru, a committee of senior persons, Holy Mary, and Jesus. There is a life review in which numerous details are brought to awareness over fleeting moments. The subject is then given the choice whether to return to the physical body. After surviving the life-threatening episode of his life, the subject reports a great change in attitude in his life. He becomes more accepting of other people, has a passion to live life more fully, and loses his fear of death.
        Allow me to distinguish between observation and theory.
        One observation is that people who have been near death and who have survived, give accounts which are uncannily similar.
        Another observation is that near death is entirely different from complete cellular death by decomposition or incineration.

How do I explain the commonality of various NDE accounts?
        One theory is that these personages are the spirits of Buddha, a former Guru, Holy Mary and  Jesus. 
        Another theory is that all these personages are demons masquerading as the various personages.(2 Cor 11:14KJV And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.)
        A more likely theory is that lack of  oxygen supply to the nerve cells in the occipital cortex of the brain may cause neuronal discharges which are later stored as memory of total darkness followed by a small focus of intensely bright light getting larger and larger as though the subject is going towards it until  finally the subject becomes enveloped by the light. The pre-frontal cortex of the brain contains nerve cells which have stored memory. Lack of oxygen causes massive neuronal discharges which may give the impression of a life review and impression of meeting with a familiar deity like Buddha, a former Guru or Jesus.
        The observation to support this theory is that somewhat similar accounts are given by persons who voluntarily undergo deprivation of oxygen to the brain and in accounts of people in altered states of consciousness when under the influence of LSD or Ketamine. Interestingly, in his autobiography, Paramanhansa  Yogananda gives an account of who he thought was Jesus appearing before him when in a deep state of yogic meditation.

New  Age.
        New  age’  is  a  broad  movement  characterized  by  alternative  approaches  to  traditional  Western  culture,  with  an  interest  in  spirituality,  mysticism,  holism,  and  environmentalism.  

Nirvana.
        Hindus  and  Buddhists  believe  in  a  state  of  Nirvana  or  Nibbana.  
       
Nirvana  is  defined  as  a  transcendent  state  in  which  there  is  no  suffering  or  desire  and  no  sense  of  self.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit   nirvăna   where  nirvă   means  ‘be  extinguished’.    On  attaining  nirvana,  a  person  is  released  from  the  repeated  cycles  of   reincarnation  and  suffering.

Pantheism.
       
A  belief  which  identifies  God  with  the  universe,  or  regards  the  universe  as  a  manifestation  of  God.
       
This concept holds that the creator and the creation are one and the same, and that the creator is not separate from the creation, and that the creator did not precede the creation.
        Hence the concept of pantheism is consistent with the core beliefs of Hinduism and most New Age practices.

Reincarnation.
        Reincarnation
  is  the  rebirth  of  a  soul  in  a  new  body. 
        Incarnation  is   a  spirit  embodied  in  a  living  human  from.  
       
To  incarnate  is  to  be  invested  in a  bodily  form.
        The  origin of  this  word  is  from the  Latin  in-  carn-  which  means  ‘into’  ‘flesh’.

Rig Veda contains reference to Jesus.
In the oldest ‘Hindu’ scripture, Rig Veda, for example, there is evidence of the promised "Prajapathi", the God who will once come in bodily form, be born to a virgin, be called the Lamb of God, die with unbroken bones for the sins of man on a wood, be resurrected from the dead and will be giving his own flesh to be eaten by people. If any Hindu compares this promised Saviour in the ancient vedic scriptures and early poems of the famous Indian saints and philosophers with the Jesus Christ of the Bible, he will be amazed without having any doubts about the compelling evidence. "Jesus is the Prajapathi", the Sanskrit name for the promised God in human body who died for the sins of mankind to redeem sinners.

Samadhi.  
        Samadhi   is  a  state  of  intense  concentration  achieved  through   meditation.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  Sanskrit  samădhi  which  means  ‘contemplation’.
        Samadhi  has  also  been  described  as  a  state  in  which  one’s  consciousness  becomes  in  unity  with  the  atman.  
        Yogis  describe  samadhi  as  a  state  of  supreme  happiness.  Hindus  believe  that  they  can  attain  samadhi  by  meditating  and  looking  within  themselves  in  order  to  ‘self-realize’.  The  devotee is  required  to  disciple  himself  to  a  guru  or  yogi  and  move  closer  to  Nibbana  after  many  years  of  meditation,  chanting  of  mantras  and  ascetic  living. 
        By  the  process  of  Yoga  meditation,  the  devotee  attempts  to  empty  himself  of   all  his  ego  driven  desires,  reason  and  logic.  The  devotee  believes  that  through  practice  and  obedient  following  of  a  Yogi,  he  can  achieve  self  realization.  
       
Self  realization  is  defined  as  the  fulfillment  of  one’s  own  potential.  
An  Indian  Yogi,  Paramahansa Yogananda  explains  Self Realization  as  the  knowing  that  we  are  one  with  the  omnipresence of  God  in  body,  mind  and  soul. Another  Indian  Yogi,  Sai  Baba,  states  that  the life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the Divine is the attainment of fullness. 

Samsara.
        Samsara  is  the  cycle  of  death  and  rebirth  in  which  life in  the  material  world  is  bound.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Sanskrit  samsăra.  

Sikhism
       
Sikhism is a religious belief founded by Guru Nanak Dev 1469 to 1539 in Punjab, India. His writings are compiled in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib
        Central in his teaching is the belief that there is one creator God called Satnam Vahiguru or Truth as revealed by Guru Nanak.
He saw the universe as a creation of one supreme power, and since the creator was in the world he created, it could not be treated as unreal as proposed in Hinduism and Buddhism.
        His teachings did not include the policy of renunciation of the world or detachment from worldly responsibilities. He denounced the leading of one's life as an ascetic and put great emphasis on hard work and earning a livelihood. For him taking care of one's family and providing food and shelter for them was one of the prime duties of man before God. 
        However, similar to Hinduism and Buddhism, h
e believed in reincarnation and karma.  Because the theory of re-incarnation has been refuted, I believe Sikhism and Sikh beliefs are false. 

Soul.
        Soul  is  the  spiritual  or  non-material  part  of  a  human  regarded  as  immortal.  The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  the  Old  English, Germanic   sāwol.

Spirit
       
Spirit  is  the  non-physical  part  of  a  person  which  is  the  seat  of  emotions  and  character;   this  is  regarded  as  surviving  after  death  of  the  body,  often  manifested  as  a  ghost. The  origin  of  this  word  is  from  Latin  spiritos  which  means  ‘breath’
.

Wicca. 
   
     Wicca is the religious cult of modern witchcraft. 
                origin: representing the Old English word wicca ‘witch’
        Witch. is a woman thought to have evil magic powers. 
                A follower or practitioner of modern witchcraft.
        Witchcraft is the practice of magic, especially the use of spells and the invocation of evil spirits.
        Rede is advice or counsel.
        Pagan is a  person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.
            origin: from Latin. paganus ‘villager, rustic’

        Wicca is a recently created  neo-pagan religion traced back to the writings of  Gerald Gardner (1884 - 1964), a British civil servant. He wrote that Wicca began in pre-history as ritual associated with fire, the hunt, animal fertility, plant propagation, tribal fertility and the curing of disease. This developed into a religion which recognized a Supreme Deity, but realized that at their state of evolution, they ‘were incapable of understanding it’. Instead, they worshipped what might be termed ‘under-gods’: the goddess of fertility and her horned consort, the god of the hunt. Wiccans continued their moon based worship, even as the mainly sun based faith of priests, the druids, developed and evolved into the dominant religion of the Celts in Europe at about 800BC. Wiccan beliefs in England survived the Roman, Saxon and Norman invasions by going underground. It suffered major losses during the Christian genocide into the 18th century. Wicca was revived in UK by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente who took surviving beliefs and practices, including the symbols, seasonal days of celebration, beliefs and deities of ancient Celtic society and fleshed them out with material from other religious, spiritual, Masonic and ceremonial magick sources. 
   
     Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or " The All". Little can be known of this force Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not ‘out there somewhere;’ they are immanent in the world
        Many regard various pagan Gods and Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc.) as representing various aspects of the God and Goddess. The term "Wicca" normally implies that the person's religion is based upon Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wicca include beliefs, practices and symbols from ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions, Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality, Shamanism).  
        Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment.
        Some Wiccans celebrate "the Great Rite" which involves ritual sexual intercourse. However, it is consensually performed by a committed couple in private.    
       
Regarding the afterlife, some believe in ancient legends of a Summerland where souls go after death. Here, they meet with others who have gone before, review and integrate their previous lives on earth, and are eventually reincarnated into the body of a new born 
        The Wiccan Rede: This is the main rule of behavior:  "An (if) it harm none, do what thou (you)  wilt (want)."
   
    
In 1960, Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary described her personal Pagan spiritual path, including the channeling of spiritual energy to help others, of tolerance, avoidance of harm to others, Karma, the Three-fold Law of return (karmic feedback), the Goddess and God within  and that this divinity is reflected through her own Inner Self, her Pagan Spirit.

With beliefs of pantheism, reincarnation and karma, Wicca falls into the realm of New Age.  
For comments about Wicca, see here

Yoga.
        Yoga  is  a  Hindu  spiritual  and  ascetic  discipline,  a  part  of  which,  including  breath  control,  simple  meditation,  and  the  adoption  of  specific  bodily  positions,  is  widely  practiced  for  health  and  relaxation. The  origin  of  this  word  is from  the  Sanskrit  yoga  which  means ‘union’.  

Yogi.
        A  yogi  is  a  person  proficient  in  yoga
        An  example  of  a  yogi  is  Paramahansa  Yogananda. 
        Born   Mukunda  Lal  Ghosh  on  Jan  5,  1893   in  the  northern  Indian  city  of  Gorakhpur.  Died  Mar  7,  1952  in  Los  Angeles,  USA.  From  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  was  trained  in  the  yoga  discipline   by  Swami  Sri  Yukteswar  for  ten  years. Paramahansa  considered  his  gurus  as  avatara.   He  was  conferred  with  the  Swami  order  in  1915,  after  graduating  from  the  University  of  Calcutta.  He  founded  a  ‘how  to  live’  school  for  boys  where  yoga  spiritual  training  was  combined  with  modern  educational  methods.  He  went  to  the  United  States,  founded  a  society  called  Self-Realization  Fellowship  in  1920  and  five  years  later  he  settled  in  Los  Angeles.   He  popularized  a  form  of  yoga  called  Kriya  Yoga. He  is  well  known  for  his  ‘Autobiography  of  a  Yogi’  and  an  English  translation  of  ‘The  Bhagavad  Gita’.  In  his  autobiography,  he  refers  to  the part  of  the  brain  above  and  between  the  eyes  as  the ‘Christ  consciousness  center’. His  disciples  have  deified  him  as  an  avatar.

 

Resource material:

Definitions in italics are based on The Concise Oxford Dictionary,  10th edition, revised.  2001.

Quotations from other sources are in the Arial narrow font.  

Old  Souls,  the  scientific  evidence  for  past  lives  by  Tom  Shroder, published  by  Simon &  Schuster,  Rockefeller  Center,  1230,  Ave of the Americas,  New  York,  NY  10020.  ISBN  0-684-85192-X. © 1999

Reincarnation,  Amazing  True  Cases  From  Around  The  World  by  Roy  Stemman (Editor  of  Reincarnation  International),  published  by  Judy  Piatkus  Ltd. Windmill  Street, London  W1P 1HF. ISBN 0-7499-1708-3 hbk,  ISBN 0-7499-1787-3 pbk  ©1997 (Ref: in  page  38) 

A  Course  In  Miracles by Helen Schucman.  Published by Viking Penguin, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, U.S.A. ISBN 0-670-86975-9. Second edition © 1996.

A  Return  To  Love by Marianne Williamson, published by HarperCollins, 19 East 53rd Street, New York, N Y 10022. © 1993

Conversations  With  God, Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch, Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-399-14278-9. © 1996. Also Books 2,3 and Friendship with God.

The Celestine  Prophecy by James Redfield, published by Warner Books Inc, 1271, Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. ISBN 0-446-51862-X. © 1993. Also, The Tenth Insight (1996) and The Secret of Shambhala (1999).

The Wheel of Life by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, published by Touchstone, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. © 1998

Lessons from the Light. by Kenneth Ring, published by Moment Point Press Inc. P.O Box 4549, Portsmouth, NH 03802-4549. ISBN 0-9661327-8-5 © 1998

Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda published by Self-Realization Fellowship, 3880 San Raphael Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90065-3298 U.S.A.  ISBN 0-87612-082-6. 12th Ed. © 1981

Eckankar commentary

Confession of a former New Ager: Christian answers for the new age.   

 

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