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

Causal Principle — Some religions and teachers reduce the Source of all things to nothing more than an underlying 'Causal Principle.' The Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism expressed this opinion in a recent interview, claiming that "there is not an autonomous being (God) 'out there' who arbitrates what you should experience and what you should know; instead, there is the truth contained in the causal principle itself."¹

Personal vs. Impersonal God — Contrary to the idea of a 'causal principle,' the Bible teaches that there IS a God 'out there.' He is a personal God (one who thinks, remembers, hears, speaks, plans, expresses emotion, demonstrates character, exercises will and makes choices and judgments based on reason). Biblical revelation declares the universe to be a creative act of God, not an emanation of his own being. It also indicates that God is not contained by his own creation; rather, he transcends it. Yet the 'External God' promises to manifest himself to those who call upon his name and indwell their hearts. So a personal relationship with him can be received and experienced. He is also personally involved in the affairs of this world.

As some interpret it, an impersonal 'Life Force' would have to be a non-thinking, non-emotional, non-volitional cosmic Presence, incapable of hearing, seeing, communicating or interacting with human beings. Challenging this concept, the Bible questions, "He who planted the ear, shall he not hear? He who formed the eye, shall he not see?" (Psalm 94:9) A 'cosmic energy force' requires an elaborate system of magic formulas, incantations, symbolic rituals and other manipulative, esoteric methods to operate its power. A personal God is more interested in relationship than rituals—he desires from his own sincere love, adoring worship and submission to his Word and will.

In the Old Testament, we discover the God of Judaism to be a very personal God that cared for his people in a very personal way. He powerfully opened the Red Sea before them as they fled from Egypt. He audibly declared his ten commandments from trembling Mount Sinai to the entire camp of Israel. In their wilderness journey, he compassionately fed them with manna out of heaven and supernaturally produced water out of a rock to quench their thirst. An impersonal cosmic energy could never intervene in such ways for 'its' followers.

The Incarnation — Then it happened, a pivotal event that would forever change the human race. The God of Abraham, in an attempt to communicate his true and personal nature even more effectively, visited the earth in a bodily form and walked among men. By angelic revelation, this incarnation of Deity was given the name Jesus (meaning "the salvation of God"). This unique 'man' was such a complete and perfect personification of God that he even asserted, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) Of course, not only did he 'image' the Everlasting Father during his earthly existence; Jesus always has been and always will be "the image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15)

Two Kinds of Life — Far Eastern, pantheistic worldviews teach that the life of creation is the life of God, that the former is actually an emanation of the latter. In opposition to this view, the Bible teaches that there are two kinds of life — natural life (the life in the plants, animals and every human being) and divine life (the supernatural life of God).

Natural life is not the same as divine life. The Bible differentiates between these two by using two different Greek words for the word "life." Generally speaking, when the natural life (temporal life) of a human being is being described, it is psuche (pronounced psoo-khay) when divine life (everlasting life) is being described, the Greek word is zoe (pronounced zo’-ay).

The Breath of God — The existence of two kinds of life is excellently illustrated by what took place in the creation and fall of Adam (the person identified in the Bible as the first human being). After God shaped Adam from the dust, he breathed into his nostrils the "breath of life." (Genesis 2:7) What actually entered into Adam? Maybe we should first ask what God breathes. Does he inhale oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen? Does he have to breathe the gases that fill our atmosphere in order to live? Of course not! When God breathes, surely he breathes his own divine essence. When he breathed into Adam’s nostrils, he breathed himself, his very own being, into this progenitor of the human race and he became a "living soul" (a Holy Spirit infused soul — Genesis 2:7).

When Adam fell, he lost this vital principle, this divine breath. The life-imparting Holy Spirit that enabled him to constantly commune with the Father in a personal way exited from his soul. Adam was still alive physically, but because of sin’s entrance, he was dead spiritually. Though he still possessed natural breath, he no longer possessed divine breath. Though he still possessed natural, physical life and a fallen soul, he no longer possessed divine life. All of Adam’s offspring have since been born into a similar state of spiritual death. We have natural life (psuche), which is a gift from God, but until salvation takes place, we are devoid of divine life (zoe).

The Bible records a very significant happening that took place after Jesus arose from the dead. After appearing to his disciples in the upper room, he breathed on them, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22) In essence, he was restoring to them what Adam lost—the breath of divine life. This could not happen until the blood of Jesus was shed, to cleanse the hearts of his disciples and qualify them for the indwelling of the presence of God.
Conclusions— It is important to note that when Christians are filled with this divine life of God, they do not become God anymore than water becomes lemon juice when the two are mixed to become lemonade. Rather, they merge into oneness. The Spirit of God blends with the spirits of those persons he redeems, enabling them to have communion with him and to yield to the influence of his indwelling personality. However, both God and those he indwells maintain their separate and distinct identities.

We need to focus our attention also on God’s initial statement concerning the creation of man. He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (Genesis 1:26 KJV) This was fulfilled a number of ways, but one primary point needs to be emphasized. A basic law of nature is the fact that any living thing reproduces after its likeness. The genetic blueprint is passed on to the offspring to perpetuate any given species. Giraffes do not reproduce elephant-like offspring, neither do mice produce horses. Giraffes produce giraffes and mice produce mice. There is a perpetuation of like physical characteristics and like nature. On the basis of this observation, the following two logical conclusions can be reached:

If the highest expression of God is impersonal, then we who have been made in his image should also, on the highest level, be impersonal. But if God is a personal Being, on the highest level, we also should be personal beings. Christian doctrine pronounces this latter view the correct one.

We know that it is possible for a personal being, a human, to produce a force or energy source that is impersonal, but theoretically, it does not seem possible or logical that an impersonal force could actually produce personal beings. Even Hazarat Inayat Khan, the Sufi Universalist, insisted, "If God has no personality, how can a human being have a personality—we human beings who come out of His own Being."² Can an inanimate object like a rock produce an animate object like a tree? Of course not! Can a flow of electricity give birth to a host of angels? Absolutely not! Then the question must be asked, "Can an impersonal God produce personal beings?" Logic would dictate that our answer be in the negative.

NOTES

1 Kenneth L. Woodard, "The Other Jesus," Newsweek Magazine (March 27, 2000) p. 56, Excerpt from The Good Heart by the Dalai Lama.

2 Dr. H. J. Witteveen, Universal Sufism (Rockport, Massachusetts: Element, 1997) p. 95.
Does Ultimate Reality have a ‘dual nature’: both negative and positive, both darkness and light, both good and evil?

http://www.thetruelight.net/booksections/articles/bookarticle04.htm

By Mike Shreve

In his teachings, Yogi Bhajan explained, "What is God? Is he six hands? Ten heads? Is he matter? Is he a body? No. He is cosmic energy: it prevails through everybody. All that we can feel, can know, or can imagine is God. His identity is Nam because he is Truth; that is why we call him Sat Nam [meaning either "True Name" or "Truth is his name"]. He is Yin-Yang; he is positive and negative. He is male, female. He is the Creator and his creation."¹

In describing God as yin-yang, Yogi Bhajan was drawing from Taoism, the ancient religion of China. Tao means "way," "path" or "eternal principle." This religious system does not promote the concept of a personal Creator. It teaches that there is a creative principle, an impersonal energy force that rules the universe. This 'force' contains both negative and positive attributes. It is both darkness and light, evil and good.

Someone can yield to the negative side of this 'cosmic force' and become an evil person, filled with 'darkness', who may exhibit destructive, occult powers. Another person can yield to the positive side of this 'cosmic force' and become a powerful, saintly person, filled with 'light', who may even manifest constructive, supernatural powers, for the sake of accomplishing good. The source of the power remains the same. Both can be traced back to that formless, impersonal, cosmic energy identified in Taoism as Ultimate Reality.

Congruent with this worldview, Yogi Bhajan taught that "in all darkness there is a light and in all light there is a darkness."² There are valid applications of this principle, which could be reworded and made acceptable within the framework of any religion. For instance, in every good person there is potential for evil and in every evil person there is potential for good, just as the yin-yang symbol portrays. However, in some ways, especially its extreme application, the Taoist worldview departs from the biblical one.

For instance, Yogi Bhajan taught "spirituality has three dimensions": black, red or white (a reference to magic or witchcraft). Black witchcraft involves utilizing 'cosmic energy' for evil purposes; red witchcraft involves utilizing 'cosmic energy' to manifest the miraculous, yet it draws attention to itself in an egotistical way. White witchcraft, or white magic, is the highest expression of the 'universal energy force', causing a yielded person to "live humbly, universally, radiantly, truthfully, so that when one sees you, one sees God through you."³ Again, the source of all three 'dimensions of spirituality' is the same basic essence of life. It is referred to as prana in Hindu philosophy. It is called ch’i in Taoism. The modern day movie "Star Wars" and its sequels have popularized this view of duality in the Godhead—with Darth Vader, the chief villain, using the 'Force' to manifest very dark, negative, occultic powers and Luke Skywalker, the hero, using the 'Force' to produce positive, noble powers and achieve righteous goals.

The opposite, yet complementary forces of yin and yang are represented in the T’ai Ch’i diagram that follows. Evidence of this all-pervasive duality permeates the natural world. These words identify the polarity of energies, yin being the negative and yang being the positive. Yet these opposites counterbalance one another. These two terms literally mean the "dark side" or the "sunny side" of a hill. When the diagram below is spun or rotated it appears to blend together into oneness at the center, illustrating the union of these opposites.

YIN		YANG
Negative Female Evil Darkness Passive Earth Winter Cold Death		Positive Male Good Light Active Heaven Summer Heat Life

Since evidence for the yin-yang principle permeates the natural universe, it is often assumed in certain Far Eastern religions that this same duality exists within the Highest Principle that governs the universe. In God, therefore, characteristics must exist that are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Judeo-Christian view of God is quite different. An Old Testament passage announces, "The Lord is upright…and there is NO unrighteousness in him." (Psalm 92:15) The New Testament verse, 1 John 1:5, explains, "God is light and in him is NO darkness at all." In the Lord Jesus Christ is "life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4)

Satan is directly the opposite. His very name means "hater" or "accuser." This fallen angelic being is "the destroyer," "the prince of darkness" — the one who wielded the "power of death" in this realm until Jesus’ great victory over the grave. (Hebrews 2:15) Satan is NOT a negative emanation of the divine Oversoul. Neither did God author the evil resident in him. Rather, he is an individual entity who willfully rebelled against God, who is an outcast from God’s presence, and who is recognizably the adversary of the human race. He is the "thief" who comes to "kill, steal and destroy." As "the great Deceiver," he and his associate demons have succeeded in deceiving every person entering this world. (See Isaiah 14:12–19, Ezekiel 28:12–19, John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:9.)

Thankfully, through his death on the cross, Jesus cast Satan out of his position as "the prince of this world" and reclaimed this exalted position for himself. As the resurrected Savior, Jesus is now titled the "Prince of life." (John 12:31, Acts 3:15) He commissions his representatives in this world to turn others from "darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins." (Acts 26:18)

The wording of this passage of Scripture makes it clear that the "power of Satan" is totally different from the "power of God," and that human beings are delivered from the former when they embrace the latter. The power of Satan accompanies deception in this world and the perpetration of evil. The power of God works in conjunction with the truth and the perpetration of righteousness. They do NOT come from the same source.

The related Far Eastern doctrines of pantheism (All is God) and monism (All is One) give birth to this notion of God’s nature being a blend of darkness and light. If God is the essence expressed in ALL of creation and if all things are ONE, then evil and death must spring from him, as well as goodness and life. But if God is a transcendent Being who exists apart from the physical universe, the dark and evil things that abound in this world cannot be ascribed to him.
NOTES

1 Yogi Bhajan (Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Kalsa Yogiji), The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, The Power of the Spoken Word (Pamona, California: Arcline Publications, 1977) p. 71, #250 (bracketed statement by author).

2 Ibid., p. 129, #508.

3 Ibid., p 180, #724.

Is the character of the Godhead perfection and unity, or imperfection and disunity?

http://www.thetruelight.net/booksections/articles/bookarticle05.htm

By Mike Shreve

According to traditional Hindu theology, the highest expression of God is the impersonal Brahman, the Source of perfect awareness and perfect bliss. However, this perfect, original Source has expressed 'itself' in numerous gods and goddesses who are often found to be much less than perfect. Invariably, all of these deities have flaws: areas of weakness or vulnerability (as is the case in all polytheistic religions). At times, major conflicts are recorded even among the highest gods. I realize that many Hindu people revere these gods deeply. However, I plead with such persons to prayerfully consider the following observations concerning certain deities worshipped in that worldview:
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva make up the Hindu triad (Trimurti). Brahma (the Creator god) initially possessed five heads. This came about because his female companion, Saraswati, being timid, was always trying to avoid his gaze. So he created five heads, allowing him to see her at all times, no matter where she moved. Later on his head count was reduced to four. The god Shiva irately destroyed one of his heads just because Brahma offended him.
Krishna — Krishna is described in the Bhagavad-Gita as an Avatar, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, entering this world "for the protection of good men, for the destruction of evil-doers, for the re-establishment of piety." (Bhagavad-Gita 4:8)

His exhortations seem to answer many questions concerning life, suffering, purpose and eternal destiny — for those who subscribe to Hinduism and some related Far Eastern or New Age worldviews. Yet this Hindu deity seems to exhibit, at times, what many would interpret as human frailties. For instance, as a child he is described lying and stealing butter. Devotees have logical explanations for these things. It is perfectly acceptable for Krishna to lie, in order to provide protection or pleasure to his people. And because Krishna made all things, the butter belonged to him anyway, so it was not actually 'stealing'.

Another inclination that 'outsiders' might label 'peculiar' is Krishna’s habit of hiding the clothes of women who are river bathing. Devotees simply interpret this to mean Krishna’s power to remove shame. Krishna is also portrayed luring women, some the wives of other men, to dance with him in the moonlight. They become so caught up in this romantic adventure that each woman feels he is making love to her alone. This, too, is often interpreted symbolically—representing Krishna’s power to woo devotees away from human ties and worldly attachments by his overpowering love.

Though Krishna does have a preferred mistress named Radha, while he was on the earth he married 16,108 women making them his queens. Eight were married individually; the remaining 16,100 were married all at once after Krishna delivered them from the Demon King, Bhaumasura. Swami Prabhupada of ISKCON interprets this information quite literally, explaining that Krishna "expanded himself in 16,108 forms" so he could be personally and simultaneously present in a palace with each of these 16,108 wives.¹ In the Srimad Bhagavatam Krishna is described fathering ten sons by each of these women over a span of 125 years.

By the standards of most religions, such a large number of sexual relationships would be unacceptable behavior for any man pursuing godliness, especially one claiming to be a manifestation of God. A Krishna devotee, Romapada Swami, elucidated the ISKCON viewpoint, "Krishna’s activities are not subject to judgment by ordinary morality for he is the creator, maintainer and destroyer and thus the owner of everything in existence… Everyone… is an energy of Lord Krishna. So it is only proper for him to enjoy his own energies."
Ganesha — One of the more popular Hindu gods is Ganesha, depicted as having a human body, but the head of an elephant. He is worshipped as the 'overcomer of obstacles'. The legend goes like this. Parvati, Shiva’s female companion, created Ganesha to guard her while she bathed. When Shiva returned home, Ganesha did not know him and consequently, refused to grant him entrance. Enraged, Shiva responded with violence, unaware that Ganesha was Parvati’s 'son'. The result? Ganesha’s head was sliced off. Upon learning his error, Shiva sent forth his servants into the forest, directing them to cut off the head of the first creature they encountered. They found an elephant. Upon their return, Shiva replaced Ganesha’s severed head with the elephant’s.
Indra — Though he was originally chief of the Vedic gods, Indra is now given very little regard. Maybe it has something to do with the disappointing behavior and resulting appearance of this ancient though neglected deity. He is often depicted with a thousand marks on his body that look like eyes. These are actually yonis, symbols of the female sex organ. Hindu tradition states that this abnormal appearance resulted from a curse pronounced upon this god by a sage, whose wife Indra seduced. The Ramayana 7,30,20-45 actually blames Indra with bringing adultery into the world.
Soma — This Hindu moon god, in a boastful gesture over his own strength, abducted Tara, the wife of Brihaspati, chaplain of the gods. Because he refused to restore Tara to her husband, a war erupted. The demons (asuras) assisted Soma in this conflict until Brahma intervened, compelling Soma to set Tara free.
Attributes of the True God

Contrasted to these myths, the God of the Bible is perfect in all his ways. (See Psalm 18:30, Matthew 5:48.) The following list describes his most glorious and praiseworthy attributes.

He is omnipotent — the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth. Unlike Brahma, who lost one of his heads, the true God is not vulnerable; he cannot be damaged by an attack from any foe. Furthermore, he is the Lord of hosts, which in essence means, "the God of an army of angels who do his bidding." He would never degrade himself by enlisting an army of demons, as Soma did, to execute his rescue. (See Isaiah 40:28, Jeremiah 32:7, Revelation 19:6.) Being omnipotent, he is also tireless. Psalm 121:3–4 declares that God neither slumbers nor sleeps. On the contrary, Hindu mythology explains that when Vishnu sleeps, creation recedes into seed form, to be re-manifested when he awakes.

He is omniscient — a God of perfect knowledge. Unlike Shiva, who mistakenly decapitated Ganesha, the true God does not make terrible mistakes through ignorance. The Bible reveals that "his understanding is infinite" and that he "knows all things." (Psalm 147:5, 1 John 3:20. See Isaiah 46:9–10.)

He is omnipresent — Had Shiva been omnipresent, nothing could have escaped his scrutiny. He would have been fully aware of the creation of Ganesha. The true God’s omnipresence is interconnected with his omnipotence and omniscience. Because he is everywhere, he can be completely cognizant of all that is happening in his universal domain and exercise his power as he sees fit. As Proverbs 15:3 states, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." (See Psalm 139:6–16.)

He is holy — a word meaning pure and separate from the world. He would never give moral standards to mankind and then fail to live up to those standards himself. He would never be found indulging in the kind of lustful, adulterous behavior associated with Indra. The Scripture plainly states God, in his transcendent state, is so holy he "cannot be tempted by evil, neither does He tempt any man." (James 1:13. See Psalm 92:15, Isaiah 57:15, John 7:18.) In his incarnate state, Jesus still remained perfect and sinless. Even as a child, he was never involved in lying or stealing, as Krishna. Furthermore, he did not participate in human procreative actions; he was never involved sexually with any woman and he never married, after the manner of this Hindu deity. As God, he remained totally separate from such temporal, fleshly activities.