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

The Nature of Salvation, Liberation or Enlightenment

Personal salvation in Judaism is based on repentance, good deeds and adherence to the Torah (the Law). However, these three ingredients are mixed with a strong trust, not in self-achieved righteousness, but in the mercy of God. Actually, in Judaism, the concept of salvation is more national than personal. It differs significantly from Christianity, which promotes the concept of a "fallen nature", which a person must be "saved from". The Jewish belief is that a person is born good and can remain good by observing God’s commandments.

Rightness with God, though always available, is especially obtainable once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. "The capstone of the Jewish view of man is his ever-present opportunity for repentance and forgiveness… If he repents in sincerity he is immediately forgiven… Thus the Rabbis suggested that t’shuvah or penitence was created even before the world itself was formed. In fact, they project the thought that t’shuvah is the cement which keeps the world from falling apart."¹ Such respect for this concept gives rise to comments like R. Jacob’s, "One moment of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the entire life of the world to come." (Mishnah, Ethics of the Fathers 4:17) The age of accountability is thirteen for boys (Bar Mitzvah) and twelve for girls (Bat Mitzvah). At these ages children become legally responsible for keeping God’s commandments.

Prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and subsequent exile of the Jewish people, atonement for sin was represented by animal sacrifices. Since sacrifices could only be performed in the Temple, after its destruction, the sacrifices ceased. Many Jews consider the non-observance of these sacred rites an indication of God’s punishment for the collective sins of the Jewish people. However, ancient Jewish prophets predicted that this deprived condition would last only for a season-that in the "latter days" there would be a restoration of the Jewish people to their homeland, a rebuilding of the Temple and a continuation of their original methods of sacrifice (finalized apparently, when the Messiah comes). The full benefits of salvation will then be available once again to the sons and daughters of Abraham. (See Jeremiah 32:37-42, Ezekiel 37-48, Hosea 3:4.)

It is believed in Judaism that only those who embrace the belief in one God (monotheism) can inherit an eternal reward. (In Isaiah 45:21-22 God declares, "…There is no other God besides Me… I am God; there is no other."). One rabbi, Moses Luzatto, insists, "The Torah is the only remedy for the evil impulse. Whoever thinks that he can be helped without it is mistaken and will realize his error when he dies for his sins."² However, this does not exclude non-Jews from having hope for the future. Many Jewish teachers open wide the door of opportunity. In his code, Moses Maimonides proposes "the pious of the nations of the world have a portion in the world to come." (Yad. Teshuvah 3:5)³ And Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai said, "Just as the sin-offering atones for Israel, so righteousness atones for the peoples of the world." (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 10b) ⁴

The "Noachide Laws" are the seven laws considered by rabbinic tradition as the minimal moral duties enjoined by the Bible upon all humankind. Jews are obligated to observe the whole Torah, while every non-Jew is a "son of the covenant of Noah." (See Genesis 9:1-17.) Hence, they are duty-bound to keep the laws revealed to this ancient patriarch and receive them as being divinely inspired. Traditionally, there are seven "Noachide Laws". The first six are negative laws, involving the prohibition of (1) Idolatry; (2) Blasphemy; (3) Bloodshed; (4) Sexual sins; (5) Theft; and (6) Eating from a living animal. (7) The seventh is a positive law, the demand for the establishment of a legal system.⁵ Those non-Jews who abide by these rules qualify for acceptance by God eternally in the world to come. So there is a general covenant between God and humanity (the Adamic and Noahic Covenants), and a specific covenant between God and the Jews (beginning with the Abrahamic Covenant).

The primary emphasis in Judaism is abiding in "covenant" (berith) with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by observing his "commandments" (mitzvoth - 613 are found in the Torah). Traditional Orthodox Judaism has defined the commandments through Halakhah (lit. "the way" - the way in which to live according to Jewish law, custom and practice). Modern reformed Judaism considers Halakhah non-obligatory, while the Conservative Movement has redefined it with a more modernistic view. Circumcision for males is practiced by all Jews, being a major facet of the original covenant God made with the patriarch, Abraham. (See Genesis 17)
NOTES

1 Abraham Ezra Millgram, ed., Great Jewish Ideas (Clinton, Massachusetts: Colonial Press, Inc., B’nai B’rith Department of Adult Jewish Education 1964) p. 179.

2 Moses Luzatto, Mesillat Yesharim, chapter 5.

3 "Olam Ha-Ba," Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House, Ltd., 1971) vol. 12, column 1357.

4 Andrew Wilson, ed., World Scripture, A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts (St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House, 1995) p. 37.

5 "Noachide Laws," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 2, column 1189.

Dimensions or Planes of Existence

The average Jew has little opinion on concepts like this since normal Judaism de-emphasizes the afterlife and cosmological issues. Such mystical insights are found primarily in Kabbalistic writings, which promote ideas such as the following – "the Bible has seven different designations for heaven; therefore there must be seven heavens. There are seven heavens, named respectively Vilon, Rakia, Shechakim, Zebul, Maon, Machon, and Araboth."¹ In the highest heaven (called the "heaven of heavens" in Scripture) resides "righteousness and judgment; the treasuries of life and peace and blessing; the souls of the righteous dead; the souls and spirits that are yet to be created; the dew with which God will revive the dead; there are the ofanim and seraphim, the holy beasts ('living creatures') and the ministering angels."²

"Corresponding to the seven heavens, the earth was also pictured as consisting of seven strata, since there are seven different words for it in the Bible."³ The realm of the dead is called She’ol.⁴ Other names are given to She’ol such as: eretz ("earth", "netherworld"); qever ("grave"); afar ("dust"); bor or shahat ("pit"); dumah ("the place of abiding" or "the abode of silence"); avadon ("Abaddon"); mahalei beliyya’al ("the torrents of Belial"); "the depths of the pit" (Lamentations 3:55) and "the land of darkness" (Job 10:21). Some commentators feel that She’ol is located "at the bottoms of the mountains (Jonah 2:6), or under the waters - the cosmic ocean (Job 26:5)."⁵ The area reserved for the souls of the wicked is Gehenna (also called Gehinnom). This term is derived from a valley on the south side of Jerusalem where, at one time, children were caused to walk through fire as they were sacrificed to the god Moloch. Traditionally "this accursed valley, designated for suffering, became identified with the place of retribution for the wicked after their death."⁶ There are seven names applied to Gehenna, "seven departments, one beneath the other," and "seven kinds of pains."⁷ This 'prison' for evildoers is described as both a place of fire and darkness.

Paradise, the ultimate realm of the righteous, is also referred to as Gan Eden (the "Garden of Eden"). It is described as having "at least three levels… one higher than the other, the uppermost being nearest to God’s abode in heaven."”⁸

NOTES

1 Abraham Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud (New York: Schocken Books, 1949) p. 30.

2 George Foot Moore, Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era, The Age of Tannaim, volume 1 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1962) p. 368.

3 Abraham Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud, p. 31.

4 The Greek equivalent is Hades: a word translated "hell" and "grave" in the New Testament (Christianity).

5 "Netherworld," Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House, Ltd., 1971) vol. 12, column 996.

6 "Netherworld," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 12, column 997.

7 "Eschatology: Gehenna," The Jewish Encyclopedia (New York: KATV Publishing House, Inc., n.d.) vol. 5, p. 217.

8 "Eschatology," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 6, column 876.
The Spiritual Journey and Ultimate Destiny of Man

Judaism definitely teaches an afterlife, but offers a wide variety of interpretations concerning the state of existence following the demise of the body. In early Judaism, it was generally accepted that after death, both the evil and the righteous descend into She’ol, the underworld, "a shadowy, ghostlike existence… a region of darkness and silence deep within the recesses of the earth."¹ There the soul sleeps, in a realm of "neither pain, nor pleasure, punishment nor reward," awaiting the resurrection.²

Later on, Judaism gravitated toward two similar projections concerning the afterlife: (1) The soul of a righteous Jew, immediate upon death, enters Paradise, also known as the celestial Garden of Eden, or (2) The soul of a righteous Jew ascends to a heavenly "treasury" beneath "the throne of glory," an "upper heaven called Aravot"³ (spelled Araboth in a previous section). As opposed to being trapped in the grave, Scripture does seem supportive of views such as these two. For instance, Ecclesiastes 12:7 states, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it."

Though not central to Jewish belief, in some of their literature, the righteous enter Paradise and the wicked enter Gehenna immediately after death. In other references, this only happens after the resurrection takes place. Gehenna (also called Gehinnom) is the netherworld region reserved for the wicked. "There is difference of opinion between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel [two schools of thought during the first century] as to the duration of the punishment in Gehenna… according to the former, the thoroughly wicked remain there for everlasting disgrace; the intermediate ones (between the wicked and the good) descend to Gehenna to be purged and ascend after purification. According to the latter, the intermediate ones do not go there at all… and whereas transgressors (both Jewish and Gentile) are punished in Gehenna for only twelve months, only special categories of sinners… are punished there for all time."⁴ The pained prisoners of this place of torment suffer six days a week, "but on the Sabbath are given rest."⁵ Some believe that after twelve months in Gehenna, the wicked are "annihilated, to suffer no more"; while others believe that after twelve months, the wicked "having atoned for their sins… will join the righteous in Gan Eden" (the Garden of Eden).⁶

Conflicting views are also found in Judaism concerning the relation of the soul to the body after it expires. Beliefs exist such as-the soul hovering "over the body for three days hoping to return to it," the soul sorrowing over the body for "seven days of mourning," or the soul even repeatedly revisiting the body for twelve months following death until the physical body is decomposed and "the soul ascends nevermore to descend."⁷

At the culmination of creation, there will be a resurrection and a Final Judgment. The visionary Daniel predicted, "Those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2, See Ecclesiastes 12:5-7, Isaiah 25:8; 26:19) Many believe these final events will coincide with the coming of the Messiah, who will usher in a utopian era when Israel will once again be exalted to a place of spiritual, political and material prominence in the world. "It is somewhat unclear whether the resurrection is for the righteous alone, or whether the wicked too will be temporarily resurrected only to be judged and destroyed."⁸

Though historically, the resurrection is a "cornerstone of rabbinic eschatology" some sects and teachers in Judaism have denied a literal "raising of the dead", spiritualizing scriptures that refer to this event. It was especially a matter of contention between the "Pharisees and the Sadducees, the latter asserting that the soul died together with the body."⁹ Many literal references to this event exist in the Talmud, as well as a warning that disbelievers of this doctrine ("the resurrection") will have no part in the world to come. Nevertheless, in modernistic versions of Judaism, a belief in the resurrection is often discarded, in favor of a belief in the immortality of the soul.
NOTES

1 "Man, The Nature of," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 11, column 845.

2 "Heaven," Miriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions, p. 418.

3 "Soul, Immortality of," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 15, column 175.

4 "Netherworld," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 12, column 998, italic emphasis by author.

5 Ibid.

6 "Paradise," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 13, column 83.

7 "Soul, Immortality of," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 15, column 175.

8 "Afterlife," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 2, column 338.

9 "Olam Ha-ba," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 12, column 1356.

Cycles, Ages and the Ultimate State of the Universe

"Jewish eschatology deals primarily and principally with the final destiny of the Jewish nation and the world in general, and only secondarily with the future of the individual."¹ Traditional Jews believe in a coming "Day of the Lord" in which divine judgments and wrath will be poured out on the heathen world. They also believe that with the subsequent coming of the Messiah (yemot ha-mashi’ah) there will be a restoration of godliness and paradise perfection throughout the earth. The restored nation of Israel will then be the political and spiritual "head" of all nations.

Most sources position this "golden era" of messianic majesty as a "transitional stage" to a final, spectacular, infinite state, simply referred to as the "Kingdom of Heaven" (malkut shamayim) or the "world to come" (olam ha-ba). Other interpretations exist that blend the Messianic Age and olam ha-ba together, insisting that these two descriptive phrases are actually referring to the same era.

Various projections are given for the length of the Messianic Age: "40, 70… 365… and 400 years."² Some even project that the Messiah’s reign will last "1,000, 2,000, 4,000 or 7,000 years."³ Kabbalists believe "the Messianic Age will last approximately a thousand years."⁴ A late baraita (a teaching from a source other than the Mishnah) postulates that this world will exist for "6,000 years, of which the first 2,000 will be a period of desolation, 2,000 of Torah, and the last 2,000 the messianic era." Another teaching exists that "the Holy One Blessed Be He will renew his world only after 7,000 years." (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b) ⁵ This renewal will involve a final, fiery transformation and the manifestation of "new heavens and a new earth." (Isaiah 65:17-25) By these references it is clear that much latitude is allowed in forecasting the future in Judaism.

"It is said that the Sabbath is a taste from God of olam ha-ba / the World to Come, of paradise, a time in which it will always be Shabbat" [the Sabbath].⁶ Speculation about the final state beyond the Messianic Age is sparse. One rabbinic description, though, that is often quoted, "In the world to come… the righteous will sit with their crowns on their heads and enjoy the splendor of the Shekinah" [the Divine Presence].⁷
NOTES

1 "Eschatology: The Days of the Messiah," The Jewish Encyclopedia (New York: KATV Publishing House, Inc., n.d.) vol. 5, p. 209.

2 "Eschatology," Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House, Ltd., 1971) vol. 6, columns 879-880.

3 "Eschatology: The Days of the Messiah," The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 5, p. 213.

4 "Eschatology," Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 6, column 882.

5 Ibid., vol. 6, column 880.

6 George Robinson, Essential Judaism, A Complete Guide to the Beliefs, Customs and Rituals (New York: Pocket Books, 2000) p. 88.

7 "Beatitude," Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House, Ltd., 1971) vol. 4, column 359.

Shinto

http://www.thetruelight.net/religions/shinto.htm



THE TORII—Shinto shrines are believed to be the dwelling place of kami (various gods, spirits or sacred powers that are worshipped). A torii is erected at the entrance of the shrine. It consists of two columns crowned by two beams. This signifies the shrine is a sacred area, set apart from the profane, outside world.
This is fundamentally and primarily the religion of the Japanese people. The word Shinto means "the way of the gods", a name adopted in the sixth century A.D. to distinguish it from Buddhism and Confucianism. The origin of this religion is prehistoric. In its earliest expression it offered no orthodox sacred writings, no universal standard of moral behavior and no fixed doctrinal base. It primarily focused on the worship of a pantheon of deities or spirits (kami). The kami range from deities associated with aspects of nature (the sky, the sun, a mountain, etc.) to those that perform specific functions. Examples include: Fudo, who guards against danger or misfortune; Yakushi, who imparts healing for the mind and the body; or Inari, the rice god who brings an abundant harvest.

Two other major facets of Shintoism have been: Emperor worship - stemming from a belief that the Mikado (the emperors that ruled Japan) descended from Ama-terasu Omikami, the sun goddess. Defeat during the Second World War produced a great deal of skepticism toward, and rejection of, this doctrine. Ancestor worship - stemming from the belief that thirty-three years after death every Shinto person becomes divine, joining the ranks of the kami. For many centuries, Shintoism lost its uniqueness and independent existence, being mixed with its two chief rivals: Buddhism and Confucianism. In the 18th century, however, a nationalistic revival took place under the influence of a number of scholars who sought to rid Japan of foreign influence and reestablish Shinto as the state religion. The revered texts of this religion are: Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters-712 A.D.) Nihongi or Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan-720 A.D.) and Engishiki or Yengishiki (Procedures of the Engi Era-927 A.D.).

The Origin and Nature of the Universe

In the Kojiki, the creation myth depicts a cosmic egg splitting to form heaven and earth. Revealing a "yin-yang" kind of cosmogony, the better, positive portion of the egg-shaped substance rises to form the sky; while the inferior, negative portion descends to produce the earth and sea.

Unique to Shinto tradition is the belief that the Japanese islands were one of the first acts of creation. After the initial creation of the heaven and earth, the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami (the last of the seven generations of gods) were standing on a floating bridge in the heaven. Izanagi was stirring the ocean water with his jeweled, celestial spear. Once raised, the droplets of salt water fell from the spearhead forming the Japanese island of Ono-goro-jima. To this island the divine couple descended, where they married and gave birth to other deities, the other Japanese islands and the Japanese people.
The Nature of God

The word Shinto means "the way of the kami." This stems from two Chinese words: shen meaning "divine being" and tao meaning "way". The word kami refers primarily to the various gods or deities worshipped in this religion. However, it also relates to the sacred essence abiding in both animate and inanimate objects (such as oceans, mountains, waterfalls, trees, plants and animals). Specifically, it alludes to the spirits that dwell in the numerous shrines dedicated to them. Generally speaking, the word kami can be used in reference to anything awe-inspiring, mysterious or impressive-including that which is evil. On the highest level this term speaks of the Divine Consciousness that flows through all things, the vital force of the universe.

Originally almost all Shinto gods were identified with forces or objects in nature, such as: Tsuki-yomi, the moon god, and Kagase-wo, the star god. Different kami fulfill different functions, such as: Fudo, who guards against danger or misfortune; Yakushi, who imparts healing for the mind and the body; or Inari, the rice god who brings an abundant harvest. Some kami are righteous in character, while others are wicked, like the evil god Susa-no-wo, and a whole group of "lying deities". (Nihon-gi 1:20, Ko-ji-ki, 229) There are at least 3,700 gods who have shrines dedicated to their worship, though a common declaration is that there are 800 myriads of deities.

Shinto emphasizes the worship of ancestors as divine beings, because all eventually become kami (thirty-three years after death). Worship of emperors as direct, divine descendents of Ama-terasu, the sun goddess, has also been a dominant theme until recent years.

The Origin and Nature of Man

In this Japanese religious worldview, human beings are considered children of the kami ("gods"). Therefore, they have an inborn nature of goodness that can dominate their lives if the defilement of evil is removed.

The Nature of Salvation, Liberation or Enlightenment

Salvation is secured by appeasing the gods, by worshipful reverence toward departed ancestors and by obeying the numerous social, religious and physical regulations, codes and taboos that have been interwoven into the Japanese lifestyle. Every true Shinto home contains a Kami-dana, or 'god-shelf.' On this miniature shrine are placed emblems and names of various gods and ancestors, along with offerings. There is no fully defined concept of sin or of human beings being born under the burden of a fallen nature. Since adherents feel they are the offspring of the gods, they consider themselves heirs of a nature that is basically good and potentially divine. Most forms of this religion teach a person must be Japanese to be a Shintoist. However, of the approximately 150 sects, some are quite zealous about converting those who are not Japanese into their ranks.

The Spiritual Journey and Ultimate Destiny of Man

It is believed that after thirty-three years, the tama (the spirit of a deceased person) loses its distinctive personality and blends in with the "collective body of family ancestral spirits or kami."¹ So ultimately, each human being is destined to become a kami (a divine being) after the loss of the mortal body. Because of this belief, the kami of the ancestral family line are worshipped at shrines in the home. Departed ancestors watch over their living descendents to bless and protect. There is no developed theology concerning 'final things': no standard teaching concerning the future state, whether it be hell or purgatory for the wicked, or heaven for the righteous. Shintoists, however, do maintain a basic belief in the immortality of the soul.