What is meant by the term, "The New Age Movement?"

Paul Twitchell (1922–1971) who founded ECKANKAR, claimed to be 971st ECK master, a "Mahanta," a living incarnation of God. He taught that "Mahantas" are above the laws of man. They are omnipotent and omniscient. He relegated Jesus to a much lower position, identifying him as "a son of Kal." The name Kal is an ECK word for the devil, King of the lower worlds. Kal is also explained to be the originator of the Christian faith.

The present "Mahanta" and leader of ECKANKAR is Harold Klemp.

Guru Maharaj Ji (born in 1957) of Divine Light Mission was esteemed by his followers (quite numerous in the 1970’s) to be the Perfect Master, the Divine incarnation for this age. He taught against seeking a relationship with God, because doing so suggests that deity is separate from humanity, a departure from the monistic view of oneness that is foundational in Hinduism.
Sai Baba (born in 1926), whose name means divine mother/father, is a popular guru with a large following in India. He claims to be an Avatar for this age. He has been quoted making declarations such as the following: "I am the Self (Atma) seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings" … "I am everything, everywhere, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. My power is immeasurable. Tune into it." One of his disciples explains, "The only difference between Sai Baba and ourselves is that he knows his Divine Reality while we have forgotten the fact."¹⁴

And the list goes on and on and on…

Conclusions and Final Observations

While one branch of Hinduism denies the concept of Avatars, classical Hinduism teaches that there can only be one in the world at any given time. Yet Guru Dev, Paul Twitchell, Meher Baba, Guru Maharaj Ji, Sai Baba and others have had overlapping life spans. Some have even claimed exclusive rights to this divine status in their particular era. Who is right? Then again, the question must be asked — How can there presently be any aspirants or contenders for this position since Hindu theology predicts the next Avatar will not arrive for about 425,000 years?

Some of those claiming to be the Avatar for this age, as Meher Baba, have also claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Paul Twitchell, on the other extreme, relegated Jesus to the position of being a son of the devil while identifying himself as God in the flesh.

An evident 'crack in the dike' that quickly erodes the believability of this doctrine is the disagreement among 'Avatars' concerning basic, important issues (like those covered in this book: the nature of God, the nature of man, the nature of salvation, etc.). If those persons acknowledged as being Avatars were truly ‘inspired,’ they should all be in perfect agreement concerning their 'revelations'. But such is certainly not the case.

True biblical teaching confers divinity on only one individual, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no historical proof that the Avatars of Hinduism, except for Buddha, ever had an actual existence. On the contrary, there is an abundance of historical proof concerning Jesus: what he taught and what he did. Not only did his followers describe him as "God… manifest in the flesh" and the "image of the invisible God." (1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 1:15) Jesus revealed concerning himself, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

One of Jesus’ strongest warnings is found in John 10:8–9: "All who came before me are thieves and robbers…I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved." In other words, Jesus was explaining that all who have ever claimed to be manifestations of God in this world have 'stolen' from him a position that only he has the right to fill. This does not mean that all those claiming Avatarship have been insincere or purposefully deceptive. Admittedly, some have been egoistic frauds with openly sensual, self-serving lifestyles, but others appear to be righteous, humble, compassionate individuals. However, righteousness, humility and compassion are not necessarily signs of correctness. Even good, loving people can be self-deceived and make erroneous assumptions.

Isaiah, the prophet, described the spiritual condition of all human beings (including those who have claimed to be Avatars) with the statement: "ALL we like sheep have gone astray." The end of this verse foretells of the Messiah that "the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us ALL." (Isaiah 53:6) Jesus is the good Shepherd, the only One who completely and sacrificially laid his life down for the sheep. Only Jesus, the Son of God, made his entry into this world by a supernatural conception and virgin birth. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. Only Jesus could claim being the 'Word made flesh': the sum total of all the words that God has ever spoken or will ever speak. (John1:1-3, 14) Only Jesus died for the sins of humanity. Only Jesus rose from the dead. Recently, Pope John Paul II released the unequivocal statement (and I agree wholeheartedly), "Christ is absolutely original and absolutely unique. If he were only a wise man like Socrates, if he were a prophet like Mohammed, if he were enlightened like the Buddha, without doubt he would not be what he is."¹⁵

Finally, if Jesus Christ was an Avatar (within the framework of the generally accepted interpretation of this concept) he would have rejoiced to awaken a similar divine potential in his chief followers. He would have 'passed the torch', encouraging them to receive worshipful recognition from their own disciples, just as he had received from them. Of course, this was not the case at all.

When Paul, the apostle, prayed for a crippled man in Lystra and he was healed, the people impetuously proclaimed, "The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men." The local populace attempted to worship these followers of Christ, calling Paul, Mercury, and Barnabas, Jupiter. The apostles, if they had been trained in the Far Eastern worldview, would have gladly and serenely allowed this to proceed. They may have denied being incarnations of Roman gods, but they would unashamedly accepted the adoration of the people, affirming their own divinity. Instead, Paul cried aloud, "Why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things…" (Acts 14:11, 15)

Having viewed this evidence, we should all come to a firm conclusion. The existence of multiple Avatars is a belief that should be discarded. There has only been one incarnation of God into this world. As many wise observers have concluded—"Religion is man’s effort to reach God, but Jesus is God’s effort to reach man." Only Jesus can rightfully occupy the role of being God incarnate in this world. In humility, we must submit to heaven’s method of reaching earth if we are to experience earth’s only means of reaching heaven.^{16 (Important note)}

NOTES

1 Peter Smith, "Manifestations of God," A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá’í Faith (Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications, 2000) p. 231.

2 Ernest Valea, "The Divine Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity," Many Paths to One Goal? www.comparativereligion.com. (June, 2000) Those examining this concept of Avatars should definitely read this informative article on this excellent website. Ernest Valea explores this subject much more extensively.

3 Rabi R. Maharaj, The Death of a Guru (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1977) pp. 199-200.

4 Macauliffe, M. A., "Life of Guru Nanak," The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings, and Authors (Oxford, 1909) p. 280; quoted in Robert E Hume, The World’s Living Religions (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, rev. ed., 1936) p. 95.

5 An explanation offered by Yuktanand Singh, a contributing writer on www.sikhnet.com and other websites.

6 Eva Wong, The Shambhala Guide to Taoism (Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc. 1997) p. 162.

7 Meher Baba, The Everything and the Nothing, ed. Francis Brabazon (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 1995) p. 4.

8 Ivy Duce, How a Master Works, Kahmir, April 20, 1933 (Walnut Creek, California: Sufism Reoriented) p. 451-454.

9 Avatar Meher Baba’s Final Declaration, Clarification, etc. (booklet) p. 3-6, September 30, 1954, Meherabad; Kitty Davy, Love Alone Prevails (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 1981) p. 700-701; Bal Natu, Glimpses of the God-Man Meher Baba, vol. 6 (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 1994) p. 166-169.

10 Adi K. Irani, ed., Messages of Meher Baba, East and West (India: Meher Baba Trust) p. 95, May 31, 1932, Hollywood, part of a message read out at a reception at the Knickerbocker Hotel.

11 Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher, vol. 5 (Asheville, North Carolina: Manifestation, Inc.) p. 1670, A message to his followers in 1932.

12 Meher Baba, The Everything and the Nothing, ed. Francis Brabazon, p. 75.

13 Charles Haynes, Meher Baba, The Awakener (N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: The Avatar Foundation, Inc., 1993) p. 67.

14 Mohan Prasad, "Bhagavan Shri Sathya Sai Baba," www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/5464 (May 2, 2001).

15 Kenneth L. Woodard, "The Other Jesus," Newsweek Magazine (March 27, 2000) p. 51.

16 It should be mentioned that in philosophical Hinduism, it is contradictory to the nature of truth to seek a relationship with God, or to worship God, because WE ARE GOD! If enlightened wisdom would lead us not to worship a Divine 'Life Force' that is invisible, why should devotees offer worship to supposed Avatars (or incarnations of God) who are visible?
What is the true meaning of this celebrated title: “the Christ”?

http://www.thetruelight.net/booksections/articles/bookarticle10.htm

By Mike Shreve

Many Far Eastern and New Age groups differentiate between the man, Jesus, and 'the Christ'.

Dr. Ernest Holmes, founder of the United Church of Religious Science, stressed:

"Christ is the reality of every man, his true inner self."¹ "Christ is Universal Idea … the Higher Self."² "Christ is the embodiment of divine Sonship which has come, with varying degrees of power, to all people…Christ is a Universal Presence… There is no one particular man predestined to become the Christ. We must understand that Christ is not a person, but a Principle… As the human gives way to the Divine, in all people, they become the Christ."³

[New Ager] George Trevelyan explained the related idea that, "Esoteric Christianity sees Jesus as the human vehicle for the Cosmic Being of the Christ."⁴ If this notion is correct, Jesus is demoted to the position of a mere Way-Shower, a Revealer of Mysteries, a Divine Prototype. He is no more than a fellow human being who gave us an excellent example to emulate, that we too might walk in our own 'Christhood'. Believers of this view insist that the 'Christ nature' can be accessed even by those who do not accept Jesus as Lord of their lives.

This theory is based on three main assumptions.

(1) The first assumption is that all human beings have a divine essence. The Bible does not teach that all men are expressions of God, possessing an inward 'spark of divinity'. It rather explains that men, though made in the image of God, are presently separated from God because of his transcendence and our inherited 'fallen state'. Isaiah 59:2 also warns, "Your iniquities have separated you from your God." During the experience of salvation, sins are washed away. Christians are then placed in a mystical union with Christ. The Spirit of Christ dwells within them. There is never a point, though, where they actually become God or become Christ, anymore than the tea becomes the cream when the two are mixed together.
(2) The second assumption is that all human beings are, fully and spiritually, children of God. A more thorough examination of this point is found in a later section. In one sense, ALL human beings ARE children of God after the creation. Jesus often indiscriminately addressed large crowds of people with general statements such as, "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8)

In a spiritual, technical sense, however, only those who receive Jesus into their hearts literally, supernaturally become the "children of God" — through the experience of being "born again." (See John 1:12–13.) This experience alone grants full access into the divine family.

Those who have not yet partaken of this experience may be passionate lovers of God and sincere seekers of truth (and I have certainly met many beautiful non-Christians who fit this description). Unfortunately, though, they do not yet possess the indwelling of the true Spirit of God. In attempting to access the 'Christ nature', at best, they succeed in responding to their conscience (that inward sense of what is morally right or wrong) or tapping into the latent power of the fallen human soul (which, of itself, can result in positive character development in a person’s life). At worst, they often inadvertently come under the influence of deceptive, demonic entities who provide counterfeit spiritual experiences in order to mislead those who are spiritually gullible. (Please read the Part 4 article titled, What really is the "kundalini"?) This does not negate the sincerity of individual seekers toward God, nor their importance and value in his sight. God intensely loves all who inhabit this world and his deepest desire is to bring them all into a vital and real relationship with himself.
(3) The third assumption is that there is a distinct difference between Jesus and "the Christ." Advocates of this viewpoint believe there was a certain point where Jesus, the human, received an awakening of the Christ nature. However, the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds saying, "There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11, emphasis by author) Notice the angel did not say he would become the Christ or that he was one of many Christs.

When the anointing of the Holy Spirit descended on him at his water baptism, Jesus did not 'become' the Christ. He was merely empowered to function 'as' the Christ. Even at his birth he was titled this way. Later when Jesus asked his disciples to identify who he was, Peter responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus did not correct Peter for identifying him as the singular and only Christ. Quite the contrary, he informed this soon-to-be apostle that he was a blessed individual, because this revelation had come to him from the Father. (See Matthew 16:16–18.)

The word "Christ" (Christos) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Messiah" (Mashiyach) both of which mean "the Anointed One." All true Christians receive an anointing from God, which is a specific application of the Holy Spirit to their lives in order to perform a certain God-ordained task. Thus, they become 'the anointed of the Lord' (Heb. mashiyach, Gr. chrio) but only in a subordinate sense. (See 2 Corinthians 1:21, 1 John 2:27.)

Believers represent the Christ, they take on the nature of Christ, they become part of the body of Christ, but they never replace the Christ (Jesus) in his supreme position or match him in greatness. He is the "Anointed One" over a family of "anointed ones" who represent him in this world. If we yield our lives to Jesus’ Lordship we may receive of the "anointing" (the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s purposes), but it all flows from Jesus to his followers. This gift is not available to seekers any other way. Neither is it a latent potential that can be awakened in anyone and everyone, regardless of whether or not there is a discipleship commitment to Jesus.

As writer, Kenneth L. Woodward, pointed out in a recent Newsweek article, this is an "unbridgeable difference" between the Buddhist and Christian worldview:

"A Christian can never become Christ, while the aim of every serious Buddhist is to achieve Buddhahood himself."⁵

Jesus, the Christ, is the One who always has been and always will be—the eternal Word, the Son of the Living God, inseparably and infinitely a member of the Triune Godhead (a position no other human being could ever claim). The personality of Jesus and the personality of the Christ were not two different things. They are one and the same. We must be careful to identify him correctly. One writer warns, "Faith in a counterfeit Christ will yield a counterfeit salvation."⁶
NOTES

1 Ernest Holmes, What Religious Science Teaches (Los Angeles, California: Science of Mind Publications, 1975) p. 12.

2 Ibid., p. 55.

3 Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind (New York: Mind (New York: R.M McBride and Co., 1938, New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putman, a member of Penguin Putnam Penguin Putnam, Inc., rev. and enl. ed., 1966) p. 359 (page citation is to reprint edition).

4 George Trevelyan, Operation Redemption: A Vision of Hope in an Age of Turmoil (Walpole, New Hampshire: Stillpoint, 1985) p. 37.

5 Kenneth L. Woodard, "The Other Jesus," Newsweek Magazine (March 27, 2000) p. 60.

6 Ron Rhodes, The Counterfeit Christ of the New Age Movement, p. 168.
Was Jesus ‘a’ Door or ‘the’ Door to eternal life?

http://www.thetruelight.net/booksections/articles/bookarticle24.htm

By Mike Shreve

The general consensus in New Age sects and Far Eastern religious groups is that there are many doors to an ultimate state of being, many doors to oneness with the Creator. However, Jesus did not claim, "I am one of the doors to the sheepfold." Promoting a very exclusive approach, he asserted, "I am the door of the sheep." (See John 10:1–7.) He did not say, "I am one of many ways." Unashamedly he insisted, "I am the way." (John 14:6)

Of course, as a yoga teacher I professed to know what Jesus really meant by these statements—that achieving his "I AM" consciousness, his totally enlightened state, is the 'door' for all humanity and the 'way' to eternal life. Yet if this was what Jesus meant, he would have plainly said so. He would have used easily understood words like; "You must walk through the door of your Christ Consciousness, of an awakened 'higher Self', in order to live in the realm where I abide." Instead, in simple language, he informed, "I am the door" and "I am the way… No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Without controversy, Jesus was affirming that all must go through him personally to obtain an experience of salvation, to receive the gift of eternal life. This is simple, straightforward language that can only be interpreted in a simple, straightforward way. There are many profound reasons why Jesus could make such an astonishing claim (his deity, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and so on). The following unique theory could be just as relevant:

Three Heavens: Only One Door

According to the Bible, there are three heavens, probably divided up as follows:

The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere and the universe beyond.

The second heaven is an intermediate, spiritual sphere.

The third heaven is the highest realm, the abode of the manifest presence of God, also referred to in the Bible as paradise. (See 2 Corinthians 12:2–4.)

These three heavens are concentric, blending together and sharing a common center. The second heaven is apparently an intermediate sphere, bridging the gap between the terrestrial abode of man and the celestial abode of God. Quite possibly, this realm could be similar to what Eastern or New Age thinkers refer to as the "Astral Plane."

Consider this comparison. The soul and the spirit of a human being, though spiritual and invisible, occupy somewhat the same space as the associated physical body. So also, the invisible planes of existence occupy somewhat the same area as the first heaven and yet are spiritual in essence. Though unseen to man, the second heaven is full of angelic and demonic activity that constantly overflows into this natural world affecting us all. Understanding the true nature of these realms pulls back the veil on two highly profound mysteries: (1) Why many religions misinterpret and de-personalize God’s nature; (2) Why Jesus could make the astonishing claims showcased at the start of this section.

The life "OF" God or life "FROM" God — Many who subscribe to a Far Eastern/New Age worldview claim that the 'life-essence' underlying all living things, in both the physical plane and the first two heavens, actually IS God — an all-pervasive, impersonal, cosmic life-force. Hindus and yoga advocates call this force prana; Taoists call it chi — and most advocates of these mindsets would readily suggest these terms are synonymous with what Christians call the Holy Spirit. Yet this cannot be the case. Prana or chi is described as an impersonal force, while the Holy Spirit is the personal presence of God. There is a vast and irreconcilable difference between the two concepts.

Why is this important? Because correct revelation presents God as a personal and transcendent Being, existing apart from the physical creation. He dwells in the third heaven (the "high and holy place" — Isaiah 57:15). However, he has also filled the physical plane and the first two heavens with a 'life-force' that exists apart from him. This is NOT the life OF God; rather, it is a life that comes FROM God. It enables plants, animals and human beings to 'live' in the natural plane; it enables angels, demons and other supernatural entities to exist in higher planes. As already pointed out in Question #3, in the New Testament, there are two main Greek words translated "life." Generally speaking, natural or physical life (life FROM God) is psuche (pronounced psoo-khay); divine life (the life OF God) is zoe (pronounced zo’-ay).

When religious seekers in this world (Buddhist, Hindu, Jainist, New Age, etc) open themselves up to a higher spiritual realm through various techniques (like meditating on chakras, chanting mantras or visualizing yantras), they may actually experience the next level above us, but they are unable to proceed into the third heaven, Experiencing this highest realm of the personal presence of God is impossible unless seekers approach God through the 'door' of his Son. Jesus is spoken of as the eternal "image of the invisible God" and the only "mediator between God and men." (Colossians 1:15, 1 Timothy 2:5) Those who do not acknowledge this God-appointed 'door' become 'locked' inside a lower spiritual realm — filled with an impersonal life — which they mistakenly label "Ultimate Reality," for that is all they have ever known.

Entities inhabiting the second heaven — It is also important to understand that when Adam and Eve fell, Satan became the ruling force in this world. As "the prince of the power of the air," along with his demonic underlings, he succeeded in surrounding the globe with a suffocating layer of impenetrable spiritual darkness. (Ephesians 2:2) No one is exempt from facing such negative influence. According to Revelation 12:9, Satan has succeeded in deceiving "the whole world." Though this "prince of darkness" and his subordinate demons cannot be observed literally moving through the physical atmosphere (the first heaven), they constantly travel through the second heaven, its spiritual counterpart. In this dimension of existence, angelic forces from God oppose satanic activity and work to establish God’s purposes in the lives of those who are surrendered to the truth. (See Hebrews 1:13–14.) Various orders of angels populate the third heaven, while demons are apparently restrained from entering this celestial sphere (though it is apparent that Satan, in the past, has come into God’s presence in the third heaven in an accusatory role — Job 1:6-12).

The satanic strategy—The Bible teaches that Satan (Lucifer) can appear as an "angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) In other words, he and his associate spirits are very adept at granting false supernatural experiences that appear to be of the "True Light." In the beginning, part of his rebellion against God included an attempt to be "like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:14)

Undoubtedly, he is still endeavoring to accomplish this goal — providing a counterfeit experience of the Divine. Those who open their hearts to the realm of the supernatural, but do not use a proper approach to God (like calling on the name of Jesus and claiming the cleansing effects of his blood) invariably come under this deceptive influence. (I personally experienced visions and out-of-body sensations during meditation that I now know were a product of this negative influence.)

Yes, this is the dilemma! Even those who passionately love God and are sincerely searching for understanding are subject to this predicament. This is exactly why God outlawed various occult practices in the Old Testament such as: necromancy (contacting the dead), astrology, fortune telling, sorcery, channeling, divination and the like. (See Deuteronomy 18:10–13.) He was not denying the children of Israel valid experiences in the supernatural realm; he was trying to guard them from demonic deception. He knew such spiritual subterfuge would draw them into false doctrine, and eventually rob them of spiritual reality and the power of truth.

The following diagram illustrates what happens when seekers from various religions attempt to reach God, using non-biblical methods, and why biblical methods alone are successful.